Entomologists Don't Dream of Peacock Moths

[A fictional setting unrelated to reality. Please don't read it as a reflection of the real world. The character cards feature actual insects, so proceed with caution] [Hostile insectoid races, like those in space-travel stories. Lots of actual insects, a somewhat stream-of-consciousness sci-fi-movie vibe, and first-person narration. Preorder: How Did I End Up in a Harem of Overpowered Heroes? If you like it, please add it to your favorites.] [Official Blurb] I'm an entomologist, invited to study humanity's enemy: the insectoid race. There, I met my research subject, TXJ-2011, a great peacock moth. For convenience, I privately call it Love. On Earth, the only thing a great peacock moth needs to do in its life is find a mate. They can overcome anything to achieve that goal, so humans gave them the title “born for love.” My research subject, Love, is exactly that kind of hopeless romantic. Even while locked up, it never stops going back and forth with its boyfriend, Black Velvet, a butterfly known as the electric pansy. Before this bug became “the ex-husband” in Love's telling, the two of them had been all over the place. Lush rainforests, a mechanical city gleaming with metallic light, a planet full of fish that fishing fanatics wouldn't leave even if they were soaked through... They had traveled together to planets many humans had never set foot on. “Love, humans don't use ‘the ex-husband’ as a term of endearment.” Whether he's an ex-boyfriend or a husband, I can tell the difference. “Black Velvet becomes the ex-husband when he doesn't answer me.” Can insectoid couples really be this exasperating? Faced with Love's stubborn denials, I can only pull out the ultimate weapon against couples: “All right, I'm telling you to break up.” #TheInsectoidsAreTooGoodAtThis# #SummerIsHereAndTheyllLayHundredsOfEggsOnTheWindowScreen# #ImTheOnlyOneTheyVentToWhenTheyFightHowDoIEscapeHelp# I respected them, wished them well, and went along with it. Just don't die on Earth. When Love complained yet again, “Why won't the ex-husband reply to me right away?” I finally lost patience and stormed into the operations department: “Have you found their coordinates yet? Hurry up and send them back to their rainforest home!” I've had enough. Don't make me use the anti-insect special weapon: my slipper. [Preorder Blurb] Ying Xu set out in search of “the great fortune that would move heaven and earth” and found a man in a ruined temple, his eyes as fierce as a lone wolf's. A clap of thunder brought back memories of his past life: he had taken a gig on Xianyu to do an environmental engineering assignment, and not only had the client refused to pay the final installment, they'd also sent him a TXT file that seemed to have gone to the wrong person. Ying Xu opened it and took one look at the screenful of golden prose, which triggered an instant stress response. Even while pestering the client to confirm delivery, he left a review: “It's already the Heavenly Dao and this is how it dies? Stupid author, stupid novel.” “If you can do better, then do it yourself. Once you get it out of your system, you can talk tough.” My apologies. So the client was the author. And so Ying Xu really did do it. He transmigrated into the very novel he'd been cursing, becoming the final villainess, the one who would be killed by the male lead, Lu Xiuyuan. Yes, as an advancement fantasy, this world's Heavenly Dao naturally had to be a villain, just one who did the harem's dirty work. Now Ying Xu, a man who'd been unluckily transmigrated at the author's command, had taken her place, bringing his CAD software and drawing tablet, along with the final draft that he hadn't confirmed delivery on. Before his memories returned, he diligently started modeling and extracting assets from scratch. Correction: he diligently did the work of the Heavenly Dao, unaware that heaven and earth were about to be turned upside down. Here's the problem: as the Heavenly Dao, Ying Xu obviously ought to kill Lu Xiuyuan before he could grow stronger and bring the program crashing down. Ying Xu tightened his grip on the Heavenly Dao Ruler and approached the man at the end of his strength: “Your acting is terrible.” As Ying Xu delivered the original villainess's line, he felt the immense pressure of the author's laws weighing on him and darkened like a storm cloud. He couldn't bring himself to attack Lu Xiuyuan, who had already forced himself to his feet and gripped his sword. The original text unfolded before Ying Xu, and he was merely an actor on its stage. Lu Xiuyuan looked at the boy's displeased face and moved his lips, but his will couldn't overcome his gravely wounded body. Before plunging into darkness, he saw the cold glint along the ruler's edge, and the image of an ancient statue reflected in its plain surface, its face long since worn beyond recognition. In a daze, Lu Xiuyuan realized that the weathered statue was gradually taking on the form of the boy before him. Ha. He'd never imagined that a fugitive like him could provoke a god. Ying Xu watched Lu Xiuyuan pass out, unwilling to yield. With a clang, the Heavenly Dao Ruler fell to the ground. The laws were bearing down on Ying Xu, the villain temporarily entrusted with Lu Xiuyuan's treasures. He couldn't kill this world's protagonist. Ying Xu sneered and picked up the Heavenly Dao Ruler. If he couldn't fight heaven, was he supposed to cling to someone's coattails and get killed? He'd seen the protagonist's expression just now, and it wasn't only reluctance. There were plenty of ways to fix a bug in this world. Lu Xiuyuan, there's a long road ahead. Just you wait. Theme: The importance of keeping a good attitude when your team comes up empty, and respecting the laws of nature