Chapter 59: Just Like You

Shi Chan went out again to retrieve the negative energy device that Xi Ming needed and helped him install it near the wormhole, continuously maintaining its stability.

Seeing the collapse at the edges of the wormhole slow down and the overall structure gradually stabilize, both of them let out a sigh of relief.

The garbage disposal plant had changed ownership, but Xi Ming had no intention of replacing all the original employees—that would attract too much attention.

He gave them a seven-day break, after which they could return to work. This also gave Xi Ming and his group a chance to rest and reorganize.

With most of his tasks completed, Shi Chan finally had some free time. He took out the new terminal Xi Ming had prepared for him and began browsing the news from the time they had been away.

“The outside world has become this chaotic?” After reading for a while, Shi Chan couldn’t help but look at Xi Ming.

When Shi Chan was born, although there were occasional conflicts between the Federation and the Empire, they were small-scale. On a larger scale, the interstellar world was still relatively peaceful. But in just over a year since they left, the Federation and the Empire had declared war on a massive scale.

Xi Ming reached out and patted Shi Chan’s head. “It’s only just beginning.”

Shi Chan instinctively leaned closer, worry flickering in his eyes. “The war shouldn’t reach the Capital Star, right?”

Shi Chan didn’t have many attachments elsewhere, but on Capital Star, there was Lan Ying. During peacetime, he could leave without a word, but during wartime, he felt uneasy.

“Not for now.” In the year 5332, the war had only just begun. Even though the Empire had long been rotting from within, its accumulated foundation over the years still allowed it to hold out for a while. In his past life, the Empire had not surrendered until 5334.

Shi Chan still couldn’t fully relax. He turned to Xi Ming. “Ming-ge, I want to check on my friend on Capital Star. Is there a way to do it without exposing ourselves?”

The StarNet was supposedly controlled by the central AI to protect everyone’s rights, but the elite class always had ways to manipulate information.

“Wait a little longer.” Xi Ming pressed a kiss to Shi Chan’s forehead. “Let me build up my forces first.”

“Alright.” Shi Chan had always trusted Xi Ming. Since Xi Ming said to wait, he pushed his worries down for now. However, he still planned to pay more attention to the news from Capital Star, especially regarding Lan Ying’s husband’s company.

After a while, the supplies they ordered, along with anonymous terminals, arrived. However, their mecha would only be delivered the next day.

Xi Ming first set the terminals to browsing mode only before handing them over to Liang Yongqing.

They had purchased fifteen tents—two people per tent, with a few left as spares. Xi Ming had Liang Yongqing teach the Jugu group how to set them up.

Shi Chan and Xi Ming set up their own tent without outside help. Xi Ming, seated in his wheelchair, guided Shi Chan through the process.

The interior space was decent—not too cramped for two people.

By the time their tent was set up, the Jugu group had already gathered to learn the common interstellar language.

Shi Chan pulled the Feifei out from where it had been burrowed in his clothes and smoothed its dirty fur. “I need to give it a bath.”

Looking down at himself, Shi Chan paused before adding, “And we should wash up too.”

“Tonight.” Xi Ming was also dirty, but he could endure it for now. “I’ve already had them leave. Once no one’s around, we’ll go to the processing plant’s bathing facilities.”

After purchasing the processing plant, Xi Ming had transferred control to his fake identity’s terminal. He had already locked access to their area, ensuring no one else could enter. The plant’s surveillance was now under his sole control.

Once the original employees left, the facility would be empty for the next seven days.

Well, not entirely—there were always some drifters secretly staying in the plant. But that wasn’t a big deal. Xi Ming planned to have Liang Yongqing do a quick sweep to ensure no strangers remained in C-Zone, where they were staying.

Unfortunately, the processing plant only had offices and no dormitories. Otherwise, they could have just moved in.

“Not having a dorm isn’t so bad.” Shi Chan didn’t mind. Now that Xi Ming had recovered significantly, Shi Chan no longer had to be as cautious around him. He could afford to be more carefree. “I haven’t had enough of sleeping in a tent with you yet.”

Looking down at the omega in his arms, full of admiration and affection, Xi Ming felt incredibly lucky. How fortunate was he to have Shi Chan?

Shi Chan leaned against Xi Ming, chatting idly. Before long, they started talking about the pirate group they had encountered before crossing the wormhole.

“The Red Rose Ghosts.” Xi Ming, who had been in a deep coma back on Jugu, had recalled some fragments upon waking. “Do you remember Bai Wen?”

“Hm?” Shi Chan thought for a moment before remembering—the omega he had met while getting his suit custom-made on Capital Star. Compared to other Capital Star omegas, Bai Wen had seemed timid. He had even taken the initiative to befriend Shi Chan. “I remember him. The omega the Bai family recently found.”

“He’s a Federation spy,” Xi Ming revealed, shocking Shi Chan.

“What?” Shi Chan was stunned. “Wasn’t he the Bai family’s illegitimate child?”

From the few encounters they had, Bai Wen had always seemed gentle, timid, and soft-spoken. His personality was different from other Capital Star omegas, but a spy? That didn’t seem right.

“He was a spy,” Xi Ming confirmed. “And a high-ranking member of the Red Rose Ghosts.”

During the later stages of the war, the Empire discovered that the Federation had been training large numbers of omega spies and sending them to infiltrate high-ranking Imperial officers. These spies continuously provided the Federation with accurate intelligence and worked to erode the Empire from within.

Bai Wen was one of the most notorious omega spies exposed during the mid-war period. On Capital Star, he had used his delicate appearance and other tactics to enchant many influential alphas, intensifying conflicts among the factions.

His true identity was only discovered when the Red Rose Ghosts repeatedly succeeded in intercepting resources meant for the Imperial nobility. This drew the attention of a border general, who tracked them for months before finally capturing a group of omega-led pirates.

Among them was Bai Wen, who had taken leave from Capital Star under the pretense of a vacation—only to be found commanding the Red Rose Ghosts in battle.

It was only then that the Empire and other pirate groups realized that the notorious Red Rose Ghosts had somehow fallen under the control of a group of omegas, becoming their puppets.

When the captured omegas’ identities were sent to Capital Star, Bai Wen’s admirers refused to believe it and began digging deeper—only to accidentally uncover his other identity as a Federation spy.

This revelation threw Capital Star into chaos. The omegas who had long disliked Bai Wen celebrated, finally proving that their instincts had been right all along.

But just as everyone awaited Bai Wen’s execution, news broke that he had escaped—and that the captured members of the Red Rose Ghosts had also been rescued before their sentencing.

Xi Ming had only laughed when he heard the news. Throughout the war, countless individuals with ties to the Federation had “escaped” Imperial custody. Bai Wen was just one among many.

The Empire had been rotting from within for a long time.

Still, Bai Wen’s case prompted a deeper investigation into omega spies, revealing that they were intricately linked to the Empire’s steady downfall.

“How do you know all this?” Shi Chan asked curiously.

Xi Ming paused, looking at Shi Chan.

“…What’s wrong?” Shi Chan felt a little uneasy. “If you can’t tell me, that’s fine.”

“I can.” Xi Ming placed a hand on the back of Shi Chan’s neck and carefully chose his words. “Because, like you, I also… have memories of a past life.”

A secret he had never planned to reveal suddenly felt easy to say.

Shi Chan’s eyes widened slightly.

Xi Ming calmly recounted his past life—a story once filled with pain but now almost laughable.

“…Just the life of a failure,” he concluded.

Shi Chan trembled slightly at the ending. He hugged Xi Ming tightly, refuting, “You’re not a failure.”

His Xi Ming had never been a failure—he had always been a protector.