However, as the Queen of the Kingdom of Kerrigan, Sarah Kerrigan would not avoid what she must face. Steadying herself, she asked, “So, Teacher, you didn’t co here just to see , did you?”
Morgan was pleased with her composure. After all, she was his student, and her performance brought him a sense of pride.
“Of course not. While I did want to see Your Majesty, I also have a proposal for cooperation to discuss.”
The Queen furrowed her brow. “And, Teacher, in what capacity are you proposing this cooperation? As Morgan, or as a representative of the one behind you?”
Morgan smiled faintly. “Your Majesty sees clearly. I am here as a representative of my God.”
“Then please, speak plainly. I’m curious—what sort of cooperation could a legendary god propose to a re mortal like ?”
“After my rebirth, I learned that my fall was no accident. Moreover, it pushed the two nations to the brink of war. Therefore, I petitioned my God to aid the Kingdom of Kerrigan in annexing the Kingdom of rrican and establishing a unified Ratfolk empire.”
Queen Kerrigan hadn’t anticipated such an ambitious proposal. While unifying the Ratfolk had been the dream of her and her ancestors, the scale of the offer was almost overwhelming—too good to be true.
She didn’t doubt Morgan’s capabilities. The demonstration outside had been proof enough. If even the most secure location in her kingdom could be infiltrated so thoroughly, other places might as well have no defenses at all.
“And what would I need to offer in return?” she asked.
“It’s quite simple. After unifying the Ratfolk, we need Your Majesty to allocate additional personnel and resources to continue advancing the lunar exploration project. Additionally, we ask for permission to spread faith among the researchers.”
The Queen was stunned by the simplicity of the conditions. They were so modest that they hardly seed worth ntioning compared to uniting the Ratfolk.
“That’s all?”
“Of course, for the sake of harmonious cooperation, Your Majesty would also need to offer your faith.” This was a last-minute addition by Morgan. If the terms seed too light, his student might grow suspicious, so it was better to include so additional requirent.
As expected, Queen Kerrigan’s tension eased slightly at his words. So, they did have other motives. She had anticipated as much and imdiately began forming counterasures. She would set up fail-safes to ensure that if she ever acted out of character or against the kingdom’s interests, soone would be ready to eliminate her.
Tella, her chief bodyguard, was unlikely to carry out such an act, but other candidates for the job quickly ca to mind.
The proposal was monuntal, and in just a few exchanges, the fate of another kingdom was sealed. Once the terms were finalized, Morgan bowed and prepared to leave.
Watching his retreating figure, Queen Kerrigan hesitated before calling out, “Teacher, are you still Morgan?”
“Of course, Sarah,” Morgan replied with a smile before leaving gracefully.
As Morgan exited the study, he knew—though he couldn’t see it—that the Spore Capsule was already waiting for him.
Shrouded as if by an invisible cloak, Morgan slowly disappeared from the Queen’s view. The hydrogen within the air sac had remained balanced in a suspended state. Once it enveloped Morgan, a slight increase in hydrogen allowed the Spore Capsule to ascend gradually.
High above, an invisible claw grasped the Spore Capsule and whisked it away.
A living person vanishing before her eyes was beyond the Queen’s comprehension. She had intended to observe how Morgan would leave but was unprepared for such an uncanny departure.
Later, when the next guard shift arrived, Queen Kerrigan ordered a lockdown to prevent news of the night’s events from spreading. Even a review of surveillance footage revealed only guards collapsing into sleep without warning. At the ti of the incident, even the guards in the monitoring room had been neutralized.
Without exposing the existence of a god, she had no plausible explanation for such bizarre events.
Ultimately, she confided only a small portion of the truth to her most trusted aide, Tella. Together, they refrad the incident as a drill: a test of the guards’ vigilance through tampered als. Tella scolded the guards harshly, and the matter was swept under the rug.
Although she believed Morgan’s story, Queen Kerrigan maintained a cautious stance. She insisted the other side take the first action and provided a list of nas—mbers of the rrican royal family and their loyalists. If these people were eliminated, the Kingdom of rrican would crumble into chaos, allowing the Kingdom of Kerrigan to annex it with minimal cost.
Morgan wasted no ti. In the following days, the Kingdom of rrican was thrown into upheaval. mbers of the royal family and key officials across various sectors began dying mysteriously in their sleep.
The cause of death was universally attributed to acute cardiac conditions, but the sheer volu of fatalities—numbering in the tens of thousands over just a few days—made it clear this was no coincidence.
Investigations yielded no leads. Even isolating potential targets under tight security failed to prevent the deaths.
The chaos was caused by a minuscule creature known as the Anti-Ratfolk Poison Stinger Bug. Barely 1 milliter long and nearly invisible to the naked eye, it resembled a spider with eight adhesive, hook-tipped legs for climbing any surface.
The bug’s abdon was almost entirely filled with a venom sac containing a Ratfolk-specific toxin. A re drop of this venom paralyzed the Ratfolk nervous system, halting the heart as the brain mistakenly concluded the body was dead.
The bug’s stinger was a curled appendage that extended to 1 centiter—ten tis its body length—when deployed. The design was adapted from the Chaleon Bug.
The bug infiltrated the targets’ environnt with ease, exploiting even the tiniest gaps. Once in position, it would inject venom through the root cavity of a coarse hair, administering the toxin over several minutes. This process usually occurred during the victim’s sleep.
The venom contained anti-inflammatory agents to prevent redness or swelling at the injection site, leaving virtually no trace.
Originally devised by Luo Wen as a defensive asure, a single small flying insect could carry and deploy hundreds of these venomous bugs. With ten brood queens producing poison stinger bugs daily, an entire Ratfolk civilization could be eradicated.
This was rely a test of their capabilities.
As panic spread and the rrican Kingdom descended into chaos, even the military stationed at the Kerrigan border was not spared. High-ranking officers succumbed in their sleep, dismantling the army’s chain of command.
The Kingdom of Kerrigan was stunned by the neighboring kingdom’s turmoil. Many feared the “accident” might spread to their own country. However, a few days later, Queen Kerrigan personally issued orders for an offensive, sending the command to her frontline troops.
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