Chapter 38: Another Serious Injury

It’s unclear how much time had passed, but Shi Chan gradually regained consciousness. The first sensations that returned were the exhaustion of his spiritual power and the pain in his meridians.

Instincts formed from his previous life kicked in, and despite his physical condition, Shi Chan immediately opened his eyes, wary of his surroundings. After spotting the familiar remains of a half-destroyed mecha a few meters away, he remembered the events that led to him losing consciousness.

He had heard of the possibility of a small wormhole being created in space during an energy explosion, and he had gambled on it. He knew that they would not survive the explosion, but there was a chance they could survive the wormhole. Luckily, his gamble paid off.

“Brother Ming.” Seeing Xi Ming still unconscious on the ground, Shi Chan moved closer and called out to him a couple of times. But aside from a slight twitch of his eyelids, Xi Ming showed no other signs of consciousness.

Xi Ming’s clothes were torn from the explosion, and radiation patterns had reappeared on his face, even more pronounced than before.

Shi Chan could not probe Xi Ming’s internal condition due to his lack of spiritual power, but he could guess that the situation was dire.

Looking around at the desolate environment, Shi Chan first touched the spatial ring on his chest. It contained equipment for the mecha, but now it only held an anonymous terminal, a few nutrient solutions, and some drinking water. The other spatial ring, which contained their supplies, had been left on the starship.

Fortunately, Shi Chan had hesitated before leaving the ship and grabbed the mecha’s spatial ring. If not, they might have perished in the barrage of fire.

Feeling hunger in his stomach, Shi Chan took out two nutrient solutions and quickly drank them. He then carefully propped up Xi Ming’s upper body, trying to feed him.

But Xi Ming still showed no signs of waking up, not even the ability to swallow.

Left with no choice, Shi Chan could only feed him mouth-to-mouth.

As the nutrient solutions ran out, Shi Chan regained some spiritual power. Without caring for his own injuries, he immediately used what little power he had to check Xi Ming’s condition.

“He’s really gone…” Shi Chan placed his hand on Xi Ming’s abdomen, his fingers trembling slightly. There were three energies that had once been in balance here, but now they were all gone.

It wasn’t a slow dissipation like Shi Chan’s energy would be, but rather an explosion caused by Xi Ming himself, protecting Shi Chan from the energy attack at the cost of his own body.

All the progress Shi Chan had made in treating Xi Ming was now undone, and his injuries were far worse than the first time they met. New cosmic radiation had covered his body, and his legs had been severely injured once again. Even with Shi Chan’s previous methods, it would take a long time for him to recover.

Shi Chan took a deep breath, forcing himself to pull back his spiritual sense. He couldn’t help but feel his eyes burn with unshed tears.

At least he was alive, Shi Chan could only comfort himself with that thought.

He didn’t know where they had ended up after passing through the wormhole, but the most important thing right now was to find a place to stay. The thick clouds in the sky signaled an impending rainstorm. With their current conditions, if they were caught in the rain, things would get much worse.

The surrounding environment was barren, with only uneven yellow soil and sparse grass here and there. After looking around, Shi Chan saw the faint outline of a building at the edge of the eastern plain.

He glanced at Xi Ming’s face, which was mostly covered with radiation patterns, making him look rather terrifying. But Shi Chan relaxed a bit. As long as no one recognized Xi Ming, they could pretend to be ordinary passengers of a merchant ship that had been raided by space pirates.

Fortunately, Shi Chan’s strength didn’t vanish with his spiritual power. He first collected the scattered mecha parts around him into the spatial ring before dragging the half-mecha to Xi Ming’s side.

Carefully placing him in the mecha’s cockpit without disturbing his position, Shi Chan did his best to make it work.

The mecha’s legs and one arm had been blown off, and the cockpit had a large hole in it, but Shi Chan saw it as an opportunity. With Xi Ming lying inside, Shi Chan could drag the mecha and head toward the building he had seen.

Without spiritual power, Shi Chan’s physical strength was only equivalent to an S-class alpha. His injuries also slowed him down, but to conserve energy and search for shelter, he had no choice but to drag the mecha, even if it caused some jolts.

“Brother Ming, we need to find a place to stay.” Shi Chan wasn’t a talkative person, but he knew that speaking to someone was also part of the healing process. He could only talk to Xi Ming, hoping he would wake up soon.

“I see the outline of a building ahead. There should be people there. Once we get there, I can treat you.”

“Brother Ming, I know you must be in pain… All our efforts so far have been in vain, but you know my skills. Once we heal you once, we can do it again.”

“It’s going to rain soon, so we need to move faster. The place you’re lying in doesn’t have any shelter, and if it rains, the water will pour in through the hole in the cockpit.”

“Brother Ming, I’ve been really happy these past few days. You’ve been with me most of the time, much more than when you were busy before. Maybe because we relaxed, you didn’t notice the betrayal of your subordinates.”

“I don’t even know where we are now. If this is the Federation’s territory, things could be bad. But your face has new radiation patterns, messy ones. Once we have the chance, I’ll disguise you again. It should be fine.”

After walking for more than half an hour, Shi Chan looked up at the sky, which was now ominously rumbling. He quickened his pace.

“Brother Ming, I’ve thought of something. If it rains later, I’ll make another hole at the bottom of the cockpit. You can shelter inside, and the rainwater will drain out. After all, this mecha is already beyond repair.”

“Brother Ming, you have to be okay. We haven’t done our permanent marking yet. I used to think it didn’t matter who I married, but now I don’t want anyone else marking me. I only want to be with you.”

“We have many enemies, and I don’t know if you’ll get your revenge, but even if we can’t do anything about them in the short term, we must reveal the truth.”

“I know you’re worried about your subordinates. You fear that if the truth comes out, Wuli will take it out on them. But we need to find a way to solve it…”

“There’s no point thinking about this now. I just want to find someone soon who won’t recognize you. We need to rest and heal, and I hope you wake up quickly.”

But once Xi Ming woke up, he would likely return to needing a wheelchair. Shi Chan’s expression darkened slightly as he avoided this topic.

“Brother Ming, I think I see someone ahead.” When Shi Chan looked up again, he saw a few people seemingly heading in their direction.

Shi Chan remembered that every time they changed ships, they would adopt new identities. “Brother Ming, I’ll tell them you’re my older brother.”

He touched his face and suddenly remembered that he had removed his disguise earlier to withstand the attacks, and just now, he had used all his spiritual power to help Xi Ming.

He knew that out here, his attractive appearance was a double-edged sword, but luckily, after the explosion, he was covered in soot, so he probably didn’t look too bad now. Once they had the chance, he would disguise himself again.

What Shi Chan didn’t know was that an image of his exposed face, captured by the Red Rose Ghost, had already been widely circulated across the Empire.

The photo depicted a battlefield, bloodshed, and a stunningly beautiful man with a determined gaze.

At the same time, the news spread that the beautiful omega in the photo was actually Xi Ming’s mate.

Thanks to the taunts and rumors spread by space pirates, many people in the Empire now knew that Xi Ming had fled the capital star, and the photo of the beautiful omega, which was hard to look away from, was linked to Xi Ming’s companion.

The Star Network was abuzz with reactions, with many angrily condemning Xi Ming, accusing him of abducting the omega, and some even criticizing the royal family for sparing him. Others focused solely on the omega’s appearance… The news about Xi Ming quickly overshadowed the ceremony for the promotion of General Xu Lihan hosted by the Sixth Prince.

Meanwhile, Lan Ying, upon seeing the photo that had been specifically sought out, immediately became furious. “Shi Chan! You bastard!” He had left the capital star for a man, and had never contacted him again. Now, he had gotten Shi Chan’s information in this way.

But after his anger subsided, Lan Ying became worried. He looked at the photo more closely and his face paled. “There’s so much blood and severed limbs… Shi Chan looks like he’s injured.”

“Chi Ge! Come quickly, you need to see where Shi Chan is. He doesn’t look well in this photo. Can you figure out who deliberately spread this?”

Chi Wenyu approached, knowing Lan Ying was in a bad mood. He didn’t joke around and instead looked serious. “We need to investigate who spread this, but look at this…”

Lan Ying’s face turned pale as he clutched Chi Wenyu’s arm, half-hiding his face. “This… this looks like a severed arm. What happened?”

“Look at the tattoo on it. It’s a design favored by the space pirates near Lanxia. There’s more than one of these tattoos. The people who died here are likely space pirates from Lanxia.”

“You mean Shi Chan is in a space pirate nest in Lanxia? He was captured by them!” Lan Ying’s voice rose, and soon a sob broke through. “Is he still alive? In this picture, the space pirates are attacking Shi Chan!”

Chi Wenyu looked carefully again but still didn’t dare make any conclusions. He could only shake his head. “I’m not sure. It looks like he was getting into a mecha. Maybe the mecha has a skilled pilot who can get him out.”

But could an omega withstand the movements of a mecha in battle? Chi Wenyu didn’t dare voice this thought.

Lan Ying’s mind went blank, and he repeated, “Yes, the mecha can get Shi Chan out. He will be fine.”

Lan Ying didn’t know how to help Shi Chan, so he had Chi Wenyu send people to find any news about Shi Chan, instructing them to bring Shi Chan back safely if they found him in danger.

At this point, it was all they could do.

Meanwhile, Lan Wantian and Wu Lidou, who had been searching for Xi Ming, also took notice of this photo.

“I didn’t expect this omega to stick with Xi Ming despite his disability. After all this time, they’re still together.”

Others only noticed the photo of Shi Chan, but Lan Wantian recognized the mecha next to him. It had been exposed due to the attack, and this material was the same as the one used by the royal family to upgrade Xi Ming’s spare mecha.

It was clear that Xi Ming was also in that mecha.

Pinching her delicate nails, Lan Wantian called for someone. “Bring me Giza.”

When the person arrived, Lan Wantian eagerly gave instructions. “Giza, leave Capital Star immediately. Go to the 573rd unit stationed near Lanxia. Contact General Qin Wei and tell him…”

After giving her orders, Lan Wanyian still felt it wasn’t enough and called for more people to infiltrate the space pirate group near Lanxia to gather information on Xi Ming’s location.

After making a series of arrangements, Lan Wantian finally let out a breath and glanced at Wu Lidou, whose face was filled with anxiety. “Lidou, why are you so impatient?”

“Don’t worry, as long as he still cares about his former subordinates, he won’t reveal the truth,” Lan Wantian said confidently.

Wu Lidou nodded uncertainly, but his mind was occupied with thoughts. If he had been betrayed by the entire empire, he wouldn’t care about the fate of those people.

“What you need to do now is strengthen the team you’ve formed, and maintain a good relationship with Major General Xu. If you want to sit in that position in the future, Xu Lihan might be your supporter.”

Xu Lihan had been promoted to Major General even earlier than Xi Ming and had broken Xi Ming’s record of being the youngest to hold the position, becoming the undisputed “Empire’s New Star.”

“I understand,” Wu Lidou nodded.

Lan Wantian, frustrated, tapped Wu Lidou’s forehead. “Keep my words in mind. During this time, don’t stay on Capital Star. Take your team to the front lines and practice. Only a team that has seen blood can achieve results. No matter how excellent their data is, it’s useless if they haven’t fought.”

“Go to the front line?” Wu Lidou froze.

Seeing her son hesitate, Lan Wantian nearly rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry, the Zerg Queen is no longer at the front lines. It’s only been six years, and a new Queen won’t emerge that quickly. If you’re scared, you can go fight star pirates instead.”

“I’ll go fight the Zerg then.” Wu Lidou smiled awkwardly. As long as there was no Zerg Queen, the Zerg were still easier to deal with than star pirates.

Thinking of her son’s well-equipped team, Lan Wantian reassured him, “Don’t worry, with the strength of your team, as long as there are no major mistakes, you’ll definitely return with achievements.”

For the time being, everything on Capital Star had no connection to Shi Chan and Xi Ming.

While waiting for the group of people he had seen to arrive, Shi Chan remained alert. If the group intended to harm him and Xi Ming, he would seize their supplies and even make them disappear.

Although he had enjoyed a peaceful life for over twenty years, Shi Chan didn’t lack the resolve to kill. Given their current situation, if they encountered danger, he wouldn’t hesitate to draw blood again.

However, it seemed that his luck had turned. The group of people appeared to have no ill intentions.

They were a rescue team from a place called “Jugu,” patrolling the area and offering help to scattered residents before the thunderstorm hit.

Even though Shi Chan and Xi Ming couldn’t communicate effectively with them and didn’t present any proper identification, the group still helped them get to a shelter.

Seeing that they had no malicious intent, Shi Chan decided to follow them towards the group of buildings.

After walking for a short while, one of the members glanced at the sky with a look of urgency. “Captain, we need to hurry, the thunderstorm is coming soon.”

The person called the captain looked up, confirmed the situation, and quickly signaled the others. He pointed to the broken half of the mech. “Let’s lift it together and move faster.”

Shi Chan became alert when they approached the mech and placed their hands on it.

The captain, seeing Shi Chan’s wariness, pointed to the darkening sky and then to the unconscious Xi Ming, shaking his head vigorously. He looked ahead, took a few quick steps, and then looked back at Shi Chan.

Shi Chan understood what he meant. Seeing them approach again, he showed no further reaction. The group quickly carried the mech toward the shelter.

Shi Chan had noticed their speed as they came from afar, and now he was certain they must possess some sort of physical enhancement, which allowed them to move so quickly.

Glancing at them briefly, Shi Chan noticed they didn’t have the high-tech equipment typical of imperial citizens. In fact, none of them wore wristbands.

Just as Shi Chan was starting to think that this might be a relatively underdeveloped primitive land, one of the group pulled out a black rectangular object from a pouch on their waist and spoke into it. Soon, a brief reply came from the device.

Shi Chan silently retracted his previous assumption.

They hurried on, and before the thunderstorm arrived, they reached a place where they could rest. However, it wasn’t the group of buildings Shi Chan had previously seen but a simple shelter dug out of the ground due to the uneven terrain.

Without detection equipment at hand, Shi Chan didn’t know the extent of the radiation on Xi Ming’s body. But at that moment, he couldn’t focus on anything else. He chose a relatively distant room to stay in, hoping to minimize the radiation’s impact on the others.

The group that had rescued them provided some food and daily necessities, and then motioned for them to stay inside, making sure to keep the door shut and not come out. Shi Chan nodded, and the group hurried off to other rooms.