Noble Academy's Mob Character: Reborn as the Campus Heartthrob - Chapter 78

Chapter 78: Insect Mother 6

“Cyril.”

“My name is Cyril.”

He introduced himself earnestly to Qi Yuan, his eyes completely focused on the man.

Having successfully won Cyril over, Qi Yuan pressed his advantage and began to approach He Zhou.

Meanwhile, aboard the Zerg warship, Cyril, You Qinghe, and You Yuanxiu exchanged awkward glances, their silence hanging heavy in the air.

Cyril rubbed his temples, his head throbbing. He never imagined these two seemingly unrelated compatriots would resort to a honey trap against him. And damn, it actually worked.

“You guys…” Cyril began, then cut himself off. Forget it. He didn’t want to curse them too harshly, lest these two scheming brats tattle on him.

“So,” he asked, “who came up with this underhanded scheme? And dragging the Insect Mother into it? Were you afraid we wouldn’t fall for it otherwise?”

You Yuanxiu lowered his gaze and drank his water, refusing to answer.

You Qinghe, however, launched into a litany of complaints: “I never approved of this! I was the first one to oppose it!”

“I completely agree with you,” Cyril retorted. “Honestly, who’s so depraved to devise such a dirty trick? Why should we let you benefit from this?”

Now it was Cyril’s turn to fall silent. Although he and You Qinghe were both High-Tier Zerg, they hadn’t interacted much personally. Yet Cyril had heard the rumors—You Qinghe was famously dim-witted.

But now, seeing him, Cyril realized the rumors were false. This guy’s actually pretty good at playing the two-faced game.

The room fell silent once more, as they waited for their next unwitting victim to arrive.

Qi Yuan believed there was little difference between the strategies he used to approach He Zhou and Cyril. He felt that offering himself up directly would make him seem inferior, but if the other party discovered him first, he would be in the dominant position.

The environment on the Main Planet was starkly different from that of the Garbage Star.

It boasted blue skies and white clouds, laughter and chatter, and carefree people.

Such was the extreme disparity between wealth and poverty.

The café was nearly empty, most patrons having gone out for the day’s activities.

Qi Yuan ordered a coffee and settled into a corner seat.

He wasn’t in a rush. Patience was key to fishing—only a steady mind could land the big catch.

The coffee on the Main Planet tasted much the same as coffee in reality. He still couldn’t get used to it, taking only a few sips before setting it aside.

After waiting a long while, his target finally arrived.

As He Zhou was about to enter the café, Qi Yuan stood up and walked toward the door, feigning carelessness as he bumped into him.

It was only then that he noticed someone was beside He Zhou—a slender young man wearing a mask. Despite the disguise, Qi Yuan could sense the man’s nervousness; his fingers were clenched tightly around the hem of his garment.

Qi Yuan paused, startled, before retracting his gaze. “My apologies,” he said.

This was unexpected. He hadn’t anticipated anyone being with He Zhou, let alone someone who appeared to be an ordinary human, definitely not a Zerg.

With someone present, implementing his plan became difficult. He decided to leave.

But just as he was about to turn away, He Zhou stopped him.

“Wait,” He Zhou said.

Though the physical contact had been brief, He Zhou was certain: this was Mental Soothing.

It was common knowledge that only the Insect Mother could perform Mental Soothing. But if this man before him was the true Insect Mother, then what was the source of the Insect Mother Essence radiating from the other?

A conspiracy?

A conspiracy targeting the Zerg?

He couldn’t help but marvel at human cunning. They knew full well how vital the Insect Mother was to the Zerg, yet they resorted to such despicable tactics.

In that case, there was no point in maintaining this alliance. The Zerg had already given them too much face.

His expression darkened. He had originally hoped to pry some information out of them.

Now, it seemed unnecessary. He could simply take them both and extract the truth through interrogation.

Qi Yuan sensed the oppressive tension radiating from He Zhou and tried to leave, but the other man gave him no chance. He and another young man were both taken aboard the spaceship.

As he watched himself being brought back to the ship he had just left, Qi Yuan couldn’t help but think, Does this count as a twisted kind of success?

The ship’s captain brought out You Qinghe and Cyril at He Zhou’s command. You Yuanxiu arrived later, having observed the situation from afar. He had only refrained from intervening earlier because he was certain Qi Yuan wasn’t in immediate danger.

He Zhou’s gaze swept over the group. “Why are you here, Cyril? And you too, You Yuanxiu?”

He already suspected much, but needed confirmation.

“You Yuanxiu,” he pressed, “did you lure me here with a trick?”

“Why?”

“Since you knew the humans had captured the Insect Mother, why didn’t you inform everyone? Why lure us in one by one?”

You Yuanxiu stepped forward, pulling Qi Yuan behind him.

“I simply chose a more secure method,” he explained.

“The Insect Mother’s Essence has been damaged. Someone must have extracted it to create a controllable Insect Mother. Just as I suspected, the people around you are the proof.”

“I must ensure that all High-Tier Zerg remain loyal to Qi Yuan and avoid attracting human attention. Not all humans are at fault; we only seek to capture the true mastermind behind everything.”

You Qinghe stared at You Yuanxiu, bewildered.

“What does ‘damaged Insect Mother’s Essence’ mean?”

“Why didn’t you tell me about this, Big Brother?”

Cyril stepped forward and patted his shoulder. “That’s what you get for not reading the books. The clan’s texts on the Insect Mother explain that if its Essence is severely damaged, its body will automatically suppress its aura and abilities to preserve its life. No wonder we haven’t been able to find the Insect Mother all these years.”

He Zhou finally understood. This was indeed the optimal solution.

He grabbed the man beside him by the throat, applying slight pressure. The man began to struggle, and his flimsy mask fell to the ground.

He Zhou only released his grip when the man was on the verge of fainting.

With a thud, the man collapsed to the ground, clutching his throat.

His face was contorted with terror.

How could this be happening?!

Our plan has been completely ruined! It’s all over!

Qi Yuan removed his mask, slowly approached the man, and crouched down.

“Do you recognize me?”

Hearing the familiar voice, the man looked up, panic flooding his features. His eyes widened, and he recoiled backward.

“Qi… Qi Yuan?!”

“Why aren’t you dead yet?”

“Weren’t you dumped on Garbage Star? How could anyone survive in that hellhole?”

The man’s features were delicate, his brow and eyes radiating an air of pampered arrogance—the unmistakable mark of someone who had always been doted upon.

So the initial timidity was an act, Qi Yuan thought. His acting skills are quite impressive—almost on par with my own.

Qi Yuan smiled, his malice shining like a blade. “Indeed, how could anyone survive in such a place?”

“But the truth is, I did survive. And I’ve returned for revenge. None of you will escape my wrath.”

“You wanted to become the Insect Mother? To bask in endless adoration?”

“Look at yourself. You don’t deserve it. You don’t even know what it means to earn it.”

In truth, Qi Yuan had nothing more to say, but to maintain his persona, he continued to deliver venomous threats.

Then, feigning distress, he rose unsteadily. You Qinghe immediately pulled him into an embrace, patting his back reassuringly.

In reality, Qi Yuan’s face remained expressionless as he buried it in You Qinghe’s arms. It was all an act. His crying skills still needed work—he couldn’t yet summon and suppress tears at will.

The suddenness of it left You Qinghe momentarily stunned, her expression freezing for an instant.

He Zhou, meanwhile, watched the embracing pair, his hands clenching into fists at his sides, his eyes dark and unreadable, betraying nothing of his thoughts.

Cyril cursed inwardly, thinking, What a dog! Too far away to intervene earlier, he moved closer, determined not to miss the next opportunity.

After the group reached a decision,

coincidentally, Yu Xia had just woken up, and it was dusk, the sun setting.

Despite capturing the disguised Insect Mother—the person who had deliberately targeted He Zhou—none of them breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, with the Insect Mother Essence so severely depleted, it must have been drained to its absolute limit. Yet the aura on this person, though undeniably potent, still fell short of what it should have been under normal circumstances. This suggested that not all of the extracted Essence had been injected. Had it been fully injected, the Insect Mother aura would have enveloped half the Main Planet.

They gathered in the conference room, Qi Yuan seated at the head of the table, enjoying the meal You Yuanxiu had prepared.

The captured man had already been subdued.

Sitting below, You Qinghe slammed her hand on the table, seething.

“Fuck!”

“I want to go wipe out the Qi Family right now! I just bought a super-powerful cannon from the Mechanoids. Just give me the coordinates, and one shot will take care of them all!”

You Yuanxiu frowned, disapproving. “No. There are too many civilians around the Qi Family’s estate.”

“I’ve already summoned several other High-Tier Zerg to come immediately. We need to discuss this together.”

“You Qinghe, you absolutely cannot act on your own.”