ISMW Chapter 90

Huo Yuchen believed that Manyuin Hurst had single-handedly orchestrated the fall of the first border line—to steal the 3S mecha blueprints from Ran Xuechen.

Perhaps Huo Su and Ran Xuechen had detected something early on. Otherwise, Huo Su wouldn’t have inexplicably said those things to him, and Ran Xuechen wouldn’t have left him a video that involved violating confidentiality agreements.

But these were all Huo Yuchen’s speculations. He couldn’t directly use the video to expose Manyuin Hurst’s lies.

What if…

This wasn’t a lie?

Manyuin Hurst had once been the most outstanding student at the Mecha Research Academy. In his graduation year, his overall grades even exceeded Ran Xuechen’s by several points. Such a person had a certain ability to research 3S mecha blueprints, and he probably also had the ability to remove the light and shadow wall that Ran Xuechen had left in the blueprints.

To date, the Corona Empire has only claimed that Manyuin Hurst completed the 3S mecha blueprints, without releasing any physical images. Huo Yuchen wasn’t 100% certain whether the blueprints in Manyuin Hurst’s hands were his mom’s, nor could he guarantee that after he released the video, Manyuin Hurst wouldn’t remove the light and shadow wall design from the 3S mechas. He also lacked sufficient ability to face the attacks and retaliation from Manyuin Hurst or the Corona Empire alone after the video’s exposure.

His best choice now was to wait for Manyuin Hurst and the Corona Empire to mass-produce 3S mechas. As long as the light and shadow wall design existed, the more mechas they produced, the more evidence there would be.

Otherwise, even if Huo Yuchen released the video, it would be useless, because even though he could prove that Manyuin Hurst had stolen Ran Xuechen’s blueprints, he couldn’t clear Huo Su’s name.

There were still too many things that needed investigation. For instance, Ran Xuechen died at the second border line, so how did Manyuin Hurst, whose escape pod was near the first border line, obtain the blueprints? Was he the one who abandoned his post on the small patrol ship? If so, how did he survive the insectoid encirclement? Was the Corona Empire, the ultimate beneficiary of the 3S mechas, involved?

…

Huo Yuchen couldn’t solve so many questions alone. He needed other helpers.

Fortunately, Huo Yuchen had a list of all members of Ran Xuechen’s team and the names of soldiers who died alongside Huo Su. Through social network algorithms, he investigated the surviving friends and relatives of these people and finally selected one person—Pei Xingting.

Pei Xingting was rather special. He was a distant star citizen of the Galactic Empire, from a poor family, with an alpha older brother above him. As a beta, he wasn’t favored by his parents. Such a person should logically have no connection to the Nebula Federation, yet he paid extraordinary attention to the incident of Ran Xuechen being taken hostage by mutinous soldiers. After hearing that Ran Xuechen’s entire team and the mutinous soldiers were killed together by the insectoids, he suddenly dropped out of school and chose to become a volunteer, responsible for helping to resettle refugees from various planets who survived the Severir insectoid invasion.

His social media account mutually followed and frequently interacted with a sensory system engineer named “Zhou Fei” from Ran Xuechen’s team. After Zhou Fei’s death, he fell silent for a long time, his entire account seeming abandoned. However, on the day the Corona Empire’s king granted Manyuin Hurst a ducal title, he reposted this news, cursing with blood-like fury: 【Robber, bandit, thief.】

“Zhou Fei was someone I liked. I had planned to confess to him after he returned.” After they met, Pei Xingting told Huo Yuchen, “On December 30th when the mutinous soldiers’ riot occurred, I was on a phone call with Zhou Fei. I recorded the voices of three of the mutinous soldiers.”

“After using voiceprint information retrieval, I discovered they were all Corona Empire soldiers, with no connection to the Nebula Federation whatsoever.”

“They were regular military forces, which is why the rescue warships sent by the Nebula Federation couldn’t defeat them at all.”

“After Zhou Fei’s incident… the Corona Empire’s military also issued death notices for them, saying they died in battle on the border battlefield.” Pei Xingting’s tears dampened his glasses as he removed them, gripping them tightly in his hands. “A bunch of shameless liars. Do you believe such people could design 3S mechas?”

—The missing connecting puzzle piece between Manyuin Hurst and the Corona Empire had been found.

Now, they only needed to confirm whether the 3S mechas built by the Corona Empire truly originated from Ran Xuechen’s blueprints, then find someone with power and influence who was willing and able to withstand pressure from the Corona Empire to help “overturn” Huo Su’s case and punish Manyuin Hurst.

Huo Yuchen thought Yun Qihe could do it.

“You used to live in the Nebula Federation, so you might not understand what kind of person our Majesty is.” Pei Xingting said to Huo Yuchen, “His Majesty spoke up for General Huo Su back then only because the Empress was seriously injured while going to rescue Professor Ran. Don’t have too high expectations of him.”

“I know, so if he can’t be that person, I’ll become that person myself.” Huo Yuchen said calmly, his deep blue eyes looking indifferently at Pei Xingting. “But this requires me to have a flawless identity.”

The false identity he had obtained wasn’t perfect enough. If he wanted to enter politics or the military in the Galactic Empire, he had to have an identity that could withstand thorough investigation.

Pei Xingting, who was responsible for helping resettle refugees from various planets who survived the Severir insectoid invasion, was obviously well-suited to help him with this favor, and Pei Xingting wouldn’t betray him.

Because they had common interests.

“I want to reclaim all the honor that belongs to Zhou Fei.” Pei Xingting held the stamp and asked Huo Yuchen, “What about you?”

Huo Yuchen said: “I want to realize my dream.”

He also wanted to help his mom Ran Xuechen reclaim all the honor that belonged to her, wanted to help his mother Huo Su clear the stigma of being a “sinner,” wanted to take revenge on Manyuin Hurst and the Corona Empire. But just like the last words Huo Su left him.

His life could have hatred, but it couldn’t only have hatred.

Regardless of the outcome of this revenge, whether successful or not, he would pursue and realize his dream.

He would become a soldier stationed on the border battlefield, become a warrior who would crush and annihilate the Severir insectoids. Even if he could never return to his homeland, even if he would be alone for the rest of his life, even if he would pay with his own life, then he would use mechas as his burial ground and stars as his tombstone. His ideals were glorious and great. When the day of realization came, he would become a tiny grain of sand that built the monument of history—that would be enough.

“I wish you will realize your dream.”

Pei Xingting blessed Yu Chen while the stamp fell. After a dull pressing sound, Huo Yuchen became an orphan from K-79 star—Yu Chen.

On the day Yu Chen received his acceptance letter from Anlos Military Academy, Pei Xingting called him: “Congratulations, you’re one step closer to your dream.”

“You too, congratulations.” Yu Chen said.

Before dropping out, Pei Xingting had studied starship piloting at Central University. After being a volunteer for a year, he was accepted to medical university again—he was trying to approach the Galactic Empire’s royal family in his own way. Even without Yu Chen, he could contact royal family members by joining the royal medical team and hand over that recording.

“Not close enough yet.” Pei Xingting forced a smile. “But it should be soon.”

That year of volunteer experience was excellent credentials. People all considered him a kind and loving doctor, which would give him more advantages than other competitors.

“Yu Chen, don’t go to the border battlefield yet.” On the eve of Yu Chen’s graduation, Pei Xingting called him again. “The Third Prince has completed differentiation—he’s an alpha! Manyuin Hurst will definitely give him a 3S mecha on his coming-of-age birthday!”

When Yun Xunguang and Mu Xingyu, both alphas, came of age, Manyuin Hurst had given the same grand gift.

“He’s the most favored prince in the royal family. As long as you can get close to him, you can contact all royal family members and 3S mechas! Compared to what you say, Yun Qihe would definitely be more willing to listen to him.” Pei Xingting’s voice couldn’t hide his excitement. “I should also replace my teacher in the future and become his new pharmacist.”

Third Prince Yun Xunlan wasn’t their only choice, but he was the most cost-effective choice.

“It’s easy for you to approach him, but what about me?” Yu Chen asked. “Can I approach him just because I want to? After graduation, I can only choose which legion to serve in, not choose to serve Yun Xunlan.”

Yu Chen’s original plan was to go to the border battlefield, accumulate military merit and climb up step by step until he could contact Yun Qihe, then consider whether to borrow someone else’s 3S mecha or “advance” to become a 3S-level alpha himself to obtain a 3S mecha—when each 3S mecha was delivered, Corona Empire personnel would collect the mecha pilot’s biological information to help bind the mecha’s first piloting authority.

Yu Chen’s DNA sequence could match Huo Su’s. He couldn’t be certain that after his biological information was collected, its use would be limited to serving as a key to start 3S mechas. What if Manyuin Hurst was using this thing to search for him?

After all, the person “Huo Yuchen” had only disappeared, not died.

Faced with Yu Chen’s question, Pei Xingting presented his long-prepared plan: “Become his guard, and you can get close to him.”

“I’ve calculated it for you. A batch of his guards will retire when you’re thirty, and you can take their place then.”

Yu Chen: “…”

Yu Chen: “Alright, then I’ll stay on the Imperial Star for now.”

“Fuck, but I have to wait until I’m thirty.” However, after thinking it over, Yu Chen couldn’t help but complain to Pei Xingting: “Can’t his damn guards retire earlier?”

“You should curse less.” Pei Xingting advised him. “How can you become a royal guard with such poor manners?”

Yu Chen said expressionlessly: “I don’t want to curse. It’s the side effects of the enhancement serum forcing me to.”

“Really?” Pei Xingting was skeptical. “Just wait patiently. Thirty is just our estimated latest deadline. What if something unexpected happens?”

Who knew that something unexpected really would happen.

Or perhaps it couldn’t be called unexpected—everyone had thought that Yun Qihe spoke up for Huo Su because He Chubai was seriously injured while going to rescue Professor Ran, but the truth was: He Chubai wasn’t just seriously injured, he was also poisoned by insect venom.

And with Yun Xunlan born carrying insect venom, it was destined that the royal family would have to select more guards to protect his safety due to his rapidly weakening body.

Thus the gears of fate began to turn, driving them to approach and mesh together.

Yun Xunlan never used the mecha pilot’s seat to control mechas—he was completely free. Perhaps he wasn’t the only alpha to see that light and shadow wall during perfect resonance with a mecha, but he happened to like Yu Chen.

Looking at those wave-like fluctuating light and shadows, he instantly thought of Yu Chen.

So he investigated why they existed, and thus discovered the love letter that Ran Xuechen had left for Huo Su—one that hadn’t faded even after eighteen years—and all those names that still sparkled after eighteen years.

“However, the evidence I currently have can only prove that Manyuin Hurst secretly colluded with the Corona Empire’s military to steal the 3S mecha blueprints from my mom.” Yu Chen told Yun Xunlan. “As for what exactly happened on my mother’s main starship back then, probably no one knows except Manyuin Hurst, the only survivor.”

“The Severir insectoids’ first wave attack on the first border line was particularly fierce. If Manyuin Hurst wasn’t the one who left, how could he have survived such an impact?”

—Actually, Yu Chen wasn’t the only one with such speculation. People believed Manyuin Hurst was one of the personal guards who followed Huo Su in leaving the main starship to rescue Ran Xuechen, since their friendship was well-known to all.

But Manyuin Hurst’s mecha positioning records showed that he left the main starship following normal combat procedures after the insectoids launched their attack, and he was ultimately found in an escape pod ejected from his own mecha.

Besides him, no one from the main starship survived.

Yu Chen speculated that he survived the insectoid siege precisely because he had left the main starship. But even so, after the first border line was breached, the area was swarming with Severir insectoids. How could he ensure he would definitely survive the king insect encirclement until rescue arrived?

No one could figure this out, so naturally Manyuin Hurst wouldn’t bear the stigma of being a “sinner.”

Now, after hearing Yu Chen’s confession about the past and connecting it with the sudden guess that flashed in his mind, Yun Xunlan suddenly said: “Perhaps only by being surrounded by king insects could he survive.”

Yu Chen didn’t understand: “…What?”

Yun Xunlan asked him: “Has Manyuin Hurst’s hair always been silver?”

Silver hair had always been the most popular hair color in the galaxy, especially fashionable in the Galactic Empire and Corona Empire, because both Yun Xunlan and Manyuin Hurst had silver hair.

“No.” Yu Chen thought for a moment and said, “His hair used to be black. The first time I saw white hair growing at his temples was during that reporter interview after his rescue.”

But to be precise, the color of Manyuin Hurst’s temple hair at that time wasn’t white either, but a grayish silver. People thought he had gone white overnight from grief, and since then, Manyuin Hurst had never grown black hair again.

“The longer insect venom accumulates in the human body, the more ‘silverization’ phenomena appear in the poisoned person, most commonly changes in hair color, eye color, and blood color.” Yun Xunlan lowered his lashes and frowned. “My Papa and the others initially dyed their hair silver for a while so I wouldn’t feel like an outsider. Later, when Papa needed to dye his hair again, he dyed it black.”

The biggest assumption Yu Chen had made in his lifetime was that Manyuin Hurst had orchestrated the entire fall of the first border line, but he never expected Yun Xunlan to guess even more boldly: “You think… Manyuin Hurst was also poisoned by insect venom?”

Yun Xunlan spoke more bluntly: “I think he has long been in collusion with the Severir insectoids.”

They had always known that people poisoned by insect venom could hear the king insects’ mental voices. Was there a possibility that people poisoned by insect venom could actually communicate with king insects?

If so, then Manyuin Hurst could definitely survive being surrounded by king insects, because that wouldn’t be an encirclement but protection—protecting him from being killed by lower-level insectoids, protecting him until he could be rescued by others.

If so, then Huo Su’s inability to defend the first border line was inevitable, because the traitor was right beside her.

Moreover, this speculation was the only one that could explain why Severir insectoids appeared on experimental insect planets near the third border line.

“He often served on border battlefields, so he had plenty of opportunities to bring back king insect eggs.” Yun Xunlan murmured softly. “But I don’t understand…”

If Yu Chen hadn’t told him these things, Yun Xunlan wouldn’t have thought so deeply.

His reason for wanting to leave Yaoguang Fifth Space Station early today was his speculation that perhaps Manyuin Hurst had deliberately presented him with the opportunity to crack the 3S mecha blueprints, because he too had discovered Severir insectoid traces on planets near the third border line.

The Corona Empire had made huge profits from the military industry over the years. Their export controls on 3S mechas were very strict, and prices were quite high. Fearing that the Galactic Empire and Nebula Federation would attack their country after obtaining enough 3S mechas, they had always controlled 3S mecha production and quantity at appropriate levels—enough for defense, not enough for offense.

But without sufficient 3S mechas, once all the Severir insectoids on planets near the third border line finished hatching and growing, humanity would cease to exist.

While Manyuin Hurst wanted to directly publicize the 3S mecha blueprints, the Corona Empire definitely wouldn’t allow it. So he deliberately leaked information secretly while creating the false impression that the Galactic Empire intended to crack the 3S mecha blueprints, always occupying the moral high ground.

Once they also built 3S mechas and the blueprints could no longer be exclusively held, Manyuin Hurst could naturally publicize the original blueprints. Then the Nebula Federation, Galactic Empire, and Corona Empire could all freely manufacture 3S mechas, making the insectoids no longer formidable while maintaining a balanced state among the three powers.

—These were Yun Xunlan’s initial speculations.

But now Yu Chen had introduced a new variable: the insectoids on experimental insect planets near the third border line might have been brought by Manyuin Hurst; the fall of the first border line years ago might also have been orchestrated by Manyuin Hurst.

If he was on the Severir insectoids’ side, why would he actively help other countries crack the 3S mecha blueprints to fight the insectoids?

If he was on humanity’s side, why would he help the Severir insectoids break through the first border line? Kill Huo Su? Kill so many people? And scatter king insect eggs throughout the galaxy’s interior?