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

***********

......

Everything has settled down.

During this period, the political landscape of the Liernia Empire underwent a dramatic reshaping.

On the issue of racial politics—

The parliament (royalist party) that represented the interests of the traditional aristocracy in the former empire.

The Male Protection Association, which controls the social gender order and male privilege.

And the Crown Prince's faction, led by the Crown Prince.

Two of the three leaders have fallen, leaving only the princelings.

Because of the various evil deeds committed by the Council of Nobles during their previous rule of the Empire, as well as their collusion with Orion in rebellion, the Council of Nobles was purged by the Crown Prince after its defeat.

The ringleader, Council Speaker Invika, was sentenced to life imprisonment, and the Fire Ant Clan was shut down.

The families of the other major members of parliament were also stripped of their titles, fiefdoms, and all political privileges, and their vast family assets were deposited into the national treasury for postwar reconstruction and social reforms.

These are people who have committed numerous evils and abused their power for personal gain; decades of scheming have come to naught in a single day.

A few parliamentary families committed fewer wrongdoings and their abuse of power for personal gain was not too excessive, so they were not directly convicted. However, this scandal has severely damaged their reputation and caused their political influence to plummet.

The other nobles were forced to conceal their brilliance, become obedient and deliberately keep a low profile, lest they incur the displeasure of the new emperor.

Although the aristocratic system, which had lasted for countless generations, was not explicitly abolished, its core had been uprooted, and the hereditary administrative and political monopoly was no longer a possibility.

With the aristocracy and social system undergoing a major overhaul, nobles became obedient and submissive, gradually becoming marginalized on the imperial political stage.

The political path to the core of power is no longer controlled by bloodline and surname, but is open to all those with ability and merit.

Aristocratic privileges are being left behind by the wheels of history, becoming exhibits in imperial museums for people to revisit.

As for the Hsiung Feng Protection Association, its fate has already taken a sharp turn for the worse.

This institution, which once rose to power and wielded immense influence, even capable of interfering with royal decisions and legal decisions to some extent, has had all its coercive enforcement powers revoked.

It was reduced to a purely powerless social welfare and service department, whose responsibilities were limited to providing male insects with soft services such as psychological counseling, employment guidance, and insect safety protection.

If there are any potential threats to the male insect's health or safety, you can report it to the police directly, who will then investigate and make an arrest.

The only administrative law enforcement agencies in the empire now possess law enforcement authority.

The Male Protection Association has become a non-profit organization, and can no longer use the name of protecting male insects to oppress female insects.

Administrative law enforcement agencies will protect the rights of both female and male insects equally, and will not discriminate based on whether an insect is female or male. The law applies equally to all insects, and any harm to the body of any insect of any gender is not permitted. Any attempt to oppress other insects is strictly prohibited.

With this, there were no more internal constraints within the Empire, allowing it to implement the blueprint for a new Zerg society without any hindrance.

This new blueprint promotes equality and opportunity among races.

The Zerg have adopted policies already implemented by humans, and are enforcing a mandatory twelve-year compulsory education for their offspring.

All eligible insect offspring, regardless of gender, origin, or genetic level, must attend a unified public school to receive a comprehensive education covering culture, science, history, basic military training, and social ethics.

Education costs are entirely covered by the imperial treasury, and all insectoids, regardless of their wealth, can receive an education.

To fundamentally break down class barriers, lay an equal foundation of knowledge and skills for all citizens, and instill the concept of equality from childhood.

The moral and ideological textbooks imported from human society came in handy, as the Zerg had previously lacked moral and ideological education the most.

......

There is also an equal social security system for men, women, the elderly, the infirm, and the disabled.

The newly established social security system includes universal medical insurance, a pension system, disability allowances, and unemployment relief.

This funding comes from a more equitable tax system after reforms and the huge assets confiscated from rebellious nobles, aiming to ensure that every citizen of the empire, even if born weak or suffering misfortune, can enjoy basic living security.

At the same time, the generous social welfare benefits for male insects were cut.

The amount of relief funds that originally allowed male insects to live comfortably even without working has been reduced to the same level as that for female insects. At most, it can ensure that they don't starve to death, but it's impossible for them to live as well as before.

The male insects are forced to work.

They are not without merit. Male insects are born with the ability to soothe female insects with their mental power. Mental soothsayers are highly sought-after and have a very high status among insects.

Even though mental soothsayers have such a high status, few male insects were willing to come out and work before. Now that no insects are spoiling them, if they don't work, they can only eat nutrient solution.

......

On a new habitable planet being developed in collaboration with the Federation of Humanity, a completely new economic model is flourishing.

These newly developed habitable planets often have beautiful environments and abundant resources, and their focus is on interstellar trade, tourism, and cultural experiences. As a result, a large number of cultural and tourism-related jobs have emerged on these planets.

Interstellar tour guide, resort manager, alien culture experience expert, ecological conservationist, art creation and trading, catering service, virtual reality experience center operation, cultural tourism and science and technology innovation... and so on.

No force is required, so both strong and weak, male and female insects can apply. Only professional skills and overall qualities are assessed, and the admission and employment conditions can be considered equal.

A clever, skilled, and helpful lower-level female insect might be a better fit for the position of lobby manager of an interstellar hotel than a higher-level military female insect who only knows how to fight.

A product designed by a female butterfly with weaker fighting skills might be far more attractive to human tourists than a warrior mantis.

A thin, shy male insect with no fighting ability and a natural ability to soothe people might be more appealing than a female insect when introducing cultural and tourism products.

The differences in innate physique and combat power were minimized, and for the first time, Zerg of different genders and races truly stood on the same starting line, relying on their intelligence and diligence to win status and respect.

The goal is to ensure that every member of the Zerg, whether female or male, strong or weak, can have a better life and eliminate the inherent class differences.

There may still be some differences in innate conditions, and based on prejudices formed over a long period of time, there may still be some Zerg who look down on their weaker brethren, but the Zerg no longer have the kind of inequality that was openly taken for granted in the past.

The law of the jungle, which was once reinforced and protected by the old system, has been completely discarded and swept into the dustbin of history.

The law no longer supports it, and public opinion rejects it. In the new social system, the strong and the weak are equal in matters of insect rights.

The weak can no longer be trampled on as a matter of course. They have equal opportunities and upward mobility, and are no longer limited by their innate conditions. They can also find their own value and place.

......

***********

......

The Insect King is dead, the once-powerful Noble Council and Xiongbao Society have been eliminated, and the biggest villain, Orion, and his henchmen have been defeated, captured, and imprisoned to this day, becoming prisoners.

Although the Crown Prince has not been formally crowned, he is already the undisputed de facto ruler of the empire.

The outcome is already decided.

Preparations for the coronation ceremony are in full swing.

The chaos ended, and a new order began.

There was one last thing to do before the coronation ceremony.

Orion's execution.

Orion has been arrested for quite some time now.

Treason, killing stars, inciting rebellion, kidnapping members of the royal family, causing countless civilian casualties... any one of these crimes is enough to warrant his death countless times. The death penalty is absolutely certain, with no room for negotiation.

Let's not delay any longer; kill him before the coronation ceremony.

Nobody thought it was bad luck to let him live until after the coronation ceremony.

Therefore, the date was set three days before the coronation ceremony.

The location was chosen to be the Black Rock Execution Grounds on the outskirts of the capital planet.

The execution grounds on the capital planet are entirely constructed of dark basalt, which probably suits Orion's aesthetic quite well.

The Grand Execution Ground was a place specifically for dealing with serious criminals and traitors; those whose crimes were not serious enough were not qualified to be executed here.

Having absorbed the blood of sinful insects over thousands of years, it is permeated with a chilling and murderous aura year-round.

Orion is a member of the royal family, with a special status and royal blood.

According to the centuries-old tradition of Lehrnia, he would not be shot, but beheaded.

The most primitive method of beheading signifies that bloodline and sin are severed together.

Bishen is now about three months pregnant and will be retrieving the eggs in two days. She feels that Orion is a bit unlucky and regretfully missed this opportunity to do so.

Okay, let's leave the task of beheading Orion to someone else.

......

On this day, the Blackstone execution grounds were under heavy security.

High-ranking military officers and government officials, granted special permission, stood solemnly as witnesses on the circular high wall.

The MVP scoreboard for the winning team.

Orion was forced to kneel in the center of the execution ground.

His long imprisonment had made him thin and haggard, but the corners of his mouth still bore a twisted smile.

How could a paranoid and twisted madman like him be cured by being locked up for a few days?

He was forced to kneel on the cold obsidian floor and keep his head up.

The executioner, dressed entirely in black and wearing an expressionless metal mask, stood silently to one side, holding a massive black-handled axe.

The axe was extremely exaggerated in shape, nearly four meters long. It was so heavy that only a high-level female insect could lift it. The weight of the axe blade made the surrounding air feel even heavier.

Everything is ready.

We are just waiting for the designated moment to arrive.

A deathly silence fell over the arena, all eyes fixed on Orion kneeling in the center and the massive axe about to fall.

The second prince fought and struggled his whole life, but in the end, he was nothing more than...

got windy.

The wind howled across the execution ground, whipping through Orion's long, flowing silver hair.

Blue and the high sky observe punishment.

They stood on the circular wall in a closed corridor overlooking the entire Blackstone execution ground. One-way glass blocked their view of the outside world, and only the two of them stood there.

The Crown Prince stood by the window, while Gao Tian leaned against it.

They watched as Orion was forcibly forced to kneel in the center of the execution ground, their expressions calm.

They never thought Orion was that scary.

There may have been tension and anger during a moment of being held hostage, but that was not fear.

Because from beginning to end, they knew clearly and never doubted that Orion was destined to fail.

Intrigues and schemes may seem terrifying, but they are all underhanded things.

What does he consider a country to be?

Those underhanded tricks may succeed temporarily, causing personal pain and suffering, such as kidnapping Gao Tian and torturing Bi Shen, but they can only affect individuals in the end, and can only affect them personally, without shaking the real foundation.

To put it bluntly, even if they had succeeded on Blackwater Star Orion, with Blue and High Sky dead, the Empire could still have turned around and still have crushed it with a new crown prince.

Even if he unleashes his full power and wipes out all the legions and competitors, and wins against them, he will ultimately fail.

No citizen will genuinely support a ruler who only knows how to destroy.

He could offer the empire no future, only chaos and destruction.

Even if he wins temporarily, it will be a fleeting moment, and even if only one citizen remains in the empire, he will not be recognized.

The struggle for the throne and the continuation of the empire have never been about who is more ruthless or unscrupulous.

The struggle for the throne is about winning the hearts of the people, the queen's contributions to the country, and whether she can lead the country to a better future, not about whoever uses any means necessary to win.

If simply eliminating the insects blocking the way is enough to become the queen, then how has the Zerg survived for so many generations?

Nobody's a fool; it's impossible that no one has thought of this method all along, they just haven't done it.

There is a concept called the legitimacy of rule, which is the underlying logic of the succession to the throne.

It was far more important than the struggle for the throne.

What Zerg citizens need is a leader who can guide them toward a better future; if that leader has the opposite effect, they will naturally overthrow him.

What they need is a good queen, not a queen.

The throne belongs to the state, not an individual.

Orion never understood this.

Lan and Gao Tian remained calm. They believed that Orion deserved his fate and that he had only himself to blame.

When the day arrived, they were all calmer than they had imagined.

I felt no pleasure, no excitement of revenge, and not a trace of pity.

They only saw Orion's inevitable defeat, nothing more.

......

Before the execution, Orion seemed to sense something and looked up in their direction.

Strangely enough, he didn't feel any resentment; he just felt a little bored.

Because at this final moment, he realized that he didn't actually want the throne that much.

To become the symbol of the empire, to be busy with countless affairs, toiling day and night, carrying the future of the entire empire on one's shoulders... just thinking about it makes one feel heavy and irritable.

He didn't actually want anything.

So what has he been fighting for all this time?

While Atticus was alive, he competed with Atticus for the attention of the female father, for the approval of others, and for who was the strongest.

When Atticus died, he fought with Atticus's children.

Competition itself has become his habit.

But he didn't actually want the throne.

He just wants to win.

He defeated that shadow, defeated that name, defeated the perfect mirror image he could never reach.

Atticus is his half-body, and also his curse.

Beat Atticus.

As for what to do after winning? I haven't thought about it.

Perhaps winning would only make things more boring.

Now that we've lost, it doesn't matter whether we live or die.

Either way is fine, either way is acceptable.

Sasha said he would go with him, and that Atticus and his mother were already waiting for him.

can you?

Orion twitched the corner of his mouth slightly. Maybe.

Maybe dying isn't such a big deal.

......

The executioner received the order.

The muscles in my arms are bulging.

The giant axe sliced ​​through the stagnant air and fell swiftly.

Without any hesitation or delay.

The giant axe swept across, and the silver head fell to the ground.

His long hair was wrapped around his head, like a clump of seaweed bathed in moonlight.

It rolled twice and then stopped moving.

The onlookers watched silently as the Gemini era came to an end.

The former eldest and second princes, one black and one white, were both exceptionally intelligent and brilliant stars of the empire. If they weren't one good and one evil, if they could both serve the empire...

No one knows how far the empire with the twin stars will develop.

......

The executioner removed his mask, revealing the face of the notorious demon king Bishin, who claimed to be pregnant and averse to bloodshed.

The Great Demon King Bi Shen gave a thumbs up; how could he possibly miss such a grand occasion?

The baby mantis in the belly, before it was even born, had already joined its father in attacking Orion—its feat is documented!

"Waaaaah!!!" Lu Jianan ran up to the stage crying.