Chapter 6 Unconsciousness

Chapter 6: Coma

Samuel stood silently by the window, watching the white figure fade into the distance. Only when the figure had completely vanished did he slowly shift his gaze to the strange scene around him—towering iron blocks that scraped the sky, clattering metal contraptions shuttling back and forth, massive light screens flashing with multicolored brilliance, and flying objects occasionally streaking through the air, trailing white vapor.

He had heard that other countries had tall buildings and iron horses that ran swiftly, but he had never heard of flying horses or glowing boxes that trapped little people. Combined with the strange terms he had noticed, the men with peculiar makeup, and the bizarre devices...

After sorting through all the information, Samuel's pupils suddenly contracted sharply. The fog shrouding his mind dissipated, and all the anomalies now had an explanation that was both unbelievable and yet remarkably plausible.

He might no longer be in his original country. The people in this place might not be people at all, but rather what they called "insects."

*Click.* Someone entered the hospital room, placed something down, and left. By the time Samuel had sorted out his thoughts and turned around, he saw a small tray had appeared on the nearby table. On it were a pair of delicate scissors, a plate of fruit, and a bag of liquid.

Samuel had never seen such strange things. He picked up the bag, turning it around to examine it.

Nu-tri-tion-al Liq-uid.

One bag per day, can satisfy hunger.

A strange thing. Clearly just liquid, yet one bag could replace a whole day's worth of food.

Curious, Samuel snipped off a corner of the bag, brought it close, and gave a slight sniff. Apple scent? But not as fragrant as a fresh apple.

To drink or not?

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he pinched the bag, conflicted. After a moment, he glanced back to see no one at the door, then tiptoed quickly to the bathroom and poured the entire contents down the sink.

A while later, a sub-female insect nurse came in. Seeing the nutritional liquid had been used, he brought the fruit plate closer. "Your Excellency, won't you try some Mistpine Fruit? They're said to be delicious."

The jade-green fruits on the plate hung from their stems, each one corresponding, crystal clear and translucent. Even without leaning in, one could smell a rich, sweet fragrance that made the mouth water.

"Your Excellency won't eat?" The sub-female insect nurse was somewhat puzzled.

Wasn't it said that all Excellencies loved Mistpine Fruit?

Samuel obediently shook his head, propping his chin in his hand. He looked at the sub-female insect nurse, then at the fruit, back and forth. Finally, he reached out, plucked one fruit, and offered it to the insect beside him.

"For me?" The sub-female insect nurse covered his mouth in surprise, shaking his head repeatedly. "No, no, I can't. Hospital rules forbid him from eating it. Your Excellency should have it."

Samuel said nothing, merely pursing his lips, looking at the sub-female insect nurse with a pitiful, aggrieved expression, utterly wretched.

The sub-female insect nurse fought with all his might but could not resist. Seeing the male insect staring at him persistently, he finally relented, his heart softening. "Then... just this once, okay?"

The fruit was indeed as delicious as rumored. If not for the Excellency's gift, he probably would never have tasted it. After secretly observing for a good while and seeing the sub-female insect nurse remained unharmed, Samuel finally picked up a fruit and began to eat.

For the rest of the day, Samuel mostly stayed in his room. Every morning, the Attending Doctor would come to check his wounds, followed by changing dressings, IV, and meals.

However, the nutritional liquid was routinely poured away when no one was looking. As for the fruit, if the sub-female insect nurse ate some, Samuel would have a bit; if he didn't touch it, Samuel wouldn't either.

Even though over these two days, these "people" had treated him extremely well, Samuel still dared not place his complete trust in them.

During this time, the person named Bran came once, saying he needed to ask some questions to determine his welfare level.

Although he didn't understand why a welfare level needed to be determined, the word "welfare" sounded like a good thing. Plus, he had arrived here suddenly, and Samuel was a false name, so even if they investigated, they might not find anything. So he didn't refuse.

However, when he used the other's Stellar Ring to point out his name, Bran gave him a rather subtle glance. Samuel pretended not to notice, answered a few questions, and then followed him to a strange machine for a test.

The testing method was odd—just close your eyes and concentrate. But midway, the machine suddenly beeped a few times. The doctors nearby seemed surprised, chattering excitedly amongst themselves for a while before eagerly having him retake the test.

Later, when Bran's people escorted him back to his room, they were extremely excited, staring at him as if he were a treasure, and their attitude became much more enthusiastic than before.

Samuel was completely bewildered throughout. Sensing no malice, he didn't dwell on this episode. However, that very afternoon after the test, while eating, he unexpectedly discovered he had gained a skill: telekinesis. He tried it secretly and found it quite fun.

"Your Excellency, would you like to go out for a walk today?" The sub-female insect nurse removed the IV needle, neatly rolled up the IV bag and related items, and placed them in the recycling bin.

Lying in bed, his face pale, Samuel shook his head, showing little interest in anything.

"Then is there anything I can help you with, Your Excellency?" Sensing the Excellency's condition seemed to have worsened again, the sub-female insect nurse made a mental note to report the situation to the Attending Doctor later.

*Do you know where brother is?*

"Your Excellency, are you asking about Director Bran?" The sub-female insect nurse wasn't quite sure what the male insect meant and could only guess.

Samuel shook his head.

"Do you need to see the Attending Doctor? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?" The sub-female insect nurse grew nervous, quickly checking his forehead temperature. These past few days, his wounds showed little sign of healing, and the Attending Doctor was so worried he was almost pulling his hair out.

Samuel shook his head again.

Hmm, neither?

The sub-female insect nurse mentally reviewed the few insects who had appeared previously. Finally, a tall, stalwart figure flashed through his mind: "Your Excellency, are you asking about Major General Idris?"

Samuel's eyes instantly brightened several degrees, and he nodded vigorously. This nurse was quite clever.

"I'm not very clear about the Major General's whereabouts either. But once you've recovered, you can go out and look for him." Unable to fulfill his request, the sub-female insect nurse felt somewhat embarrassed and could only try his best to comfort him.

Onyx-black eyes gradually dimmed. Samuel turned dejectedly towards the window, his complexion even paler than before, as if he might dissipate at any moment.

Seeing this, the sub-female insect nurse's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly tried to think of a solution. Finding the Major General himself was impossible; a low-level insect like him probably couldn't even get past the military headquarters' main gate.

*Ah, I've got it.*

The sub-female insect nurse activated his Stellar Ring, logged into the Star Network, and from a sea of posts, found various compilation videos of Idris, projecting them holographically into the air: "Your Excellency, videos of the Major General. Would you like to watch?"

Hearing this, Samuel slowly turned his head. In the air, images of Idris in different outfits flashed by rapidly—holding a wine glass, performing music, wounded in battle... Each scene was intensely impactful.

Brother?

Samuel reached out, wanting to touch the figure so close at hand, but his hand passed right through the images. He paused, stunned, then tried again. Still the same. It was said that ghosts couldn't be touched. Could it be that brother... was dead?

The word "dead" exploded in his mind like a bomb. Samuel clutched his head, his expression pained. In his mind, several photographs flashed. A black-haired man with a similar face lay in a pool of blood, his body covered in layer upon layer of whip marks and burn scars.

*Brother*...

No, that wasn't *Brother*...

*Brother* had said in his most recent letter he wouldn't be going on missions lately, so it was impossible for him to have been captured...

It must be fake!

"Your Excellency! What's wrong!" The sub-female insect nurse was going crazy. He shut off the Stellar Ring, rushed to the bedside, and checked on him.

Seeing the figures in the air disappear, Samuel panicked, waving his hands to grab at them. Once, then again. His frantic, uncoordinated swings only resulted in the phantom images instantly dissipating before his eyes.

*Brother!!*

A heart-wrenching cry echoed through the silent hospital room, mournful as a cuckoo weeping blood, filled with profound grief.

The sub-female insect nurse pressed the emergency button, then turned back, flustered, trying to soothe him. He didn't understand his cries, but the despair in them instantly reddened his own eyes: "Your Excellency, is it your wounds hurting? Your Excellency!!"

When the attending doctor arrived sweating profusely, Samuel had already fainted, throwing the ward into chaos. After a frantic examination, the male nurse was taken to the door by the attending doctor. Upon hearing that the male insect had fainted due to emotional agitation and malnutrition, the male nurse’s eyes went wide with disbelief.

"Impossible! His Excellency has been taking his nutrients on schedule these past few days."

"Did you watch him drink it?" the attending doctor asked sternly.

The male nurse was silent for a moment. "No. His Excellency dislikes being watched while eating, so I leave after setting down the tray."

The attending doctor pinched the bridge of his nose and continued, "What just happened? Why was His Excellency so agitated?"

The male nurse quickly explained what happened, his voice trembling, clearly frightened.

"You've worked at the hospital for so long; how could you make such a mistake?" The attending doctor sighed. Given the male insect's measured level, this was going to be difficult to handle.

When Bulan heard the news of the male insect's fainting, he was stunned. This precious one gets into trouble after just one day out of my sight—it was enough to make his head spin.

*

Without stopping to get the details, he rushed to the hospital at breakneck speed, kicked open the door of the attending doctor's office, and launched into a barrage of accusations at the insect inside.

The attending doctor was left speechless, his face flushing and paling alternately like a chameleon. After moving his lips for a while, he finally managed to utter a few difficult words: "Starvation."

"What? Starvation?" Bulan widened his eyes, looking at him in disbelief. "Your hospital is really something else! Starving a male insect, causing him to faint! Is the hospital tired of existing and wants to be shut down? Do you insects have a death wish?"

"No, no!" The attending doctor waved his arms like an octopus, mopped his brow with a towel, and then explained nervously, "The meals were prepared with the best ingredients and delivered on time. It's just... His Excellency was extremely wary, as if afraid there was something in them, and he dumped them out when no one was looking."

"Afraid there was something in them?" Bulan keenly grasped the key point.

"Yes, the nutrient solution was poured out, but His Excellency ate some fruit. However, before eating, he made the medical staff sample it first." Seeing the topic shift, the attending doctor breathed a sigh of relief and quickly added, "I suspect His Excellency had eaten poisoned food before, which is why he's so cautious."

The attending doctor's speculation struck Bulan dumb for a long time.

Previously, when the repair pod couldn't be used, and the male insect lacked common sense and couldn't speak, they had speculated that he had likely been imprisoned by some insect for a long time.

Now, with no information about the male insect found in the empire's system and his extreme paranoia, their earlier conjecture was further confirmed.

Fortunately, the male insect's level hadn't been reported yet, otherwise...

Bulan couldn't help but feel relieved. After weighing the pros and cons, he softened his tone and asked, "How is His Excellency... now?"

"He received nutrients, and his condition is stable. However..." Considering the male insect's state, the attending doctor hesitated for a moment before slowly saying, "I suggest getting the Major General here."

Seeing Bulan's puzzled expression, the attending doctor continued to explain, "Apart from eating too little, a large part of the reason for His Excellency's fainting today was due to the Major General."

"Huh?" Bulan was confused.

After the attending doctor recounted the circumstances leading up to the male insect's fainting in detail, Bulan's expression shifted from confusion to shock and then to speechlessness.

Since it was Idris who had "caused" the trouble, then this responsibility... ahem, then this problem should be left for him to help solve.

Stimulated by the heavy news, Bulan lost his rationality and decided to lose it. Neither the hospital nor the Major General—the two "culprits"—would escape; they'd both have to go and appease His Excellency!

"Ah-choo!" Idris, who was on a mission, rubbed his nose, feeling a sudden, heavy pressure.

"Major General." Ray hurried over to Idris, covering his mouth as he reported quietly, "The Male Insect Protection Association called and asked you to go to the hospital immediately."

Hearing this, Idris couldn't help but recall a pair of black eyes with reddened corners. He asked, "Reason?"

Ray glanced at his Stellar Ring and shook his head.

"No time, not going." With that, Idris signaled the fully armed military female insect beside him to follow.

"If you don't come, you'll be waiting for a military tribunal!" Bulan's sinister voice emerged from Ray's Stellar Ring.

Idris turned a deaf ear and continued leading the team on their way.

Receiving no response, Bulan chuckled and half-threatened, "I heard that His Excellency Yisang is extremely skilled in mental soothing. Since His Excellency is in poor condition now, I think he'd be more than willing to come and assist."

At the mention of Yisang, Idris immediately dropped his casual attitude and snapped, "Don't look for him!"

"M-Major General, the Director hung up." Ray took a step back, moving further and further into the corner, putting as much distance as possible between himself and the thunderstorm zone.

Damn it!

Bulan, you vile insect!

Author's Note:

Stellar Calendar 4056, July x, Sunny

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Again?