Insectoids: The Job of the Males

In comparison, Wei Zhuo is much calmer, at least on the surface. He is even stopping Lu Nianqian, “don’t let him get to you.”

Though it might also be thanks to Wei Zhuo having been disciplined and locked in solitary confinement last time, and being separated from Cheng Zhaoci for such a long time. Otherwise, he might have joined in the extrajudicial beating.

“The insectoids are all ruled by males! I know they’re trying to change things around, but so what?! I’m already a broken insectoid.”

“Yes, that you are,” Wei Zhuo coldly retorts, “so what are you trying to achieve saying all this? Make us sympathise with your position? Pity you?”
“You still think you’re all ‘woke’ and know exactly what you’re doing?” Before Sun Wushe can interject, Wei Zhuo continues, “don’t deny it. You were always like this even when we were young. You think you’re the only know-it-all.”
“You believe in yourself and know what you’re doing. You always put your motivations behind a mask of reason that you keep repeating to everyone around you. You say you know you’re being a piece of shit. Is that what helps you sleep away the guilt?”

It is rare for Wei Zhuo to talk so much to any other insectoid than Cheng Zhaoci.

He continues, “before other insectoids can judge you for being insane, you raced to define yourself as a rational lunatic first. That somehow justifies everything you do, for being a lunatic.”
“I’m calling you out on your bullshit. You aren’t even half the crazed bastard Jin Yue is,” Wei Zhuo analyses, “do you think anything’s going to change when you tell me all this? We grew up together. You know these useless ruminations do not work on me. If you just want to get it out of your system, then go right ahead.”

Then Wei Zhuo drags Lu Nianqian away with him.

Sun Wushe’s fists are tightened. He yells, “I don’t regret anything I’ve done!”

“Keep shouting all you want,” says Wei Zhuo, not even having turned his head around.

Outside, Lu Nianqian is rubbing his wrist, “so how long do you have to be here still?”

“Not long. They want Sun Wushe back as soon as possible, and I have to escort,” Wei Zhuo then nods to Lu Nianqian, “you’ve done what you needed now; I still have work to do, so do excuse me.”

After Wei Zhuo has left, Meng Yuele squeezes in to fill the gap, going ‘tch tch’ and shaking his head at Wei Zhuo’s fast retreating silhouette, “what happened to him? He looks much more incensed than normal.”

“Probably because of Sun Wushe.”

“Oh, I get it,” Meng Yuele scratches his head, “he’s already come a long way being able to hold himself back without beating Sun Wushe to death.”

Since Wei Zhuo was actually gearing up to beat Sun Wushe’s head to a pulp (literally) when he first learned he was the undercover agent.

Wei Zhuo not just had to escort Sun Wushe, but also the males back to the Capital planet for proper medical treatment as soon as possible. Also Zhou Luoluo, who is not out of the dangerous area yet, so it’s safer for him to tag along with Wei Zhuo’s team.

Having learned of the power of Sun Wushe’s mouth, Meng Yuele and another insectoid worked together to seal his mouth shut for the way.

“How are the males faring?” Wei Zhuo asks, being the captain of the team, he is directly responsible for the safety of all males under his current care.

“The one with the worst injuries is still sleeping in the medical pod. We cannot find his limbs at all; prosthetics will have to be installed for now. We have no idea how he will behave when he finally wakes up. Most of the rest are stable… or more, docile. When the soldiers weren’t looking yesterday, though, two of them tried to kill themselves,” the shemale soldier reporting is feeling a chill down his spine just recalling the scene yesterday.

They’ve always known males as delicate and sensitive, throwing a tantrum over the most trivial of bumps and scratches. Yet, the two males yesterday were trying to strangle themselves with the tube from the catheter bag. The soldier can’t even begin to imagine how much it’d hurt, “Captain… do you think they will still be able to live a normal life?”

“I don’t know,” Wei Zhuo closes his eyes, “I’ve asked xiongzhu, but he said the First Research Institute has nothing on the mental states of traumatised insectoids. The best we can do, is ask their family to be there for them. If they can move on, they will,” and Wei Zhuo does not explain the other case – if they can’t move on, nothing but death and ruin awaits.

In the middle of the dead silence, Wei Zhuo’s holodeck is ringing. It’s Cheng Zhaoci.

He gets straight to the point when the call is picked up, “Wei-ge, I’ve mentioned the situation to Bai Jun, so we have an idea now. Have someone ask if any of those males would like this entire period of their memory removed.”

“Memory removed?” Asks the stunned Wei Zhuo.

“Yes. We talked about it and searched the records. There are some results left behind from a grade S male who investigated the brain and memories,” because apparently, he was quite troubled by all the bad history he can always remember all the time. He wanted to delete them scientifically, “we’re going to try to replicate and improve the design of the hypothetical machine based on the documents that remained. Of course, we want to respect the males’ wishes whether they would like to retain the memories. Also, it won’t be overnight. We need to run it through rigorous tests to ensure safety before we try it on the males.”

Cheng Zhaoci thinks this is the best method they have on hand. It’s not just every insectoid that can walk away from the pain, or even let the pain motivate them to become the stepping stone for their bright future.

Some insectoids are not able to restart, to forget like that.

Not to mention ‘pain’ is a vast understatement for what most of these males have experienced.

It goes without saying that memory tampering is quite morally troubling even for insectoids, which is why the surviving records of that grade S male’s work has fallen into such obscurity. Yet, this may precisely be those males’ salvation.

“Xiongzhu…” Wei Zhuo’s voice is on the verge of shaking.

Since they rescued those males, the mood on the spaceship has been sombre at best. Everyone can feel how hopeless and even lifeless those males have become.

Wei Zhuo has also been tense. Juggling between a scheming and chatty Sun Wushe and lots of males who might kill themselves when no one is looking.

He still has his poker face on, but most of the other shemale soldiers are visibly exhausted, withered like sprouts deprived of water and sunlight.

Wei Zhuo is smiling, “you really are a strong and amazing male.”

Cheng Zhaoci, who has mostly been getting by sleeping for an hour or two for a whole week, feels a sudden renewed motivation to work once more. He is even somehow finding it appropriate to demand Wei Zhuo to take ample rests and not overexert himself.

Though he’s also going off to sleep – a properly long and deep sleep, so that he receives Wei Zhuo at his best.

After the explanations and period of deliberation, most of the males consented to the treatment of memory removal, including, unsurprisingly, the two males who tried to commit suicide.

What was not expected was that not all assented. Three males refused to undergo the treatment.

“There are things, that I cannot forget,” one male who refused the treatment explained, “I will not kill myself; I am thankful the government has offered me the choice to remove what we have suffered. But I do not want to.”

Exactly what it is that he does not want to forget no matter what, he would not say. No one would dare asking either.

The spaceship has been moving for a while. The males with grave injuries on board mean they cannot rush this at all.

It’s already some days past when they finally arrive back at the Capital. Wei Zhuo and his team leads the way, while medical personnel and soldiers to arrest Sun Wushe and other high-ranking members all rushed on-board.

Wei Zhuo, sharp-eyed as always, quickly spots Cheng Zhaoci among the crowd moving towards them.

Cheng Zhaoci welcomes Wei Zhuo with a big smile.

Wei Zhuo is also smiling. Everything feels like it’s going to be alright, whenever he can see Cheng Zhaoci.

Before they can embrace deeply, though, a Zhou Luoluo emerges from nowhere and plunges himself into Cheng Zhaoci’s open embrace, yelling, “bro! My dear! Thanks for coming! I’m so damned touched you came to see me! Do you know how scary it was?! There were times when I thought I’d never be coming back!”

“I always knew you were actually a gentle insectoid at heart,” Zhou Luoluo says, tears and excitement strangely congruent on his face.

“Tch,” Cheng Zhaoci furrows his brows, scowling.