But in this rare moment of tranquility, Lynn suddenly felt the body in his arms tremble slightly.
He looked down and saw that Rena's previously relaxed brows furrowed slightly again, and a faint sense of loneliness veiled her purple eyes.
The unease that he had just soothed had quietly resurfaced in another form.
"What's wrong, Rena?" Lynn tightened his arms around her, pulling her closer, and spoke in an exceptionally soft voice.
"Still worried about Chaos? Don't worry, there are Zerglings patrolling and Butcher watching on the ground, nothing serious will happen."
Rena shook her head, buried her face in Lynn's chest, and listened to his steady, powerful heartbeat.
After a long while, she finally spoke in a voice barely audible, tinged with an unprecedented sadness.
"No, Lynn, I just... suddenly feel a little regretful."
"Regret?" Lynn was taken aback, somewhat puzzled.
"What's there to regret? Is it that you couldn't personally deal with Ragnar?"
"It's alright, in a few days we'll be able to take down Dorito, and then we'll definitely be able to kill him completely."
"Not this." Rena looked up at Lynn's confused eyes.
For the first time, I felt that this human was even less romantic than I, an insect.
She reached out her cool fingers and gently stroked Lynn's cheek, her fingertips tracing his eyebrows, eyes, and nose, her movements as tender as if she were touching a rare treasure.
"We've been together for so long," Rena's voice trembled slightly.
I couldn't give you a son or daughter.
"Huh?!"
Lynn's face flushed bright red instantly, the blush spreading from her cheeks all the way to her ears.
He froze, unsure of what to do with his hands, his mind going completely blank.
Although he had a few innocent romances in his past life, they were at most just holding hands and kissing cheeks; there was never any further contact.
Having transmigrated to the Warhammer World in this lifetime, I spend my days either fighting various monsters or planning for survival, and I've never thought about this aspect of life.
Rena's sudden remark caught him completely off guard.
He opened his mouth but couldn't utter a single word for a long time. He could only stare blankly at Rena, his eyes full of embarrassment.
Seeing Lynn's flustered state and her face turning as red as a boiled shrimp, Rena burst out laughing.
She covered her mouth, her shoulders trembling slightly, and tears of joy welled up in the corners of her eyes.
The loneliness and sadness I felt just now have largely dissipated at this moment.
"Look how scared you are." Rena reached out and gently tapped Lynn's forehead with her finger, her tone slightly teasing.
I'm not going to eat you.
Lynn coughed a few times, trying to hide his embarrassment, but found his cheeks burning even more.
He tactically turned his head to look at the distant starry sky, pretending to admire the scenery, but his ears were perked up, waiting for Rena to continue.
Rena stopped smiling, and her eyes became serious again.
She leaned back on Lynn's shoulder and whispered:
"Since I started to understand humanity, I seem to have gradually come to realize the importance of bloodline inheritance for humankind."
"Unlike the Tyranids, everything about the Tyranids is pre-programmed."
" The Hive Mind has written the genetic code; we will hatch, grow, fight, and die according to the code."
"We have no self, no thoughts; we are merely tools to carry out orders."
"Even when creating new individuals, it's just a matter of copying and splicing genes, no different from producing parts in a factory."
"But humans are different." Rena's voice was full of curiosity and longing.
"Humans are born knowing nothing."
"Their personality, thoughts, and skills were all learned little by little after birth."
"Every human being is unique. Even twins have different personalities and lives. It's amazing!"
"Before I had a sense of self, I never thought about these things."
"But now, I have my own consciousness, my own feelings, and people I want to protect."
Rena looked up at Lynn's eyes, her gaze full of tenderness.
You taught me what love is, what happiness is, which foods taste good, and which flowers smell nice.
"You nurtured me little by little, transforming me from a killing machine that only followed orders into a real 'human being'."
"This feeling is completely different from creating a new individual using genes."
"I also want to try, like humans, to unite with the person I love and have a child of our own."
Rena's voice grew softer and softer, carrying a hint of anticipation and a hint of trepidation.
"I think that child will be very special. He will have your wisdom and my strength. He will be the fruit of our love, a truly unique being."
Lynn listened quietly, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
He never imagined that Rena would have such thoughts.
In his view, Rena represents the independent consciousness of the Tyranids and is also the core of the swarm.
For the Tyranids, procreation has never been a problem.
Given enough biomass, Rena can hatch countless swarm units.
But now he understands that what Rena wants is not those soulless killing machines.
What she wanted was a child who truly belonged to her and herself, a child with flesh and blood, thoughts and a soul.
Lynn took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in her heart.
He gently cupped Rena's face and looked intently into her eyes:
" Rena, I've never thought about that before, but if you want it, I'll naturally go along with it."
"Not now." Lynn's tone became serious.
"With war imminent, we are about to attack Dorito while also guarding against a surprise attack from Chaos. At this critical moment, we cannot afford to be distracted."
"And..." Lynn sighed, his tone tinged with helplessness, "We also have no way to truly be together."
The light in Rena's eyes dimmed little by little, and she lowered her head.
She knew, of course, that Lynn was right.
As Tyranids, she does not have a true reproduction system.
Insect swarms are essentially asexual organisms; given enough biomass, they can infinitely create new individuals through division and hatching.
Even if she uses genetic technology to replicate the human reproductive system, there will still be an insurmountable reproductive barrier between her and Lynn.
One is human, the other is Tyranids; their genetic sequences are vastly different, making it impossible for them to produce offspring.
"I know," Rena's voice was muffled, tinged with undisguised desolation, "I was just being too unrealistic."
"Don't say that." Lynn tenderly pulled her back into his arms, gently stroking her long hair.
"Offspring are merely the culmination of our love; they don't prove anything. Whether or not we have children won't affect my love for you."
"Besides," Lynn smiled, her tone becoming lighter.
"Doesn't every Zerg unit that Rena hatches have your genes?"
"Moreover, I have offered suggestions and participated in every stage of the swarm's evolution, and in every unit of biomass required."
"In a sense, the entire Zerg swarm is our child."