Chapter 40 Combing

Chapter 40: Sorting

"YS: You've got some nerve, writing whatever you want. Aren't you scared of getting arrested by the military?"

"Lin An: I didn't do anything wrong! The military can't arrest me just for writing a novel, can they? (Shivering)"

"YS: You've almost exposed the Insect Emperor and the Empire's deepest secrets..."

"YS: But that's good too. Otherwise, those foolish female insects wouldn't realize something is wrong until who knows when."

Expose the Insect Emperor and the Empire's deepest secrets?

Could it be that the upper-echelon female insects are concealing something related to male insects? And he stumbled upon it by accident?

Samuel made a mental note of this point, planning to analyze it carefully when he had time.

"Lin An: Mr. Y, what are you talking about..."

"YS: Nothing. But frankly, this book of yours is really harsh; it's driving the netizens crazy. As soon as you finished your livestream, they went online wailing and even started a hashtag #MaybeOnlyTheInsectGodKnows. They're making a fuss online right now."

A row of question marks slowly appeared on Samuel's forehead.

What? They're making a fuss again?

Out of curiosity, Samuel swiped to the trending list and found the hashtag #MaybeOnlyTheInsectGodKnows rapidly climbing, heading straight for the top ten.

With a light tap of his finger, Samuel entered the hashtag. The netizens, having just finished reading the story, were clearly devastated, hopping around frantically. Posts recommending the story, analyzing the plot, shipping characters, and discussing the feasibility of male-male or female-female relationships were flooding in, a dizzying scroll.

Samuel scrolled down a bit and spotted a few different comments among the many posts.

"I was tricked by the netizens' sweet story promotion into reading the whole thing, and now my heart, liver, spleen, and lungs ache from the pain. Now that I've calmed down and thought about the entire story, I suddenly realized something horrifying. Apart from not being forced into sorting work, the situation of the male insects in reality is almost no different from that of the male insects in the story!!! I hadn't realized this before!"

"+1, I always thought it was reasonable for male insects to be supported and cared for by female insects. But looking back now, it feels similar to how the male insects in the story were deliberately stunted. Is it just my illusion?"

"How is it the same? In reality, male insects are protected by the MPA and have high status. Who would dare harm them casually? It's just a novel; don't get too immersed!"

"I also have a vague feeling about this. And it seems like there were male insect comments in Lin An's comment section. When I was scrolling through, I always felt like the male insects were hinting at something, but I couldn't figure it out! (Scratching head)"

"I felt it too! And I've always heard that male insects are aloof and have terrible tempers, but after watching the whole livestream, I didn't think their tempers were bad at all. They even taught female insects how to please their male masters."

"Wuwuwu, someone must have deliberately slandered the male insects. I'll never follow the crowd again."

"Family insects! I recorded the screen! Anyone want to analyze the male insects' comments together? I feel like there's important information hidden in those comments, but I can't figure it out myself."

"Count me in!!"

"Me too! I just tried one of the suggestions the male insects gave in the comments! My male master finally let me get close! I just managed to coax him to sleep, and he was still trembling while asleep. My male master must be hiding something! I don't dare ask, but I wonder if I can find the answer in the comments. (Crying)"

After scanning the flood of "count me in" comments, Samuel smiled and closed the forum page. The seeds had been planted. As for how they would grow, that was beyond his control.

Now he had more important things to do.

Samuel switched out of the entertainment section, found Ray's Stellar Ring number, and after about half a minute, the voice call was connected.

"Mr. Samuel?" Ray's voice carried a hint of confusion.

"Ray, has Idris been looking for high-level male insects recently?" Samuel didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the point.

There was silence on the other end of the Stellar Ring. Ray seemed unprepared for this question. After a moment of hesitation, he answered truthfully, "Yes."

"I can help," Samuel stood up and walked to the window, rubbing the brooch on his chest. "But I need your cooperation. So, want to give it a try?"

"But the Major..." Ray didn't dare agree rashly. He had observed clearly how much Idris cared about the male insect on the other end.

If something happened to the male insect during the process, how could he face Idris's trust?

"I... I'll explain it to my brother. Don't worry." After saying this, Samuel continued slowly, "I heard those two sick insects have already started insectification. If not handled in time, they might die."

"As their former comrade, you probably don't want to watch them die like this. My brother certainly doesn't either."

"As for me, even though I haven't met those two military female insects, the fact that they've guarded the Empire's border planets for years is enough to earn my respect. Moreover, they're my brother's comrades."

"I don't want my brother to be sad, and I don't want two military insects who have dedicated themselves to the Empire to leave in such a way. So, Ray, can you help me?"

"Let me give it a try. If it doesn't work, I'll stop immediately. Is that okay?"

The clear, gentle, and slightly pleading tone on the other end of the Stellar Ring made Ray waver. There were S-class male insects in the Empire, but most had already retired into seclusion.

Samuel was the highest-level male insect he could currently contact. If he refused, Luoken and Aosen would miss a possible chance at recovery. But if he didn't refuse, and something happened to the male insect, dragging the Major down would be disastrous.

After much hesitation, Ray still couldn't make a decision.

Sensing the struggle on the other end, Samuel didn't press him. He just said to send him a message after thinking it over and decisively hung up.

He had a feeling Ray would agree.

After all, no military insect could watch their comrades die in such a way.

Ray was no exception.

Leaning against the windowsill nearby, Samuel gazed absently at the sunset glow outside the glass, letting out a soft sigh. To be honest, although he had selfish motives, if he could save two lives, he still wanted to try.

The sound of a hovercar landing echoed outside the villa. Samuel turned his head toward the sound and saw Li'an hurriedly getting out of the car and ringing the doorbell.

Welcoming the insect inside, they exchanged a few pleasantries before quickly getting to the main point. Samuel grasped Li'an's wrist, channeled his mental energy through the point of contact, and entered Li'an's Mind Sea.

Inside the Mind Sea, the originally clear mental energy was now like muddy, turbulent water. This being his first time performing mental sorting, Samuel didn't dare be overconfident. He extended his mental energy, cautiously approaching the area with the most chaotic mental fluctuations.

As he neared the central area, Samuel clearly felt resistance from Li'an's Mind Sea, though the force wasn't strong.

He closed his eyes, focused his mind, and condensed his mental energy into fine threads. Like combing hair, he slowly and gently smoothed out the tangled mental streams.

As the sorting deepened, Li'an's tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed.

Half an hour later, Samuel guided his mental threads away from the mental streams. The previously turbulent Mind Sea was now calm. And in the area that had been the most chaotic, a black, walnut-sized "black hole" appeared.

The "black hole" hovered above the Mind Sea, constantly emitting an unpleasant aura. Unsure of the "black hole's" safety, Samuel guided his mental threads to retreat from Li'an's Mind Sea.

Just as he was about to successfully withdraw, the previously quiet "black hole" suddenly erupted with immense suction. The retreating mental threads were instantly and swiftly drawn toward it. Then, an uncomfortable mental fluctuation surged along the mental threads toward Samuel.

Although he didn't know where the "black hole" came from or why the mental fluctuation was rushing toward him, Samuel instinctively felt it was nothing good.

He acted decisively, severing that section of mental threads before withdrawing his mental energy. The severed section of mental threads was then swept away and absorbed into Li'an's Mind Sea.

"It's done." Samuel leaned back on the sofa, closing his eyes for a few seconds.

Perhaps influenced by that mental fluctuation, his head seemed to hurt more than it did at noon. Samuel slightly frowned but didn't show his discomfort.

Li'an opened his eyes and activated his mental energy. His previously stinging Mind Sea was now as peaceful as before, even radiating warmth. This was a sensation he had never experienced before.

So he couldn't help but remark, "Your Excellency truly is the most promising candidate to break through to S-rank. You accomplished a complex and difficult task like mental soothing with such ease."

"A difficult task?" Samuel was puzzled and asked, "Do you mean other male Zerg are unable to perform mental soothing?"

Logically speaking, high-ranking male Zerg possess strong mental abilities; they should be able to do it.

"They can," Li'an explained, "but not as thoroughly and quickly as you."

Samuel thought again about that "black hole" and nodded thoughtfully, and took the chance to remind Li'an to get a medical check-up at the hospital.

Although somewhat puzzled, Li'an promptly agreed.

When Li'an left, it was getting dark. As Li'an was leaving, Samuel asked again about secondary differentiation. Li'an hesitated for a long moment, just repeating what he had said last time—"You'll know after Your Excellency undergoes secondary differentiation."

Samuel felt quite helpless about Li'an's cryptic behavior but didn't press further. He stood at the doorway, watching the other's figure disappear into the dusk, feeling a vague, inexplicable unease in his heart.

What secrets are hidden behind secondary differentiation?

Could it be related to the male Zerg's irritability?

Why do male Zerg conceal their experiences of secondary differentiation?

Various questions swirled chaotically in his mind. Samuel temporarily suppressed his doubts and headed to the kitchen to find something to fill his stomach, which had been protesting for a long time.

After rummaging around for a while, he found the nutrient solution prepared by Bulan. He opened it, poured it into a cup, and sipped it slowly while sitting back on the sofa, idly tapping away at the red notification dots in his message bar one by one. As he tapped, a name he hadn't seen in a long time abruptly flashed on his Stellar Ring.

"Augus: Your Excellency, last time you left in a hurry, and I didn't get a chance to ask for your contact information. Today, I took the liberty of adding you. My apologies."

"Augus: I heard Your Excellency is particularly fond of— I've booked a table at the Bolein Restaurant. I wonder if you have time? Could you give me a chance to apologize in person?"

Samuel: ?

*Hadn't he already clearly rejected the proposal? Why was he being asked out again?*

*Wasn't it enough that one sentence from him last time caused his brother to misunderstand? And now this again?*

*Did this prince have some sort of quota for tormenting him?*

No way, no way!

Staying away from pests starts with you and me!!

"Samuel: It's fine, no time, no need to apologize, thanks!"

After sending it, Samuel felt the wording was somewhat impolite. He quickly recalled the message and resent another one.

"Samuel: It's just adding a Stellar Ring ID; you don't need to apologize specifically. I've been really busy lately and truly cannot make it to the appointment. Sorry."

Augus, who witnessed the entire exchange: ???

Why did it feel like His Excellency was avoiding him as if he were the plague?

Was he that terrifying?

Samuel didn't know that both messages had been seen by Augus. After sending the second one, he exited the conversation as if shaking off a virus.

At the same moment, with a buzz, a new message appeared in the notification bar.

"Ray: Your Excellency, I agree to your proposal."

"Then come pick me up."

Author's note: Starting tomorrow, new plot begins. The following content is neither entirely true nor entirely false. Sigh, I wonder if you all will like it. [biting handkerchief]

-----------------------