Chapter 64

The chains on his limbs snapped with a resounding crack.

Two enormous butterfly wings dragged the unconscious silver-haired male insect, suspending him in the air. Insect bones grew, flesh split open, and massive amounts of blood tore through from his shoulder blades, nearly dyeing him into a blood-soaked figure.

His waterfall-like silver hair cascaded through the air, like a silver river pouring into the mortal world.

In this empty, chaotic sea of consciousness, Shen Yu asked 007: 【System, do you think Ludwig will come?】

007 sympathetically patted his head: 【He will come. He will come.】

【I hope he comes soon. Otherwise, before I can max out his favorability, I’ll be gone.】

Shen Yu remembered something and pretended to be a dead fish: 【But you didn’t say it would hurt this much.】

007 hugged him: 【Once we’ve saved up enough luck points, how about we redeem a pain shutdown function first? I feel like the host will really need it.】

【Good idea.】

Life was draining from his body bit by bit, but it wasn’t truly vanishing—it merely existed in another form.

Pheromone and mental power radiated from him like ripples, spreading across the entire interstellar space, descending everywhere in an overwhelming flood.

The female insects imprisoned in C11 Prison felt the impact first. The sweet and powerful pheromone of the male insect was like sweet nectar, surging into their ravenous beast-like nostrils and racing through their parched limbs and bodies.

A male insect! A male insect was releasing pheromones!

Cravings roared to life. Unsuppressed growls rumbled from their throats. The long-imprisoned female insects went berserk the instant they caught that trace of pheromone—crimson surged in their eyes, and they began slamming against the iron doors.

The prison guards panicked and hurriedly contacted the medical department for large quantities of stabilizers. They pulled out their batons to suppress the chaos, but bone wings instantly materialized, severing their arms.

The arms clutching the batons flew off in an instant!

The entire prison erupted into pandemonium. The freed female insects surged like wild beasts out of control, charging madly from all directions toward the source of that scent.

“Boss, they’re reinforcing the front lines! It’s the First Legion’s warships!”

Ludwig’s face was ashen. His bony hands gripped the controls like iron as he piloted the massive warship, weaving through cannon fire. The entire vessel moved like the Grim Reaper’s scythe, smashing through C11 Prison’s defenses with destructive force.

At that moment, a familiar male insect pheromone suddenly flooded his nostrils. Ludwig’s senses were extraordinarily sharp; he quickly caught the trace. Once he realized what it was, he froze in place as if struck by lightning.

Fuck fuck fuck fuck!

Releasing such a massive amount of pheromone in a place like White Prison—even from C11’s outer defenses, he could detect it. Ludwig closed his eyes. He didn’t dare imagine it. He couldn’t imagine it.

The female insect opened his eyes, icy rage surging in them. He shot up from the command chair. He couldn’t wait any longer. He wouldn’t wait. Sharp insect armor instantly sprouted from his neck, encasing his jaw.

Ludwig stood. Phibet, the deputy commander, immediately took over command. He gripped the console and glanced sideways to see the insect armor emerging on Boss’s neck.

Phibet reacted instantly, calling out in disbelief: “Boss, are you fucking insane?!”

Damn it, charging alone through the mechanical army and legion’s double-layered defenses straight to C11’s depths? That was just painting a target on his back! Even an SSS-rank female insect couldn’t withstand that—he’d die without a trace!

“I’ll go ahead. Follow after me.”

Ludwig left those words behind. His aura was terrifying. With a grim face, he strode across the bridge. But command authority had been handed to Phibet, and the hatch was sealed tight. Ludwig pursed his lips and issued a cold command:

“Phibet! Open the hatch!”

The command carried a seething rage that dropped the entire ship’s temperature to freezing. No one dared speak. The deputy secretly cursed and elbowed Phibet hard.

Phibet scowled fiercely. He had been born on Trash Star, picked up by Ludwig on the battlefield, raised up step by step, and followed him in defecting from the Military Department. They’d fought through life and death together. Now he was supposed to open the hatch with his own hands and send his Boss to his death?

Could he do it? He couldn’t!

Prodded by the deputy, Phibet’s temper flared. He gritted his teeth and snarled: “Should I just watch Boss go die? Fuck, everything was going fine! At most a day and we’d break C11’s defenses. Now we’re—”

Ludwig lowered his gaze: “Are you going to make me cut this hatch down myself?”

Silence fell.

“Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!— ”

Phibet couldn’t hold back and slammed the console. He squeezed his eyes shut, fingers trembling as he hit the button to open the hatch. His voice was laced with suppressed fury but utterly calm as it rang through the command room.

“Form up in three-three formations. Seventh squad, break off and draw fire. Escort Boss through the defensive line!”

Cannon fire blazed endlessly. The hatch opened, and bone wings unfurled from his back in an instant, carrying thunderous might as they obliterated the enemy warship opposite!

All firepower converged on that spot.

…

That faint trace of pheromone was like a beacon, guiding Ludwig to Shen Yu’s location.

The deeper he went, the thicker the pheromone grew. Beyond the scents of ocean and flowers, the metallic tang of blood intensified.

The imprisoned criminal female insects hadn’t been injected with stabilizers beforehand. A male insect emitting pheromones dropping in was no different from tossing a slab of meat into a wolf pack.

The female insects slaughtered each other in a frenzy, turning the prison into a hellscape.

Ludwig’s face was ice-cold, like a god of slaughter. He broke through layer after layer of defenses, his body covered in bloody gashes. His bone wings whipped viciously, shattering White Prison’s restraints like dry weeds before an avalanche, carving his way to the depths.

His mental power finally depleted, sinking into the endless void.

The massive extended butterfly wings retracted into his bones. The entire space plunged back into darkness.

Exhausted, Shen Yu plummeted from the air.

Ludwig’s eyes nearly burst with rage. He swiftly unfurled his bone wings and flew over at unprecedented speed, catching Shen Yu as he fell from the heights.

Sensing the male insect’s impossibly light weight, the female insect’s sturdy arms trembled uncontrollably. Fury, hatred, heartache, and grief surged through him—he was on the verge of madness.

Ludwig held him carefully, as if cradling his most precious treasure.

Shen Yu felt the familiar warmth. His head was buried in that familiar embrace by a pair of large hands.

So tired, Ludwig.

Ludwig’s voice was hoarse as he asked: “Does it hurt? Does it hurt?”

“Heh.”

Shen Yu kept his eyes closed, feeling belittled. He snorted coldly: “What’s there to hurt about?”

Ludwig nearly shed hot tears on the spot. He felt his entire heart quaking.

Shen Yu only felt an unprecedented exhaustion. He subconsciously nuzzled the female insect’s shoulder affectionately and murmured: “Ludwig, I really want to sleep.”

Ludwig’s arms trembled.

Shen Yu couldn’t see, so he had no idea how terrible he looked to outsiders right now.

His body weight had diminished drastically, his breathing grew feebler, his face was deathly pale, covered in blood. Even the antennae on his forehead symbolizing life were fading, nearly turning transparent.

This silver-haired male insect was like a breath on the lips—gone with the slightest touch, traceless.

“Don’t sleep, Sadro. Don’t sleep, okay? I’ll get you out first.”

Ludwig turned with him in his arms. He lowered his gaze, eyes devoid of emotion. Countless female insects surrounded them from all sides—and this was only the beginning.

…

He didn’t know how much time passed—perhaps just a stifled instant.

A sliver of light pierced his eyelids.

Sunlight?

His pale silver lashes fluttered. His heavy consciousness faintly returned.

Shen Yu weakly opened his eyes to blinding, scorching daylight.

White flames burned across the sky, a sun hanging high.

It was the daylight Shen Yu loved.

As if he could reach out and touch that distant sun.

Amid the burning white flames, Shen Yu saw Ludwig’s face.

Blood streaked the female insect’s face, his pupils dull. Sanity had stripped away from his body again, plunging him into chaos.

Only one voice echoed in his mind: Kill them all. Kill them all.

In endless smoke and flames of war, Ludwig landed ferociously, like a mechanical construct, slaughtering every approaching being. Blood spread across the ruins. The Military Department’s female insects stared in horror at the berserk god of death.

Blood was everywhere—even the white flames on the horizon were dyed red.

At this rate, Ludwig would exhaust himself to death. Shen Yu tremulously reached out, his ice-cold fingers brushing Ludwig’s face, trying to call him back to reason.

“Ludwig, wake up—”

No response.

Shen Yu sneered through labored breaths, trying to provoke him: “Didn’t you say before that if I died, you’d keep living? Now you’re slapping your own face? Who are you putting on this show for?”

The female insect’s arms instinctively tightened around him, but there was still no reaction.

Have to do this?

Shen Yu exhaled his last breath, damp lashes drooping as he murmured almost inaudibly.

“…I love you.”

The rampaging female insect froze, halting mid-motion.

The female insect’s shoulder had been pierced by a bone spike at some point, blood gushing from the hole, yet he felt no pain. Mechanically, he turned his head, his vacant pupils fixing on the person in his arms.

Shen Yu met those savage, icy crimson beast eyes once more.

Ferocious, brutal, bloodthirsty.

Then clarity slowly returned.

Shen Yu gazed at him, his consciousness growing heavier. Long lashes drooped like snow over his eyes, his voice ever fainter.

“…My name is Vidonien.”

Heavenly Dao power flooded his limbs. Shen Yu closed his eyes. The hands caressing Ludwig’s face lost strength and fell limply.

Ludwig’s awareness surged back. He blinked, dazed, and grabbed those falling hands.

His body trembled. Then he couldn’t hold back and crouched down. His towering figure suddenly seemed as insignificant as dust.

The temperature of the person in his arms grew colder and colder. Ludwig’s chest heaved violently. He gasped uncontrollably, roaring low. His muscles tensed like a defeated beast.

The red-haired female insect knelt in the ruins, clutching the male insect in his arms desperately. Despair swallowed him whole. The snail burrowing into his heart devoured his veins, hollowed out his core, then crawled out, abandoning him.

Ludwig tightened his arms, burying his face in the male insect’s neck. His voice was hoarse, emitting a mournful wail.

“Don’t go, don’t go, don’t go. Please—”

Why did this happen? Why? Just a second ago—just a second ago—this person had been holding a wine bottle, swaying under the vineflowers, asking if they should spend future Vineflower Festivals together. Why? Why was he now lying bloodied in his arms?

God, oh God.

If this was punishment for his tardiness, wasn’t it too cruel? He’d only just heard his true name from his own lips. He hadn’t had time to love him properly. He hadn’t kissed away his tears—

They had so many promises left unfulfilled.

Just give him another chance.

Another chance, and he’d never leave this man’s side.

He was wrong.

He was truly wrong.

“Don’t go.”

“Don’t go.”

“Don’t go, please don’t go—”

Ludwig finally lost control. His body shook as he collapsed to the ground, still holding the person in his arms.

In a daze, Ludwig seemed to return to long ago. A cool breeze lifted the male insect’s silver hair. He stood in a verdant courtyard, observing the instantly sprouting bulbous plant in the yard.

He heard Ludwig’s call and turned his head, glancing over.