"Is this really the time for jokes? Get serious."
Seele rolled her eyes, then scooped up some of the insect mucus from the ground and smeared it on Ryn's body.
"These bugs probably use scent or this liquid medium to identify their own kind. That's why they didn't attack me."
"So that's how it works... but this mucus is truly disgusting."
"We can just wash it off when we get back... Huh? Why are they still attacking you?"
Even though Seele had applied the mucus to Ryn, the insects didn't stop their attacks as they had with her and Bronya.
"Uh, it might be because I'm still pinning down their King Insect..."
Ryn stood up, revealing the small Insect Queen under the corpse of the adult-sized one he had been holding down.
The small queen let out continuous roars at Ryn, but perhaps because she had evolved more towards intelligence, her physical strength and power were not even a tenth of the previous queen's. Ryn easily lifted her by the scruff of her neck with one hand.
Perhaps due to the influence of the mucus, even though the Insect Queen had witnessed Seele smearing the mucus, the fierce look in her eyes as she gazed at Ryn gradually faded, replaced by a hint of motherly love.
The Insect Queen's change in attitude also affected the smaller insects. They, too, gradually ceased their attacks, slowly circling around Ryn and the queen.
"Bzz—" (My children, why have you betrayed me...)
The small queen reached out with her short arms and hugged Ryn's hand. Emotions like confusion and reluctance flickered across her human-like face.
Seele hadn't attacked it, so it still considered Seele its "good child." As for Ryn, this rebellious son had beaten and scolded it, yet the motherly Insect Queen couldn't bring herself to be angry at her own child.
"What a pitiful hive-minded creature... Even with a degree of intelligence, once its senses are deceived, its instincts will override what it sees with its own eyes."
Ryn sighed helplessly. How long had it been? One moment they were mortal enemies, and the next she was radiating motherly affection...
"Seele, where are Bronya and the others? Let's prepare to evacuate. Once you're all out, I'll destroy this castle."
"Because of the earlier insect egg swarm, their way out was blocked by bugs, so they're in the pit looking for another exit."
"I'll just fly down and get them."
"Okay."
Ryn carried the Insect Queen, who was softly calling out in hopes of winning back her children, and walked with Seele towards the deep pit they had fallen into earlier.
The insects swarmed around them, even using their bodies to build a staircase leading down for the two to walk on. Some insects even piled up to serve as a handrail for Seele and Ryn.
"I never thought bugs could be used like this... Are you controlling them? That's amazing." Seele pressed on the insect handrail with some surprise. It was soft and squishy, and felt quite nice.
(In the game's text descriptions, these insects are disgusting, but from the in-game boss fight with the Insect Queen, these little bugs are all monster loli girls, and they're actually quite cute.)
"Did you do this? You possess such wisdom..."
"Bzz-bzz—" (Yes, this is all data obtained from the human brains my companions have devoured. It was all meticulously prepared for that esteemed adult, but that adult never once looked our way...)
"Bzz—bzz—bzz—!" (Children, you two are very intelligent. Can't you stop being rebellious? As long as you are willing to return, I can give the position of King Insect to you. With you two, the swarm will surely become even stronger!)
"Uh..." "Well..."
Ryn and Seele were both stunned by the Insect Queen's words. Are you kidding me? Just because we're covered in your insect fluid, you not only identify us as your own kind, but you're also willing to abdicate your position...
However, compared to the position of Insect Queen, Ryn was more concerned about the "esteemed adult" she mentioned. Was there an even more terrifying presence in this area?
"This esteemed adult you speak of is?" Ryn tried asking the Insect Queen.
"Bzz—" (That adult is that adult!)
The Insect Queen blinked. How could her own child be so foolish as to not know who that adult was? Shouldn't that knowledge be engraved in every gene of every cell?
But the next moment, the Insect Queen's body suddenly convulsed, and she became so weak she could barely keep her eyes open.
"Bzz...?" (Something is attacking the core... go protect...?)
Before the Insect Queen could finish her sentence, she lost all signs of life, her limbs drooping naturally like a limp rag under the pull of gravity...
And the attendant insects also ceased all activity in an instant, dying collectively.
The staircase built by the insects disintegrated in a moment, and the bodies of the dead insects rained down from above like scattered flowers from a goddess.
The deep pit the insects had dug to place their eggs had now become their mass grave.
Ryn caught the falling Seele, and the two landed gently on the ground.
"What happened? Was it a chain reaction? Did their control center—the real King Insect—die?"
Seele was now uncertain. According to their previous intelligence, shouldn't the Insect Queen continue to exist as long as there were eggs? What was with this collective death?
"If there's no one else in the castle, then it must have been something Penglaiji Ryn and Bronya did."
Ryn put the dead Insect Queen into his inventory. This was likely the last one. Giving it to Yiselian should yield a lot of research material.
——————————————
A few minutes ago, below the hive.
Due to the conditions, with a lack of electricity and facilities, only Seele in Ryn's group was equipped with a flashlight.
With no light source and the natural light blocked by the insect eggs above, Bronya and Penglaiji Ryn stood back-to-back in the pitch-black cavern where you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, cautiously following the moving insects as they explored the underground.
Gradually, the two noticed that the insects' movement patterns were strange. Their route was a round trip, but the insects leaving were different from the ones returning. The size, shape, and number of returning insects were all off.
"Bronya, do you see that? There's a point of light over there. It might be an exit."
Penglaiji Ryn pointed towards the depths of the cavern, from where a faint light emanated. Though not bright, it was exceptionally conspicuous in the utter darkness.
"A light in the darkness can sometimes be a trap, not just an exit. Stay alert. At the first sign of trouble, open fire."
Bronya raised her rifle, chambered a round, and began to accumulate Honkai energy.
Seeing Bronya's battle-ready posture, Penglaiji Ryn cursed herself internally, feeling that she had been too lax. She still had much to learn.