ISMW Chapter 88

This was what Yu Chen knew about the past between Manyuin Hurst and his parents before his birth.

 

In the year he was born, Huo Su was promoted to general, Manyuin Hurst was also promoted to colonel, and Ran Xuechen’s research team finally received normal funding support and salary treatment from the Federal Mecha Research Institute after their only alpha left. By this year, they had finally transformed from showing initial promise to becoming prominent, gaining fame throughout the Nebula Federation.

 

Everyone’s future seemed to be heading toward bright places, including Yu Chen, who was born into a nouveau riche family.

 

However, at that time, Yu Chen wasn’t called Yu Chen—he was called Huo Yuchen.

 

Huo Su loved Ran Xuechen deeply. She initially wanted to name their child Huo Yuchen, but was sternly refused by Ran Xuechen, so Huo Su changed the character “chen” (dust) to “chen” (sink)—she wanted to become a fish, forever sinking in the sea of Ran Xuechen’s eyes.

 

Born as the crystallization of their love, Huo Yuchen was thoroughly spoiled from childhood.

 

Although Huo Su and Ran Xuechen were busy with work, they would always return home to accompany Huo Yuchen during vacations. The two never neglected Huo Yuchen’s upbringing and education, often reminding the child to guard against arrogance and rashness, to be neither proud nor discouraged.

 

From the time Huo Yuchen gained the ability to remember things, he remembered that whenever Huo Su came home for annual leave, Manyuin Hurst would always come with her. Because they were both orphans from the slums with no other relatives in this world, and Ran Xuechen’s parents had died early, and she had been classmates and close friends with Manyuin Hurst for many years, neither Huo Su nor Ran Xuechen could bear to watch Manyuin Hurst suffer alone outside. They even included Manyuin Hurst when taking family photos.

 

But for some inexplicable reason, Huo Yuchen’s feelings toward this close friend uncle of his mothers remained lukewarm and could never deepen.

 

It wasn’t that Manyuin Hurst was bad to Huo Yuchen—Manyuin Hurst had stated frankly that he would never have children with anyone else in his lifetime; he would only care for Huo Yuchen as his own child, and he had indeed been doing so.

 

Until the winter when Huo Yuchen was nine years old.

 

That deep winter, on the night before Huo Su’s vacation ended and she returned to the border battlefield, she took Huo Yuchen to the mecha piloting simulation room.

 

She placed Huo Yuchen on the mecha pilot’s chair, then turned the chair to face backward, showing Huo Yuchen a non-classified easter egg design that Ran Xuechen planned to use in the 3S mecha—namely, the water-ripple-like floating light and shadow formed by the control panel’s bright light reflecting onto the wall during perfect resonance.

 

“Do you see it?” Huo Su asked Huo Yuchen. “Guess what this is?”

 

After observing the shadow’s movement patterns for a while, Huo Yuchen answered: “The creator list of the greatest miracle in human mecha history?”

 

Huo Su couldn’t help but laugh: “You recognized it quite quickly.”

 

But Huo Yuchen asked again: “Why isn’t Mom’s name on it?”

 

“She gave up leaving her name and chose to leave something else instead.” Huo Su’s tone carried a hint of pride. Like Yun Xunlan, she adjusted the environment in the mecha piloting simulation room, making the observation window simulate passing by a light source, showing Huo Yuchen that shadow fish.

 

“She left a love letter written to me.”

 

Behind the mecha pilot’s chair was nothing but a wall.

 

Most mecha pilots, after sitting in the pilot’s chair and starting the mecha, wouldn’t specifically turn the chair completely around to look at the empty space behind them. Therefore, those predecessors quietly left their names here, becoming the strong support for mecha pilots.

 

Ran Xuechen also left her silent confession to Huo Su here—I cannot accompany you to the distant border battlefield, but one day, you will sit in the mecha I designed. From then on, every time you pass a star, as long as you look back, you can see the love letter I wrote to you. Even without looking back, my love will forever follow and accompany you.

 

Sitting in Huo Su’s embrace, Huo Yuchen witnessed this love for them: “Your wife is so romantic.”

 

Huo Su touched the top of his head: “Your mom is amazing.”

 

This should have been something to be happy about, but that day, after laughing, Huo Yuchen keenly sensed that Huo Su’s emotions still seemed somewhat heavy.

 

He was about to look up at Huo Su’s face, but she pressed down on his head, not letting him raise it, and suddenly asked: “Son, you seem to have never really liked your Uncle Manyuin.”

 

Huo Yuchen said: “Because we’re not the same kind of people.”

 

“You little brat.” Huo Su laughed and scolded him. “You’ve only learned to walk for a few years, and you already know you’re not the same kind of people?”

 

But Huo Yuchen seriously said “Mm.”

 

As a result, Huo Su couldn’t laugh anymore. She continued asking: “Then what kind of person do you want to become in the future?”

 

“I don’t have a very good temper, so I definitely won’t be a great person like you and Mom.” Huo Yuchen was very self-aware. “But I will definitely become someone who works hard to drive the Severir insectoids out of the galaxy. This is also my dream.”

 

“Very good.” Huo Su praised him. “Then stick to your dream. Never give up your dream for anything or anyone. But whether or not you become such a person, your mom and I will always love you.”

 

—This was also the last sentence she left for Huo Yuchen.

 

As for Ran Xuechen, what she left for Huo Yuchen was a recorded video. The entire video featured only her, but she filmed the complete body of the first-generation 3S mecha in one continuous shot from head to toe, from exterior to cockpit interior, including the light and shadow wall that could display the names of the 3S mecha design team members in designer mode without requiring perfect resonance.

 

“Hi, son, are you doing well? When you’re home alone, make sure to keep valuable items safe.”

 

At the beginning of the video, Ran Xuechen briefly showed concern for Huo Yuchen. After finishing, she was silent for several seconds, only speaking again after turning the camera from herself to the first-generation 3S mecha: “Logically, I shouldn’t be showing you this, since doing so violates confidentiality agreements… but it doesn’t matter anymore, because we’ll be heading to HJSK-6258 experimental insect planet next Wednesday to conduct the first firepower test of the 3S mecha. Regardless of the results, I will make the 3S mecha blueprints public.”

 

“Even though it has some flaws, it’s still very beautiful, isn’t it?”

 

The camera framed the first-generation 3S mecha, with Ran Xuechen’s gentle voice as narration.

 

“So my colleagues and I hope that all aspiring individuals of humanity can join us to complete this extraordinary work together.”

 

“Alright, that’s all for today.” The woman with deep blue sea-like eyes pointed the camera at her own face, smiling and waving. “Your mother and I have been quite busy with work lately. We might not see each other for a long time, but you must take good care of yourself. We both love you very much.”

 

It was only after watching this video that Huo Yuchen learned that Ran Xuechen had completely finished the 3S mecha blueprints. But he didn’t have much time to feel happy for his mom. He carefully saved the video and began selling all the family’s sellable assets that same day, while packing light travel luggage for himself.

 

On Tuesday evening, December 30th, 6999 Galactic Federation Star Calendar, after dinner, Huo Yuchen saw on his light brain that the starship carrying Ran Xuechen’s team had experienced a military mutiny during their journey to HJSK-6258 experimental insect planet. The escort forces had killed all guards on the starship and taken Ran Xuechen hostage, demanding that the Nebula Federation government give them justice.

 

The mutinous soldiers accused the Nebula Federation of serious internal corruption, especially in the military department, where military funds were massively misappropriated and military equipment was substandard, leading to massive unnecessary soldier casualties on the first border line defense battlefield. If the ruling party of the Nebula Federation government couldn’t give them a reasonable explanation and satisfactory solution, they would seek justice and fairness through their own means.

 

HJSK-6258 experimental insect planet was near the second border line. After the incident, the Nebula Federation naturally had to dispatch military forces immediately to rescue Ran Xuechen’s team.

 

Ironically, what these mutinous soldiers said wasn’t wrong—the Nebula Federation military was indeed seriously corrupt, and the least corrupt people were all stationed at the first border line. So the three rescue military forces sent by the Nebula Federation government were all beaten bloody by the mutinous soldiers and retreated in panic.

 

By noon on December 31st, seeing the slow rescue progress, the Nebula Federation government considered transferring people from the first border line.

 

Unfortunately, on this day, the Severir insectoids’ offensive against the first border defense line in Nebula Federation territory was inexplicably fierce. The frontline military was truly unable to spare forces, so the Nebula Federation sought help from the Galactic Empire, hoping they could dispatch a warship to join with Nebula Federation warships to rescue Ran Xuechen together.

 

The Galactic Empire agreed to their request.

 

At this moment, the Galactic Federation Star Calendar time was already 8 PM.

 

Huo Yuchen shouldered his luggage, poured gasoline on the furniture, turned off the house’s automatic fire suppression and alarm systems, and finally stood outside the door with a box of matches.

 

He kept waiting until midnight arrived, the midnight bells rang, and the new year came. Huo Yuchen looked up at the distant starry sky. Fireworks appeared in the sky to welcome the new year, and he also lit a match—it’s said that the use of fire changed human destiny, and humans’ ability to master “fire” as a natural force began with learning to make fire by drilling wood.

 

But the change in Huo Yuchen’s destiny didn’t originate from this match he threw into the house.

 

Three hours later, Huo Yuchen, now using the alias “Yu Chen,” sat on a starship leaving the Nebula Federation’s capital star. Listening to everyone’s suppressed sobbing as they looked down at their light brain bracelets upon learning that the galaxy’s first border line had been completely breached by the insectoids, he once again looked up at the starry sea outside the porthole, thinking they were all so bright—wondering if any of those starlight came from the explosion of his mother’s mecha core energy when she died in battle.

 

Then he thought that even if there were, he couldn’t see them, because the first border line was too far from here. The light emitted there would take many years to reach him.

 

On January 1st, 7000 Galactic Federation Star Calendar, the Nebula Federation government’s plan to rescue Ran Xuechen and her team members also completely failed. The Severir insectoids that had broken through the first border line made a secondary jump, driving straight into the second border line and killing all the mutinous soldiers and Ran Xuechen together.

 

Ten days later, the Nebula Federation government released an investigation report, claiming that the loss of the first border line was caused by General Huo Su abandoning her post due to excessive worry about her wife Ran Xuechen, privately leading a group of personal guards to attempt rescuing Ran Xuechen.

 

**

---

 

 (advanced chapters available on kofi)