The Strange Male Insect Cub

Is this Kato Star?

A strange little boy, with a treeman on his back, quietly observed the bustling street ahead, his dark eyes carrying a lifelessness unfit for someone his age.

Retracting his gaze, he found a corner to sit and rest with the lifeless treeman still on his back.

The Zerg race is a very exclusive race, and even on Kato Star, one of the most prosperous planets aside from the capital, there were hardly any people from other races in sight.

This was quite rare, in the interstellar development, many races have achieved mixed living. The Zerg, however, stood out as an exception.

But it wasn’t surprising—after all, the Zerg had the unique existence of male Zerg.

On Kato Star, the Alhandra family had a peculiar young male Zerg cub who, every seven days, would go out to calm down the female Zerg who were disturbed by the EY substance.

From the moment the boy heard the news, he ignored everyone’s advice and set out alone with Alda on his back, heading toward Kato Star.

It took him two full years to make the journey, using up all of his and uncle Alda’s savings to get here.

Fortunately, because of some childhood misfortunes, the boy had Zerg genes in his body. After undergoing a series of complicated checks, and with the slight sympathy of a few female Zerg, he was granted entry into Zerg territory.

The boy pressed his dry lips together and took out a water flask hidden in his chest. He opened it and fed the treeman beside him, whose skin had turned yellow and withered.

The skin of tree-people was normally bright green, turning yellow only when they were nearing death.

He had been found by uncle Alda on a garbage planet. According to Alda, the boy was only about a year old at the time, lying on barren land and crying hoarsely. His crying was so desperate that Alda couldn’t leave him behind.

People on the garbage planet said that, apart from the Zerg, no one in the entire interstellar realm could deal with the EY substance.

The boy gently patted uncle Alda’s head, which was resting motionless. His dark eyes were lost in thought.

Uncle Alda was a treeman, and treemen were supposed to live incredibly long lives.

After resting for a bit, the boy got up, carried uncle Alda on his back again, and headed toward the place where the male Zerg cub was most frequently seen.

Growing up on the garbage planet, the boy found the Zerg language hard to understand. And due to the Zerg’s xenophobia, it wasn’t until evening that he finally arrived at the outermost street of the Alhandra estate.

Today was the Zerg’s biennial birth festival celebration, and Wei’an, who was free from attending kindergarten because of the holiday and his own birthday, was running around Kato Star, playing wildly with his brothers and friends.

After having his fun, he went to the street outside their home to soothe the insect-source agitation of a few female and sub-female Zerg.

Since Alhandra had decreed that he could only soothe five Zerg at a time, Wei’an always carefully picked the ones with the highest agitation levels.

Though many female and sub-female Zerg felt disappointed by the limit, they always left voluntarily once Wei’an had finished with five of them.

Yet, three days before the next seven-day cycle, they would gather again to wait for him.

Of course, they are very quiet when they gather here. Even if there is a conflict, they will try their best to endure it for fear of scaring the male cubs, and then go out of this street to settle the score after it is over.

Having completed his task for the day, Wei’an smacked his lips. His instinct urged him to absorb more EY, but he resisted, remembering his promise to his male father.

“Brother, hug,” he said, reaching out to Quan Ci beside him.

Quan Ci’s eyes, which had been baptized with blood in the past few years, became colder and sharper. He bent down and picked up Wei’an.

Wei’an, with a practiced motion, adjusted himself into a comfortable position in Quan Ci’s arms, his little face serious. “Brother, you’ve taken so long to come see me. Wei’an was very unhappy.”

Quan Ci pinched the still-plump cheeks of Wei’an, which felt even softer than before. “I missed you.”

At this, Wei’an couldn’t hold his expression anymore. His eyes curved into crescents as he leaned forward and planted a kiss on his brother’s face. “Wei’an misses you too.”

Having easily calmed the little one, Quan Ci stroked his fluffy hair. It wasn’t just to soothe Wei’an—he had genuinely missed him.

Every time the stench of blood lingered in his nostrils, he found himself longing for Wei’an’s scent and the always-clean, bright blue eyes.

After some stumbling questions and answers, the boy understood that the male cub had completed today’s mission and would have to wait for another seven days before coming again. The lifelessness in his dark eyes shattered, replaced by utter despair.

Uncle Alda wouldn’t last another seven days.

He gritted his teeth and, disregarding the consequences, dashed forward with uncle Alda on his back. But as soon as he made a move, he was pinned to the ground by his neck in the blink of an eye.

Throughout the entire ordeal, the eyes of the surrounding female Zerg quietly watched these foreign visitors.

Due to the presence of the young male cub, Kato Star had seen an influx of outsiders over the past two years. There were at least a dozen foreign races on this very street right now.

The female Zerg had kept a close eye on these foreigners, ensuring that they could subdue them at the first sign of trouble.

The elderly treeman on the boy’s back fell to the ground. His withered eyes blinked slowly, and he weakly crawled toward the boy, as if trying to save him from the female Zerg’s grasp.

Struggling for breath as he was pressed down by his neck, the boy stared fixedly ahead, his fingers clawing at the ground as though trying to crawl forward.

The female Zerg restraining him was momentarily surprised. He hadn’t expected the boy to be so strong—he almost lost control of him.

The boy’s skin was very pale, a result of the Bai race’s genes. One side of his face was covered in scales, while the other bore black Zerg markings.

He had been thrown out of the Parmin race’s laboratory and left to survive alone. He who survived did not belong to any race or any clansman, and lived like a monster in the world.

His only relative was uncle Alda.

Staring ahead with dark eyes, he could vaguely make out the male Zerg cub being held by a tall female Zerg.

Hearing the commotion, Quan Ci turned his indifferent gaze toward them and then covered Wei’an’s ears, holding him close to his chest.

Wei’an blinked, already used to having his ears covered. He knew it meant his brother didn’t want him to hear something.

Holding Wei’an, Quan Ci strode away into the estate. Once the young male Zerg was gone, the surrounding female Zerg dispersed as well.

As for the boy, it was clear to everyone that he had acted out of desperation to save the dying treeman.

They weren’t about to hold a grudge against a child, so they turned and left.

Freed, the boy dazedly got up from the ground, not bothering to wipe the blood on his face that had been scraped by the rough surface. He carefully lifted the treeman, who was barely breathing.

The treeman wasn’t very tall, and his once bright green skin had shriveled into a withered yellow. His old, feeble eyes looked at the boy, filled with both heartache and tears.

Silently, the boy wiped away his tears, feeling lost and helpless.

“Aren’t you going to wipe the blood off your face?” A soft voice suddenly sounded in his ear.

The boy suddenly turned around and was met with a pair of bright blue eyes.

Those clean and clear eyes belonged to a white, soft, and chubby cub who was squatting in front of them, curiously observing him.

This was a cub speaking the Zerg language, yet without the insect markings on his face.

Realizing the significance of this, the boy’s pupils dilated, but before he could react, Wei’an’s gaze shifted to Alda beside him.

He was originally curious about what his brother didn’t want him to see, so he ran out quietly.

Wei’an’s bright blue eyes looked at Alda with amazement. This was his first time seeing a treeman, whose entire body had withered yellow, wrinkled skin, with hair resembling long flat leaves, and whose arms and fingertips were entwined with vine-like objects.

And he was covered in so much black! More than anyone he had ever seen before.

Used to calming female Zergs, Wei’an instinctively placed his hand on Alda’s head.

Some female Zergs and other races’ interstellar citizens, who hadn’t left yet, turned their attention to the little male cub once again.

Quan Ci, who followed behind Wei’an unnoticed, felt a bit helpless—how was it that the older he got, the more curious he became?

Never before had any Zerg source appeasement affected these foreign interstellar citizens so profoundly.

Under the gorgeous dusk, they watched as the withered treeman’s body gradually turned green, inch by inch, from where the small male cub touched him. From his hair to his neck and then to his whole body, he regained life inch by inch.

The scene was like a god bestowing grace.

“I suddenly recalled a line from an ancient book,” Gu You said, watching the scene from afar.

“What did you remember?” asked Xu Xian, who was long used to his friend’s passion for ancient cultures, responding casually.

“An immortal strokes my head, and with that touch, I gain eternal life.”

Xu Xian rolled his eyes. “Tsk, what immortal? Which novel have you been reading again? We’re in the interstellar age, stop bringing up all this supernatural nonsense, will you?”

As humans who were on good terms with the Zerg, their travels in Zerg territories were relatively easy. Sometimes, their military academies even had joint exchange programs.

As the entire street fell silent, Papar Xing suddenly appeared out of nowhere, his usually calm and composed demeanor replaced with urgency as he quickly rushed forward to pick up Wei’an, heading back in a hurry. “Little ancestor, if your male father finds out, there will be trouble.”

Wei’an covered his face in embarrassment. “I didn’t mean to, but I captured the red mist.”

Remembering Xingxing’s instructions, this time Wei’an hadn’t forced the bitter thing into Shang You’s body, instead using his spiritual power to firmly encircle it for Xingxing’s research.

Hearing this, Papar Xing’s face lit up in a smile. “Well done.”

The two quickly disappeared from sight, and before leaving, Quan Ci glanced at the boy.

The female Zergs and the other foreigners, now leaving, couldn’t help but marvel at the boy’s luck as they walked away.

When the street fell completely silent, the boy and the rejuvenated Alda were still standing there, too stunned to react.

That evening, the events of the afternoon were successfully glossed over by Wei’an’s pouting and pleading. Alhandra, helpless against him, gave his chubby cheeks a rough rub. “You’ve really got me wrapped around your little finger.”

Wei’an’s eyes curved into crescent shapes as he laughed, his smile infectious, causing Alhandra to laugh as well.

…

“Wei’an, look, what’s that?” As the spacecraft was about to land at Alhandra Manor, Shang You suddenly pointed to the ground.

Wei’an leaned over curiously. “It’s that guy from the other day, the one with the treeman!”

“It looks like he’s waiting for you,” Naiman said.

“Shall we go see him?” Cole asked, curious about what the boy wanted with Wei’an.

“Let’s check it out.”

The boy, watching the spacecraft pass by, pursed his lips. Having waited here for two days, he knew the male cub had already returned, but he still hadn’t seen him today.

Not long after this thought crossed his mind, Wei’an appeared with his companions and Quan Yu.

“Are you waiting for me?” Wei’an asked.

The boy, startled, supported his injured body and struggled to stand, limping with obvious difficulty. His clothes covered most of his injuries, but his face still bore visible scars.

He walked forward, raising his hand to reveal an expensive piece of mech material in his palm. In broken, unpracticed Zerg language, he said, “Thank you.”

“For me?” Wei’an looked at the strange item, puzzled, and was about to reach for it when Quan Yu pulled him back.

Quan Yu stepped forward, took the item from the boy’s hand, carefully inspected it for any danger, then lifted his shirt to wipe it clean before handing it back to Wei’an.

The boy watched his actions in silence, without reacting.

The mech material had been his reward after winning seven consecutive matches at the arena that night. It was the most valuable thing he’d ever possessed.

He had nothing else with which to express his gratitude. Fortunately, the Zerg had arena matches, allowing him to acquire this piece of mech material as a thank-you gift.

Only after Wei’an accepted it did the boy turn and leave, knowing that the mech material wasn’t much, but he would pay him back little by little. One day, he would repay the debt of this life-saving grace.

Wei’an looked curiously at the item in his hand and felt intrigued by the boy’s limping steps. “What’s your name?”

The boy’s unfamiliar voice called out from the distance just as he was about to disappear around the corner. “Chu Yi.”

“Chu Yi?” Wei’an asked Krillochuan beside him. “Do you think there’s a Chu Er, Chu San, and Chu Si¹ in his family too?”

“Probably,” Krillochuan replied.

“What is this?” Shang You came closer, looking at the item in Wei’an’s hand with curiosity.

“It seems to be a piece of mech material,” Cole, who had disassembled a mech before, hesitated.

“Oh, Wei’an, do you like it? If you do, I can give you a bunch,” Shang You said.

As they chatted, the cubs headed back inside.

 

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Notes:
¹Chu Er, Chu San, and Chu Si: Yi in Chinese is 1. Er, san, and si is 2, 3, 4 respectively

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