Chapter 76#
Interrogation#
The bug was held in a special chamber within the base, quite far from the main building complex.
As the group passed the canteen, they were stopped by the auntie, who repeatedly reminded them that tonight’s New Year’s Eve dinner had to be on time. Ning Feng grinned and agreed, even throwing in a few charming remarks that left the auntie beaming before she let them go.
“Smooth talker,” Ou Jingshan muttered, ordering the bug to be taken into the interrogation room, then led the others into the adjacent observation room.
The interrogation room was small, surrounded by thick steel walls with no windows. The entire space was dimly lit. The harsh white light pressed on everyone’s optic nerves, and something nameless seemed to stir in the shadows.
When Ning Feng and the others arrived, the bug was huddled in a corner.
It was a gaunt young man, head drooping. If not for the positive insect gene test result, no one would have guessed from his appearance that he was a bug. According to the guards, he hadn’t eaten or drunk anything for two or three days.
“Tch, pretending to go on a hunger strike like a human,” Ou Jingshan scoffed, puffing out his chest eagerly. “Commander, I’ll go in with you.”
“It asked to see me.” Standing before the one-way mirror, Yin Beichen’s face betrayed no emotion. He turned his head toward Ning Feng. “You stay in the observation room too.”
“You’re going alone?” Ning Feng frowned slightly.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Yin Beichen’s abilities, but the opponent was a bug—the kind that loved dying together with its enemy. You couldn’t judge it by normal standards. Back in the Wastrel City, he’d fallen for their tricks, ending up with Samu infected by bug venom, still undergoing treatment while Wen Qian Yong fretted over it every day.
Yin Beichen was the commander of the Sixth Military District. If anything happened to him, it would definitely shake morale. Who knew what insane things those bugs might do?
Yin Beichen pressed his lips together, his gaze softening. “I’ll be careful.”
Pretending to glance at him casually, Ning Feng’s eyes flickered, then shifted away. “Then how will I translate for you?”
After a moment’s thought, Yin Beichen said, “Private comm channel.”
Ou Jingshan immediately sensed something off. “Commander, you’re setting up a private comm channel with him?”
A private channel was a dedicated frequency immune to external interference, with strong shielding. But setting one up required special reporting to the Security Department, a series of applications, and even a seal from the main star. No one would go through all that trouble unless they had a very close relationship.
“The interrogation room has jamming devices. A private channel prevents communication delays.” Yin Beichen’s tone was as calm as always, as if stating something perfectly obvious.
“But—” For just one interrogation, was it necessary?
“Is there a problem?”
“…No.”
Satisfied, Yin Beichen nodded, then turned to Ning Feng. “Channel.”
Ning Feng: …
With a straight face, Ning Feng pulled out his optical computer and matched the information on the spot. Hearing the beep indicating successful setup, he inexplicably felt like he’d fallen into a trap. Before he could figure out how to respond, Ou Jingshan elbowed him into the next room.
“Ahem!” The bald man cleared his throat loudly. “Anyway, Commander, you’d better hurry up, or we’ll miss the New Year’s dinner. If Auntie gets mad, it’ll be terrifying.”
Seeing Yin Beichen retract his gaze and leave the room, Ning Feng breathed a subtle sigh of relief. But the next moment, a giant fist appeared in front of his face.
“Kid, I’m warning you, don’t get any funny ideas.” Ou Jingshan bared his teeth threateningly. “The Commander already has someone.”
“What does that have to do with me?” Ning Feng rolled his eyes.
Actually, he already knew.
All of the Commander’s strange behavior now was just based on that ridiculous guilt and that inexplicable sense of compensation.
But feelings—either they existed or they didn’t. You couldn’t fool anyone. He knew he didn’t have the charm to make Yin Beichen fall for him, and besides, he no longer had any thoughts about Yin Beichen.
This couldn’t go on. It seemed he’d have to keep his distance.
Thinking this, Ning Feng watched Yin Beichen approach the interrogation room.
With a click, the thick steel door slid open to both sides. The overhead light flickered, shining directly onto the bug’s face. It squinted, struggling to lift its head, and saw Yin Beichen stride in unhurriedly, stopping five meters away.
Its eyes lit up immediately. Struggling to sit up, it grinned maliciously when it confirmed only one person had entered.
“Hello there, Commander.”
Yin Beichen clasped his hands behind his back, the low brim of his cap hiding most of his face, but his gaze was like a hammer—once it landed on a person, it pounded panic into their heart.
“I heard you wanted to see me.”
“You’re a bug killer, a big name among us. Who wouldn’t want to see you?” The bug’s eyes were vicious, as if it wanted to tear a piece of flesh from him.
But Yin Beichen only raised his eyelids, his face expressionless. “Then you’re quite lucky. You’re the bug that’s lived the longest in front of me.”
“Really? Are you sure about that?” The bug sneered. “The ones out there are all low- to mid-level drones. If a high-level clansman stood before you, you might not even recognize them—like me.”
“You definitely aren’t one.” Yin Beichen looked at him like he was looking at a dead thing. “Otherwise, why would you be cannon fodder?”
Instantly, the bug’s face turned pale, veins bulging on his hands.
“The Commander’s mouth is really sharp…” Ou Jingshan muttered, then glanced at Ning Feng. “Hey, you translated anything useful?”
“Ah, what’s the rush? I’m listening.” Ning Feng rubbed his fingertips, a trace of worry showing.
From the start, this bug had been cursing nonstop. He hadn’t picked up any useful information.
But that wasn’t what worried him.
He knew the interrogation room had an invisible isolation device. In theory, Yin Beichen was safe. But with them this close, if the bug venom somehow penetrated the device, it would be over.
“General, don’t get too close,” Ning Feng warned in a low voice.
Yin Beichen glanced down to gauge the distance but didn’t move.
After a long silence, the bug raised a cold smile. “That provocation won’t work on me.”
Yin Beichen hummed lightly, a hint of arrogance curling his thin lips.
“Provocation requires you to be a general.”
“You!” The bug shot up, only to collapse weakly from exhaustion, finally glaring at him with hatred, wanting to devour him.
[Kill him, kill him!]
[Damn humans!!]
[No, no! The Queen Mother says, don’t kill!]
…
Queen Mother?
Ning Feng froze.
As far as he knew, a Queen Mother was a high-level bug of rank fourteen, second only to the Overlord. How many Queen Mothers existed was unknown, and their exact information and morphological characteristics were impossible to grasp. Could all these bugs be acting under a Queen Mother’s orders?
He immediately contacted Yin Beichen. “General, there might be a Queen Mother behind him.”
Yin Beichen’s brows twitched faintly, his face as calm as a mask. A moment later, he lifted his chin slightly, looking down at the bug from above.
“Do you have any last words?”
“Come over here, and I’ll tell you.” The bug smiled slyly.
But Yin Beichen didn’t move. He only said flatly, “About the Queen Mother?”
The bug froze, then turned deathly pale. Seeming to realize something, its eyes darted around in panic, searching everywhere for surveillance.
[That person? He’s here?]
[Where is he? Where?]
…
But scanning the room, it couldn’t even find a camera. It could only stare fixedly at Yin Beichen. “Human, we will kill you sooner or later.”
Yin Beichen’s face remained hard, cold eyes flickering with disdain and arrogance.
“Who will kill me? The Overlord?”
Suddenly, the bug threw its head back and laughed.
“Foolish human! Do you think the Overlord is dead?” Its triangular eyes held a cunning smile.
Hearing this, Yin Beichen narrowed his eyes slightly. “The Overlord is dead.”
“No, it’s still alive.” Its gaze was like a venomous snake. “It only changed its form, changed its voice. All bugs can feel the link to it. We can, and the Queen Mother can too!”
The Overlord isn’t dead?
Ning Feng’s pupils contracted sharply. He stared in disbelief.
No. Impossible!
He had been at the great battle three years ago. He had seen the Overlord explode into chunks right before his eyes, shaking the Nora’s radiation-resistant outer hull out of shape. He himself had been infected with bug venom…
The Overlord couldn’t be alive. Absolutely impossible!
Yin Beichen’s expression remained indifferent, but a sharp light flashed in his eyes. “I killed it once. I can kill it a second time.”
“You killed it?” The bug cackled. “You’ve already killed it a second time.”
It leaned against the wall, slowly rising, its eyes glimmering in the shadows.
“Bug venom penetrates the skin, seeps into the flesh. His body is being gradually assimilated by the Overlord’s genes. First, the brain changes—his thinking will slowly lean toward the bugs.” It stared at Yin Beichen, undisguised smugness on its face. “He might have realized it long ago, but he won’t tell anyone. He’s deceived his family, deceived his friends, deceived all of you. But he can’t fool the Queen Mother.”
It grinned widely, then coughed heavily from weakness. “Because the Queen Mother and the Overlord share a mind. She understands him, and she understands you.”
Suddenly, the bug glared straight at Yin Beichen, its expression vicious.
“Do you want to know who he is?”
Ning Feng stepped back, his expression stiffening.
He vaguely remembered a long time ago, those filthy bugs had indeed called him Overlord. But at the time, he was suffering from bug venom and had no extra energy to think about it.
Now that he thought about it… could the Overlord they spoke of be him?
Yin Beichen said nothing, his face cold and indifferent, revealing nothing.
Seeing this, the bug laughed, a gleam of cunning in its eyes.
[Get angry, get furious!]
[Lose control just like that!]
[Come closer, come closer…]
…
Ning Feng’s heart turned cold. He roared, “Yin Beichen, don’t fall for it!”
Yin Beichen closed his eyes for a moment, then curled a sarcastic smile—but without the expected fury of being provoked. One step at a time, he walked forward, his military boots striking the metal floor with crisp, loud sounds, like little hammers pounding on the heart.
“Are you done?”
The bug paused, then threw its head back in manic laughter, a sound like bones grinding together.
“Looks like you already know.” Meeting his gaze, its voice was full of provocation and arrogance. “The Overlord has descended. Our bug race will soon rule the star domain. Every living thing will kneel at our feet.”
It estimated the range of its self-destruction, stepping forward imperceptibly, its face twisted with cruelty. “Humans, your time is up… Hee hee! Hahahaha!! Crack——”
Bang!! —
In an instant, a scorching flash shot from the gun barrel. The bug’s head exploded like a ball, the remains frozen in a laughing expression from before death.
Looking down at the body twitching on the floor, Yin Beichen stepped on it, grinding it firmly. His icy blue eyes burned with murderous intent.
“Since you have so much to say, then keep your mouth shut forever.”
Everything happened so fast. No one could stop it. They could only watch as the Commander blew the last lead’s head off with a single shot.
Staring at the bloodstains, Ou Jingshan rubbed his bald head vigorously, his thick brows furrowed. “Commander, it could have given us a lot more intel…”
“It had nothing left to tell me.” Yin Beichen holstered his gun, his deep blue eyes hiding a violent storm. He turned to assign the next tasks to the others.
Ning Feng stood by, still smiling, but his mind was in utter chaos.
Overlord? This bug meant he was the Overlord?
But his body had already been taken for research, right? It should be soaking in some big test tube now.
What did “the Overlord has descended” mean?
“What are you spacing out for?” Yin Beichen’s face darkened as he asked.
“Huh?” Ning Feng snapped back to reality. Only then did he notice that Yin Beichen had already finished assigning tasks and wanted him to record the upcoming schedule. He chuckled twice, scratching the wig on his head. “Ah, it’s my first time seeing a bug. Got scared.”
“Coward. A robot like you getting scared?” Ou Jingshan sneered. “Commander, I think we should just transfer this guy back to logistics.”
Yin Beichen’s brows furrowed lightly. He stared silently at Ning Feng, a heavy thought lurking in his gaze.
Just then, Ou Jingshan’s communicator rang. He barely had time to say “hello” before the voice on the other end overwhelmed him.
“Captain Ou, what are you doing?! Where have you taken General Yin?! Do you know what time it is?! The whole base is waiting for you to start the meal!!”
The canteen auntie’s piercing voice burst out of the optical computer, echoing in the small room without even needing the speaker. Ou Jingshan winced, covering his ears, and muttered, “On our way,” then looked helplessly at Yin Beichen. “Commander, uh…”
“Mm.” Yin Beichen replied blandly, finally withdrawing his gaze. He clasped his hands behind his back and walked straight out of the interrogation room.
Ou Jingshan shot Ning Feng a glare, then followed.
Ning Feng… Ning Feng let out a long breath. He glanced back at the bloodstains on the floor, his expression gradually darkening.