The enormous wings, with their sharp tips glinting coldly, exuded an aura of ruthless menace. The wings themselves acted as a natural barrier, absorbing all light; they were so dark that not even a shadow could escape, wrapping Tong Sui in a soft cocoon, isolated from the world along with the intoxicating scent trapped within.
Only a small section beneath the wings was visible, toes touching toes. One didn’t need to see to know how intimately close they were at that moment.
The nobles, the female bugs who had lost their psychic guidance, were like creatures in a desert deprived of water, drained of their souls, each one dazed, as if they had fallen into a bog.
Even knowing that this was the source of danger, their primal instincts overrode all reason. Exhausted, they still crawled towards Tong Sui with every bit of strength they could muster.
“Sir, please soothe me one more time.”
“Just a little more, I beg you, I feel like I’m about to die from discomfort!!”
When the imperial army received the alert and arrived, this was the scene they encountered. Countless military starships had come to a stop, and a whole elite team descended, encircling the banquet hall in an orderly fashion from all sides.
The banquet hall’s bulletproof windows shattered into pieces, creating a chaos of debris all around. The male bugs had suffered heavy casualties, while the females collectively fell into a state of frenzy and desire.
Xie Fei Bai’s expression grew grim. What on earth had happened here? Most of those present at the banquet were high-ranking females with powerful psychic abilities. To create such overwhelming chaos all at once… What level of male bug could achieve this?
He heightened his vigilance and silently penetrated the banquet hall.
Hints of a sweet fragrance still lingered in the air, causing the female soldiers following Xie Fei Bai to exchange puzzled glances. They gripped their weapons tightly, but their fingers trembled.
It smelled so good, truly delightful. The closer they got, the more intense the aroma became. Their eyes reddened, and faint bug patterns emerged on their cheeks, while various obscure thoughts clamored in their minds, teasing their rationality.
This was no place for executing a mission; it was a test of their self-control.
“Don’t get aroused!” Xie Fei Bai chastised, but upon closer inspection, he, too, was sweating profusely and blushing intensely, not faring much better than the female soldiers.
But he remained acutely aware of his identity. The male bugs capable of psychic calming had collapsed, and the source of this aroma lay at the center—
Xie Fei Bai was alarmed.
“General?”
Having followed Bai Xing Lue for so many years, he could recognize that stunning yet cold pair of wings with just a glance. And beneath those wings, it seemed another figure was standing.
Carefully enveloped by Bai Xing Lue, it was a pose of possession and protection understood by every military female.
For military females, the wings were a powerful weapon, but they were also a very private space. They would only open up for their dominant males.
“Commander, what should we do?” one of the female soldiers asked. “Should we still attack?” Under typical training scenarios, Bai Xing Lue could incapacitate them all with one hand; not to mention the fact he was currently unstable.
Charging in would be tantamount to sending themselves to their deaths.
Xie Fei Bai never expected that the target of this mission would turn out to be his superior of many years, someone they had fought side by side with through countless battles.
All bugs who didn’t know Bai Xing Lue would perceive him as cold and ruthless, a killing machine. But Xie Fei Bai knew well that if it hadn’t been for the unintentional care Bai Xing Lue had shown him over the years, he might have died hundreds of times by now.
For both public and private reasons, Xie Fei Bai didn’t want to confront Bai Xing Lue, but they had received orders that required them to take him down without regard for the consequences.
“What are you all hesitating for?!” shouted the wounded noble male bug on the ground. “Hurry and kill! Are you going to betray the empire?!”
Xie Fei Bai gritted his teeth, raised his hand, and his subordinates simultaneously lifted their weapons.
“Bai Xing Lue, you have severely violated the Male Protection Law by intentionally harming male bugs. We will arrest you according to the law, and we hope for your cooperation.”
There was still no response beneath the wings; Bai Xing Lue seemed to not have heard their words, or perhaps he simply had no fear of what couldn’t hurt him.
The space under the wings was very confined, and Tong Sui felt anxious. His gaze darted around nervously before finally landing on those brooding, crimson eyes that shone like rare red gems.
So beautiful.
He gulped nervously.
Wait, shouldn’t they be thinking of a way to escape right now?
But Bai Xing Lue was just staring at him, his gaze making Tong Sui’s ears heat up, and in this narrow and enclosed space, he couldn’t take a single step back.
Suddenly, Bai Xing Lue lowered his head slightly.
Tong Sui’s lashes involuntarily trembled.
Heat enveloped them as their noses nearly touched, their breaths intertwining naturally.
The two streams of psychic energy seemed to harmonize inexplicably, merging together.
Tong Sui felt an odd tingling in his chest, and the small crystal in his mental sea appeared even more luminous.
From the outside, one could see nothing of what was happening inside.
As the countdown reached the final second, Tong Sui heard the command “Fire,” and his whole being shuddered.
At the same time, the wings enveloping them flared open.
With tips glistening with icy light, a powerful psychic force gathered like an invisible net.
The energy blasts aiming for them paused peculiarly in mid-air for a few seconds before reversing direction, detonating against the surrounding walls.
—Boom!!
The seemingly sturdy walls cracked and collapsed in an instant.
The military females were also toppled by the residual waves of psychic energy, thrown out like ragdolls.