The Cannon Fodder Male Insect Refuses the Crematorium - Chapter 3

The warm sensation on his fingertips vanished as Elliot jerked his hand back as if he had received an electric shock.

Lu Qing gave a polite smile. He appeared tranquil and gentle, yet his politeness carried a sense of distance, as if he were facing a total stranger.

He turned naturally and walked away with his basket. Once he was a good distance from the female insect, the book tucked under his vegetable basket spoke up in surprise: “So that is the man you loved but could never have? He is quite handsome and has a wild streak to him.”

Lu Qing asked, “A man?”

The book realized its slip: “Oh, right. I forgot your world system is different. Anyway, just remember that all members of your Zerg race can be referred to as men.”

This was not the first time Lu Qing had dealt with the book’s bizarre concepts. Accustomed to it, he let the words go in one ear and out the other.

If it has nothing to do with the Zerg race, fine. He felt no need to pay special attention to it. He acted exactly as he always did, as if the encounter with Elliot had not caused a single ripple in his heart.

Elliot remained frozen on the spot, watching Lu Qing’s figure gradually disappear. His mind, however, was still trapped in the chaos of their collision.

The shift between his past and present identities left him in a daze. He had almost grabbed the male insect’s hand to say: “Come back.”

“Return to the Locke family. Return to my side.”

“Can we go back to how we were before?”

When the male insect ran away from home without a word, Elliot only found out a week later after returning from the military department. He instinctively went to the house belonging to Lu Qing’s grandfather, and as expected, he found the runaway male there.

Hiding in the shadows, Elliot saw a side of the male insect that was completely different from how he had been at the Locke house.

The male’s usually downcast eyes were bright and open. He was no longer as gloomy as he had been at the Locke residence; he would occasionally chat with neighbors, and the relaxation that naturally flowed through his expression was something Elliot had never seen before.

He could tell that Lu Qing loved this life.

At that moment, Elliot suddenly felt the urge to retreat. He could not bear to disturb Lu Qing’s peaceful existence anymore.

In the Locke home, Lu Qing was always somber, but here, he was vivid and full of vitality.

Since he had decided not to interfere for the time being, he chose another identity to stay by Lu Qing’s side. He became his first fan.

Gradually, watching Lu Qing’s live streams became a habit.

To Lu Qing, this accidental reunion happened after a long interval of time. To Elliot, being surrounded by that gentle aura felt like it had only happened yesterday.

The red fish on the ice was still struggling and twitching, but Elliot no longer had the desire to buy it.

The dialogue on his communicator was frozen on Lucassi’s message: “I want to drink red fish soup.”

Elliot stood there for a long time before finally withdrawing his gaze from the distance. His eyelashes trembled as he typed a few words into the communicator: “They are sold out. I will cook it for you next time.”

The bumpy main road was lined with lush greenery, with a house nestled beside each towering tree.

The Zerg believe that nature possesses a soul. The taller and older a tree is, the more it is respected, as they believe old trees concentrate the gifts of nature. This is also linked to the old era when the Zerg lived off the land.

Beside his grandfather’s estate was a beautiful small villa that had recently been renovated.

The neighbor living in the villa was an old male insect with white hair. He constantly complained that the villa was too high-tech and did not feel close to nature at all.

Today, he seemed to be in a good mood. He was taking a walk outside the villa with a housekeeping robot, occasionally gesturing with his hands as if practicing martial arts moves.

“Lu Qing is back!” The old insect saw Lu Qing approaching from a distance and greeted him with a smile.

Lu Qing smiled slightly, but his dark eyes remained dim and devoid of light. His gaze swept over the old insect’s face and immediately moved away. He nodded slightly and turned to leave.

“Hey, you brat, why are you walking so fast? Usually, you smile and chat with me for a bit. Why are you stopping now?” The old insect blocked Lu Qing’s path. His speed was impressive for someone his age.

He furrowed his brows: “It is early morning and you do not have a female insect accompanying you. With your small frame, what if you fall apart on the road? If your grandfather came back to life, he would certainly pick a fight with me.”

Lu Qing hid the gloom in his eyes and turned back with a smile: “He would not. You are an old friend of his; grandfather would not have the heart to cause trouble.”

The old insect huffed: “That is not certain. Your grandfather had a fiery temper and would never admit defeat to anyone. He was extremely protective.”

“How about I introduce two female insects to you? Their family backgrounds and appearances are very good. If you like them, you can take them as female concubines.”

As he spoke, the old male insect paused. Remembering something, he tapped his head in frustration and muttered: “The Empire seems to be undergoing reforms now. Registering a female concubine is quite a hassle.”

“Thank you, Grandpa Sako, but I do not want to date right now. I appreciate your kindness.”

Lu Qing handed a bag of vegetables to the old male: “These vegetables are good for your health. I programmed Yuanyuan’s cooking system last time; just turn it on and it will run automatically.”

“You little cub, why are you being so polite? Oh, alright, thank you. I will go turn it on in a moment.”

The old male insect accepted the vegetables with a smile, then grabbed Lu Qing’s arm. His wrinkled face was covered in an eager, unidentifiable grin: “Do not be in such a hurry to leave. Why not come in for some tea?”

Unable to decline such warm hospitality, Lu Qing stepped into the small villa.

The book whispered in his ear: “Is he inviting you for tea, or is he inviting the ‘Master Mechanic’ behind you for tea? That is a good question worth exploring.”

The old male insect was completely unaware of the non-living object’s whispering. Otherwise, given his prideful nature and advanced age, he might have fainted on the spot.

The layout of the villa was even more high-tech than imagined.

In front of the automatic elevator, the main color scheme of the parlor was a cold, metallic silver-gray. There were five or six white, round-headed robots similar to Yuanyuan, each busy with their respective duties in the hall.

The old male insect’s movements were as eager as the smile on his face. He quickly pulled out a chair across from him and pressed on Lu Qing’s shoulder to force him to sit down. Immediately after, he poured a cup of tea.

“Drink some Autumn Leaf tea to warm your body.”

The old male pushed the tea toward Lu Qing, along with a small plate of snacks brought by Yuanyuan.

The rich, lingering aroma of the tea blended with the unique bittersweet scent of the local star. Thick dark green leaves floated gently on the surface of the cup, creating small bubbles and rising steam. The entire room was filled with the scent of tea.

Lu Qing took off his black trench coat, revealing a clean white shirt. The top button was undone, and his collar was slightly open, showing a necklace hanging below his well-defined collarbone.

After folding his coat neatly, he placed it gently on Yuanyuan’s two mechanical arms and softly patted the robot’s round head: “Thank you.”

Yuanyuan was so happy that its eyes turned into curved arcs, and the LCD screen on its stomach displayed “It is okay!”

Lu Qing loved the scent of tea, but he rarely got to drink such pure tea while at the Locke house. The price of tea leaves had skyrocketed due to low production and official speculation. The old male insect had definitely targeted the right interest.

“Not bad, right?” The old male insect rubbed his palms together, a hint of pride in his eyes.

This was a tea from his private collection, usually not brought out for guests. He was doing this little cub a favor.

“It is delicious.” Lu Qing held the small cup, his lips lightly touching the surface as he took several small sips.

The old male insect did not realize that Lu Qing was taking small sips and holding the cup repeatedly to smell the aroma as a sign of appreciation. On the surface, he remained a kind elder, saying gently, “Have more if it is not enough.” Internally, however, his heart was bleeding, lamenting the waste of such good tea.

“It is enough. Grandpa Sako, if there is something on your mind, please just say it,” Lu Qing said as he gently set down his teacup.

The old male’s heartache vanished instantly. His eyes widened, and he suddenly became energized.

“It is about that Master who built the small mecha at your house! Ahem.”

The old male insect spoke so quickly that he felt he sounded too eager. He lacked composure, so he cleared his throat and slowed his speech: “Uh, Little Lu, regarding this Master, when can you introduce him to me? I would like to visit him one day. I am very curious about some of his techniques. I want to know how he achieved them.”

Lu Qing’s fingertip rested on the rim of the cup, rubbing it up and down as if playing with it. His handsome brows curved slightly, and a light laugh escaped his lips: “Grandpa Sako, I have already told you the method. You just need to follow it; there is nothing special about it.”

“Well, that is true, but…” Sako hit a soft wall. Unable to think of a comeback, he could only lower his head and take a silent gulp of tea.

Sigh! Of course, he knew it was not difficult, but was he doing this for the technique? He wanted to befriend the Master! Lu Yufeng’s cub really lacks discernment.

Sako was so frustrated he wanted to grit his teeth. Did he really have to say out loud that he wanted a meeting? That would be such a loss of face.

The book had shrunk to a tiny size, nearly the size of an earring, hanging from Lu Qing’s earlobe. Watching Sako’s frustrated and helpless expression, it clutched its cover and laughed: “Idiot! The Master is right in front of you and you cannot see him!”

After finishing the last sip of tea, Lu Qing looked up and said: “Grandpa Sako, if there is nothing else, I will head out now.”

Sako was startled and jerked his head up: “So soon?”

He stood up even faster than Lu Qing. Seeing Lu Qing take his coat back from Yuanyuan, he rushed forward: “Do not be in such a rush. It has not even been half an hour.”

“Grandpa Sako, I have work to do at home. If I stay any longer, it will be late. Thank you for your hospitality; I will not stay longer. See you next time.”

Lu Qing politely declined. Sako knew it would be rude to insist further. He let out a long sigh, his white eyebrows drooping in a look of resignation.

“Fine, fine. But Little Lu, are you really not considering taking a female lord or a female concubine? Having a female insect around would keep you from being so lonely.”

Lu Qing shook his head: “Thank you. I am doing quite well right now. If I truly want to date, I will come find you, okay?”

Sako laughed loudly: “Alright, alright. When that time comes, I will call my grandson over. He is a sub-female, very beautiful, and highly talented. You will definitely like him. When that happens…”

Leaving the villa, the book could not help but let out a long sigh: “That old man can really talk.”

It touched the upper part of its cover, where a small, pulsing pencil-drawn heart was located: “Even my little heart could not help but start beating.”

Lu Qing did not speak. He pushed open his door, greeted by a sea of flowers swaying in the wind and a small garden planted with plump cabbages.

He cut a portion of the fresh vegetables he bought and put the rest in the refrigerator. The book jumped off his body onto the sofa, used its little hands to toggle the switch, and began watching television leisurely.

Without the noisy book, Lu Qing found processing the vegetables much easier.

The cross-talk show on TV made the book laugh repeatedly. The sound drifted through the glass door into the yard, making the place feel quite lively.

The tiger-head cabbages were round and green; they would be ripe in two days.

Lu Qing made a mental note of it, then went to water the crystal orchids.

The layers of petals were stiff and straight, but the delicate leaves were spread out. The center of the flower was pointed, oozing a dark purple liquid.

Lu Qing put on gloves and gently collected the liquid from the center of the flower with a bottle, then plugged it with a brownish-yellow square material.

Carrying the bottle, Lu Qing entered the kitchen to prepare today’s lunch.

After a full meal, Lu Qing returned to the study to read.

The book had a habit of taking a nap at noon, which was quite similar to many male insects.

The room was silent, save for the sound of shallow breathing and the turning of pages.

September 6th of this year marks the five-year recruitment cycle for the Imperial Military University. They recruit students who either failed the entrance exams or did not participate but possess certain special talents.

Lu Qing had weak vision as a child. After treatment and correction, his left eye was mildly nearsighted, but his right eye was nearly blind. His spiritual power, which was almost zero, set a new low for the Zerg race. This visual disability caused his male father and stepbrother to view him as trash—a useless male insect.

The heads of the Locke family had always been known for high spiritual power. His stepbrother’s spiritual power was extremely high, reaching S-class, so he could naturally attend the Imperial University or even be fast-tracked for admission. Meanwhile, Lu Qing was ordered by his male father to study at home. It was called protection, but in reality, his father was afraid of being embarrassed.

Lu Qing understood why his male father valued his stepbrother more and why Elliot wanted to marry his stepbrother.

The level of a male insect’s spiritual power represents his ability. The more powerful a female insect is, the more they need the pheromones of a high-spiritual power male insect for soothing and comfort.

And he indeed did not have high spiritual power.

He understood.

So, he had always been calm. He did not cause a scene, did not argue, and did not interrogate. He simply left.

Lu Qing read very quickly.

He had possessed a great memory since childhood; he could remember a book without having to flip through it much.

Today, he was reading the “Introduction to Mechanics,” a specialized textbook for the Imperial Military University exams.

Even though male insects still do not need to be good students a hundred years later, Lu Qing wanted to try for university. It was a way to fulfill a small wish from his childhood.

However, halfway through, Parson called him.

What surprised him was what Parson had to say.

“For some reason, your live stream from yesterday was seen by a male insect from the Prome family. He is now making a scene, claiming that you are a fraud, putting on a show, and ruining the reputation of the live-streaming room.”

Parson said helplessly: “Prome is the name of the founder of the Blue Star Live Stream room. You understand, right?”

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