Chapter 16: The Feast of the Massive Insect

“Quite satisfactory.”

The massive insect swayed its tentacles in delight, though the entire fleet was indeed numerous, it was barely enough to satisfy its hunger. What truly delighted it was the discovery that the human souls within the ships were rich with knowledge. Despite the redundancy, the insect needed time to digest and categorize this information, so it set it aside for later.

After disposing of the fleet, the insect glided towards the planet where its offspring had been, now utterly silent and lifeless. It gathered its children and, with a few of its stronger tentacles, pierced the planet’s surface, dragging it from its orbit and pulling it close. With a wide open maw, it swallowed the planet whole.

The flames on the planet’s surface had no effect on the insect. Truthfully, the planet was bland, lacking valuable minerals or dense materials. It was merely soil, soft and uninteresting. The only surprise was the human souls found within, which provided a bounty of additional knowledge.

The insect swayed its tentacles contentedly, turning its attention to the other planets in the system. Besides a couple with rich mineral deposits, the rest were giant stars, useless to humans but a delicious feast for the insect and its children.

Without any human interference, the insect and its offspring feasted freely. Usually, it would send its children out to eat, then absorb the energy they provided. After devouring the outer planets, the insect considered going for the largest star in the system, but its children seemed fearful of it. Reluctantly, the insect decided to handle it alone.

Placing its children aside, the insect enjoyed the sight of them feasting, unwilling to interrupt. Fortunately, the children didn’t seem to fancy the star, leaving it all for the insect.

‘Maybe this is what they call adult food!’ the insect thought.

The star was in its prime, vibrant and full of life, but its days were numbered. Despite its immense size, the insect plunged into the star, unaffected by the extreme temperatures. It began to absorb the star’s energy, and though it was vast, it was no match for the insect’s appetite.

Briefly, the insect considered its children, but they were already full. The insect used this time to analyze the souls it had consumed from the planet and the fleet.

Meanwhile, far away in the WER Star System Alliance headquarters, Odinxis sat at the highest seat, his face pale. He had just received devastating news: his beloved youngest son, driven by rebellion, had fled to a distant planet. Despite arranging secret protectors, the son was killed in a mining accident by an unknown cosmic creature.

Enraged, Odinxis ordered military action against the system’s leaders. However, along with the video of his son’s demise, they sent an image and video that left Odinxis breathless.

‘Zerg…’ he whispered, recognizing the iconic dangerous creature from his university days studying cosmic biology. A species thought to have been extinct for eons, now reemerged in the universe?

As a passionate cosmic biologist, Odinxis knew better than to try to domesticate or observe these creatures. The best course was immediate and overwhelming force. He ordered the fleet to eliminate the threat if possible, or retreat if the Zerg were too powerful.

Odinxis had assumed the fleet would be safe, as current technology relied on quantum transposition, far superior to the ancient ‘wormhole’ methods used by the Zerg. Yet, the fleet had vanished without a trace.

Quantum technology should have been unstoppable, even against a fully developed Zerg. But the images showed the Zerg had reached maturity, leaving Odinxis bewildered. Who could have provided enough sustenance for it to grow undetected? Had someone foolishly kept it as a pet?

Odinxis pounded the table in frustration, and his subordinates dared not speak. Though known for his kindness, Odinxis’s rage at his son’s death was palpable. As his deputy and university friend, Filis understood that Odinxis’s mind was no longer on his son but on the impending threat of the Zerg.

Filis knew that Odinxis was about to make significant moves.

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