Chapter 78
Jinwen had not closed his eyes for three days.
Not long ago, their plan to strike deep into enemy lines had failed. He had lost one eye, one leg was very likely crippled, and if his comrades had not arrived in time and dragged him back onto the warship, he would probably already be dead.
But right now, he felt he was not that far from death anyway.
The Phizhi Star forces had cut off their retreat.
They were completely surrounded.
Probably no one had expected that in the mere three years since the Empire’s Crown Prince died unexpectedly, Phizhi Star would secretly develop an S-rank mech weapon and then, at the first opportunity, point it straight at Snar.
At that moment, the atmosphere in the warship conference room was unbearably tense.
Arguments. Interrogations. Repeated changes to plans and routes…
Every last person was exhausted.
Jinwen lay half-sprawled on the floor in numb silence. Watching his father storm out of the conference room, desperately trying to contact the Federation and receiving no response, he let out a sigh.
This was already their third clash with Phizhi Star.
They had been at a disadvantage the entire time.
And this time, they were very likely to be wiped out to the last man.
They were finished.
Who knew how much time passed before the Marshal finally had no choice but to accept the fact that they were completely isolated and helpless. His hands began to tremble. “How could this happen… how could this…”
“……”
“If Anxius were here, if it were him, he definitely could destroy that weapon. If he hadn’t died, things would never have come to this… My God…”
Hearing that name, Jinwen froze.
He could not help thinking of another person who had died on that very same day—the one who had been so small, whose life had only just begun…
He forced the corners of his mouth up. For the first time since being injured, he actually laughed out loud. “Father, he’s dead. Dead people don’t come back. Have you already forgotten that? There’s no need for us to panic. It won’t be long now before everyone gets to meet again.”
The Marshal was choked speechless by those words. The veins on his forehead bulged with anger, yet he could not refute him.
What they needed most right now was someone capable of destroying Phizhi Star’s S-rank mech weapon. But among all of Snar, no one with combat skills could do it.
The one person who could had died.
Back then, the Emperor had probably never imagined that Phizhi Star too would one day possess such a terrifying weapon, one that would catch them so utterly off guard.
“Yosef… there’s still Yosef!” The Marshal had already started grasping at straws. “Yosef is Anxius’s biological younger brother. Maybe… maybe he can…”
“Stop dreaming. Have you already forgotten Yosef’s defeat not long ago?” Jinwen mocked his father without mercy. “Even if Anxius really came back to life right now, I’d bet His Majesty would still use him to wipe out Phizhi Star and then kill him afterward. The only difference is that this time he’d rush the development of a super-rank mech instead… the throne or the people—His Majesty will always choose the throne.”
“Shut up! Do you even know what you’re saying? Have you gone mad?”
“We’re practically dead already. That’s not so different from being mad…” Jinwen’s gaze was cold. “Father, even if we lose this battle, His Majesty will absolutely flee Snar in time and hide out on another planet! Haven’t you seen it yet? He doesn’t deserve to be a ruler at all! Anxius’s death and his disability—none of it was unrelated to him!”
After Yomi died back then, Jinwen had spent a long time unable to move on. He had used every bit of energy and every connection he had to investigate, and by following those clues, he had uncovered all the abnormal circumstances surrounding Anxius’s supposed accident.
Back when victory in the war was practically at hand, Anxius had suddenly been hit by a stray shot that struck the weak point of his original form. The doctor who could have saved him had then also happened to die unexpectedly. By the time he returned to Snar for treatment, his injuries had become extremely severe, leaving him disabled from that day on.
And even if Yosef had wanted to harm him back then, he had never possessed the power to manipulate the people around Anxius.
The only one who could have done that was…
…the Emperor.
“Father, you know perfectly well why I was willing to come back this time after staying away from home for so long. I came back because I wanted to be worthy of this military uniform. But the ruler of Snar—he has failed his people, failed his children, failed everyone who died in that surprise attack three years ago…” Jinwen clenched both fists tight, hatred like never before burning in his voice. Perhaps because he felt his life was nearing its end, he no longer held anything back. “It’s laughable. As Emperor, he actually helped the enemy clear away obstacles, all just to guard against that ridiculous so-called destiny. Right now, I’d love nothing more than to kill him with my own hands!”
“You unfilial wretch!” The Marshal went pale with fright at his words. “Back then the Crown Prince simply suffered an accident! It was an accident!”
Jinwen only glanced at him and smiled.
He found it meaningless, and said nothing more.
The Marshal paced back and forth, breathing hard in agitation. He seemed to want to rebuke Jinwen for such treasonous words, yet when he looked at his son’s battered, bloodied body, he could not force out a single word.
For all these years, no matter what, he had only remembered one thing: loyalty to the Emperor.
He had not wanted to stand on the wrong side.
He had not wanted to make mistakes.
But the truth had proven that from the very beginning, he had already been wrong.
After a long silence, the Marshal gazed deeply at the vast river of stars outside. It seemed that he had finally made up his mind. He closed his eyes and said each word slowly and clearly:
“Listen to me. We are not dead yet. And even if we die, it must be on the battlefield, not by the Emperor’s execution. We can’t hold out much longer, and this is not the time to argue over whether the Emperor was right or wrong. Our route home has already been blocked, reinforcements still haven’t arrived, and they want to force us into running out of supplies and ammunition… So now, our only hope is to ask the nearest Junk Star for help.”
Jinwen paused.
He stared at his father in disbelief, as if he thought the man must be joking.
“I’m serious. In recent years, Junk Star seems to have produced an extraordinary figure—their current emperor. All the scattered forces there have submitted to him… and now he also commands a huge interstellar mercenary force. As long as you can pay, they’ll do anything.”
Jinwen had heard of this too, though he had never taken it seriously before. Frowning, he said, “You don’t mean that Junk Star emperor with the ridiculous name Nanbowan Yangxiuluosiji, do you?”
Because of that name alone, he had always assumed the so-called emperor was some kind of joke.
“Yes, that’s the one!” The Marshal’s face was solemn. “You go handle this matter. Between the two of us father and son, whichever one dies in battle, at least we’ll have done all we could.”
Jinwen was just about to say more when he saw his father suddenly move closer. The Marshal’s actions were swift. Before Jinwen could react, his mouth and nose had already been covered by a piece of cloth.
He instantly sensed what was happening and began struggling violently, but after only a moment, his whole body went limp beyond his control.
Jinwen’s eyes flew wide open.
He seemed to want to see his father’s expression clearly, yet all he could make out was a vague blur.
“I’m sorry, Jinwen. I’ve already arranged a small spacecraft. Someone will take you away. You must go find that emperor of Junk Star. Even if it only delays Phizhi Star’s invasion by one day, that’s still one more day—maybe one more day will be enough for a way out to appear.” This was the last shred of hope he still held toward Snar’s royal family.
“……”
“Goodbye. Hold on until the very last moment.” His father’s voice sounded as though it were coming from a place very far away.
Jinwen’s head spun.
He could not think clearly anymore.
Instinctively, he tried to say something, but his body would not obey him at all.
He felt someone lifting him up.
He felt himself being moved.
He felt his whole body go numb.
And very soon, he lost all consciousness completely.
It was exactly like dying.
He would rather the one dying this time were himself.
If he died… would he be able to see Yomi again?
Jinwen felt as though he were sleeping at the bottom of the sea. Time gradually blurred—it seemed as though only an instant had passed, and yet also as though a whole century had gone by…
Then, after endless emptiness, a sudden burst of searing pain tore through his body. Everything around him became burning hot, and a deafening uproar crashed down on him from all sides, almost enough to rupture his eardrums—
For one instant, he thought he had fallen into Phizhi Star’s hands.
But in the very next second, he heard a soft voice, so familiar, so gentle, almost like an angel’s:
“There’s someone here! There’s someone here! It’s so dark… Ah, he’s practically roasted already—come put out the fire, quick!”
Yo…mi?
…Had he died, and so arrived in heaven?
