Chapter 33: Loli Bug

“Your relationship really is quite good.”

Su Ling could not help but rub K423’s small head.

For some reason, she felt a special sense of closeness when facing this child.

How should she put it?

It was like the feeling a mother had when looking at her own child.

Su Ling felt like laughing at the thought.

‘What mother? I’m only 22 years old, for goodness’ sake.’

“You two ran away from home, right? Don’t you miss it?”

Su Ling rested her chin on her hand, looking at K423.

Upon hearing this, K423 silently lowered her head.

“I miss it… But, wherever Lady Su Ling is, that is home!”

‘How did this end up being about me?’

Su Ling was stunned.

To be honest, she had known this child for less than one day.

Although it felt a bit strange, a warm current still flowed through Su Ling’s heart.

This feeling of being inexplicably trusted by someone was not bad.

“Eat up. These noodles are hard to take back. They’ll get soggy if they sit for too long.”

“Ah, but…”

“Don’t worry. I’ll buy a few biscuits for your sister. Um, will she be okay with that?”

Noodles were indeed difficult to pack for takeout, but Su Ling was also afraid the child’s sister might not be used to the baked biscuits she bought.

“Of course! As long as Lady Su Ling buys it, we’ll love it!”

K423 was overwhelmed by the favor, her face full of happiness.

She finished the noodles in her bowl in a few bites, and then, like a lively puppy, she circled around Su Ling with stars in her eyes.

“If she knew Lady Su Ling bought them personally, she would definitely be so happy!”

“Haha.”

Su Ling scratched her head awkwardly.

At this point, she was convinced they were a pair of sisters who had run away from home.

As for why they trusted and liked her so much, Su Ling had no idea.

Since she had crossed over into this world, she had been a plaything to be trampled upon at will.

As for Ji Lingyuan…

Su Ling’s attitude toward her was complicated.

She would rather Ji Lingyuan just treated her as a plaything too.

She only felt a hint of true comfort when she was with her family.

And yet, the girl in front of her actually made her feel that same comfort of being with family.

Touching the few bills in her pocket, Su Ling’s gaze toward the girl became very soft.

‘Forget it, just consider it payment for the child’s meal.’

She did not really want the money anyway.

Since these sisters had run away from home, she might as well look after them a little.

“Um, where are you living now? Can I go take a look?”

“Ah, that…”

K423 was stuck again.

K424 had said not to let the Empress know of their existence, but this was the Empress’s request.

After thinking for a tenth of a second, K423 said excitedly, “Of course you can!”

‘The bratty sister is just a sister, but this is the Empress.’

K423 followed behind Su Ling and boarded the bus.

Su Ling had bought quite a lot of things, but K423’s strength was truly immense.

It was as if it were inexhaustible, as she carried all the items herself.

Su Ling could not win the argument, so she laughed helplessly and followed K423 while holding Hajimi.

To her surprise, the place where K423 lived was actually in her own neighborhood.

However, it was in a very remote corner — a small alleyway.

The entrance of the alley was piled high with scrap, leaving only a tiny gap.

If one did not look closely, they would never see that there was a small space behind it.

“K424? K424? Ugh, where did that girl go again? Didn’t I tell her not to run around?”

K423 was a bit depressed when she did not see K424’s figure.

Inevitably, a sense of panic rose within her.

“Is your sister not here?”

Su Ling squeezed inside and scanned the scene.

It was full of scrap, but the side against the wall at the very back was piled with flattened cardboard boxes, looking like a place to sleep.

“Wuwu, Lady Su Ling, she probably ran out to play again.”

Su Ling’s presence gave K423 a bit of peace of mind.

K424 had run out before.

She was likely out today doing those things K423 did not understand, things meant to be “for the Empress’s own good.”

“Haha, it’s fine. But your living conditions here are way too terrible.”

Su Ling could not help but frown.

“What about your mother? Do you really not want to go home?”

“I don’t have a mother…”

The Tyranid Swarm soldiers were split off from the concept of reproduction.

The Imperial Guards, on the other hand, came from the Empress’s Insect Hive.

The Insect Hive contained the genes of the entire Zerg race.

As long as the Insect Hive existed, the Zerg would not perish.

In K423’s hazy memories, she had undergone Hatching in a very large, warm room.

K424 had been right beside her at the time.

The moment they hatched, an Imperial Guard had assigned them their numbers.

The genes in their bodies then told them their mission as Imperial Guards.

“…”

Su Ling looked at K423’s expression and was momentarily speechless.

‘I’m terrible. I shouldn’t have brought that up.’

“Um, if you don’t mind, you could stay at my house…”

Su Ling could not help but say.

Even though she had only known the girl for one day, she felt a natural sense of trust in her.

She even wanted to let her live in her home.

She knew that allowing a stranger to stay was irresponsible toward her mother and Miao Miao.

Yet, Su Ling still let the words slip out.

“No, no, no! Lady Su Ling, I’ll just stay here!”

K423 waved her hands frantically upon hearing this.

How could she dare?

Seeing K423 so determined, Su Ling opened her mouth but did not persist.

“Alright. But since your sister isn’t here, do you want to come to my place for a bit? You can wait for her there.”

Su Ling looked at the location.

She did not know if it was a coincidence, but this alley allowed a clear view of her apartment balcony.

Similarly, if one looked down from her balcony, they could see this spot.

If the child’s sister returned, they would definitely know.

“I… Is that okay?”

“Aiyaya, of course it is! It’s the perfect chance for you to meet my sister. She’s very cute~”

Su Ling said with a giggle.

She had planned to go to school in the afternoon, but looking at the time, it was already 2:00 PM.

She gave up on that idea. It would be fine to stay with this child until her sister came home.

Although she did not know why, the moment she thought of the girl’s sister, a faint sense of sadness welled up in her heart.

It was strange, considering she had never even met the person.

K423 seemed very excited, chirping like a lark as she followed Su Ling.

However, her choice of words was a bit odd.

She kept saying things like, “It’s so wonderful to see her Highness!” and “Her Highness won’t despise me, will she?”

‘Sigh, there’s no saving this chuunibyou.’

Thinking back to when she was a teenager in high school, Su Ling felt her face flush.

She had been a shut-in otaku back then too, fantasizing every day about being some kind of grand sword immortal.

Everyone had a chuunibyou phase.

“Miao Miao, I’m back~”

Su Ling entered the house.

To her surprise, the place was quiet, as if no one was there.

K423 poked her head out from behind her, also looking curious.

Then, K423’s expression changed slightly.

She seemed to smell a faint scent of blood. Su Ling, however, did not notice it.

Or rather, the cheap perfume on K423 was too strong, masking it.

“Miao Miao? Miao Miao?”

Seeing that her sister did not appear, Su Ling panicked.

She first looked at the dining table.

The lunch she had prepared for Miao Miao that morning had not been touched at all.

She rushed into the room just as the bedroom door opened.

“Sister.”

Bai Miao appeared, looking drowsy as if she had just woken up.

Su Ling immediately let out a sigh of relief.

“Whew, you scared me. Were you taking a nap? Really, you should finish your lunch first.”

Su Ling pulled Bai Miao into her arms, speaking with a look of mock reproach.

Bai Miao’s lips twitched slightly, but she said nothing.

Behind them, K423 stared at Bai Miao.

Even with her slow little brain, she seemed to realize something at that moment.

She quietly stepped into the house and, while Su Ling was not paying attention, walked into the bedroom.

The bedroom window was open, and a few drops of fresh blood were visible on the windowsill.

K423’s dark green pupils flickered constantly, but the corners of her mouth could not stop curling upward.

“Lady Su Ling, where is your mop? I can help you clean up a bit.”

“Ah? Oh, you’re a guest, don’t be so polite.”

Su Ling let go of Bai Miao and looked at K423, feeling a bit speechless.

She took Bai Miao’s small hand and introduced K423 to her.

“Miao Miao, this is… Sister K423…”

‘Bah, what kind of ghost name is that? It’s so hard to introduce.’

“Hello, Sister.”

Bai Miao was very well-behaved. K423 looked completely starstruck.

“Hi — Highness, you… you… I… I…”

“What ‘Highness’? Have you been reading too many novels or watching too much anime?”

Su Ling said helplessly.

At this moment, she failed to notice that beneath Bai Miao’s crimson pupils, two tiny slits had opened, glowing with a faint, eerie red light.

***

Shao Hua wanted to eat someone right now.

“Chief, another Witch from the Lower City is here to report a case. She says a Loli Bug just tried to eat her, but for some reason, the Loli Bug suddenly flew away.”

Xiaoyuan looked up from a mountain of documents and glanced at Shao Hua.

“Tell her to get lost! ‘Loli Bug’? I think she just needs to be disciplined!”

Shao Hua roared.

The extermination of the Zerg in the Lower City had already become a trending topic.

Those Witches in the Lower City had lost their minds, calling the police constantly.

For example, “My cat is missing, could a Zerg have eaten it?” or “My young daughter’s belly is getting big, did a Zerg do it?” and even “I called my wife and heard slapping sounds and her moaning in pain. She must have encountered a Zerg, please save her!”

Because the Superintendent Department in the Lower City was practically useless, and Shao Hua had been filmed by independent media during the previous extermination, the Witches in the Lower City had seen her and started calling her department incessantly.

Shao Hua was so stressed her head felt like it would explode.

She wished she could turn into a bug and eat someone herself.

Xiaoyuan saw Shao Hua’s state and stuck out her tongue.

“Yes, yes. We understand your situation. Please keep your line open; we will handle it in the future.”

“Hello? Hello!”

The sound of the dial tone came through the phone.

In a corner of the Lower City, a blond delinquent with a look of lingering fear was left in a daze.

“Argh! Are these police officers good for nothing?”

The blonde was so angry she was going crazy.

She was a student and was reasonably good-looking, having seduced many pretty girls at school.

But the school could no longer satisfy her.

A week ago, she had met a top-tier Fuli Ji and had a wonderful time.

But when she went back for a second round today, that top-tier girl was nowhere to be found.

Just as she was lamenting her luck, a Loli Bug had suddenly appeared and blocked her path.

Recalling the scene from earlier, the blonde’s long legs were still shaking.

The bug had the appearance of a little girl with black hair and red eyes.

She was cute, yes, but her face had four terrifying, crimson pupils.

Behind her petite body was a pair of thin, crimson wings that shimmered with a dark red luster under the sunlight.

“This scent… It’s you. Heh. Even you think you’re worthy of owning the Eldest Sister?”

‘No, who the hell is your sister?’

The blonde was confused, but she knew she could not resist the monster in front of her, so she turned tail and ran.

But how could she outrun the other party?

Just as she was about to be pounced upon, the bug seemed to sense something.

It hurriedly took flight and vanished in an instant.

Still shaken, the blonde remembered the news about the Zerg extermination from this morning and rushed to call the police, only to find that the damn officers wouldn’t do anything.

“Aaaaah! The Original above! I was just a little bit lustful, who did I provoke?”

She didn’t steal, and she didn’t rob.

She was just a bit of an idle lecher.

Besides, she was good-looking too!

Fair-skinned, beautiful, with long legs and blonde waves.

Surely no one would feel like they were getting a bad deal, right?

The blonde was on the verge of a breakdown.

“Wuwu, The Original above, please let me survive this. I’ll definitely quit being a lecher in the future.”

‘Ahem, as long as I can avoid this… as for whether I actually quit… well, that’s a separate matter.’