If it weren't for the sky filled with humanoid machines, the insect race might have put up a fight. But now, with Shi Qing here, they didn't dare to do anything.
Seeing Yin Mingzheng about to take action to claim their lives, the leader of the insect race immediately prostrated himself on the ground, stammering, "W-We didn't mean to do anything... It's all because of this... human... It's all her fault!"
Did this human think she could shift the blame onto others?
They could do that too!
With sweat pouring down his face and several of his arms severed, a member of the insect race struggled to overcome his stuttering, "It's this... this human. She said she wanted to kill you, so she kidnapped the adults, and we... we..."
Behind him, a multi-eyed insect with eight eyes saw their leader faltering and quickly added, "We were just... just passing by."
"Yes! Yes, that's right!"
The leader of the insect race, as if grasping at a lifeline, vigorously nodded, his swollen neck about to burst from the effort, "We were passing by! We just came to take a look!"
Yin Mingzheng had never seen the insect race act like this before. He had encountered high-ranking members of the insect race in previous battles, and each of them had seemed eager to ascend to the heavens, looking down on the natives with disdain in their eyes.
This was the first time he had seen the insect race act like this.
Had the human hero Shi Qing instilled fear in them? Despite his small size and seemingly harmless appearance, these insect creatures wouldn't be afraid of him.
Could it be because of the humanoid machines filling the sky?
Yin Mingzheng glanced at the humanoid machines floating in the sky and thought it was quite possible.
He had only known that Shi Qing was the king of the machine race and had learned some of the machine race's traits, but he had never asked about their status in the universe.
Now, it seemed they held a good position.
If the insect race found out what Yin Mingzheng was thinking, they would probably realize that he had underestimated the machine race.
This was, after all, the machine race.
They went wherever they wanted to destroy, not for fame or profit, but simply to annihilate a civilization.
Moreover, they were numerous, powerful, fearless of death, fought solely for their king, and could produce endlessly.
Who wouldn't be afraid of an unending stream of relentless enemies?
In any case, they were afraid.
Several high-ranking members of the insect race lay prostrate on the ground, with the leader desperately trying to think of how to escape. However, Zhao Miaomiao couldn't find the words to say.
What could she say now that Shi Qing had seen her true colors, and the insect race had turned against her, shifting the blame onto her? The sky was filled with humanoid machines blocking their escape, and in front of them stood the top human fighter, watching them with disdain.
No matter which way they looked, it spelled death.
Zhao Miaomiao had never felt such despair before.
Looking at Shi Qing, who was nestled obediently in the man's arms without even sparing her a glance, and those timid insect creatures who dared not raise their heads, Zhao Miaomiao placed her only hope in Yin Mingzheng.
"Mingzheng Ge! Mingzheng Ge, please believe me! I don't know anything, I was kidnapped too, Mingzheng Ge!"
Originally, Zhao Miaomiao and General Zhao had planned for Yin Mingzheng to use Shi Qing as leverage against the insect race and broadcast it back to the base, revealing that the human hero was colluding with the insect race.
They had never planned to harm Yin Mingzheng. He was too powerful, and if he were to use his full strength, the insect race wouldn't be able to contain him, and they might even suffer a counterattack.
But ruining his reputation was a different matter. If Yin Mingzheng attacked the insect race but spared humans, he would lose his heroic image, and he would be powerless against the loss of his former glory.
As for Zhao Miaomiao's presence here, it was entirely the result of the insect race being cautious, fearing that humans had set a trap for them. Therefore, they had brought Zhao Miaomiao as a hostage.
Zhao Miaomiao had initially thought being a hostage wasn't such a bad idea. She had planned to humiliate Shi Qing herself, watching him squirm, and tarnish Yin Mingzheng's image.
But now, she could only beg pitifully at Yin Mingzheng's feet.
"Mingzheng Ge, these are the insect race! How can you believe the words of the insect race? You know what kind of person I am, right? How could I do something like this?"
She reached out to pull Yin Mingzheng's trousers, crying, "We've known each other for so long, can't our friendship withstand the word of the insect race?"
Yin Mingzheng felt Shi Qing nipping at his flesh again.
He quickly moved his feet away, not allowing Zhao Miaomiao to touch him even a bit.
The human hero's face was stern, his posture dignified, and he said, "We have no friendship."
"Furthermore, don't touch me."
While saying this, the man's long and slender hand protectively shielded the young boy in his arms.
This display of affection for Shi Qing, which he cherished so much while treating her with disdain, was a sharp blow to Zhao Miaomiao.
Over these days, she had tried various methods to please Yin Mingzheng, but this heartless man not only didn't respond to her attempts but also kept avoiding her. He hadn't even let her touch the hem of his clothes. Every time she tried to please him, he would sternly remind her that he already had a partner, that he had Shi Qing, and that she should have some self-respect.
Even now, when she was crying like this, Yin Mingzheng was only concerned about protecting Shi Qing!
She was facing death, while Shi Qing could be protected by Yin Mingzheng for a lifetime.
Why? Why?!
Zhao Miaomiao, driven to madness, stood up and pointed trembling fingers at the obedient boy in the man's embrace, "Yin Mingzheng!!! You've been deceived! He's not the way you see him! He's an alien!"
Then, she turned and pointed at the humanoid machines in the sky, "Have you seen the aliens in the sky? He called them here. Don't you know that aliens have different intentions? Do you believe his words? You believe the words of these insect creatures but not me?"
Seeing Yin Mingzheng's cold and unyielding expression, she laughed again, "Yes, yes, when you were taken by him on the spaceship and came back together, you must have known he was an alien."
"It was you who sent me over."
The man finally spoke, his eyes filled with sharp sarcasm, "Do you really think I can't find out?"
Zhao Miaomiao was stunned.
Then she quickly realized that Yin Mingzheng had discovered the truth about General Zhao sending people to ambush him. She immediately shook her head, "No, it wasn't me, it was my father. I like you, how could I want to harm you? It really wasn't me..."
"It doesn't matter."
Yin Mingzheng's face showed little emotion, and he even smiled slightly. His handsome features looked even more attractive than usual due to that smile.
He said, "I don't blame you."
Zhao Miaomiao had never seen him smile at her like this before. She was initially surprised, but then hope rekindled in her eyes.
Was Yin Mingzheng forgiving her? Was he going to spare her?
However, in the next moment, the god-like man lowered his gaze to the boy in his arms, and all the tenderness in his eyes was directed at Shi Qing. His lips curled up, and his entire aura softened as he gazed at Shi Qing.
The human hero said, "If you hadn't tried to trap me to my death, how could I have met Shi Qing?"
Zhao Miaomiao: "..."
[This guy has finally started using sweet words, huh.]
Shi Qing listened with a smile, hugged the man's neck, and pecked his sturdy cheek as a reward.
The insect creatures lying obediently on the ground behind them were a bit bewildered. Insect creatures didn't have the habit of kissing, and they had never cared to understand the local humans, so they were quite puzzled by Shi Qing's actions.
One of the insect creatures lying on the ground asked in a low voice in the insect language, "Is the adult going to eat Yin Mingzheng?"
"The adult's mouth is so small, and there's only one of it. It probably can't finish him. Should we try to escape while he's eating?"
"How do we escape? There are so many machines in the sky. Can you show me how to escape?"
The leader of the insect race couldn't take it anymore, "Stop arguing!"
He despised this group of insects that invaded their planet without doing any research, "Haven't any of you read the data? This is a human pre-mating behavior."
"Is the adult going to mate with humans? How do different species mate?"
"What a bunch of ignorant insects!"
The leader of the insect race was once again filled with disdain, "The machine race has always reproduced, but I've never heard of how they reproduce. I think the machine race's method of reproduction must be to eat the reproduction target, mate first, and then eat them!"
"I see. After mating, the insects become more docile. The adult should be the same. Do you think we can ask the adult to spare us after he's done mating with humans?"
"I think it's possible."
"Okay, okay, then let's wait here for the adult to finish mating."
They solemnly discussed how to save themselves in the insect language, but to Yin Mingzheng and Shi Qing, it sounded like:
"Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp?"
"Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp."
"Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp!"
"Chirp!"
The human hero furrowed his brows, and a dark mist suddenly descended in front of the insect creatures. He coldly demanded, "What are you doing?"
The insect creatures were startled and quickly explained, "Chirp! We didn't, didn't do anything. We were just, just chatting."
One of them was so frightened that he wished he could faint right there. However, due to his extremely ugly appearance, covered in green sweat with a ferocious (fearful) look in his wide-open eyes and teeth that appeared to be faintly gleaming, he was truly an eyesore.
Yin Mingzheng's little prince seemed to be frightened as well, letting out a cry and burying his face in the man's embrace. Yin Mingzheng didn't have time to intimidate the insect creatures anymore. He gently patted Shi Qing to reassure him, saying, "It's alright, don't be afraid, I'm here."
The boy's body trembled slightly, and he reached out to hold Yin Mingzheng tightly, looking like he was still in shock.
In reality, Shi Qing was frantically messaging the system: [Hahaha, hahaha, hahaha!!! Tóng Bǎo Bǎo, Tóng Bǎo Bǎo, come out quickly!]
The system, who considered the host a big shot and thought that with Yin Mingzheng's support, there was no need for its intervention, was now baffled and emerged in confusion. [Host?]
Shi Qing: [Hahaha, hahaha, hahaha!!!]
After laughing, he imitated what he had just heard from the insect creatures: [Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp!]
The system: [What?]
[Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp.]
The system: [...?]
Shi Qing laughed even harder. If his face hadn't been buried in Yin Mingzheng's chest, he might have laughed loud enough to be heard. The man thought he was genuinely afraid, gave the insect creatures a cold glance, and sent black mist rising as a threat. "Lower your heads."
After that, he lowered his head to look at the person in his arms. His expression softened again, and he gently patted Shi Qing's back. His magnetic voice was low and filled with tenderness as he assured him, "Don't be afraid. They just look a bit ugly. With me here, they won't dare to do anything."
Not long ago, the insect creatures, who had witnessed the boy's arrogance, silently and discreetly...
—Lowered their ugly heads.
Author's Note: Two more updates! There will be another one around 9 o'clock, so feel free to praise me for being diligent! This chapter also randomly drops a small red envelope, mwah mwah =3=
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