A is in StarCraft, just disembarked from the Zerg Prince spaceship.

***************

......

Colonel Haywell's body stiffened abruptly, his expression turning awkward.

These nobles are adept at finding the weaknesses and secrets of insects.

The imperial family's power has been deeply entrenched for so many years, with tangled relationships from top to bottom. Especially among those in power, very few are truly self-reliant and have a clear conscience.

Aristocratic systems can also be called bureaucracy. Various privileges, favoritism, and protection are understandable and tacitly acknowledged. However, if someone really wants to get rid of him, they can expose him and remove him from office at any time.

He stared intently at the crimson falcon emblem belonging to the royal family in the corner of the communication window, and the black vortex mark above the emblem that represented the highest level of secrecy, prohibiting its dissemination, recording, or screen recording.

The Insect Emperor is now the supreme ruler. He only needs a spaceship to pass by secretly, which does not involve crimes such as murdering the Crown Prince that can punish the Insect Emperor.

This is an action within the Insect King's authority. Telling the Crown Prince won't help; he'll have to be punished for leaking secrets.

The sharp light in the colonel's eyes dimmed completely, like a candle flame being extinguished, leaving only a heavy, crushed obedience.

His upright posture slumped slightly.

"Yes, sir. Execute the secret order. Inner ring buffer zone of the central star, time window 20:45 to 20:50. Anonymous spacecraft, shut down detection, block communications, clear the area, allow passage, leave no record."

Although he knew there must be something wrong with the insects he released, he really had no choice. He was sorry, Your Highness.

"Sizzle—"

Communication was cut off.

The holographic control interface that was floating above the disc also went out.

Speaker Invika was not surprised by the outcome.

As long as the Crown Prince has not ascended the throne, his authority will not surpass that of the Insect Emperor, because the Insect Emperor is currently the supreme ruler.

The Insect King may not be able to command the Crown Prince's army, but in matters of secrecy, as long as it does not involve plotting against the Crown Prince, these insects cannot disobey the Insect King's orders to report to the Crown Prince.

They could, of course, secretly inform on each other, but who would risk having their entire family executed?

There aren't that many loyal clans. The Mantis clan might be one, but apart from the Mantis clan, everyone else just gets by.

Who told the Crown Prince that he wasn't powerful enough to kill the Insect King or confiscate the nobles' property just like that?

The red imported fire ants remained completely unfazed.

On the table, a cup of coffee, now completely cold, sat quietly, its rim smooth and untouched.

Speaker Vika dipped his index finger in a drop of cool liquid and flicked it away gently.

He didn't have much respect for the Insect King, but the Insect King was really useful.

Inferiority complex and arrogance, because of my ridiculous and twisted vanity, have turned what should have been a successful marriage into what it is today.

It is precisely because of his distorted sense of self-esteem that they have such an opportunity today; otherwise, if Xianchong were alive, they would not have had the chance to jump around.

An air corridor has been quietly opened up in the capital's most heavily guarded transportation network.

The checkpoints guarding the central star have been cleared.

All that remains is for that raven from the depths of the starry sea to tear through the moonlit void at the appointed moment and re-enter this cruel arena of fame and fortune.

The Insect King's authority protected him.

The dark silver mirror at the center of the disc returned to its original dullness, leaving only a faint standby blue light.

The faint buzzing sound of electricity lingering in the air after the communication ended.

Invica stared at the splashed coffee droplet for a long time before looking up.

Under the dim light, the expression on his face had calmed down, returning to a calm that no one could discern.

He turned to a black obsidian raven statue standing quietly in the corner of the desk.

Raven, oh raven, you are light and darkness, death and new life, wisdom and destruction.

Orion brings us a chance for rebirth.

He stretched out his fingers and stroked the raven's cold, smooth head with extreme slowness and gentleness, the movement carrying a morbid sense of cherishing and control.

Power is the best thing in the world.

The venomous dragon from beyond the starry sea has answered the call and is tearing through the void, heading towards the capital city, where the game of chess is on the verge of collapse.

And he awaits his uncertain future.

Although the male insects have now fallen, the Male Protection Association has also collapsed, and the aristocracy system is under threat.

But the Crown Prince has not yet won.

Previously, Liernia was under a feudal system, and these large families all had their own territories and private armies.

A private army is no match for the Crown Prince's legion, but the Beauty Bee family has been caught red-handed, which is why the Crown Prince can openly raid their home without anyone being able to say anything.

If the Crown Prince really breaks ties with them, he could raid the noble families without any reason. If pushed too far, the more than two hundred powerful families in Liernia could unite and possibly establish another royal family.

Until the very end, it's still uncertain who will emerge victorious.

......

************

......

The dark depths of space.

A black, streamlined shuttle silently entered the central star's route.

The time it passed through was deliberately adjusted to be a window of opportunity, with no other planetary ships visible in front, behind, left, or right.

Ahead lies the first checkpoint: the outer sentry post of the central star.

A massive ring-shaped structure hovers and rotates in the void outside the planet, its surface covered with honeycomb-like turrets and scanning arrays, serving as the first gateway to the central star.

The shuttle entered the monitoring radius, and the golden iris emblem flashed on the monitoring screen. The scarlet warning lights that had just begun to rotate around the outpost suddenly went out.

The searchlight's active scanning beam deflects precisely a fraction of a second before touching the hull, projecting into the hollow depths of space.

The outpost's communication array was completely silent, with no identity verification signals being sent, but the gates were wide open to allow the vessel to pass through.

The shuttle glided effortlessly through the enormous shadow cast by the outpost, as if gliding through a non-existent patch of air, and entered the inner ring of the central star.

The route extends deeper, entering the inner ring center, the Star-shaped Barrier Customs Hub.

A massive planetary bubble envelops the planet, hovering silently; entry is strictly prohibited without permission.

The shuttle precisely cut into a corner of the airspace of the inner ring buffer zone according to the coordinates.

The energy shield that originally covered the area dissipated in an instant, as if it had never existed.

The shuttle passed silently through the planetary barrier, flew into the planet's atmosphere, and disappeared into the thick shadows of the night sky.

The shipping route returned to its deathly silence.

After the shuttle passed, the scarlet warning lights on all the checkpoints that had briefly failed were restored, the scanning beams resumed rotation, the identity verification system was reactivated, and the communication frequency noise reappeared.

The spaceship that just appeared, which doesn't exist in the records, was merely an illusion—a phenomenon synchronized across all systems, a phenomenon under the protection of supreme imperial power where no one dared to speak out.

......

At 9 p.m., Orion Skelway arrived on time and returned to the capital, to the gates of the Grand Palace of Liernia.