The peppermint kingdom had grown since the fall of Dirk Klaassen. Once only three roaches bound by friendship, now they were a community—timid roaches reborn into citizens who polished their antennae with soap bubbles and swept their nests with toothbrush bristles. The peppermint banners shimmered proudly, and for a time, Cornelis van Dijk believed they had achieved not just survival, but peace.