Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Young, a bit flighty, and overly familiar, Blair blurted out, "Why is your voice so strange?"

Lu Cian’s heart leaped into his throat.

"But your voice is really pleasant, and your name is quite unique too. It’s a bit of a mouthful at first, but after saying it a few times, it really grows on you!" Blair then repeated it several times, like a parrot.

Perhaps due to his linguistic habits, Blair’s pronunciation lacked the same charm as Lu Cian’s own.

After several attempts, Blair gave up, realizing he couldn’t replicate Lu Cian’s cadence. He then continued his questioning: "You look quite young—what got you in here? Did you offend someone? But minors usually get leniency..."

He was clearly determined to get to the bottom of things.

Asking so many questions right after meeting felt a bit intrusive.

Lu Cian had just faced a near-death experience and an unexpected interstellar journey—both monumental events.

Though the time between them was short, he had to adapt quickly.

Seeing Blair reminded Lu Cian of his younger, more naive self—someone who wasn’t very good at reading people.

Even now, Lu Cian wasn’t particularly adept at it.

He couldn't tell if Blair was genuinely innocent or putting on an act.

His older brother had told him that once he entered university, he was an adult—responsible for his words, actions, and life.

"Don't be so gullible; stay cautious," he’d advised.

But also, "Be sincere in friendships."

It was a fine line to walk, one Lu Zean had left for Lu Cian to figure out.

Lu Cian rubbed his head, outwardly agreeing with his brother while secretly pouting—he thought his brother underestimated him. Surely, the world wasn’t full of bad people.

But now, everything was different. He had transmigrated to an alien world, surrounded by creatures nothing like humans.

Nothing was familiar here except the language.

Lu Cian felt a surge of panic but forced himself to maintain a calm, composed demeanor.

A suspicion grew—was Blair probing him for information to help that prison guard build a stronger case against him? Or worse, to expose him as an alien and dissect him?

The thought terrified him!

Lu Cian braced himself—he had to stay calm!

Facing Blair’s eager gaze, Lu Cian adopted a troubled expression and said, "I’m not sure what happened. I think I was kidnapped. I was unconscious, and when I woke up, I ran into Luo..."

He nearly said "Luoge," but hesitated—was that Blair’s nickname for him, or was it his actual name?

Catching himself, Lu Cian simply pointed in the direction Luo Ke had left.

Blair nodded knowingly. "Brother Luo’s real name is Luo Ke. He’s a prison guard here, who also does outside patrols. He’s a captain in the patrol team—you can call him Captain Luo."

Lu Cian nodded, enlightened. "Right. I woke up and ran into Captain Luo, and he accused me of being a stowaway before bringing me here."

He shrugged, indicating that was how he ended up there.

Blair frowned deeply.

Lu Cian’s heart tightened, fearing he’d made a mistake—until Blair exclaimed, "How could Brother Luo do this? You’re clearly a victim, and he just threw you in here? That’s outrageous!"

Seeing Blair’s indignation, Lu Cian breathed a sigh of relief, though he felt a twinge of guilt for Captain Luo’s undeserved scolding. He quickly added, "Maybe it’s because I don’t have any ID."

At those words, Blair’s head snapped up, his gaze fixed on Lu Cian, making his heart skip again. "Wh-what’s wrong?"

Blair stared at him for a long moment before suddenly grabbing his hand. "My friend, you’ve had such bad luck. You weren’t living on a barren planet, were you?"

Relieved Blair hadn’t grown suspicious, Lu Cian gave a barely perceptible nod—one only noticeable because Blair was watching so closely.

Blair tightened his grip. "Insect God preserve us, to think there are still Insect People stranded on barren planets in the Empire! How could those star explorers fail so completely, leaving innocent citizens scattered out there—and now even kidnapped by space pirates!"

Lu Cian noticed Blair’s repeated use of the word "insect"—did it refer to their race or species?

Unsure of the exact meaning and whether their written language matched Earth’s, Lu Cian stayed cautious, choosing his words carefully.

As for "space pirates," they were essentially spacefaring pirates.

Lu Cian played along. "Yeah, I must’ve been taken by space pirates. Just my luck—I don’t even know what they look like, and now I’m labeled a stowaway and thrown in prison."

Blair sighed sympathetically. "Don’t worry. Prison life has its hardships, but also advantages. In your case, explaining your circumstances might reduce your sentence. Once you’re released, you’ll get new ID and can live openly on this planet."

Lu Cian’s face lit up—as an undocumented outsider, official papers were exactly what he lacked.

He asked eagerly, "What should I do now?"

Blair patted his shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry. Since Brother Luo assigned you to me, I’ll personally explain everything to him. He’ll get it sorted for you."

Lu Cian was naturally overjoyed and thanked Blair profusely.

Blair, unused to such gratitude, felt almost lightheaded.

Just then, a shrill whistle pierced the air outside.

Blair turned to Lu Cian. "I’ll explain the rules in detail tonight. Right now, we need to hurry out for work. Get changed quickly—just follow my lead once we’re out."

With that, Blair swiftly unpacked Lu Cian’s box, pulling out clothes and basic necessities.

"Quick, put these on."

Lu Cian took the clothes and pulled them over his existing outfit.

His original clothes were already torn—he’d discard them later.

No sooner had he dressed, the metal door beeped open.

Blair seized Lu Cian's wrist and bolted out.

Outside, Lu Cian saw many others moving in the same direction—some rushing, others strolling leisurely as if on a casual walk.

Among the imprisoned Insect People, Blair was among the weakest. If he didn’t hurry to secure a good spot, he’d fail his daily task.

No completed task meant no food—and an empty stomach.

That’s why Blair was dragging Lu Cian along so fast.

Pulling Lu Cian along in a mad dash to the mining area, Blair saw that the best mining spots had already been taken by other bugs, but there were still a few secondary spots left. He pulled Lu Cian, who was still gasping for air, and ran again.

Upon reaching the chosen mining spot, Blair planted a marker flag in a fixed position, and his hands morphed into insect claws. Digging as he urged Lu Cian, "Dig faster. If we don’t meet the quota, not only will lunch portions be reduced, but we might even miss dinner."

Little did Blair know, Lu Cian had frozen in place the moment he saw Blair’s transformed insect claws.

Lu Cian stood there, his entire body tense, staring at Blair’s hands—no, claws—with shock, fear, and horrified fascination.

Maybe even a thrill of excitement.

After all, during his edgy teen phase, he had fantasized about having such a fantastical ability.

But the problem was, he wasn’t in that phase anymore!

He had actually transmigrated!!

Holy shit, just where had he ended up?!

The creatures here weren’t even human?!

Then what exactly were they?!

Lu Cian was about to lose it.

These alien beings kept talking about "bugs" and "insects"—could it really be the kind of bugs he was imagining?

Why would insects have humanoid forms?

Was the ultimate evolutionary goal of all life forms to resemble humans?

Lu Cian grabbed his hair, his heart pounding wildly, completely out of his depth.

He was pissed beyond belief. Why was his luck so terrible? Not only had he not landed in a normal world, but he didn’t even get a proper break to process this crazy isekai situation!

Was this some divine trial arranged by the heavens?

As Lu Cian calmed himself down, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense.

Maybe… he was the damn "chosen one"?!

Well, whether he was or not, he had bigger problems now.

According to Blair, if they didn’t mine enough ore, they wouldn’t get to eat.

An army marches on its stomach. A healthy body was step one in any revolution.

His parents had been right—no matter what shit hits the fan, eating came first.

Only with a full stomach could he have the strength to think about anything else.

But then, Lu Cian looked down at his bare hands and went dead quiet.

Now he was staring down a very serious problem.

He wasn’t a native of this alien world. He couldn’t grow claws. How was he supposed to mine?

Blair, noticing Lu Cian’s standing there doing nothing, gave him a what's-wrong-with-you look. "Why aren’t you transforming your claws to dig?"

Under Blair’s prolonged stare, Lu Cian stammered, "I… I can’t."

As Blair slowly moved closer, Lu Cian backpedaled on instinct.

Blair frowned. "Can’t transform? How can a female of the species not transform?"

"Even I’m among the weakest bugs in this prison, but even the weakest can still grow claws. Unless… you’re going through your Second Evolution, and the energy spike's blocking you from transforming?"

Trying to be helpful, Blair added, "It’s fine. If you can’t dig, then help me haul the mined ore instead."

The mined ore had to be hauled to a nearby inspection platform. Since Lu Cian couldn’t dig, he could at least shift the ore.