Chapter 40 Part 2

An SSS-rank female insect capable of destroying a small star system: Ludwig Farn.

Shen Yu paused, unable to believe what he had heard. He raised his hand to interrupt 007: 【Wait, what rank did you say?】

007 shattered his illusions: 【SSS-rank.】

Shen Yu: “…”

As expected, the next male insect to be hung would be him.

The fates of military female insects were largely similar. Hearing the code No. 4007, the receptionist—a fellow military female insect—moved his lips slightly. A trace of sorrow flashed through his heart, soon turning to self-mockery and envy.

His own fate might not even compare to Sainka’s. Not everyone who became a female slave had a male insect descend from the heavens to help. Even the boldest movies wouldn’t dare script that.

Even this male insect Your Excellency before him, with his astonishing beauty and unapproachable aura, was interested in Sainka—proof of a female insect’s immense charm.

If Shen Yu knew what he was thinking now, he would definitely scoff. He was no benevolent male insect. He sought Sainka only because this lowly female insect was something that disgusting pro-female insect Demian had his eye on. On the other hand, he also simply hadn’t tried a military female insect yet.

Female slaves had no insect rights. Even killing one wouldn’t draw attention—just pay the empire some compensation.

Moreover, it was a powerful S-rank female zerg.

Shen Yu narrowed his eyes.

If Demian used some method to restore Sainka’s status as a female insect, that wouldn’t be fun at all.

The female insect lowered his head and explained, “Your Excellency, this morning, Sai… No. 4007 was already bought by another male insect Your Excellency for lifetime usage rights and taken back to his residence.”

Another male insect Your Excellency?

Male insects’ names weren’t known to female insects, who referred to them by surnames instead. But aside from Demian, which male insect would be foolish enough to buy lifetime usage rights for a female slave?

Shen Yu figured it out in an instant and flew into a rage. He opened his terminal and immediately dialed Demian’s personal terminal.

The call was decisively rejected.

The silver-haired male insect who had been hung up on frowned. Blue light spilled coldly from his pupils beneath his pale lashes, but anger brought a faint flush to his snowy cheeks.

The military female’s eyes went wide and glassy. A heat surged through him, and he blushed furiously the moment he realized it, clamping his legs together on instinct.

“Huh?”

The fuming male insect glanced over and noticed the female insect’s awkward stance. He turned his head, finally bothering to properly size up the female insect before him.

He had the standard military female look—above-average features, nothing special. He wasn’t a high-grade female insect, probably B-grade at best. His muscles were huge, and the exchange’s modified uniform strained against them, looking ready to burst at the seams.

This burly military female was standing there with his legs clamped together in that awkward pose.

Shen Yu’s gaze lingered playfully on the female insect’s legs. The military female’s face grew redder and redder, as if it might burst with blood.

Shen Yu curled his lip, though his eyes brimmed with utter disgust. He lifted his leg and kicked the female insect’s knee without another word.

“Clang!” The military female hit the ground. Onlookers turned to stare.

Shen Yu raised his foot and stomped viciously on the female insect’s raised crotch. His posture was arrogant as he ground down, his beautiful red lips spitting the vilest word: “Disgusting.”

No female insect wanted to be despised by a male insect. It was the ultimate humiliation.

All the color drained from the female insect’s face in an instant.

It was exactly the reaction Shen Yu had expected. He narrowed his eyes, savoring the military female’s ashen expression with satisfaction. His frustration finally eased a little.

The disturbance quickly drew attention. Other exchange staff hurried over to mediate. “Your Excellency, Your Excellency, he’s new here and doesn’t know any better. Please be magnanimous and let him off this once. I’ll take you to pick out slaves now. What type do you like? I’ll show you right over. Pick whichever you want.”

Shen Yu withdrew his foot with an icy expression and followed the sub-female insect to browse the slaves. But after going full circle, nothing caught his eye.

The crippled or deranged female slaves weren’t on offer. The rest were either listless and dead-eyed, utterly silent, or staring at him with fanatic hunger, practically begging to lick his shoes. They were all utterly revolting.

Twisted memories resurfaced, and Shen Yu nearly retched. Amid the staff’s baffled stares, he brushed off the female insects who’d been eyeing him from the shadows. The moment he signaled he was leaving, they swarmed forward, desperate to throw themselves at him. Face dark, he stormed out of the exchange.

“Boom!” Thunder crashed amid flashes of lightning.

Outside, skyscrapers pierced the clouds. The cloudy sky turned to gale-force winds and pounding rain in seconds. East Zhao District’s weather was always like this—sometimes all four seasons crammed into a single day. Sunshine beaming down while snow flurried through the air wasn’t uncommon. Everyone was used to it.

Fingers clad in pristine white gloves gripped a black umbrella handle. The large black umbrella plunged into the curtain of rain, silver-white hair tips fluttering in the air.

The male insect’s gorgeous face was a mask of ice—arrogant, haughty, looking down on everyone. Even his windswept strands bristled with hostility. He was utterly unapproachable, his beauty as sharp and intoxicating as strong liquor.

Countless female insects shot him covetous glances—then did a double take. No female insect trailed this male insect Your Excellency. No female insect would ever let her male lord venture out alone. Unless…

This was a single male insect Your Excellency! One who hadn’t even taken a single female servant!

Eyes blazing with sudden fanaticism, the female insects stirred, itching to approach and chat him up.

Shen Yu loathed their presumptuous stares. He mentally dragged Demian out for another round of vicious cursing.

Damn Demian—wasting his time like this, and on his most hated rainy day of all!

Shen Yu’s mood hit rock bottom. Normally, he’d have toyed with any female insect bold enough to approach. Today, he had zero interest. He just wanted to hurry back to the manor, have Lily No. 2 brew some hot roasted milk, and curl up in his toasty bed with an illicit film.

Preferably one with female insect dissections.

Sure, insect daoism rules and male insect protection protocols meant the screen was mosaiced to hell—just writhing blobs of bloody color. But the female insects’ agonized screams were entertaining enough.

With that in mind, Shen Yu held his umbrella high and darted into a back alley, evading the scheming crowd.

The female insects blinked, and he was gone. They rushed over, scanning everywhere, but that uniquely charismatic, breathtakingly beautiful male insect had vanished. They beat their chests in regret for not approaching sooner.

Shen Yu: 【To be honest, I’m actually doing them a favor.】

White Dumpling 007 nodded in agreement, recalling the basement’s array of unspeakable torture devices: 【Indeed.】

The back alley lay quiet. Rain slid down black walls.

Raindrops gleamed silver in the streetlights. Garbage bins cluttered the lane, wet leaves plastered to the pavement. Stray cats and dogs darted through cardboard boxes, the plastic rustle of them rummaging in the trash especially clear.

Dusk fell. Neon flickered to life.

Gaudy lights danced in puddles, then shattered under snow-white boots.

The air reeked. The rain’s freshness broke down into paint, sewage, garbage rot, cheap perfume, tobacco—and rust, like from an old fire hydrant.

A drenched, pigeon-toed tabby cat bolted from the shadows, fur puffed out in terror, standing straight on end like it’d been hit with styling gel.

The tabby shot him a startled glance, meowed twice, tail stiffening ramrod straight before it vanished into the dark.

Shen Yu’s eyes followed it, oblivious to anything amiss.

From the pitch-black ground, a massive, bloody hand like an iron clamp shot out—fast, ruthless, precise. It seized the male insect’s snowy ankle and clamped down!

The female insect’s body temperature burned hot. His palm seared, every ridge and line grinding into the bare skin of Shen Yu’s ankle. Icy rainwater chilled his palm heart. The clash of blistering heat and biting cold sent ice-and-fire sensations jolting through him—

“!—”

Shen Yu jolted in shock and looked down fast.

Two huge black garbage bins lay toppled, trash spilling everywhere. A mountain of a silhouette hulked in the dark corner.

The hand from the shadows was enormous—unmistakably a female insect’s. Veins like swollen pipes bulged with violence, vise-gripping his ankle with bone-crushing force!

Splash splash—the rain poured. Pain lanced through his ankle. Shen Yu frowned and tried to wrench his foot free from that horrifying grip.

The hand’s owner sensed it instantly. It yanked Shen Yu’s ankle downward viciously.

“Splash!” His right foot slammed back into a puddle.

Neon lights flickered. Water sprayed high, droplets flecking his clothes.

Yanked off-balance, Shen Yu grabbed the wall to steady himself. Fury ignited. He swung his left leg down, stomping and grinding the female insect’s wrist.

The grip on his ankle slackened.

Shen Yu zeroed in on the wrist bone and twisted mercilessly, grinding down harder and harder. He wasn’t some soft touch like Demian. He bore down until the hand went limp, releasing his ankle and flopping aside.

Shen Yu arched a brow and stomped down again—hard.

“Crack!” A crisp snap of bone.

Darkness cloaked the alley, lit only by faint neon glows clinging to life—like the strays who roamed here. The female insect underfoot was just another one.

Big and brawny or not, he was probably some vendetta-ridden loser who’d washed up on the streets.

Shen Yu lost interest the moment he realized it.

He lifted his foot to leave—then paused at a shift in sensation.

The male insect halted and peered into the dark. The inky outline evoked a ferocious, coiled beast. Shen Yu tilted his head with a soft “Huh.”

Shattered bone and flesh regrew rapidly beneath his shoe sole—like tumbling blocks rolling under his arch, tickling faintly before hardening into bone spurs.

Shen Yu curled his toes and pressed down harder.

Female insect regeneration was impressive, sure. But this horrific instant-regrowth? No ordinary female insect could pull that off.

Interest sparked.

“Lily, activate the light.”

The male insect’s cool voice cut through the rain.

His wrist terminal lit up on command, bathing the grounded female insect in light.

Through the gloom, Shen Yu peered past his curled silver-white lashes and finally made out the female insect’s face.

The man slumped against the wall, head bowed. His body was a towering mass of muscle—like a mountain folded in half. Broad shoulders strained black fabric that resembled combat gear.

Blood pooled beneath his bent, powerful legs, sticky and reeking. So that “rust” smell earlier hadn’t come from some decrepit hydrant. It was blood, diluted by the downpour—

Fresh slaughter-scent.

The female insect radiated savagery. His dark red hair—natural color or bloodstain?—screamed brutality and violence from every inch. Rainwater drenched him, blurring into the blood.

Unscrubbed gore crusted his chiseled jaw. Even battered and gasping his last, he showed no fragility.

Shen Yu leaned in slightly atop the pinned wrist, tilting the black umbrella overhead.

“Patter patter patter”—rain hammered the canopy.

Liquid rain streamed along the ribs to the tip, beading up.

A fat droplet plummeted. “Plop.” It smacked the female insect’s lashes.

Pain pierced his wrist. Awareness flickered back. Heavy lids lifted. Rain dripped from sodden lashes onto his drenched face.

Ludwig Farn opened his eyes.

Shen Yu’s gaze traveled upward.

And locked onto savage, icy dark-red eyes—like a beast’s.

Beast was too tame a word. These weren’t even animal eyes. Monster. Aberration.

Brutal. Ferocious. Blood-mad.

Shen Yu recognized those scarlet eyes.

His capture target—

Ludwig Farn.

Shen Yu: 【To be honest, I’m actually doing this for their own good.】

Recalling the male insect basement’s illicit torture tools, White Dumpling 007 nodded approvingly: 【Indeed.】