"Hey!" Ke Xing’s curiosity couldn’t be satisfied, so he immediately became anxious. Relying on his good relationship with the Minister of the Military, he slapped his shoulder hard. The strength of the retired veteran was no less than in his youth, causing the Minister to stumble, "You’re teasing us on purpose! Trying to whet our appetite, huh!"

The Minister of the Military was strong and muscular. Though he stumbled a bit, he wasn’t troubled by a simple slap like that. Steadying himself, he smugly said, "I’m indeed teasing you all, and what can you do about it?"

Ke Xing became angrier, but as he fumed, he started to laugh. Although the Insect Clan banquet intrigued him, sooner or later, he’d get to eat it, calming his heart a bit. He didn’t feel so rushed anymore. Savoring the increasingly rich aroma of various meats in the air and watching the soldiers outside grow more restless, he even felt like extending the wait a little longer.

"Is the Humming Beast easy to cook?" When Ke Xing and the Minister of the Military, old comrades, bickered freely on the side, Ke Lian went directly to Du Xixi. Seeing some water stains on Xixi’s hands, he guessed she had just come from the kitchen, "Did you get tired?"

"Not tired." Ke Lian had already reached out to massage Du Xixi’s wrist. His massage skills were quite proficient now, with his warm fingers pressing on just the right acupoints, making Xixi close her eyes comfortably, her voice softening, "The Humming Beast’s meat is similar to pork, so I just treated it like a large version of pork. It wasn’t much effort, plus everyone helped me."

As he massaged, Du Xixi found herself nestled into Ke Lian’s arms. His embrace was broad and comforting, and after a little snuggle, Xixi settled in, enjoying Ke Lian’s private massage services, speaking softly, "According to the data, the head and belly of the Humming Beast contain a lot of Insect Clan toxins. So I deliberately avoided those areas. But during later handling, I found a small amount of Insect Clan toxins at the connection between the neck and back, and it’s in the bones. If it weren’t for me having... I might have been caught off guard."

Not only did Ke Lian hear Du Xixi, but so did the Minister of the Military and Ke Xing, who were closer. Perhaps because Xixi intentionally lowered her voice, others didn’t overhear her.

The fact that there was missing information about the Insect Clan known to the entire interstellar community was a big deal. It was unclear whether no one had noticed these subtle Insect Clan toxins, or if someone had deliberately concealed this detail, misleading the interstellar understanding of the Insect Clan.

Generally speaking, once a researcher from one empire identifies the toxin distribution on an Insect Clan species, other empires will cease their research, considering the high hazard of Insect Clan toxins and their incurability—on the surface, at least—no one wants their empire’s researchers to fall victim.

The Minister of the Military’s eyes darkened. If he remembered correctly, the research on the body structure of the Humming Beast and the internal Insect Clan toxins was determined by their own Blue Star Empire’s researchers.

The problem arose from within their own ranks, and the Minister felt particularly discomforted. Seeing Xixi mention it casually, unaware of the significance, but with Ke Lian and Ke Xing already frowning at him, the Minister nodded, using this simple gesture to convey his intention.

Since there was an issue, the Minister of the Military naturally had to find a way to uncover it quickly. While he used his Light Computer to order his men to investigate secretly, Xixi’s words continued: "And it’s strange, Li Feng and the others said the Humming Beast’s fur was so tough that it took several shaving blades and still wouldn’t come off, but I found it quite easy, even easier than shaving pig fur."

"This... might be due to the difference in physical level. I remember Li Feng is A-level, and you are S-class. That one-level difference might lead to different shaving results." Xixi was leaning into Ke Lian’s arms, her eyes half-closed, so she could only hear Ke Lian’s gentle explanation but couldn’t see his slightly serious expression.

Ke Lian’s heart was deeply shaken at that moment.

The Humming Beast was a relatively common Insect Clan species, thick-skinned and resilient, typically used as vanguard troops in the Insect Clan army. Every time on the battlefield, Ke Lian had to lead his army to face hundreds or thousands of Humming Beasts, and he naturally knew how tough the Humming Beast was.