Chapter 65: Heading to the Capital

Not long after his first treatment, Huo Mengming left. Over the past two years, he had focused all his energy on researching a cure for cosmic radiation, loosening his grip on other affairs. As a result, many of his subordinates were starting to get restless.

Huo Mengming was aware of their little schemes, but he had been too occupied to deal with them. Now that he had no more personal concerns, he would no longer tolerate their actions.

After all, he had promised to serve Xi Ming for five years. He couldn’t bring a faction on the verge of internal strife to pledge allegiance—he had his pride to uphold.

While Huo Mengming returned to use ruthless means to reestablish control over his forces, ten fleets carrying high-end mechas and weapons arrived at Xi Ming’s planet.

With Huo Mengming’s firepower support, Xi Ming and his people swiftly took control of several planets in their star domain, including K32, a planet under the Federation.

What surprised Shi Chan and Xi Ming was that after they left, no other forces had moved in on K32. The wormhole leading to Jugu was still intact, and Xi Ming had already stationed troops to secure the area.

Shi Chan still vividly remembered the omega who had cut out his own gland. When the omega disappeared without a word, Shi Chan had suspected he was a spy from some faction. But the current situation proved his innocence.

However, it was just a brief encounter, and Shi Chan soon put the matter behind him.

Xi Ming had already identified a few mecha warriors who could potentially be recruited. But before he could reach out to them, news arrived from the capital—something had happened to the Lan and Chi families.

“The heads of the top aristocratic families have been manipulated by Bai Wen to the point of madness. Their factions are tearing each other apart, and many second-tier and lower first-tier families have been affected,” Xi Ming explained. He had long known Bai Wen’s identity as a spy, so when gathering intelligence on the capital, he had focused on certain areas, allowing him to get more accurate information.

The seemingly fragile Bai Wen was still playing the victim, moving between different alpha nobles and stirring up chaos in the capital. The families suffering losses in these struggles naturally needed to replenish their resources, and unfortunately, the Lan and Chi families had become prime targets.

In his past life, there had been no Shi Chan, so Xi Ming had never paid attention to these two relatively obscure second-tier families. As a result, he had no prior information about them. This unexpected turn of events caught him off guard.

But Shi Chan had already instructed Xi Ming to monitor the Lan family and Lan Ying, so no matter what, it was Xi Ming’s oversight. “Sorry, I realized it a bit too late.”

Shi Chan shook his head, not blaming Xi Ming. He simply looked at him, his eyes carrying a hint of concern. “I need to return to the capital.”

Shi Chan had assumed that, as the empire’s center, the capital would remain stable in the early stages of war and that Lan Ying would be safe there. Furthermore, his marriage to Xi Ming wasn’t exactly a secret—Shi Chan had worried that reaching out to Lan Ying would bring him unnecessary trouble.

But now, both Lan Ying’s family and his husband’s family were in crisis.

“Our identities will be exposed sooner or later. I’m afraid the royal family will target Lan Ying.” Although Lan Ying was just a friend of the omega Xi Ming had been matched with, Shi Chan couldn’t gamble on the royal family’s mercy.

After all, the royal family had already shown their lack of scruples—using the lives of Xi Ming’s former subordinates’ families to threaten him, and having the Sixth Prince order Luo Liang’s assassination while pretending to be benevolent.

“The capital isn’t stable right now. With both the Lan and Chi families in trouble, I’m worried Lan Ying will be bullied.” Shi Chan had been friends with Lan Ying for many years and knew that Lan Ying didn’t get along with many of the powerful omega nobles. Now that his family and his husband’s family were struggling, Shi Chan feared those people would take the chance to torment him—or worse, that Lan Ying would become overwhelmed by his situation.

Just like how, back when Shi Chan was forced into an arranged marriage, Lan Ying had cried, fearing that Shi Chan wouldn’t be happy. Now, Shi Chan was equally worried about how Lan Ying was coping.

“We’ll go together,” Xi Ming said without hesitation. He didn’t try to stop Shi Chan. “Things haven’t completely fallen apart yet. Chi Wenyu is still trying to find a way to resolve the crisis.” But given how chaotic the capital had become, no one would bother helping a couple of second-tier families. They had to reach the capital before the Lan and Chi families were completely swallowed up.

The “Stellar” faction was growing steadily. With Liang Yongqing and Luo Liang managing most affairs, Xi Ming and Shi Chan weren’t tied down by responsibilities. That very day, they took a small team and set off for the capital.

The last time Shi Chan had left the capital, he had hidden his identity and taken an illegal starship, crammed into a tiny cabin for over half a month. But this time, they had their own starship, could chart their own route, and traveled far faster than before.

Along the way, Shi Chan kept searching for news about Lan Ying, even secretly checking Lan Ying’s public social media. However, Lan Ying hadn’t posted anything for a week.

“When we reach the central star region tomorrow, I’ll set up an encrypted channel so you can contact him,” Xi Ming assured him, seeing Shi Chan’s anxious expression. “The royal family has controlled the central star region’s network for generations. But with this war, their grip has weakened. I should be able to create a secure line for you two to communicate.”

When Shi Chan had first left the capital, he had sent Lan Ying a delayed message, knowing that his departure would eventually be exposed. The message didn’t reveal his destination—just that he had left of his own free will, to keep Lan Ying from worrying.

Now, since Shi Chan wanted to reach out again without the royal family detecting it, logging into his old account wasn’t an option. The only solution was Xi Ming’s idea—creating an encrypted channel that bypassed the network’s surveillance.

That night, as soon as their starship entered the central star region, Xi Ming began hacking into the area’s network. After two hours of carefully avoiding the royal family’s AI surveillance, he successfully established a secure channel—though only text communication was possible.

“Chan Chan.” Xi Ming left his workspace holding the modified communication bracelet and gently shook Shi Chan awake.

Shi Chan, who had once been highly alert even in deep sleep, now only stirred when he heard Xi Ming’s voice. He had already come to trust Xi Ming completely.

“This bracelet will let you contact your friend,” Xi Ming said, sitting on the bed and securing it around Shi Chan’s wrist. “But you can’t log into your old account, and you can only text. You’ll have to convince him that it’s really you.”

Glancing at the time, Shi Chan realized Xi Ming must have started working on this the moment they entered the central star region.

His heart warmed. He sat up and gave Xi Ming a tight hug. “Ming-ge, thank you.” Then, without wasting another second, he eagerly checked the bracelet to contact Lan Ying.

Xi Ming watched as Shi Chan immediately focused on the screen. He resisted the urge to pull him back into his arms and silently lowered his gaze.

Since returning to interstellar space through the wormhole, Xi Ming had poured most of his energy into building his faction, with Shi Chan always by his side. He had gotten used to looking up and seeing Shi Chan, to reaching out and pulling him into an embrace. It almost made him forget that Shi Chan had other friends.

Shi Chan anxiously sent reassuring messages to Lan Ying, telling him not to worry, that he was on his way to the capital, and that no matter what, he would stand by his side.

Meanwhile, on the other end, Lan Ying hadn’t been sleeping well for days. His eyes were swollen from crying, and his brothers and husband were all exhausted from dealing with the crisis. Feeling helpless, Lan Ying was on the verge of breaking down.

But when he finally received Shi Chan’s message, he instantly brightened, confirming Shi Chan’s identity through their private secrets. He was both thrilled and furious at Shi Chan for disappearing without a word.

The two old friends, having been out of touch for years, suddenly had endless things to say.