Chapter 87: Siege on the Military Headquarters

Far across the sky, the lair of the star pirates had welcomed its enemy.

The long-delayed flames of war ignited once more in the capital star at the heart of the Empire.

In February of the year 5334, after a brief month of peace, the Empire once again raised its head only to see suffocating smoke fill the air.

“We’re at war! The Federation is attacking again!”
Cries of alarm echoed from the crowd as chaos erupted on the streets.

Shi Chan stood beside Xi Ming, watching the chaotic scenes of the capital star displayed on the command ship’s screen…

“Chan Chan.”
Xi Ming suddenly covered Shi Chan’s eyes, his gaze turbulent. “Don’t look.”
His grudge against the Empire ran deep, but Shi Chan had no personal hatred toward it.

Shi Chan gently shook his head. “It’s alright.”
He never felt any true sense of belonging to the concept of a ‘nation’ and was well aware that the omega privileges he once enjoyed were, in essence, a trade-off for their reproductive abilities.

In the entire interstellar space, only the Empire forced omegas to marry an alpha at the beginning of their lives, and all forms of contraceptives were banned.

Shi Chan wouldn’t join any omega rights organizations, but he didn’t think the Empire’s exploitation of omegas was justified either. He simply… didn’t care.

Beneath his gentle and polite demeanor was a heart of indifference and detachment.

Right now, the only thing he cared about was Xi Ming — the man who had walked into his heart at the right moment.

“Why are there so many mecha warriors?!”

“God, the strength of those few just now was definitely S-rank! Are all these people the Federation’s hidden forces? How did they manage to gather so many elites in just a few years?!”

“It’s not just here — Zones C, E, T… oh my god, more and more areas are sending out distress signals. The capital star is under siege everywhere!”

“How is this possible? Where are the defenses?! Where are the capital star’s guards?!”
Roars of fury erupted from the Imperial Palace.

Explosions thundered outside. Yet the capital’s defense forces were either caught in chaos or had lost communication. Even the capital’s massive defense grid had been precisely destroyed and couldn’t be activated.

It was as if the attackers knew every inch of the Empire — every strategic location and layout — like the back of their hand.

But how could the Federation possibly know this much about the capital star?

“No…” Lan Wantian¹ frowned deeply.
The Federation couldn’t know this much — even different departments within the Empire kept secrets from each other. Some of those departments were under her own control. There was no way the Federation found them all.

But there was one person who did know the capital this well…

Lan Wantian suddenly snapped to attention. “It’s not the Federation—it’s Xi Ming! Report at once! The one leading this attack is Xi Ming!!!”

However, the Empire no longer needed his speculation — Xi Ming had never intended to hide his identity.

“It’s Xi Ming. General Xi. He’s back to take his revenge on the Empire.”
On the capital star, someone gazed up at the sky and murmured.

Ever since the truth of the 823 Incident was revealed, ever since the Empire learned that Xu Lihan had self-detonated in space to protect them, ever since the crimes of the Sixth Prince spread across the star net, the people had been waiting — waiting for judgment from Xi Ming, the once shining star of the Empire.

Today, that reckoning had finally arrived.

Strangely, once the public realized the attacker was not the Federation but Xi Ming, the initial chaos of the capital gradually subsided. People stood in silence where they were…

Waiting in hopelessness.

The mech warriors sent by Steller were powerful fighters. Under Xi Ming’s command, they supported each other seamlessly. Coupled with the strange atmosphere of the capital star, the battles in most areas were quickly subdued — either destroyed or taken over by Steller forces.

Now, only three locations were still holding out:

The first was the Imperial Palace, guarded by royal troops and equipped with the Empire’s most powerful weapon systems. But even they were only delaying the inevitable — it was just a matter of time before the palace gates were breached.

The second was the Empire’s main military headquarters. An old honorary marshal had come out of retirement to lead the remaining forces and coordinate resistance against the attackers.

The final stronghold was the main base of the Imperial Star Net. Though it didn’t have the strongest military reserves, it was the only remaining node where the network hadn’t collapsed. Countless intelligent mechas coordinated their efforts through this base using calculated tactics. This was the place Steller faced the most resistance — and the place Xi Ming was determined to take.

As Steller fought for control of the remaining outposts, the capital’s civilians — currently out of immediate danger — anxiously talked to one another to ease their nerves.

“Hey, you out shopping too?”
The speaker had a pale face and wore gold-rimmed glasses. His eyes kept darting toward the direction of the battle.

“Yeah, I came out to buy some food. I didn’t think a war would break out today — otherwise, I wouldn’t have come.”
The one replying clutched a paper bag with cake in it — clearly a student — and looked annoyed. Standing on the street, waiting for the shelling to arrive, wasn’t pleasant at all.

“Damn war. I really thought it was the Federation. I got such a scare — and then they said it was General Xi Ming…”
The glasses-wearing man patted his chest, still shaken.

“Xi… General Xi, so what? He’s still attacking the Empire, isn’t he?”
The student spoke cautiously, glancing at the sky as if afraid Xi Ming’s forces would hear and bomb him on the spot.

“Yeah, but Xi Ming is still technically one of us — I mean, he used to be. He did so much for the Empire back then.”
The man looked toward the still-roaring palace. “No matter what, he’s better than the Federation. Even if Xi Ming became Emperor, I think… I could accept that.”

People’s attitudes toward Xi Ming varied.
Some were filled with guilt, finally seeing the truth.
Some still doubted, believing Xi Ming bore some blame.
And some outright blamed him for the border tragedies — though even they were divided: some believed the royal family’s version that everything Xi revealed was fake, while others thought that even if the Sixth Prince had messed things up, Xi Ming still failed to save the Empire — and that was on him.

The student, too young to clearly remember Xi Ming’s golden days, wasn’t part of the extremist factions. After thinking a bit, he nodded, “Compared to being swallowed by the Federation, I guess… having Xi Ming in charge is better…”

Conversations like this echoed throughout the capital.
With the star net blocked, people had no access to accurate updates and could only guess and gossip to ease their anxiety.

This operation targeted the capital star, but the blackout affected the entire Empire. Outside the capital, cities quickly plunged into chaos, with widespread speculation that the Federation had once again launched a full invasion.

During the past two years of war, the Empire had been heavily drained. Due to the prolonged conflict, resource-rich planets were either engulfed in flames or forced into mass evacuations, and scientific advancement came to a standstill. The Empire had devoted all its efforts to war—developing weapons, researching military technologies, and hoarding combat resources.

Although only two years had passed, the living standards of Imperial citizens seemed to have regressed by two centuries. Because of the war, interplanetary transport and delivery had become prohibitively expensive. Everyday goods that were once common had either vanished or become astronomically priced due to soaring transport fees—too costly for the average person to bear.

Planets with native resources could still barely manage; in the past two years, they had come to fully understand the value of their own specialties. But life on resource-poor planets had become a living hell. Material shortages made even morality a luxury.

The star network had been the Empire’s last remaining spiritual refuge—the only channel through which most ordinary residents received news from the outside world. Every day, they anxiously followed updates about the war, only to witness the Empire falling inch by inch, soldiers dying in battle, traitors abandoning the nation, the royal family’s cowardice and incompetence, and enemies unleashing firepower to wound the Empire beyond recognition…

Even more despairing was how the Empire’s collapse brought with it the exposure of fallen “elites” and long-buried injustices. As truths came to light, people realized that—every moment, in every corner of the Empire—there had always been those silently enduring oppression and humiliation.

Once the strongest nation in the interstellar world, the Empire had long held a deep sense of pride. But this war had stripped away its glamorous exterior, laying bare the rot beneath for all to see—
Had the Empire really decayed to such a degree?

Anger turned to hatred, sorrow turned into numbness.

---

Imperial Capital Military Headquarters Base

In recent years, tensions between nobles and civilians had worsened drastically. The ruling elite set the tone, and with the nobility monopolizing upward mobility and suppressing commoners, fewer and fewer civilians had any chance of rising through the ranks. The military itself had gradually become filled with noble offspring.

The newly appointed generals were almost all backed by the royal family or nobility. While not incompetent, they could hardly be called outstanding. Even Xu Lihan—once considered the Empire’s greatest hope—was, in Mi Guanhong’s eyes, overrated.

It wasn’t that nobles couldn’t produce talent—on the contrary, the most brilliant mind the Empire had seen in the last hundred years came from an old aristocratic family.
Unfortunately, that person had now turned his weapon against the Empire.

The title “Honorary Marshal” sounded dignified, but Mi Guanhong had only left the military because of an injury. Even as the Empire suffered defeat after defeat in this war, he hadn’t stepped in. Now, his return meant one thing—there was no one else left.

This overwhelming war had drained the Empire too severely. Three sitting Marshals had been assassinated by the Federation shortly after the war began, and the remaining one had been gravely injured. Countless soldiers had gone to their deaths with heroic resolve. The military was now full of inexperienced and unqualified officers. Those still alive were little more than rank-and-file soldiers, incapable of independently leading a battle.

As he watched the defense lines being dismantled one by one and several squads of mecha warriors gradually approach the command center, Mi Guanhong glanced at the newly promoted generals around him—men who either lacked ability or had already mentally collapsed. His eyes flickered with tragic resignation—there would be no one to carry the torch after him.

“Marshal Mi…”
Looking at the aging Imperial Marshal, several of the young officers had reddened eyes.
“I’m sorry. We were just… not good enough.”

“It’s not your fault.”
Mi Guanhong kept his eyes on the battle unfolding outside, a flicker of worry in his gaze.
“Xi Ming’s command ability… is even stronger than it was back then.”

---

P.S. I deeply apologize if there is any issue with Names. As I am not well versed with Chinese Names I just go with the translation flow, so just let me know if you find any issue. ::>_<::

1. The Empress ↩︎