AHDIBCB Chapter 65

The general’s breathing instantly went chaotic, and he felt like even his heartbeat was a bit abnormal. In the painting, Yuan Yi was wearing the fine chain he had gifted around his neck; the pendant contained the two pieces of Xinghai glue-river stones he had first polished. It set off his skin as fair and smooth, and his gaze was both seductive and pure. It made every nerve in his body go mad, like they were thirsting to embrace, to possess his omega.

Winter Wolf saw that his superior’s gaze was getting more and more dangerous and thought there was some new situation ahead, so he asked, “General, is there a problem with the vanguard troops?”

Li Heng lightly covered the communicator with his hand, shielding the 3D floating painting that only he could see, steadied his mind, and said, “Received a ‘family letter’ — someone just wants me to go back a bit earlier, that’s all.”

“Madam?”

“Of course.”

“But your expression just now was a little…” Night Wolf said very honestly, “not quite like someone who just received a letter from their spouse.”

“What do you single guys know? Not every ‘family letter’ only makes you feel ‘happy’ after reading it.”

Of course, he was very happy that Yuan Yi had the intention to seduce him too — this was the spice between lovers. But sending something like that at a time like this would only make him want to bite this little fox! Didn’t he know how agitated he was?

Li Heng took a deep breath, calmed the surging emotions in his heart, and asked Night Wolf, “How long until we reach the main star?”

Night Wolf said, “Six hours and thirteen minutes. If we maintain our current speed, we can rendezvous with Sirius in about fifty-one minutes.”

At this moment, Zi Lu came in and said, “General, it’s confirmed. The Qiming Army dispatched the Mingzhu Fleet this time, which includes the Vajra Mecha Division, personally led by the Second Prince, and also the Linhai Fleet, commanded by Captain Ji Ge. They’ve already exited the range of the main star’s defense net. Also, there are indeed rumors online that Sirius has joined forces with the Brute Tribe and is preparing to launch a joint attack on the main star.”

Winter Wolf said, “General, the brothers are already prepared for battle.”

Li Heng said, “Xuan Ying, transmit my order — all special gene ability users are to arrive at the command center within one minute.”

“Yes!”

Xuan Ying issued the order. In the blink of an eye, alphas began appearing in the command center one after another. Those nearby ran over directly, while those farther away used the flight wings permitted for use inside the main ship.

In less than a minute, all the alphas on the Zhenyuan ship with super-strong genes had assembled — including Li Heng, there were exactly thirty people. Another twenty were on the Sirius, and ten more were on the sub-ships that had infiltrated the Brute Tribe and Igtan.

Scarlet Snake was among them and asked, “General, are we to infiltrate the Mingzhu Fleet ahead of time?”

Li Heng said, “No. You are to take everyone and fly at full speed to the Sirius ship, and together with Fei Qian, pin down the Brute Tribe’s army outside the main star’s defense net. End the battle before the Mingzhu Fleet arrives.”

Dong Wolf asked, “If all of us leave, what about your side, General?”

Li Heng said, “Aren’t there still plenty of people here?”

Li Heng lightly tapped a spot on the control panel, and on the screen appeared rows of neatly lined-up mechanical soldiers. With a snap of his fingers, the ground, the ceiling, and the walls all began to “peel off” in pieces like flaking wall plaster, and then slowly turned into three-dimensional humanoid forms. They were just as tall and imposing as the alphas, and each one was accompanied by a beast.

Bi Chan exclaimed in shock, “Gel warriors?!”

When did they arrive on the Zhenyuan ship?!

The semi-transparent-bodied gel warrior leader slightly bowed toward Li Heng and said, “Zinu, on behalf of King Marledor, expresses to you the most heartfelt respect.”

Li Heng returned the same salute, then informed Winter Wolf and Scarlet Snake, “Go. Teach the Second Prince what it means to seize the initiative. Also, this time you are permitted to use medication to resist the mania. When you return, I’ll conduct mental debriefing one by one.”

Winter Wolf shouted loudly, “Yes!”

The cloaked sub-ships swiftly detached from the Zhenyuan ship. Zinu, with a war beast that resembled a velociraptor¹Velociraptor is a genus of small dromaeosaurid dinosaurs that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous epoch, about 75 million to 71 million years ago, stood behind Li Heng. “General, if the Qiming Army finds out that the Brute Tribe was wiped out completely by the Sirius before even reaching Huamei Star, will they still make a move?”

Li Heng stepped onto a certain point, and with a light step, a set of mecha rapidly rose from the floor and enclosed him fully. Li Heng said, “They definitely will. No matter the outcome this time — they will fight.”

Ever since news broke that the Sirius was rushing toward the main star, the discussions online hadn’t stopped. Now many people were saying that the Sirius had colluded with the Brute Tribe, that the Sirius captain had sinister intentions. It’s hard to say how many were internet trolls, but the rumor was spreading incredibly fast.

However, they were not without any countermeasures for this matter.

Yuan Yi, along with Flight Wolf, Snow Wolf, and Li Mian, was also spreading the news rapidly. The message stated that whether it was Sirius or Zhenyuan, their intention was to protect the people, and they never had any desire to deliberately provoke a war. Li Heng firmly advocated that the lives and livelihoods of the common people must not be affected. It was just that some people appeared supportive on the surface, but in secret repeatedly did things to harm Sirius soldiers.

Many family members of the Sirius fleet soldiers came forward to speak, saying that their loved ones had been taken away by the Royal Guard under various pretexts and were not even allowed a single meeting. In truth, it was just because someone in their family served in Sirius, so they were put under control. But what wrong had they done?

Sirius had never done anything that harmed the interests of the people. Take, for example, the previous rumor that General Li harmed his own compatriots and took his wife and children away with beastmen — who could prove that person was really Li Heng? And even if it was, wouldn’t that be a duty an alpha ought to fulfill? Why was it that those who truly deserved condemnation weren’t being blamed, while innocent family members were being targeted?

Was it wrong for a family to raise such an outstanding child and send them out to defend the country?!

All factions had their own opinions, and when they met, it turned into a clash!

Those who knew the truth turned a blind eye and ignored it, while those who didn’t know the truth picked a stance they thought was right and went all in.

However, very soon, those who stood on the side of the main star’s government and the Second Prince found themselves speechless — because Sirius suddenly made a sharp turn and engaged the Brute Tribe’s beastmen outside the main star’s defense net, and someone was actually livestreaming from the dark patch of space!

It wasn’t the usual kind of digital war viewed on some platform — this was real knives and real guns, live assassinations on the battlefield! It was already very close to the main star, just a few hours’ flight away. The deafening sounds of battle cries and killing pierced through the light brains and communicators, stabbing directly into people’s ears.

The public was stunned.

Owanda Eternal: No one’s going to provide support for this? It’s right at our doorstep.

Crystal Blade: Ridiculous. Wouldn’t sending just two fleets be enough to wipe them out? Didn’t the Qiming Army say they were already prepared to face the enemy? This is how they “prepare”?

Gaia: Watching Sirius fight bloodily while just sitting by the side waiting for what exactly? Damn it, I want to curse — what kind of bastard scum is this!

Powerless UU: No wonder Sirius had to go so far to lure the enemy into battle — without doing that, no one would know what “too much” really means! Might as well call Qiming the Cheap Army! Sirius is an allied force, for god’s sake!

Paro: I apologize for previously misunderstanding Sirius. This empire really isn’t worthy of loyalty!

Netizens quickly grew furious. The footage previously sent back by Sirius was always dismissed as fake — but this one surely couldn’t be fake anymore, right? People were asking questions and even getting answers in the livestream chat!

Brother Dai is Angry 1121: Is it true that the families of Sirius soldiers have all been detained?

Sirius Spokesperson: “It’s true. From our current position, we can easily contact our families — but many of our brothers simply can’t reach theirs. And we also have friends who confirmed that our families were indeed taken away by the Royal Guard.”

A Little Scared: Is the main star still safe?

Sirius Spokesperson: As long as there is even one person from Sirius still alive, no one will be allowed to set foot on the main star!

Stubbornest Monkey: Then is it true what was said earlier — that General Li rescued his wife and caused the death of his own people because of it?

Sirius Spokesperson: “The General dares to swear on his life that he has never harmed a single good person. The Qiming Army never had any intention of cooperating with us. The Second Prince colluded with the Brute Tribe, wanting to swallow Sirius and reconquer the galaxy — that is the real reason they’re now watching Sirius fight without sending reinforcements! The Crown and Second Princes are ambiguous and unclear in their actions, and now they’ve even imprisoned the families of Sirius soldiers in unknown locations. If Sirius doesn’t resist, it will be banished from the galaxy forever!”

In the royal court, the Crown Prince furiously cursed, “Complete nonsense! Who went to detain the families of Sirius soldiers? Fourth Brother, was it you?”

The Fourth Prince replied a bit impatiently, “How could it be me?”

The Crown Prince asked, “Then how come there’s actual video circulating of Royal Guards going to arrest people?”

The Fourth Prince appeared a bit absent-minded, “Maybe it was the Second Brother.”

The internal conflict between the Qiming Army and the Xingyan Army wasn’t something that had just started recently. Back then, Marshal Huaman of the Qiming Army had insisted on refusing to assist Marledor, instead taking it over completely and turning it into a vassal state of Owanda. But the head of the Xingyan Army was strongly opposed to this, and in the end, it was Li Heng who drove back the Brute Tribe ahead of everyone else.

After that battle, Owanda gained many benefits — but for the Qiming Army, it was like a thorn stuck in their throat.

The Fourth Prince suddenly burst into laughter.

The Crown Prince asked in confusion, “What are you laughing at? At a time like this, you’re still not thinking of a solution! What if the Brute Tribe really attacks?! What then?”

The Fourth Prince said, “They won’t be able to reach here for now. It’s just that today, I finally figured something out.”

“What is it?”

“Was the deployment of troops to support Marledor really just because of the Xingyan Army’s insistence? Or did Father actually approve of it as well?”

“Of course Father didn’t approve! If he had, things wouldn’t have been in such a stalemate back then, and it wouldn’t have been Li Heng who went to confront the enemy first, right?”

“But after that battle ended, Li Heng and the Xingyan Army were still rewarded. Even if most of it was just verbal, it was still recognition. There was no real punishment, was there?”

“That was naturally because of the Empire’s face. Plus, we couldn’t hurt the soldiers’ morale.”

“I don’t think it’s that simple.”

The Fourth Prince suddenly threw away the grape stem in his hand and strode out.

The Crown Prince asked, “Where are you going? You still have some troops under your command — are you going to send them out or not?”

The Fourth Prince ignored him, went to find his trusted aide, and asked, “Have the people we sent out reached Aysdiya?”

The aide said, “They should have arrived.”

The Fourth Prince asked unhappily, “Either they’ve arrived or they haven’t. What do you mean by ‘should have’?”

The aide said, “There was contact before landing — they said they were about to arrive — but after that, for some reason, there’s been no reply. It’s been twenty-seven minutes since the last communication. By all accounts, they should have arrived by now. With no updates, we don’t know if something unexpected happened. Your Prince, Sirius has been fighting the Brute Tribe outside the main star for nearly an hour now — shouldn’t we also send troops to support them? Even if it’s just for show, it would represent the royal court’s stance.”

Right now, online opinions were a mess, but the public was clearly starting to lean toward Sirius. Leaning toward Sirius meant leaning toward Li Heng!

As the acting Emperor, he shouldn’t be this passive. He should at least have some military forces he could command. But the commanders of the garrison zones and the fleets guarding the main star — they simply couldn’t be moved!

Those that could be moved weren’t under their direct command. Right now, the only forces the Fourth Prince could mobilize were the ones belonging to his maternal uncles. But while those might work on the surface of the main star, out in the starry galaxy, they might not be of much use.

The Fourth Prince suddenly hesitated. If he didn’t show support for Sirius at this moment, then he likely had no chance of keeping the position of Emperor. But if he supported Sirius now, even if they won in the end, he’d no longer be able to control Li Heng. And if he supported the Second Prince instead, then he and the Crown Prince might not even be able to preserve their lives in the end.

The Emperor had been valiant his whole life — how could he have let Owanda fall to this point? The Fourth Prince truly couldn’t understand it.

The Fourth Prince tightly shut his eyes, then said in a deep voice, “Bring the two parliamentary Presidents to see me. Also, tell the Court Propaganda Department to issue a condemnation of the Qiming Army and the Second Prince’s actions. Dispatch Generals Pan to support the Sirius fleet.”

The aide let out a sigh of relief. “At once, Your Prince.”

Presidents Ling and Shan were already in the royal court and arrived quickly. The two Generals Pan, upon receiving their nephew’s signal, immediately rushed to the battle zone where Sirius and the Brute Tribe were engaged. But they were still one step too late.

Before they even reached the location, Sirius was already cleaning up the battlefield, while the Second Prince led the Mingzhu Fleet to launch an attack on Zhenyuan.

The Fourth Prince gained a reputation for being a step too late, but the war situation had entered an even more complicated stage.

The Brute Tribe fleet that had fought Sirius was defeated, but an even larger force of beastmen and soldiers from the Dark Tree Clan were heading toward Huamei Star, launching an offensive in an encircling formation!

All major defense zones also quickly entered combat readiness. For a while, civilians could always see sparks flashing across the sky — no one knew which starship had exploded.

All schools and workplaces were suspended; alarms echoed across the main star.

Yuan Yi had previously been able to watch the livestream, but now he couldn’t see anything anymore. He didn’t say much, just walked slowly back and forth in the courtyard, supporting his belly.

Ji Lan was scared, but afraid of affecting Yuan Yi, so he sat to the side drawing. But after a long time, he still didn’t know what on earth he was even drawing.

At that moment, Yuan Yi suddenly noticed something off with He Yanwu and asked him, “Senior Yanwu, what’s wrong?”

He Yanwu said, “There’s someone outside — but they’re not one of ours.”