Brute was furious. “Shut all of this down! Shut it all down!!”
“Dammit, when did he start livestreaming?!”
Looking from a different perspective, Shu stroked his chin, also finding it strange. “Lu lu zi, with so many Insects here, only Arachne noticed your whereabouts.”
Silently and stealthily, no one else had perceived a thing. It was unscientific. In his memory, only the “Golden Fingers” of his older brothers and sisters could achieve such a feat.
Lu Qing replied without changing his expression: “My grandfather had a book on ancient martial arts at home. I learned some breath holding techniques from it. Only high level Females find it easy to detect.”
“Oh ho,” Shu understood. He felt he had discovered another unknown side of Lu lu zi.
“Do you not understand my words? Dammit.” Brute could not control his facial features; his small, inverted triangular eyes squeezed together, making his wrinkled skin look even more uneven.
Four fierce Females stepped forward on command. Their intense pheromone pressure weighed on the nerves of all low level Insects present. Even the connection to the blue screen began to suffer from poor signal, flickering in and out.
The livestream had been going for over an hour. Just as the subjects were discovered, the signal began to fail, making it hard for the viewers not to worry.
Netizens who liked Lu Qing were already contacting the administrators of Doudou Livestream, hoping they could track the streamer’s current location.
Of course, there were also comments questioning the authenticity of the scene.
A netizen named [A Claditis] questioned: “In a poor, remote village like this, why would a noble Master Male condescend to come here and use force to bully villagers? Setting aside his character, Males are fragile and easily winded. What is the point of traveling so far? What do you think the probability is of two foreign Males appearing in one village?”
[A Claditis]: “So, I reasonably suspect this Male streamer is acting to create a gimmick and drum up hype for his channel.”
Don’t Get Angry: “Heh, I thought you were going to offer some profound insight.”
[A Claditis]: “What do you mean by that?”
Don’t Get Angry: “Seeing a Male in danger, your first thought is not how to save him, but to chatter here and sow suspicion. I reasonably suspect you have ulterior motives.”
[A Claditis]: “You are misleading everyone! When people eventually mobilize and waste energy for nothing, it will just benefit a small streamer.”
Misleading? Perhaps.
After several livestreams, Campis had become a die hard fan of Lu Qing. Moreover, he believed in the streamer’s character. How could someone who made such delicious food be a bad Insect?
Some supported Campis, while others supported A Claditis. The two sides were diametrically opposed, arguing so fiercely that they pushed the livestream to the trending homepage.
Parson was frantically making calls everywhere.
Last night, he had received a livestream proposal via email from Lu Qing. It was a plan stating that he was going to visit relatives in an obscure mountain village and promote the village’s local specialties.
The content mentioned in the plan was more novel and interactive than previous ones. It was no longer limited to the small space of his home. Instead, he would go out, personally forage for wild ingredients, cook delicious food, serve it to the villagers who provided the ingredients, and have them rate it.
If it worked well, it would be a huge boon for both the tourism industry and the livestream.
Parson had been uneasy and originally intended to go with Lu Qing. But the Male said he wanted to spend time with his relatives and it might be inconvenient to have an outsider present, so the matter was dropped.
Who would have thought such a dangerous incident would occur today?
Lu7in: “Where are you?”
The golden text bubble was squeezed among the dense, multicolored comments, completely buried. Everyone was tensely following the streamer’s every move.
No one noticed this comment from the top fan on the leaderboards, which refreshed and uploaded on the screen over and over again, tirelessly.
Lu7in: “Can you send a location?”
Lu7in: “Where are you.”
Elliot stared at the flickering virtual screen, his face gradually turning grim. His fingers gripped the bedsheet so hard that he accidentally tore a hole in it.
Hearing the tearing sound, he abruptly withdrew his hand. His gaze fell on the ruined sheet; he looked panicked for a moment before regaining his composure, which then turned into a hint of sadness.
His emotions were shifting too fast.
The faint sense of relief and joy he felt when Lu Qing started the stream had vanished the moment he saw those physically powerful Females.
A mess of thoughts flooded his mind.
“Is there any news yet?” Elliot pressed his hand against the terminal of his micro communicator. His voice was cold and hoarse, but he could not hide a trace of urgency.
He had been ordered into confinement. Old Locke had pulled some strings to move him from the interrogation room back to the Locke estate. On one hand, it made it easier to monitor him; on the other, it was to bring Lucy back as soon as possible to marry him and stabilize his political power in the military.
Elliot knew this well, but he could not act rashly. Once he went out, Old Locke would inevitably find out what he was doing.
He did not want Old Locke to know he was looking for Lu Qing.
“Reporting, Major General.” The adjutant operated the computer system, logging onto the external network while staring unblinkingly at the display: “Based on the coordinates in the southeast and the landmarks, ecological environment, and flora and fauna characteristics in the video, I have narrowed it down to two mountain peaks. I am just not certain if he is in that specific area yet.”
“There is a river.” Elliot quickly interrupted his subordinate’s analysis. He opened the cabinet near the door in Lu Qing’s room and pulled out a rope.
“Ah, then it is very likely the valley between these two peaks.” The adjutant opened a local map, zooming in to compare. He discovered there was indeed a small river and spoke with surprise.
“Take the aircraft out. Park it in front of the shop at 123 Luohe Street. Leave the keys and go.”
Elliot opened the window. The wind was howling, and it was raining slightly. He wore a micro terminal on his ear, his short hair looking sharp. Rain fell on the corner of his eye and slowly flowed into his dark lips, adding a touch of fragility.
He used the hand controlled communicator to pull up the blue screen, his gaze fixed on a flickering red dot. The dot seemed insignificant on the complex map, but it was all he could see.
Elliot looked intently at the additional functions of the detector. The display showed that the area the adjutant had identified was not raining; the weather was clear and cloudless, matching the weather in Lu Qing’s livestream perfectly.
His heart settled. He looked ahead, aimed at a thick, tall tree near the wall opposite the window, and threw the rope. It caught perfectly on a large branch.
Before he was discharged, Elliot had been repeatedly warned by his primary physician to avoid Insectifying as much as possible for the next few days. Otherwise, the impact on his body would be severe, likely leading to violent dependency syndrome.
He could only rely on external tools to sneak out of here.
Elliot tugged the rope, stepped onto the windowsill, gripped the looped end of the rope, and leaped from the window. He swung across on the long rope, clearing the wall.
A few strands of spider silk clung to the outer wall, acting as a buffer as he flew over, allowing him to land safely.
However, the blood soaked hole in his abdomen, tainted by venom, inevitably produced a sharp pang of pain. Blood seeped through the bandages, staining them with a red scar, as his muscles and nerves twitched in waves.
Elliot let out a shallow breath and hurried toward the location of the aircraft with a stoic expression.
“I will be there soon. Wait for me,” he murmured softly.
Back at the village, the battle remained at a breaking point. The two sides were at a standstill, neither taking a step forward.
The reason for the deadlock was the polite, gentle Male standing in front of the villagers and the tall, sturdy Female beside him. They were so formidable that the desperadoes Brute took such pride in had suffered various physical injuries, making the situation quite thorny.
“What is your angle?” The desperadoes were not just a pile of loose sand invited from various dangerous places. The leading Female had an imposing physique, clearly serving as the leader for the others.
Though he was also curious about Lu Qing’s identity, he felt a very familiar sensation coming from Arachne. It was as if they had crossed paths somewhere before.
“What angle?” Arachne laughed, his eyes narrowing. “You are not worthy of knowing.”
“Come.” He curled his finger in a provocative gesture. His gaze was light and indifferent, as if they were nothing more than insignificant trash.
The Females on the opposite side predictably lost their composure. One by one, their expressions turned hostile. A bloodthirsty, cruel light flashed in their pupils as their Insect markings grew hot, and they gradually began to transform.
The blue screen flickered intermittently. The netizens online could only see blurry, jumping afterimages. They thought the physical assault had already begun and were extremely worried about whether Lu Qing’s thin frame could withstand even a single kick from these crude Females.
But what they did not know was that at this moment, the protagonist they were worrying about was moving with light, rapid steps past those brutal Females, right before the shocked eyes of the villagers.
The speed of his kicks and punches was fast, ruthless, and precise, landing on the critical weak points of those Females. He struck hard but withdrew quickly; each punch stirred a gust of cool wind. His movements were as fluid as flowing water, quite beautiful to behold.
They had never seen such a beautiful fight. They had always thought fighting was bloody, violent, and cruel. Yet they saw no blood, and already the opposing Females were baring their teeth in pain, their faces turning pale and strained.
Arachne’s side of the battle was the exact opposite. He held his giant pincers, his eyes flashing with excitement. Every Female he fought was sliced open, revealing blood red muscle and spilling blood.
Comparing the two, the onlookers felt much more comfortable watching Lu Qing’s side.
“Pipi, is this, is this your cousin?” A Female from the village guard recovered from his shocked expression and looked with admiration at the Male who was handling himself so easily. Their memory was still stuck on the gentle voice that had greeted them yesterday when they returned from hunting. Seeing this now, the shock was beyond words.
“Um, if I said I did not know either.” Pipi slowly closed his slightly agape mouth. Looking at this cousin who felt like a stranger, his pride was tinged with a deepening suspicion that his cousin’s life back at home had been even worse than he imagined.
Reporting calls were flooding into the livestream app’s customer service system one after another. At first, the administrator did not care much and ignored them. It was just a livestream incident; there were plenty of those. It was not a major streamer, just a commoner. It would be fine to handle it later as usual.
However, the calls increased, and eventually even the top boss personally called to inquire. The administrator finally realized the gravity of the situation. Cold sweat poured down as he frantically answered one complaint call after another.
“Yes, yes, we can find the streamer’s location immediately.” Even though the boss on the other end could not see him, the administrator instinctively bowed and scraped, cold sweat dripping.
“Notify me the moment there is news. Not a single second must be delayed.” On the other end of the communicator, a Female dressed in a suit frowned and spoke sharply: “I hope a major incident like this does not happen a second time.”
“Yes! Yes!” Hearing the long hang up tone, the administrator’s racing heart finally calmed slightly, and he let out a long sigh. He turned his eyes to the search screen, deeply regretting why he had tried to slack off earlier, only to bring so much trouble upon himself.
“Beep beep beep, beep beep beep!”
Sigh. The administrator resignedly picked up the terminal. Another big shot was calling.
Elliot arrived at the scene in his aircraft.
A thick scent of blood, mixed with high level pheromones, diffused wantonly into the air. Because of his injuries, he could not help but taste blood in his mouth under the pressure of the other Insects’ pheromones.
But he endured the pressure. His heart was pounding as he urgently searched for that tall, thin silhouette.
There!
Elliot’s eyes lit up. He was extremely sensitive to Lu Qing’s pheromones and could smell that hint of tea mixed in the salty, fishy air. Relying on the scent of the pheromones, he could judge that Lu Qing was currently in good condition.
He hurried forward, impatient to get closer to the crowd.
What should he say for their first meeting after such a long time?
Elliot tried to open his mouth, only to find a thousand words stuck in his throat, unable to utter a single one. He lowered his eyes in slight dejection. Seeing the jade hanging at his chest, he felt a spark of courage and repeatedly practiced the many things he wanted to say to Lu Qing in his heart.
In the past, he did not know how to speak; his face was dull and wood like, and Old Locke always scolded him for it. Now he could speak, yet he could not find the words.
Orders from the army and the family were increasing daily. The time he spent with Lu Qing grew less and less, and they became more like strangers.
Perhaps this was an opportunity to reconcile, a chance to bring him home without waiting for Lu Qing to return on his own. He just needed to be more proactive and stop being like a block of wood.
The crowd surrounding the area receded in his vision. In the center of the opening stood a radiant young man. His soft, compliant hair was slightly messy, and a few drops of blood were splattered on his white T shirt.
The youth looked down at the pathetic Male fallen in the bloodstains, lightly wiping the spray from his face. His indifferent eyes held a hint of reckless, youthful spirit.
That was a light that had never existed while he was locked in his “cage.”
Elliot’s footsteps faltered. He stared blankly at Lu Qing’s sharp profile, unable to take another step forward.