Chapter 49

Pei Rui, who had been presiding over a meeting in the conference room, suddenly slammed the documents in his hand onto the table with a resounding bang.

Every military female in the room instantly held their breath, and all eyes turned to Pei Rui.

The military female delivering the post-battle work summary was so startled by the gesture that cold sweat drenched his back. He feared he must have said something wrong to displease their general.

After all, they all knew Pei Rui was an insect with exacting standards.

Still lost in the message he’d just received, Pei Rui’s face had turned ghastly.

He never could have imagined that a male insect would actually match with him at over ninety percent—ninety-nine percent, even. That figure was historic enough to be etched into Insect Clan records.

With Pei Rui remaining silent, no one dared speak up. In the end, it was Reis who nudged him.

“General, was there a problem just now?” Reis wiped the cold sweat beading on his forehead. He was under tremendous pressure himself; sitting right beside the general only amplified the oppressive aura.

Only then did Pei Rui snap back to reality. Seeing every insect staring at him, he rubbed his brow and said in a milder tone, “No problem. Carry on.”

The female insect at the podium breathed a sigh of relief and resumed his report.

When the meeting finally adjourned, Reis followed Pei Rui to his office.

“General, what was that all about?”

Reis’s instincts told him Pei Rui’s outburst hadn’t come from nowhere. Considering recent events, the only major development had to be…

“General, your pheromone matching results came back, didn’t they?” Excitement lit up Reis’s face; an outsider might have thought they were his own results.

Pei Rui shot him a glare. This insect had a knack for bringing up the exact sore spot.

He was tempted to chase the chatterbox away, but something stopped him. Pei Rui decided to keep him around—more minds meant more options, after all.

Pei Rui summoned the information interface and handed it over.

Reis’s eyes widened at the glaring 99%.

“Heavens, General! Your matching degree with this insect is 99 percent? It’s been years—no, centuries—since anything like this happened. The previous record was only 96 percent, I think.”

“Congratulations, General. You’re finally getting a male lord.”

Reis had no idea Pei Rui had been coerced into the pheromone matching. He assumed his superior had finally seen reason.

Enduring a mental power rampage was agony no one wanted to relive, and each episode only intensified the torment.

Pei Rui’s expression darkened further. He gave Reis a sidelong glance and said icily, “You’re so thrilled? Fine, he’s yours.”

Reis froze, then waved his hands frantically. “General, what kind of nightmare are you spinning? I already have a male lord.”

Only then did he notice the utter lack of joy on Pei Rui’s face. His brows were knitted tight, radiating irritation.

“General… you don’t want to bond?” Reis ventured hesitantly.

“Where do you get the idea I do? I figured no insect would match over ninety percent with me. Then this outlier shows up. Got any solutions?”

Pei Rui fixed Reis with a stare, a flicker of hope dawning in his eyes.

It was the first time the general had ever looked at him that way. Normally, Reis would pledge his life without hesitation, but this time he looked deeply troubled.

“General, you know as well as I do—a matching degree this high can’t be ignored. Bonding is inevitable, but you could postpone the date.”

Reis racked his brains for that suggestion, then nodded vigorously.

“That’s right. General, there’s been energy fluctuations on Koslo Planet lately. Insects there spotted mutant energy beasts. We were sending someone else, but you could volunteer this time.”

“Round trip takes at least a month. Drag it out however you can. If they can’t track you down by then, they’re out of luck. Dodge the system’s deadline, and you might seize control of what comes next.”

He finished and looked up, only to meet Pei Rui’s peculiar gaze. Reis scratched his head, puzzled. “What is it, General?”

Pei Rui clapped him on the shoulder, his tone earnest. “I never realized you could be so sharp, Reis. Thanks.”

With that, he strode out and submitted a battle report to his superiors.

Reis flushed at the rare praise, but after mulling over Pei Rui’s words twice, his face fell. “Am I really that dim the rest of the time?”

At the same time, Jing Chi received the message as well.

He hadn’t expected the schedule to be quite so rushed—they were set to bond next month.

The System was truly looking out for them.

Jing Chi, meanwhile, was racking his brain over how to tell Pei Rui that he was actually a Male Insect.

He wondered if the other insect would get angry. After all, he’d been deceiving him in a way.

While Jing Chi agonized over how to break the news to Pei Rui, the man himself was on the other side of things, filing his mission report.

The two events unfolded simultaneously.

The sun dipped below the horizon as the moon rose into the sky.

Jing Chi had the matter weighing on his mind. He kept glancing at the time, torn between wanting Pei Rui to return and dreading it.

At last, the sound of the door opening rang out right on schedule.

Pei Rui’s expression carried a hint of relaxation. The mission report had gone smoothly—he could depart in three days.

His only concern was leaving Jing Chi alone at home.

The moment he spotted the returning insect, Jing Chi shot to his feet and hurried to the entryway. He leaned against the wall, hesitating once, then again.

Finally, steeling himself with the thought that sooner was better than later, he opened his mouth. “I…”

But before he could get the words out, Pei Rui spoke up. “I have something to tell you.”

The two insects said it in perfect unison.

Pei Rui looked up at him in puzzlement. Noticing the unnatural look on the young man’s face, he asked, “What’s wrong? Something on your mind?”

Jing Chi immediately replied, “You go first. What is it?”

The courage he’d mustered moments ago deflated in an instant. He decided it was better to ease into it.

Pei Rui didn’t think twice. “In five days, I’m heading out on a mission to Koslo Planet. The duration’s uncertain, but it’ll probably be around a month.”

Those words thoroughly scrambled the phrasing Jing Chi had just worked out in his head.

The name of the planet felt strangely familiar.

He racked his memory. Wasn’t that the place where Pei Rui had suffered a crushing defeat, the one that had ruined his reputation?

In the original storyline, Pei Rui had gone there to escape Lantis’s relentless marriage proposals. So what was he running from this time?

From him?

The thought flashed through Jing Chi’s mind, leaving him with a wry, helpless chuckle.

He should have told him sooner. But he hadn’t anticipated the System pushing things along so hastily.

What he didn’t know was that the workers at the Pheromone Matching Center had taken one look at the 99% Matching Degree—along with Pei Rui’s name—and immediately expedited the process for them.

They all knew how much Pei Rui disliked Male Insects. They feared some complication might arise on his end.

After some thought, Jing Chi decided he had to go with Pei Rui.

If he came right out and said there was an insect in the military plotting against him, Pei Rui would either dismiss it as nonsense or peg him as a spy.

After all, how could he know such classified information? And logically speaking, he didn’t even know that Military Female.

At the same time, Jing Chi wasn’t entirely sure if that Female Insect would still make a move.

The story’s progression had already diverged sharply from the original plot, but he feared it might converge again in the end.

That left him unable to reveal his identity as a Male Insect to Pei Rui just yet.

Regardless of whether the other insect got angry or not, one thing was certain: Pei Rui, straightforward as he was, would never allow him to tag along.

So Jing Chi resolved to tell him after they returned this time.

After laying it out, Pei Rui watched as Jing Chi froze for a moment, showing no reaction.

He assumed the Female Insect was reluctant to see him go.

Once he left, Jing Chi would be alone in this unfamiliar place, without a single familiar face.

Was there a way to have the best of both worlds?

The idea popped into his head unbidden.

Take the Female Insect along with him?

Pei Rui startled himself with the irresponsible notion. With his own build, how could he possibly feel safe bringing the other insect to such a dangerous place?

Yet in that moment, he felt a selfish urge. He had no idea how much time he’d have left with the Female Insect once he got back.

He even worried that, during his absence, some outstanding Male Insect might catch Jing Chi’s eye.

The two impulses warred in Pei Rui’s mind. Just as he was at a loss for how to broach it…

He felt a slight weight on his right hand. Glancing down, he saw that the young man had grabbed his sleeve.

Jing Chi tugged at Pei Rui’s sleeve. Blinking his big eyes up at him, he pleaded, “Can I come with you?”

Pei Rui, who had been wrestling with his own thoughts, suddenly felt a pang of shame at the sight of Jing Chi’s unguarded expression.

But the man kept his usual expression on his face. Pei Rui shook his head and refused indifferently:

“It’s against the rules, and that place isn’t safe. Besides, your strength isn’t sufficient.”

To make his refusal more definitive, Pei Rui deliberately said some harsh words.

Jing Chi inwardly grumbled: If I don’t go, you’ll be the one who’s truly unsafe.

“What’s so unsafe about it? I won’t hold you back, so how do you know my strength isn’t enough?”

Pei Rui fell silent and said nothing, but his expression said it all.

It was blatantly obvious: You’re not up to it.

Jing Chi: ……

He leaned against the wall, tilting his head back slightly as if deep in thought.

After a moment, his gaze landed on Pei Rui’s face. Jing Chi snorted coldly:

“In that case, why don’t we have a match in the Virtual Training Field? If I win, you’ll let me go.”

Pei Rui had only wanted to stop Jing Chi from going at first, but he hadn’t expected things to escalate this far.

Looking at the angry Jing Chi, he could only nod in agreement.

At worst, he’d go easy on him and let the young man lose without making it too embarrassing.