Chapter 1

When Que Rong arrived at the apartment where the male insect was staying, he carried only an ordinary black shoulder bag. It held everything he owned, yet was light enough to carry easily in one hand and still had room to spare. Before he had even stepped inside, a casual glance from the entryway into the living room told him there was far more to this tiny apartment than met the eye—he could already see five or six hidden pinhole cameras.

Without wasting words, Que Rong set his bag on the floor by the wall, rolled up his sleeves, and got silently and efficiently to work. Xie Yanxing watched with great interest at first. But when Que Rong removed two cameras from the bathroom showerhead as well, he looked both embarrassed and innocent. Even though the female insect had not asked, he explained, "I've only lived here for four days, and I spent a day and a half of that kidnapped somewhere else... I haven't had time to shower."

"..." Que Rong looked back at him as if he were about to say something. Then his expression suddenly sharpened, and he turned a wary gaze toward the tightly closed front door.

Xie Yanxing had heard and sensed nothing, but he would never doubt these female insects' excessively keen hearing. Something unwelcome had to be outside... The two of them held their breath and waited. Sure enough, a shadow soon flickered past the crack beneath the door, followed by a crumpled pink envelope shoved through the gap.

Xie Yanxing knitted his brows, his face full of revulsion. Judging from his reaction, as though he already knew what the letter contained, this had clearly happened more than once—and there was definitely nothing good inside. Que Rong noticed. He motioned for Xie Yanxing to stay where he was, then cautiously approached, picked up the envelope, and examined the delicate satin ribbon adorning it.

He had assumed it was probably a love letter filled with lewd, sickeningly sweet declarations. But the instant he lifted the envelope, the overwhelming reek of a female insect's semen made his expression darken with disgust.

"That goddamn bastard!" Que Rong's eyes abruptly transformed into bloodred vertical pupils. He practically kicked the door open, called back, "Lock the door and wait for me," then stormed off with the "evidence" in hand.

Xie Yanxing had not expected his new bodyguard to be quite so decisive. Before he could even tell him to forget it and let the culprit go, the female insect had vanished from sight—as if Que Rong himself were the one who had been violated by a harassing letter smeared with semen.

Xie Yanxing stood in the entryway for a moment, then curled his lips in amusement and turned back to close the door.

Three hours earlier.

The External Affairs Hall of the Central Military Theater garrison, in the capital of the Insect Star System's Third Planet.

Two young female insects in navy-blue Space Force uniforms pushed open the door to Conference Room Five. Standing ramrod straight, they saluted in perfect unison. "Reporting, sir."

An elderly female insect with graying hair sat inside, also in uniform. Without even lifting his eyes, he slowly took a sip from the cup in his right hand, then leisurely set it down. Only after completing the entire sequence as though no one else were there did he drawl, "Come in."

"Yes, sir!"

The young female insects turned to shut the door, then strode forward. The insect in front held a stack of documents, which he respectfully placed before the elderly female insect. "Lieutenant Colonel Luke, these are the final evaluation results for every military female insect who passed the physical fitness test."

"Mm." Luke slowly raised his cup for another sip. "Where is Young Male Master Xie Yanxing?"

"His transport is awaiting inspection at the first checkpoint outside our garrison. He should reach the conference room in approximately fifteen minutes. He is accompanied by the vice president of the capital's Male Insect Protection Association and two senior officials from the Federation's Upper Planet Confidentiality Bureau."

"Insects from Upper Planet?" The mention of important officials finally made Luke put down his hot water and show some interest. He turned his attention to the stack of documents on the table and squinted at the densely packed figures.

He had not expected the very first page to make him frown in displeasure. "Que Rong? Why is this insect applying for a position guarding a male insect? Isn't he a notorious anti-male extremist? ...And how did he even get a place in the selection process? ...How did he rank first in every category?"

Luke rapidly flipped through the results of the other military female insects. What he did not say aloud was that Que Rong was not merely first—he had taken first place by a crushing margin. Compared with him, the elite female insects transferred in from various Military Command units might as well have gone home to plow fields.

"General Randall recommended him... Apparently, the Military Insect Affairs Bureau and Military Inspectorate on the main planet have already agreed that, as long as Major General Que Rong passes the selection, receives this assignment, and protects Young Male Master Xie Yanxing safely for two months, he can be reinstated in the military."

"...Hah. 'Major General,' my ass. He's nothing but a criminal insect stripped of his military status." Luke gave a cold, contemptuous snort. After glaring at his subordinate for the slip of the tongue, he picked up the fountain pen beside his cup and wrote three words directly across Que Rong's outstanding evaluation sheet, with its long list of S grades: APPLICATION NOT APPROVED.

Beneath that, he added: This candidate displayed emotional instability on multiple occasions during testing and possesses strong violent tendencies. He is unfit for work protecting male insects. Luke Carter.

Those few short lines of commentary casually destroyed days of the female insect's hard work.

Luke tossed the sheet onto the floor as though discarding a piece of filthy trash. "Where is Que Rong?"

The blond female insect standing at the back seemed unhappy with Luke's actions, but did not dare object. He merely watched the sheet flutter down beside his shoe, pressing his lips together in veiled displeasure.

The military female insect standing nearer the front answered, "Major General Que Rong... Que Rong is currently waiting for the decision in the lounge with the others."

"Tell him to grab his things and get the hell out. We don't need him suddenly going crazy again and offending the young male master when he arrives."

"Lieutenant Colonel, wouldn't that violate procedure...?"

"Procedure? My preliminary-review authority in this evaluation is the procedure."

"But—"

"Yes, sir!" the blond female insect answered crisply, cutting off his colleague's objection. As though utterly obedient, he bent to retrieve the sheet from the floor, then swiftly left the conference room.

......

Meanwhile, in the lounge.

Eight female insects in military uniforms of various colors stood before their respective lockers. Some were straightening their clothes, while others tipped back their heads to drink water. One female insect, however, looked entirely out of place. Dressed in the plainest possible black civilian clothes, Que Rong sat alone on a bench in the farthest corner. His pant leg was rolled up, and he was bent over, expertly cleaning and bandaging his still-bleeding calf.

His lower leg was not the only place injured. Wounds of varying sizes also covered his arms, shoulder, waist, and other areas. Without military status, Que Rong was not entitled to use the military insects' fast-acting wound medicine. Thus, even though he had sustained the fewest injuries during the full day of combat testing, he still had to tend his wounds now, long after all the other female insects' injuries had healed.

The sound of military boots against tile drew closer, and a blond female insect pushed open the door with a blank expression.

"Que Rong." He held a sheet of paper folded in half. "Please come outside for a moment."

Every other military female insect in the room instantly turned to look at the insect whose name had been called. Their gazes held everything from mockery and pity to commiseration—subtle emotions made painfully obvious. Silent at the center of their attention, Que Rong rose, set down the gauze, and followed at once without even pulling his pant leg fully back into place.

The blond female insect walked at a brisk pace, leading Que Rong all the way to a secluded, deserted corner before stopping. Frustrated anger and helplessness finally broke across his face. "Major General Que Rong..."

Que Rong lifted his eyes to him and accepted the evaluation sheet he offered. Beneath row after row of S grades, Lieutenant Colonel Luke's comments stood out in glaring red. Every word was a subjective accusation about things that had never happened.

When Que Rong showed no reaction, the blond female insect cried out indignantly in a low voice, "Major General, Luke has always been jealous. He envies your accomplishments and is using his position to settle a personal grudge! He's also demanding that you leave the Central Military Theater garrison immediately, before the young male master arrives..."

"Mm. I understand." Que Rong folded the sheet into a small square and tucked it into his pants pocket. "Thank you."

The blond female insect paused. He was still burning with indignation on Que Rong's behalf, but he also knew that, in this matter, neither he, a mere private second class, nor Que Rong, once an exalted major general, could do anything at all.

A tiger fallen to the plains could be bullied by dogs.

Que Rong had lowered his eyes and seemed to be thinking rather than leaving. At the sight, the blond female insect abruptly drew himself up, sucked in his stomach, and mustered the courage to look him in the eye. "Major General Que Rong, you did nothing wrong. I—and many insects in the military—will always be your staunchest supporters."

The words roused Que Rong from his thoughts. He looked at the female insect before him, apparently a little surprised. One of Que Rong's eyes was a brilliant, unblemished gold, like a golden zircon held up to the light. The other was a cloudy gray-white that made it appear blind. In truth, the vision in his gray right eye was indeed somewhat impaired, but he stubbornly refused to seek treatment at a hospital.

Under his "idol's" gaze, the blond female insect's spine stiffened further. He opened his mouth to continue declaring his loyalty, only to hear Que Rong let out a sudden laugh. The fleeting smile that crossed Que Rong's face was as faint as wispy smoke. Then his voice deepened. "I need this job. It's very important to me."

"I know," the blond female insect replied quickly. "It determines whether you can return to the military."

"I can accept not being selected, but not like this," Que Rong continued. His voice was steady and resolute, just like the insect himself. "Could I ask you for a favor?"

The female insect gulped nervously, but quickly steeled himself and said with determination, "Do you want me to put your evaluation sheet back? I'm willing—"

Que Rong shook his head. "Approximately how much longer until Young Male Master Xie Yanxing reaches the External Affairs Hall?"

"Uh...?" The blond female insect quickly checked the time on the terminal around his wrist. "Probably another minute or two..."

"Which entrance will they use?"

"The southwest entrance. Vehicles transporting superior officers and male insects always stop there."

"Good." Que Rong inclined his head to the female insect. "Thank you for your help."

With that, he turned and left without looking back, leaving the blond female insect standing there in a daze, with no idea what he had actually helped with. Que Rong entered the stairwell and charged down the stairs in great strides.

As the Central Military Theater's only point of contact with the outside world, the External Affairs Building always bustled with an endless stream of insects. Que Rong took four or five stairs with every step until he reached the ground floor, then followed the signs toward the southwest entrance at a run. Just as he neared his destination, he rounded a corner and collided head-on with a female insect. The other insect, dressed in a dark green Army uniform, staggered back two steps from the impact. As soon as he regained his balance, he snarled, "You got no eyes?!"

"Sorry. Let me through."

"What do you mean, let you through?! Apologize properly!" The female insect seized Que Rong's clothes at the shoulder and forcibly held him in place.

Que Rong frowned and got a clear look at the insect before him. "...Bin?"

The familiar voice made Bin freeze. The anger in his eyes rapidly turned to ridicule and disdain when he recognized the insect before him. "Well, look at that. It really is the half-blind bastard... If it isn't our great hero, Que Rong."

"I have somewhere to be." Que Rong had no desire to linger, but Bin pressed him relentlessly, taking a jaunty step sideways to block his path. The two female insects accompanying Bin were cut from the same cloth. They split up to either side and formed a wall of insects, preventing Que Rong from leaving. "What could be so urgent...? Oh, that's right. Why is a grand major general wearing civilian clothes in a military garrison? Where's that Space Force uniform you were so proud of? Don't tell me the Inspectorate stripped it off—"

In the middle of reveling in his loud mockery, Bin suddenly saw the impatience vanish from Que Rong's face, as if Que Rong had changed his mind about something. Then a faint, meaningful smile curved his lips. Back when the two insects had attended the military academy together, they had been unable to stand each other and had constantly vied for superiority. Every time Que Rong smiled at him that way, some terrible misfortune invariably befell Bin soon afterward.

Even though Que Rong's glory days were long behind him, that familiar smile still instantly raised goose bumps all along Bin's arms.

"Bin..." Que Rong leaned close to his ear and lowered his voice. "Does your male master treat you well? Back then, he pursued me, and I rejected him. In a fit of spite, he married you, since you and I had never gotten along... Has he ever called out my name in bed?"