Unexpectedly, Yael actually intended to pick up trash. The leader raised his eyebrows in surprise, but still waved his hand dismissively.
"No, no, we won't sell him. The order from our superior is to kill him. It would be difficult to report back if we sell him."
"There's a stock exchange center behind you. It would be great if you could go in and pick a obedient and pretty female slave. Why do you have to pick up trash from the trash can?"
"Anyway, no one else knows about this. After all, who would care about a dying female slave?"
Yael said coldly, without giving in, "After selling the slave, you can keep the money for yourself and you won't have to hand any of it over to the exchange center."
"No." The female insect refused bluntly, his eyes gradually becoming more sinister, "Although you are a male insect and I can't hurt you, we still need to kill this female slave. Kill him."
The last words were spoken to the subordinate next to him.
Yael's expression became stern, and he subconsciously stepped forward to shield the female insect, and said softly, "It is a serious crime to hold harmful intentions towards a male insect, you should think it over carefully."
"Tsk, be careful! Don't hurt the male insect, and kick the female slave's neck to quickly kill him."
Even in his previous life, Yael rarely encountered such things. Facing such bloody oppression and terror, he pursed his lips and took a deep breath to calm the beating of his heart.
"Sir, stop being willful and get out of the way."
...three.
"Don't be noisy, just go around the male insect and kill the female slave!"
...two.
"Wait, what's that sound?!"
A subtle buzzing sounded above his head, and Yael's expression relaxed as he murmured silently -
one.
A blinding red light suddenly exploded, both Yael and the female insect trying to get around him, whose expression suddenly changed, looked up. In front of the female insect was a pitch-black gun muzzle.
"Warning - warning - discovered attempt to harm a male insect, activate level one punishment mode!"
In just one breath's time, the machine holding the gun had fully accumulated energy and fired accurately at several female insects, easily blasting and piercing through the wall behind them in an enormous show of power.
"Fuck, why is the city peacekeeping machine here? Run!"
The female insect leader gritted her teeth, spread her wings first, flew into the sky, and sped away into the distance.
The remaining female insects did the same thing. The large, round peacekeeping machine split into several smaller sub-machines on the spot, chasing rapidly in different directions. In just a few seconds, the alley in front of Yael and the injured female slave became quiet.
Yael took his hand out of the pocket of his down jacket, and the red dot on the light brain on his wrist flashed.
He quickly closed the flashing alarm page and checked the condition of the female insect at his feet.
It wasn't obvious at a quick glance just now, but the female insect was actually wearing a black collar around his neck with a thick iron chain welded on it as he was being stepped on in the dirty blood mud.
Those criminals treated him like a lowly beast and tortured him.
Yael took a deep breath and tried to suppress the anger in his heart.
He intended to untie the restraints of the female, but soon he smelled a strong smell of blood. In this weather that was enough to freeze anyone's sense of smell, the smell slowly hit Yael's nostrils like a gurgling warm stream.
Only then did Yael realize that the female insect's legs were twisted in an extremely unnatural manner, as if they were broken and bent. The bruises above his knees had almost turned black, and blood was oozing from his waist, abdomen and legs.
...Damn it, if he continues to stay here, his limbs will definitely become necrotic, and it will be troublesome to have them amputated.
He tapped on the light brain, called the emergency number of the nearest hospital, and sent them his location, but suddenly remembered that ambulances would not enter the gray area, so they could not wait here.
"We have to get off of this section of the road."
Yael looked around and thought that in such black market alleys, there would usually be things like carts.
Somehow, every time when something is urgently needed, it seems to have disappeared into thin air, but when the thing is not needed, it can be seen everywhere.
He rummaged around for a while, but decisively gave up when he felt that the female insect's body temperature was getting lower and lower. After thinking for a while, he took off his down jacket and draped it over the female insect, leaving only his thin sweater on.
A gust of cold wind blew, and Yael shivered violently, his whole body stiffening.
…It's so cold.
He wrapped the warm down jacket around the female insect, and after trying to zip it up without success, he tied a knot on both sleeves to barely cover the female insect's body.
Then he squatted down, pulled the female insect onto his back, and tried to stand up with great difficulty.
But as if burned by that little bit of warmth, or as if the injured area was pressed, the originally unconscious female insect suddenly convulsed.
Yael, who had just stood up, staggered a few times and nearly sent the female insect falling back onto the ground.
"...Don't move!"
He gritted his teeth subconsciously, not knowing whether the female insect heard him or not, but at least the female insect had stopped moving.
The body on his back was as cold as ice, pressing heavily on his shoulders. He struggled to lift the female insect up and walked slowly towards the exit of the black market.
…
The snow fell quietly and heavily, and the swirling white flakes landed silently under the dim light.
Thin layers of snow piled up on Yael's head, and the rest piled up on the female insect on his back.
Their shadows merged into one under the streetlight, and from a distance it looked like a bloated snowman staggering along.
The female insect on Yael's back was short and thin. When he walked by supporting the female insect's knees, the female insect's slender legs would slip down from time to time, making it difficult to move.
"Ugh..."
Labored breath overflowed from between his lips and teeth, trapped in the fluffy scarf, exhaling a damp and hot breath.
Yael lifted up the body that had almost slipped off his back. His arms ached and he sweated even in such a cold winter.
The female insect on his back had a very weak heartbeat, and his drooping arms swayed gently with each step Yael took. Fresh blood flowed down and finally condensed at his fingertips, dripping all the way onto the floor.
"...Please don't die."
There was a flash of heat on Yael's back, and the blood had completely soaked through his down jacket and sweater.
Yael's Adam's apple moved slightly, and he murmured in a low voice, "You have persisted for so long, please be patient for a while longer."
He bit the tip of his tongue, forced himself out of his chaotic thoughts, held his breath, quickened his pace, and walked towards the entrance of the alley.