Chapter 21

Chapter 21

The non-adult form of a female insect is its current humanoid shape, capable of manifesting chitinous claws and adorned with insectoid patterns on its exterior.

Most of the time, these patterns are visible only on the neck and below. It is only during combat or a mental frenzy that they emerge on the face.

Female insects possess antennae, which extend from the forehead only when the body senses absolute safety.

On their backs, female insects have a pair of wing sheaths. At any time, provided the female insect wills it, wings can be unfurled from these sheaths.

Female insects can bear offspring, as they are equipped with a brood chamber.

Male insects, conversely, exist in a singular form—devoid of insect wings, chitinous patterns, and antennae. Both their outward appearance and inner constitution are entirely masculine.

Upon hearing this, Lu Cian felt that his human body was virtually indistinguishable from that of a male insect.

"The psychic energy of male insects differs entirely from that of females. It is gentler, more accommodating, and utterly irresistible to female insects. Coupled with the pheromones spontaneously released by their bodies, male insects can soothe the violent psychic energy of female insects, bringing their mental state to equilibrium and alleviating mental frenzies."

However, Lu Cian had no comprehension of what this "psychic energy" or "pheromones" truly were—these also marked the fundamental distinctions between him and a male insect.

Lu Cian’s thoughts began to drift. Could it be that the ultimate evolution of humanity was the external manifestation of brainwaves—namely, psychic energy?

Did his current lack of psychic energy stem from insufficient evolution, or was he simply not intelligent enough?

As for pheromones, perhaps they were akin to the natural body fragrance that women had pursued since antiquity?

To Lu Cian, this "body fragrance" was nothing more than the scent of sweat. He recalled a high school teammate, notoriously blunt and crude, who once quipped, "What body fragrance? You mean armpit odor, right?"

Though the words were coarse, the underlying logic was not.

He, too, wondered—if pheromones could be released so casually, did that mean they were essentially just armpit odor?

His teammate’s words echoed in his mind, almost hypnotically. Every time Lu Cian considered pheromones, he shivered, as if he could actually detect that peculiar scent.

Nair Inan observed Lu Cian’s disgusted expression and promptly rewarded him with a sharp rap on the head.

"Pay attention," Nair Inan stated, devoid of emotion.

Lu Cian looked crestfallen. He regretted it; he truly shouldn't have asked Brother Nan to tell him stories.

This was likely what the old saying meant: "One false step brings eternal regret."

"Alright, that’s enough for today."

Hearing that he could finally sleep, Lu Cian’s face brightened with relief. As he turned to climb into bed, he failed to notice the faint, almost imperceptible curve at the corner of Nair Inan’s lips—a subtle hint of amusement likely unnoticed even by the insect himself.

In the quiet of the night, a faint rustling emanated from deep within the prison walls.

High-level female insects possessed acute senses. Even in deep slumber, they could be roused by the slightest abnormal sound.

Sometimes, Nair Inan truly marveled at himself. After years of evading capture, he had cultivated an acute sense of vigilance. Yet, after entering prison, he had somehow allowed another insect to remain by his side—and even managed to sleep through such disruptive noises.

Nair Inan slowly rose and approached the wall from which the sounds originated.

The noise grew louder and more frequent. Ventilation ducts ran within the walls, but the prison’s walls were constructed from memory metal, making it impossible for inmates to discern the exact path of these ducts.

Nair Inan surmised that the intruders making the commotion were likely within the ventilation ducts, though he had no idea what scheme they were hatching.

A sharp *crack* sounded right by Nair Inan’s ear, though it was barely audible within the soundproofed cell.

He watched as a small, pointed object pierced through the wall, rotating continuously as if attempting to bore a hole. Clearly, an insect intended to emerge from it.

Memory metal was used to construct prison walls for a reason. Even a top-tier female insect, with her psychic energy suppressed, could shatter a meter-thick steel plate. The formidable strength of these walls was self-evident.

Nair Inan decided to preempt their move. He touched the suppression ring around his neck, his expression chillingly cold.

Yet, before Nair Inan could act, the pointed object, having excavated a finger-sized hole, ceased its drilling and retracted.

Nair Inan sharply held his breath, wondering if the other side had detected something.

"Young Master?" A whispered voice carried through the hole, clear in the silent night.

"Damon?" Nair Inan’s heart surged with emotion, replying in the same hushed tone.

The other side was clearly elated, nearly making too much noise in their excitement. Fortunately, they quickly regained control, preventing the prison’s vibration alarm from being triggered.

Confirming that the insect inside was indeed their target, the two in the duct—who had been barely breathing and meticulously controlling their movements—began to act swiftly.

Nair Inan also extended his insect claws, using their sharp tips to help enlarge the small opening.

Throughout the operation, they relied solely on their sharp claws to grind away at the opening, communicating only through glances to avoid making any sound that might trigger the prison’s alarm.

All three insects were of high rank, their claws exceptionally sharp—especially Nair Inan’s.

Previously, even if Nair Inan had managed to dig an escape route for himself, without knowing the ventilation duct’s layout or having a map of its pathways within the walls, he would have been unable to escape the prison.

Once a hole large enough for an insect to pass through was finally opened, something eagerly poked through—it was Wawen’s head.

Nair Inan quickly stifled his excitement, lest they ruin everything by making too much noise.

Wawen nodded vigorously before retracting.

Nair Inan stepped onto the bed, intending to use it as leverage to climb into the hole, but suddenly paused.

Over this period, Nair Inan and Lu Cian had grown quite close—a fact observed by all the inmates and even the prison warden, who considered Lu Cian his favored human.

If he were to leave tonight, and the guards discovered a missing inmate tomorrow, Lu Cian would undoubtedly be the prime suspect.

Even if everyone knew Lu Cian had been left behind, effectively abandoned by Nair Inan, the authorities would still demand accountability, and a scapegoat would inevitably be found.

After a brief hesitation, Nair Inan turned back and walked to Lu Cian’s bed.

Lu Cian was sound asleep, completely oblivious to the prison break unfolding beside him.

Nair Inan bent down, lifted him onto his shoulder, and carried him through the opening, taking him along. He also grabbed the box of nutrient solution that Lu Cian always kept close, even in his sleep.

Despite being jostled and carried in such a manner, even the most inert creature would have awakened—yet Lu Cian remained unconscious.

Later, Lu Cian did briefly open his eyes, but believing he was dreaming, he promptly drifted back to sleep.

Wawen observed this and silently remarked, "Young Master, your friend truly has a carefree spirit!"

Recalling Lu Cian’s usual demeanor in his presence, Nair Inan exhaled a cold breath and silently replied, "He certainly eats and sleeps well."

The planet Larenha was an ordinary world—devoid of large garrisons of military females, notable exports, or tourist attractions. When they had previously passed through this planet, they had only learned of its prison and decided to try their luck, never expecting to actually find the Young Master there.

The Imperial family had been excessively cruel, not imprisoning the Young Master on the homeworld but instead transferring him to a common planet. Just gathering intelligence had consumed a significant amount of time.

Perhaps they should even be grateful he hadn’t been confined to the homeworld, as he might never have been rescued. However, they harbored no gratitude toward the Insect Emperor.

Later, Damon and the others failed to gather any intelligence and were forced to search planet by planet.

Their spaceship was slow, and they couldn’t reach a jump point for spatial leaps. They also had to conceal their identities while discreetly investigating the situation.

Fortunately, their perseverance paid off, and they finally rescued the Young Master.

The group navigated through the intricate network of booby-trapped passages and evaded the patrolling night guards, finally escaping the prison’s perimeter.

Breathing in the fresh air outside, Nair Inan suddenly felt a profound sense of detachment, as if he had been transported to another era.

His past few months in prison seemed to have been too carefree, almost making him forget his responsibilities and the deep-seated blood feud he carried.

"Young Master, we’ve finally found you!" The loyal subordinates, upon seeing their leader rescued, nearly rushed forward to embrace him in tears—but halted when they noticed his ruddy, well-nourished face.

Had their Young Master been living… a little too comfortably in prison?

Had he actually gained weight?

"Young Master, you’ve suffered so much!" The honest and simple Fletcher stepped forward, a hulking two-and-a-half-meter tall figure now weeping like a youngling.

Nair Inan remained silent, patting Fletcher’s shoulder before glancing at the others and whispering, "This is not the place to talk. We must leave quickly."

Damon nodded. "This operation was only allotted three hours. There are less than fifteen minutes left before the shift change. We must hurry."

Fletcher noticed a bundle slung over the Young Master’s shoulder and assumed it was luggage, reaching out to take it—only for Nair Inan to brush off his hand. "No need."

Fletcher froze, feeling a pang of unease, wondering if he had done something wrong to displease the Young Master.

"Young Master?" Wawen inquired, seeing the standoff between the two.

Nair Inan shook his head. "I was just thinking about how to evade the royal family’s pursuit after we leave."

Wawen suggested, "Why don’t we blow up Larenha Prison?"

Nair Inan immediately interjected, "Absolutely not."

Damon also twitched his lips, silently cursing Wawen, that idiot.

Wawen was puzzled. "Young Master, why not? That prison holds many vicious space pirates. Killing them would be serving justice."

Nair Inan shook his head. "Besides them, there are many innocent insects. Most of them were imprisoned simply for offending male insects."

At the mention of male insects, Wawen’s expression darkened. "Male insects again—curse them!"

Damon’s heart also sank.

Like Nair Inan, they all harbored a profound aversion to male insects.

To be precise, every member of the Shelley Clan who had endured the clan’s downfall alongside the Young Master and fled with him for so long carried an intense hatred and resentment toward male insects.

Some even harbored resentment toward the male insects of their own tribe, who, in their desperate struggle for survival, had gone to the homeworld and shamelessly groveled before the Imperial family.

They had utterly disgraced the Shelley Clan’s dignity and pride!