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

The stage lights went out, and the thunderous applause gradually subsided.

Isaac bowed deeply, his perfect smile concealing his reluctance to part.

He stepped off the stage and stood in the shadows of the side curtain, listening to the thunderous applause coming from the front.

He knew his performance was impeccable; every note and every glance was meticulously designed to move any audience member, including his beloved sweetheart.

The orange-haired female insect lowered her eyes slightly, subtly scanning the circuit layout of the backstage area under the guise of adjusting her cuffs.

The small shielding device was installed at the top of the corridor leading to the West Zone power distribution room.

He had to dismantle it. If this device were discovered by military technicians, it would become irrefutable evidence pointing to his brother. More importantly, he couldn't let it fall into the hands of other insects.

He needs a plausible excuse to leave the front area, such as going to relieve himself after the performance.

As planned, Isaac went to the west side of the venue and quickly dismantled the device.

However, just as he quietly circled back to the more secluded passageway backstage, his keen senses caught an unusual noise coming from the direction of the equipment room.

He concealed his presence, crept close to the corner of the wall like a shadow, and cautiously peered out.

A figure was seen sneaking closer to the power distribution room.

It's that player known as the "Tactical Master"!

A show-off who always talks big but actually only knows how to dismantle models.

At this moment, the tactical mastermind's behavior seemed strange.

A malicious grin spread across his usually arrogant face. Unlike the other contestants who paid attention to the performance on stage, he casually approached a spare wiring box connected to the main stage lighting along the wall.

The tactical mastermind moved swiftly, as if he had received professional training. He vigilantly observed his surroundings, his fingers deftly manipulating the combination lock on the interface box.

Isaac's eyes narrowed.

This is not a simple prank or post-match revenge.

This precise behavior, targeting critical circuitry...

Isaac's intuition was sharply warning him.

Just then—

Sizzle—!!!

boom!

The venue was plunged into darkness.

Screams and commotion came from the front desk.

But Isaac's attention was completely focused on the tactical mastermind.

The instant the lights went out, he clearly saw a flash of triumphant satisfaction on the tactician's face.

really!

Without further hesitation, Isaac pounced on the location of the tactical mastermind like a shadow!

In the darkness, the wind howled!

The tactical mastermind clearly hadn't expected a bug to launch a surprise attack at this moment, but he reacted extremely quickly, ducking and sliding to the side to avoid Isaac's first strike!

"Who?!"

The tactical mastermind hissed, his voice filled with shock and anger at being caught off guard.

Isaac did not answer, and his offensive became even more fierce.

His fighting style is completely different from his well-behaved image on stage; it is swift, precise, and ruthless, capable of delivering a fatal blow!

The two insects clashed rapidly in the narrow backstage passageway, their fists and feet striking each other with dull thuds.

The tactical mastermind's skills were even more sophisticated and cunning than Isaac had anticipated, with every move deadly—a killing technique honed entirely in battle!

This is completely different from the flashy but ineffective moves that the tactical mastermind displayed on the show, which only attracted ridicule!

He was a seasoned warrior, or rather, an assassin!

Isaac's eyes flashed, seizing a tiny opening in the Tactical Master's defense. Isaac's half-insect claws moved like lightning, slashing straight at the side of his opponent's neck!

The tactical mastermind quickly raised his arm to block!

Sizzle—!

The sound of tearing fabric was especially clear in the darkness.

Isaac's gaze instantly locked onto the tactical mastermind's exposed right upper arm as he moved.

There, a grotesque emblem, tattooed with special pigments, stood out starkly—a withered hand crushing fallen petals.

Isaac's heart sank.

It's the mark of that pirate crew!

This guy is one of their insects too?!

Alarm bells rang in Isaac's mind! He exerted all his strength, slamming his knee into the tactical mastermind's abdomen!

"Ugh!" The tactical mastermind groaned, his movements slowing down by half a beat.

Isaac seized the opportunity, executing a swift grappling move followed by a scissor kick, pinning the tactical mastermind firmly to the ground.

"Whose bug are you?" Isaac's voice was icy, close to the tactician's ear.

The tactical mastermind let out a sinister laugh: "The boss knew you might betray us!"

Isaac's grip tightened, and his voice lowered further: "What exactly do you want?"

The tactical mastermind spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, struggling but unable to break free from Isaac's iron grip.

"Tsk tsk, I never expected the famous 'A' to be like this in private." He tried to provoke Isaac, sticking out his tongue and licking his lips. "But no wonder, he's quite the darling male, certainly delicious..."

His words came to an abrupt end.

Isaac's fingers tightened like steel clamps, making it hard for the tactical mastermind to breathe.

"Enough with the nonsense."

"I'll talk! I'll talk!"

The tactical mastermind, finally unable to bear the excruciating pain that felt like his neck was about to snap, gasped and hissed, "It was...it was the boss who sent me...ha...to create chaos...to make it easier for you to succeed..."

"I'm new here..."

"Boss... doesn't trust you... I don't know anything..."

He suddenly let out a low, twisted laugh.

"Heh heh...you didn't know, did you...the group is still expanding..."

"There are plenty of people like you..."

"A disobedient 'tool' should be replaced..."

Isaac read his thoughts, and his heart sank.

This tactical mastermind clearly didn't know much either, only assuming that Isaac and Adlord were members of their space pirate crew, rivals competing for a spot as a full member. The "boss's" induction test for him was kidnapping a male insect.

But Isaac had already pieced together the truth from these few words: the pirate crew had never trusted the brothers. This time, sending out a new "tool" was not only to give them a warning, but more likely to intercept them halfway.

In this way, they failed to complete the mission, and they would be able to use this as leverage against each other...

No, perhaps it will be used as a scapegoat.

The disappearance of the male insect is no small matter. During this time, the military was delayed in their pursuit of the brothers, and they might actually have succeeded.

Isaac broke out in a cold sweat, thankfully he didn't actually...

Just then, the commotion coming from the front desk suddenly intensified! The faint sound of Rohart shouting for order could also be heard.

Isaac forced himself to concentrate, ignoring whether the cries of his own male insect were mixed in with the chaotic sounds.

Su Tang!

Despite his heart clenching with worry, reason told him that he had aroused the high vigilance of Klein, Rohart, and Lancelot, and with them around, Su Tang's safety should be assured.

In this situation, Su Tang is actually the safest!

Isaac didn't know if the space pirates had any other tricks up their sleeves, but the unexpected capture of the tactical mastermind presented a great opportunity, and a plan instantly formed in his mind.

And he... must seize this opportunity!

Isaac acted decisively, delivering a clean and swift chop to the back of the tactician's neck!

The other person's body went limp and collapsed to the ground.

Without hesitation, Isaac quickly checked the other man's body and, after confirming that there were no other weapons or communication devices, grabbed the unconscious Tactical Master and carried him like a piece of cargo, quickly turning into a more concealed maintenance passage.

Isaac's ability is also "touch translation," but unlike his brother Adrod's ability to rewind and mimic the fluctuations of objects and act on inanimate objects, it acts on living beings and the level of consciousness.

Firstly, through skin contact, Isaac can read the thoughts of those with lower mental strength than himself, which is essentially mind reading.

He had actually used this trick on the little male insect on the day he first met Su Tang. It was thanks to the little male insect's wonderful and vivid memories that Isaac quickly transformed from a novice foodie with little experience into a seasoned gourmet.

Every time Isaac recalls his first chick, he frowns and thanks his predecessors for their remote guidance.

Secondly, and even more rarely, he is able to alter the "cognition" of other insects to a certain extent.

When this ability is applied to oneself, the effect is similar to a form of mimicry, or what could be called a "transformation technique." It can change one's appearance, but it cannot change the core mental energy fluctuations and pheromone characteristics.

When used on other insects, it can alter the image of that insect in the perception of other insects. However, this illusion is extremely fragile and can be easily detected once it is touched or verified by other senses.

The abilities of the brothers Isaac and Adlord complemented each other, which is why they were able to carve out a territory with just the two of them.

At that moment, an invisible force spread from his fingertips, covering the entire body of the tactical master.

Under Isaac's will, the tactical mastermind's appearance began to distort and change.

A few seconds later, a "Su Tang" appeared in front of Isaac.

Or rather, under Isaac's "cognitive distortion," the tactical mastermind would appear as Su Tang to any insect at this moment.

only……

The tactical mastermind's eyes, a mixture of greed, fear, and malice, made Isaac feel nauseous.

This is not his Su Tang.

But for now, this is the only tool he can use.

Isaac tore off a relatively clean piece of fabric from the tactician's clothes and used it to firmly blindfold him.

He endured the nausea and continued to exert influence on the tactical mastermind.

Once ready, he activated his portable smart device and broadcast a communication request on a specific encrypted frequency band.

A few seconds later, a rugged and menacing face appeared on the screen—the leader of the pirate crew, the A+ grade female insect.

The pirate leader immediately spotted the pitiful "little male" on the screen, bound to a chair, blindfolded, and gagged. His eyes lit up, filled with undisguised infatuation and possessiveness.

"Is this the correct product?" Isaac's voice was cold and harsh.

The pirate leader stared greedily at the "little male insect," licking his lips.

"Yes! Yes! This is it! My little darling I've been longing for day and night..."

He looked at Isaac angrily, his tone laced with feigned concern, and rebuked him:

"A! How could you treat such a precious male insect so rudely! You have no sense of chivalry whatsoever! If you had even scratched his delicate skin, I would not have let you off!"

His fingers almost touched the image through the screen.

"Look at this poor little thing..." he said, feigning gentleness. "Quick, take that thing out of his mouth! Let's hear what our little darling has to say..."

The pirate leader seemed to be genuinely interacting with his favorite streamer.

Isaac replied expressionlessly, "Enough nonsense. As agreed, it's cash on delivery."

"Okay! Bring the bug back as soon as possible! I want to do it myself..."

Isaac cut off the communication before he could finish speaking.

He looked down at the tactical master on the ground, whose perception had been distorted by his abilities—to any insect at this moment, it looked like Lord Su Tang had been unfortunately captured.

Isaac took a deep breath, then raised his hand—

He snapped his neck cleanly and decisively.

Without the slightest hesitation.

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

On the desolate surface of the junk planet, mountains of discarded metal cast distorted shadows in the dim starlight.

A small, stand-alone airship, completely out of place with its surroundings, slowly landed at the designated location, kicking up a cloud of dust.

A group of space pirates surrounded them, aiming their weapons at the hatch.

The pirate leader squinted, his expression unreadable.

"What's that kid A up to?" he muttered under his breath, gesturing for two of his men to come forward.

The hatch slid open with a hiss.

Isaac was not among them.

Only a small figure, tightly bound by special alloy ropes, huddled in the corner.

Her long black hair was disheveled, and there were tear stains on her delicate face. It was Su Tang!

"Boss, it's...it's a male!!"

The space pirates stirred, each staring intently into the cabin.

"It's Lady Su Tang!"

"Really, Sugar Baby...smells so good..."

The pirate leader raised his hand, and the pirates were silenced.

"No other insects! Only male insects." One of the subordinates peeked out and reported to the leader.

The leader's face immediately darkened.

He strode forward and inspected it himself.

empty.

Except for Su Tang, who was tied up.

The leader's brow was furrowed.

This is not normal.

A is always thorough in his work. How come he's not here?

Doesn't he want those little brats anymore?

"Could this be a trap?" he muttered to himself, his eyes turning wary and fierce. What trick is A up to?

Just then, the leader's communicator rang. It was Isaac.

The leader pressed the answer button, and Isaac's cold voice came through:

"I installed a remote-controlled detonator on the male insect."

This sentence is like a piece of ice being smashed into the air.

The space pirates all stopped moving at once.

The leader's pupils contracted slightly, then he let out a rough, hoarse laugh: "Ha, trying to play these tricks on me?"

He yelled into the communicator, "You think this little gadget can threaten me?!"

"A bomb of this size really isn't very effective against female insects," Isaac said calmly, as if stating an objective fact.

His voice paused for a moment, then he chuckled softly:

"But enough to... reduce a male insect to dust."

The leader's facial muscles twitched.

He certainly knew the power of such a bomb—it might only cause minor injuries to the thick-skinned female insect, but it would be absolutely fatal to the frail male insect.

"If you don't want your 'baby' to turn into interstellar dust, do as I say."

"Cash on delivery. Release my insectoid race. Otherwise..."

He hung up before he finished speaking, but the threat was obvious.

The space pirates looked at each other, clearly wavering.

They came for the male insect, but what if all they got was a corpse...

The pirate leader stared intently at the little male insect; he was indeed wary.

"Okay," the pirate leader squeezed out the word through gritted teeth.

He made a gesture.

A short while later, a group of ragged, fearful cubs were driven out.

They were emaciated, covered in wounds, and looked at the space pirates around them with fear and hatred.

The pirate leader shouted at the spaceship, "The children you wanted are all here! Come out! Let's trade face to face!"

He repeatedly dialed Isaac's number, but there was no answer.

Just as the pirate leader was getting impatient, a new message appeared on the AI.

I don't trust you. Have all the remnant cubs board the spaceship and set it to autopilot. Once the spaceship is out of danger, I will defuse the bombs. —A

"I don't trust you either, Isaac!" the pirate leader roared. "If I send the child up there and you run off with the male insect, I'll lose both the insect and the money!!"

Isaac replied almost without hesitation:

[You may take the male insect during this time. But the bomb will not be deactivated until all the young have safely left. If the male insect dies, you will get nothing. —A]

His tone was firm, carrying an undeniable resolve.

The pirate leader's expression was grim and uncertain. A female insect beside him, who appeared to be his second-in-command, whispered a reminder:

"Boss, be careful, it might be a trap. Could he be trying to scam us?"

But the pirate leader, seemingly blinded by lust, waved his hand impatiently:

"He wouldn't dare actually harm the male insect! It's priceless!"

"If he dares to lay a finger on a male insect, he won't live either! What's more..." The leader's sticky and disgusting gaze swept greedily over Su Tang's entire body once again.

"Do as he says! First, carefully lift that little one down! Be careful! Don't touch any suspicious lines!"

The space pirates followed orders and became much more cautious.

Bound and tied up, Su Tang was carefully carried off the spaceship by two space pirates and placed not far from their leader.

The female insect pirates' malicious gazes fell on his skirt, and seeing the male insect trembling under their stares, they became even more unrestrained.

"Boss..." the deputy wanted to say something.

But the pirate leader impatiently interrupted, "Go now!"

Driven by the space pirates, the cubs began to board the small spaceship one after another.

Every space pirate gripped their weapon tightly, wary of Isaac who might appear at any moment.

Unnoticed by the insects, Su Tang's wrists, bound by ropes, twitched almost imperceptibly.

All the cubs finally boarded the spaceship.

The hatch closed slowly.

Takeoff command issued.

The spaceship's engines roared as it slowly rose into the air, heading away from the junk planet.

The pirate leader said impatiently, "The child has been sent away! Defuse the bomb!"

But Isaac has not yet replied.

"A, you piece of shit!" The leader stared intently at the communicator until the spaceship's signal became a tiny dot in the detector.

Isaac's message just arrived.

The detonation code for the explosive device on the male insect is ********.

The pirate leader was overjoyed and immediately signaled two of his men to step forward and carefully approach the bound Su Tang, preparing to dismantle the troublesome bomb.

Time dragged on endlessly. These two useless things, how could they be taking so long even to enter a password! The pirate leader wished he could do it himself!

Just as the leader's patience was about to run out—

Snap! Snap! Snap!

Several crisp snapping sounds!

The alloy ropes binding Su Tang snapped instantly! With a sudden burst of strength, she grabbed the two space pirates by the hair and smashed their foreheads together like cracking eggs.

Immediately afterwards, the small figure leaped into the air with a speed completely contrary to its appearance!

"What?!"

The leader stared in astonishment at the "little male insect" who, instead of being weak and helpless, charged toward him like a bolt of lightning!

A fist, accompanied by the sound of air being torn apart, hurtled straight at his face!

Although the pirate leader was startled, he remained calm, clearly having been prepared!

He dodged to the side while simultaneously blocking with his arm!

boom--

A dull thud resounded!

Su Tang landed steadily, her face no longer showing any fear or weakness. Her eyes were sharp as knives!

"Fine, fine, fine!" The leader laughed angrily. "No wonder I haven't smelled much male insect hormone... I thought you were just stressed out..."

"I never expected..." His eyes turned ferocious, "It was a fake!!"

He shouted angrily, "You bastard, A! I knew it was you!!!"

Su Tang's figure began to twist and deform, like a reflection in water being disturbed!

The disguise is gone.

Isaac stood there, his brown eyes as cold as frost.

"You guessed right." Isaac chuckled softly, his voice returning to its usual deep and dangerous tone. "But there's no reward."

"You little brat, you're asking for it!!"

Before he finished speaking, Isaac's figure changed again!

Suddenly, a pair of transparent membranous wings unfolded from his back! His head became angular, and his entire body was covered with a hard, yellow and black shell, making his body structure extremely streamlined and aggressive!

A huge wasp buzzed and swooped in.

At the same time, the pirate leader let out a low growl, his body swelled and deformed, and his compound eyes flashed with a ferocious light—he was a giant hornet!

Several of his capable subordinates also transformed, and for a moment, the scene was filled with the buzzing sounds of various bee-like wings.

Yellow and black stripes intertwine, and poisonous needles are faintly visible!

A fierce, chaotic battle erupted in an instant!

Isaac was incredibly brave, and even when he stirred up a hornet's nest, he didn't lose out.

His attacks were swift and deadly, targeting joints and compound eyes!

But there are more wasps, and they work together more seamlessly!

They attacked Isaac from different directions, their poisoned needles gleaming coldly, constantly searching for an opportunity to pierce him!

"Isaac! Surrender!" the leader roared as he attacked. "You can't beat us!"

Isaac didn't answer, but instead retaliated even more fiercely!

However, just as the battle reached a stalemate, the deputy's voice rang out.

"stop!!"

He was seen leading a "bug" out of the bunker behind him!

"Look who this is?!" the deputy shouted, pushing the small, thin figure forward!

Isaac instinctively felt something was amiss!

But because of that momentary distraction, his movements were a beat slower!

Pfft—!

A slight sting!

Isaac looked down and saw a tiny needle piercing his chest and abdomen.

The icy sensation of the toxins flowing through my body instantly spread throughout my entire body!

His insect form quickly faded, and he reverted to his orange-haired female insect appearance.

He was panting as he looked at the insectoid that had been pushed out—it wasn't a cub at all! It was a short, deformed dwarf space pirate!

Not the children...

Isaac, on the contrary, felt a sense of relief.

This means... the children should have all safely left with the spaceship.

This realization eased his tense nerves slightly.

But it was precisely this slight lapse that caused him to completely lose his chance to resist!

Several space pirates swarmed forward and forcefully placed the red-glowing suppression ring around his neck!

The powerful sense of restraint instantly suppressed his mental and physical strength.

He staggered, almost losing his balance.

The pirate leader walked up to him and looked down at him.

"Tsk..." The leader kicked his shoulder, stepped on him, and grinned smugly.

Isaac ignored the arrogant space pirates and instead smiled in a barely perceptible curve.

The children all escaped...

That's enough...