What made them fearso wasn’t just their formidable combat capabilities, but their sheer numbers.
An unending swarm—just their overwhelming numbers alone was enough to make even aliens wary.
Of course, the combat power of the higher-dinsional space insectoids far surpassed those in the lower-dinsional universe.
Their instinctive reaction to the word "space insectoids" spoke volus.
Whenever the space insectoids appeared, it was like a locust plague—no planet was left unscathed.
"So, it’s the space insectoids. That would make sense," Nykthar nodded.
"But there’s a problem," the technician said, puzzled. "Strictly speaking, the planet’s energy isn’t completely depleted. For us, the remaining reserves are too insignificant—the cost of extraction would outweigh the benefits, so it’s not worth it."
"However, the space insectoids don’t have such constraints. They could have drained every last bit of energy from this planet. So why would they leave so behind?"
Velzok speculated, "Maybe the space insectoids haven’t actually left. Perhaps they’re laying a trap for us."
"According to the information I’ve scanned, this planet shows no signs of life, and the nearest planet is far away. Whether it’s an ambush or not hardly makes a difference."
The technician paused, then offered a conclusion so incredible that even he found it hard to believe.
"The fact that they left behind these energy reserves without absorbing them suggests only two possibilities: either sothing happened that forced them to leave, or they were so terrified that they didn’t dare extract the remaining energy and fled."
"Terrified?" Nykthar chuckled as though hearing a ridiculous joke. "Don’t tell they fled because they knew we were coming?"
"The space insectoids in the Androda Universe likely have a queen," Velzok explained. "The most plausible explanation is that the queen wasn’t here. Sothing significant must have happened, prompting her to recall the space insectoids from this energy planet."
"Judging by the traces left on the planet, it does seem like they left in a hurry. That explanation makes sense," the technician agreed after examining the data again.
Nykthar glanced around the group, shrugged, and said, "So now, are we just going to head back empty-handed and let the Prince scold us?"
"If you want to get scolded, go ahead. I don’t," Velzok shot back. "Before we left, I assured the Prince we’d bring back energy reserves."
With that, Velzok’s fingers moved rapidly across the screen, issuing high-frequency commands.
The screen’s display shifted repeatedly as it filtered through data, finally settling on an image of a planet.
The planet appeared to be shrouded in a dense gray nebula.
Its size was enormous—at least ten tis larger than the energy planet they had just examined.
"What’s this planet?" Nykthar asked.
The technician pulled up the planet’s details. "This is another energy planet."
Nykthar glanced at the data. "It doesn’t seem too far from here. What are we waiting for? Let’s go now. I’m not going back empty-handed to face the Prince’s wrath."
"This planet is tricky," Velzok remarked, pointing to the screen.
Instantly, a multi-dinsional star map appeared.
The planet was magnified dozens of tis, and the "nebula" surrounding it finally appeared clearly before their eyes.
"This planet is called Planet Noctis. Due to its magnetic field, it’s perpetually shrouded in particle storms. Humans have tried to exploit it more than once, but they were always driven back by the storms," the technician said, recalling information about Planet Noctis without needing to consult the data.
"A re particle storm, what’s there to be afraid of?" Nykthar squinted, a glint of greed flashing in his eyes. "This Planet Noctis is massive, and it looks like a pure energy planet. The energy reserves inside are probably 70 to 80 percent intact, which is rare even in the higher-dinsional universe."
"No, it’s not feasible," the technician said, shaking his head regretfully. "If it were viable, we would’ve targeted Planet Noctis a long ti ago."
"Is it because of the space insectoids?" Velzok, who had been staring at the screen intently, suddenly asked.
"According to the intelligence we’ve gathered, the area near Planet Noctis is a stronghold of the Space Insectoid Queen. Besides this energy planet, there are several other planets nearby, all within close range. If our ship ventures in, it would be like walking straight into an space insectoid encirclent."
"For fifty years, humanity has allowed the space insectoids to propagate unchecked. We have no idea how far the Space Insectoid Queen has evolved. Setting that aside, the sheer number of space insectoids might now exceed a hundred billion."
As soon as the technician finished speaking, silence fell over the alien crew aboard the ship.
In the higher-dinsional universe, such a massive space insectoid population had never been recorded.
At their peak, insectoid populations rarely exceeded ten billion.
Aliens in those dinsions would intervene long before the numbers got out of hand, waging wars against the space insectoids every two to three years.
"How much energy do we have left on the ship?" Velzok suddenly asked.
The technician stiffened nervously. "You’re not planning to go there, are you? That area likely houses the Space Insectoid Queen. If she has already absorbed Planet Noctis’s energy, we wouldn’t stand a chance. Not even the Prince—"
He didn’t dare finish the sentence.
The Prince was imnsely powerful, but even he likely couldn’t rival a fully evolved Space Insectoid Queen.
"I suspect the Space Insectoid Queen hasn’t yet absorbed Planet Noctis’s energy. It might still be worth the risk," Velzok said before turning to leave.
Seeing Velzok’s determination, the technician quickly turned around to Nykthar. "Nykthar, you have to stop him!"
Nykthar grinned, baring his sharp teeth. "Why should I? I think it’s worth a try too."
After saying this, Nykthar also left with a shrug.
The technician had no choice but to turn to other influential crew mbers.
However, it seed as though everyone, perhaps because they had been under the Prince’s command for so long and grown accustod to having no real opponents, felt they could take on the challenge.
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