In the royal study under the night sky, the old Bug Emperor was processing piles of documents. He was very old, and his speed in handling the files resembled that of outdated intelligent programs from earlier generations.
At that moment, a minister walked in and quietly said, “Your Majesty, we have received news from Prince Tong Sui.”
“Is he planning to return?” The old Bug Emperor rubbed his tired eyes and glanced at the clock on the table. “He’s held out longer than I expected.”
“Not that, Prince Tong Sui drove the Blizzard to severely damage the star pirates during the night raid, driving them out of the Imperial Star’s jurisdiction.”
“What?”
The old Bug Emperor raised his head, doubting his ears, and his murky eyes brightened. “The star pirates were repelled?”
“Yes!”
The minister opened his holographic device and displayed the latest combat footage. The pure white mech appeared like a smooth streak of light, glowing alone against the night.
“We won!”
This was the first victory against the star pirates in a long time. The old Bug Emperor’s fingers trembled slightly.
As a male bug, his mental strength could not reinforce his body, which limited their physical fitness. He understood that such a mech required exceptionally high mental control.
The old Bug Emperor had not held out much hope; although he didn’t know how Tong Sui accomplished this, it was great news that invigorated morale!
“Process this video to improve its clarity, and release it on the star network through official media. Let all bugs see it clearly.”
“Yes, Your Majesty, I’m on it.”
The minister rushed out of the study, feeling a premonition that this could be a turning point in the war. The oppressed empire finally had the power to resist!
He couldn’t contain his excitement, and without feeling sleepy, he began working overnight on editing the video and writing the announcement, uploading it without wasting a second.
The homepage of the star network displayed a large headline:
**[Severe Blow to Star Pirates! The Empire’s Blizzard Will Lead Us to Victory!]**
Accompanying the announcement was a processed video that edited together every stunning frame.
The comments section exploded instantly.
1: Is this really the large target we saw before? That speed?! It’s simply elegant!
3: I’m crying! Blizzard, go defeat those barbaric star pirates!
10: Hurry up and tell me who piloted this mech! It must be a top-notch military female, with those moves and reaction speeds; I thought I was watching Bai Xingluo’s combat video!
12: +1! This is the style of the Empire’s Star!
34: Has Bai Xingluo really come back?
56: The general hasn’t abandoned us! He’s back! The Empire truly cannot do without you!!
120: Why are you all so excited? It hasn’t been said that Bai Xingluo piloted it, and besides, Blizzard is the latest mech specifically developed for male bugs—how could a military female control it?
146: Those claiming Bai Xingluo defected to the pirate gang—did the star pirates ever see Bai Xingluo appear during their attacks? This is a deliberate slander!
156: I urge the Empire to reveal the pilot!
157: +1!
187: +10086!
Faced with the doubts and calls for publicity on the star network, the minister contacted Tong Sui for his opinion.
As soon as the communication was connected, the minister felt his palms sweating with nervousness.
“Prince Tong Sui, thank you for your hard work!”
On the virtual screen, Tong Sui was dressed in a neat combat uniform, clearly just finishing an intense workout, sweat still glistening on his face, dampening his soft black hair. “Hello.”
Behind Tong Sui was a chaotic scene of battle wreckage.
The minister cautiously asked, “You weren’t injured, were you?”
“No, but the legion needs more medical supplies, not just for my camp, but other border planets as well.”
Tong Sui said, “So I hope to use the expedited passage to send these supplies to them as quickly as possible.”
“Of course! I’ll make sure to get it done!”
The minister said, “Also, there are voices on the star network calling to reveal the pilot of Blizzard; do you agree? I’ve heard that besides you, there is also another—”
“Sorry, that will remain confidential for now.” Tong Sui replied. “I will personally address this issue after the war is over.”
“Understood, I’ll not disturb you any longer.”
After hanging up the communication, Tong Sui’s eyes darkened for a moment.
He just didn’t want those bugs to easily brush this matter aside. He wanted to clarify and cleanse the unwarranted smears against Bai Xingluo at the most serious time and platform possible.
As he turned around, a hand reached out to him. Bai Xingluo held a wet wipe, wiping the sweat from his face.
“Your Majesty, you’ve worked hard today.”
Tong Sui looked up; beneath the black feathers, a pair of clear eyes were gazing intently at him. “Aren’t you going to ask why I haven’t revealed your name yet?”
“You have your reasons; I just need to trust you.”
Tong Sui stepped forward, gently resting his head on Bai Xingluo’s shoulder and holding his hand.
He gently pinched the tip of Bai Xingluo’s fingers.
Because he had held the wet wipe, Bai Xingluo’s fingertips felt a bit cold and damp.
“Actually, you shouldn’t believe everything I say; I might deceive you too.”
“Like what?”
“I’ll tell you later.”
“Okay.”
Just as they were talking, Xie Feibai suddenly ran over, looking at Bai Xingluo, “Your—”
“Ahem.”
Xie Feibai quickly corrected himself, “Prince Tong Sui, we discovered that one mech was missing during our cleanup; the pilot aboard was Lu Ting.”
“It seems that during the retreat, Yu Guangji took him away while we weren’t paying attention.”