TCPUAAV Chapter 125

 

Rong Heng departed Planet B3024 with five warships, accompanied by the three cubs. Ruan Jiao, however, was left behind. Together with Garland, he went to the hangar to see them off.

 

At the very front of the fleet stood a massive, teal-colored warship. Painted in stark white on its side were three characters: Orient. Among the fully armed fleet, this warship stood out prominently. It was Rong Heng and the cubs’ primary vessel.

 

Originally, Rong Heng had seized this ship from a group of space pirates in a brutal double-cross. Afterward, Ruan Shiqing had personally refitted it, upgrading its performance until it surpassed even many of the latest-generation models. Since then, Rong Heng had never switched ships again.

 

He had named it the Orient[mfn]It’s Dongfang and also can mean Eastern in the raws, but I thought giving it the name Orient could be cool lol[/mfn].

 

In ancient tradition, the east was symbolized by the color cyan[mfn]or turquoise, it’s a mix of blue and green[/mfn], the very color of the ship. Though Ruan Shiqing couldn’t be on the battlefield with them, the warship he had modified with his own hands would always fight by their side.

 

The ship was far too large for Ruan Jiao to see all of it, even when he stood on tiptoes. He could only wave enthusiastically toward the cockpit.

 

Moments later, the fleet completed its pre-launch checks and lifted off.

 

It wasn’t until the fleet had disappeared from sight that Ruan Jiao finally lowered his hand, mood sinking, and followed Garland back to the lab.

 

Since the battle on Driftwood Star, they had brought back a wealth of Zerg specimens. Garland had been conducting in-depth research into Zerg biology, trying to identify patterns—and, hopefully, weaknesses. And Ruan Jiao, with his deep understanding of the Zerg, was the perfect assistant to stay behind and help.

 

Every day, the little cub spent half his time in the lab. When Garland didn’t need his assistance, Ruan Jiao would quietly sit to the side, reading and studying on his own. When the day’s work was done, 09 would drive the land-cruiser over to pick him up and take him home.

 

Once home, the cub would go upstairs first to report the day’s events to his dad. Only after that would he head down for dinner.

 

In the evenings, he would send messages in the group chat. If Rong Heng and the others weren’t too busy, they would talk with him for a while. When there was no reply, it meant the others were likely caught up in something important—he didn’t mind. Hugging his little pillow, he would quietly slip into the bedroom and snuggle up next to his dad to sleep.

 

And just like that, time quietly passed.

 

*

 

Ruan Shiqing floated quietly in the water, as serene as a newborn child.

 

The clear liquid enveloped him with a gentle warmth, as safe and comforting as a mother’s womb. He didn’t know how long he’d been drifting like this—but at last, the slumbering youth stirred, struggling slowly to open his eyes.

 

His eyes were a deep, inky black, and somewhere within their depths shimmered a light—pure, untainted, free of even the slightest impurity. When full awareness returned to him, that light flickered. His lashes trembled slightly, and the still water rippled gently around him.

 

In those ripples, a strange and unfamiliar vision unfolded before him.

 

Cracked earth. Blackened rivers. Oceans covered in floating debris. As far as the eye could see—no sign of life. Only abandoned buildings standing in silence, scorched, withered vegetation, the rotting corpses of animals, and in the sky—fleets of departing ships.

 

After the chaos, all that remained was deathly stillness.

 

A sharp, piercing pain radiated from his chest. Ruan Shiqing clutched at his heart, and with the motion, the water shifted—and the vision changed again.

 

This time, he saw movement beneath the scorched ground, at the base of dead plants, even within the decaying corpses of animals. Insects. Small, scattered, surviving. They emerged to scavenge by night, gorging on garbage and quenching their thirst with toxic runoff. And slowly, over countless generations, they endured.

 

Perhaps it was the contamination of waste and polluted water. Or maybe it was the long-term radiation leak from the distant nuclear plant. But whatever the cause, these tenacious survivors began to change.

 

They grew. Larger and larger, until some were as big as cars. Their mandibles, claws, and limbs sharpened with time—becoming weapons capable of shredding metal, bone, anything they could digest.

 

On that forsaken planet, they lived. They thrived. And over the years, they consumed every trace of trash and pollution once covering the land, rivers, and sea. The scarred land, over the ages, began to heal.

 

And to the insects—this reclaimed land was their rightful home.

 

With a rebounding ecosystem, their living conditions improved. Food became plentiful, and without predators, their numbers flourished. A societal structure began to form, led by a singular Queen who held exclusive reproductive rights. The others functioned in cooperation, establishing a stable, organized hive.

 

After years of abandonment, this once-dead planet pulsed with life again.

 

The Queen, sustained by the entire swarm, was selected over generations. One day—perhaps triggered by the impact of a meteor—one particular Queen… awakened. She gained intelligence. She evolved.

 

This evolved Queen realized that the alien meteorite was beneficial to her species. She rallied the swarm, commanding them to collect more of these celestial stones. The meteors they retrieved became the foundations of their nests. Influenced by the radiation and strange energies of the stones, the next generation of insects was born stronger.

 

Eventually, they mastered the ability to fly.

 

No longer bound to their homeworld, they expanded their reach, scouring the stars for more meteorite fragments that could further their evolution.

 

The first wave of insects left their world—only a tenth returned.

 

The second wave—one-fifth returned, and this time, they brought back the very stones they sought…

 

Again and again, they spread outward, centered on their ancestral planet, extending the reach of their search day by day. Until one day, they discovered another world.

 

But this one was different.

 

Unlike the lifeless, ruined planets they had previously visited, this one had something they needed—those precious meteorite fragments. But it also had… inhabitants.

 

And so, for the first time, the swarm met resistance.

 

One side invaded.

 

The other defended.

 

War erupted.

 

Ruan Shiqing’s eyes trembled. The image mirrored the very beginning of the Zerg Wars recorded in the Galactic Empire’s military history—the first war against the Zerg.

 

Suddenly, he understood what all of this was.

 

What he had just seen… was the evolutionary history of the Zerg.

 

The revelation struck him like a thunderclap. His body shifted reflexively, and the water rippled outward again—shifting the vision once more.

 

This time, he saw a massive, open cavern.

 

At its center stood a colossal white egg. Countless Zerg creatures lay prostrate around it, their postures reverent, almost worshipful.

 

The egg began to tremble.

 

It pulsed, shook—something new was about to be born.

 

But when the shell finally tore open, what emerged was not a dark, multi-limbed insect…

 

It was a woman.

 

A fully grown woman.

 

Black hair. Crimson eyes. Two pale antennae curled gently over her forehead. Her body was bare, slick with birth fluids, long hair trailing down past her ankles. Yet she showed no shame or discomfort. She walked unhesitatingly toward the throne at the cavern’s highest point and seated herself.

 

Then she opened her mouth—and from her throat came the Zerg’s unmistakable hissing sound.

 

But to Ruan Shiqing’s surprise—he understood her.

 

She was saying:

 

“The ancestral memories were correct. The ‘Celestial Stone’ can help us evolve.”

 

Below the throne, the Zerg knelt as one, raising their limbs toward her in exaltation, hissing their unified cry.

 

They were pledging their loyalty to the Queen—and also exalting in the war that was to come.

 

Yet the newly transformed Queen did not declare war.

 

Instead, she selected several strong male Zerg, guiding them through the process of evolution. For the first time in their long history, she proposed a radical idea: ceasefire and negotiation.

 

For thousands of years, the Zerg had waged endless war against the Empire in search of the so-called “Celestial Stones” that fueled their evolution. As long as they could break through the Empire’s defenses, the planets beyond would fall easily into their grasp—and with them, the Celestial Stones buried within.

 

But her proposal found no support among the other high-tier Zerg.

 

Even so, the Queen’s authority was absolute. Though they disagreed, none dared defy her.

 

And so, the peace talks were set into motion.

 

The Queen brought with her two newly evolved male Zerg, bypassed the frontlines, and infiltrated deep into Imperial space.

 

After multiple covert infiltrations, she came to understand Imperial culture and technology. It was then she discovered the true source of the Celestial Stones’ power—an element known as H2H. Within the Empire’s territory, many planets possessed soil rich in this element. Its presence made it nearly impossible for most flora to survive; even those that did were often highly toxic. But to the Zerg, H2H was essential to reproduction and evolution.

 

Through considerable effort and maneuvering, the Queen finally made contact with the Empress of the Empire—Queen Farah. After proving her identity, she formally proposed a ceasefire.

 

But millennia of bloodshed couldn’t be erased so easily. Neither side could trust the other. The negotiations dragged on for over a year, filled with cautious probing and subtle tests. Although open warfare slowed during this time, skirmishes and tensions never fully ceased.

 

At last, during a final meeting, the two leaders reached consensus.

 

Queen Farah of the Empire and the Zerg Queen signed an intricate, binding ceasefire treaty—and shook hands in official peace.

 

The next step was to publicly announce the agreement, withdraw troops from the front, and dispatch diplomatic envoys to coordinate future relations. If all went well, this endless war between species, stretching back for thousands of years, would at last come to an end.

 

Ruan Shiqing could feel the Zerg Queen’s relief and delight, and a small smile curled at the corners of his mouth.

 

But just then—everything went wrong.

 

From the central air system of the conference room, an unknown gas was suddenly released. An instant later, the room exploded—collapsed in on itself. Outside, the roar of cannon fire shook the ground. Amid the chaos, voices rang out:

 

“Zerg swarm incoming!”

 

“Prepare for battle!”

 

Realizing something was terribly wrong, the Queen and Farah broke free from the rubble and immediately summoned their personal guards—only for their escorts to turn on each other the moment they arrived.

 

The gas in the air dulled the senses, leaving their limbs weak, their strength severely diminished.

 

Queen Farah, surrounded by a dozen powerful Zerg warriors, quickly fell into a disadvantage. The Zerg Queen faced the same fate, hemmed in by Beastkin and enhanced humans with combat experience and heavy firepower. Desperate, she shifted into her true insect form and attempted to flee—but the enemy had anticipated her. Several gunboats had already moved into position, unleashing heavy bombardment.

 

Gravely wounded, the Queen managed to break out of the encirclement. On the brink of death, she used her final strength to produce two royal eggs.

 

She hid them separately.

 

But while she was concealing the second egg, she was discovered. Out of strength and options, she was killed in battle.

 

The second egg—never properly hidden—was left behind near the front lines, where it was eventually found by the Zerg who tracked her scent. They took it back to the hive.

 

The water around Ruan Shiqing continued to ripple softly, but his mind remained trapped in the violence of that battle. He couldn’t pull himself free.

 

Queen Farah. The Zerg Queen. The ceasefire agreement. The two royal eggs…

 

All of it spun through his thoughts, forming a hazy, disjointed circle. He almost had the full picture, but every time he tried to piece it together, the threads would unravel—scattered and lost.

 

As the water slowly stilled, a sudden pressure built in his chest—he couldn’t breathe.

 

Panic surged through him. He thrashed, arms and legs striking out as he tried to swim upward, to break the surface of the water. But the water seemed infinite, without end. He swam until exhaustion claimed him—but the surface never came.

 

Breathing hard, trembling, he was forced to stop. His muscles loosened. He let himself drift with the current, quietly conserving strength.

 

Staring up at the wavering light above, Ruan Shiqing thought of Rong Heng and the cubs. They must be so worried. Maybe… maybe even crying.

 

I have to get back to them.

 

After resting for a while, he began moving again—but then suddenly, a strange itch tickled the skin just above his forehead.

 

Instinctively, he reached up—and grabbed hold of something soft and flexible.

 

A black antenna, thick and long, swayed gently in his palm.

 

 

---

 

Girl WHAT???

 

Are Ruan Ruan and Jiao Jiao siblings actually lmao??? What is going on????

 

Thanks for reading!

For every three ko-fis, I will upload a bonus chapter~