Chapter 90

Chapter 90

Nuo Sen, who had accompanied them, felt a pang of disappointment. The researcher he had nurtured with such care showed no attachment, eager to leave with such enthusiasm.

But then he remembered that the Young Master was finally departing…

Regardless, the other party was a formidable presence, and the sooner he left, the sooner Nuo Sen could find peace of mind.

This Lord had been quite easy to manage—even more so than the superiors constantly pressing for deliveries—yet Nuo Sen still hadn't slept well recently, fearing that one moment of displeasure from His Lordship could land him in prison.

……

Back on the familiar spaceship, Lu Cian and the other Bugs felt much more at ease.

Chief Kato hadn't joined them outside, remaining on the ship the entire time.

Chief Kato was no longer young, appearing distinctly middle-aged, which made him unsuitable to serve as Lu Cian’s bondservant.

He might work as a bodyguard, but his identity remained an issue and could easily lead to exposure.

Unable to find a suitable arrangement for him, Chief Kato had no choice but to stay on the ship.

Fortunately, Chief Kato wasn't one to fuss.

These were all young Bugs, and he couldn't really blend in with them anyway. Staying on the ship by himself actually made him more comfortable.

When Chief Kato saw them return with another Bug, he knew it must be the Joseph they had been searching for. He said happily, “That was quick work! I thought we’d be stuck here for months.”

Lu Cian sighed helplessly, “Chief Kato, you underestimate us. Setting aside my own status, Brother Nan and the others possess top-tier abilities. You’ve truly underestimated our strength, old friend.”

Chief Kato chuckled. “You’re right. It’s the era of the young now. Your capabilities are impressive, and that puts my mind at ease.”

Chief Kato did feel much more relieved. Initially, he had thought Nair Inan was being reckless by bringing so few Bugs on this mission.

Even if each individual was highly skilled, they were still facing a heavily armed guard force.

Now, Chief Kato realized that his Harding Tribe truly was a bit too brawny and not brainy enough.

Why resort to brute force when strategy could achieve the same goal?

Chief Kato felt that on this trip, he might have been more of a burden than anything else. Aside from watching over the ship, he seemed to be of little use.

……

The spaceship ascended and soon left Planet N-370 behind.

The Bugs returned to their rooms to rest, while Joseph and Milo headed to the ship’s standard laboratory.

On the way back, Lu Cian noticed Nair Inan wasn’t heading towards his room and asked curiously, “Where are you going?”

Nair Inan replied, “Joseph went to the lab. I’m going to check on him.”

Lu Cian was also interested and said, “Then I’ll go with you.”

Nair Inan considered for a moment and nodded. “Alright.”

They soon arrived at the lab and immediately noticed a change: many new pieces of equipment had been added.

The lab had originally been quite spacious, but now it felt somewhat cramped. Joseph was even complaining, “This lab is so small, it can’t even fit all my equipment. You said you’d invite me here and provide the best resources…”

Joseph grumbled while Milo explained beside him, “Dr., this is just the standard lab on the ship. The one on our home planet is much bigger—at least ten times the size of this.”

Milo’s words were a stretch of the truth. The lab he had used before was also a standard one, and the central planet hadn’t even finished constructing a proper lab yet—they didn’t even have housing for Bugs.

Hearing this, Lu Cian also felt a bit guilty. Was it really okay to deceive Joseph like this?

When Joseph noticed Lu Cian entering, his expression shifted. He was no longer cold and indifferent, even showing a hint of enthusiasm—though his attempt at being ingratiating came off as somewhat comical, as he wasn’t used to it.

“My Lord, earlier you mentioned restarting experiments related to male Bugs. Does that offer still stand?”

Lu Cian raised an eyebrow. Had he ever said that?

Well, he knew Joseph was fixated on his status—and probably wanted to draw his blood, too.

Lu Cian nodded. “Of course, that’s not a problem. But we’ll have to wait until we return to our territory. For now, Joseph, you’ll have to make do with other research.”

Though he couldn’t start the experiments immediately, Joseph was still satisfied with the confirmation.

This male Bug was different from any he had met before. The others would curse him out the moment they heard he wanted to conduct male-related research, even ordering their attendants to attack him.

But this male Bug was the opposite—he didn’t seem offended at all and even agreed to the experiments. Joseph felt that this male Bug wouldn’t deceive him.

Nair Inan spoke up. “We recently discovered a new type of plant. It’s quite interesting. If you’re willing, Mr. Joseph, you could study it in the meantime.”

Milo immediately brought over a sample of the plant.

Joseph knew this was their way of subtly steering him toward their own project, but he was in a good mood and didn’t resist.

After Milo explained the plant’s properties, Joseph became genuinely intrigued. He took the sample straight to the instruments and began working.

These instruments were Joseph’s personal property, hidden in a well-concealed Space Button. He had spent a fortune bribing officials just to be allowed to take them with him when he left.

And so, these instruments had followed him all the way to Planet N-370.

After meeting Nuo Sen, the latter had occasionally sent him outdated equipment from their home planet, which Joseph had modified to make them functional.

These were Joseph’s treasures, and he only took them out when absolutely necessary.

When leaving Planet N-370, all the instruments had been stored in the Space Button, which was why Lu Cian and the others hadn’t seen him packing anything.

Even on the ship, Joseph had been reluctant to take them out, but the lab was so poorly equipped that he had no choice.

Soon, Joseph became completely engrossed in his research, forgetting about Lu Cian and the others entirely.

Seeing that Joseph had settled in well and that Nair Inan had achieved his objective, Lu Cian left the lab.

Afterward, Lu Cian remarked, “At first, I felt bad about luring Joseph away and immediately putting him to work. I didn’t expect him to actually get interested in ramie.”

With that, his guilt faded somewhat.

After all, Joseph had chosen to study it himself—it had nothing to do with him.

Nair Inan also offered a faint smile.

……

The ship continued its journey through space. Their destination was quite far, requiring a stop at a waypoint for a space jump.

Lu Cian had wanted to witness a space jump firsthand, but he was informed he’d have to enter a stasis pod.

Lu Cian asked, “Why do I need to enter the stasis pod?”

Lu Cian actually wanted to ask if everyone had been acting too much lately, truly treating him as a male Bug, thinking he was delicate and needed extra protection.

Nair Inan replied, “Other Bugs can endure the jump process, but your constitution is somewhat weak.”

Lu Cian: “…”

Alright, Lu Cian knew he was holding them back—he really was quite useless.

The jump point was maintained by Bugs, but since their ship carried a male Bug and the destination wasn’t a major hub, the inspectors barely checked before letting them pass.

The ship passed through the jump point and entered a region of ordinary planets.

This star system housed the stranded allies Nair Inan had previously chosen, as well as remnants of the Harding Tribe. These Bugs were either of average strength or had appearances that didn’t appeal to male Bugs, so they were sent to the Female Slave Exchange on ordinary planets.

During their last operation, Lu Cian’s disguise as a male Bug hadn’t been thorough enough, and the forged identity on his optical brain was crude. This time, they were fully prepared.

They kept a low profile. Even if they hid here for a month or two—or even a year or two—they likely wouldn’t be discovered.

Moreover, Lu Cian felt his body had undergone further changes. Though he still lacked pheromones and mental energy, he sensed something different about his blood.

Perhaps if he were to get a blood test now, he’d genuinely be identified as a male Bug.

As the ship prepared to land, they quickly found the largest planet to set down on. Nair Inan ordered his subordinates to proceed with the plan.

The subordinates, armed with "writ of male master authority," sprang into action—some scouting intel, others rescuing Bugs.

While purchasing Bugs from the Female Slave Exchange, they also quietly built up a stash of supplies.

They even hired some idle Bugs to work for them, muddying the waters and obscuring their true intentions.

Even if someone noticed something amiss, they wouldn’t uncover the real objective.

Over the course of a month, they extensively searched and covertly gathered forces. Nair Inan had expected to rescue only a modest number, but it turned out far more than anticipated—mostly prime specimens, as many of the weak and elderly had perished early under harsh punishments.

At the same time, through these rescued Bugs, they found leads on others who had escaped in secret and were still willing to save their tribespeople.

After planet-hopping between several planets, their ranks swelled exponentially, quickly exceeding the capacity of the Harding Tribe’s ship.

But that wasn’t a problem—they soon acquired new ships.

The underground network aiming to rescue Bugs was the Lam Tribe, which had directly pledged allegiance to the Shelley Clan. Their ships now belonged to the Shelley Clan as well, though these were only small and medium-sized vessels.

Fortunately, the Lam Tribe had hidden secret ships in many locations. After visiting several stashes, they struck paydirt—finding two large ships, several medium-sized ones, and a stockpile of prepped gear.

"We’ve struck gold..." Lu Cian murmured in astonishment at the sight of so many resources.

Nair Inan, within earshot, heard his words and allowed a faint smile to curve his lips.

Bugs from the Harding Tribe, Yuyin Tribe, Adler Tribe, Ince Tribe, Lam Tribe, and others were rescued one after another.

The excuse Lu Cian used was inspired by Nuo Sen. Apart from the frail Lam Tribe types, the others were all prime mining material.

They claimed they were buying up so much slave stock to strip-mine minerals from ore planets.