When Xi Yujin heard those words, he did not panic.

He had already faced death more than once, and that gave him a certain confidence about life and death. The universe was so vast that surely something existed that could solve this problem.

Besides, the Zerg Queen had an incredibly long lifespan. Perhaps "a long time" meant far more than a mere thousand years, so there was no need to be anxious.

He scribbled away on paper until he had more or less finished the manuscript he wanted to give the Queen.

Looking up at Ubit, he said, "I need a translator. His name is Gano..."

The enormous Queen suddenly became violently agitated, scraping at the ground with her limbs.

The earth shook instantly, and Xi Yujin hurriedly floated into the air while clutching his manuscript.

Wherever the Queen's forelegs struck, massive craters appeared in the ground. Her gigantic head plunged into the clouds, thrashing wildly without pattern, while an ear-piercing scream tore through the air.

"Aaaaaahhhhhh!!"

The atmosphere itself seemed to thicken. The star-shaped gland hanging from her upper body suddenly swelled several times its normal size, spraying corrosive gelatinous fluid outward. The surrounding Zerg immediately activated their armor and took flight, sending encrypted communications to one another.

Emergency! Mother's mental instability has worsened! She's going berserk!

Baiying anxiously organized the lower-ranking Zerg into retreat. "Normally, Mother enters a calm period after returning from the black hole... Why did the chaotic phase come so quickly this time? Is there truly no way to save her?"

Another Zerg shouted, "There must be an external factor aggravating Mother's mental disorder!"

"Mother is taking off!!"

The waterfall-like gelatin nearly sealed off the surrounding air. Usually, the Queen was an endlessly caring mother, but when mad, she became a universe-level lunatic feared by all.

Golden light gradually illuminated the gelatin, which was the sign of an ongoing chemical reaction. Countless golden dragonflies emerged from within it, flowing like liquid gold.

Ubit rose into the air on the wind, her figure like a battle flag fluttering in the storm. Numerous Zerg followed behind her.

At times like this, their Mother could no longer hear anyone. The only thing they could do was guide her toward the black hole to alleviate her madness. Meanwhile, another group of high-ranking Zerg prepared to plunge into the black hole alongside her.

Reducing the number of higher-ranked Zerg had proven effective in easing the Queen's mental instability, leaving only a little over ten thousand of them remaining.

No one noticed that a spacecraft quietly lifted off from the cave-shaped prison. Xi Yujin piloted Tidal Peace, struggling forward through the chaotic currents.

Ubit's sudden breakdown might have been triggered by an external cause. The Queen carried all of her children's mental instability within herself and could no longer bear the newly born ideas of freedom.

And Gano... Gano was also one of her children. He possessed no mental disorder while simultaneously harboring thoughts capable of breaking through genetic limitations. He was most likely the true source of the Queen's illness.

Whatever the case, Xi Yujin had to follow and see for himself.

Passing by the Interrogation Court, he saw that its ceiling had already been torn away by the Queen's rampage. His eyes landed on the gigantic Interrogation Main Brain. Making up his mind, he yanked the controls and dived downward until he reached the massive artificial brain.

"You should be able to understand my novels with a brain that big..."

Without hesitation, Xi Yujin stuffed every manuscript he had into it, including The Dragonfly Count and his joke collection. Sure enough, the Main Brain began chewing contentedly.

"If you get the chance, give them to the Queen! It would be even better if you could translate them!"

Then he hurriedly piloted the Tidal Peace after the departing swarm.

"Aaaaaahhh!"

The shrill scream echoed directly into every Zerg's mind, filling them with worry and guilt.

"Mother's confusion has worsened!"

"Mother is charging this way!"

Inside the Nest Palace, every high-ranking Zerg prepared themselves. The command center immediately ordered lower-ranking Zerg to retreat while counting those high-ranking Zerg who would soon accompany the Queen into the black hole.

Everything was for their Mother.

The Botanical Bureau hurriedly transported precious plants with calming effects, and the entire Nest Palace sprang into action.

Only Gano stood apart from everyone else. One hand rested lightly upon the glass coffin as his thoughts drifted back into the past.

Gano had no concept of childhood. The Zerg had no infant stage at all: they grew to sub-adulthood inside their eggs and only then would they break out through the membrane.

A Nurturer performs the first screening, testing eyesight and the ability to tell friend from foe. Eggs like his, laid at the base of the Nest Tree, were marked as either Nest-class or No-class.

Gano passed his drying period on the outskirts of the Nest Tree, and when he could furl and unfurl his wings at will, he dutifully entered the military academy to study whatever knowledge his rank was meant to have. The Nurturer's screening had rated him well enough, so he was permitted to learn a little more.

The warriors who enrolled in the same batch as him were all called Ga.

He called himself Ga and called his companions Ga. There was no need to distinguish between them since they all shared the same thoughts. Within identical names, there existed only the collective, and never the individual.

Yet later examinations gradually revealed differences. He moved more swiftly than the others, and his efficiency in analyzing diagrams was higher. Because of his excellent performance, he earned the qualification to participate in the Permission Day.

Permission Day was personally supervised by the Queen. However, low-ranking soldiers like Ga had no right to directly meet the Queen.

Gano lay inside a flower bud and enjoyed a comfortable sleep. When he woke up, his mind felt clearer than ever. From that day onward, he received a new name, Gano.

After graduating from the military academy, his first assignment was reconnaissance. The academy mostly conducted evaluations inside Egg Brains, the virtual simulation systems, so this was the first time he touched real armor. By all logic, it should have felt identical to the simulated version. Yet somehow, it felt inexplicably satisfying. He wanted to touch it again, and only later did he learn that this feeling was called happiness.

He was stationed at the Zerg frontier, watching over an enormous telescope day after day while remaining vigilant against potential invaders.

The territory surrounding the Zerg race was engulfed by cosmic storms. Furthermore, because a gigantic black hole occupied the center, stars had to travel at tremendous speed to avoid being swallowed. As a result, his observations were almost always pitch-black. The faint lights from distant space vanished in an instant, making him feel the loneliness of existence.

He could not help wondering what lay beyond the universe he knew.

Was it all war, just like the Egg Brain had taught? Were there plants? Blue skies and white clouds?

Whenever such thoughts surfaced, his heart would beat strangely, pumping warm blood that tingled through his body. He did not understand that this feeling was called anticipation, and he simply believed something was wrong with him.

Following his assigned patrol route, he often found himself wanting to take another path.

Why didn't the other soldiers ever want to? Didn't they wish to see different scenery? Or perhaps... every landscape in the universe was the same, making other roads meaningless?

Gano stared absentmindedly through the unchanged observation window. Day after day, the universe never changed.

The tiny flame of thought inside him was nearly extinguished.

Then, as though trying to keep it alive, the scene before him suddenly underwent an earth-shattering transformation.

"Matter is collapsing..." Gano consulted his manual. "Calculating fluctuations... A star is being born... but the speed is abnormally fast."

If dense dust and gas clouds existed, a star could indeed form. But this was the edge of a black hole. Its overwhelming gravity functioned like an enormous washing machine, which was constantly flinging matter outward. Gas clouds should never be able to condense here, so how could a newborn star appear?

He magnified the observation window until the enormous screen fully displayed the appearance of the stellar egg. It was reacting violently while standing firm amid the storm. Only the universe itself knew that some catalyst from another universe had somehow found its way there.

The star suddenly collapsed inward, condensing into a black star. Then an explosion of incredible light and heat burst outward.

In less than a femtosecond, it expanded hundreds of times over, and blinding light shot in every direction like arrows. The surrounding dust was drawn in by its gravity, destined either to become part of it or one of its satellites.

Yet the star's reaction didn't stop. It continued expanding rapidly, as if determined to become the brightest star in this eternally dark universe.

Gano stood frozen before the window as a shock unlike anything he had ever experienced climbed through his entire body. It felt as though someone had struck him over the head, and everything he had failed to understand before suddenly became crystal clear.

This... is the universe!

This is an unimaginably vast universe!

Far beyond this place, countless stars are being born just like this one!

His heart suddenly ached, and an overwhelming urge to cry welled up inside him. For the first time in his life, he uttered words completely unrelated to war.

"...So beautiful..."

Patrol time arrived, and Gano followed his instinct to inspect the watchtower. Yet his mind was still filled with the image of that newborn star. His head faintly throbbed as countless thoughts churned inside him, and walking across the ground felt like walking above an abyss.

When he finally came back to his senses, numerous guards had already surrounded him.

"Reconnaissance soldier, your patrol route is incorrect. This constitutes a Level-Three disciplinary violation. Please accompany us for disciplinary education."

Gano instinctively stepped backward as his heart pounded like thunder. Then, his body did something unprecedented.

He ran.

Charging wildly ahead, everything he had learned about combat suddenly fused together inside his mind.

He was somewhat clumsy the first time he fought, but by the second exchange, he had already learned to strike first. He smashed through layer after layer of encirclement, knocking obstructing high-ranking Zerg to the ground. Then he seized a suit of armor he had never dared dream of possessing.

He could become the bravest warrior, and his academy grades were the best. So why wasn't he worthy of King-class armor?

Fortunately, that question no longer troubled him because he had taken it through his own strength.

Fueled by nothing but reckless courage, Gano broke through the atmosphere and stumbled into outer space before the other soldiers could even react.

The sensation of being suspended between heaven and earth filled him with momentary panic, but he quickly calmed himself. Many pursuers were already coming after him, so he had to escape as quickly as possible.

No matter where he ultimately ended up, as long as he escaped, that's all that mattered!

Yet Gano soon encountered a second obstacle: the cosmic storms were terrifying. Unfamiliar with piloting his armor, he was blown over and over again, tumbling helplessly through space before finally regaining control. The cosmic storm became an insurmountable wall blocking his path.

Gano thought of the expanding star. If that star could condense and survive amid the cosmic storm, then the area around it must at least be relatively stable. Perhaps it could serve as a breakthrough.

He quickly locked onto the star's position. With no way to retreat, he pushed his armor to maximum power and charged straight toward it. The pursuers behind him all came to a halt, unable to understand why this soldier had suddenly accelerated in what appeared to be a suicide attack.

A tiny black speck sped toward the expanding star. It was so insignificant that it could barely be seen, like a feather tossed into the sea, incapable of stirring even the slightest ripple.

Yet fate often worked through impossible coincidences. Something was knocked away by Gano's collision, causing the stellar egg to suddenly stop reacting. The catalyst that had been painstakingly obtained... was knocked away.

Gano thought he was about to plunge into an ocean of fire, but the expected heat never came. When he opened his eyes, he discovered that he had accidentally crashed into a rapidly moving wormhole.

Like someone trapped on a roller coaster, he was flung about endlessly. It felt as though he had spent an entire lifetime inside that tunnel. Then, all at once, his body grew light as the wormhole spat him into a desolate region of the universe.

After some time, he finally realized that he had arrived somewhere entirely different. He muttered softly,

"...Where is this?"

Back in Zerg territory, Haiying's pursuit failed, but he found a frozen and sleeping body sealed in ice. Although he was puzzled why a living creature would appear there, he still brought it back to serve as a Brood Host.

"He looks so much like us. Mother might like him."

At the edge of the universe, a half-finished little star suddenly appeared. Its mass was so tiny that it was practically invisible among stars, and was just big enough to warm itself or give plants a little bit of sunlight.

The little star slowly awakened. Still bewildered, it rotated around itself three times before asking a question from the depths of its soul:

"...Where are my hands?"

Elsewhere, among the galaxies near the edge of the universe, Gano wandered freely through space. The excitement of newfound freedom gradually faded, leaving only confusion, bewilderment, and profound guilt.

He had no idea what to do or where to go, while every creature he encountered feared him.

Perhaps... perhaps he never should have escaped. He had committed something truly terrible... A deserter of the Zerg race.

Unable to find anywhere to rest, Gano curled up and slept in outer space. Every morning after waking, he would rescan the star charts to see where the universe had carried him. He wandered aimlessly, like a meaningless gust of wind.

One day, he realized that his greatsword was missing, and this gave him a reason to keep traveling. He had to recover his weapon because it belonged to the armor he had fought so hard to seize.

And so, almost unconsciously, he wiped out a band of space pirates... and apparently saved a sentient star in the process.

But after regaining his weapon, Gano found himself lost again.

The mark of the Zerg race lingered on him. It was impossible to erase, so every living being avoided him.

His mind felt as blank as an empty sheet of paper as he struggled to find meaning in his own existence. He could never return to his homeland, and his future had no direction. Where was he supposed to go?

His armor's energy reserves were nearly depleted, which forced him to land at a port system. The result was widespread panic.

Pretending not to care, he secretly watched how other species wrote résumés. Clumsily, he imitated them, producing an absurdly long employment history before waiting anxiously.

Would anyone be willing to speak with him? Could he really see a wider universe?

Around him, one batch of résumés after another was replaced as tourists streamed past endlessly. Yet not a single living being stopped for him. Little by little, Gano's heart sank to rock bottom.

Perhaps... he never should have expected anything. Maybe the scenery beyond the universe wasn't so different after all.

Until one day, a sparkling figure walked up to him and said: "Welcome aboard my Tidal Peace. My name is... Yujin. Yujin of Blue Planet."

And from that moment onward... he possessed everything.

...

Gano remembered everything.

The star he had encountered while fleeing his homeland. The star he had rescued at the edge of the universe. Yujin from Blue Planet. The Grade-S Brood Host before him. Xi Yujin. They were all the same soul!

Perhaps there had never even been a Blue Planet at all. Perhaps it had all been fabricated by Yujin himself!

And now... after being separated from his human body for too long, that half-finished star might cause that soul to dissipate forever.

His thoughts churned violently as he searched through countless databases for the final answer.

The sky above the Nest Palace was suddenly covered by a thick layer of gelatinous matter, causing the distant stars to light up. Then, in the next instant, they rained down upon the planet like a bursting dam, crashing against the surface with deafening explosions.

Countless golden dragonflies seemed to swim within the gelatin. Gradually, the dragonflies faded away, revealing the mountain-like body of the Zerg Queen.

Ubit's head lowered from beneath the clouds, and her flower-petal eyes stared down at the tiny Gano. Her forelegs slammed into the ground, sending vibrations through the mountains and rocks.

The headache caused by her mental instability had driven her into uncontrollable fury, and she wanted nothing more than to destroy everything before her.

Around them, every high-ranking Zerg already bowed devoutly, their hands clasped before their chests like worshippers at prayer.

Gano gazed up at the colossal being before him. She felt strangely unfamiliar. If Ubit herself had led the pursuit back then, he probably would have died without leaving a trace.

Ubit's head throbbed unbearably, so there was no room for maternal affection. She was both Mother... and a beast utterly devoid of morality. She only wanted to destroy the source of her worsening madness.

She could sense that this child shared her bloodline. Perhaps that alone calmed her slightly. She growled her demand, her lower jaw's scissor-like blades splaying wide as if she might swallow Gano whole in the next instant.

"You... are... the... chaos?"

"Yes," Gano answered without fear.

He glanced at Xi Yujin's sleeping body. His thoughts wavered again, causing Ubit's headache to intensify.

Every Zerg present realized a terrifying truth. Whether intentional or not... Gano was killing his own mother.

Instantly, the high-ranking Zerg drew their weapons, waiting for the right moment to eliminate the source of the problem.

Ubit's words came in broken fragments.

"Do... not... think... anymore..."

Gano looked at the sleeping Xi Yujin again, and a fear that had arrived far too late engulfed him.

Quietly, he used the hidden blade in his palm to cut through the vines restraining him. Then he removed every piece of armor from his body. Alone and unarmed, he faced the Queen who had lost her reason.

He already understood that the Queen bore the burden of all her children's mental instability. If his thoughts became even a little freer, her mind would collapse. A child who possessed freedom... was poison to his mother...

But that was not what he sought.

His voice trembled slightly as he said, "I hope to return the soul of this Grade-S Brood Host to its original body."

He clasped his fingers together before his chest like a devout believer in prayer. At that moment, every grievance and resentment he had ever felt within Zerg territory disappeared. He smoothed away all his sharp edges and bowed his head before the Queen.

"Mother... I swear, as your loyal warrior..."

He knew the Queen loved her children and that the Zerg Queen was the greatest engineer in the universe. She must have a way to restore Yujinno to normal. He could use that. He could give up everything.

He made his promise to Ubit: "I am willing to give up..."

The words became increasingly difficult to speak, causing his head to lower further. Not merely because of the Queen's overwhelming pressure, but because of the fear that completely consumed him.

For the first time, he understood what death truly meant. His thoughts were about to cease, and Yujinno's future... would no longer include him.

Overwhelming reluctance and sorrow swallowed him whole.

He had begun with nothing, and now, he was about to lose the only precious thing he had ever possessed.

He wondered whether a third option existed, but the Queen's blade already hung above his head.

He felt that something had to be surrendered today. Perhaps he truly wasn't the bravest warrior after all because even his final promise came out in broken fragments.

Taking a deep breath, Gano forced himself to finish in one breath: "Mother... I am willing to give up the freedom I possess... as long as you let him live."

"Huff..."

"Huuuu..."

The air Ubit exhaled washed across Gano's face, scattering his hair. Everything around them fell silent. Only the violent pounding of the Queen's enormous heart remained.

Little by little... Ubit stepped away from him.

The furious and frenzied Queen suddenly seemed to have tasted something delicious, and her emotions changed with astonishing speed.

The hardened gland on her body suddenly softened, and the fur covering her upper body swayed gently in the wind. She withdrew her foreleg and lightly pressed it against the ground, a sign that she had regained control over her strength and her mind was returning to normal.

"My dear child... you really are special. You can actually think. If you weren't my child, I would want to eat you." Ubit's voice had once again become as lazy and languid as before.

"Of course, you must pay a heavy price. You dared to make me suffer so terribly."

She glanced toward the distant Xi Yujin, who was hurrying over aboard the Tidal Peace, and suddenly came up with a brilliant idea.

"Therefore... I've decided to marry you off to a marriage alliance."