Past Events: Jiang Sili and Aso Mente
Before Jiang Sili returned to the army and rose through the ranks, the Jiang family owned a chain of shopping malls in the capital city. They were considered wealthy businessmen, but far from being a conglomerate.
However, he defected from the Empire and joined space pirates. The Academy expelled him and put him on the wanted list. From a promising young officer to a wanted criminal, the Jiang family's status plummeted. They were scorned by the people and forced to close hundreds of stores, relying on distribution profits from other planets to survive. The family went into seclusion on another planet and disappeared from public view.
However, the Jiang family is an exceptionally united large family. They firmly believe that the family is the source of all strength, and family members are always the most important.
They insisted that Jiang Sili had no contact with her family after leaving home, which led to the army's repeated questioning yielding no results.
Jiang Sili refused all private financial assistance from her family and completely severed ties with them.
He lived like the White Wolf Gang.
She accepts commissions from the black market to steal artifacts and jewelry from museums on various planets, as well as luxury goods from auctions, giving her the feel of a Robin Hood-like figure from ancient books who robs the rich to help the poor.
But he knew in his heart that this was ultimately a crime.
This goes against the education he received over the past ten years.
He is the only member of the family to have developed a spiritual body, and he is an S-level spiritual body. He is the hope for the future of the entire family.
Despite owning a chain brand, the Jiang family, with no background whatsoever, was simply at the mercy of others.
The councilor's son has his eye on the shopping mall's location, and the Jiang family wants to give it up.
The Jiang family had no choice but to accept the unreasonable scrutiny imposed on the new product launch.
Despite being the largest taxpayers, they are still suppressed within the chamber of commerce, a situation they can only endure.
......
He should have followed the predetermined path in life, graduated smoothly, joined the army, accumulated military merits and continuously risen through the ranks, and had a bright and promising future.
He carried too many expectations from his family, yet when he was able to serve them, he followed his own heart and betrayed the empire, plunging his family into a quagmire.
But his mother and aunt secretly contacted him, telling him to live well outside, to tell them if he needed money, and to go to another star system if he couldn't stay in the Gamma Galaxy, and not to worry about them.
There was no anger, no blame.
They treat rebellious teenagers with the same gentleness and tolerance.
My mother said, "Who will remember these things two or three hundred years from now? Besides, we can go to other planets and other galaxies."
Jiang Sili was constantly torn by inner turmoil.
Each time she followed Jiang Zhaoyuan to the trenches to retrieve the mixed-race baby and buried the young body that had died young on the hillside, this pain only intensified.
He can't let go of either side; he can't be a purely good person, nor can he be a purely bad person. He wavers between the two, putting himself and his family in an awkward situation.
The existence of mixed-race children is a social reality that is widely acknowledged but rarely discussed.
Faced with the atrocities committed by the Zerg and the destruction of civilians' homes, even those who felt pity for them could only remain silent.
Jiang Zhaoyuan never experienced his struggles and pain.
Besides stealing from museums, she also worked as an underground guide, traveling between planets and even venturing into forbidden areas. Her earnings each time were enough to buy three months' worth of formula for all the babies in the nursery.
She managed many space jump stations, lurking and maneuvering with ease on the edge of space.
She has too many things to do every day, so she doesn't have time to grieve over the passing years.
The main reason the White Wolf Gang hasn't been captured yet is that their members, who are active outside, have inherited the Zerg's mimicry abilities, allowing them to change their appearance by expending mental energy; their compound eyes can change freely, and even the pupil information is different. Unless their biological information is obtained, it's impossible to identify them by appearance alone.
Another reason is that the G13 Legion general in charge of hunting down the space pirates did not do her best. After seeing Jiang Zhaoyuan who had taken in the child, she remained silent and let Jiang Zhaoyuan go.
That was the first time Jiang Sili had heard of the G13 Legion, and he was quite curious.
“G13 is a cursed legion.” Jiang Zhaoyuan directed him to move furniture.
This title intrigued Jiang Sili.
This legion has suffered a hundred defeats and never won a single battle since the emperor ascended the throne and changed the name.
Let alone confronting the Zerg head-on, they can be routed even in normal support operations.
No matter how ambitious the officers who served as legion commanders were when they came to the legion, they were all shattered by reality and resigned in disappointment.
It has now become a major concern and a hot potato for the empire.
After the current general arrived, the Empire simply assigned her only the task of hunting down space pirates.
Clearly, this task was not completed very well either.
However, Jiang Zhaoyuan frowned. "It seems a new person has arrived recently, causing quite a stir. Many space pirates have been captured by her."
Jiang Sili was still young then, far from the calm and composed person he would later become. When the legion was mentioned, his eyes inevitably showed a hint of melancholy.
Jiang Zhaoyuan slapped him hard: "Don't think about it anymore, you can't go back now."
Here, Jiang Zhaoyuan's most frequent advice was to stop thinking about possibilities that haven't happened and focus on doing concrete things.
This has been her philosophy of life for many years.
But when they finally met this renowned newcomer sentinel, it was a carefully laid trap.
That time, the black market offered a lucrative but extremely dangerous mission: to rob a batch of jewelry being transported to an auction on Anker Star, with a reward of a staggering 60 million star coins.
The jewelry came from the private collection of a noble family and had a style full of wartime fervor.
This is a targeted order with a clear purpose.
Just like the missions the White Wolf Gang has taken on over the years, it's high-risk, high-reward.
But this is a trap.
This family does not exist, nor does this batch of jewelry.
On the heavily guarded transport ship, the young Aso Ment awaited the White Wolf crew.
That was the first time Jiang Sili met her.
The White Wolf Clan members made an emergency retreat, using spatial jumps to escape – they never skimped on fuel when fleeing for their lives.
Jiang Sili recalled that day, remembering the shattered warship windows, the blinding flash of flashbangs, the crackling of mental energy clashes, and the useless shouts of the G13 legion members...
In the ensuing conflict, Aso Ment's golden hair shone brightly, her eyes resolute and clear as she set her sights on her target—Schiller's scimitar had severed the space jump engine on Jiang Sili's warship, and she then piloted the warship in pursuit through the debris field.
She was determined to catch this "culprit".
Jiang Sili ultimately escaped not because he was stronger, but because he was more familiar with the gravel belt and understood its trajectory better.
He dodged the falling debris, but Aso Ment was hit, and the warship crashed on one of the large rocks, awaiting reinforcements.
"Thief! Scum! If you have the guts, face me! All you do is run away!" At that time, Aso Ment was not as powerful as she would become later; she was a young major who was still growing.
After the warship crashed, she could no longer catch up with Jiang Sili, so she opened the communication channel and fiercely cursed him.
"Traitor!!!" Her voice was loud and clear, like a giant bell echoing throughout the warship.
Jiang Sili was speechless. He silently watched the young woman on the monitor, who was baring her teeth and making a scene, her hair practically standing on end in anger. Many emotions flashed through his mind, but in the end, he could only calm down.
But Aso Ment will not admit defeat, nor will she give up easily.
Jiang Zhaoyuan would occasionally contact the general of the G13 Legion privately. The general rarely responded due to his status, but sometimes he would give a hint such as "Don't come out recently".
But this time, the general made the call.
She told Jiang Zhaoyuan in a serious tone:
If conditions permit, remain hidden on the planet for decades, refraining from robbery and theft, and simply serve as an underground guide. She is about to be transferred from the G13 Legion; the Emperor has other plans for the G13 Legion. The newly arrived major will succeed her. If you continue to act so recklessly as you have today, you will become part of her military achievements.
Jiang Zhaoyuan understood her good intentions, but the White Wolf Gang had no way out. With so many mouths to feed, how much money could they earn as underground guides?
The general left a week later, and from that day on, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse.
The ambitious major surprised everyone by picking out the most useful members from the mediocre members of G13 to form a team. They captured a notorious pirate group and were promoted to colonel in just a few months. She was only one step away from becoming a general.
She set her sights on the White Wolf Pirates. By capturing this notorious and criminal group, she could take another step forward, truly become the leader of the G13 Legion, and begin her legendary life.
Most importantly, she wanted to catch that traitor. She didn't care about understanding the traitor's mentality. From the moment he defected, he was a shining golden apple in front of everyone. Whoever picked the golden apple would be richly rewarded.
*
After what happened last time, the White Wolf Gang became much more cautious in selecting black market missions.
In the three or four years they worked, they only took on a few big jobs, all of which involved robbing the Capital Star Museum.
This greatly angered the Qiu family, who were in charge of the museum.
During this period, the White Wolf Gang also buried twenty-eight people.
One advantage of incorporating Zerg genes is that, under normal circumstances, death occurs as organs gradually lose activity, leading to a peaceful passing away in sleep without pain.
Jiang Sili would regularly clean their graves, read out the names on the small tombstones, and register their names and photos into the terminal.
If even their biological parents don't want to remember them, then let them live forever in the digital world.
The White Wolf Gang will remember them.
Over the past few years, G13 and that major have been relentlessly pursuing them, determined to capture them all.
She even discovered an inside agent at a space jump station connected to the White Wolf Gang, and captured quite a few people.
The White Wolf Gang was constantly hampered and very annoyed.
That day, Jiang Sili was playing games with some children when Jiang Zhaoyuan found him on the hillside and told him that some members of the White Wolf Gang were trapped on a planet and that the G13 Legion was searching for them.
Jiang Sili is the White Wolf Gang's strongest fighter; only he can go and rescue people.
S-rank is overwhelmingly superior to other ranks; the gap cannot be bridged simply through hard work.
As long as that colonel doesn't show up, this won't be difficult for Jiang Sili.
She has been out of contact for a month.
He readily agreed; such emergencies had occurred many times over the years, and he was used to them.
But this was another trap, and Jiang Sili couldn't understand how he could fall into Aso Mente's traps so many times.
This trap was only aimed at him.
The news that Aso Ment was not in the Legion was also deliberately released by her. She even waited for more than a month to not show up, just to catch him.
In terms of strength, Jiang Sili and she were not much different, but his spiritual body, Tengshe, was naturally countered by Gu Diaotian, which is why he never truly won and always had to flee in panic.
The two fought their way from the planet's surface into space, traveling an unknown distance.
In the end, the warships collided, and the two crashed onto an alien planet.
Fate was not on Jiang Sili's side. During the crash, Aso Ment stubbornly pounced on him, and during their struggle, his terminal disappeared.
He was trapped on the planet, isolated and helpless.
The White Wolf Legion could not possibly arrive faster than the Imperial Legion under these circumstances.
After standing up, Aso Ment stood up, hands on his hips, and said triumphantly, "I finally caught you! You can't escape this time!"
Jiang Sili turned to look at the woman behind him.
To this day, he has never seen anyone with such perseverance chasing him for so many years.
Aside from his family, few people have ever shown him such "concern".
Although in her eyes, he should have been a shining example of military achievements.
This planet is barren, with only the steel structures built by the original inhabitants centuries ago remaining, which, under natural weathering, turn to dust with the slightest push.
There was no cover, nowhere to hide.
He also lost the point of continuing to fight Aso Mente.
And they can't beat them either.
I was both annoyed and amused.
“Say something! I haven’t heard you say a word since we started fighting.” Aso Ment followed behind him, chattering like a kiddie ride in a shopping mall, as if he wanted to teach him to say “Mommy’s mommy is called grandma.”
"..." Jiang Sili was silent for a moment, then turned to face her and finally spoke, "What do you want me to say?"
This was the first time the two of them had a chance to properly look at each other.
Decades have passed since Jiang Sili's defection, but his appearance is not much different from that in the military academy photos, showing little sign of the effects of male hormones. Perhaps due to the influence of his mental state, he remains slender, boneless like a snake, and superficially weak.
He didn't like combat uniforms either; every time we met, he looked like a college boy preparing to go to school.
Beautiful but dangerous, yet not a cruel person. That's how the G13 Legion described him.
Everyone in the legion said that without Jiang Sili, the White Wolf Gang wouldn't be so rampant.
Aso Mente initially thought G13 was too useless, but after years of fruitless confrontations, she had to take it seriously.
"Tell me how you got to where you are today?" Aso Ment had no ulterior motives; she was genuinely curious.
Her life was "conventional," and she had always steadfastly followed the most ideal and successful path. She never imagined that there were people like him in the world.
"Does this answer matter to you?" Jiang Sili asked rhetorically, standing in the shadows of a steel jungle, staring at Aso Ment, who had already casually found a large rock to sit on.
He remained calm, showing no fear of the approaching legion.
Aso Ment crossed her arms, now on the defensive: "I was just curious. We both attended the Capital Military Academy. I got in with excellent grades from an asteroid. You were born on the Capital and were taken there as soon as you reached the required age. Logically, you would have been promoted within a few years after joining the Legion, and you would have had much better money and power than you would in the pirate crew, right?"
Jiang Sili knew that she never hid her ambition, and was not surprised by her focus.
He paused for a moment: "Some things are more important right now than these."
"What's up?"
"Colonel, if joining the army is to protect civilians, does that mean we can harm other innocent lives at will? Turn a blind eye to all evil deeds?" Jiang Sili asked.
“If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine.” Aso Ment was just trying to start a conversation, since a fight wasn’t going to break out, but she didn’t like being questioned. She preferred to speak her mind, and she hated guessing games. “Does discussing this make any sense to us? Do these questions even have answers? I will only firmly follow the path I believe is right, and I will not waver between the two.”
Jiang Sili fell silent; her words were like a sharp sword, piercing through the bloody reality.
He wavers between two extremes, unable to reconcile his own beliefs. That's how hypocritical and cowardly he is.
She looked at the terminal, and the roar of warship engines could be heard overhead.
"Colonel, have you ever been to the Zerg's border battlefield?" Jiang Sili looked up at the warship.
“What?” Aso Ment looked up, looking at his defined jawline and handsome Adam’s apple.
“After each battle, late at night, besides the poison gas permeating the trenches, there’s something else that’s repulsive. No one wants to bring it up openly, and no one wants to admit its existence.” Jiang Sili remained calm as the warships landed. “You can take a look if you have the chance.”
Aso Ment suddenly realized something was wrong. She wanted to turn around and yell at the team members who were excitedly running towards her, "Don't come any closer!"
But they found she couldn't move.
Unbeknownst to her, neurotoxins had already invaded her body, and her mental landscape was filled with a toxic mist. She had been poisoned without even realizing it.
Jiang Sili never used Tengshe's ability when fighting her; nor was it mentioned in the previous legion records.
Over time, it was forgotten by everyone.
"Dad's a piece of trash." Aso Ment cursed, cursing herself and G13.
She had clearly reviewed his file; the military had provided him with all his biometric characteristics, detailed and specific, in order to capture him. Yet, she still underestimated him.
The weaklings of G13 were completely unprepared; one by one, they were paralyzed by the toxins the moment they entered the area, convulsing and collapsing to the ground.
Jiang Sili emerged from the shadows and approached Aso Ment.
He was very close, and he could see that young Aso Ment's face still had light downy hair. She was flushed with anger, radiating a vibrant warmth, like a little sun.
"Get out! Stay away from me." Aso Ment's only remaining function was his speech; he refused to back down.
The Gu Diao was shouting, jumping around, and busying itself in the mental landscape.
Jiang Sili smiled, her long eyelashes seemingly brushing against her eyes.
He lowered his hand and gently touched her stiff palm.
His hands were as cold as jade, radiating a chill.
Her palms were warm and slightly damp.
The moment they touched, they each experienced a unique sensation.
"Are you sick?" Aso Ment spat out the words through gritted teeth.
“Aso,” Jiang Sili said, no longer addressing her as Colonel, “we’ll see you next time.”
After saying that, he distanced himself and passed by a group of sentries who were staggering around. G13's group was obviously useless; they disembarked but did not lock onto the warship.
Jiang Sili didn't even need basic mental strength certification before leisurely leaving the planet in his warship.
He randomly set a coordinate, but jumped off midway and arrived at a space station. He disguised himself as a passerby who had been robbed by space pirates, jumped through space again, and successfully met up with the White Wolf crew.
After putting the terminal back on, he didn't forget to erase all the information on the original terminal.
"This woman is getting more and more cunning!" Jiang Zhaoyuan was so angry that he spun around on the spot.
Jiang Sili smiled.
"You're still laughing!" Jiang Zhaoyuan looked at him with a "Are you out of your mind?" expression, clearly displeased.
"Can you find out about her family background?" Jiang Sili asked. "It seems we haven't really understood our enemy."
He paused slightly when he said the word "enemy".
Jiang Zhaoyuan glanced at him, "Know our enemy?"
Jiang Sili met her gaze and said, "Yes."
Jiang Zhaoyuan shook his head: "I don't know, nobody knows. Even the former general can't be found. It's like she was parachuted into the military academy on the capital star. Her previous resume has been blocked by the military high command."
There are many reasons behind this, but considering Aso Mente's own words, "I got into the Capital Military Academy from a small planet," it's probably not something worth mentioning.
Everyone has secrets, so why not talk about hers but insist on discussing him?
Jiang Sili lowered his eyes and focused on synchronizing the terminal information.
*
Taking care of children is not an easy task. When Jiang Sili really can't handle it, she will take them to the underground black market.
Everyone there was special; all sorts of marginalized people from society came together.
The werewolf hybrid created by underground scientists has been active for hundreds of years.
Humans who had stopped transforming into beasts halfway but were unable to revert to their original form run businesses on the black market.
The Zerg, who were close to humans, broke free from the mind control of the Emperor Queen and hid among humans, mimicking their lives.
An imperial officer on the run for his crimes, a merchant from another star system, a corrupt nobleman, a dangerous murderer...
In contrast, the human-insect hybrid child appears so innocent and adorable, and therefore needs Jiang Sili's constant protection even more.
The children, hidden in black cloaks to conceal their unusual limbs, ran happily through the underground shops run by the insectoids, playing with their novel toys.
The White Wolf Gang was very wealthy, and Jiang Sili would readily buy whatever they wanted.
Even if you buy too many, it won't go to waste. The children here cherish their toys and never damage them.
Their lives were precious yet short.
The shop owner is a female insectoid who mimics a large, burly woman, and she is very familiar with Jiang Sili.
The two men were drinking inside the shop while the children played in the backyard.
Looking at their lively demeanor, the shop owner was deeply moved: "In your place, this is the luckiest thing in an unfortunate life."
Jiang Sili nodded: "What other way is there?"
"Is this a newly hatched baby? What about the previous ones?" the shop owner asked, calculating the time since the last visit.
Jiang Sili and she exchanged a glance.
The shop owner pursed his lips: "So fast? Is this all the time they can live?"
“…Sometimes living a long life is a cruel thing,” Jiang Sili replied softly. “Once you grow up and have your own thoughts and desires, you will become more and more miserable and more and more unwilling to accept it.”
The shop owner nodded, recalling his near-becoming the "Insect Queen": "Just a hair's breadth away! Just that one hair's breadth away, and I would have become the Insect Queen. Why would I need to stay here, sneaking around like a dog? All I wanted was to establish relations and live in harmony with humans! My mother actually wanted to kill me. I was an egg she laid herself, no less related than those eggs she blessed?"
Jiang Sili leaned against the cabinet, the liquor tasting spicy and invigorating. Hearing this, he laughed.
"I recently took on a new order. A human army officer contacted me, asking me to help with some poison training and protective gear." As the conversation progressed, the topic shifted, and the shop owner mentioned the strange customers he had recently served.
"Oh?" Jiang Sili's mind raced. "What kind of guest?"
"A very tall woman, blonde, who speaks aggressively and without any politeness," the shop owner said. "But she's very generous with money, and quite sensible; she never asks me any questions about this place. She always comes alone."
Jiang Sili nodded, indicating that he understood and had guessed who it was.
"Your timing is just right. She'll be coming again today, and I just made her a bottle of toxin resistance agent." The shopkeeper took out a bottle of colorless liquid from the safe behind him. "With her S-level abilities, resisting ordinary toxins like yours and mine won't be a problem."
Jiang Sili glanced at the bottle of liquid and then looked away.
"Speaking of which, I have to thank you for the venom you gave me last time. It's really powerful; it even corroded my crucible," the shopkeeper praised.
"You're welcome." Jiang Sili checked the time, downed her drink in one gulp, then stood up to take her leave. "See you next time, I have to take them back."
The shop owner leaned against the waist-high counter, waved to him, and then instantly transformed into a petite woman, changing her hair color and pupils.
"Ding-a-ling," came the sound of someone pushing open the door and entering.
"Boss." A familiar voice rang out, and she walked confidently to the counter. "Is my order ready?"
Before Jiang Sili could even reach behind the curtain, the long-limbed Aso Ment gracefully leaped over the "strange objects" lying across the doorway and instantly appeared in front of them.
"What are you doing here?" Aso Ment spotted Jiang Sili at a glance and instantly went into battle mode, ready to strike.
Jiang Sili silently took a few steps back, blocking the path to the backyard.
The shop owner slammed his hand on the table: "Don't cause trouble here! I want to continue doing business here."
The underground black market also has its own rules. They form a force and operate on the fringes of the law. Over time, the military has come to accept their existence and will not interfere as long as they do not harm the empire.
Aso Mente gritted his teeth and could only step back a few steps, glaring hatefully at Jiang Sili.
Jiang Sili chuckled. "Don't worry, we might meet again later. You'll have a way to deal with me then." He glanced meaningfully at the bottle of medicine displayed in the glass cabinet.
"Should we go back?" A child who had taken off his cloak ran out, waving two antennae on his head. Some other children, with full wings, flew over and clung to Jiang Sili's legs.
The child keenly sensed the tense atmosphere between the adults. She glanced at the shocked Aso Ment, then at Jiang Sili, who was patting her head. She felt somewhat bewildered and afraid.
"This is your child?" Aso Ment's face was filled with disbelief. "An insectoid? A hybrid?"
Before Jiang Sili could explain anything, Aso Ment suddenly interrupted him.
"Didn't you defect to the Empire during your graduation assessment? You weren't even an adult then, were you?" Aso Ment quickly calculated his age in his mind. "You were already hooking up with a Zerg female before you were even an adult?"
Jiang Sili: "?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
