A post titled “The Imperial Center Banquet Hall was Attacked and Collapsed!” ascended to the top of the forum.
In the first comment: “The materials used in the banquet hall were advanced military-grade. With such severe damage, wasn’t it caused by those star pirates?”
In the second comment: “Oh my God, are those male bugs okay? Can I apply to take care of them? The star pirates are really too despicable.”
In the third comment: “Replying to the above, an insider doctor from the hospital said the situation isn’t good. The damage to their mental cores is severe. There’s a hundred percent chance their mental levels will drop, especially for Prince Lu Yuanzhao, whose core was directly crushed. What will happen next is still uncertain.”
In the fourth comment: “Crushed??! Is it that serious? Is that person alright? Is the damage to the mental core irreversible?”
In the fifth comment: “Yes, so I’m afraid this heir to the throne will have to be replaced.”
Once this news broke, discussions surged quickly, with the thread already flooded with thousands of replies, covering various topics.
Another post read: “The star pirates cannot be blamed; this attack was caused entirely by your beloved General Bai Xingluo!”
The poster had a flamboyant avatar and the user ID… Yu Guangji? The notorious leader of the star pirates?
In the first comment: “Are you joking? If you’re pretending to be Yu Guangji, at least change to a more convincing avatar. Spreading rumors is illegal, and why are you even using the star pirate leader’s ID? Is it a betrayal of the Empire? And those images must be edited.”
In the second comment: “These images don’t seem synthesized… And why can’t we view his homepage?”
The poster, claiming to be Yu Guangji, shared a plethora of images and videos.
“Check these out. I did initially intend to cause some trouble, but I didn’t expect your beloved General Bai Xingluo to be so formidable that he single-handedly caused havoc at the banquet. Truly, an opponent I acknowledge.”
“Oh, one more thing: if Bai Xingluo is willing to bring that male bug over, we will welcome him with the utmost respect from the star pirate group, hehe.”
The star netizens who had initially clamored felt silent after viewing those videos and pictures. Moments later, they erupted like a struck artery.
In the 56th comment: “I’ve said it before, Bai Xingluo is a dangerous criminal. How could the court have released him without charges? It’s the dumbest ruling I’ve ever seen.”
In the 89th comment: “He has definitely been involved with the star pirates; otherwise, how could these dogs run rampant for years?”
In the 176th comment: “The low-ranked male bug who helped him escape is also an accomplice! He might even be an undercover agent from the star pirates.”
In the 561st comment: “We demand severe punishment for Bai Xingluo and that low-rank male bug. They deserve it!”
In the 1124th comment: “How is the Empire handling this? Have they not arrested them yet? They won’t let them escape, right?”
Suddenly, a wildly out-of-place reply popped up.
In the 2341st comment: “I was a female bug at the banquet tonight. This incident has nothing to do with Lord Tong Sui. If he hadn’t been there to subdue General Bai, none of us would have survived.”
The 2342nd comment replied to 2341st: “You were present? Then tell me, how did a D-ranked male bug manage to control an S-ranked military female who is a mental leader?”
The 2343rd comment replied to 2341st: “You female bugs are utterly useless; when the male bugs were hurt, couldn’t you come out to protect them? Pathetic.”
The 2341st comment resurfaced in response to the collective attack.
In the 2341st comment: “Every word I said is true. Under the suppression of the general’s mental strength, we couldn’t move at all. Lord Tong Sui released his mental soothing. That is absolutely not a D-ranked male bug’s level; it was at least S-ranked.”
A wave of skepticism erupted below.
“Hahaha, you’ve got to be kidding; why not say he’s SS-ranked, that would be unprecedented.”
“Even if you’re going to make things up, do it convincingly.”
“However, have you not heard that some male bugs can undergo secondary differentiation after adulthood? Though the probability is low, it’s not entirely impossible.”
…
In the dim environment, only a holographic screen emitted a gentle glow.
A thin wrist withdrew a lollipop.
He chuckled lightly, revealing a small, sharp canine as he glanced at the chaotic forum, smiling.
Before him, the personal homepage ID gleamed ominously; it was indeed the feared leader of the star pirates, Yu Guangji.
He recalled the scent from yesterday and suddenly found the lollipop tasteless.
If it weren’t for Bai Xingluo standing beside him, risking everything, he would have snatched that magnificent adult away long before.
But watching the ignorant bugs chatter online, Yu Guangji crushed the lollipop in his mouth.
“I can start preparing for a welcome party soon.”
The next day, dawn broke.
Warm light filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows onto the bed in the bedroom.
Bai Xingluo opened his eyes, his sharp gaze returning to its usual light blue; the alert, icy stare softened the moment it met Lord Tong Sui by his side.
He quietly inched forward a bit.
Soft black hair framed his face, and his eyelashes cast small shadows; under the light, his fair skin glowed warmly.
The scene before him was so beautiful that he doubted it was his imagination.
Tong Sui was lost in his dreams, feeling a bit wet and itchy on his face. “Why is it wet? It wasn’t raining in my dream…”
Sleepy, he rubbed his head against the pillow, and after a few minutes, memories gradually returned. Suddenly, he froze, realizing the noise was not a dream.
As he became aware that he was awake, a deep voice rang in his ear, “Good morning, male bug.”
Tong Sui’s eyes abruptly opened to see a familiar silver-white figure.
He was so surprised that he nearly fell off the bed, sitting up and losing a significant portion of his blanket.
Bai Xingluo’s expression darkened immediately.
Unbeknownst to Tong Sui, who was oblivious to how intriguing he appeared, he recalled the chaos of last night with his tousled hair, deep in thought.