Chapter 82: The Tomb of Tani

When the Steller Fleet arrived at the edge of the Tani Starfield, Xu Lihan also received an intelligence report from the spies.

A middle-aged man in uniform erupted in fury, shouting,

“…The Admiral trusted him so much, and he turned out to be so ungrateful — he leaked our intel to the Federation! Ungrateful bastard, treacherous dog! That message we sent to the rear command before deployment was never even transmitted — the response we received was forged by that traitor Ye Wen! He wanted us to die out here! A perfect lackey of the Federation!”

“Enough.”
The person beside him reached out to stop him and signaled with his eyes toward Xu Lihan.

Standing at the center of the meeting hall, Xu Lihan held a thin sheet of paper in his hand — but it weighed like a thousand tons.

His face was ice-cold, but the veins bulging on the back of his hand betrayed the deep turmoil he was suppressing.

The room fell silent. Xu Lihan’s mind went blank. His eyes scanned the paper over and over… but he couldn’t register a single word. The reports from his subordinates echoed in his ears… but none of it made sense.

After a long silence, he rasped hoarsely, telling everyone to leave.

The others exchanged glances, holding back what they wanted to say. Clearly, their commander needed a moment to compose himself.

“Wait—”
Just as they were about to exit, Xu Lihan suddenly spoke. Everyone turned their eyes toward him.

His eyes were bloodshot, and though he wanted to say something, the words wouldn’t come. His fists clenched, then slowly relaxed in defeat.

“…Proceed according to protocol.”

“…Admiral.”
Someone tried to speak up, but Xu Lihan strode past them and left the room.

Ye Wen was placed under movement restriction, and further investigation uncovered even more clues pointing to espionage. While he couldn’t yet be convicted outright, the evidence was enough to authorize wartime interrogation.

From being detained to being escorted into the interrogation room, less than half a day had passed.
Through it all, Ye Wen’s expression remained calm.

“Where were you at 08:00 three days ago? What were you doing? Who can confirm your whereabouts?”

The interrogation began.

To everyone’s surprise, Ye Wen fully cooperated. He gave clear answers about where he went, what he did, and what techniques he used.

Except… when it came to questions involving Xu Lihan.

Because this omega had an unusual relationship with Xu Lihan, they refrained from using force. Instead, the matter was escalated to Xu Lihan for further instruction.

“Admiral… Ye Wen has confessed to being a Federation spy. Here is the full record of his transmissions and all supporting evidence.”

When Xu Lihan received the transcripts and surveillance footage, a rare flicker of confusion passed through his eyes.

“…Understood.”

As he watched how Ye Wen exploited his access and the trust of the corps to pass intel to the Federation again and again — and thought of the Imperial soldiers who had died under Federation fire — Xu Lihan was silent for a long time.

“I’ll go myself,”
he said, suppressing his emotions. When he looked up again, his eyes were already bloodshot.

---

Inside the interrogation room.

Ye Wen had not been treated kindly, but his mental state seemed stable. After hiding his identity for so long, now that it was finally out in the open, he felt not only the sting of exposure — but also a sense of relief, as if a great burden had been lifted.

When Xu Lihan entered the room, Ye Wen smiled at him — as if nothing had happened. As if he was still Xu Lihan’s lover.

Before Xu Lihan could speak, Ye Wen was already talking, his eyes tinged with nostalgia.

“Do you remember…”

“The first time we met, you saved me from space pirates. I was in a manic state and had killed seven of them, lying in a pool of blood.”

As he spoke, Xu Lihan also recalled that bloodstained, feral-eyed youth.

“The second time, I was targeted by another alpha in my unit. We had to spar in front of everyone, and I ended up collapsing on the training field.”

Xu Lihan remembered that day — the heat waves rising from the field, the sweat on the boy’s brow glistening in the sun — but nothing shone as brightly as his eyes.

“The third time, I placed in the top three of the information warfare competition, and you personally chose me to be your assistant.”

Ye Wen’s face softened with emotion.

Back then, Xu Lihan had inexplicably requested that the young man — who he’d only met a few times — be transferred to his side.

“But all of that…”
Ye Wen’s eyes darkened.
“The pirates were staged. I provoked that alpha on purpose. I already knew you’d be selecting an assistant, and I prepared in advance for the competition…”

“Even that failed mission against the Zerg — I sabotaged it. I used a drug to trigger your pheromones, and another to fake an omega heat. That was how I exposed my secondary gender…”

“You marked me afterward.”

Ye Wen looked at him tenderly.

“From then on, I gained more and more access.”

“Three days ago, I intercepted the message the ship was sending to the Empire. I also transmitted our fleet’s firepower specs to the Federation.”

“Ten days ago, I gave them our weekly troop deployment.”

“Half a month ago, I leaked multiple battle plans.”

“Two months ago…”

“Six months ago…”

“…”

Each line, each confession, was delivered in a soft, almost gentle tone — but behind them were the lives of countless Imperial citizens.

Some of the officers listening to the interrogation could no longer bear it. Enraged, one lunged forward with a clenched fist, only to be restrained by others.

Ye Wen remained unbothered. His gaze never left Xu Lihan, as if the rest of the world didn’t exist.

“Why won’t you say anything?”
Ye Wen smiled, eyes red.
“Say something…”
His voice cracked with sorrow.

Xu Lihan looked at him — disheveled, broken — but his own expression remained closed, his voice calm.

“Three days ago, you had other plans.”

“Why did you come aboard the starship with me?”

They were now completely cut off from the outside world. Xu Lihan couldn’t verify Ye Wen’s arrangements back in the Empire. But his invitation for Ye Wen to board the ship had been entirely impulsive — a last-minute decision.

From Ye Wen’s surprised reaction back then, this clearly hadn’t been part of his original plan.

Ye Wen only shook his head, smiling through the pain. What could he say? That this spy, trained to be the Federation’s weapon against the Empire, had truly fallen in love with his target?

Xu Lihan waited in silence. When Ye Wen gave no answer, he didn’t ask again.

He gave Ye Wen one last, deep look, then turned and walked out.

Tears streamed down Ye Wen’s face, blurring his vision. Yet he kept his eyes fixed greedily on the man’s retreating figure.

Ever since he was a child, Ye Wen had been raised and trained by the Federation. Loyalty to them was etched into his bones — disobedience was unthinkable.

Except… this time.

The Federation had a plan for him. After Xu Lihan went missing, Ye Wen was to use his identity as “Admiral Xu’s lover” to sway Xu’s subordinates, stir internal conflict within the Imperial forces, and accelerate the Empire’s downfall — preventing any chance of united resistance.

But… the moment he heard Xu Lihan invite him along, Ye Wen threw all of that away.

He just wanted to follow the man who had protected him, respected him, loved him — no matter the cost.

For the first time in his life, Ye Wen disobeyed the Federation’s orders, and it threw his heart into turmoil. After all, he had been born a spy. The Federation had invested countless resources to raise him. Yet he had betrayed all of his training during this mission, forming feelings he never should have had for his target. Guilt, fear, and unease over betraying the Federation haunted him constantly.

But once he thought about the true objective of this mission, sorrow overwhelmed everything else. This might be the last time in his life that he could be with Xu Lihan.

Xu Lihan… was going to die. Die in a filthy, despicable, shameless web of espionage.

Ye Wen greedily savored every ounce of affection from him, treating every moment they spent together as the last bit of tenderness before his identity was exposed.

Yet Ye Wen could never bring himself to say that one word.

Because love doesn’t include deception, disguise, theft… and murder.

He was like a disgusting creature that lived in the dark, slimy depths, pretending to be human, getting close to his host target—deceiving, tempting, camouflaging himself. On the surface he walked beside Xu Lihan, but in the shadows where sunlight couldn’t reach, bloodthirsty tendrils had already coiled around him, paralyzing those around him, ready to drain blood, break bones, and suck the life out of them.

Ye Wen stared blankly in the direction Xu Lihan had gone, the cold blood in his veins warmed slightly only by that man.

He would never forget that god-like figure who appeared bathed in light, reaching out a hand of salvation.

But from the moment they first met, he had been leading that divine figure step by step to ruin.

Ye Wen was supposed to be a puppet, shaped into a form that Alphas would desire, rigidly performing each scene of his script.

But Ye Wen developed thoughts of his own. His gaze was drawn to him. His hand was taken. His lips were kissed. He experienced… the beauty of being loved.

A puppet that should have had no thoughts began chasing after his god with fervent longing.

Yet Ye Wen didn’t have the strength to sever the strings tied to him. He was terrified the god would see through his filth.

His heart was wracked with guilt, yet his face still wore a warm smile… He was, and could only ever be, an excellent spy.

“Put him in solitary. Engage full sensory deprivation mode.”
A short distance away, Xu Lihan finally regained his ability to think. He stopped in his tracks, looked at his loyal officer behind him, and spoke—his bloodshot eyes brimming with rage. “When we return to the Empire, send him to the highest military tribunal.”

“General, will we… even be able to return to the Empire?” someone asked with reddened eyes, voice trembling but full of hope.

Ye Wen knew there would be no way to survive once he was exposed, so he had confessed everything the Federation had instructed him to do. It was, perhaps, the last thing he could do for the Empire that Xu Lihan loved.

Even if… no one would thank him for it.

Now, Xu Lihan and his team were trapped. Even if the Federation hadn’t yet found them, they would soon exhaust all their resources in the Tani Sector and eventually die in this patch of space.

In this desperate situation, their only hope was Xu Lihan—the one hailed as the “Empire’s New Star,” the youngest General in Imperial history, the Alpha who had led many counterattacks against the Federation.

Xu Lihan looked around at everyone. Seeing how they had placed all their hope on him weighed heavily on his heart.

But, as always, he had long since grown used to such pressure.

Xu Lihan took a deep breath, suppressing the emotions clouding his mind. He drew his sword, pointed its sharp blade to the sky, and his eyes burned with resolve.
“With everything we have.”

He would forever fight for the Empire.

—

The Federation fleet eventually found them and surrounded Xu Lihan’s last three starships.

Their firepower had already been mostly depleted in earlier battles, rendering them incapable of meaningful resistance. Only the mecha still had fully charged energy cores.

Apparently, the Federation wanted to capture Xu Lihan alive. Though they could have used ship weaponry to destroy them immediately, they instead allowed the Imperial mecha warriors to leave their ships.

Mecha against starships—by all metrics, mecha were at a disadvantage. Even though the Imperial warriors charged into space with the courage to self-destruct, most were still shot down by the Federation, becoming floating “space trash.”

“I will never let the Federation use me.” Xu Lihan understood the Federation’s intent. He raised his hand, gently touching the old mech that had accompanied him for years. Its surface was scorched by war, and his mind flashed with the image of Ye Wen carefully touching it with curiosity.

His breath hitched. He closed his eyes.

“I’ll go out to draw their fire. Mai Yue, you’re the best pilot—we’ll count on you to break the encirclement. We’re not far from the Empire’s border. The ship still has enough energy. Use all of it to escape—don’t waste it trying to save anyone.”
Once he had composed himself, Xu Lihan stared hard at Mai Yue. Only when he saw her nod tearfully and resolutely did he look away.

Recognizing a general’s mech was a basic requirement in war. The moment Xu Lihan’s mech stepped into space, the Federation instantly shifted their fire onto him.

Xu Lihan wasn’t an expert mech pilot, but with his exceptional mental strength and Alpha physique, he learned quickly. He successfully drew away a portion of the enemy fire. The command ship, with less pressure, immediately accelerated, broke through the encirclement, and fled at full speed—ignoring the spatial rift damage to the hull.

Though they knew the chances of escaping the Tani Sector were slim, they would rather die in a spatial rift than be killed by the Federation and paraded as trophies.

The two remaining starships were destroyed. The only survivors were the mecha warriors floating in space. Staring at the shattered remains of their ships, sorrow quickly gave way to burning fury.

A fight to the death! Even if they died in space, they would never become prisoners of the Federation!

There was no sound in space, but the waves of energy clashing still ruptured their eardrums. Blood poured from eyes, noses, mouths.

Inside his cockpit, Xu Lihan couldn’t even wipe the blood away. His limbs were fully occupied controlling the mech. Ignoring the pain, his vision turned crimson, blood trailing down his cheeks.

All around him, the void flashed with explosions, but there was only dead silence. His mech’s communication system had been destroyed, leaving only the hiss of static.

No one could hear him. No one could see him… It wasn’t just blood that flowed down his face—other tears did, too. In the still cockpit, a suspended tear hung in mid-air—

The next second, a blaze of fire erupted into the sky.

All regret, all tears, vanished into the vast universe.

The Empire’s New Star, the youngest General in its history, the Empire’s legend—Xu Lihan—left his final blow for himself. He self-destructed in the Tani Sector, becoming the last Imperial mecha warrior to die on that battlefield.

A second before the flames engulfed him, Xu Lihan, who had cherished the empire all his life and vowed to fight for it forever, had the image of the frail omega with a fierce look in his eyes in the pool of blood…