Her heart churned with turmoil. The document was undeniable evidence that could uncover the truth behind her husband’s death. But what would she do with that truth? That question echoed in her mind, accompanied by the anger and grief surging once more to the surface.

"Your husband wasn’t sacrificed by his team," the man said in a calm tone. "He chose to act as bait to ensure their safety and the mission’s success. The mission he undertook was grueling, of utmost importance, and nearly impossible to execute. No soldier, not even the finest in the Federation, dared to take that risk. Yet, your husband once again proved himself to be extraordinary—the man worthy of marrying Lyna Kata, the Queen Bee who commands hundreds of battle fleets as if they were extensions of her will—"

BAM!

The man’s body was hurled violently, slamming into a wall and bringing it down. Lyna, who had been curled up on the bed moments before, now stood with clenched fists. Her punch had been so swift the man hadn’t even registered what had happened. Her eyes were bloodshot, filled with rage, her body trembling with barely contained fury, and a feral roar erupted from her throat.

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” she screamed, her voice filled with unbridled anger.

The man slowly rose, his cheek reddened and blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. He brushed the dust off his military uniform and looked at Lyna calmly. As a powerful psychic still free from the Broodmother’s control, his body was far stronger than an ordinary human’s. Just before Lyna’s lethal punch struck his face, he had managed to create an energy shield around his head. Without it, his skull would have shattered like a watermelon under a hammer.

Still, though he had survived, he fully understood the deadly extent of Lyna’s strength. He dared not retaliate, let alone strike back, because the woman before him was the strongest psychic in the West Human Federation. Had she not retired a few years prior, she might have been the most powerful in the entire Human Federation.

“My daughter, is this how you greet your father after so long apart?” the man said, a faint smile on his face despite the blood still trickling from his lip. Even with the energy shield, he could still feel the immense impact of her punch.

“If… if my husband’s name leaves your filthy mouth one more time, don’t blame me if the Kata Family has to find a new head,” Lyna replied in an icy, threatening tone.

The man immediately clamped his mouth shut. He knew Lyna’s threats were not empty words. The murderous intent in her eyes was palpable, and he was fully aware that his life depended on the thin thread of her patience.

Lyna slowly regained her composure, though her body still trembled with anger that hadn’t completely subsided. Her gaze remained sharp, scanning for any reason to continue her assault. Yet Kristo, ever adept at reading others’ emotions, managed to hold his ground for the moment.

“State your reason for coming here,” Lyna demanded coldly. “Don’t you realize that you’re the reason I lost the most important person in my life? Do you really think I won’t kill you just because we share blood, Kristo?”

Kristo met her gaze, aware that a single wrong word could mean his end. Taking a deep breath, he began the explanation he had long prepared.

“The mission your husband undertook was codenamed Hivemind. Its goal was to find a way to free human psychics from the Broodmother’s control. To achieve that, they had to infiltrate the most dangerous place in the universe: the Arachnoax Hive.” Kristo paused, taking another breath before continuing.

“That place isn’t just swarming with Arachnoax at every corner—it’s also directly ruled by the Broodmother herself. That’s why it was impossible to send psychics on this mission. They would have been detected the moment they approached the Arachnoax solar system. Because of that, the Federation could only rely on ordinary soldiers for the task.”

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Kristo stopped briefly, glancing at Lyna. Her face was cold, but he knew she was like a lioness ready to pounce at any moment. He swallowed hard and pressed on.

“This mission had been planned for years, even back when relations between humans and the Arachnoax were still in their ‘honeymoon phase.’ But no soldier was brave or skilled enough to carry it out. If they were just looking for cannon fodder, that would’ve been easy. But the leader of this mission couldn’t be chosen carelessly. The mission only had one chance. If it failed, there would be no second attempt. We all know how quickly the Broodmother adapts to our combat strategies.”

Kristo paused again, ensuring Lyna was still listening. “If you think I forced your husband to take on this mission, you’re completely wrong. I deliberately kept it hidden from him. I knew how strong his sense of justice was. If he had learned about this mission, he would’ve volunteered without a second thought, no matter the danger. You know this yourself—despite his appearance as a lazy man without a sense of purpose, your husband loved chasing danger.” Kristo gave a bitter smile as he said this.

“Then how did he find out about the Hivemind mission?” Lyna asked, frowning. Though she hadn’t used her telepathic abilities in years, she could still sense the sincerity in Kristo’s words.

Kristo shook his head slowly. “I don’t know for sure. Most likely, he heard about it from someone high up in the Federation.”

“You’re the head of the Kata family. Is there anything in the Human Federation you don’t know?” Lyna asked suspiciously, her eyes piercing through Kristo.

Kristo let out a long sigh. “My daughter, while the Kata family is incredibly powerful within the West Human Federation—some would even say its leader—our influence doesn’t extend as far across the entire Human Federation. You know yourself how deep the power structures of the Federation go; even I haven’t uncovered its full depths. In my opinion, the higher-ups have been targeting your husband for this mission for a long time. Not only because of his extraordinary abilities during his time at the academy but also because of your existence as his wife.”

Kristo’s words hung heavily in the air. Lyna stayed silent, processing every statement. Back when she was active in the military, Lyna’s name was legendary. Time and again, she had been offered promotions to lead the Federation’s main fleet, but she had always refused. Her reason for joining the military wasn’t power; it was to explore the vast universe. However, everything changed when she met her husband. That meeting made her choose early retirement, leaving her old life behind to spend her days with the man who filled her heart.

If it were true that one of the reasons the Federation’s leaders recruited her husband was to lure her back into the military, it made sense. To them, sacrificing thousands of husbands was worth it if it meant regaining the legendary Queen Bee. But even if their goal was for the survival of humanity, Lyna couldn’t accept the fact that her husband had been made a sacrifice. Deep down, she knew she would rather sacrifice all of humanity for that man. After all, with her husband, they could create a new human civilization through their descendants. To her, that was far better than living without her soulmate, as she was now.

But reality had chosen a different path. Her husband had taken a different road, one dedicated to protecting humanity. Though Lyna hated that decision, she couldn’t entirely blame him. She knew who he truly was. Beneath his carefree and indifferent demeanor toward the world lay an extraordinary compassion and tenderness—the light that had illuminated Lyna’s life all this time. That light was also what made her willing to abandon a life of adventure to spend her days with the man she loved.

Lyna looked at the ring on her finger and sighed deeply.

‘Is this what you wanted from me?’ she asked in her heart.

If it was indeed her husband’s wish, she would honor it. But she would do it in her own way. Lyna would hunt down every Federation leader who had trapped her husband in the Hivemind mission.

She would sever their heads, one by one.

Along the path of her vengeance, Lyna would once again become the Queen Bee, humanity’s protector.

And before she joined her husband in the afterlife...

“What’s the name of the Broodmother who was the target of my husband’s mission?” Lyna asked, her tone cold yet firm.

Kristo narrowed his eyes, conflicted. He knew why his daughter was asking this. On one hand, he was pleased that the Federation’s pillar of strength would return. On the other, he feared the destruction that pillar might bring. Still, he answered her question.

“Vamrah, the Locust Queen,” he said softly.