My Omega Rival in Love [Interstellar] - Chapter 11

Regardless of what Gu Ting was thinking, Gu Jin vanished in a flash and returned to her residence in the Talina District. As she retracted her aircraft, she discovered an uninvited guest waiting at her door.

“Sister-in-law? Is something wrong?” Gu Jin stared at the visitor—none other than the Empress of the Vizer Empire, Gu Ting’s wife, and her own sister-in-law. However, the two of them didn’t really have a relationship; what was he doing at her doorstep?

Xiao Ze was dressed in a silver-white suit, standing there with an almost luminous presence. He turned to face the returning Gu Jin and nodded. “There is a matter. Is it convenient to speak inside?”

Gu Jin looked at Xiao Ze, then at her own house. It wouldn’t be right to turn him away. She waved her hand to open the gate. “Please, come in.”

The smart system had already prepared tea on the balcony before they even entered. Gu Jin and Xiao Ze sat on opposite sides of the table.

“I heard that Young Marshal Gu has been investigating the mech incident from the Battle of Planet Rota?” Sensing that Gu Jin wasn’t one for pretenses, Xiao Ze skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point.

Gu Jin nodded. She hadn’t intended to keep it a secret; anyone who knew there was something suspicious about the battle knew what she was currently doing.

“I have some leads I’d like to provide, but I hope you can keep this confidential. Do not tell anyone that it came from me. Is that acceptable?” Holding the teacup, Xiao Ze looked at her intently. Soldiers valued their word; as long as Gu Jin promised, she would keep it.

Leads? Gu Jin’s mind whirled. After a moment of thought, she nodded. “I can promise you that. But why come to me? Wouldn’t it be simpler to go to my brother?”

“Because there is one more thing I need your help with—something only you can do,” Xiao Ze emphasized.

So, it’s a trade. Gu Jin didn’t mind; a clearly priced transaction was more reliable. “Tell me what the favor is first, and I’ll see if I can do it.”

“It’s quite simple for you. I want you to take me to Planet Rota, but it must be kept hidden from everyone. Only the two of us can know. There’s no rush; it would be quite some time from now. I just want your word first.”

Xiao Ze stated his requirement directly and waited for her to consider it.

For anyone else, this would be as difficult as climbing the heavens—the layers of security checks made it impossible to hide one’s identity. But for Gu Jin, who held absolute authority over Planet Rota and the rights to the special direct channel from the Capital Star, it was as easy as flipping her palm.

“A reason? Why go to Planet Rota? What is your goal?” Though a fringe planet, Rota was ten times the size of the Capital Star and held immense strategic importance. Gu Jin naturally had doubts about the Empress wanting to smuggle himself there.

“It will absolutely not harm the Empire’s interests. I am simply searching for a piece of evidence, a truth. You will understand when the time comes. If you regret it after learning my purpose, I won’t hold it against you,” Xiao Ze said, backing down slightly to avoid a flat refusal.

Gu Jin chuckled over her tea. “It’s probably not that only I can help you. It’s that among those who can, I’m the easiest to fool and the least likely to pry, right?”

Given Xiao Ze’s conditions, only four people in the Empire could truly help him. But whether it was the Old Emperor, Marshal Gu, or Gu Ting, they were all “thousand-year-old foxes.” If Xiao Ze spoke to them, they’d dig up his roots before even considering the favor.

“Please trust me. What I am doing is also for the Empire. It just requires absolute secrecy. If word leaks, everything will fall apart. I will tell you everything eventually, but I cannot speak of it now.” Seeing Gu Jin’s hesitation, Xiao Ze grew anxious, his grip on the teacup tightening as he watched her.

“Fine. I’ll agree for now. As long as your reason can convince me when the time comes, I’ll help you. Now, what is the lead?” After weighing the options, Gu Jin figured it wasn’t a bad deal. Besides, she was going to Rota sooner or later anyway; she’d just keep a close eye on him then.

Xiao Ze let out a heavy sigh of relief, looking at her with gratitude. “Thank you. Thank you very much.”

“The lead is this: In the Xiao family, on the third satellite of Planet Philly, there is a man named Xiao Qing. He is a Beta and served as a mech manufacturing consultant. He was involved in the production of the new mechs. This man is highly suspicious.” Xiao Ze didn’t elaborate further, trusting Gu Jin could figure out the rest.

Gu Jin knew exactly what he meant. Not long ago, she had told Gu Ting she wanted to investigate the production line, and now Xiao Ze had handed her the answer.

“How do you know this?” Gu Jin knew Xiao Ze had married Gu Ting to escape the Xiao family, but she didn’t know the depth of the rift that turned kin into enemies. Moreover, he was currently distanced from the Xiao family—how did he get such classified information?

“I am the eldest son of the Xiao family, after all. Twenty years there wasn’t for nothing. I stumbled upon this lead while investigating something else. He is a significant figure in a branch of the family. You’ll know more once you investigate.”

After seeing Xiao Ze out, Gu Jin sat alone, sipping her cold tea. The truth was slowly surfacing, like the tip of an iceberg, bringing with it an uneasy feeling that something massive was churning beneath the waves.

Years of combat had given her a keen instinct for danger. She felt that something was starting to move in the shadows.

With He Yu’s analysis and Xiao Ze’s lead, the investigation moved exceptionally fast. Within three days, Gu Jin and Gu Ting’s joint effort had laid bare the entire sequence of events.

Sitting in Gu Ting’s office, Gu Jin wiped fruit juice and pastry crumbs from her fingers before pulling over a plate of roasted meat, eating happily.

Gu Ting, brow furrowed, finished reading the final report on his computer and snorted. He hadn’t expected the entanglements to be this complex.

“I’ve given you the evidence. What do you plan to do next?” Gu Jin pinched another piece of chestnut cake. Chestnut cake paired with roasted meat was a masterpiece!

“Eat, eat, eat! All you know is eating! It’s useless for you to eat this much of this stuff; you’re treating it like a meal!” Gu Ting was about to speak, but seeing Gu Jin devouring the food, he slapped the desk in exasperation.

In the interstellar era, evolved humans no longer needed processed foods. They consumed concentrated nutritional pastes to meet all biological needs. Compared to those pastes, traditional processed food was hard to absorb and inefficient. Such food had long been obsolete, loved only by people like Gu Jin who craved the texture and taste.

“Burp~” Satisfied, Gu Jin spoke with total confidence. “We’re discussing serious business; why are you getting off track? Tell me, how are we handling these people? Should we just round them all up?”

Ignoring who started the distractions, Gu Ting rolled his eyes and took a deep breath to calm down. “Don’t rush. I need to consult with Uncle and the others. This is a massive matter; without airtight evidence, it could easily cause a backlash.”

“Fine, go have your meeting. I’m out of here. Bye.” Leaving behind a table of scraps, Gu Jin stretched and swaggered out of the palace.

With the truth out, Gu Jin stood before the palace gates, spinning her aircraft ring. She had to go show off to He Yu.

When she reached the He residence, she was surprised to find He Yu wasn’t home. A quick message revealed that He Yu had been feeling cooped up and had gone for a walk at the nearby Culture Street.

Having nothing else to do, Gu Jin decided to go find her.

In this era, most knowledge was obtained via optical computers, but a segment of the population—mostly the elderly and “chunibyo” youth—was obsessed with vintage culture. Culture Street existed for them. Walking down the street, one could see ancient stationery and retro-style architecture and clothing.

It was hard to imagine He Yu liking this sort of thing.

Curling her lip, Gu Jin ignored the curious stares of the crowd and headed toward He Yu’s location. She found her in front of a quaint, old-fashioned bookstore. The area was crowded and noisy. Gu Jin stood on her tiptoes, searching for her.

“Ha! Still acting all pure and lofty! The entire StarNet knows now—your parents are traitors who conspired with the enemy, the culprits behind the tragic losses at Planet Rota. And you’re the same! I don’t know how you can still stand here. Shouldn’t people who committed such crimes be sentenced to death immediately?”

A shrill, biting voice cut through the crowd. Gu Jin found it familiar. She turned to see a girl in a pale green dress and retro gloves standing in the center of the crowd, looking down at someone with an arrogant posture.

And the person she was facing? Ah, what a coincidence. It was He Yu.

Hearing the girl’s words, Gu Jin’s brow furrowed. This matter was supposed to be top secret. How does she know? And the ‘facts’ are completely distorted.

While checking the rumors on the StarNet, Gu Jin pushed her way through the crowd. The onlookers were already murmuring, siding with the girl and pointing fingers at He Yu.

“And I used to think of you as a goddess. I can’t believe you’re like this!” “A national disgrace! You must be punished severely!”

The girl waved her hand, and the voices quieted down. She sneered at the silent He Yu. “Hmph! Everyone might not know this yet, but the Battle of Planet Rota didn’t just cost the lives of many brave soldiers—even the future pillar of our Empire, the most brilliant Alpha in centuries, the military genius Young Marshal Gu Jin, nearly lost her life. They say she was in a coma for three months and only woke up at the very last moment. And it was all because of the He family’s sinister intentions! It’s terrifying!”

“I always heard they didn’t get along, but I didn’t think she’d try to kill her! Poor Young Marshal Gu. The He family should be punished!” “Punish them! Take her to the Royal Police; maybe she’s an escapee!”

Gu Jin, still squeezing through: ????

Amidst the growing fervor of the crowd, the girl looked triumphantly at He Yu. The latter remained expressionless, but her lips were pressed thin, her fingers clutching the old book so hard they turned white.

“Shut up!”

BOOM! A silver-white figure dropped from the sky. Unable to take it any longer, Gu Jin broke the Capital Star’s ordinance against using mechs. She activated her portable micro-mech, leaped over the crowd, and landed right in the center!

Startled by the sudden intrusion, the crowd fell silent. A blue shimmer rippled around the silver figure as the micro-mech retracted, leaving behind a woman with silver hair and silver-gray eyes. Her tall stature, sharp aura, and perfect features were clouded with obvious rage. The atmospheric pressure in the area plummeted instantly.

After a moment of dead silence, someone finally realized who this was. Wait… isn’t that one of the people we were just talking about? Young Marshal Gu?!

“Ahhh! Young Mar—”

The scream was cut short by Gu Jin’s piercing gaze. The crowd pulled their necks in, silent as cicadas in winter, not daring to make a sound.

The girl in the green dress went from terror to ecstasy, looking at Gu Jin with eyes that practically wanted to devour her. “Young… Young Marshal Gu, my name is—”

“I don’t care what your name is,” Gu Jin snapped, seeing the crowd had settled. She turned her back on the girl and looked at He Yu.

“Are you okay?”

He Yu’s grip on the book loosened slightly. She avoided Gu Jin’s eyes, looking off into the distance, still silent, though her expression softened for a fleeting second.

“Young Marshal, why are you concerned about her? She’s the one who caused your injuries!” the girl shrieked, pointing at He Yu in disbelief, as if afraid Gu Jin had been bewitched.

Noticing the subtle change in He Yu, Gu Jin withdrew her gaze and looked at the girl with annoyance. “In the Vizer Empire, creating and spreading rumors, malicious slander, personal attacks, and defaming national researchers are enough to get you exiled to a fringe planet for reclamation. Just so you know.”

She turned her gaze back to the crowd. “The Empire will not let a single criminal escape, nor will it wrong a single person of merit. The words of the masses are not always the truth.”

“Furthermore, the StarNet is not a lawless place, and ‘the law does not punish the masses’ is a myth. For spreading rumors, malicious spectating, and gathering to cause trouble all of you, wait for your penalty notices.”

Without another word, Gu Jin ignored the stunned onlookers, put her arm around the slightly trembling He Yu, and boarded her aircraft, vanishing into the sky.

Support My Omega Rival in Love [Interstellar]