The deal with Egobert was quickly settled. Clay wore a stern expression throughout and attempted several times to cut off communication, but Ye Zhizhou, quick to react, blocked his attempts each time.
"Darling, thank you for your generosity," Egobert, after discussing business, immediately reverted to his frivolous self, throwing seductive glances at Ye Zhizhou as if they cost nothing. "Little Panxi, I'm looking forward to our meeting in a few days. But I hope there won't be any annoying pests from the imperial family around you then."
"Your wish is going to be unfulfilled," Clay reached for Ye Zhizhou's communicator again, his face grave. "I'll be coming for you with a warrant. Be prepared to spend the rest of your life in prison."
"Tsk, always talking tough. Even if you catch me, it won't be the end," Egobert rolled his eyes in disdain and then promptly closed the communication. "I don't want to talk to you anymore. Goodbye."
Click, the communication panel disappeared. Ye Zhizhou gave Clay a sidelong glance. "Childish, isn't he? He hasn't heard the most important part yet."
Clay remained unmoved and wrapped his arms around Ye Zhizhou, nuzzling his neck.
Ye Zhizhou ruffled his hair forcefully and then took out his communicator to send another message to Egobert once he answered, "Pay attention to someone named Randy Jackels, a beta who appears to be a federal officer but is actually hosting a bug inside him. Also, someone around you leaked your plans to the insect race. Remember to find the traitor. I won't chat for long, goodbye."
As the communication closed, Ye Zhizhou stared at Clay, his eyes cold. "You said you were going to save my brother. Why are you here causing trouble?"
Clay withdrew his hand, his expression darkening. "Is that the only reason you sought an alliance? Because you think I can't rescue your brother?"
"I've never doubted your abilities," Ye Zhizhou didn't want any trust issues between them and reassured, "I reached out to Egobert for other reasons. Trust me, I just want to get rid of those bugs as quickly as possible."
"I believe in you," Clay said as he reached out to touch Ye Zhizhou's hair, his brow furrowing. "I just don't trust Egobert."
"I'm discreet," Ye Zhizhou reassured, hugging him tightly. Then, he asked in his mind, "Tongtian, can you temporarily ensure Aldo's safety?"
[Would you like to claim the Fate Bond mission reward in advance?]
Fate Bond? What's that? He chose to claim it, and a simple red string materialized on his wrist.
[Fate Bond: Temporarily transfer the misfortune of a blood-relative to oneself. During this time, all harm suffered by the blood-relative will be borne by the one holding the bond. Duration: Ten days.]
Ten days... He touched the red string on his wrist and a hint of determination flashed in his eyes. It would be more than enough time to kill those bugs.
[Egobert's chance of falling in love with the protagonist has decreased to 50%. Please continue your efforts.]
The communicator rang again, and Egobert sent a text. Ye Zhizhou opened it and began typing rapidly—it was time to tell Egobert a love story.
Clay noticed his actions and scowled but, considering Ye Zhizhou's current mood, decided to patiently hold him close and act oblivious.
A day later, federal officer Randy Jackels was granted an early leave, while at the same time, Egobert boarded a spaceship bound for the Imperial border planets.
On the main ship of the Free Alliance, Aldo turned his head to look at Dan Galt, his leader. Calmly, he asked, "Dan, as the leader of the Free Alliance, are you truly free?"
"Shut up," Dan tossed him a nutrition pack, scrutinizing him up and down. He snorted, "I never thought the guy who disrespected His Highness would have such a precious brother, too bad he's a sickly one."
"Yeah, too bad he's sickly," Aldo opened the nutrition pack slowly, glancing out of the narrow window at the vast starry expanse outside. "Thank you, Dan. This is the first time I've seen the real starry sea."
With a pale complexion and a frail frame, Aldo seemed to carry an indomitable strength within him that no one could shake. Dan suddenly found his smile irritating and furrowed his brows. He rudely snatched the nutrition pack from Aldo's hand, then gripped his chin to make him face him.
"Don't look! And don't you dare smile! You better behave and not think about escaping!" Dan growled.
"Escape?" Aldo wiped off the nutrition pack residue from his hand with a handkerchief. He gazed directly into Dan's furious eyes, a hint of puzzlement in his clear blue eyes. "Dan, why are you angry? I don't understand."
Dan, increasingly irritated by Aldo's gaze, pushed him to the ground with force. "I'm not angry. Do you think you, a hostage who lets me do whatever I want, can make me angry? I'll have another nutrition pack sent to you. Behave."
As Dan turned to leave, Aldo pushed himself up with his arms and watched his retreating back. "Dan, is a life of looting with the insect race really freedom? They're trapped, and your beliefs are wrong."
Dan abruptly halted his steps, then forcefully swung open the door. "Someone, bring me a supercomputer!"
"You just gave me a glass of water a moment ago, why... ah!" Randy suddenly cried out in pain, his body going limp as he clutched his abdomen.
Concerned, he quickly turned around and asked, "What's wrong with you?"
"My body feels off..." Randy collapsed onto the couch, and when he met Egobert's mocking eyes devoid of any emotion, he finally realized. Gritting his teeth, he asked, "Egobert, what did you put in the water you gave me?"
Egobert buttoned up his undone shirt, smiled at him, and then gracefully retrieved an energy pistol, aiming it at Randy's abdomen. "I always serve one thing to the bugs, a potent insecticide."
Randy was horrified, wanting to escape but realizing he had no strength left. His expression went through several changes, suddenly turning sinister, and his voice became hoarse and grating. "You've been deceiving me all along? Useless humans, you think this can kill me? You're dreaming!"
"Who said our goal was to kill you," Egobert squinted, taking aim at Randy's abdomen, and pulled the trigger crisply. A muffled sound followed, and a bloody hole exploded in Randy's abdomen, with black insectoid limbs mixed in with the flesh and blood.
"It really is insects," Egobert put the gun away, his face twisted, as he looked toward the door. "Why hasn't my old friend arrived yet? Is he waiting for me to have some fun with this bug?"
[Egobert's chance of falling in love with the protagonist has decreased to 0%. The seventh Soul Flag has been removed. Congratulations to the host, please keep up the good work.]
[Detecting fluctuations in the protagonist's soul... Fluctuations complete. Checking the status of the Soul Flags... Check complete, no anomalies.]
Ye Zhizhou turned off the system notifications and looked at the bearded man with the holoscreen. "Are you sure my brother came with Dan?"
"Skeletal matching coincidence rate is 100%." The bearded man's fingers rapidly tapped on the holoscreen, then his eyes suddenly lit up, and he exclaimed, "Dan Galt has come out, alone!"
Clay restrained Ye Zhizhou, who was trying to get up, and gave a low order through his earpiece. "Prepare to move. Starport is ready as well. Surround the Free Alliance flagship in three minutes."
The hotel room door was finally kicked open, and an angry Dan Galt rushed in, shouting as he entered, "Damn you, Egobert, what do you want with Randy?"
"I didn't do much, just put a bullet through him," Egobert sat leisurely on a single-seat sofa, his legs crossed, and held a glass of wine. "Hey, it's been a while, my old adversary. I heard you joined forces with the bug race? Tut tut, I wish you a pleasant time in prison for the rest of your life."
Dan was shocked by this entirely unexpected scene that deviated from the plan. His gaze swept over the corpse on the couch, and his pupils contracted. He was genuinely furious now. "Egobert, you actually killed His Highness!"
"Just a clone died, why are you yelling? But don't worry, his main body probably won't last long either," Egobert put down his wine glass and turned to look at Daley and the others who had entered with soldiers. He boredly waved his hand, "Arrest him, he seems to have gone mad these past two years."
"Indeed, he's not sane," Daley said with a sneer, stepping aside to let the soldiers use various means of suppressing physical and mental strength on Dan. He said coldly, "He's never been normal, the thing in his head just made him even more abnormal."
"Egobert, you've actually fallen to collusion with the Empire!" Dan Galt had realized that he had walked into a trap. His face remained composed as the soldiers used various means to immobilize him, and he said coldly, "Do you think capturing me will be useful? Tell that damn Panxi for me that his brother won't live long."
Daley chuckled at the words. "Don't worry, he'll definitely outlive you. Tie him up tighter; this guy may be brainless, but he's quite strong. Don't give him a chance to escape."
In another room, Aldo hugged Ye Zhizhou tightly as he rushed in. The strength he had been holding back crumbled, and tears finally flowed. "Panxi, how are our parents? I'm sorry; I've become a burden to you again. I'm so sorry..."
"What nonsense!" Ye Zhizhou hugged him tightly, allowing the memories belonging to the original owner to surge in his mind. He felt a painful tightness in his chest. "This time it's clearly my fault that I dragged you into this. I'm sorry, I was careless... It's all over now, it will get better. Mom and Dad are fine. In another six months, no, in three months, your condition will improve. Please don't cry."
Aldo nodded, and as the weight lifted off his shoulders, exhaustion overwhelmed him. He fainted in Ye Zhizhou's embrace.
The protagonist didn't die this time either, but the plot didn't change further. The removed Soul Flag remained absent, and Dan's flag remained at a constant 100%, resulting in a stalemate in the mission.
The restless insect race, watching carefully, eventually lost patience and launched an attack against both the Empire and the Federation one night. Parasitic insects lurking in the human world began to riot everywhere, engaging in a reckless frenzy with no regard for the consequences.
A month later, Aldo's condition improved, and Ye Zhizhou personally sent Clay and the others to the battlefield. Three months later, the x2-type genetic modification liquid suitable for this world was produced, and Aldo was the first to use it, with excellent results. Four months later, Aldo, who had greatly recovered, went to the prison to meet Dan Galt.
[Dan Galt's chance of falling in love with the protagonist has decreased to 50%. Please continue your efforts.]
Ye Zhizhou raised an eyebrow and called Aldo, "Brother, what did you say to Dan Galt? Just now, the prison guard passed a message, saying he suddenly had a big change of heart, and he's willing to cooperate now, even providing the locations of several insect nests."
"I didn't say much," Aldo, whose physical level had already risen to B, looked much more radiant. He had a contented smile on his face. "I just wanted to tell him that I'm free and happy now. Panxi, thank you."
"Why so formal," Ye Zhizhou replied with a smile, pointing to the twins who were busy behind him. "See them? They're working on a customized mech for you. It should be completed in about three months. You need to work hard to train and raise your physical level to A as soon as possible, okay?"
"Sure," Aldo nodded, his eyes filled with satisfaction. "Panxi, from now on, let your brother protect you, just like when you protected me when we were kids."
Ye Zhizhou thought of the original owner, who had reincarnated somewhere, and nodded. "Alright, brother."