Chapter 80: Chaos on the StarNet

For a time, the Empire was in turmoil.

[Was Xi Ming framed? Was the 823 Massacre caused by the Sixth Prince?]

[Has anyone with expertise looked at the stuff Xi Ming posted? Are those so-called “evidence” real or not?]

[If the 823 incident is really as Xi Ming said, then what exactly did the Empire do? The royal family personally destroyed our Empire’s brightest star.]

[Impossible!!! I don’t believe it!! How could the Sixth Prince do such a thing? All these years, he’s been leading battle teams to defend the Empire, making so many contributions. And now you all are slandering him like this!!!]

[Lmao, the Sixth Prince really has fans? Did your eyes go blind when watching the video of him getting his ass handed to him by star pirates? Even a halfway-decent military cadet could do better than Wu Lidu. What kind of trash is he to be called the Empire’s Battle Prince? Gotta admit, the royal family sure knows how to hype someone up. smile.jpg]

[I trust the royal family. There’s no way the Sixth Prince would do such things. And anyway, Xi Ming is a star pirate now — surely no one doesn’t know that by now, right? His Steller Pirate organization has caused so much trouble for the Empire, and people are still defending him? Why not just go join the pirates directly? Xi Ming’s calling his pirate dogs right now — go on, be his pet. Heh.]

[So you trust the royal family but not Xi Ming? Come on, use your conscience and think about what Xi Ming was like before 823. Could someone like him make such a rookie mistake? He defended the Empire so many times, but just once he gets backstabbed by the royals, and the people he protected turn around and bash him. No wonder the Federation says the Empire is finished. SMH.]

[All the other nations believe the truth Xi Ming released. [screenshot][screenshot][screenshot]… The Federation is laughing at us. When Xi Ming was in the Empire, the Federation didn’t even dare to take a step in. Now that he’s been driven out, look at the state of our borders. And some people still think it’s good that Xi Ming left. Better worry about whether you’ll wake up tomorrow to Federation artillery.]

[Damn. My planet’s already been taken by the Federation. They don’t treat Empire citizens like people. They’ve taken over all space routes — we can’t escape, just hide. I don’t care anymore about who’s right or wrong about 823. I’m barely surviving. I just hope the royals admit they were wrong and let Xi Ming return, so he can take back our lost territories.]

[Please, can the Empire drive the Federation away already? Ever since they occupied us, anyone who looks slightly off gets executed. My parents and little sister are dead. I’m the only one left. xxxx.xxxx.xx.xx — that’s the planet coordinates. I don’t dare post the full location. Can anyone come save us?]

[I don’t know the truth behind 823, but one thing’s for sure — the royal family sucks. My neighbor’s nephew used to work for them…]

[How is someone like the Sixth Prince still the Empire’s heir? The star pirates are laughing at us. “Interstellar strongest nation?” What a joke.]

[That said, our planet’s technically not part of the Empire anymore. We weren’t taken by the Federation — Helios took over. The star pirates under Helios are tightly controlled, and honestly, life’s pretty much the same as before. Xi Ming even came recently with his omega to re-shoot their marriage registration. Honestly… I feel like it’s better than when the Empire was in charge. We’ve been peaceful for a while.]

[Lowkey… my planet’s also under Helios now. The previous abusive administrative officer was executed by them. Things are more relaxed than they were before the war. Not materially, of course — we still lack resources. But our local industry happens to be food, so we’re okay in that sense. I almost think Xi Ming should run the Empire himself.]

[Screw you all — you’re Empire traitors! Now that the Empire’s in its darkest hour, instead of supporting it, you’re all praising a pirate? Why is this crap even allowed on the StarNet? If you don’t want the Empire to succeed, then stop using our StarNet! Go to the pirates already, why do you even have the nerve to post here!!!! #$%@&*@]

[Am I the only one who noticed someone said Xi Ming re-shot his marriage registration with his omega? Wasn’t it rumored that he abused his omega? So what’s this now — forced wedding photo redo?]

[So everyone’s just calmly accepted that Xi Ming “came back from the dead”?]

[He’s alive. He commands the star pirates now. What do you want us to do — stand in front of him and ask, “Why are you still alive? I can’t accept this — can you go die again?” You think a pirate’s gun will care about your existential crisis?]

[Everyone says Xi Ming abused his omega, but there’s no real evidence. Think about it — this omega matched with Xi Ming on the capital star, right? If Xi Ming really mistreated him, why would the omega follow him when he left? The capital star has the best omega welfare.]

[Clearly, you don’t understand omegas. Omegas with romantic delusions can do anything. Get impulsive and run off with an alpha? Totally possible.]

[I heard this omega was a hardcore fan of Xi Ming. After matching with him, he cut ties with his family and ran away. His family was just a small clan on the capital star. When the economic turmoil hit, they couldn’t keep up and went bankrupt. Now they’ve gone back to their hometown. Tch — what’s the use of being an omega if you just follow an alpha on a whim and abandon your family?]

[What?! That really happened??]

[Of course. The omega’s family had StarNet accounts too — they said it themselves.]

[Isn’t that omega named Shi Chan? Why don’t you just say his name?]

[You must be new here. [link] Click this link — there’s something weird about that omega. You can’t mention his name directly.]

[Guys! I heard a crazy rumor from the star pirates. It’s insane. I’m just gonna say it — you know how Xi Ming recovered from cosmic radiation, right? Helios even advertised that they could cure it. But here’s the shocking part — guess who the healer was??? It was Xi Ming’s omega!!!!]

[?!?!?!?]

[No way?! For real??? So what is this — Xi Ming gets hit with a radiation death sentence, randomly gets matched to an omega who’s not only in love with him but has a rare healing bloodline? Even gives up the capital star to follow him?? Sounds like some low-rent soap opera. Even those over-the-top web novels would get flamed for a plot like this.]

[Can’t vouch for the rest, but the part about Xi Ming’s omega being the healer is true. It’s no secret among the star pirates. Plenty of organizations, including the Empire, tried to recruit this healer, but he refused all of them. He only listens to Xi Ming. Everyone used to wonder what Helios offered him — now we know they’re a couple. Try stealing an omega from their alpha when the bond is that deep — good luck.]

[Other AO pairs, maybe. But this alpha is Xi Ming. Don’t forget his mental and physical ratings: S-grade mental power, SS-grade physical strength. His bond mark can’t be resisted. No matter how he treats his omega, under the influence of that bond, the omega would never leave him.]

[At this point, I don’t care if Xi Ming’s claims are true or not. The Empire’s been losing ground for so long, I’m already disappointed in the royals. I used to think the Sixth Prince could turn things around, but after seeing that video? Please. The country’s burning, and he still wants to act like some war god? Laughable.]

Xi Ming’s exposé did indeed cause a huge stir. Support for the royal family plummeted. But… few people apologized for the things they had once said or done.

Shi Chan had been watching the StarNet closely since the truth was posted. After reading the Empire citizens’ comments, even someone as emotionally steady as him couldn’t help but get angry.

These people were the same as always — either only caring about their own interests or dodging responsibility for past mistakes. Shi Chan couldn’t help but post a comment: “Shouldn’t they apologize for what they said before?” Only a few expressed remorse; most ignored it, some even continued insulting Xi Ming for “betraying” the Empire.

“Stop looking.” Xi Ming reached out to cover Shi Chan’s eyes. “They’re just a mob.”

Shi Chan blinked back the sting in his eyes and burrowed into Xi Ming’s arms. “Just because they’re many… they get to ignore the wrongs they committed? They don’t have to pay the price?”

“There’s always safety in numbers,” Xi Ming replied. “They think, ‘So many people did the same thing — I wasn’t the worst. No one else apologized, so why should I?’ And even if most did apologize, it would just be empty words. If everyone else is doing it, they’ll do it too — because it doesn’t cost them anything.”

Shi Chan curled up unhappily in Xi Ming’s embrace, fiddling with his hand. After a while, he suddenly said, “They’ve already paid the price.”

Xi Ming looked at him, puzzled.

“They lost you. That’s why the Empire is losing this war.” Shi Chan looked up at Xi Ming with serious eyes. “Without your protection, they — and the Empire — are now suffering this disaster…”

Just like the Federation’s StarNet was saying — if Xi Ming were still in the Empire, this war likely wouldn’t have even started, or at the very least, wouldn’t have escalated this quickly.

Losing Xi Ming didn’t just cost the Empire a key defender — it also cost them their chance to turn things around. Worse still, they gained a formidable new enemy.

Xi Ming stared at Shi Chan… then silently rubbed the top of his head.

---

Meanwhile, dire news came from the Empire’s front lines, which had been holding against the Federation.

After returning to the capital star for a break, Xu Lihan had struggled on the battlefield. His army kept losing to the Federation, who seemed to predict their every move and exploited weak points precisely. After the “omega spy” incident back in the capital, Xu Lihan immediately suspected there was a mole in the ranks.

Despite thorough investigations, they couldn’t catch the spy. But the Federation wasn’t about to give them time. So Xu Lihan tightened operations and focused on the Federation’s movements instead.

Perhaps the mole got spooked — the Federation suddenly lost their “foresight” edge. Xu Lihan’s troops even began to win battles.

After months of being beaten down, the Empire’s army finally saw hope, and morale skyrocketed.

In the following battles, Xu Lihan seemed to “figure out” the Federation’s tactics. Victories piled up, and the frontlines advanced. After nearly two years of defeats, these wins brought much-needed joy.

But just as all eyes were turning to Xi Ming, disaster struck at the border.

Xu Lihan’s legion suffered a crushing defeat. He and his entire inner circle vanished without a trace.

A suffocating shadow fell over every heart in the Empire.