Chapter 67

Chapter 67

The territory of Hemp Nettle Star was indeed vast, but with a female Zerg spreading her wings and flying at full speed, she was only marginally slower than an aircraft. Given the circumstances, even if the other six Zerg hadn't found them, Damon and Wawen shouldn't have been this late.

The only plausible explanation was obvious: something had happened to them.

Lu Cian, noticing Nair Inan’s tense expression, asked, "Brother Nan, what should we do next?"

Nair Inan frowned. "There must be other Zerg on this planet. Let’s stow the harvesters first and do some reconnaissance."

Lu Cian was startled. "There are other Zerg here? I thought all the valuable minerals had been mined, and the miners had already left?"

Nair Inan nodded. "When the royal family completed their mining operations, they did evacuate all the workers. But it’s possible some miners were left behind."

Lu Cian frowned. "Left behind? Logically, no miner would willingly stay. Unless... the royal family didn’t want to take them?"

Nair Inan replied, "Hard to say. It’s also possible the Zerg here, like us, landed here by accident."

Lu Cian nodded. That scenario wasn’t impossible.

Given Damon and Wawen’s skills, the Zerg who could trap them couldn’t be just one or two. If they were stranded miners from the past, no matter how many years had passed—even though the Zerg were long-lived—those who survived to this day would be quite old. They probably wouldn’t have the ability to capture those two, right?

Lu Cian wasn’t underestimating a group of elderly Zerg. He was just thinking of the five Zerg they had bought from the Female Slave Exchange. He guessed that those who ended up as miners likely had limited abilities. In terms of raw combat ability, they shouldn’t be a match for Damon and Wawen.

Under this assumption, those Zerg were probably like them—fellow castaways.

Given their shared predicament, meeting them shouldn’t lead to violence, right?

Time was pressing. Nair Inan packed up all their tools and supplies and unfurled his wings.

Lu Cian had seen these wings several times, but each time, he couldn’t help but admire their magnificence.

Brother Nan truly lived up to being the leader of a group of female Zerg. The wings of a leader were indeed extraordinary—the most stunning among the swarm!

At times like this, Lu Cian wished he were a female of the species, capable of growing his own pair of wings for flight.

"Come here." Nair Inan reached out, and Lu Cian naturally placed his hand in his.

Being carried while traveling was becoming second nature to Lu Cian.

Nair Inan’s flying speed was incredibly fast. The wind whipped past them, and soon, Lu Cian had no energy left for distracting thoughts.

Earlier, to navigate through the hemp nettle thickets, Lu Cian had worn a fully enclosed protective suit and helmet.

Now, flying against the wind, the gusts felt like knives raking across him. The suit was sturdy enough that he didn’t feel cold, but the force of the wind was immense. Half of his body felt pummeled by the wind.

If not for Nair Inan’s body shielding him from behind, he would’ve been swept away like a shooting star, hurled into the stratosphere.

The speed of flight had immediate benefits—they quickly picked up traces of the missing Zerg.

"Found them," Nair Inan said.

When they landed and Lu Cian’s feet touched solid ground again, he finally let out a sigh of relief.

This flight had been recklessly fast. The experience was akin to riding a jet—except this "jet" had no outer shell. The sensation wasn’t terrible, but it certainly wasn’t comfortable.

Fortunately, Nair Inan hadn’t performed any aerobatics like before when piloting the spacecraft. Otherwise, with all the barrel rolls and loops, Lu Cian would’ve surely vomited.

After recovering, Lu Cian looked up and saw an expansive lake.

He blinked. "Are those Zerg on the lake?"

Nair Inan nodded.

Lu Cian was surprised at first, but then it made sense.

Hemp nettles were resilient—you could cut them down, and they’d grow back unless uprooted completely. Their uncontrolled proliferation had nearly covered the entire planet.

But hemp nettles weren’t omnipotent. They couldn’t adapt to all terrains, such as deserts or barren wastelands, where they grew sparsely. They also couldn’t survive underwater.

On this planet, concealment options were limited. The lake was an excellent choice.

Then, Lu Cian frowned again. Zerg who could settle on the lake must have substantial resources and sizeable transport craft. Their arrival here might not have been forced—they might have planned it.

These Zerg had made the planet their home, thoroughly mapping its conditions. They might have even developed monitoring systems to detect any unauthorized arrivals the moment they arrived.

"The other six Zerg aren’t formidable combatants, so it’s understandable if they were caught after being detected. But Damon and Wawen shouldn’t have been captured so easily, right?" Lu Cian said.

Nair Inan replied, "Our presence was likely detected long ago. Their delay in making contact suggests internal divisions."

Lu Cian’s pulse quickened.

Right. He had almost forgotten that possibility.

Perhaps they had been under surveillance all along.

The thought that their every move had been watched, with lethal threats potentially waiting at any moment, made his pulse quicken.

Nair Inan said reassuringly, "Don’t worry. Since they haven’t acted yet, their attitude toward us is probably friendly. Look—they’re coming now."

Lu Cian followed Nair Inan’s gaze and saw a speck appear on the distant lake. It grew larger as it rapidly approached them.

When Lu Cian got a clear view, he realized it resembled a Zerg-designed submersible—no wonder they had remained hidden on this planet undetected.

As the large vessel drew near, its hatch opened, and several hulking, towering Zerg stepped out. The leader was even more imposing, clearly their chief.

"Greetings, honored guests. Our reception has been inadequate."

Nair Inan smiled faintly. "So it’s the Harding Tribe. No wonder my Zerg were captured so easily."

The leader rubbed his neck awkwardly. "It wasn’t our Zerg who captured your people—just an accident."

Nair Inan shook his head. "Whether it was an accident or not, it’s still a reflection of their shortcomings. No need for apologies, Chief."

The Harding Tribe Chief laughed. "The Heir Apparent is truly gracious. Reputation pales in comparison to reality."

Nair Inan said, "Won’t the Chief invite us inside?"

The Harding Tribe Chief slapped his forehead with such force that Lu Cian flinched, wondering if he’d given himself a concussion.

"My apologies for keeping guests waiting outside. Please, Heir Apparent, step aboard."

Lu Cian and Nair Inan were welcomed onto the ship, though their reception differed markedly.

Lu Cian’s unassuming appearance was highly misleading. The Harding Tribe Zerg recognized Nair Inan because he was the Heir Apparent of the Shelley Clan.

Succession among their kind was strict. Even though the previous Shelley Clan Chief had passed away, and Nair Inan was the heir presumptive, without an official investiture ceremony, he remained the Heir Apparent—not yet officially addressed as Chief.

Only when the Shelley Clan held the succession rites, proclaimed before the Insect God and communicated throughout the Zerg dominion, would his title as Chief be formally recognized.

Lu Cian was not originally a member of the Shelley Clan, nor was he any heavyweight figure, so he was even less known among the bugs.

Moreover, Lu Cian was short in stature and could easily be mistaken for a juvenile female bug. Tagging along with Nair Inan, he probably looked like a favored protégé.

Nair Inan followed the Harding Tribe Chief into the inner chamber, giving Lu Cian a reassuring glance before leaving, which instantly put Lu Cian at ease.

Lu Cian asked the bugs where his friends were, and soon, Damon and Wawen were brought before him.

When Lu Cian saw the two, he finally let out a sigh of relief—they’d actually been caught by the locals.

However, by the time Lu Cian and Nair Inan noticed something amiss and arrived at the lakeside, the two had already been imprisoned for two days.

Lu Cian sighed to himself—these two were seriously unlucky.

Seeing how worn out Damon and Wawen looked, Lu Cian felt both sympathy and confusion. “Seriously, how’d you two get nabbed again?”

Back in the black market, if Nair Inan hadn’t stepped in, they would have been captured long ago.

During their return journey, they couldn’t hold their own against the guards sent by their home planet and needed Nair Inan to bail them out.

Now, stuck on Hemp Nettle Star, they got snatched up again, no problem.

Perhaps in one-on-one combat, the two weren’t lacking in skill, but next to Nair Inan, they just couldn’t measure up.

Hearing Lu Cian’s words, Damon winced, embarrassed. They had actually noticed the insects’ presence but failed to flee in time. Being caught was indeed a matter of inferior skill, and now they had to trouble the Heir Apparent to rescue them personally, which was pretty damn embarrassing.

Wawen, though, was clearly pissed. He hadn’t wanted to be captured either. “There were too many of ‘em. We didn’t stand a chance.”

Lu Cian nodded. “I know they had more numbers, but there were two of you. Why not split up and run?”

At this, the two looked even more awkward.

The situation had unfolded too suddenly—they hadn’t even had the chance to separate before being caught. In hindsight, they’d kinda screwed up.

Damon said guiltily, “They set up traps in advance—nets made from that toxic hemp nettle. So…”

Lu Cian suddenly understood. “No wonder.”

No wonder both had been captured, and so effortlessly at that.

He had been wondering earlier—even if Damon and Wawen’s combat abilities were far inferior to Brother Nan’s, they should have been able to escape easily by simply spreading their insect wings and fleeing without engaging. Turns out they had fallen into a trap.

The hemp nettle nets must have been coated with fresh hemp nettle sap, potent enough to paralyze and knock them unconscious the moment they were ensnared.

Lu Cian hadn’t asked about their capture to mock them but purely out of curiosity. After learning what he wanted to know, he even tried to cheer them up.