Zerg: I ​​was picked up by the cold and beautiful Major General at the start of the game.

"?!"

Aland's mental fragment froze abruptly. "What happened? I was only gone for a moment, and my house is about to be robbed?!"

"Hmm?" Lin Luo asked, puzzled. "What's wrong?"

Amber looked a little embarrassed; he lowered his gaze slightly, but his tone was very sincere:

"Your Excellency, Carter is in charge of the insectoids and has been extremely busy lately. I hope to share some of his workload."

He raised his head, his eyes gleaming with a burning desire for his career:

"More importantly, listening to your guidance directly will allow me to understand your business philosophy more quickly and do my job better. I assure you that I will repay your trust with double the effort and better performance."

Lin Luo smiled and said, "Okay, it's good to have ambition. From now on, you will be the one to report."

"Thank you, Your Excellency!" A look of delight flashed in Amber's eyes before she respectfully turned and left.

As the door closed, barely visible silver specks of light flickered in the air.

After listening to the conversation, Ailand's consciousness breathed a slight sigh of relief, but he still couldn't completely let his guard down.

Although Amber's request sounded reasonable, Eland knew exactly what the female insects were thinking.

It's hard for a female insect, rescued from a predicament by a male, not to develop a special longing for the one who offered her help.

Moreover, Lin Luo is so special—he is gentle and tolerant, and never abuses the privileges of male insects. This is a fatal attraction for female insects who are used to a humble situation, and the fervent self-recommendation letters on the StarNet are the best proof of this.

Now, Amber has more opportunities to get close to Lin Luo...

Aland grew increasingly uneasy. No, he had to be extra vigilant from now on! He couldn't let his guard down!

---

Inside the solemn royal council chamber, Marshal Arnold stood below the throne.

"Your Majesty, the war in the northern star region has basically subsided. Our army has wiped out three major star beast lairs, but the remaining star beasts have broken up and infiltrated the asteroid belt, so the cleanup operation will need to be extended by two to three weeks."

"A small number of new star beasts have been discovered on the eastern defense line. Their shells can deflect standard energy attacks, and the Ordnance Research Institute is developing armor-piercing warheads to counter them."

Arnold's report was clear and calm.

"Hmm, well done." The Insect King on the throne nodded slightly, his voice devoid of emotion.

Arnold bowed, preparing to take his leave.

"Arnold," the Insect Emperor's voice rang out again, calling out to him, "Seventh Fleet, the commander's position has been vacant since the incident with Ayland. Do you have a suitable candidate?"

Arnold's figure stopped almost imperceptibly.

In an instant, countless images flashed through his mind—Ayland, his mind shattered and unconscious;

A mole secretly colluding with space pirates;

And many years ago, before this emperor ascended the throne, those burning eyes that were fixed solely on him.

At that time, the young prince had whispered sweet and earnest words of love to him countless times. His sincerity almost completely captivated him, causing him to harbor unrealistic desires...

Arnold's gaze swept imperceptibly over Tok, who stood silently beside the throne, and all his thoughts came to an abrupt halt.

He lowered his eyes, his voice calm and even:

"Your Majesty, several candidates are under consideration. Once the three-month period is up, the official candidate will be selected to take over as commander of the Seventh Fleet."

The Insect King stared at him for a moment before speaking calmly, "Hmm, go down."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Arnold bowed again and left the council chamber.

--------

"You...you actually want me to do this?!" Carlos's voice was shrill with shock. "I absolutely will not agree! Forget about it!"

The insect opposite him let out a low, ambiguous laugh, as if it had expected his reaction.

"Such a decisive refusal?" The mysterious insect stepped forward unhurriedly, its deep eyes locking onto Carlos. "Haven't you noticed that your mental strength... has been acting strangely lately?"

As he spoke, he flicked his finger, and a vial of potion, glowing with an eerie light, appeared out of thin air.

Almost simultaneously, Carlos's gaze was drawn to the vial of medicine as if by a magnet, and even his breathing became heavier.

Seeing his absent-minded appearance, the mysterious insect cursed him inwardly as an "idiot."

However, if he hadn't been so foolish and greedy, he wouldn't have been so easily manipulated.

"Why has this amazing product, capable of elevating you from C-grade to B-grade, never truly become widespread in the market?"

The mysterious insect toyed with the potion in its hand, then slowly posed a question, its tone tinged with mockery.

Carlos snapped back to reality, his gaze laboriously shifting from the potion to the mysterious insect's face, a strong sense of unease rising within him.

"It's been quite a while since you first took it."

The insect opposite slowly said, "Haven't you noticed that your own spiritual core has begun... to become slightly unstable?"

Carlos's heart suddenly stopped beating for a moment!

He…of course he noticed! But he always thought it was the result of the anger he harbored from Lin Luo's repeated contempt! Could it be?…

The mysterious insect was finally satisfied to see the pale, panicked expression on his face.

"That's right, you need to continue taking it." His tone was calm, but every word was piercing.

"Once you stop taking the medication, not only will you lose your current B-rank, but your original C-rank foundation will also collapse. Let me think, will you fall to D-rank? Or... directly become an F-rank piece of trash?"

"At that time, you will truly become a worthless insect, even worse than a female insect." His tone was light and casual, yet it felt so unreal to Carlos.

"No...impossible..." Upon hearing this, Carlos's legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud.

His worst fears have come true; now he doesn't even have the strength to vent his anger.

His greatest desire in life was to become a superior male insect, to enter the top circle, and to trample all the insects who had looked down on him and humiliated him under his feet!

But now, the dream is only half-fulfilled, how did it fall into such an abyss of no return?

The mysterious insect looked down at him with disdain, his face showing utter dejection and despair.

But he quickly composed himself and bent down to help Carlos up, seemingly to show his concern.

"Hey, don't worry too much," he reassured her earnestly.

"As long as you do your job well for me, you'll naturally get plenty of medicine. As long as you're 'obedient' enough, not only will you maintain your B-rank, but you might even have a chance to be promoted to A-rank in the future."

"See, things aren't as terrible as they seem, right?"

Carlos was half-supported, half-dragged to his feet, as if grasping at a straw. His eyes were vacant yet tinged with a hint of madness as he murmured repeatedly, "Okay...okay...I'll listen to you...I'll listen to everything you say..."

The mysterious insect finally revealed a genuine smile and gently patted his shoulder.

"That's right, everyone's happy."