However, compared to the slight unease in his heart, the temptation to eliminate his long-standing nemesis was clearly greater.
So after a day of contemplation, Mo Jue let go of his reservations. Those people were human children specifically chosen by Shi Shen. Damaging their brain neural pathways was a minor concern; it would be best if they all died, thus igniting the conflict between the Insect Race and humanity.
Mo Jue convinced himself he had done nothing wrong. His father had been suspected of having mental issues by some elders because of the kindergarten incident. Resources and power that were once firmly in his grasp were now being coveted by others.
These consequences were all because of Luo Qi, all because of the Insect Race. Even the decline of their Mo Clan from a galactic power to its current state was due to the Insect Race! How could he not hate them?
The hatred buried deep in his heart surged, even dispelling the earlier worry about Shi Shen.
Yes, when Shi Shen bonded with him, it had asked him. What had he said then?
To kill Luo Qi, he would pay any price, do anything, and was willing to do anything.
Mo Jue's resolve hardened, and he began to obey Shi Shen's arrangements more and more.
The team for the final assessment was also formed according to Shi Shen's suggestions.
It said this matter was not urgent, that it would find the strongest teammates, preferably those without significant backgrounds, who would truly fight alongside Mo Jue, because they were all destined to die in the end.
These individuals would ultimately become Mo Jue's scapegoats, used to vent the anger of the Insect Race and Earth.
Mo Jue's suspicion of Shi Shen completely vanished. It had even thought of his escape route, so it definitely wouldn't harm him.
Shi Shen watched as Mo Jue diligently improved his strength and honed himself, a cold sneer in its heart.
The stronger the host's energy became, the stronger the system would become. When necessary, it would drain all of Mo Jue's vitality to convert it into its own power.
Moreover, once Luo Qi died, this world would not be far from collapse. The Insect Race would ignite a war sufficient to destroy the entire timeline, and its ultimate goal would be achieved.
However, it would never tell Mo Jue these things.
【Countdown to final assessment: Nine months.】
*
When there was an urgent matter at hand, time seemed to fly by exceptionally fast.
The courses for the freshman year were on track. In addition to school lessons, Luo Qi and Ye Mu would also receive training sessions from Insect Generals during their breaks.
Luo Qi visibly became much more diligent. Although he had never caused Cecil or the Insect General uncles and aunts to worry before, there was a significant difference between completing a task for the sake of completion and doing it from the heart.
The most direct manifestation was during combat practice. Even when Luo Qi was lifted and slammed to the ground, he would only let out a muffled grunt with a stern face, no longer crying out in pain.
Alger, who had been observing, furrowed his brow slightly. He let Luo Qi and Ye Mu practice on their own and called Andrew aside, asking in a low voice:
"Do you feel anything different about the little prince?"
Andrew hissed and looked up at Luo Qi.
Luo Qi was sparring with Ye Mu. Ye Mu always held back against Luo Qi, rarely truly injuring him. But today, Luo Qi seemed particularly serious, frequently attacking Ye Mu.
As the sparring progressed, Ye Mu couldn't help but become serious as well.
Andrew pondered for a long time, and under Alger's worried gaze, he replied, "Nothing's wrong. The little prince is still as cute as ever."
Alger: "..."
He sighed. Luo Qi's current state was undoubtedly good. He wanted to improve himself, and they had no reason to stop him. However, Luo Qi's current situation still made Alger a little worried.
Alger turned back and suddenly noticed Cecil standing by a window on the second floor of the palace, his gaze fixed on Luo Qi not far away.
Alger thought for a moment and walked towards the palace.
Cecil withdrew his gaze after only a few seconds and walked a couple of steps before sitting on the sofa.
A few minutes later, a knock sounded on the door, and Alger pushed it open to enter.
From a distance, the sound of Andrew reminding him of techniques could still be heard. Alger spoke pointedly, "Your Majesty, the little prince has been very diligent lately."
Cecil glanced at him: "If Luo Luo wants to do something himself, I won't stop him."
They all knew Luo Qi was different from other insectoids. He lacked a hard carapace, a strong physique, and even his insect form was incredibly fragile.
Seeing him fall and get up again and again, his body bruised and battered from learning those techniques, did it hurt? Yes, it did.
But Cecil couldn't stop him, because this was a necessary path to growth.
Cecil vaguely suspected that Luo Qi had encountered something at school, but when he inquired, Luo Qi denied it.
He didn't want them to know.
Therefore, Cecil could only choose to respect his wishes. If there was anything he had to do, it was to instruct the Insect Generals not to hold back their knowledge, and to help Luo Qi grow as quickly as possible until he could achieve his own goals.
Alger was silent for a long time, finally saying, "Then I'll ask the chef to prepare more of the little prince's favorite foods."
Cecil nodded almost imperceptibly. Although it was still early, he seemed to be hidden in the darkness, making his expression unreadable.
Alger sighed and turned to leave the room.
The more intense training, driven by the trainee's own request and the trainer's deliberate accommodation, yielded clear results.
Luo Qi's mental power and control over his mecha had greatly improved. Only his close-quarters combat was not yet very strong, but it was better than before.
At the same time, while continuously training and controlling his body, Luo Qi intentionally focused on his wings.
He was attempting to transform his wings from a passive defensive buff into an actively deployable skill.
The specific effects of that scale powder were unanalyzable even by the Insect Race's most advanced laboratories. They could only determine that it could generally reduce an enemy's desire to fight and their combat effectiveness.
The stronger the enemy's power and the greater their killing intent, the more pronounced the effect. It could even cause side effects, such as hallucinations or frenzied states, which were unpredictable.
In essence, it could apply a weakness to the enemy, but the extent of that weakness was unknown.
Luo Qi tried his best to adapt to these wings, aiming to achieve a completely different effect during the final assessment.
He couldn't possibly release his wings and end up incapacitating his own allies before stunning the enemy.
Luo Qi found a secluded spot to release his wings, constantly attempting to control them and also trying to transform into his insect form. The process was rather tedious, but Luo Qi was very patient.