That night, Kāng nà had fleeting thoughts of the happy life awaiting him on Yǐzú Xīng and then couldn’t help but worry about whether something unexpected would happen the next day. He hardly slept well all night, and it wasn’t until dawn that he dozed off for a bit.

The next day, Kāng nà woke up early. After washing up, he changed into the gift from Jiālè tè for the Insect God Festival. He then opened the jewelry box in his wardrobe, and was immediately dazzled by the array of shiny treasures.

To be fair, Kāng nà wasn’t really into jewelry. Since coming back, he hadn’t opened the jewelry cabinet much, and this was the first time he seriously examined the items inside.

Various luxury brand watches occupied half of the jewelry cabinet; each watch was worth enough to cover a typical family’s expenses for three years. To the right of the watches were necklaces and bracelets made of various gemstones, sparkling in a riot of colors under the sunlight. Besides that, there were quite a few diamond brooches and gemstone cufflinks, all exquisitely beautiful, clearly not to Jiālè tè’s taste.

So, among all the glamorous jewelry, the red and green gemstone necklace that Jiālè tè had given him a few days ago stood out as particularly ugly.

Kāng nà didn’t have time to lament; he hurriedly opened the storage capsule and dumped everything from the jewelry cabinet inside. Just as he was about to close the cabinet, his finger accidentally brushed against a small protruding button next to it.

With a click, a small box popped out from the gap between the jewelry cabinet and the wardrobe, containing seven or eight items that seemed completely out of place with the jewelry cabinet.

There was a black, faded bracelet, a gift box made of red faux flowers that read “For the rest of my life, it’s all you,” a small rabbit woven from grass rope, and a pink mushroom-shaped nightlight that emitted green light when opened…

Cheap and ugly, it had a strangely similar vibe to the red and green gemstone necklace.

Kāng nà was momentarily stunned.

These were gifts that Jiālè tè had personally bought for him before he became a major general. Back then, he had pretended to dislike them, but he treasured them dearly, secretly finding a place to hide them, and he hadn’t been able to throw them away even after several moves.

Even now, he still remembered the story behind each gift. For instance, that red faux flower gift box was given to him by Jiālè tè on their first anniversary after they got married, and the faded bracelet was something Jiālè tè brought back for him after a duty in a scenic area near Jīngjiāo, which ended up staining his arm black after just a couple of days of wearing it.

Later on, as Jiālè tè became busier and spent less time with him, whenever the female insect was on a business trip, he would occasionally open this cabinet to take a look, always finding some comfort in it.

However, now, looking at the cabinet full of ugly, random gifts, Kāng nà felt no trace of emotion left, only disdain and disgust.

It turned out that in Jiālè tè’s heart, he was as cheap and low-quality as that faded bracelet, something that could be easily replaced.

With a cold laugh, Kāng nà closed the cabinet door, dusted off his hands, and walked out of the villa, heading straight for the limited edition rainbow starship that Jiālè tè had given him.

“Let’s go.” Kāng nà instructed Ān dé lǔ in the driver’s seat.

“Understood.”

Ān dé lǔ set the destination and waved to the starship following behind them. The three starships slowly started up and reached Láolā ’s house in less than ten minutes.

Láolā, who had been waiting at the door, quickly walked up to the driver’s seat and knocked twice. Ān dé lǔ jumped down from the starship and performed a formal greeting: “Lady Láolā, the starship is ready for you. Please follow me.”

Láolā lightly huffed, pointing at the rainbow-colored starship: “I want to sit in the same one as Kāng nà.”

“This…” Looking at the limited edition starship that could only accommodate two insects, Ān dé lǔ hesitated and scratched his head, “My lady, forgive me, but to ensure your safety and that of Kāng nà, I…”

“Oh come on, the starship has autopilot, we don’t need to control it! What are you afraid of?” Láolā rolled her eyes, feigning impatience, “Besides, your starship is right behind us. If any bad insects show up, they can just rush over.”

Seeing that Ān dé lǔ was wavering, Láolā quickly seized the opportunity, throwing a flirtatious glance at the serious military insect, her voice carrying a hint of playful coaxing: “Ān dé lǔ, just let me sit with Kāng nà. We haven’t seen each other for a week. Once we get to the hall, we’ll be watching the ceremony and won’t have time to chat properly.”

To make her act more convincing, Láolā had specially changed into the most expensive royal blue suit today, with a shiny silver brooch pinned to her chest, making her look like she was glowing.

Ān dé lǔ, who had spent years in the military, had never seen such a scene, and his wheat-colored face turned completely red.

“Alright, alright, just be careful. If anything happens, call us.”

“Don’t worry!”

Láolā darted up the starship, and once she saw Ān dé lǔ board the starship behind them, she let out a long breath: “Damn, you scared the life out of me!”

Kāng nà gave Láolā a thumbs up, adjusting the destination while reaching out to her: “Did you bring everything?”

“Of course!” Láolā pulled up a small program from her smart brain and scanned it with the starship’s intelligent driving system.

With a ding, a mechanical voice announced—B70-293 system installed, welcome to use.

Láolā handed her smart brain to Kāng nà, pointing at a green button on the screen: “Just press here, and the speed-up program will start.”

Kāng nà nodded: “Okay, no rush. The starship has stopped at the place I told you about, right?”

“Don’t worry, everything is ready. I even went to check the spot a couple of days ago.” Láolā whistled at Kāng nà, “It’s rare for you to have a change of heart, so I must help you escape from this sea of suffering.”

Emotions surged within Kāng nà, and his eyes misted over.

In two lifetimes, he had only made one good friend in the insect race, and that was Láolā. Just as he was about to say something, Láolā waved her hand: “Save the thanks for when we get to the ant tribe.”

“…I just wanted to ask if Xiǎoxuě and the others’ shipping arrangements are done.”

“…Don’t worry, they were sent off yesterday, and they’ll arrive at the ant tribe right after us.”

The starship flew leisurely towards the outskirts, and Láolā kept her keen eyes on the scenery outside. The moment the starship broke free from the main city, she suddenly pressed the button to start the speed-up program.

“Let’s go!”

In the next second, the starship’s speed surged, and with a whoosh, it shot out.

Kāng nà nearly got thrown off his seat by the powerful thrust, gripping the handrail next to the cabin door tightly while glancing at the two starships behind them through the mirror.

Láolā was full of confidence: “Don’t worry, the program designed by Jie Sen can’t even be caught up with by the Insect God!”

“Let’s hope so.”

Kāng nà kept his eyes fixed on the two starships that were falling further behind, his heart racing and his palms sweating nervously.

Two months of careful planning, enduring humiliation, all for today. This was his only chance; if he couldn’t escape, Jiālè tè would definitely be furious and would kill him on the spot.

He didn’t want to die!

Suddenly, with a piercing ringtone, a video call request from Ān dé lǔ popped up on Kāng nà’s smart brain. His brow twitched, and he quickly yanked off the smart brain and tossed it under the seat, switching to the one Láolā had brought for live streaming.

Listening to the incessant ringing beneath his feet, Kāng nà felt flustered, his lips pressed into a straight line, his hands gripping the handrail tightly, his whole body trembling slightly.

Láolā gently patted Kāng nà’s back: “Don’t be nervous, it’ll be fine.”

Just as Kāng nà was about to smile at Láolā, his expression suddenly changed, his voice trembling: “Láolā, you… take a look, are they catching up?”

“They won’t…”

Láolā’s voice cut off abruptly. Through the glass window, he could see one of the starships trailing behind them, no matter how the starship maneuvered, it couldn’t shake it off.

“It shouldn’t be happening!” Láolā panicked instantly, “At our current speed, we’ll reach the marked location in less than ten minutes. At this distance, we’ll be caught before we can even get off the starship!”

Kāng nà furrowed his brow, staring intently at the map on the star network: “Let me think.”

*

Meanwhile, in the military hall, Jiālè tè had changed into a brand new black military uniform, the golden pentagram representing the marshal rank shining in the morning sun.

Due to the Insect Emperor’s illness, the coronation ceremony was to be conducted by the Crown Prince and the Third Prince together. The Third Prince arrived early at the hall and smiled at Jiālè tè: “Congratulations, Marshal Jiālè tè.”

Jiālè tè performed a formal greeting: “Thank you, Your Highness.”

While he was chatting with the Third Prince, his gaze couldn’t help but drift towards the beautiful VIP seats. In half an hour, the Monarch should be back, right?

“Marshal?”

Jiālè tè suddenly snapped back to reality, apologizing with a smile towards Huò ěr: “Sorry, Your Highness, I was a bit distracted after preparing for the coronation ceremony late last night.”

“It’s alright. Marshal, you’ve worked hard for the Empire, it’s I who should thank you.” Huò ěr smiled slightly, his eyes holding deep meaning, “The general has risked his life for the Empire, and the marshal position is well-deserved. However, to reach this position in less than ten years in the military, there hasn’t been another female general in the Empire besides you. You truly are a young talent, a model for other military females to learn from.”

Jiālè tè felt a cold laugh rise in his heart.

What young talent? It was just pointing out that his qualifications were not as good as those of other generals. If it weren’t for the Third Prince’s support, he wouldn’t even have the marshal position.

But in reality, his position was earned through his own hard work, and had nothing to do with the Third Prince. The old military females in the military had initially been unwilling to accept him, but after several missions, they had all come to respect him.

What nonsense qualifications! In the military, ability is the only truth!

However, to investigate Huò ěr’s true identity, Jiālè tè couldn’t afford to fall out with him just yet, so he nodded: “Thanks to the Insect Emperor’s favor and Your Highness’s support, Jiālè tè is able to hold this position. I’m truly ashamed.”

“What do you mean by being ashamed of holding this position? The marshal is too humble. If you lack qualifications, you can make up for it in other ways. As far as I know, several generals in the military haven’t married into the royal family yet.” Huò ěr said, while reaching out to help Jiālè tè adjust his impeccably neat collar, “Marshal, think about it carefully.”

Jiālè tè suppressed his disgust and smiled lightly: “Jiālè tè understands.”

After brushing Huò ěr off, Jiālè tè couldn’t help but glance again at the empty seat in the front row of the VIP section.

For some reason, his heart suddenly felt a bit anxious, as if something bad was about to happen.

Jiālè tè frowned, just as he was about to go to the office to grab his personal smart brain to check where the Monarch was, Lái ēn ran over: “Marshal, the etiquette department wants you to do a final rehearsal.”

Jiālè tè hesitated for a moment but still didn’t return to the office.

With Ān dé lǔ and the others following, there shouldn’t be any accidents.

*

As they got closer to their destination, the starship piloted by Ān dé lǔ stubbornly stayed right behind them.

With dark eyes fixed on the map, Kāng nà suddenly slapped his thigh: “Láolā, I’ve thought of a way!”