Minister Zhao took a deep breath as he sat in the hovercar.
The hovercar stopped by the roadside, not far across the road from His Majesty the Insect King's residence near the elementary school on Planet Earth.
This was the largest and most luxurious villa that could be found in the vicinity. Two Insect Generals stood guard on either side of the entrance, their sharp gazes fixed on anyone suspicious.
Minister Zhao swallowed, his fear constantly shaking his resolve, making him wish he could leave immediately.
But the moment he recalled Ye Yun's words from the conference room that day, it was as if a basin of cold water had been doused over his head, instantly calming him down.
If he didn't go today, let alone in the future, his current position might not even be secure.
If his understanding of Ye Yun before was limited to the battles he had won years ago, then after that day, he truly understood Ye Yun's temperament.
In that conference room, he held no one in contempt except Lin Zhiyuan.
Recalling his thoughts, his subordinate's voice sounded in his ear. He was in the passenger seat and turned to look at Minister Zhao:
"Minister, there are only five minutes left until the agreed-upon time."
The so-called agreement was merely the time he had written on the post when submitting the intention to visit the Insect Race. The Insect Race had only responded with a haughty "agreed."
Minister Zhao didn't know if this counted as an agreement, but he had to come.
Minister Zhao swallowed and pushed open the car door, stepping out of the hovercar.
He was wearing a formal three-piece suit, but due to his portly build, it looked somewhat comical no matter how you looked at it.
When he reached the entrance, Minister Zhao plastered a smile on his face and said to the Insect General beside him, "I am an envoy from Planet Earth, here to visit His Majesty the Insect King."
The Insect General was tall, a good half-head taller than Minister Zhao. He lowered his head, his cold gaze sweeping over him, and said in a low voice, "Wait a moment."
With that, he turned and walked towards the villa to inform the butler.
Minister Zhao exhaled imperceptibly, thinking that the Insect Generals were not as terrifying as rumored. It would be even better if the Insect King could also be more friendly.
However, this was destined to be Minister Zhao's wishful thinking, as he would not get to see the Insect King himself at all.
Although it was early autumn, the nine o'clock sun was still quite hot. Minister Zhao waited at the entrance for over an hour before being allowed in.
Minister Zhao's legs were trembling faintly. Ever since that Insect General had entered the grand door, he had not come out again.
Yet, he dared not leave, as the remaining three Insect Generals were still watching him with predatory eyes.
He kept taking out his handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead, cursing the damned Insect Race in his heart.
Even before coming, he knew that the Insect Race might make things difficult for him because of the incident at the school.
But he had not expected that these Insect Race members would openly make things difficult for him before he even entered the door,
Not even letting him in.
Actually, this was Minister Zhao's misunderstanding. According to his rank, he would not have had the opportunity to meet the Insect King. This meeting had been delegated to Insect General Alger.
However, his timing was unfortunate. Alger was in the process of selecting a gift for Luo Qi with Butler Reid.
Some plush toys.
As for why they were sending gifts? Did one need to ask why gifts were being sent to Luo Qi?
The latest plush dolls produced on Planet Insect had recently arrived on Planet Earth. Reid and Alger were to select some of the cutest ones to send to Luo Qi's room, with the rest placed in the living room and playroom.
Over the years, Planet Insect's official accounts had often shared Luo Qi's daily life, and thus, Luo Qi's fondness for all things fluffy had become known to more and more people.
Toy factories were established all over Planet Insect, making a large batch of fluffy items overnight.
Thus, it had almost become a tradition over the years for transport ships to regularly deliver fluffy items to the royal palace.
Now that Luo Qi was on Planet Earth, the fluffy items were also sent to Planet Earth.
Alger held a soft kitten plush pillow and asked, "How about this one? I heard it's a creature unique to Planet Earth."
Reid pondered, as if contemplating a problem of the century, "I don't know if His Highness will like it. This one might be better. His Highness likes to eat this fruit the most, so he'll definitely like it as a pillow."
It was at this moment that the Insect General entered and informed Alger about Minister Zhao's arrival.
Alger's eyes lit up. He didn't pay attention to what the general had just said and pulled him over to ask,
"Which one do you think Luo Luo will like?"
The Insect General was stunned. "Is it for His Highness?"
Alger nodded and urged, "Which one do you think he will like?"
The Insect General pondered for a moment. He didn't choose the kitten or the fruit, but picked up another one. "I think it's this one."
Thus, the team diligently selecting plush toys expanded from two insects to three.
As for Minister Zhao? Was he important?
When the three plush toys were evaluated from left and right and a winner was decided, with one placed in the bedroom and the other two on the sofa, Alger finally remembered the person left waiting outside.
By the time Minister Zhao entered, his chest and back were soaked with sweat. Initially, it was from the heat, which later turned into cold sweat from fear.
As he shakily walked through the villa's main entrance, he almost collapsed to his knees due to his weak legs.
Alger sat on the sofa and nudged the two plush pillows towards himself.
Seeing Minister Zhao's appearance, he directly ordered an Insect General to bring a chair.
Alger smiled wryly and said, "Please sit."
Minister Zhao wiped the sweat from his head, gave a weak smile, and sat down on the chair, swallowing. "Are you, His Majesty the Insect King?"
Alger sneered, "You are not qualified to see my King."
Minister Zhao's face turned pale, his lips trembling, unable to speak.
Alger's gaze turned cold as he looked at the person before him. Ye Yun had already told him about this person's background earlier.
Although he hadn't specified what he had done, just on the grounds of damaging the friendly relations between Planet Earth and the Insect Race, Alger's attitude was indifferent enough.
Alger sat lazily on the sofa, crossing his legs, one hand resting on his thigh, and said,
"Mr. Envoy, you can tell me directly what you need. What is your purpose in coming here this time?"
Minister Zhao gave a dry laugh, unable to gauge Alger's true standing. At most, the high-ranking Insect Generals he had encountered were Bosia, whom he had met once before.
He cautiously said, "I, on behalf of Planet Earth, wish to express our sincerest apologies to the Insect Race for the accident that occurred at the elementary school a few days ago.
The follow-up investigation into the accident is still ongoing. Planet Earth will definitely provide compensation for the harm and impact suffered by His Highness the Insect Prince in this matter."
Minister Zhao himself paused after speaking. His actual intention was to use this incident to drive the Insect Race off Planet Earth.
However, due to those disappointing children, he had to come and bow down to these barbaric races.
But he still knew why he was here, maintaining a forced but decent smile on his face.
However, Alger, who was opposite him, clearly wasn't buying it. He chuckled meaningfully, "Heh, an apology?"