Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Warning—core energy depleted, mech power system shutting down…"

The dark-haired youth's slender fingers flew across the virtual keyboard, accompanied by countless flashing red exclamation marks. Even inside the mech, the intense impact was distinctly palpable.

The mech's interior was already a wreck, severely deformed and mangled from violent collisions.

"Riiip—"

Finally, an Alien's tentacle tore through the mech's protective shell. A massive, thick appendage thrust into the cracked cockpit, but the dark-haired youth seemed to have anticipated it. His once slender hand transformed into razor-sharp claws, ruthlessly tearing through the grotesque tentacle.

In an instant, the youth scrambled out of the cockpit, landing atop the now-drifting mech, which had become little more than space debris. From his back, sharp insectoid wings suddenly unfurled—thin and beautiful, yet radiating a faint, ethereal purple glow.

"Slash."

These seemingly exquisite wings, however, acted like a piercing blade, plunging fiercely into the Alien's core. As the Alien thrashed wildly, Xie Hantang could see more of its kind surging towards him from the distant void.

Slimy Alien tentacles lay scattered around him. His comrades, far away, would be hard-pressed to arrive quickly. This was a meticulously planned ambush.

But he refused to yield.

He had only just accumulated some military credits, had only begun his ascent through the ranks, and hadn't even met a sweet, soft little male insect yet… His life had only just begun.

Xie Hantang lowered his dark lashes, ignoring the sticky substance smeared on his face. Before more Aliens could close in, he spotted a wormhole gradually forming in the distance.

A wormhole—a place that devours everything—yet, in his desperate straits, it became his sole option.

His massive insect wings shrouded his tall frame. Xie Hantang twisted his lips, took one last look at the mech that had been his companion for years, and then, with a leap, plunged into the black hole.

A hurricane-like vortex tore at his body. Even with the protection of his insect wings, he felt as if countless blades were raking across his flesh. Fine cracks spread across his entire body, blood seeped out, and the pain, while keeping him conscious, also rendered him utterly numb.

But he absolutely could not fall here.

Only by staying awake… could he hope to know if he would survive.

Drip… drip…

He didn’t know how much time had passed when Xie Hantang finally sensed that the endless darkness around him had lifted. He curled his fingers, now transformed into insect claws, and fought desperately to open his eyes.

What greeted him was a bright, clear sky.

Shifting his gaze downward, he saw gleaming silver buildings, fresh, circulating air… and a beautiful little male insect.

"A male insect?"

On instinct, Xie Hantang immediately retracted his insect claws, concealing them beneath his body, and his sharp insect wings had already silently folded away.

His eyes swept over the panic on the male insect’s face, then coolly shifted his gaze from the platinum hair. Gently, cautiously, he supported his injured body, attempting to stand.

It was only natural for a male insect to panic upon seeing a transformed female soldier.

The surrounding buildings were made of specialized materials, indicating he hadn’t left his empire. But now, severely injured, if he couldn’t adequately explain his origins, he risked being labeled a deserter.

In mere seconds, Xie Hantang had considered every possibility. He didn’t know which planet this was—

But this male insect absolutely could not see him in such a battered state.

He tried to force a smile, but the male insect took a panicked step back, unable to fully conceal the fear on his face.

However—

Before he could ascertain which designated planet this was, he absolutely could not be reported!

In a flash, Xie Hantang moved like an agile leopard, instantly rushing to the male insect’s side and covering his mouth to prevent any outcry.

Warm and soft.

The fleeting warmth momentarily stunned Xie Hantang. Though it was his first time touching a male insect… he hadn't expected the legendary "sweet and soft" to be so literal.

But he quickly composed himself, his narrow eyes cool and detached. "Don’t shout."

The soft platinum hair seemed to brush against his jaw. Xie Hantang gripped the other’s comm-unit, his tone carrying a hint of forced gentleness. "Don’t report me. I’m not a bad insect."

Lowering his gaze, Xie Hantang noticed the little male insect trembling slightly, blinking, but emotionally stable overall, with no intention of crying for help.

Excellent.

As long as he didn’t panic, it was fine. While he couldn’t bear the charge of desertion, it didn’t mean he could shoulder the crime of harming a male insect either.

Seeing the little male insect make no further moves, Xie Hantang slowly released his hand, his fingertips lingering on the residual warmth. Lightly, he spoke:

"Could you pretend you never saw me?"

As everyone knew, male insects were willful and delicate. He couldn’t afford to have a criminal record here—

It would affect his rise through the ranks and his chance to marry a male insect of his own.

He stared intently at the male insect. If the other showed any sign of unusual movement, for the sake of his bright future, he would consider the "physical amnesia" method of knocking him out cold.

Fortunately, the male insect only blinked. Seeing Xie Hantang relax, he spoke in a soft voice, "Don’t be nervous."

"I won’t report you."

But in the next moment, the male insect began rummaging through his dimensional pouch, head bowed. In that instant, Xie Hantang caught sight of the other’s fair neck and the tattoo inexplicably affixed to the back.

He tensed, only to see the male insect smile, his eyes curving, offering a beautiful handkerchief embroidered with small flowers, as if nervous. "Wipe your face."

Xie Hantang froze for a moment. He hadn’t expected… this male insect to be unexpectedly agreeable. Though reluctant to admit it, he had already devised a thousand ways to extricate himself from a criminal case.

But in the end, he didn’t take the handkerchief. After confirming the male insect had no intention of reporting him, he cautiously retreated a few steps, then vanished into thin air—

The narrow alley was finally left with only the youth.

The platinum-haired youth seemed dazed for a moment, then muttered with slightly reddened ears, "What was that…"

"Shixu, where are you!? I lost you in the crowd just now!"

A live call from his best friend came through the comm-unit, her voice frantic. "There was some meteor or something falling from the sky earlier—don’t tell me it hit you!"

"Turn on your location; I’ll come find you."

Jiang Shixu glanced at the recently-cleaned bloodstains on the ground, lost in thought for a moment, then ran a hand through his platinum hair. "Relax, relax, I’m fine."

Though he claimed to be fine, Jiang Shixu couldn’t help but think of that coolly beautiful dark-haired youth and the gentleness that seemed so out of place with his demeanor.

Faintly, he could still feel those slender, clean fingers pressed firmly against his lips, and the vigilance and loneliness that contradicted the words.

Especially the chilling grip around his wrist—it left him shivering all over, his heart pounding like a drum, as if floating on clouds.

An Alpha? But he had never seen such a contradictory Alpha—more like a Beta than an Alpha.

Jiang Shixu couldn't help but frown, but before he could ponder further, his close friend had already bounded over to him cheerfully, waving a hand in front of his eyes. "Shixu, what's got you so spaced out?"

"Hurry up, if we don’t hustle, we’ll be late for the blind date. It’s one thing to dislike the other person, but when it’s time for a blind date, you can’t avoid it… Otherwise, if the Mainframe ends up matching you, you’ll be crying about it later…"

Jiang Shixu hesitated for a moment, as if just remembering the purpose of this outing, but ultimately lowered his eyes with a hint of disappointment. "I know..."

The beautiful young man gently rubbed the scent patch on the back of his neck and finally broke into a smile. "You’re right, let’s hurry and go."

-

The city outside was a landscape of silver-white buildings, with tracks crisscrossing the sky between towering structures. The semi-transparent materials reflected intertwined beams of light, making Xie Hantang squint momentarily before raising a hand to shield his eyes from the glare.

He had been in the black hole for too long—so long that even the ordinary city lights left him feeling overwhelmed.

As far as he could see, Xie Hantang found no landmark structures, such as the planet designation A2100 that should have been displayed, or any distinctive billboards on skyscrapers.

But he couldn’t shake the feeling… that the slogans on these billboards contained an unusually high number of Roman letters.

"Alpha," "Beta," "Omega."

These were the most frequently appearing words.

Xie Hantang carefully scanned his surroundings once more but still found no information related to the planet designation. This made it impossible for him to determine his jurisdiction or plan his next move.

He had just taken a recovery shot, but it still couldn’t alleviate the damage caused by the black hole. He urgently needed a place to stay.

"Hurry, hurry, that Alpha is in his rut—why doesn’t anyone have a suppressant!?"

"Evacuate the nearby Omegas, quick!"

The crowd around him began jostling and shoving chaotically. Xie Hantang calmly steadied himself until he realized he was standing in an empty pocket. Only then did he take a step back—

And then he saw the only person left behind: a Female Soldier with eyes blazing, staring intently at him.

"Run, quick!"

"Is that a Beta or something? Frozen? Even an Alpha wouldn’t dare approach another Alpha at a time like this, right?"

Xie Hantang calmly put on his gloves. He quickly deduced that the panic around him, with even the other males urgently avoiding the area… must be because this Female Soldier was about to undergo transformation.

Is it transformation?

Xie Hantang vaguely felt that something wasn’t right.

Come to think of it, why were the other Female Soldiers too afraid to step forward?

Adhering to the principle of not drawing attention in an unfamiliar place, Xie Hantang finally retreated silently under the anxious gazes of those around him, gradually blending into the crowd.

Perhaps due to the crowded flow of people, he soon spotted a familiar service center. The bright, towering building stood imposingly, giving Xie Hantang a sense of reassurance—

This place would surely know the planet designation.

He marched inside, more urgently than ever before, but before stepping up to the service counter, he hesitated and adjusted his military uniform, carefully removing the imperial military badge and hiding it in his sleeve.

He had heard from his mother that civilizations existed beyond the empire. If… this wasn’t the empire he knew, it was better to be cautious.

The bright, clean hall was filled with warm light. Xie Hantang walked up to the service counter and saw the subfemale push up her glasses, speaking without looking up. "Here to register, I assume? Name."

"Xie Hantang."

"Gender?"

"Female Soldier."

After a long moment without hearing the next question, Xie Hantang looked up in confusion and saw the subfemale impatiently tapping the counter. "Please show some respect. I asked for your gender."

"Female Soldier."

Xie Hantang couldn’t help but rub his fingers together. "I said, I’m a Female Soldier."

And isn’t it obvious? Why even ask?

The Beta at the service counter silently checked a box in the gender column. He glanced up at the seemingly noble young man and coldly confirmed again, "Alpha, right?"

Xie Hantang fell silent for a moment. "I’m sorry, I don’t understand what you’re saying."

The Beta said nothing, simply selecting "Alpha" for gender before moving on to the next question with lightning speed. "These days, Alphas hardly ever get matched. Too many monks, too little meat. Be mentally prepared to stay single."

Xie Hantang understood that sentence. Ignoring the unfamiliar terms, the meaning was clear: there were too few male bugs, and most Female Soldiers would remain single for life.

He understood.

Otherwise, why would he climb so high? Wasn’t it just to earn a matching qualification?

"Your military merits?"

"Major General. One special-class merit, two first-class merits."

For the first time, the Beta found a simple registration task requiring so many double-takes. He stared at the beautiful young man as if he had a few screws loose. "Take a look yourself, Xie Hantang. No record."

"You’re not even in the system. How can you have military merits?"

Xie Hantang frowned. "Um, wait a moment. Can I ask where this is?"

"The Interstellar Federation, Main Planet, District A2190."

The Beta didn’t look up as he earnestly suggested, "Exit, turn left, and walk to the end. The Federation’s First Psychiatric Hospital welcomes you."