My evil self is completely unable to exert its power in the Zerg.

Outside the locked-down backstage area and lounge, the air was so heavy it felt like you could wring water out of it.

Lancelot, who came out of the room with Su Tang, leaned against the wall, his violet eyes gleaming coldly under the emergency lights.

Klein found a chair and sat down, holding Su Tang in his arms. His icy blue eyes were calm and still, yet they carried an invisible sense of pressure.

Adlaud was pinned against the wall by Rohart, his cheek pressed against the cold surface, his breathing rapid and disordered.

According to the original plan, Su Tang should have already been taken away from the venue by Isaac at this moment and is on her way to the rendezvous point!

Why... is he here unharmed?!

He instinctively tried to turn his head to look for Isaac, but Rohart's arm tightened around him, preventing him from moving.

His pupils constricted, and his mind went blank.

"Young...Lord Su Tang." Adlord's voice was dry and hoarse, trembling with disbelief.

"You...how did you get here?"

"Why can't I be here?" Su Tang looked at Adlord in confusion.

Since Su Tang wasn't kidnapped, did my brother fail, or... abandon his plan?

This realization made him forget to struggle for a moment, and he just stared blankly at that little face full of curiosity and innocence.

No, it's also possible that today isn't a good day to take action; my brother won't give up easily!

"Don't go!" Adlord almost roared, his eyes filled with urgent warning as he looked in Su Tang's direction.

"If Isaac contacts you, don't give him any invitations! Stay away from him!" Adlaud's voice cracked with emotion. "He's dangerous! He wants to kidnap you..."

"Kidnap me, sir?" Su Tang picked up on his words, a knowing look on her face that said, "I'm so clever," and waved her hand smugly.

"I already knew!" He wagged his tail, squeezed completely out of the crack in the door, put his hands on his hips, and puffed out his little chest. "Isaac told me a long time ago!"

Adlaud was stunned.

Su Tang... knows?

Do you know their plans? Do you know their identities?

Then why...?

Su Tang's next words completely shattered his last remaining hope.

"My promise to Isaac has been fulfilled!"

The agreement? Completed?

Adlaud's mind was buzzing; things had progressed to a point he couldn't comprehend at all.

"What...what agreement did you mention?"

Su Tang pursed her lips and widened her eyes, as if to say, "You're so stupid."

"That's it! The game between Isaac and me!" He wagged his tail smugly, as if he were really that great. "This time, I won the game."

"He contacted you?!" Adlaud's heart sank.

My brother... he finally took action?

Then why is Lady Su Tang still here?!

His heart was pounding wildly, and an extremely ominous premonition gripped him.

"Hurry up and check him over, see if there's anything wrong with him!"

Adlores roared at Klein, startling Su Tang, who was sitting in his lap.

The little male beetle realized his lapse in behavior and immediately jumped up angrily from his mate's arms, walked up to Adlord, and began to beat his drum with a series of sharp, cracking blows from his tail.

"Why are you yelling so loudly! You're a prisoner I've got!"

"I'm sorry."

Seeing that he became obedient after being beaten, Su Tang nodded in satisfaction.

"Isaac told me everything."

"Tsk tsk tsk." Su Tang gently patted Adlord's face a few times. "I never thought you, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, could do something like this!"

"You deliberately tried to get close to me?"

Adlaud's pupils contracted; he knew it after all. He then closed his eyes with a wry smile.

It was a wrong start to begin with, so of course it could only lead to a wrong result. Wasn't he mentally prepared for that from the beginning?

"I've always known my villainous charm is limitless." Su Tang raised her head and tossed her hair, the hairline swaying in a narcissistic arc. "Of course, a minor protagonist like you would fall head over heels for me and take any shortcut to get to my side..."

He imitated a classic character, turning to point at Adlaud: "There's only one truth—you just wanted my autograph!"

Adlaud: "..."

Klein: "..."

Lancelot: "..."

Even Rohart couldn't control himself and momentarily loosened his grip on Adlaud's hand.

system:【……】

No, are you still expecting him to come up with some amazing analysis?

The system bugged for a moment. It detected an error in its data algorithm, readjusted its logic, and lowered the intelligence level it had previously assessed in the host by a few points.

In order to improve the user experience, the upgraded system 2.0 has reduced the workload of the broadcast module, only selecting important events to be notified, and other content will not be notified unless Su Tang actively checks it.

Fortunately, Su Tang didn't actively inquire, otherwise the system, unable to win the argument with the host, would have had to find ways to coax him.

Su Tang had no idea how the bad stuff was messing with him in the program.

They were still swaggering around, recounting their glorious deeds.

"Isaac told me that if I want a citrus milkshake, I have to play a tag game. If I catch you, I can trade him something for a milkshake!"

"I can't believe you walked right into my trap!" Su Tang sat back down in the insect-flesh chair, took out a bottle of "Friend Insect Potion," and swirled it around like a glass of red wine, making a show of it. "How lonely it is to be invincible!"

"Oh, right!" Su Tang jumped off the chair again, handing the potion to Adlord. "Here's the stuff, hurry up and give me the milkshake!"

Rohart exchanged a glance with the other two insects, released Adlaud, and watched as he dejectedly accepted the potion.

Female insects with S-level qualifications or special species always possess a variety of amazing abilities.

For example, Rohart can start a fire; Klein can make ice; Lancelot can make rain—no, poison.

Adlord's special ability is touch translation.

He is like an insect-shaped projector, able to recall the last few fragments of memories of inanimate objects through contact, and to mimic the aura of inanimate objects, including but not limited to fluctuations in mental energy.

When he "rescued the damsel in distress" and was almost caught by Klein, he was actually hiding in the abandoned emergency exit. It's just that the powerful female insect relied too much on her mental abilities and didn't search the ventilation ducts in time; otherwise, he would have been caught then and there.

Adlores touched the vial, and the scene from that moment flashed through his mind:

Isaac stood before Su Tang, his face still bearing a docile smile, but deep within his eyes surged complex emotions that Adlaud had never seen before—struggle, guilt, pain, and... the final decision.

Isaac's finger was clearly hovering over the activation button of the small jammer that could instantly block the venue's surveillance and communications; with just a light press, the plan could proceed smoothly.

But seeing Su Tang happily accept the test tube of "Friend Insect Agent 5.0 Plus", he ultimately did not press the button.

"Why are you giving me this?" Su Tang asked, fiddling with the bottle.

"Brother Su Tang, I'm sorry." Isaac's voice was low, with a barely perceptible tremor, "I couldn't bring your favorite drink as promised..."

His voice was filled with genuine apology.

"Let's play a game." Isaac looked at Su Tang, a serious look deep in his brown eyes.

"The citrus milkshake you want," he said, pointing to the vial, "is about to help you catch Adlord."

Isaac's gaze met Su Tang's, revealing a gentleness that Adlaud had never seen before.

"If you catch him, you can exchange this potion for the milkshake you want. I promise this time."

"The competition is about to start, and I will prepare well to try my best to win the championship."

After Isaac finished speaking, he gave Su Tang a deep look. Adlord knew that the look was not directed at the male insect, but rather a message being conveyed to him through the drug.

The complex look in his eyes made Adlaud's heart ache; he wished he hadn't understood his brother's meaning.

Isaac turned and left almost hastily, leaving Su Tang holding the potion, completely bewildered. But a moment later, the male insect hopped out with the potion.

At this moment, the male insect was proudly nestled in Klein's arms, its tail wrapped around his arm, its stinger slapping against the marshal's firm wrist.

"Look, you've been 'caught' now!" He swung his leg excitedly, looking down at Adlore. "So, now it's your turn to give me the citrus milkshake!"

As Adlord listened to Su Tang's explanation and saw the pure joy on his face from "completing the game," he felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

Isaac did not carry out the kidnapping plan. He abandoned the idea of ​​exchanging Su Tang for a group of pitiful people.

He handed the "Friend Insect Potion" to Su Tang and left behind this... "promise".

Adrod knew that Isaac could not abandon the remnants, so he chose to face the real, vicious space pirates alone!

He wanted to take responsibility for everything himself!

Regardless of success or failure, he would make one insect bear the consequences, and another insect end it all, but he left himself a way out.

Adlord could understand Isaac's final look: From now on, space pirates and remnants will have nothing to do with you.

He abandoned me...

This realization was like a blunt knife, cutting back and forth across his heart.

No--!!

The color drained completely from Adlord's face.

"No! That's not it..."

Adlaud struggled, his voice trembling with desperate sobs, "This isn't real..."

He was incoherent, overwhelmed by immense panic and despair.

"What do you mean it's not true? You're not going to admit it?" Su Tang narrowed her eyes and stared at him, her tail wagging.

But Adlaud will not answer.

Adlores broke down.

Lancelot stepped forward at the opportune moment, his tall figure bringing an invisible sense of oppression. He blocked Su Tang's view and looked at Adlaud with a mocking expression: "Ha, another lowly creature as easily stressed as a red-haired dog."

"Who are you calling a pink-haired bastard!" The red-haired dog also reacted.

Klein helped Su Tang up from his seat and escorted him back to the safe and secure lounge.

"Baby," Klein's voice remained steady, his icy blue eyes calmly looking at Su Tang with a reassuring power, "Adlord needs some time... to make the milkshake you want."

"Why don't you go back to the lounge and rest for a bit? You still need to work out tonight..." His voice carried a hint of coaxing, yet also an irresistible tone.

Su Tang wanted to say something more, but Klein had already gently closed the door.

"No! Listen to me!!" Adlaud was being forcibly dragged away by Rohart.

"My brother is going to his death!! Those space pirates! They have our race's children in their hands! They're threatening us with those children's lives!!"

His voice echoed in the empty corridor.

"Let me go back! Let me save him!! Please!!"

His voice was shrill and desperate.

"Shut up, you idiot, you'll scare him." The pink-haired commander kicked Adlord's drum.

Adlaud's cries stopped abruptly, like a duck being choked.

Watching Su Tang being coaxed back to the lounge by Klein and the door closed, Adlaud seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, ceasing his futile struggles and leaving only silent tears.

"What kind of behavior is this, a big female insect crying and whining!" Rohart couldn't stand it anymore and gave the messy orange head a merciless slap. "You tell me yourself, or go to the interrogation room?"

Faced with the cold gazes of the three apex predators, Adlord knew he had no chance of escape. There was no point in hiding it now.

He slumped to the ground, his voice hoarse as he began to confess:

"I'm Adrod, the Wasp. That contestant, Isaac, is my brother. You guessed it, right? We're twins."

"We are space pirates." His next words made Rohart's brows furrow deeply, and Lancelot's eyes grew even colder.

Adlores ignored their gazes, raising his head with unfathomable pain and exhaustion in his eyes.

"We come from the frontier star system—what you call the 'junk planet'."

"When we were young, our father took us and our three younger brothers and we were exiled there."

"There's nothing there," his voice hollow. "Just abandoned mines and radioactive dust."

"The female father had always had mental health issues. In that kind of environment, they deteriorated even faster."

"He always saved the little food he could find for us."

His narration was fragmented, interspersed with painful gasps.

"Finally, one day, he couldn't hold on any longer."

The collapse of the female insect's mental state can be extremely destructive.

At this point, the Klein trio had already anticipated the outcome.

"To avoid harming us, he ended his life in front of us before he went completely insane."

Adlaud took a deep breath and said, his voice trembling:

"We...we...ate him."

"What! How could you be so barbaric!" Lancelot stared in shock at the female insect on the ground.

"This is the only way we can survive! With my younger brothers!"

Lancelot remained silent.

Rohart's emotions were also complicated; she didn't even feel like mocking the pink princess anymore.

Adlaud and Rohart had slightly different childhood experiences, but both essentially engaged in cannibalism in order to survive.

Rohart's experience as a red-bellied dragonfly was due to the traditional education he received from the survival of the fittest. But as far as he knew, wasps, although carnivorous insects, did not have the habit of cannibalism.

The circumstances must have been extremely dire for the wasps, still larvae, to behave in this way.

"Isaac held me and cried all night long." Adlaud's nails dug deeply into his palm. "He said he would definitely lead us to survive."

After that, young Isaac and Adrode, along with their three younger brothers, struggled to survive in the garbage-strewn region. But the extreme scarcity of resources far exceeded their expectations, and illness and hunger clung to them like maggots.

Adlaud's voice grew softer and softer, as if the memory itself was burning his soul.

"Later, my younger brothers also..." He couldn't continue, only biting his lip hard until he tasted blood.

"The supplies we can find are limited. Disease, infection, they're all..."

"In the end, only Isaac and I were left."

"Only the two of us are left..."

"Just when we were about to give up, a group of space pirates who called themselves the 'Remnant Clan' saved us."

He explained.

The so-called "space pirate gangs" are actually just survival groups spontaneously formed by the forgotten inhabitants of the garbage star system.

Most of them, like the Adlaud brothers, are descendants of exiles or the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled who have fallen to this place due to various unfortunate reasons.

In order to survive, they had to occasionally rob starships that passed through border star regions, usually belonging to minor nobles or wealthy merchants, to seize some necessary survival supplies.

"They're a bunch of pathetic wretches," Adlaud whispered. "We're all just trying to survive, to survive..."

The two brothers were taken in by the "Remnant Clan" and grew rapidly in the harsh environment. They displayed S+ level talent as frightening insects, and even some strange mutation abilities.

With their superior strength and intelligence, they gradually became the leaders of this rabble, and operated under a common code name, "A," to confuse the public and create the illusion that "A Thieves" was a large organization.

Rohart's brows were furrowed, Lancelot's eyes remained cold, while Klein looked thoughtfully at the young "space pirate" before him.

"The infamous A-bandit gang," Rohart's voice was deep, tinged with disbelief and astonishment, "only had two bugs?"

This fact challenged his long-held beliefs.

But recalling the criminal record of Gang A—indeed, although they frequently stole from noble merchant ships, there were never any reports of casualties, and even fierce confrontations were rare. They were more like ghosts, stealing supplies and then disappearing.

"We do often steal from noble merchant ships," Adlaud's voice carried a bitter self-deprecating tone, "but we, or rather, 'A', never harm insects."

His gaze swept over Rohart and Lancelot before finally settling on Klein. "The military must have noticed something amiss long ago, right? Otherwise, with the Empire's power, how could they have failed to capture such a small 'A-bandit group' for so long?"

Lancelot gave him a cold glance: "The military has a more complex set of considerations regarding affairs in the border star systems."

His eyes were sharp; he clearly didn't completely believe this explanation, but he also understood that there must be something more to it.

Adlaud took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind.

He raised his wrist and operated the insect communicator a few times, his fingertips trembling almost imperceptibly.

He then shared the screen with Klein, Rohart, and Lancelot.

Above were several shocking photos, enough to enrage any Zerg with a conscience.

Those were the corpses of several infants from the border star system. Their small bodies were covered with gruesome marks of abuse, some even missing limbs, stuffed into containers and made into disgusting works of art.

That was not caused by fighting or for survival, but by pure malice to torment for pleasure.

Even Rohart, a veteran of the front lines who was used to seeing life and death, turned extremely pale the moment he saw these scenes.

He took a deep breath, veins throbbing on his forehead, and finally couldn't hold back any longer. He punched Adlord's temple, then slammed his fist into the metal wall next to him with a dull thud.

"You beast!!!" Rohart grabbed Adlaud by the collar, his voice trembling with extreme rage, as if squeezed out from between his teeth, "What do you mean by this?!"

Lancelot stared intently at Adlaud with eyes that seemed to be coated with poison.

Only Klein remained calm.

Adlaud looked at their reactions and gave a bitter smile that was more like a grimace.

"A few years ago, my brother and I wanted to quit our criminal activities."

"We've robbed one last loot box, and we want to use the money to explore one last time, to find an unpolluted planet among the barren stars not recorded in the Empire's records as our new home."

"But we were unlucky and stumbled into an unstable wormhole region."

"By the time we finally found a way back after overcoming countless hardships, our planet had already been occupied by another group of space pirates."

Adlores' eyes blazed with a fire of hatred.

"They were real bandits, or perhaps fugitives, or rebels. In any case, these insects were ruthless. They wiped out all the adult females of their kind."

"Leave only the larvae and slowly torment them."

His narrative brutally tears open a past soaked in blood and tears.

"The leader of this gang is an A+ level female insect. She also has 9 A-level, 26 B-level, and 17 C-level subordinates."

"In a one-on-one fight, none of them are a match for me."

"But they outnumbered us and were very well-coordinated. We...we weren't fully developed yet, and our combat experience was also..."

"And they have insect matter in their possession."

Clearly, the brothers' rescue operation had failed.

Adlaud gritted his teeth; it was the first time he and his brother had suffered a defeat, and they were outnumbered and suffered heavy losses.

"In order to save those children who might still be alive, we have to temporarily obey their orders."

"At first, they only threatened us to steal some male insect hormones preserved by the Male Protection Association. That was difficult, but at least..."

He paused, his voice distorted by immense pain.

"Later they saw Little...Lord Su Tang on the StarNet."

"They're obsessed with him."

"A bunch of sewer bugs, actually daring to dream of 'meeting' their favorite streamer." Adlaud sneered.

"They're having ridiculous ideas, demanding we steal Lady Su Tang out. If we don't agree, they'll..."

Adlores closed his eyes, as if he could still hear the cubs' painful groans and see their desperate eyes.

"They tortured those children right in front of us, threatening us with their lives."

His voice was filled with helplessness and self-loathing.

Adlaud and Isaac could have easily ignored the children and left far away. But it was he who disagreed with abandoning the cubs, which is why he dragged his brother into the water.

Rohart slowly loosened his clenched fists, looking at the dejected Adlaud with a heavy heart.

To be honest, he didn't know what choice he would make if he were in Adloros's situation.

Seeing Rohart's wavering, Adlaud grabbed his hand and said in a trembling voice, "I know that whatever our reasons may be, having harbored ill intentions towards Lord Male Insect is an unforgivable sin."

"But," he looked up, his eyes filled with a dying despair and pleading.

"I beg you, spare me for now, let me go back! Isaac, one insect, can't handle those space pirates!"

"I have to help him! If we," his voice choked, "if we don't die there, we'll definitely come back and turn ourselves in!"

"Do as you please!"

"If you don't believe me, you can put electrode rings on me, controllers, anything!"

"But please give me a chance. I have to save them. I can't let my brother face this alone!"

His voice sounded particularly desolate in the quiet room.

Just then—

"Bang!"

The door to the lounge was suddenly pushed open from the inside!

Su Tang burst out like a harmless little cannonball, her amber eyes gleaming with extreme excitement!

"Space pirates?!" he shouted, his voice filled with the joy of discovering a treasure. "These Thai pants are hot!"

It turns out he didn't stay in the lounge to "rest" at all.

The moment Klein closed the door, he immediately pressed his ear against it, straining to catch every sound from outside.

However, Klein had already noticed his little tricks and let his lord indulge his whims.

The immense spiritual power that constantly entangled the male insect quietly shielded him from most of the dark and cruel truth.

Therefore, Su Tang only heard some fragmented words and snippets—

"We are space pirates!"

"From the border star system."

"The infamous A Thieves only have two bugs."

"Going it alone"

"Isaac..."

These words, put together, quickly pieced together a "truth" in his immature, fantasizing mind:

Adlord and Isaac are the infamous Space Pirates A in the "Frontier Starfield," a group that you can tell is incredibly powerful. The two of them alone have utterly crushed the other insectoids!

His henchmen are the worst of the worst! The most vile of all the vile!

Space pirates! That's so cool! These are practically tailor-made members for his future evil legion!

Especially that Isaac! He actually went to fight another gang!

This is absolutely in line with his style as a great demon king!

"You," he said, pointing at Adlaud, as if looking through him at Isaac, the lone wolf in the distance.

He "understood" everything!

Su Tang stood in the center of the room, her small body seemingly radiating boundless energy.

"This great master is in dire need of geniuses like you!"

He ran up to Adlord, his large amber eyes sparkling. "Adlord! Isaac has agreed to become my bug! You're twins, so you'll agree too, right?"

No female insect could resist the male insect's affectionate behavior, especially since Adlord had no intention of refusing Su Tang.

Seeing that he didn't answer, Su Tang assumed he agreed!

"Very good!" He waved his little hand, as if he were surveying the world.

"This great one hereby announces:"

"From this moment on, your A-bandit gang, and that Border Star thing," he snorted, his tail wagging high, "are all under my control!"

He grabbed Klein's sleeve and shook it urgently:

"Klein! Hurry! Go and bring Isaac back to me! He must become one of my top generals!"

At this moment, Su Tang had already come to regard himself as the conqueror of that distant and barren star field, and he seemed to have completely taken on the role of "leader of evil forces".

He looked at Klein, his eyes flashing with an astonishing light:

"And those insects that run wild on my territory—if they dare touch my planet or my insects, they are my enemies!"

"Did you hear me!" Su Tang shouted, head held high. "Drive them all out, leave no one alive!!"

His voice echoed in the room, carrying a naive yet domineering determination that left the insects present both shocked and speechless.

That wasn't enough. Su Tang opened her smart device and found the communication group:

【Loving Sugar Bug】+99

【Ultimate Invincible Demon King】: Brothers, the border planet is under my protection!

【Ironclad Golden Scorpion】: Received, hoho, you're as lively as ever today!

【Ultimate Invincible Demon King】: Now some bugs dare to touch my Star and Bugs!

【Ironclad Golden Scorpion Stick】: What?! Which blind bastard dares to touch our lord's things?! Sugar Army Assemble @All Insects

[Eric Brown Sugar]: What?! Which bug is crazy?! Brown's entire crew, prepare backup supplies, ta-da! @All Bugs

Su Tang closed the chat window with satisfaction.

Klein then received a request from the old marshal and the elders of the Brown family to advance on the frontier planet via encrypted communications.

Klein's lips twitched almost imperceptibly.

He rubbed his temples, looking at his lord's chuunibyou (delusional) appearance, as if he had embarked on some evil great undertaking; then he glanced at Adlord, whose worldview had been severely impacted and who was dumbfounded.

That kid got off too easy.

Finally, a faint smile appeared on his usually calm face.

Klein bowed gracefully to his lord, his voice steady and reliable:

"As you wish, my darling."