Chapter 313: Speech

Chapter 313 Speech

—Investigation denied.

The icy four words reflected in Ye Wang's pupils as he sat in Observation Room 7026, shackled at the wrists and ankles, facing a massive electronic screen. Behind the screen was a blast-resistant window.

Pei Ming, the head of the Pei family, sat behind the blast-resistant window, his face impassive.

"Pei Gu, openly defying imperial decree, enabling the escape of a high-priority fugitive—I hope you understand the consequences. Reveal Jiang Qi's whereabouts and return the confidential drugs from the experimental zone, and there may still be room for leniency."

Ye Wang chuckled. "I have nothing to say."

*

In January 3074 of the Star Calendar, Imperial Major General Pei Gu assisted the fugitive Jiang Qi in escaping. After two days of protracted interrogation, Pei Gu resisted passively and refused to cooperate. General Pei Ming left in displeasure, and the interrogators returned empty-handed, leaving the imperial upper echelons furious.

That same February, the Imperial Tribunal accepted the "Case of Major General Pei Gu's Treason." The first trial ruled to strip him of his rank and detain him in a monitoring room pending sentencing.

Over the next three months, Pei Gu's case went through three court sessions before reaching a final verdict.

The gavel fell, and the chief justice announced the sentence—Pei Gu was convicted of treason and sentenced to death.

The treason of a scion from the prestigious Pei family caused widespread repercussions. To serve as a warning to all noble houses, the execution was scheduled for May 15, to be carried out by firing squad and publicly televised as a deterrent.

As soon as the verdict was announced, countless media outlets rushed to report it, dominating headlines across major platforms. Subspace transmissions carried the news across the stars, reaching the Federation almost simultaneously.

On the Federation's capital planet, in the instructor quarters of Jingji Military Academy, Jiang Qi stood up and turned off the screen.

It had been three months since his arrival in the Federation.

A tracking bracelet encircled his left wrist, transmitting his location in real time to the Federation. His communications were under surveillance, but beyond that, the Federation did not restrict his freedom.

Pang Su and Wen Muyuan had covered his first year's rent and his siblings' medical expenses, securing him a job. Unable to join the military, Jiang Qi became an adjunct instructor for the firearms course at the Federation Military Academy. From Monday to Friday, he taught classes, spending the rest of his time in his studio dorm.

The dormitory was merely a temporary resting place. Most other faculty members had their own residences and didn’t stay there, leaving the campus quiet and the buildings aged.

The military valued frugality, so Jiang Qi used an antiquated television of uncertain vintage. Wen Muyuan had once hinted that he could replace it with something better, but Jiang Qi declined with a shake of his head.

Wen Muyuan remarked, "Fine. You really have ascetic tastes."

Following the commander's instructions, Wen Muyuan and Pang Su often checked in on Jiang Qi, seeing if he needed anything.

But Wen Muyuan soon realized—Jiang Qi needed nothing.

His demands on life were starkly minimal. At his age, he should have been vibrant and ambitious, yet the man before them seemed indifferent to everything. He lived in the simplest military academy instructor quarters, ate the plainest meals, exuding an air of funereal stillness.

He rarely sought entertainment—no drinking, no clubbing. According to Federation surveillance logs, he scarcely touched his communicator. The few times he did, he only browsed information related to Pei Gu's case.

After Pei Gu's death verdict came down, Jiang Qi grew even more withdrawn.

Aside from occasional smiles when visiting his siblings on weekends, he spent most of his time adrift in contemplation.

Pang Su tried inviting him out: "Want to have a beer? Visit lounges? Go clubbing? You’ll be joining the 3rd Army Corps soon—interested in hearing about our legendary commander, Ye Wang, and his glorious exploits?"

Jiang Qi said nothing, only offering a wan smile.

Wen Muyuan shrugged from a distance, whispering to Pang Su, "Drop it. He’s not interested."

Pang Su agreed wholeheartedly. "I bet he doesn’t even know our commander’s name."

This continued until May.

Although he had only been a part-time teacher for two months, Jiang Qi was a model teacher who was deeply dedicated to his work. He rarely took leave and always answered students' questions, even personally teaching them how to disassemble firearms. However, on May 15th, he took an unusual day off.

Jiang Qi drew the curtains, plunging the room into darkness, then flicked on the TV. The screen of the old set had a yellow tint, and amid the scattered static, he tuned into the live feed.

Ye Wang stood at the center of the execution site.

At this moment, the commander’s usual carefree rogue demeanor was completely gone. He stood straight as a pine, coldly staring in the direction of Pei Ming on the podium, his face openly displaying disdain and contempt—as if he were the presiding officer of this trial, while Pei Ming and the others, dressed in full dress uniforms and seated in high positions, were nothing but pitiful insects.

Before the execution, there was one final questioning.

Most people in such a situation would either tremble uncontrollably, barely able to stand, or break down sobbing, desperately pleading for mercy. But the Empire wanted to make him an example, so this final questioning was essential.

Pei Ming’s booming voice echoed across the grounds: “Stealing imperial secrets, treason, colluding with the enemy—I never imagined a member of the Pei family would commit such grave crimes. Pei Gu, you are a descendant of the Pei family. You enjoyed the Empire’s finest resources, grew up under the most elite education, and were one of the youngest major generals in the Empire. You should have had a boundless future. Yet now, you stand here, waiting for a bullet to punch through your skull. Do you have anything to say about that?”

The camera was trained on Ye Wang, faithfully capturing every subtle flicker in his expression.

Fear, terror, regret—these were the emotions they wanted to see.

But all the camera captured was contempt.

Ye Wang snorted. “Why don’t you prepare a script for me? Just like the one you prepared for Jiang Qi back then.”

His calm gaze met the camera, as if locking eyes with the audience beyond the screen. “One of my charges is aiding the Imperial Star in stealing forbidden drugs before defecting. But do you know why Jiang Qi defected?”

“The so-called Imperial Star genetic modification program had a success rate of only one in three thousand. Out of three thousand children from the lower districts, only one could become the Empire’s shining star. The rest either died or were left disabled. Pei Ming, didn’t you know that?”

Ye Wang stared directly at the podium. Pei Ming’s expression flickered slightly.

He chuckled and continued, “No, you knew. You had the data clearer than anyone. But the Empire, the Pei family, and countless upper-district clans still tacitly allowed the program to exist—even promoting it heavily in the lower districts, urging young children to join the ‘Starforge Program,’ despite the near-100% casualty rate.”

“Why?” Ye Wang asked softly. “Because you didn’t care. The lower districts were nothing but insects to you. When inspections caused buildings in the slums to collapse, you didn’t care—you called the homeless protesters rioters. When factory pollution caused gene-rot, you didn’t care, even though you held the cure. Even when the children the lower districts cherished died on cold lab tables at their youngest, most vulnerable age—you didn’t care. It was just ‘necessary sacrifice.’”

The commander was a born speaker, skilled at delivering the most inflammatory words in the calmest tone.

Having been in the Empire for so long, Ye Wang had long realized that it was not a solid bloc. The lower districts had seethed with resentment for years, frequently erupting in protests. The Empire, built atop this foundation, was like a brick wall riddled with termites, teetering on the edge of collapse, barely maintaining a fragile balance.

When tensions reached a breaking point, even the smallest spark could ignite the powder keg. And what Ye Wang had to do was give that crumbling wall one hard kick.

At this moment, in the lower districts—homeless drifters in the slums, gene-rot patients waiting to die in bleak tenements, parents hoping to enroll their children in the genetic modification program—many heard his speech. Some stopped what they were doing, lifting blank, numb faces toward the screens.

Ye Wang continued, “You say I’m a descendant of the Pei family, that I enjoyed the Empire’s finest resources, grew up under elite education, was one of the youngest major generals, and should have had a boundless future. But I often wonder—why?”

“Why do I have everything others could never dream of, while so many in the lower districts can’t even secure the most basic survival, let alone medical care? Because I was born noble?”

Ye Wang laughed. “As for why I colluded with the Federation—it’s simple. The Federation has promised that if they take control of the Empire, the divide between upper and lower districts will vanish. Everyone will share the same sky, the same air, whether clean or polluted. These most basic human rights—the Federation can deliver them. Can you?”

Before he could finish, the broadcast was cut off abruptly.

The broadcaster’s forehead was beaded with sweat as he frantically adjusted the equipment, shifting the camera away from Ye Wang’s face.

The execution site fell into silence.

The commander was undoubtedly a seasoned speaker. In just a few minutes, he had structured his speech flawlessly.

First, he described the tragic state of the lower districts to evoke widespread empathy. Then, he established a common enemy—the corrupt elite of the upper districts. Finally, he offered a solution—the Federation.

Though the speech was cut off abruptly, Ye Wang’s clear promise still echoed in many minds:

*These most basic human rights—the Federation can deliver them.*

In front of the screen, Jiang Qi's mind drifted back to memories of his speech.

He had memorized the script, following the instructions in his earpiece like a mindless puppet. At the time, he had felt so nauseous he nearly retched. Ye Wang had once pressed close to his back, whispering reassurance, "Don't worry. You'll get your chance to say what you want."

He just hadn’t expected that the opportunity Ye Wang spoke of would be *this* kind of opportunity.

—On the execution ground, on the brink of execution.

There had been countless moments when Jiang Qi wanted to stand on a podium and expose the truth about the gene experiments to the child holding a plastic star toy. But he had never been able to say it.

Now, Ye Wang had kept his word.

He had said everything Jiang Qi had wanted to say.

In the old teacher’s dormitory, in the curtained gloom where no sunlight reached, Jiang Qi traced the blurred figure on the screen with his gaze.

The camera had already pulled away, the microphone had stopped working, and the lens avoided Ye Wang’s lips. No one could hear what he was saying, but they could see him standing alone in the center of thousands—tall, composed, calm and unyielding.

Pei Ming raised his hand and gave the order. The executioner raised his gun, aiming at the back of that man’s head.

Jiang Qi’s lashes trembled. He closed his eyes.

He heard the gunshot.

The bullet ripped from the barrel with a piercing crack, and then—the world went dead silent.

Jiang Qi’s hand shook as he groped for the off button. It took several attempts before he finally pressed it.

He couldn’t bear to look again.

Meanwhile, hundreds of kilometers away, inside a stasis pod in the Federation’s military headquarters, a handsome young officer slowly opened his eyes.

Author’s Note:

Ye Wang: "Home sweet home! Time to mess with my old rival—hey Jiang Qi, miss me?"

Jiang Qi (dead inside).