Outside the cave.
Hill emerged, standing beneath a tree. A gentle breeze stirred her wine-red hair, and a hint of confusion clouded her eyes.
She had just refused the King.
The mere thought of the King's expression just now sent a pang through her heart. Was the King disappointed in her?
Would he never smile at her again?
However, despite this, she still could not agree to the King's request this time.
And she promised, this was the only time.
"For your safety, I must do this, for you must stay away from humans."
"Because not all humans are good."
Hill looked up at the birds preparing to return home in the sky. Her gaze shifted to the side and she saw two humans at the cave entrance. Hill's pupils instantly narrowed, like a wild beast spotting prey, her eyes locked onto the two individuals.
The King had seen humans before. Weren't these humans? And she had brought them back.
Ever since the King saw these two people, his behavior and language had become somewhat strange. He hadn't eaten them immediately then; instead, he kept them. His gaze seemed indifferent, as if he didn't quite want to eat them.
'Bang'
With this thought, Hill punched the trunk of the nearby tree. A large hole instantly appeared in the sturdy trunk. She retracted her hand and walked towards the two humans.
Indeed, she shouldn't have brought these two back.
Why not kill them now? Then the King would surely abandon that absurd suggestion.
Mere ants, they shouldn't be considered on the same level.
Hill slowly approached Li Huan and Bai Chen, who were resting at the cave entrance.
Just a few steps away, Ruila suddenly appeared before Hill and whispered close to her ear, "Commander, you cannot do this."
Although Ruila didn't know why the two commanders were defying the King's wishes, nor what had happened before, these two people in front of them were now the King's. If the Commander were to kill them now, and the King found out, what if the King became angry with the Commander?
She would not allow such a thing to happen.
Hill turned her head to look at her suddenly appearing副手 (fù shǒu - deputy/subordinate), her face showing impatience. Why was she being stopped for killing just one ant? As her副手, shouldn't she be supporting her unconditionally? Just like before, always by her side.
"Why."
Ruila looked at her commander's expression. Ever since the King's successful reincarnation, the commander's emotions had become increasingly rich. She seemed to have become a creature capable of anger and happiness. These were the happiest days in the ten years Ruila had followed her commander, and to keep the commander happy forever, she would stop her from doing the wrong thing.
Even if it made the commander unhappy, she would still stop her.
"These two are the King's rations. If the King wants to eat them later and the meat isn't fresh, the King will definitely be unhappy. Commander, please reconsider," Ruila patiently explained to Hill.
Already annoyed by why her副手 was stopping her, Hill's tightly furrowed brow relaxed slightly upon hearing this explanation.
What if the King truly wanted to eat them later? If she killed them now, the King would certainly be angry.
It was better to let them live for now and see if it was truly because of them.
If it was them, it wouldn't be too late to kill them then.
Having figured this out, Hill returned to the tree, her eyes fixed on the cave.
Ruila also walked to Hill's side, standing quietly beside her commander.
Her eyes constantly watched her commander.
"I will swear to protect your smile with my life, Commander."
Li Huan, who was resting at the cave entrance, suddenly felt a killing intent and immediately woke up, searching for the source of this malice. However, after looking around, he found nothing.
Li Huan retreated to his original position.
Was it his imagination?
He turned to look at Bai Chen, who was still resting, and rolled his eyes. "This pig only knows how to sleep," he muttered, then closed his eyes again.
The moment Li Huan closed his eyes, Bai Chen, beside him, opened his eyes and looked in Hill's direction.
"That was a close one just now."
Lin Hao, inside the cave, squatted on the ground, cradling his head in his arms, curled up like a small animal in what he considered a safe area.
He was lost in deep memories, faces appearing and disappearing in his mind: Qin Mohan, Hu Tu, and the most important person to him.
He didn't even notice when someone entered.
Elfar, knowing he had been too harsh, regretted it the moment he walked out. He shouldn't have spoken to the King like that. The King had just reincarnated and knew nothing. They should have guided the King correctly, not refused him the moment he spoke.
They truly shouldn't have done that.
Elfar, who had not been outside for two minutes, immediately came back into the cave. The words he had prepared failed to come out the moment he saw Lin Hao.
He shouldn't have left the King alone, especially now that the King was a cub.
A cub considers the first insect it sees upon hatching as its closest kin. Yet, they, the closest kin, had left the cub alone here, with no one to stay and accompany the King.
How terrified the King must have been to be curled up like this, in a small corner, without an eggshell, without anything.
Elfar quickly walked to Lin Hao's side, crouching down and hugging Lin Hao, who was curled up.
His eyes revealed deep sympathy.
He reached out and stroked Lin Hao's hair, softening his tone and saying gently, "King, I am here." "I will always be here."
"Don't be afraid."
"We will always be with you."
The hand stroking Lin Hao's head trembled slightly because he could clearly feel the King's every breath, cautiously taken, his body unconsciously trembling.
The King was afraid.
It was all their fault.
Lin Hao, who had been sinking into darkness, was preparing to give up struggling. After all, more than ten years had passed, and he truly wasn't afraid anymore.
Just then, Lin Hao suddenly heard a particularly stiff voice. The tone, devoid of emotion, was heard by him as comfort and guilt.
"We will always be with you."
This sentence instantly dispelled the darkness in his mind.
Lin Hao opened his eyes and found himself in Elfar's embrace. This cold creature was gently comforting him, and although his tone was stiff, the comfort was discernible.
Feeling the warmth of the embrace, he realized he was not alone. He had these family members.
These family members who would always protect him.
Lin Hao hugged Elfar back, wrapping his arms around Elfar's strong waist, and said softly, "You did nothing wrong. I became a streamer because I didn't want you to always hide in the shadows. I wanted you to live without worry."
And to let those humans who were prejudiced against insectoids recognize the unknown insectoid race.
This way, they could happily roam every corner of the universe.
Elfar looked down at Lin Hao and said, "I know your thoughts, but for your safety, I still do not recommend you being a streamer."
The previous King had perished before their eyes because of such an idea.
They could no longer bear the days without a King.
Such a gamble, they could not afford to lose.
Nor could they gamble.