Defeat the system! Kiss my little monster!

It was pitch black all around, with only the sound of wheels rolling over the road. It seemed to be raining heavily outside; the windows were shaking, and the rain drowned out the cacophony of insects, washing over the already dirty surface of the carriage.

Adrian wearily opened his eyes in the darkness. The red card he had been given for barely surviving was still in his pocket, the data on it fluctuating and the red light continuing.

It was simply dragged to another place by the pink ball.

Adrian sat up against the carriage wall, his hands and feet bound, the quantum computer he had been wearing on his wrist long gone. A tiny earpiece remained hidden in his ear, undiscovered for the time being.

The sounds from Aran's side were intermittent, mostly the sound of wind, with no insect voices coming through. He was still being chased by the female soldiers, and his situation was probably even worse than Adrian's.

Adrian sat there, trying to process his thoughts. The car was still moving, and after some time, the rear door of the carriage was suddenly flung open from the outside by an insect.

"He woke up so quickly? Your dosage isn't right." The female insect, dressed in black with a mask covering half her face, turned to the other female insect beside her and said, "Lock him inside, and pick out some nice clothes for him."

Adrian was completely weak; the effects of the drug injected into his body hadn't worn off yet, and even his vision was blurry. Seeing this, the female insect took two steps forward and easily pulled Adrian out of the carriage.

Adrian was led to another carriage, which was nearly twice the size of the previous one. Inside were rows of iron cages, and each cage contained two or three female insects.

These female insects were all strong and robust. The small cages squeezed them into the space, and they were either squatting or half-paralyzed. Their bodies and spines were almost deformed by the pressure of the iron cages.

"Get in!"

Adrian was a male insect, and the female insects escorting him outside paid special attention to his rare species, throwing him into a cage alone.

After Adrian went inside, he curled up, silent and pale-lipped.

The female insect scoffed at this and slammed the back door of the carriage shut.

"That male is pretty high-level, isn't he? His clothes look quite valuable; the Empire must have given him a lot of star coins." The female gestured to her companion, "How about we..."

“If he deeply marks you, you’re finished. Do you think these males are easy to deal with? Don’t get any funny ideas about the goods.” Another female interrupted him. He got into the car and drove away from the area quickly. “There was a female military woman chasing him earlier. He’s a troublesome guy. Let’s sell him quickly.”

The female insect remained silent upon hearing this. He rummaged through the personal computer he had taken from Adrian and impatiently hung up again when the video call started.

"This is never going to end," the female insect clicked her tongue.

He tossed the quantum computer aside, quite satisfied with its new casing. He simply turned it off and stuffed it into his pocket.

Adrian could only vaguely hear the conversation of two female insects ahead. Only a small light was on in the carriage, the light so dim that he could barely make out the face of the insect beside him.

There were at least forty or fifty female insects in the carriage, and the air was thick with the stench of sweat and blood.

"Adrien..."

Adrian's sleeve was tugged twice. The female insect's withered fingers slipped through the gaps in the iron cage bars and hooked onto the hem of Adrian's shirt.

Hearing the sound, Adrian turned his head and looked at the iron cage next to him.

The female insect in the iron cage had dry, disheveled golden hair. He huddled helplessly in the corner, his arms and neck covered in whip marks. Due to the effects of the drug, his wounds had reopened and festered, showing no signs of healing.

Adrian turned his gaze over, and the female insect also forced herself to lift her face. Her face was deathly pale, her lips were dry and cracked, and her red pupils were mechanically set in their sockets, the whites of her eyes red as if they were bloodshot.

Adrian's gaze lingered for a moment: "...Cecil?"

He had met the Eighth Prince not long ago when he went to buy the Supreme No. 1. Cecil, back then, exuded royal elegance in every gesture, his arrogant and sharp personality undiminished; he never expected him to be imprisoned in such a place now.

Cecil gave a bitter laugh upon seeing Adrian, his voice hoarse and choked with weeds: "Adrian... save..."

Adrian looked at him silently. He was in a precarious situation himself, let alone able to make any promises to Cecil.

“Northern Cemetery…kill him…” Cecil coughed incessantly, his hatred reaching its peak, and he coughed up thick blood from his throat.

Adrian lifted his eyelashes, grasped Cecil's hand, and lowered his voice, "Sean?"

Cecil lowered his head and gave a weak "hmm".

“Your Highness, there are female soldiers lying in ambush in the black market. You need to find the insects with the Black Hawk insignia and have them find a way to rescue you.” Adrian also lowered his body, his voice so soft it was almost inaudible. “If necessary, bow your head when appropriate.”

Cecil turned his eyes to Adrian, his nose stinging, and he swallowed the blood with difficulty as his Adam's apple bobbed.

Adrian could only tell Cecil this much. Arran had only a small number of female soldiers planted in the black market; they were mainly used for relaying messages. Cecil's escape would ultimately depend on his own efforts.

Cecil gritted his teeth. The truck carrying the live insects had already stopped, and seeing this, Cecil quickly stuffed a rag into Adrian's hand.

Adrian quickly took it and moved aside. Moments later, the female insect opened the rear door of the carriage from the outside.

Adrian was led off the vehicle. The two female insects were only responsible for transporting the goods; once they arrived at their destination, they would hand over the live insects, which were about to be auctioned, to another group of insects in charge.

The male and female insects were auctioned separately, and Adrian was led into a completely different passage.

The female insects in charge of the auction saw Adrian's eyes light up and specially took him into the golden birdcage, where they used instruments to measure his grade.

It actually reached Grade A!

The starting price for a male of this grade can reach 100 million.

Adrian paused upon seeing the level. He was still clutching the data card for barely surviving in his palm, and upon seeing this, he couldn't help but lower his eyes slightly.

"Don't rush to auction him off. The VIPs upstairs are waiting. Let him serve these female insects; one session will be worth a hundred million..."

Adrian leaned against the birdcage bars. He had been calm since the day he was locked up and hadn't gone crazy like the other males.

Adrian rarely ate the food the food management bug brought in; he would occasionally take a few bites and then throw the food back. Once, he knocked over the plate and nearly escaped by grabbing the food delivery bug by the collar.

The insect in charge was startled. He put Adrian back into the golden birdcage and didn't bring him any more pastries for the next two days, only giving him nutrient solution instead.

Adrian didn't react. He took advantage of the chaos to pick up the bread knife that had fallen from the plate and hid it in his sleeve.

A week later, the VIPs at the auction house arrived as scheduled.

The female insects at the auction house specially dressed Adrian in a brand new suit. They combed his white hair back, fixed it neatly with hair gel, leaving only a few stray strands falling on his forehead.

The VIPs at these auction houses are very particular about the appearance and physique of the male insects. Perhaps to cater to their tastes, the female insect wrapped a pure black lace band around Adrian's eyes before leaving.

Adrian, his hands and feet shackled, walked slowly behind the waiter, his fingertips secretly touching the sharp blade hidden in his sleeve.