Chapter 36: F*ck… Wei Tingxia! Part 1

There was an obvious reality: when one realized that the star pirate group they had been forced to join was actually a covert rebel army organization, 80% of normal people would panic and try to leave.

Scarface thought the same way.

He would rather stick to his old trade—any kind of pillaging and plundering would do. He could move back into his basement that way, and at least keep his head.

However, Yan Xinfeng’s meaning was very clear. If he dared to defect, he would be decapitated within ten hours of leaving, or even sooner.

Scarface always believed he had been forced onto this pirate ship. He did not possess the conventional virtues of a rebel soldier. He was not kind enough, upright enough, or cynical enough toward the world. He was just a widower alpha waiting at any moment to have his head chopped off, and his matched partner had only been a beta.

A mediocre beta. An ordinary beta, the kind that made one grin when remembered. The beta who had died in Scarface’s arms.

The beta who had made him realize that the Empire was nothing but a pile of ruins.

So at certain times, when Scarface realized that this star pirate leader—who was divorcing his own omega—was conspiring to overthrow the Empire’s rule, his resistance was actually not that strong.

His beta was buried within the Empire’s borders. Scarface could never legally return there in his lifetime, so perhaps Yan Xinfeng’s approach was not bad at all.

“I don’t know whether I should advise you to sort out your emotional life first or focus on our bullshit cause,” Scarface said, chewing on a cheap cigarette, his expression thoughtful. “But Wei Tingxia is definitely a top-tier resource.”

This had nothing to do with gender. Wei Tingxia was an absolute ill-tempered omega, the ruthless type who would twist your neck if you provoked him. His sexiness mainly came from his intellect.

The base’s outer perimeter defense system had undergone three major upgrades, two of which Wei Tingxia had overseen. Scarface had tested it himself and was convinced that even if the Alliance military district came to cause trouble, they would get nothing out of that defense system.

And there were those countless mecha modifications. The Empire’s top mecha engineers probably couldn’t do better than that.

So if Wei Tingxia could really join this operation, it would be like adding wings to a tiger for them.

With that thought, Scarface exhaled a puff of smoke and sighed. “I used to wonder why an omega knew so much, but then I stopped wondering. I was just glad you managed to snag him. But now…”

Yan Xinfeng stared at him with an inexplicable expression.

Scarface did not notice the strange look on his leader’s face, which was like he had swallowed a mecha cannon, and continued immersed in his own scheming. “Anyway, there’s still some time. Why not give it another try?”

He did not know that Wei Tingxia was the Second Prince who had arrived at the Border Military District. No normal person would think of that. Scarface was still immersed in his grand vision of an alpha-omega alliance sweeping away the Empire.

He even tossed out an age-old, reliable method. “Spouses have no overnight grudges. If there are any, just sleep it off a few times, and it’ll be fine.”

With that, Scarface gave a sleazy grin and shot Yan Xinfeng a look that said, you know what I mean.

Yan Xinfeng suddenly understood why Wei Tingxia always looked at Scarface unfavorably back at the base.

After a moment of silence, he spoke. “Go debug all the mecha on the third floor.”

Scarface: “Huh?”

This was not the development he had expected.

“Go on,” Yan Xinfeng said, slapping his shoulder hard enough to pin him to the ground. “I have high hopes for you. You definitely have the talent to be a mecha engineer!”

Scarface left with a baffled expression. Yan Xinfeng lost the mood to dismantle the robot into parts, turned around, and headed to the command center.

After just a few steps, a notification sounded from the light brain on his wrist.

When he opened it, there was a message from an unknown number.

[Just checking to make sure you’re still alive.]

Yan Xinfeng’s lips curved up as he replied: [Broke off the outer frame of your window when I climbed through it.]

There was no immediate reply from the other side, probably checking if Yan Xinfeng was lying.

Three minutes later, a message came: [You can break the window frame just climbing through it? What good are you?]

He was annoyed now.

Yan Xinfeng chuckled, feeling he had gotten the upper hand, and stopped replying. He sauntered back to the command center.

Meanwhile, staring at the missing chunk of window frame, Wei Tingxia’s face was so dark it could drip water.

System 0188 tried to comfort him: [Others might overthink it if they see it, but they won’t necessarily think someone climbed through the window.]

“Even if it’s useless, thanks anyway.” Wei Tingxia closed the window, sat on the edge of the bed, and took a deep breath. “What do I even need him for?!”

This was pure revenge, revenge for not letting him use the front door. Yan Xinfeng, an alpha—how could he have such a petty mindset?

Wei Tingxia could not figure it out. He got up and headed downstairs, receiving a message from his adjutant just as he stepped out.

The final investigation results were in.

Pushing open the door to Lin Wensi’s office, the first thing Wei Tingxia saw was a ring of virtual screens floating in midair, countless faces interspersed in the flowing data stream, narrowing down after several filters into simple clips.

“In their growth process, they all received financial aid from several noble families to varying degrees. I think that might be the root cause.”

Lin Wensi’s voice evoked images of sleepless nights. Wei Tingxia followed the direction of the voice and saw the fatigue added to Lin Wensi’s face.

“And their families—I forgot to mention.” Lin Wensi gave a low chuckle. “They benefited from some high-quality assistance programs that nobles provide to the public. Everything was completely above board, the kind that only makes people envious of their luck, without suspecting any backroom dealings.”

Loyalty and filial piety have never coexisted since ancient times—this was no joke. When parents, family, and even one’s own future were held in someone else’s hands, any decision had to consider if one could bear the consequences.

Lin Wensi could not demand that everyone disregard everything like he did.

Wei Tingxia sat across from the desk, casually pulled down a section of the virtual screen, scanned it briefly, then released it to silently slide back into place.

“I’m actually quite curious about what exactly happened to the Blue Nail Ship,” he said, his fingertips unconsciously tapping lightly on the smooth desktop. “What did you pry out of their mouths?”

Lin Wensi shook his head, his expression calm. “Just fragments. But the root does point to Capital Star.”

So the Blue Nail Ship itself was more like an inadvertent splash of filth exposed to public view. It might not have much value in itself, but it was a dangerous fuse, enough to ignite more detestable truths.

Lin Wensi waved his hand to extinguish the light screen in front of him and looked at Wei Tingxia with a nearly rigid seriousness. “You should return to Capital Star. I will provide the necessary assistance.”

“I will go back,” Wei Tingxia said lightly, even a bit casually. “But not now.”

Right now, Capital Star was the arena where Wei Shu and Wei Heng were fighting like two tigers. His sudden appearance would only arouse unnecessary vigilance. Besides, he had not yet figured out what Yan Xinfeng was hiding from him, so staying in the Border Military District was currently the best choice.

Lin Wensi nodded upon hearing this and said no more.

Instead, Wei Tingxia recalled the argument with Yan Xinfeng last night and casually asked, “Do you know about Deep Blue?”

“I do. What’s up?”

“Then do you know their leader?”

“Yan Xinfeng.” A trace of barely perceptible doubt flashed in Lin Wensi’s eyes, but he answered truthfully. “I’ve met him a few times.”

“What do you think of him… as a person?”

This question made Lin Wensi’s doubt more obvious. He did not understand why Wei Tingxia was suddenly interested in a personal evaluation of a star pirate leader, but based on the cooperative understanding they had just reached, he did not evade.

“He’s a formidable opponent. Sometimes… I can’t see through his true intentions,” he said, choosing his words carefully, his evaluation objective and cautious. “He’s not a pure star pirate. If he entered the Empire’s military system, I believe he could exert far greater value than now.”

Wei Tingxia pressed: “Anything else?”

Lin Wensi was silent for a moment, as if recalling. Then, very naturally, he added, “I quite admire his omega.”

As the words fell, Wei Tingxia clearly froze. “You admire who?”

“His omega.” Lin Wensi’s tone was frank, as if stating the most ordinary fact. “An exceptionally skilled mecha engineer. If possible, I hope to have a chance for a private exchange with him to discuss some technical issues.”

“…”

Wei Tingxia blinked, a ridiculous feeling mixed with helpless amusement surging in his heart. He suddenly understood why Yan Xinfeng exploded at the mere mention of Lin Wensi’s name.

“You want to meet Yan Xinfeng’s omega, and privately at that,” he repeated expressionlessly. “Don’t you think there’s something wrong with that sentence?”

Lin Wensi gave him a strange look, his brows slightly furrowed, as if Wei Tingxia had raised a completely unreasonable question.

“Your Highness, I’m merely seeking talent thirstily. Please don’t judge me with an alpha’s mindset.” His tone carried a serious corrective intent.

Wei Tingxia, who was actually an omega, leaned back into the chair, tapped the armrest lightly with his fingertip, and said confidently, “Is that exactly what you told Yan Xinfeng?”

“Yes,” Lin Wensi admitted frankly, even with a hint of puzzled seeking of understanding. “I hoped to improve relations with Deep Blue. But his reaction was quite intense; he didn’t seem willing.”

Wei Tingxia sighed silently. That Yan Xinfeng had not drawn his gun and pointed it at Lin Wensi’s nose on the spot was already considering the bigger picture.

“Not willing is right.” He muttered to himself.

“What did you say?”

At that, Wei Tingxia looked up at Lin Wensi, who was still upright and completely unaware of the monumental landmine he had stepped on, his heart a mix of emotions.

That Yan Xinfeng had not died of jealousy yet was a miracle.

Wei Tingxia coughed and said, “Nothing. Maybe next time you can adjust your wording to not sound so weird. I think there’s still hope.”

Lin Wensi pondered. “How do you think I should say it?”

“Why not just talk about cooperation directly? Skip any words about ‘private’ anything. He’s quite sensitive.” Yan Xinfeng called Wei Tingxia the princess, but he was the one who acted more like one.