Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Not done yet? Why is this so troublesome? It used to take just a few minutes before."

Crossing his arms, Yi Jia Fa sat on the soft chair outside the med-pod, his initial calmness gradually giving way to impatience since Philo had lain down inside.

"His Highness Philo's body has never undergone a systematic examination before. For greater accuracy, we’ve employed the Alliance's latest premium gamma-ray med-pod. Although the scan will take longer, it will be more thorough and detailed. We ask for your patience a little longer, Your Highness Yi Jia Fa."

After speaking, Doctor Gu De retrieved a translucent blue liquid from the metal case carried by his assistant, poured all of it into the reserve chamber, and connected his mental energy to the pod’s open port.

A faint electric current flowed through the blue liquid over Philo’s body. Witnessing this, Yi Jia Fa, who had never used such a med-pod before, couldn’t help but grow somewhat intrigued and stepped closer.

But—

Frowning, he neither glanced at the male insect behind him nor paid attention to the recorder handed to him by the assistant.

Opening the med-pod’s display screen, Gu De’s eyes flickered with a trace of sorrow. His fingers swiftly tapped on the pod’s control panel, and only after the blue liquid had completely enveloped Philo did the old doctor let out a soft sigh.

"Doctor Gu De, is there something wrong with Philo’s body?" Zhousha, who hadn’t missed the change in Gu De’s expression, furrowed his brows and asked in a low voice.

Yi Jia Fa, who had been watching idly, immediately tensed upon hearing this and snapped, "What’s the problem? Is this new device of yours defective? Seems like the Male Insect Management Committee has gone too far!"

As Yi Jia Fa’s temper flared and he was about to raise his voice, Zhousha, standing beside him, grasped his hand soothingly.

"Philo is still inside the pod, Yi Jia Fa. Let’s hear Doctor Gu De’s explanation first."

Though Gu De worked for the Male Insect Management Committee (MIMC) and wasn’t a private physician of the Tulas Family, no one could deny that he was the finest doctor for male insects, always patient and caring toward them.

Disconnecting his mental energy from the pod, Gu De turned around, first bowing apologetically to Yi Jia Fa before explaining softly.

"Your Highness, General Zhousha, there’s nothing wrong with the med-pod. However, I believe His Highness Philo’s body may require more attentive care in the future."

With that, his aged fingers quickly pulled up the pod’s display screen, which was now flashing red, and he continued succinctly.

"His Highness Philo is currently twenty-one years of age, but the scan results indicate severe developmental delays. Whether it’s bone density, hormonal levels, or other indicators, his readings are all below normal. This suggests not only that he lacked sufficient nutrition during his growth but also that he may have endured prolonged periods of high stress and fear."

At this point, the old female insect’s frown deepened. "Moreover, when I examined His Highness Philo’s mental realm earlier—though we female insects cannot enter another’s mental plane, we can sense its condition—I found that due to his underdeveloped physique, his mental plane is currently in a state of self-imposed isolation. This may also explain why you, Your Highness Yi Jia Fa, previously noted his inability to control his mental power."

When they first met, Yi Jia Fa had probed Philo’s mental plane with his own energy. Though his primary intent had been to confirm whether this was truly his lost offspring, it was also standard practice for a father to inspect his male offspring’s mental condition.

Female insects cannot enter another’s mental plane, but male insects can freely access a female’s brain domain or that of another male insect who is unguarded or of lower rank.

At the time, Yi Jia Fa had noticed a barrier around Philo’s mental plane, which was why he had insisted on postponing the assessment of Philo’s mental power level.

He had initially assumed that Philo, lacking guidance, had accidentally erected the barrier and was unfamiliar with using his mental power. But now it seemed the root cause was his poor physical condition.

A male insect suffering from malnutrition, starvation, and prolonged fear…

Recalling the desolate planet where Philo had been found, as described by the female insect who brought him back, Yi Jia Fa lowered his head. For the first time in his proud and temperamental life, he felt a pang of remorse.

If only he had sent someone to search for the lost egg back then… Perhaps Philo wouldn’t have had to endure such hardships before being discovered.

Silence.

A deathly silence.

For insects raised to respect, cherish, and protect male insects, this revelation was unbearable. Many frowned deeply, and some even shut their eyes, unable to look at the med-pod.

In this era, even female insects rarely suffered from malnutrition, let alone male insects, who were naturally more delicate. Yet Philo had lived such a harsh life for over twenty years.

The thought made even the most hardened warrior females clench their fists.

Though His Highness Philo had only recently returned—many hadn’t even had the chance to speak with him—compared to male insects raised in comfort, he had never complained or vented his grievances over being lost.

Insect God above!

How could You let such a noble soul suffer for so long?

Gu De’s words conjured images of Philo surviving on weeds and enduring sandstorms on that barren planet. Some of the more emotional insects had tears welling in their eyes.

Turning away, Yi Jia Fa buried his face against Zhousha’s chest, uncharacteristically vulnerable. Zhousha, too, held him close while casting a remorseful glance at Philo, still lying in the pod.

Xing Hua and Qian Hua, fists clenched, also stared at the figure inside the pod—someone who had stirred complex emotions in them lately.

Perhaps because Philo was always smiling, his cheerful demeanor had made them overlook the fact that he had spent years struggling on a desolate planet.

The room, already quiet to avoid disturbing Philo, grew even more silent. The only sound was the low hum of the med-pod’s cycling mechanism.

But in truth, if Philo knew what they were thinking, he’d probably find it all rather amusing.

The original owner of this body—the one who had truly been lost, suffered, and ultimately died on that barren planet—could no longer receive their remorse.

Even if Zhousha and Yi Jia Fa hadn’t intentionally lost him, and even if Zhousha had searched for over twenty years, the regret remained. Now, Philo’s return allowed Yi Jia Fa to feel some guilt and Zhousha to fulfill his long-held wish. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Besides, perhaps the original owner had simply grown weary of that desolate world and embarked on a new journey—just like Philo’s own unexpected interstellar voyage.

"Scan complete. Report has been transmitted to the Male Insect Management Committee. Thank you for using our services, Your Highness."

The med-pod’s prompt broke the heavy silence.

As the pod’s door slid open, Philo awoke.

Opening his eyes, though it felt like he’d only napped briefly, his body felt inexplicably lighter. His stiff limbs moved more freely, and the occasional headache was gone.

Sitting up, he blinked at the insects staring at him before—

"All done? Why is everyone so tense? This machine was incredibly comfortable!"

His purple eyes curved into crescent shapes, lips quirking into a smirk. Leaning against the med-pod, sensing the somber mood, he flashed a bright smile and gave a thumbs-up.

What’s with the long faces? This device is remarkable! Can I take one back to Earth?

Pfft—

Pushing Zhousha aside, Yi Jia Fa ruffled Philo’s silver hair—identical to his own—and smiled again.

Gu De carefully explained Philo’s health status, reassuring him, "Please don't be overly concerned. This pod will remain here for your continued use. With consistent application of premium nutrient solutions, your physique will soon reach normal male insect standards. As for your mental power, it will gradually recover as your body improves."

Philo nodded. He didn’t seem bothered by the malnutrition condition. If anything, he was pleased to hear he could keep the latest med-pod.

"As long as I recover, there's no urgency. Thanks, Doctor Gu De."

"It’s my pleasure." Relieved by Philo’s calm acceptance, Gu De’s expression brightened.

Then, recalling the task Du Dafei had asked him about earlier that day, he glanced at Yi Jia Fa, who was standing close to Philo, and said quietly.

"Also, about His Highness Philo’s mental power level—though his current physical condition prevents a precise measurement, for registration purposes with the Male Insect Management Committee’s database, could we perform an initial assessment of His Highness’s mental power level?"

After speaking, Dr. Gude paused for a moment before continuing, "Later, once Your Highness's psychic energy has fully recovered, we will conduct another examination. Comparing the two analyses will allow us to better assess the recovery of Your Highness's psychic realm."

Psychic level analysis...

Hearing this, Yi Jia Fa frowned and instinctively glanced at Philo.

Of course, he wasn’t worried about Philo’s psychic level being low. After all, as his son, Philo’s level couldn’t possibly drop too far. When he had performed Psychic Soothing for Philo earlier, he could vaguely sense the suppressed yet still considerable energy within his psychic realm.

Even so, Philo’s body hadn’t fully recovered yet. If the test results showed a level that wasn’t particularly high, other male bugs might mock him for it.

Yi Jia Fa, who had always loved using his own psychic level to taunt others, understood the petty instincts of male bugs all too well. That’s why, after sensing something amiss in Philo’s psychic realm, he hadn’t rushed to test his level.

But if it was for the sake of better assessing the recovery of Philo’s psychic realm...

"It’s fine, go ahead and test."

Before Yi Jia Fa could hesitate further, Philo—who had likely guessed the thoughts of this hot-tempered but simple-minded father—smiled easily.

"A real male doesn’t sweat levels."

With a smirk, words that might have sounded like stubbornness coming from anyone else somehow felt convincing when spoken by Philo.

Without thinking, Yi Jia Fa gave in.

Standing beside the two, Zhousha watched the scene with a rare softness in his usually sharp gaze, and didn’t object.

Since they all agreed, Dr. Gude wasted no more time. Taking out a specialized psychic scanner, he fitted it onto Philo, and the instrument was quickly activated.

Unlike the healing pod, which required a longer duration, the psychic detection process was relatively short. Soon, the mechanical voice announcing the completion of the test rang out through the room once more.

But even with some mental preparation, the bugs stared in shock at Philo’s final psychic level.

Holy Insect God above...

Author’s Note:

The more Philo laughs now—the more helpless the bugs will be when he falls into depression later.

Hah, pure irony—bet you didn’t see that coming, huh?!