Chapter 95

Chapter 95

Gore's combat unit suffered over half its casualties, with the vanguard unit suffering total annihilation. Even the corpse of his closest adjutant was clearly recorded by battlefield machine insects.

Unfortunately, before the machine insects could retrieve the adjutant's body to the Insect star domain, a black energy wave from the star beasts devoured both the Insect corpse and the machine insects.

Giant paws crushed warship artillery, energy waves tore through the mental domains of the female Insects, bright red blood splattered, and flames ignited by gunfire burned. One by one, Insects fell, inch by inch, the land was trampled.

Beyond the Dihainuo Star System, dozens of light-years away on the outermost fringe of the Alliance's star domain, more than half the planets were on the verge of collapse.

This battle between the Insects and the star beasts seemed difficult from the very beginning.

Zhousha had not returned to the Torras mansion for an entire week.

In fact, it wasn’t just him—even Xing Hua, who should have been on leave, had not come back. Even Qian Hua had been dispatched by the Kalms Military Academy as a trainee to the reserve forces under the guise of an internship.

The vast Torras mansion had been unusually quiet lately, silent except for the occasional noises made by Yi Jia Fa.

As for the reason behind this situation, even the attendants of the Torras Family could guess—let alone any random Insect browsing the Starnet.

After all, the saying "use civil servants in peace, soldiers in war" held true.

As one of the highest-ranking officers in the military and the overall commander of this campaign, it wouldn’t be strange if Zhousha didn’t return to the Torras mansion for a month, let alone a week.

But…

The connection button on the communicator lit up and dimmed repeatedly. The signal flickered for a long time before finally falling silent due to the lack of response.

Shifting his gaze from the unresponsive communicator, the SilverHaired Male Insect stared out the window, his purple pupils darkening as he slowly clenched his fist.

Like ordinary female Insects, since the outbreak of the war, most male Insects had received no other information beyond the initial announcement on the Starnet.

After all, no matter how intense the fighting became, all male Insects within the central security zone of the Alliance’s star domain had no reason to fear for their safety.

Their treatment remained unchanged, their resources unchanged, and their daily routines largely unchanged. Apart from the heavier workload of Psychic Soothing duties, their lives were largely the same as before.

Even Yi Jia Fa, whose mate and two offspring were involved in the war, remained largely unconcerned.

The male Insects had been removed from the flames of war for too long—so long that they had forgotten how brutal those battles of the past had been, how relentless star beasts could be, how many Insects perished in a major war…

Looking at the distant indigo sky, the male Insect’s gaze was distant, yet without focus. He seemed to be looking at the heavens, yet also seeing through it—toward another place, another thought.

After all, the Dihainuo Star System… was no ordinary star system.

Not to mention its strategic importance and resource reserves, the SilverHaired Male Insect knew about this star system before.

He had heard Zhousha mention it.

He had also found references to it in his own research.

This star system, named after the last SClass Male Insect, was also… the star system where Gore had been stationed.

As the saying goes that no news was good news, but unfortunately, some things could not be generalized.

Given the current state of the war, in this situation, the one Insect who should have stepped forward to stabilize the Alliance’s star domain, the one who should have bolstered morale, the one who should have had news… had instead remained completely silent.

The male Insect stood quietly, watching the sky for a long time—so long that the day turned to night, so long that his eyes darkened. No one knew what Philo was thinking at this moment, for these were truly chaotic times.

Apart from the military, hardly any Insects in the Alliance had much leisure these days.

In the administrative departments, particularly the Council Hall, workers had been working overtime for an extended period. Among the major families, led by the Geshaluolin Family, logistics and military supplies had long been distributed overnight. Emergency transfers in medical centers, internal stabilization efforts in communications departments…

Since the Starnet’s information blackout that day, the entire Alliance seemed to have become extremely busy—one that showed no signs of ending.

At first, though most Insects were shocked and panicked by the announcement on the Starnet, the lack of further updates and the little disruption to civilian life (aside from restricted access to border star systems) gradually eased tensions.

Though the war remained a topic of concern, like with the forgetting curve, the Insects’ attention inevitably wandered away from the conflict.

But attention could only be diverted temporarily. As long as the war continued, their focus would inevitably return.

Thus, soon, as more and more Insects received news of their relatives’ deaths, as more retired female Insects were abruptly recalled to the front lines, as military cadets were notified of early enlistment—alongside an accidental leak of combat footage showing fallen Military Females—the true horrors of the war, hidden beneath the surface, were finally exposed.

Planets covered in blood, warships engulfed in flames, torn limbs, shattered throats, terrifying energy waves right in front of them… and the psychic domain disturbances caused by the Sclass star beast’s energy waves, as well as the conspicuous absence of the SClass blue-haired female Insect.

The leak of the combat footage was an accident—the Starnet’s automated review had missed the clip. By the time the overseers attempted to delete it, it had already spread like wildfire, breaking through the Alliance’s secrecy.

A needle hole may be small, but once it exists, even the tightest seal will eventually leak. Moreover, the fallen Insects were not alone—those sent to the front lines were not solitary fighters.

When a secret involves too many, it becomes fragile.

The flames of war had finally ignited across the Alliance’s star domain.

Simultaneously, as voices demanding military disclosures grew louder, the truths the military and administration had tried to suppress in the name of stability were inevitably revealed.

But knowing was one thing—accepting was another.

Seated in the military conference hall, General Zhou Sha opened the latest combat report before him, his voice low.

"This is the full summary of all major corps’ reports from the past month. I trust you’ve all reviewed the details. Given the current situation, what are your thoughts?"

Thoughts…

Every Insect present, whether Military Females or not, young or old, had voiced opinions in countless meetings before.

For them, offering a perspective had never been difficult—but now…

Silence. Only the sound of heavy breathing filled the room.

No one rushed to speak, just as no one rushed to answer the female Insect’s question.

All eyes remained fixed on the reports before them—on the staggering previously unknown death counts, on the terrifying images of the star beast monarchs never released.

Sclass star beasts. Sclass monarchs.

Admittedly, because Sclass star beasts had long been active in the border star systems, though the Insects understood the vast gulf between Sclass and Aclass, they had still grown somewhat complacent.

After all, what did it matter if they were Sclass? What did it matter if they were monarchs?

Even if they had breached the border, even if they might have killed the Alliance’s last SClass Military Female, even if Zhousha spoke of preparing for defeat—the Insects were not entirely without confidence in overcoming these creatures.

Though they no longer had an SClass Insect, they were no longer the same species that had once struggled with malfunctioning warships.

Today’s Insects possessed firepower capable of obliterating a micro-planet. Their numbers of Military Females and logistical capabilities were incomparable to the past.

If an ant could move a boulder with tools, what did the Insects have to fear?

With natural combat instincts, though the Insects had initially reeled from the fall of the Dihainuo Star System and Gore’s defeat, they quickly regrouped and threw themselves into the fight.

By now, those present had reviewed countless reports—many having just returned from the front lines. Thus, they understood the war’s progress all too well, rendering the summary before them redundant. And precisely because of that…

"General Zhousha"

A voice, coming from an unknown holographic screen, suddenly pierced the silence in the military conference hall.

"The public is now aware of the frontline situation, and many are already speculating that Lieutenant General Gore may have been killed in action. Additionally, under the leadership of the beast king, the Star Beast horde has advanced into the Sadiq star system, which can barely be considered non-border star systems."

Beyond the non-border star systems lie the star systems inhabited by ordinary civilians. And further inward, there is the outer core region where even the lowest-ranking male insects begin to appear—a zone the Alliance absolutely forbids any foreign species from entering without authorization.

"Current battle reports indicate that our military's strength is clearly no match for the Star Beast horde led by an S-Class beast king. If we fail to devise a countermeasure promptly, the Insectoid race may soon face a survival crisis. Therefore—"

Therefore...

Raising his gaze, the somber female insect in full dress uniform, exuding authority and gravity, quietly turned toward the source of the voice.

"Therefore, perhaps what we need now is another S-Class Insectoid."

Why have the Star Beasts been able to advance so unimpeded from the outer star systems deep into the Alliance? Why has the Insectoid race suffered such a crushing defeat this time? Why does the frontline seem to be gradually losing even the confidence to fight?

The reasons behind these questions may have long been guessed by many, yet none dared to speak them aloud—until now, when someone could no longer remain silent.

"General..."

"Don’t we... still have one S-Class Insectoid?"