Chapter 85

Chapter 85

"All information related to His Highness Philo on the Starnet, including his first appearance at the starport, subsequent assessment videos, and live broadcasts, has been completely removed."

"Not just the Starnet—regional websites, the Insect God Search, even major alliance forums, including the Kalms Military Academy forum—all public platforms have had content about His Highness Philo wiped clean."

"Don’t even mention His Highness’s private details. Just look at those content creator accounts that used to imitate him or openly profess love to him, thinking he wouldn’t mind. How many of them are still active now?"

"What’s going on? Is the Male Insect Management Committee launching another crackdown? His Highness never cared about this—why are they overstepping like this? What's wrong with them?"

"Exactly! I rely on updates about His Highness every day. Is the Male Insect Management Committee just stirring up trouble for no reason? His Highness never interfered—why are they suddenly making a fuss?"

"Stop blaming the Male Insect Management Committee. Word is that His Highness Philo personally ordered the removal of all his information from the internet."

"His Highness ordered it? No way. He’s always been so kind and understanding of us female insect-kind. Why would he say something like that? Don’t spread nonsense if you don’t know the truth."

"Whether others are lying or not, this situation doesn’t look good. The government seems to be taking this very seriously. If anyone has saved resources, better download and archive them now before everything’s gone for good."

"I’ve also heard many say it was His Highness’s own decision, but no one knows why. Does anyone have the reason? Why would His Highness suddenly do this?"

Even though many within the capital’s alliance government departments knew Philo was receiving psychological care at the medical center, this information had not been publicly disclosed.

Thus, when Philo-related content began disappearing from the internet, the insect public was confused. Soon, it became clear that Philo wasn’t just vanishing online—even in real life and the black market, anything related to him was dwindling.

Factories secretly printing Philo posters or producing merchandise were gradually shut down. So-called "Philo replicas" circulating in the black market slowly disappeared. Even silver hair and purple eye disguise tech were now strictly regulated by the alliance.

Such large-scale actions, so contrary to the preferences of most female insects, quickly led to backlash. Many female insects refused to believe this was Philo’s own order, suspecting that certain noble female insects were exploiting his name to deny regular female insects access to him.

No one connected these changes to the recent surge in extreme actions by ordinary female insects. After all, the alliance government and public platforms had handled those incidents well, swiftly resolving conflicts and confirming Philo remained unattached.

This outcome satisfied most female insects, who even saw it as a victory from their earlier actions.

Especially the female insect who had committed suicide—though the alliance compensated his family and punished those who incited him, countless insects still hailed his sacrifice as meaningful and noble.

The alliance’s ideological guidance now seemed like a joke. After all, the only one who could truly influence these insects was that very being himself.

And that insect clearly knew it too.

"Your Highness, as per your instructions, we have invoked the privacy and portrait rights under the Male Insect Protection Law to remove all your information from online platforms..."

Philo's comm device, rarely used for calls, now carried the voice of a female insect—his primary assistant, assigned by the Male Insect Management Committee.

Ignoring other incoming messages, Philo only maintained contact with his primary assistant. His expression was cold, stripped of its characteristic warmth.

Soon after the female insect finished speaking, the male insect asked quietly, "How are the reactions across the star sectors?"

"As of now, due to your abrupt decision to remove all references to yourself, unrest across the star sectors has surged significantly. Monitoring also indicates some insects are contemplating drastic actions again..."

Unlike Yi Jia Fa, Zhousha, Shang Ling, Li Wei, Siluan, or Ya Jin—whether family or close friends—none dared to speak bluntly to Philo anymore.

But Leslie and Roy, the primary and deputy assistants assigned by the Male Insect Management Committee, followed Philo's orders without question. From the moment they were assigned, their fates were bound to his.

If anyone in this world followed Philo’s orders without question, it was these two.

So even if certain truths might affect his psychological wellbeing, Leslie reported truthfully when questioned.

Still, the blonde female insect-kind couldn’t help but express concern.

"Your Highness, a one-size-fits-all policy might further escalate tensions, and given your current... unique situation, perhaps we could proceed step by step without rushing—"

"When will Roy arrive?"

Without letting Leslie finish, the usually patient silver-haired male insect now seemed to lack the patience to even hear out a full sentence.

Frowning, his purple pupils concealing agitation, Philo spoke in brief, unsteady tones.

Watching him, watching this version of Philo, the blonde female's eyes flickered with concern. Yet despite her worry, Leslie could only reply softly,

"He has already set off and should arrive at your ward in about fifteen minutes."

As the call ended with a beep, the gold-haired female insect could no longer hear his voice.

Frowning at her communicator, Leslie felt strongly that something was off with Philo.

At first, she had assumed his orders were merely an attempt to fade from the public eye. But whether it was his demeanor or what he had Roy bring over, nothing seemed quite right.

Yet what exactly was wrong?

Brows furrowed, the gold-haired female insect couldn't pinpoint it.

But soon, she wouldn’t need to guess—Philo himself would provide the answer, one that would shock all insects.

A habit, something one truly loves—if suddenly told to abandon it completely, few insects could truly comply.

Especially for the inherently obsessive insects, having experienced benefits before, they seemed to know exactly how to make the Alliance—and Philo—compromise.

Thus, shortly after the recent wave of extreme actions by female insects, those suddenly deprived of all news about Philo erupted once more, threatening riots, strikes, and even bloodshed unless the Alliance resumed releasing updates about His Highness Philo.

Undeniably, the number of insects taking such actions this time far exceeded the previous incident, spanning all star domains. After all, Philo’s decision to block all information about himself had a far greater impact than the vague rumors before.

The medical center’s staff advised Philo to avoid the starnet entirely, even suggesting he switch to their filtered communicator.

But alas, Philo was depressed, not in mandatory confinement.

The stubborn silver-haired male insect not only ignored their advice but kept his personal communicator on at all times—even if he rarely checked the starnet or replied to messages from acquaintances.

Beyond this, he grew increasingly resistant to visits from family and friends, refusing to see them altogether. Apart from briefly meeting his deputy assistant Roy to receive a super-intelligent privacy shield from the Male Insect Management Committee, Philo had refused to see any other insects.

Amidst their frantic efforts to quell the resurgence of extremist rhetoric and actions across star domains, his colleagues/caretakers still made time to visit Philo daily through the viewing window—though none insisted on speaking to him directly.

After all, in such critical times, their priority was calming the situation swiftly, lest it worsen Philo’s mental state.

Yet as the chaos dragged on, the unrest only intensified the longer Philo remained absent.

Military suppression, the Alliance administration's supervision patrols, and guidance and appeasement on public platforms proved ineffective against insects who had grown accustomed to seeing Philo regularly.

Before more suitable measures could be devised, the common insects across the Alliance fell silent within a day—just as the capital’s nobility had earlier.

For Philo himself had added the final fuel to the fire of chaos he’d ignited.

A log heavy enough to smother the flames—and the fervor in every insect’s mind.

"Why won’t you let us see His Highness Philo? He doesn’t belong to any single insect—he belongs to all of us!"

"The noble insects have controlled the Male Insect Management Committee for years, preaching about each His Highness’s right to choose a mate. But in reality? We common insects can’t even meet them! Now that we finally have a His Highness like Philo who interacts with us, the Alliance wants to take even this away? We protest! We firmly protest!"

"Don’t claim this is Philo’s own decision. If it were, why didn’t he think this way before? This is clearly the noble female insects influencing his thinking!"

"Your Highness! His Highness Philo! Look at us! We truly adore you!"

"Indeed, Your Highness, please look at us! You are our only spiritual pillar now!"

"No one can take His Highness Philo away from me! If even His Highness disappears from my life, what meaning does living hold? I'd rather die!"

The terrifyingly skewed gender imbalance, the excessively frenzied cult-like devotion, and the countless female insects who adored male insects yet were never acknowledged—since Philo returned to the alliance, they seemed to have found new vitality.

They began being bombarded with updates about a male insect prince. Unlike other princes, who deemed their very gaze offensive, this prince was considerate of their limited interaction with male insects. He frequently appeared in various settings, permitting his likeness to circulate across the Starnet without demanding censorship like other male insects.

Even more remarkably, this prince was not only gentle in temperament, treating all female insects equally, but also exceptionally handsome, with an astonishingly high psychic rank—as though the Insect God Himself had fashioned a beautiful dream for them.

No matter how distant this dream was from reality, gazing at Philo’s photos, hugging pillows printed with his image, and indulging in fantasies of possessing him, even the most initially lucid female insects gradually succumbed to delusion over time.

They slowly sank deeper into this fantasy while escaping the isolation and despair of reality. If anyone dared to shatter this dream, it would be akin to destroying their faith. Naturally, these insects would explode into violent opposition.

But a dream is, after all, just a dream.

Excessive indulgence in dreams would only lead all insects down another point of no return. And if others couldn’t wake them, then at least the dream itself could shatter.

So Philo shattered it himself.

"Everyone, long time no see."

A voice unheard for so long, a voice etched into every listener's memory—a unique, crystalline voice like shattering ice—suddenly resounded once more through the communicators of insects across all star domains.

The same livestream, the same silver-haired noble.

Apart from a change of clothes, the male insect who unexpectedly initiated a broadcast again on the Starnet seemed no different from before.

His silver hair still shimmered, his pupils remained as deep and dreamy as midnight orchids, and he was as beautiful as when all insects first saw him. Just looking at him, even those teetering on the edge of emotional breakdowns instinctively smiled.

But before those smiles could fully spread, the more rational insects quickly noticed something amiss—the clothes Philo wore today, the room he was in… seemed unusual.

Countless comments flooded the screen the moment Philo appeared, and when many realized where he was now, the messages grew even more frenzied.

At the same time, as if adding to the chaos, the sound of incoming messages and calls from the male insect’s communicator rang incessantly. Yet now, the silver-haired male insect, who had casually silenced all notifications, clearly had no intention of responding.

Ignoring the calls, the endless stream of comments on the livestream screen, and the med-techs and others barred outside the door, the male insect gripping a surgical plasma blade smiled faintly.

"I’ve heard that because of me, some of you have been imprisoned, harmed, some have attempted suicide or self-harm, and others would rather face punishment to speak up for me, to fight for me."

Measured syllable by syllable, the male insect spoke without haste. After all, the insects outside this special treatment room were moments from breaching the barrier.

Gazing at the floating screen, his amethyst eyes seemed to deepen with each sentence. Finally, the silver-haired male insect uttered a mirthless laugh.

"To be blunt, you’ve all behaved disgracefully."

Though his tone was deceptively calm, his words felt like glacial ice.

Countless insects who had frozen at the sight of the blade in his hand, those still rioting or trading Subfemale clones with silver hair and violet eyes, those stubbornly insisting they’d rather die if Philo vanished from their lives—all stood frozen in shock at these seemingly accusatory words.

His Highness… was rebuking them?

They had displeased His Highness?

But they only adored him, wanted to see him often, wanted to protect him from being deceived by those aristocratic females.

Why… was His Highness displeased?

"At first, I thought perhaps I should reason with you."

Yes, reason.

Even if Philo felt no desire to reason, to speak, or to appear, when he first saw the news of that female insect who imitated him being violated by others, he believed he should intervene with logic.

"But I realized my reasoning might be like the alliance laws in your eyes—existing, yet unacceptable to you."

With so many incidents and such severe consequences, had the alliance not taken action?

They had—with the harshest punishments.

Rioting insects faced fines or confinement at best, imprisonment at worst. The female insect who committed suicide—those who incited her and those who failed to dissuade her—were all severely penalized.

Yet, alliance laws seemed ineffective against these insects, or against this corrupting influence.

Because they valued his existence above the law, above their own lives and others’. So, reasoning? Useless.

"But now I believe eradicating the source may be the only solution."

Curving his lips, the silver-haired male insect—who had rarely smiled or spoken so much at once—now lifted his rose-colored lips in a faint smile.

"Everyone, I am not worthy of your longing."

"I will never love any insect. I offer only basic courtesy to all of you."

"I will not be any insect’s sole hope. Your salvation can't come from others, but should be found within yourselves."

"I will not form a marriage contract with any of you."

"I will not sire offspring with any of you."

"I will not…"

After long silence, the male insect now seemed determined to say all he had left unsaid.

And as they listened—his words brief yet resolute—insects who knew him or not, nobles or commoners, female or male… all paled, staring up at Philo.

They watched this male insect, speaking with disturbing intensity, appearing on camera with a blade for the first time, smiling yet speaking words that seemed dripping with anguish.

They… they…

"Why won’t this door open? What’s wrong with this med-bay?!"