Zhao Chen looked this "Hive Princess" before him up and down.
One could see that her intelligence and her power of speech were far below that little bug of before, but her worth in force was very high.
Zhao Chen tried putting to her some of the questions that had not come out from the little bug: intelligence upon Order, and matters of the hive-race.
As Zhao Chen had thought, this "Hive Princess" knew nothing of any of it.
Only at the mention of Order did the killing air upon her plainly grow the thicker.
By the look of it, this "Hive Princess" cared much about Order.
Her appearing, too, was because she had seen those interstellar warships of the Pitch-Black Legion fleets.
"In this fashion of ours, there is no way to go on talking." Zhao Chen shrugged helplessly and said, "In sum, let me tell you this. I am at present upon terms of friendship, one may say, with the other master of this body of yours. We have no enmity; in some degree we are allies besides. You have seen it yourself; aren't we at war with those Pitch-Black Legion fleets? And if I truly wished you ill, do you think you would be a match for me?"
Hive Princess looked at Zhao Chen, and the breath upon her grew calmer still.
"I do not know whether your appearing is a thing you can govern. You had best go back for the present. And besides, if you would come out again next time. You had best… govern your feelings a little." Zhao Chen pointed at the room, in great disorder about them, and shrugged. "Rich as I am, the mending of all this is very dear besides."
Hive Princess took Zhao Chen's meaning; she nodded silently, and then closed her eyes.
In the space of a few short seconds, all those spider-lances drew in, and became once more a rounded arc-shaped shell, harmless to man and beast.
The eyes opened again, and the savagery and the killing intent of before were gone once more.
In their place was that foolish, guileless manner of look.
"Eh? How am I standing here? How are you here, what was I… doing just now?" Hive Princess wore a look of utter confusion.
The room's lighting returned to its ordinary state, and all was as it had been.
"Do you know that there dwells within this body of yours another soul, or rather… another consciousness?" Zhao Chen asked, coming straight to the point.
"Yes," Hive Princess answered outright.
Zhao Chen was slightly surprised; that "Hive Princess" of a moment since had denied it.
"How do you know?" Zhao Chen asked.
"Granny Bug told me. It was after we were parted from Mama; I kept crying, I was afraid. So Granny Bug told me that I had an elder sister besides, and that I need not be afraid. When I am in danger, my sister will come out and protect me," Hive Princess said, as lightly as cloud and wind.
It was as though this matter were no great thing at all.
By the look of it, Hive Princess knew of the existence of the other consciousness and soul within her body.
Only that other Hive Princess might not yet be clear upon this state of things.
"Look over there." Zhao Chen suddenly held Hive Princess by both shoulders, and made her look once more at the Pitch-Black Legion fleets' interstellar warships far off outside the floor-to-ceiling window.
Terror and fury appeared once more within Hive Princess's eyes.
Zhao Chen's hands could feel her trembling.
But this time Hive Princess did not lose control; she only showed her fear.
By the look of it, the Pitch-Black Legion fleets were not the direct condition of the trigger.
The other Hive Princess could tell one case from another as well.
As now, for instance: she knew the body faced no threat, and so she did not appear.
"You know them, don't you?" Zhao Chen pointed at those interstellar warships.
Hive Princess nodded heavily; her eyes were very wet, and she said in a trembling voice, "It is them! It was these bad men that destroyed Little Bug's homeland."
Looking at this frail and pitiful child before him,
Zhao Chen patted her shoulder and said in encouragement, "It is nothing; they cannot hurt you now. Look, we have the power to destroy them!"
At this moment, the Owl Dragon Guard Fleet had already opened its attack upon these Pitch-Black Legion fleets.
First came round upon round of saturation fire from interstellar missiles.
These Pitch-Black Legion interstellar warships, though the matter that made them up might be of a special kind, yet they were as ordinary interstellar warships still.
Under so terrible an onset of interstellar missiles, there appeared the scene of great numbers of interstellar warships destroyed.
Pitch-black interstellar warships, one after another, turned to ashes under the attack.
This was the might of the T5 Crimson-Reaper-class Heavy Interstellar Strategic Missile Ship.
Hive Princess watched this scene, dumbfounded.
Immediately after came round upon round of heavy-artillery salvo.
That was the heavy-artillery salvo of the Spear-of-Sin-class Heavy Interstellar Heavy-Artillery Ships; the interstellar warships in the forward ranks of the Pitch-Black Legion fleets were declared fallen, rank by rank.
At this point these Pitch-Black Legion starships marked this small handful of sudden assailants as well, and from the flank besides, which had caught them all unready.
They began to draw off great numbers of interstellar warships in support.
And this made the prey before the Owl Dragon Guard Fleet more and more.
The Fire-Qilin-class Heavy Carrier Starships' interstellar fighter groups and interstellar drone swarms went forth without cease, first seizing interstellar air superiority, and then making their assault upon those interstellar warships.
The enemy's counterattack came very soon as well.
But the star-shield defense of the King-of-the-Hill-class Heavy Interstellar Comprehensive Strategic Escorts protected the whole fleet, neat and entire.
The enemy's counterattack, on the contrary, roused the war-loving genes within the blood of the Owl Dragon Guard Fleet.
The Holy-Redeemer-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Heavy-Artillery Battleships, the Frost-Tyrant-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Battlecruisers, the Lightning-Wraith-class Heavy Assault Interstellar Cruisers and the Chaos-Knight-class Heavy Assault Interstellar Destroyers, these four main interstellar battle types of the frontal field,
opened fire one and all, and began to hunt the pitch-black interstellar warships opposite as it were hunters.
"Strike! Strike! Strike!"
Zhao Chen heard a voice come from beside him, and looked over.
He saw Hive Princess pressed against the floor-to-ceiling window, crying out with a sob in her voice, calling without cease to strike and to kill, wishing she could rush up herself at this moment and join battle with the enemy.
But very soon, within the Pitch-Black Legion fleets there appeared vast black figures, one after another.
They appeared as it were demon-shadows upon the frontal field where the Owl Dragon Guard Fleet was engaged.
"They are come! It has come!" Terror rose once more in Hive Princess's eyes, and her body trembled.
It was as though she saw the scene of her own homeland destroyed beneath these vast demon-shadows.
Zhao Chen stared at these interstellar warships, whose bulk exceeded a hundred kilometers.
These interstellar warships were the T6 interstellar warships of the Pitch-Black Legion fleets!
Zhao Chen swept his eye over them; at this moment three had appeared upon the frontal field,
all of them coming straight at the Owl Dragon Guard Fleet.
By the look of it, that short engagement just now had already made the enemy aware how great a threat this fleet of no great number was.
But Zhao Chen, on the contrary, grew all the more excited at this.
The main piece was at last about to begin.
This was the most important passage of this battle.
He might see now where the Hades' limit lay!