The Cannon Fodder Male Insect Refuses the Crematorium - Chapter 4

Automated, mechanical tracks spiraled upward, and levitation ships equipped with wings and thrusters were visible everywhere. The skyscrapers of the city center stood majestically, lined up like comb teeth on both sides of the main road. Various paths, wide and narrow, radiated outward in a regular pattern from the commercial hub. It was a high-tech metropolis, a complex sprawl that was dizzying to behold.

Lu Qing rarely traveled far from home. Leaving his family had been the first time; coming to the Blue Star Live headquarters to meet Vice President Prome was the second. As a major platform, Blue Star Live was located in the heart of the Empire. It was wealthy, powerful, and imposing. Parsons had mentioned that the owner of Blue Star had purchased these floors specifically to please his young male insect. Thus, Blue Star Live was born.

At the front desk, Prome, the male insect, was dozing off while waiting for the fraud. Upon hearing that Lu Qing would arrive today, he had ignored the advice of the sub-females and come to the reception area alone, intending to lie in wait. He planned to disguise himself as an ordinary, vulnerable young insect to stay by Lu Qing’s side.

Hidden on his chest was a small pinhole camera, the latest Type 589 surveillance device featuring stealth monitoring and photography capabilities. The data network was connected to Prome Lielf’s optical brain, allowing for rapid transmission. Everything was ready; all that was missing was the big fraud of a male insect.

Just wait! He would capture this male’s true colors and show them to Lielf personally. He would prove that the so-called virtuous insect persona was a total sham, the cooking was fake, and it was all a scam!

Prome the male insect was prepared to go head-to-head with him, but because he had been tossing and turning with Lielf until late last night, he was physically and mentally exhausted. He eventually fell asleep.

When he woke up, he rubbed his dry eyes and looked around in a daze. He discovered a quiet male insect sitting on the sofa by the counter, holding a black notebook.

Prome An Feiyu froze. It is that fraud!

An Feiyu adjusted his state and smoothed the wrinkles in his clothes. Recalling the sub-female receptionist he had seen earlier, he imitated his tone and said with a smile, “I am sorry, noble sir, to have kept you waiting.”

Lu Qing pulled his thoughts away from his notes. As he stood up, he slipped the notebook into his pocket. “It is no matter.”

“Do you have an appointment? Or rather, are you here to see someone?” An Feiyu was inexperienced. Realizing he had stumbled over his words, he nearly bit his tongue as he corrected himself.

Fortunately, Lu Qing did not seem suspicious and responded naturally, “I am here to see Vice President Prome. I have an appointment. Could you please connect me?”

An Feiyu said, “Of course.”

An Feiyu pressed a button on the landline and pretended to make a call. Hearing the busy signal from the other end, he eventually shook his head at Lu Qing with feigned regret. “No one is picking up. How about I take you up myself?”

Lu Qing replied, “Thank you, that would be helpful.”

Stepping onto the elevator, An Feiyu watched the floor numbers flip by with excitement. In a few minutes, he would be able to observe Lu Qing as a bystander and expose his true face.

Since childhood, Lielf had enjoyed making cub-raising meals out of strange things, and beetle meat was one of them. Wild Green Glow was one thing. It was spicy and pungent, so it could at least be used for seasoning. But beetle meat was slimy and foul-smelling. He did not believe for a second that combining the two could result in a delicious porridge that could also treat stomach pain. As a top student from the Imperial Military University’s healing department, he had never seen such a bizarre treatment method.

“The nineteenth floor is here. After you.” An Feiyu’s heart pounded with excitement for his plan. The moment they reached the floor, he held the door open and stood to the side, his speaking speed increasing.

He followed impatiently behind Lu Qing as they approached two sliding glass doors. Through the frosted glass, dark silhouettes were faintly visible. Behind the doors was a large space filled with kitchen knives, boilers, ovens, large freezers, and ice cream machines. Every food-related appliance was neatly arranged.

They were looking for the Vice President’s office, but this was clearly a kitchen. Lu Qing looked at An Feiyu with an inquiring gaze.

The latter tilted his chin up, not feeling embarrassed at all. With a confident smile, he gestured toward the room to show it off. “This is our Vice President Prome’s kitchen. He is a twenty-four filial male who dotes on his sub-female and loves staying here to cook for him. To him, the kitchen is his office.”

Hearing this, Lu Qing nodded in understanding. “The Vice President is a family-oriented male insect.”

This sentence hit An Feiyu exactly where he wanted it to. Of course.

He lifted his neck proudly and hummed twice. If he had a tail, it would likely be wagging happily right now. However, An Feiyu quickly checked his pride and regained his professional smile. Lu Qing was clever and knew how to flatter, but An Feiyu would not let his guard down. He would stay alert.

“Oh, there is a note here. It looks like the Vice President’s handwriting,” An Feiyu said with surprise, pointing to a sticky note on the cutting board.

Lu Qing followed An Feiyu’s lead and looked at the paper. On it was scrawled handwriting that looked like chicken scratch: “Use the ingredients in the freezer to make one delicious dish for the employee nearby to taste and score.”

“Employee? Is it talking about me?” An Feiyu pointed to himself in confusion. Lu Qing hummed in affirmation and opened the freezer. Inside was a large piece of pink meat wrapped in plastic, a bundle of green onion-like ingredients, and several round, white insect-bird eggs. A large bag of fresh white rice sat beside the freezer.

Lu Qing lowered his gaze, quickly piecing the situation together. The Vice President wanted him to replicate the sliced meat porridge from his stream.

Without saying much, Lu Qing rolled up his sleeves, scooped several measures of rice, and poured them into a pot to wash. The rice grains were short, oval, plump, and translucent with a pearly luster. As he held a handful, the distinct pearls fell back into the pot, leaving the fresh scent of rice on his fingers. It was high-quality rice, likely the round-grain variety from the Agricultural Star. Lu Qing knew that round-grain rice should not be washed for too long, or it would lose its nutrients and sweet aroma.

An Feiyu watched secretly as the tall, thin male poured water into a ceramic pot to boil and then added the washed rice. The bubbling water calmed once the rice was added. Lu Qing took the pink meat, unwrapped it, and submerged it in a bowl of steaming purified water to soak for a moment.

An Feiyu timed it. It was less than a minute. He wondered suspiciously if that was enough time to wash away the smell of the meat. Beetle meat was naturally pink, but after a short soak, it turned a tender pinkish-white.

A silver-white flash crossed his vision as Lu Qing sliced the meat with a quick knife. An Feiyu wanted to criticize him for not slicing it thin enough, but he realized the pieces on the board were nearly identical in size and thickness.

Fine, he has some skill, An Feiyu thought.

The meat was not added to the pot immediately. Instead, it was soaked in a small bowl filled with an oily liquid. The oil-coated meat became translucent and the pink color turned more vibrant. This time, Lu Qing added a step. He took one of the white insect-bird eggs, cracked it into a bowl, and let the tender yolk and clear liquid slide in.

An Feiyu almost screamed. He had forgotten that those eggs were left in the freezer for Lielf’s health! Watching the egg being stirred into a yellow liquid, An Feiyu’s heart ached as if it were being cut. These were insect-bird eggs with a market price of 2,000 star coins, which was equal to a fifth of his allowance. That cursed male insect! If this does not taste good, then I will! An Feiyu looked fierce, but he could not think of what he would actually do.

Next, following the sequence from the live stream, the Wild Green Glow was minced and the meat slices were added to the pot. Lu Qing prepared some seasonings, and after pouring them in, he added the bowl of egg liquid to the milky-white porridge. He used chopsticks to stir it into a spiraling, creamy yellow vortex.

The savory aroma was now mixed with the fresh scent of eggs. An Feiyu went from being dismissive to involuntarily swallowing his saliva. It smells decent, he thought.

Lu Qing scooped a spoonful of porridge into a bowl and handed it to the other. “Try it and see how it tastes.”

An Feiyu cleared his throat. “Then I will graciously accept.”

After blowing gently on the steaming porridge, An Feiyu took a tentative bite. His expression gradually changed. The soft porridge was not overly thick, and every grain of rice was coated in gold. It was full of egg fragrance. The foul-smelling, tough beetle meat was now tender and springy, catching the slightly spicy minced Wild Green Glow as it slid smoothly down his throat.

It really is quite delicious! But why?

“Why? Clearly, both ingredients are terrible on their own,” An Feiyu said.

Lu Qing explained, “True, Wild Green Glow is pungently spicy and beetle meat is sour and tough. But just as some ingredients cannot be eaten together, others have miraculous effects when combined. You only know if you try.”

A burst of clapping came from behind them. “Well said.”

A tall, handsome sub-female entered against the light. An Feiyu’s eyes lit up as he lunged forward to hug him. “Lielf!”

The owner of Blue Star Live, Lielf, was a polite and handsome sub-female. He was half a head taller than An Feiyu, with long, dark-gold hair tied with a ribbon and draped over his chest. His almond-shaped eyes were warm and moist, making him look gentle and affectionate.

He placed a hand on An Feiyu and looked up at Lu Qing. “I am sorry. Feiyu has caused you a lot of trouble. He has a mischievous nature, but please believe he has no ill intent.”

An Feiyu, barely reaching around Lielf’s waist, grumbled, “I am not mischievous. I was testing him.”

“And the result of the test?” Lielf looked at him with a half-smile.

An Feiyu’s voice grew quieter as he muttered, “It is quite delicious. He is a little better than me, just a little.”

“Do not do this again next time.” Even as he spoke, Lielf had watched the entire process without stopping the young male’s actions. In his eyes, while the little male’s methods were not good, his pretentious performance was cute. Thinking this, his gaze toward An Feiyu grew even more tender.

Lu Qing shook his head. “It is nothing. The Vice President provided ingredients I have never used before. I should thank him for his generosity.”

Lu Qing’s expression remained flat and calm. An Feiyu suddenly realized that Lu Qing had not looked surprised at all when Lielf entered or when he called out his name. He had simply addressed him as Vice President naturally.

“You? You knew I was the Vice President all along?”

An Feiyu wanted to ask, but the sub-female beside him patted his arm, interrupting him. “Go see him out and apologize while you are at it.”

An Feiyu walked Lu Qing to the floor exit. After apologizing, he remained silent for the rest of the way. His smooth chestnut hair hung by his face, and his eyes darted around restlessly. His snow-white face was flushed red, as if he were holding something in.

Lu Qing noticed and asked as if he had not, “Does the Vice President have something on his mind?”

An Feiyu bit his lip and remained silent for a few moments. He took a deep breath as if making a firm decision, then suddenly looked up and asked…

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