Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Lu Cian held his tongue. He could tell Blair and Captain Luo went way back, so Blair could badmouth the captain behind his back, but as an outsider, Lu Cian couldn’t just jump in.

If he misspoke, who knew if his words would reach Captain Luo’s ears?

What if the captain was petty and decided to make things hard for him?

Lu Cian wasn’t very old and wasn’t street-smart, but he knew the basics.

He also knew the saying, "Different breeds, different needs."

His identity as an alien species had to be kept hidden at all costs—he couldn’t let these locals find out!

There wasn’t much work in the prison. Luo Ke was busy in the afternoon, and although their Patrol Team had some connection to the prison, he was just a prison guard and couldn’t arbitrarily assign tasks to inmates.

He could call in favors, but he still had to report to his superiors.

In the afternoon, Lu Cian still went mining with Blair.

After spending the afternoon picking up small ores—small in size but heavy in weight—Lu Cian, with his soft hands, was dead tired, covered in grime.

Finally, when shift ended, he grabbed his wash kit after dinner and headed to the showers with Blair.

At this time, the showers were crowded, but the Insect-kind’s technology was advanced, so cleaning up was quick.

Insects came and went, and after a short wait, the crowd thinned significantly.

When Lu Cian entered a cleaning pod, he realized the technology was even more advanced than he’d imagined.

He took off his clothes, scanned his ID chip over the sensor—it pinged—and expected hot water to spray down. But that wasn’t the case.

The cleaning pod quickly filled with mist, which wasn’t water. It enveloped his entire body, making him feel as if he were wrapped in silk; it felt amazing.

When the two-minute time ran out, scanning the ID chip again wouldn’t work.

Lu Cian put on a clean jumpsuit and stepped out, just as Blair emerged from another stall.

Having witnessed such high-tech bathing, Lu Cian felt excited but also a little unsettled. “Blair, without rinsing with water, I feel like I’m not clean.”

Blair patted Lu Cian’s head. “What are you thinking? Water isn’t cheap, but it’s controlled by the nobility. Insects like us only get to steam clean.”

Lu Cian still felt uncomfortable. “Then what about these dirty clothes?”

He’d tossed his dirty clothes on the floor while showering, unsure if the mysterious mist had cleaned them too.

Blair shook his head. “I’m going mining again tomorrow—I’m not that picky. I just wear my clothes while bathing. If it bothers you, you can come back after all the insects have finished. By then, the ID chip won’t have restrictions, and you can rinse again.”

“But that window’s tight, so time it right,” Blair added.

Lu Cian smiled. “Blair, thank you.”

Blair chuckled. “No need. I’m looking out for you, kid.”

Lu Cian: “Huh? What did you say?”

Realizing his slip, Blair laughed it off. “Nothing, just that you’re just a kid and pitiable.”

With that, he hurried away.

Lu Cian waited outside the showers until all the insects had finished.

He scanned his ID chip again and found it worked once more.

Quickly spreading out his dirty clothes, the hidden grime was swiftly cleaned away by the mist.

Fresh and clean, Lu Cian came out—unaware that a pair of mud-colored eyes had been watching him from the shadows.

The next day.

As Lu Cian left his cell, he felt everyone staring at him. The hidden, scorching gazes were impossible to ignore.

“Blair, why do I feel like insects are staring at me?”

Blair nodded. “Of course. You’re new. Yesterday was your first day—many might not have noticed you, and even if they did, they wouldn’t be so bold.”

“Today, they’ve probably checked you out, so they’re letting it all hang out.”

Lu Cian was puzzled. “Why would they investigate me?”

Then he suddenly recalled those prison shows—new fish entering prison, only to be beaten and bullied because even criminals despised their crimes.

“Do they dislike me? Since they can’t vent in prison, are they looking for a punching bag—me?”

Blair gave him a complicated look. “With your scrawny build, no one would even want you as a punching bag! What if they accidentally kill you?”

“Killing an inmate means he does time. He could’ve gotten out in a few years, but now he’d get life—how’s that fair?”

Lu Cian: “...”

So… he should be grateful he’s weak?

“But,” Blair said meaningfully, giving Lu Cian a deep look, “some insects really need an outlet after holding back for so long. You… should get yourself a ride-along.”

Lu Cian was even more confused. What was Blair saying?

First, he said Lu Cian was too weak to be a punching bag, then told him to find a protector—what was the point?

Seeing his clueless expression, Blair couldn’t bear to expose him to the ugly truth. “Never mind. Just stick with me. If anything happens, come to me—I’ll protect you.”

Realizing Blair’s earlier hint, Lu Cian understood—Blair was the meal ticket he needed to cling to.

“Blair, you’re such a good brother!”

Faced with Lu Cian’s bright, dopey grin, Blair thought this little larva was too damn cute.

Yesterday, Blair had asked Luo Ke to assign Lu Cian a cushy job. Today, it was settled.

Cleaning the entire prison.

The prison’s Robot Insects kept things clean in real-time, but they ran 24/7, consuming energy.

Though the energy power drain was peanuts compared to what the nobility wasted, energy was still energy—nobody likes waste.

Additionally, Lu Cian was stuck with keeping tabs on conditions inside each cell.

This was originally the job of the prison guards, but since inmate labor was available, the guards naturally got to relax.

These tasks weren’t particularly heavy, but the entire prison was vast, and with Lu Cian as the only inmate insect assigned to them, it was clearly overwhelming.

Luo Ke petitioned the warden to have Blair assist as well.

After all, both insects were pretty weak and could barely scrape together any ore.

Still, Blair was slightly stronger than Lu Cian, and the prison was adept at squeezing labor from inmates.

On Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday afternoons, Blair still had to go to the mining area to dig for ore.

Blair was perfectly fine with this.

Compared to grinding his claws to stubs just to mine enough ore to earn his meal ration, he’d much rather clean.

At least cleaning wouldn’t wreck his claws.

At noon that day, Blair and Lu Cian beat the other insects to the cafeteria.

After all, the distance from the prison to the cafeteria was half that from the mining area to the cafeteria.

“Hey, Xiao Lu, we’re here so early today. We can finish eating quickly and rest sooner.” Remembering how Lu Cian hadn’t liked being called Xiao An last time, Blair changed his form of address.

Lu Cian didn’t object and, looking at the food, asked eagerly, “Blair, since we’re early today and all the dishes are available, can you recommend two that taste good?”

Blair glanced at him. “For powerful female insects, their sense of taste and smell is extremely refined.”

Lu Cian didn’t understand why Blair said that. “What do you mean?”

Blair sighed. “Powerful female insects can detect subtle flavor differences, but we’re weak. To us, all these dishes taste pretty much identical.”

Lu Cian blinked. “…Oh.”

So, Lu Cian went with his gut and picked two dishes that at least didn’t look too unappetizing.

Soon, he paid the price for his recklessness—these two dishes were even worse than yesterday’s cloyingly sweet ones, being saltier than seawater and bitter enough to make his eyes water.

Lu Cian made a face. “How are these worse than yesterday’s?”

Blair tasted his own food. “Really? Tastes the same as yesterday to me.”

Lu Cian fell silent. Apparently his taste buds worked differently from insect-kind's.

To the insect race, all bad-tasting food was the same.

Once again, Lu Cian wolfed down the food, miserably wondering how much longer he’d have to endure this. If only the insect prison had a sentence reduction system…

On their way to return the trays, they had to push against the insect crowd, insects packed like sardines, making it a miserable experience—especially for Lu Cian’s slight frame.

Suddenly, Lu Cian felt a pair of large hands bump into him from behind. He ignored it and kept pushing forward.

But the hands didn’t withdraw. Instead, they cupped Lu Cian’s backside and gave it a firm squeeze.

A loud “Ow!” rang out, drawing the attention of every insect in the crowd toward Lu Cian.

Lu Cian’s face flushed with rage.

Blair looked at him worriedly, assuming he'd been crushed in the crowd and cried out in pain.

“Are you hurt? Your face is red from the pain—let’s go to the infirmary right away!”

While fatal incidents did occur in prison, if they happened too frequently, the higher-ups would intervene.

That’s why the prison had an infirmary.

Lu Cian stopped Blair, his expression murderous. “I. Am. Fine.”

His tone was seething.

The crowd was too dense, and with insects pressing against each other, there was no way to identify the perpetrator. Making a big deal about it would only embarrass Lu Cian further.

Here he was, a full-grown man, an upstanding young man, and in another world, he’d just been groped by an alien creature!

Groped! On! The! Butt!

He’d been sexually harassed by an alien insect!

That brazen bugger hadn’t just touched his butt—it had the nerve to squeeze it!

That damn bastard actually dared to pinch his ass!

This was utter humiliation!!!

Lu Cian was so furious his vision blurred. He never imagined that he, a man, would be harassed—and by another man who was far more muscular than him!

Lu Cian couldn’t comprehend it, let alone accept it.

What made it even worse is the realization that, in this world, he was classified as female—and males and females were nearly indistinguishable physically.

In other words, if he ever wanted a partner in this world, it would have to be with a male.

Lu Cian: “…”