Chapter 77

Chapter 77

"Stop joking around, what's going on?"

Lu Wei snapped out of his shock slightly, in no mood for An Xin's games, and said to him, "Attacking the imperial capital, you..."

Before he could finish, he felt a sharp sting where An Xin's fingers touched his.

Immediately afterward, an intense numbness rapidly spread from that point of contact, coursing through his entire body.

Lu Wei's vision went dark, his body went limp, and he lost all consciousness, collapsing.

An Xin reached out, catching Lu Wei in time, his face wearing a suitably worried look.

The males were all fragile and weak. On the streets, many males had fainted after witnessing the distant explosion, so Lu Wei wasn't conspicuous at all.

"Since there's no farewell kiss, how about the Star Master gives me a farewell gift instead."

An Xin with effort helped Lu Wei to a secluded street corner, neatly smoothed Lu Wei's bangs, then reached into the hidden pocket on Lu Wei's chest and pulled out the dull, tattered golden badge. He stared intently at Lu Wei for a moment before gripping the badge firmly in his palm.

Ever since Lu Wei learned that this golden badge was connected to his past, that it was a pirate emblem and couldn't be exposed, he felt no place at home felt secure to hide it, so he had kept it on his person.

An Xin supported Lu Wei at the street corner for a while until a small hovercar silently pulled up before them.

The hovercar was light blue, a very popular color in this world, and combined with its very standard model, it was barely noticeable driving down the street.

The hovercar stopped before An Xin for only about ten seconds before silently driving away again.

Amidst the chaos, no one noticed that the two people originally standing at the street corner were now only one.

An Xin watched the light blue hovercar vanish from view with his beautiful brown eyes, his expression serene and collected.

Then he clenched the golden badge in his palm even tighter.

...

After the sudden attack on the imperial capital, the Empire's military responded quickly.

For reasons unknown recently, the space pirates had been unusually active. As the Empire's Marshal, Mu Fengyuan was currently at the front lines in the X star system, setting up defenses and ambushes, and was not in the imperial capital.

The one in command at the imperial capital's military headquarters was Mu Fenggui.

When Mu Fenggui saw the attacked area, now reduced to ruins, ice-cold dread crept up his spine, transforming into countless sharp, hard icicles that pierced deeply into his soft heart.

The agonizing pain almost made him lose his composure right then, wanting to rush to the scene no matter what to confirm Lu Wei's safety.

But as the general in command at the imperial capital's military headquarters, logic and responsibility reminded him he could not do this.

"Stay calm. Isn't the enemy force only roughly a division in strength?" Mu Fenggui sat in the command room, fists clenched tightly, fingertips digging deep into his palms, yet his voice still sounded remarkably calm. "Since they are carrying out a sneak attack on the imperial capital, they cannot dispatch large forces to avoid exposing their movements."

"These rat-like space pirates can only engage in cowardly, covert operations."

As Mu Fenggui's calm and steady voice spread across all military fortifications on the imperial capital planet, the wavering troop morale was quickly steadied and reassured.

"Order the First, Fourth, Sixth, and Seventh Armies to act immediately, immediately encircle the enemy's air forces. I want them to enter but not escape, with no wings to fly away!" Mu Fenggui looked at the incoming battle reports while issuing orders systematically. "The Second, Third, and Fifth Armies will cooperate with police forces for ground peacekeeping and search operations, reassuring residents to prevent unrest, while guarding against space pirates having undercover agents in the capital who might take advantage of the situation to stir trouble."

Once the military orders were issued, strict implementation by various departments and fortifications followed.

On the large screen, the blips representing each army lit up sequentially, leaving their original stations.

Mu Fenggui sat upright in the command room, dressed in a black uniform, his back straight, his expression grave and attentive. His ice-blue eyes showed no emotion as he was ready at any moment to receive battle reports and handle any sudden situations.

Mu Fenggui had always been the Empire's top field commander.

...

When Lu Wei woke up again, he found himself propped up on a soft leather chair with its backrest lowered.

To his left was a round, clear viewport.

Outside the viewport was the boundless, deep blackness of space, and most of the imperial capital planet.

Viewed from outside the atmosphere, the imperial capital planet overall presented a lush green color, like a gleaming emerald set in the cosmos.

The slightly convex spherical surface of the viewport reflected Lu Wei's slightly warped reflection.

He was still wearing the robe from his shopping trip, his heavy makeup not removed. Probably to make him more comfortable, that heavily adorned wig had been taken off, revealing his short, black, shiny hair.

Lu Wei only glanced at that reflection once before feeling too self-conscious to keep looking.

"Star Master, you're finally awake!" someone cried out happily beside his ear, immediately followed by a large cup of warm water being handed to him.

Lu Wei didn't know how long he had been anesthetized, only feeling his throat was indeed very dry. So he took the cup of water and drank it all in one go before starting to scan his surroundings and the person before him.

Although he had never seen an environment like this before, the knowledge stored in his body quickly informed him that he was in a lounge of a space combat vessel.

Standing bent before him was a female soldier.

Unlike the Empire's military uniforms—black with silver accents, paired with black peaked caps—this female soldier wore a uniform with a deep blue base and golden insignia accents, topped with a beret of the same color as the uniform.

His cap badge was golden, about two centimeters in diameter, shaped like a pair of spread wings.

Lu Wei was very familiar with this golden badge.

The female soldier appeared to be in his thirties, in his prime youth, quite tall, with a plain, earnest face. The gaze he directed at Lu Wei was full of joy, admiration, and reverence.

Lu Wei closed his eyes, pretty much figuring out his situation.

He sighed inwardly, then looked at the female soldier. "What's your name?"

"So the messages An Xin sent were all true." The joy in the female soldier's eyes gradually faded, replaced by disappointment. "I'm Bian Bai. Have you really forgotten?"

Lu Wei nodded and extended his hand toward Bian Bai. "Bian Bai, help me up."

Although he was awake, probably due to the heavy dose of anesthetic An Xin had administered, his body from the waist down was still covered in a widespread numbness, preventing free movement.

"Yes... yes, sir!" Bian Bai, looking into Lu Wei's deep black eyes, instinctively straightened his posture as if receiving a military order, carefully helping Lu Wei stand up from the leather chair.

Supported by Bian Bai, Lu Wei walked out of the lounge.

Outside the lounge, many people were moving back and forth within the vessel, some carrying documents, others holding various equipment.

They all wore uniforms of the same style as Bian Bai, clearly all soldiers, differentiated only by shoulder insignia and collar badges denoting department and rank.

The expressions of these soldiers were serious and anxious, evidently facing a less-than-optimistic situation.

Interestingly, unlike in the Empire, the military composition here was evenly split between females and males, assigned to different departments based on their physical abilities and characteristics.

Perhaps because Lu Wei still wore heavy makeup, no one recognized him. Only occasionally did someone passing by cast a curious glance his way.

"Star Lord, would you like to visit the bridge?" Uncle Bian recalled that Lu Wei used to spend most of his time there and cautiously suggested.

Perhaps familiar surroundings might help the Star Lord remember something?

Lu Wei nodded, and Uncle Bian, as if obeying a royal decree, escorted him through the long corridor, onto the escalator, and directly toward the bridge.

Upon entering the bridge, they saw a space of over two hundred square meters with nine stations inside. Two or three people were at each console, eyes glued to their screens, ready to receive and relay military orders at any moment.

At the largest console in the center, sitting with his back to Lu Wei, was the fleet's commanding officer.

The commander was a young man wearing a deep blue uniform and similar in build to Lu Wei.

The youth had a slender build and an elegant posture, and the skin at the nape of his neck was as fair as alabaster. The golden tassels of a lieutenant general hung from his thin, straight shoulders. Even sitting motionless, his silhouette was like a painting.

Clearly facing a massive threat, everyone on the bridge was completely absorbed, and no one noticed Lu Wei and Uncle Bian entering.

The moment he stepped onto the bridge, Lu Wei was fixated on the massive main screen before him, unable to tear his eyes away.

Every instinct in his body told him how familiar and intimate this place felt.

This place must have once been the original owner's home turf.

"Commander, urgent report! Enemy forces are approaching from six directions, outnumbering us ten to one!"

"We must find a countermeasure; we can't let them close the circle!"

"Exactly! If they encircle us, we'll be trapped with no way out since we launched a surprise attack without reinforcements!"

"Time is running out!"

"..."

Lu Wei watched the flashing dots on the main screen and the environmental map of the area, gradually forming an analysis in his mind.

To the northeast was a narrow channel of space debris and planetary fragments, where the Empire's forces were weakest and easiest to break through.

However, if they made a break for it and weren't fast enough, they could easily be trapped by the Empire's concentrated forces, sealed inside.

To the northwest was an open path. If they could break through there, it would be like a fish in the sea or a bird in the sky—boundless freedom.

However, that was also where the Empire had deployed its heaviest defenses. With their current limited forces, a direct attack was nearly impossible.

From a broader perspective, the Empire's military undoubtedly held an absolute advantage.

But the pirates weren't without their own strengths. They had launched a surprise attack; although their ships were few, their mobility and stealth tech were top-notch.

Lu Wei's long fingers twitched at his side.

Since he had already boarded the pirates' vessel, his future fate was now tied to theirs.

If this vessel were destroyed, he wouldn't stand a chance.

Being captured would be even worse. His original identity was that of a pirate, and after this incident, it was doubtful whether Mu Fenggui could hide him a second time.

He could easily face public execution.

If he were to command this battle...

Given the despair hanging over the bridge, it seemed there were no other options.

"I think we should immediately shut down all jamming equipment and make a full-speed dash toward the northeast."

Lu Wei's clear voice, somewhere between that of a youth and a young man, rang out across the bridge.

Almost everyone on the bridge turned to look in Lu Wei's direction at the same time.

Even the commanding officer was no exception, turning around.

Under a deep blue beret, the youth had slightly curly, fluffy short hair, an oval face, thick willow-leaf eyebrows, and deep brown eyes with slightly downturned corners.

And those deep brown eyes, filled with surprise and astonishment, met Lu Wei's gaze.