Chapter 139 Bygones

Chapter 139: Past Events

After Ji Anzhi brought Xiaoxue back to the command center, Ji Anjue immediately spotted the bloodstain on Ji Anzhi's hand.

He wouldn't read Ji Anzhi's memories, but he had no qualms about reading Xiaoxue's.

Upon learning that Xiaoxue had mistaken Ji Anzhi for him and even bit Ji Anzhi hard enough to draw blood, Ji Anjue shot Xiaoxue a smug, gloating look.

Serves you right for biting without looking first, huh?

Receiving Ji Anjue's mockery, Xiaoxue bared her teeth at him in a silent snarl, careful not to make too much of a scene.

Ji Anzhi placed Xiaoxue on a seat for the communication channel. He then took out the cushion Xiaoxue had been using in the biosphere and laid it out within her line of sight but outside the camera's view.

"Go on in."

Daddy Ji wasn't angry.

Reaching this conclusion, Xiaoxue happily pounced into her little nest.

After a few adjustments to find a comfortable spot and just as she was about to resume her nap, she heard Daddy Ji's stern words.

"No sleeping."

Xiaoxue: "...Meow~"

Her meow was dripping with sycophancy, her pupils dilated to show off her big, dewy eyes, hoping to soften Ji Anzhi's heart.

Unfortunately, Ji Anzhi wasn't swayed. He stroked Xiaoxue's chin and explained, "A regular schedule is good for your health."

Xiaoxue: "…………"

It ended with Xiaoxue's reluctant compliance. However, Ji Anzhi didn't leave her empty-handed. He brought out a pile of toys and chew snacks for her, even fetching a tablet to play pet cartoons.

Ji Anjue watched from the side, green with envy.

This was such blatant favoritism...

Though somewhat jealous, Ji Anjue pridefully convinced himself that Ji Anzhi cared about him the most. Otherwise, why would he have bought him so many Psychic Stimulants?

As Ji Anjue was lost in this self-persuasion, time ticked by.

Ninety-three minutes after the initial alert, Lin Dusheng reconnected with the Star Eagle.

Ji Anzhi was again responsible for receiving the call.

"Intelligence just in from the Insectoid Monitoring Bureau. All battlefronts have psychic insectoids, though very few."

Ji Anzhi asked, "How many?"

Lin Dusheng glanced at a report. "Approximately five per Legion front."

"Then An Jue's intervention isn't necessary. The Federation can handle it with firepower coverage."

"We know. Our point is, if any White Worms slip through and get close, we hope Your Excellency can lend a hand."

"Naturally."

This was, after all, the consensus reached before the Bug Swarm began.

The Star Eagle received the Federation's transmitted star map of the insectoid swarm distribution. Amidst the dense clusters of red dots, occasional white specks could be seen—those were the psychic insectoids.

Observing a large yellow mass far from the battle lines, Ji Anzhi guessed it was likely an insectoid nest.

Come to think of it, he didn't know what an insectoid nest looked like.

So, Ji Anzhi asked, "By the way, what does an insectoid nest look like?"

Faced with this question, Lin Dusheng exclaimed in surprise, "You don't know?!"

Ji Anzhi offered a polite smile, his meaning clear.

Should I?

"It was covered in the second-year public course on insectoids."

The second-year public course on insectoids?

Ji Anzhi thought back. There were many public courses in his second year, but due to the suppressant residue affecting him, his condition hadn't been great. He might have been too exhausted and slept through that particular lecture...

"So, little Ji, you skipped class? Hmm?"

Anzhi replied matter-of-factly, "No."

He had never skipped a class at the military academy.

Lin Dusheng's smile turned knowing. "Then please explain, Classmate Ji, why you don't know what an insectoid nest looks like?"

Ji Anzhi smiled and deflected the blame. "Before the start of the second semester, to escape your pursuit, I used a banned substance, which left suppressant residue in my body. My health hasn't been great since."

"Is the black market a place for children?"

Lin Dusheng promptly tossed the blame right back.

"Headmaster, I am an adult."

In the end, the two parted ways on this topic without agreement.

Lin Dusheng began to lecture Ji Anzhi, covering the knowledge the top student had missed by sleeping in class, while also sharing some of the Federation's secrets.

"Let me give you a make-up lesson. I'll go deeper than what the academy taught. This is the truth known to the Federation's upper echelons."

Ji Anzhi nodded, indicating he understood.

"The insectoid nest was first discovered over four hundred years ago on a planet at the edge of the Orion Arm in the Milky Way, also known as the Insectoid Star.

"At that time, the planet was almost entirely populated by insectoids, and nearly all of them were Advanced Insectoids. Lower-level insectoids survived in the cracks, relying on rapid reproduction and sheer numbers.

"When humanity discovered that Insectoid Star, the insectoids were at an evolutionary juncture. They were transitioning from land-based life to venturing into the oxygenless vacuum of space.

"Originally, the insectoids were likely to fail in that evolution. However, the Empire, under its alpha supremacist dictatorship and the most powerful nation at the time, believed these creatures held immense research value. They overlooked the insectoids' extreme destructiveness and uncontrollability.

"Then, under the research of those alphas, they not only developed soft-bodied insectoids for the sexual torture of omegas but also insectoids that could obey human commands."

Hearing this, Ji Anzhi suddenly understood some issues.

Issues that were hotly debated on the StarNet, never ceasing.

Lin Dusheng continued with a tone of sarcasm. "Later, this experiment failed. If it had ended there, everything would have been fine."

"But those alphas, who boasted of standing at the pinnacle of humanity—even the interstellar realm—believed they simply hadn't researched deeply enough. They were convinced that by persisting, they would inevitably create an unstoppable military force capable of dominating the entire galaxy."

"So the experiments continued. Then one day, at the research institute established not far from the Insect Star, the insectoids' collective evolution went out of control. Only a handful of researchers survived and escaped."

"The news reached the Empire. By then, internal disputes had already arisen. One faction argued these were their successful creations and must not be destroyed, while the other insisted on using wide-area weapons to cleanse everything, given the insectoids' extreme uncontrollability."

"Before they could reach a conclusion, a prototype substance inside the institute leaked due to the insectoids' destruction, triggering another evolution."

"Through these two evolutions, the insectoids accomplished in just a few years what should have taken decades or even centuries. They gained the ability to move from land to the void of space, with their attack and reproductive capabilities increasing exponentially. They were even evolving into intelligent beings."

"Do you know what the most ridiculous part is?"

Ji Anzhi didn't know, yet he did. He remained silent.

No one in Lin Dusheng's command center spoke up either. Ninety percent of them knew this history.

Upon learning this history and seeing the preserved evidence—videos and materials from that era—they understood one thing.

They were not only protecting humanity but also atoning for the mistakes of their predecessors.

Before Ji Anzhi, Lin Dusheng ripped away the lies fabricated for the public, revealing the truth the Federation was compelled to hide.

"The most ridiculous part is, the Empire's alphas believed such a failure would damage the Empire's alpha reputation. So while attempting to remedy the situation and eliminate the evolved insectoids, they simultaneously announced to the outside world that they had discovered a species posing an extreme threat to humanity, and that Empire soldiers were at the forefront to contain the insectoids outside human territory."

"Thus, the Empire, which should have been the guilty party, portrayed themselves as heroes. How ironic..."

"What the outside world didn't know at the time was that seventy percent of the sacrificed soldiers were betas, yet the Empire gave the credit to the alphas."

Ji Anzhi listened in silence, his trust outweighing his doubt.

He grew up in Suoar, which was like a blend of the Empire and the Federation, with the Empire's influence even stronger.

In that environment, alpha vanity knew no bounds. They were arrogant and looked down on everyone.

They believed alphas were inherently superior, viewing omegas as breeding machines and betas as servants.

Four hundred years ago, under that alpha-supremacy mindset, such things were normal.

"Even under these circumstances, humanity's decision-makers—those foolish alphas—cared only about their own interests. This ultimately led to the insectoids spinning completely out of control. At the time, not a single resident in the border star systems survived; roughly hundreds of billions perished."

"The deaths of people and the flora and fauna on the planets allowed the insectoids to reproduce rapidly, causing humanity to lose about one-fifth of its territory. Yet humans were still fighting among themselves."

"Later, when military academies rose to prominence and resolved humanity's internal conflicts, they discovered that the unevolved insectoids on the Insect Star had also become food for the evolved ones. The Insect Star was abandoned."

"The subsequent insectoid nests centered on the Mothership, where the research institute was located. Countless insectoids swarmed and settled in the surrounding area."

"Who knows what those alpha scum left behind, but every fifty years it triggers a massive breeding surge in the insectoids, and no one knows when it will end."

Ji Anzhi asked with some confusion, "Then why not destroy the Mothership where the institute was located?"

Although the cost would be enormous, compared to the continuous losses from the Bug Swarm, the former would be more beneficial.

Lin Dusheng snorted, his tone a mix of sighing and mockery.

"It can't be destroyed. There's likely some substance inside the Mothership that accelerates insectoid evolution. If it's destroyed and leaks, the insectoids would evolve beyond humanity's ability to cope at an alarming rate."

Ji Anzhi fell silent.

No wonder, out of the Federation's twelve Legions, seven were constantly deployed at the insectoid defense line, with only two responsible for internal security management within the Federation.

And once the insectoid nest period arrived, all twelve Legions had to focus on repelling the Bug Swarm.

Because the Federation was built on the bodies of the Empire's alphas, and its citizens were almost all former citizens of the Empire. This was their atonement.

Lin Dusheng finished speaking rather matter-of-factly, with no emotion other than the contempt in his voice.

After a long silence, Ji Anzhi finally said softly, "It's been tough."

It was clearly the alphas' mistake, yet in the end, it was the omegas and betas who had to clean up the mess.

Lin Dusheng was taken aback, not expecting Ji Anzhi to say that.

He chuckled lightly. "I'm not the one who worked hard. The first hundred years of the Federation were truly grueling..."

Not only did they have to clean up the alphas' mess to prevent Federation citizens, as descendants of the Empire, from being scorned, but they also had to eradicate the alpha conservatives.

One slight misstep, and all their work would have been for nothing.

Ji Anjue listened to the entire conversation between Ji Anzhi and Lin Dusheng. He had received related memories before but couldn't make sense of them, so he hadn't paid much attention.

Now, after listening, Ji Anjue couldn't help but sigh.

Humans really know how to court death.

After all, Ji Anjue wasn't human. He sighed briefly and then continued eating his jerky, chewing meticulously.

"I have some retrofitting technologies and self-developed technologies here. If the Federation is interested, we can discuss them."

Ji Anjue turned his head, knowing Dad was having a soft moment again.

Dad was actually quite prone to soft-heartedness. Of course, this soft-heartedness couldn't harm his own interests. Once his interests were threatened, he became heartless.

Lin Dusheng was elated and immediately asked what technologies were available.

Ji Anzhi briefly mentioned a few, such as increasing space jump distance, accelerating energy decomposition and infusion, a 10% speed increase for starship propulsion systems, etc.

The more Lin Dusheng listened, the more numb he felt. After Ji Anzhi finished, Lin Dusheng asked sincerely,

"Classmate Ji, did you research all these by yourself?"

Ji Anzhi nodded earnestly, looking sincere and mild-mannered.

Lin Dusheng: "........"

Instantly feeling like his own research institute was utter trash, what should he do?

Lin Dusheng took several deep breaths to calm himself, then asked Ji Anzhi to wait a moment.

"Levin! Help me find a few experts in negotiation and partnership deals!"

Levin quietly called over several people.

If they could really obtain these technologies, it would undoubtedly be more beneficial than harmful for the Federation.

The people arrived quickly. With the help and negotiation of professionals, Ji Anzhi and the Federation soon reached an agreement.

One of the most important terms was that the Federation must allocate a complete fleet to Ji Anzhi and be responsible for all expenses of this fleet for the next hundred years.

Now that Ji Anjue could control a complete fleet, it was equivalent to having a private army. Even if the Federation later turned on them once they were no longer useful, they would have the capital to resist.

Besides, these technologies were handed over by Ji Anzhi. Even if the Federation wanted to slaughter the donkey after it's done grinding, they would have to consider whether Ji Anzhi, the R&D genius, might retaliate.

While the two sides were still talking it over, the Bug Swarm officially arrived.

Ji Anjue stared blankly at the approaching darkness outside the porthole.

Meanwhile, the Federation military had already prepared the super-electronic cannons and other area-of-effect weapons they had set up.

As the Zerg entered firing range, the battlefield lit up as bright as day.

There was no sound, only flashes of white light flickering on and off.

Occasionally, a few surviving Zerg would escape and continue advancing toward the front lines. In such cases, mech pilots would use long-range Energy Cannons to eliminate them.

At first, things were manageable, but as the Bug Swarm drew closer, the fighting became practically hand-to-hand.

Once Ji Anzhi and Lin Dusheng finished their discussions, Lin Dusheng immediately told the Federation to get the agreed-upon materials ready.

After completing the procedures and signing all agreements, which were then filed with the Central AI, Ji Anzhi licensed the technology to the Federation.

The lease term was one thousand years.

"Pleasure doing business."

"Pleasure doing business."

Both sides were satisfied, even over the video call.

Upon receiving the technology, Lin Dusheng promptly sent it to the research institute staff, instructing them to conduct preliminary tests. After testing, he ordered all military factories under the Dawn Group to work overtime to begin production.

Feeling that his part was done, Ji Anzhi bid farewell to the principal, agreeing to stay in touch if needed.

After ending the call, Ji Anzhi stretched and let out a long sigh.

Interacting with people really was exhausting.

Ji Anjue glanced at Ji Anzhi.

It seemed that after spending a few months in the Federation, Ji Anzhi had gotten a lot more lively.