Chapter 24: Telling the Truth

823 is a number that makes the citizens of the Empire feel sorrow and pain deep in their hearts.

On August 23, 5324 in the star calendar, the border held by Xi Ming was breached, and the Imperial army suffered a defeat. The Zerg advanced, and six planets became breeding grounds for the Zerg, with countless civilians dead or wounded.

This is the explanation found on the StarNet about the “823 breach.”

Under the search results for the related terms, there are a series of distress videos sent by border civilians during the Zerg invasion. Tens of thousands of lives were lost in front of the camera, and the entire Empire’s attention was drawn to the border. It was tragic, brutal, followed by… hatred for the culprit.

However, after this nation-shocking tragedy, despite the furious outcry online, the Royal family never officially passed judgment on the culprit, Xi Ming. Even when Shi Chan was able to match Xi Ming’s genetic code with this incident, it suggested that Xi Ming might have no documented stains in his record.

Xi Ming’s gaze flickered a few times, and though the violent upheaval of his spiritual power caused him to lose much of his memory, the events of 823 were etched into his mind like a carving.

“It was the command from the Wuli Duke to delay the operation…”

Wuli Duke, the Sixth Prince.

Shi Chan had seen this name when researching information on the 823 incident, but it was barely mentioned, and what was stated in the data was different from what Xi Ming said. The records showed that Wuli Duke had left the front line several days before the tragedy occurred.

With questions in his mind, Shi Chan continued to listen.

Compared to the rumors online, Xi Ming’s version of events was a completely different story.

As soon as the Zerg showed signs of movement, Xi Ming sensed the anomaly. Drawing from his experience in fighting the Zerg and the historical data available to him, he instinctively felt something was wrong, even suspecting that the disturbance might be related to the Zerg Queen’s reproduction. He immediately ordered the large force to be on standby, ready to retreat at any time, and dispatched several elite squads to investigate the cause of the anomaly.

Although the idea of retreating the entire force based on Xi Ming’s personal guess seemed overly cautious, as a senior officer who had fought the Zerg for years once said: “When it comes to the Zerg Queen’s reproduction, no amount of caution is ever enough.”

The Zerg, as humanity’s greatest adversary, had an incredibly strong reproductive ability. Every Zerg group was controlled by a Zerg Queen, and when the Zerg Queen reproduced, their combat ability increased rapidly. To expand their territory, the Zerg during this special period even had the ability to fight in space, posing a huge threat to humanity.

Every time the Zerg Queen reproduced, it triggered a large-scale, prolonged Zerg swarm. During this period, humans would struggle to resist, suffering heavy losses until the Zerg Queen’s reproduction phase ended, and the Zerg’s strength decreased, allowing humanity to recapture lost territories.

This tug-of-war had been ongoing since humanity discovered the Zerg, lasting for thousands of years. As human technology advanced, the Zerg evolved as well, with neither side gaining a decisive advantage.

As the highest-ranking officer stationed at the border, Xi Ming’s orders had to be followed, even if they were wrong. But some did not take Xi Ming’s orders seriously.

At that time, Wuli Duke, the Sixth Prince, was on a small planet under Xi Ming’s command. Upon hearing Xi Ming’s orders, Wuli Duke not only ignored them entirely but even mocked Xi Ming for being a coward, ready to retreat at the slightest disturbance from the Zerg.

Xi Ming naturally ignored Wuli Duke. He knew that Wuli Duke was there at the border just to earn battle achievements—this was for the Royal family’s adulthood assessment, which related to future inheritance rights. But Wuli Duke had been staying at the border for over two months, and many of the battle reports included his name. Xi Ming could overlook this for the Royal family’s sake but would not delay the army’s operations because of him.

After receiving intelligence from the dispatched teams, Xi Ming decided to order a full retreat and destroy the small planet. However, just before the official orders were sent, he sensed a strange smell and lost consciousness.

Shi Chan immediately recalled the sinister energy inside Xi Ming’s body, his expression worried. “Did he drug you?”

Xi Ming lowered his gaze, placing his hand on Shi Chan’s head and softly hummed in response.

When Xi Ming opened his eyes again, he had no idea how long he had been unconscious. The situation outside had turned chaotic, with some of the Zerg even evolving the ability to fly into space.

Ignoring the Sixth Prince, Xi Ming quickly realized the situation outside and immediately issued orders for the evacuation of more than ten residential planets. Despite the lingering side effects of the drugs, he persisted in commanding for three hours.

By then, the small planet they were on was already swarming with Zerg. Xi Ming knew that the soldiers remaining there had no chance of a large-scale, safe retreat.

In the end, Xi Ming climbed into a mech to fight.

The Zerg mutations began from around the Queen, and every Zerg Xi Ming killed on this small planet reduced the number of mutated Zerg elsewhere.

After a prolonged battle, despite using all his abilities, Xi Ming still couldn’t save his soldiers’ lives. He could only watch as his companions dwindled.

At this point, Xi Ming received news of the Zerg Queen’s location—they were already moving to another planet but hadn’t gone far.

Xi Ming immediately led a team to engage the Zerg Queen, and while they fought desperately, the Zerg’s assault on residential planets slowed down, buying time for the rescue teams.

However, they were no match for the Zerg Queen. Soon, the mech was damaged, and one by one, his comrades perished, leaving Xi Ming as the only one left.

Surrounded by a sea of Zerg, Xi Ming took one last glance before charging toward the Zerg Queen, activating the mech’s self-destruct mechanism. In the final moment, he used the blast wave and the escape pod to fly in the opposite direction.

The explosion knocked Xi Ming unconscious, and he drifted in space, severely injured. By sheer luck, he escaped the Zerg’s encirclement. When the rescue ship found him, the energy of the escape pod had likely run out long ago.

When he awoke, Xi Ming discovered that both of his legs had been crippled, his body covered in wounds. Before he could inquire about the battle’s outcome, the Emperor and Empress visited him in the hospital.

They informed him that six planets had been attacked by the Zerg, but most of the civilians had already evacuated. The Zerg Queen was dead, and there would be no Zerg swarms for the time being.

They also stated that although the incident had occurred during Xi Ming’s watch, given the contributions of the Xi family to the Empire, and considering that Xi Ming’s parents had died protecting the Empire, they would not hold him responsible. He could focus on recovering.

“But this wasn’t your fault!” Shi Chan frowned, surprised that the truth was so different from what had been made public. “If it weren’t for the Sixth Prince, you would have retreated long before, and this disaster wouldn’t have happened.”

Thinking about how Xi Ming had been wronged, even though it had been a long time, Shi Chan couldn’t help but feel anger, “Didn’t he drug you? It should be detectable.”

“I was exposed to cosmic radiation at that time, and nothing else was detected,” Xi Ming moved his fingers slightly, lowering his gaze as he continued to explain. “They told me the Sixth Prince had already returned to the palace a few days before the incident.”

They also told Xi Ming that all his subordinates had died in battle and that they would offer more compensation to the families of his fallen comrades.

The orders heard on the border planets were all from Xi Ming. Some ordinary soldiers who managed to escape received the command to stay in place through Xi Ming’s channel.

All of Xi Ming’s direct subordinates aboard his warship had died in the battle, and the warship had been deep in the Zerg star territory. The traces of the drug Xi Ming had been given were masked by the cosmic radiation. There was no evidence to prove the incident was related to the Sixth Prince. Everyone believed it was Xi Ming’s fault.

The first time Xi Ming saw the flood of curses on StarNet, he thought about revealing the truth. With his past contributions, even without evidence, people would still suspect the Sixth Prince and the Royal family.

But in the end, he didn’t.

Revealing the truth would have little impact on Xi Ming himself, but the Royal family would certainly retaliate against others. With his direct subordinates all dead, Xi Ming’s family had accepted private compensation from the Royal family, almost aligning with the Royal family. The only ones left to take revenge on were his subordinates’ families.

Xi Ming… once again chose to protect.

“You…” Shi Chan’s throat tightened, his heart aching.

The Empire Star…

Xi Ming had never failed the honor of that title; it was the Empire that had failed him.

“I’m sorry.” Shi Chan murmured with a choked voice, unable to stop apologizing even though he had never participated in the slanders and curses against Xi Ming. “I’m sorry…”

“It has nothing to do with you.” Xi Ming wiped away the tears from the omega’s face in his arms. “You can’t say anything about this for now.” But even if he did, it would probably be discovered by the Royal family and never spread.

“I know. I won’t say anything.” Shi Chan leaned into Xi Ming’s embrace, his voice muffled.

The people on StarNet had been cursing Xi Ming for years, accusing him of betraying the teachings of the Empire, dishonoring his parents, and being responsible for the deaths of the residents of six planets and the soldiers who perished. However, in reality, Xi Ming had never harmed any of the Empire’s people.

He had always been the protector.

…

While Shi Chan was in Xi Ming’s embrace, a small, soft creature squeezed through the door gap, looked up, and crawled toward Shi Chan.

Feeling something tugging at his pants, Shi Chan looked down and reached out to scoop up the small creature, placing it in his arms, mumbling, “Feifei.”

Feifei, always obedient around Xi Ming, didn’t dare to call out loudly. After rubbing Shi Chan’s fingers, it found a comfortable spot and lay down.

When Shi Chan first sat in Xi Ming’s embrace, his body had been stiff, but now, he was gradually getting used to it. As soon as he was in Xi Ming’s arms, his body relaxed, and his hands even wrapped around Xi Ming’s waist.

Shi Chan released his spiritual sense into Xi Ming’s body, feeling a sense of urgency to heal Xi Ming and expose the absurd lies that had deceived everyone. But when it came to the safety of the other person’s body, Shi Chan slowly absorbed the destructive energy inside Xi Ming’s body.

A week ago, when Xi Ming’s spiritual power had erupted violently, Shi Chan had used his spiritual sense to calm his power, even absorbing some of the destructive energy that had dissipated inside Xi Ming’s body.

Shi Chan spent several days analyzing and absorbing the energy.

This was his second time absorbing the energy from Xi Ming’s body, and he was being more cautious this time. He was absorbing the energy while also paying close attention to the changes in Xi Ming’s body.

Speaking about these matters had helped release some of the anger inside Xi Ming, and now his emotions were calmer than Shi Chan’s.

The last time Xi Ming’s mental energy had erupted so suddenly that he hadn’t noticed Shi Chan’s spiritual sense. But now, he felt the unusual changes in his body. He simply reached out to pinch the back of Shi Chan’s neck and looked at the new marks he had made, his gaze deepening.

In his investigation, Xi Ming had discovered that Shi Chan was indeed born on Capital Star and had never left the Shi family. He hadn’t stood out much, and after finishing his basic education at the academy, he hadn’t tried for further qualifications and had chosen to stay at home. Aside from an abnormally good temper, there was nothing else out of the ordinary.

After spending some time together, Xi Ming had more or less confirmed that Shi Chan didn’t have ill intentions toward him. Though Shi Chan would occasionally reveal his advanced mental power, Xi Ming no longer had the same malicious suspicions as before. However, Shi Chan’s various anomalies still captured Xi Ming’s attention, making him unable to stop observing and probing.

If Xi Ming had a long life ahead of him, he wouldn’t care about anything and would directly mark his omega to keep him by his side forever. But now, Xi Ming didn’t even know how much longer he had to live…

Xi Ming knew the unique nature of AO marking. If he died, it would be extremely painful for his omega to find another alpha to cover his mark. His omega was so obedient; if he were really gone, Shi Chan would get along well with any other alpha.

Just like Shi Chan’s friend had considered, Shi Chan shouldn’t be tied to him, an alpha who wouldn’t live long.

Rubbing the omega in his arms, Xi Ming lowered his gaze, his thoughts dark and unwilling. At least while he was alive, Shi Chan could only be by his side.

“Do you feel a little better?” After absorbing some of the energy and calming the other’s mental power, Shi Chan asked as he lifted his head in Xi Ming’s arms.

Since the mental explosion last time, Xi Ming had been relying on his willpower to endure. Every time he felt discomfort, Shi Chan’s mental power would help ease the headache. It had already become a rare comfort for him.

Xi Ming nodded in response to Shi Chan, then looked at the fine sweat on Shi Chan’s face. He reached out and wiped it, his voice low. “Are you tired?”

“A little, but I’m fine,” Shi Chan said, tilting his face up as Xi Ming’s rough hand wiped his face. Thinking about the destructive energy he had absorbed from Xi Ming’s body, he continued, “I’ll come over every night to calm your mental power. If you feel uncomfortable at any time, you must tell me immediately.”

Shi Chan was afraid that absorbing energy would disrupt the original energy balance in Xi Ming’s body.

“Okay.” Xi Ming agreed.

“Then let’s go eat now.” Shi Chan supported Feifei with one hand and got down from Xi Ming’s lap with the other, naturally placing his hand on Xi Ming’s wheelchair.

Xi Ming glanced at Shi Chan beside him, then grasped his hand.

Shi Chan was a little surprised but didn’t refuse, walking obediently beside him.

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That night, Shi Chan spent half the night refining the energy he had absorbed from Xi Ming’s body.

When he opened his eyes, he saw the little animal on his pillow, staring at him with bright eyes.

Shi Chan smiled and reached out to place Feifei in his palm. The little creature, just over a week old, refused to sleep in the soft nest Shi Chan had prepared for it. It repeatedly climbed onto the bed whenever Shi Chan wasn’t paying attention. Shi Chan had given up and let it sleep on the pillow, making a little indentation to serve as a nest.

“Why aren’t you sleeping?” Shi Chan bent his eyes and tapped Feifei’s head.

The soft, chubby little critter snuggled into Shi Chan’s palm, making a low, milk-like sound as it rubbed its little head against his finger.

Shi Chan lay on the bed, closing his eyes to rest. He kept his palm steady, making sure not to hurt the little creature, letting it play in his hand.

After a while, Feifei looked up at Shi Chan, who had his eyes closed. It made a few grumbling sounds, then reluctantly curled up in Shi Chan’s palm and soon fell asleep.

The next morning, Xi Ming entered and saw the two cute creatures sleeping together.

He wheeled himself to the side of Shi Chan’s bed and gently touched Shi Chan’s peaceful face.

Shi Chan slowly woke up and was surprised to see Xi Ming in his bedroom.

Although they had unlocked each other’s permissions, Xi Ming had never entered Shi Chan’s room while he was sleeping.

But soon, Shi Chan understood why Xi Ming was acting unusually today.

“I’ve noticed that the radiation intensity in my body seems to have decreased a bit.” Xi Ming gripped the armrest of his wheelchair, his gaze tightly fixed on Shi Chan, though he wasn’t sure what answer he was hoping for.

Xi Ming had discovered the change when he checked his body the previous night. The radiation intensity was slightly weaker than the day before. He had repeated the test several times before he dared confirm it.

He then thought of possible reasons for the decrease in radiation, and the only thing that came to mind was Shi Chan’s mental power calming him.

So, Xi Ming couldn’t contain his excitement and had come to Shi Chan’s room early this morning.

“Hm…” Sensing the urgency behind Xi Ming’s calm tone, Shi Chan hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell him part of the truth.

“I’ve indeed found a way to reduce your cosmic radiation, but it might take quite a while.”

Shi Chan’s cultivation level was at the fourth stage of Qi Refining, but the energy within Xi Ming’s body, after being entangled, was equivalent to a Golden Core cultivator, two levels above Shi Chan. It wasn’t easy for Shi Chan to absorb and refine it.

If Shi Chan had to face a Golden Core cultivator in battle, he would have no chance of winning. However, fortunately, the energy in Xi Ming’s body didn’t actively attack; it could only be passively absorbed by Shi Chan little by little.

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Sia- Hi Readers!!! This Chapter is way too long, so I have decided to split it in 2 parts.