Chapter 87

Chapter 87

Familiar deep blue eyes, as serene and steady as the ocean, now reflected a pair of purple eyes brimming with unmistakable surprise.

To avoid interference, Philo had long since analyzed the movements of the insect kin in the capital star that might activate the clinic's security protocols.

Thus, he deliberately chose today—when Zhousha was in a military meeting and Yi Jia Fa was attending the Male Insect Management Committee—to act. Even this medical center, located far from the armed forces of the Male Insect Management Committee, the military, and the Alliance Inspectorate, was one Philo had personally requested for treatment.

It could be said that apart from Gore, the blue-haired female who should have still been on duty at the border star systems, Philo had accounted for everything else in advance.

Yet, something that should have been impossible was now unfolding before him...

"Philo."

"Don't hurt yourself."

The blue-haired female held the blade with one hand while pressing the treatment device against the still-bleeding wound on the male insect's neck. Even after securing the device, she didn’t let go, instead gripping his shoulders and taking two steps back.

As they retreated, the wall of the examination room—already shattered from the impact—collapsed further with a loud crash, sending more debris tumbling down.

This...

"You forced your way in with your body?"

Staring at the wall fragments scattered near his feet, Philo couldn’t even bring himself to ask how the female insect had appeared here. Instead, his gaze locked onto her shoulders in disbelief.

Following his line of sight, he soon noticed not only the young female insect’s visibly swollen shoulders but also the torn fabric from the impact—clothing identical to the medical center’s standard issue.

"You're injured?"

"When were you admitted here?"

The silver-haired male insect abruptly raised his eyes, brows furrowed in clear astonishment.

Philo’s surprise was understandable. Gore should have been thousands of miles away, yet here he was, not only present but also clad in a patient’s gown like him.

Their gazes met, but instead of answering, the blue-haired female turned toward the still-active livestream feed.

The flood of comments flooding the screen when Philo had acted showed no signs of slowing, even now that the blade had been taken from him.

But even with Gore’s sharp vision, the text was too chaotic to decipher. Quietly, she asked Philo,

"Should we turn off the broadcast?"

Whether to end the broadcast was a question, but not the one Philo wanted to answer most at this moment.

Taking a step back to put an arm’s length between himself and the blue-haired female, the silver-haired male insect ignored her inquiry, his focus shifting instead to the dissolution blade in her right hand.

"Gore, give it to me."

Philo didn’t specify his intentions—they were obvious enough.

As his words echoed, the screen flooded once more with a wave of "Don’t!"

Gore tightened her grip on the hilt but didn’t return it immediately.

Her deep blue eyes darkened as she studied him, the male insect she had long resolved to let go.

Convinced she was unworthy of becoming his mate, believing others were better suited to accompany Philo through life, and for countless other reasons, Gore had not only ceased pursuing him but had even instructed others to keep her return to Central Med—after sustaining severe injuries—a secret from him.

Had Philo not attempted to harm himself, Gore would likely have departed for the border star systems once healed without him ever knowing she had been back.

Yet, perhaps it was precisely because of this secrecy that she had arrived in time to stop him.

"Philo."

"You said you didn’t want to enter a bonding contract or bear offspring. I respect that."

"As long as I live, as long as you refuse, I swear no insect will force you into either."

Though she didn’t return the blade, Gore offered protection of another kind—her word.

Watching the male insect’s frown deepen at her words, she ignored the darkened expressions of the onlookers behind her and the sudden drop in live chat, speaking softly only to him.

"The sex pheromone gland isn’t just tied to reproduction, Philo. It’s also linked to your physical constitution."

True, the gland’s secretions—androgens, estrogens, and gender differentiation factors—play a crucial role in fertility. But damage to it would also lead to a decline in all sex pheromones, weakening the body.

Reduced male hormones would cause fatigue and frailty, with female insects even experiencing carapace molting and wing sheen loss. Lowered female hormones would lead to muscle atrophy, and male insects might develop muscle weakness. Other sex pheromones carried similar risks.

In short, if Philo erased his gland, he would no longer fear courtship or forced mating, but his health would suffer greatly.

This was something Philo had told Gore during their first meeting.

At the time, his eyes had shone with light, his voice alight with hope for the future, as if he were prepared to board a starship at any moment.

But now...

A rare flicker of confusion passed through Gore’s blue eyes. As a military female serving on the border’s most dangerous frontlines, she had seen comrades fall countless times, seen comrades die protecting her from star beasts, and even been briefly disoriented in unmapped sectors.

Apart from never entering the Chaotic Star Sector, her experiences paralleled Philo’s. Then why was he like this?

If it was grief for those who died for him, that didn't align.

What exactly happened during those months you spent in the Chaotic Star Sector?

Why are you so heartbroken?

Studying the male insect before her—who, though he made no sound, seemed consumed by sorrow—her grip tightened on the hilt before she offered the blade gently back.

"If you truly wish to erase your gland, I won’t stop you. But Philo, be certain. If you do this, forget about traveling the cosmos—you may never leave the capital star again."

"Philo, are you sure you want to give up on your dream now?"

His dream...

What was Philo’s dream? Even he no longer knew.

But traveling freely through space... That had been Zhou Nuo’s dream.

Zhou Nuo’s dream...

His gaze fell to the bloodied blade now held before him, and the silver-haired male insect stared wordlessly at it. His sight was clear, yet his thoughts seemed to sink deeper into fog.

What is he thinking?

What choice will he make?

If he insists on removing his pheromone gland, should they still try to stop him? Will Lieutenant General Gore intervene?

Watching the SilverHaired Male Insect, watching Fei Luo, at this moment, almost all the insects held their breath.

But before Fei Luo could make his final decision, a mechanical voice rang out, forcing the male insect into a passive choice.

"Preliminary treatment complete. Diagnosis as follows: mild blood loss, neck trauma, mild damage to the pheromone gland, overactive brain nerves, moderate fatigue. The possibility of anxiety disorder or psychological illness cannot be ruled out. Further in-person evaluation by a medic is required."

"To achieve therapeutic goals, this unit will now administer neural shock therapy to forcibly induce deep sleep. Procedure initiated!"

*Click*

The precise whir of mechanisms sounded again, and with it, the previously silent male insect fell unconscious. At the same time, affected by the shock, the live feed floating in front of the male insect abruptly vanished.

Reaching out, the blue-haired female insect instinctively caught the collapsing male insect.

Yet... as her fingertips brushed over the male insect’s bloodied neck, for the first time, despite having suffered far worse injuries herself not long ago, she truly understood how much pain an injury could bring.

Looking at Fei Luo, at the male insect who had only been gone for a short while but seemed to have visibly wasted away, Gore raised a hand, wanting to examine the wound at the back of his neck more closely, but—

"General Gore."

"Since you chose to withdraw earlier, there’s no need for further contact with Fei Luo. I’ll take it from here. The Geshaluolin family’s premium med-pod is already prepared next door."

Blocking the blue-haired female insect’s arm, the green-haired female insect who had entered from outside the examination room had completely masked any trace of her earlier panic, as if all emotions had been deeply buried the moment she laid eyes on the female insect before her.

Hearing his words, the blue-haired female insect lifted her gaze, her eyes turning stormy, her grip on Fei Luo’s shoulder tightening subconsciously—but—

Eyes meeting, unlike the last time when the three insects had stood together, this time, the circumstances had fundamentally changed.

Raising a hand, seeing that Gore showed no reaction, Li Wei seemed ready to take Fei Luo himself, but...

"I’ll take him there."

No further words, no rebuttal to Li Wei’s earlier statement, but Gore did not let go.

As if clinging to the last thing he could hold onto, like a suffocating fish fighting for its last breath of oxygen, Gore tightened his embrace around Fei Luo, refusing to release him or hand him over to anyone.

Even though his own injuries were far more severe than Fei Luo’s, even though he was the one who should be lying in a med-pod right now, even though he had just been forcibly awakened from one—Gore personally carried Fei Luo to the newly developed prototype med-pod Li Wei had prepared next door.

Following behind him, the other insects, watching the unconscious Fei Luo, dared not make a sound.

But once the med-pod’s lid sealed shut and Fei Luo was submerged in the green recovery fluid, the assembled insects finally exhaled in relief. Then, as reality set in, they couldn’t help but begin to speak.

Unlike the cautious silence they had maintained while Fei Luo was awake, now, watching Gore, who stood closest to the pod, they couldn’t resist whispering urgently their admonitions.

"General, you overstepped gravely just now. Even if you meant to calm His Highness first, saying things like supporting His Highness Fei Luo in refusing marriage and offspring in front of a live broadcast—that was far too impulsive."

"Exactly! You already had the neutralizer blade in hand. You should’ve sedated him immediately—no, you should’ve used another method to get His Highness into the med-pod right away. Why bring up marriage and offspring at all? You’re just creating political complications for the future!"

"General Gore, if His Highness Fei Luo wakes up and brings this up again, I suggest you just deflect the topic..."

As if struck by belated fear, the insects who had been so silent earlier now couldn’t hold back their words.

But amid this near-unanimous criticism, the blue-haired female insect, who had been leaning against the med-pod, swayed—then suddenly collapsed onto it.

Watching as blood slowly seeped from Gore’s back, Reese hastily grabbed a bioscanner and pressed it against the female insect’s wrist before shouting in alarm.

"Bring the medevac gurney over! Move aside, everyone! Where’s General Gore’s chief medic? Get him here now!"

The injuries that had forced Gore to return to the capital for treatment were no minor matter.

Not to mention, the female insect had just interrupted his treatment mid-process and then pushed himself beyond his limits, relying solely on his own strength to break through materials designed to withstand mid-level energy weapons.

Kneeling down, Li Wei and Shang Ling helped the medical insects lift the blue-haired female insect onto the medevac gurney. Then, the two insects exchanged a glance before simultaneously lowering their eyes to the silver-haired male insect now sealed inside the med-pod.

Gore’s words today had been a sobering reality check.

A reminder—of what Fei Luo was still thinking about.

But if Gore could choose to step back and let go...

Could they?

Were they... willing to?