My Omega Rival in Love [Interstellar] - Chapter 9

Gu Jin flicked her fingers, and the starry expanse that had filled the room vanished instantly, returning to its slow rotation on the dome above. She remained unmoved by the sight of Gu Ting, who was nearly trembling with rage. “You know exactly what I mean. Even in a balance of interests, there must be a bottom line.”

Gu Ting grabbed Gu Jin’s shoulders and forced her down into a chair. “You really are my dear sister. Are you trying to drive me to an early grave, or yourself?”

“Do you have any idea how much control the He family has over mechs these days? The Cabinet has practically become their personal mouthpiece. You know the Cabinet’s standing in the Empire: the Royal Family handles external military affairs, while the Cabinet handles internal governance. Now, the lifeblood of our military—the mechs—is held firmly in their hands. They already act as if they are our equals. If they ever develop true ambition, we are the ones in danger. My dear sister, do you understand?”

Not wanting their relationship to fray completely, Gu Ting softened his tone. He kept his hands on her shoulders, explaining with a hint of helplessness, “An opportunity like this is rare. If the He family gains control over the new generation of mechs, they won’t just be our equals—they’ll have the power to suppress us entirely, perhaps even turning the Royal Family into mere figureheads. So, even if this accident hadn’t happened, there would have been another one eventually.”

To put it plainly, their achievements had eclipsed the throne. Currently, aside from the surrounding Zerg, the Vizer Empire faced no major external threats. The influence of military generals was waning, while the civil officials in the Cabinet were at their zenith. Combined with the fact that the military’s vital technology was held by their rivals, the Royal Family had every reason to be wary.

Gu Jin gripped the armrests so hard her knuckles turned white. “Is there no other way?”

“I wish there were, but this path carries the smallest cost and the fastest results. Think about it—if the He family escapes this predicament and their power grows further, they might stage an outright rebellion. Then, it won’t just be the lives of the soldiers on Planet Rota; the entire Vizer Empire would face a massive purge. Consider the consequences.”

Releasing her, Gu Ting sighed and stood by the window with his hands behind his back. “The Xiao, He, and Tao families are now working in lockstep, monopolizing the entire military-industrial sector. The Cabinet is under the He family’s thumb, and they are starting to position themselves against the throne. Gu Jin, you aren’t a child anymore. It’s time to start thinking about the family.”

“The Gu family only has the two of us. If something happens to me, you will be the Emperor. I hope you can recognize your identity and your position.”

Having finished, Gu Ting ignored Gu Jin and activated a light shield to return to his work.

Her mind in a state of chaos, Gu Jin stood and left. She didn’t use her aircraft, instead wandering like a ghost through the streets of the Capital Star. The sky was filled with flying transport vehicles. Under the fluorescent blue glow, buildings and crafts of every color created a scene of prosperity and peace.

The undercurrents of crisis and hidden tides were nowhere to be seen on the surface.

As she wandered, her thoughts drifted from her childhood to the years at Clinie, and finally to the ten years on Planet Rota. She thought of Gu Ting, who used to trick her out of her Star Rubik’s Cube and sneak into the study with her to mess up the Imperial maps, only to blame her afterward. She thought of He Yu, who used to tattle when she couldn’t win an argument, leading to Gu Jin’s corporal punishment. After all these years, who was it that had really changed?

Gu Jin shook her head with a bitter smile, tapping her forehead. It seemed she had been the designated scapegoat since childhood.

“Oh, I’m so jealous! I heard the second miss of the Tao family is marrying Major General He. Heavens, when will I ever find a sweet romance like that?”

The sound of chattering voices pulled Gu Jin back to reality. She realized she had accidentally walked into a commercial street. Groups of girls were buzzing with excitement; apparently, even the interstellar age couldn’t dampen the passion for shopping and gossip.

“That’s not just sweet romance, that’s a golden, glittering romance!” another voice chirped. “Honestly, the number of eligible noble bachelors is shrinking. Look at Second Young Master Xiao and the eldest Tao daughter, or Young Master Tao and Master Hao. Now it’s Young Master He and the second Tao daughter. Even my idol, the Emperor, married the eldest son of the Xiao family! At this rate, there will be no one left to fantasize about.”

“Well, there’s still Young Marshal Gu who just returned to the Capital, right? I heard she’s a top-tier female Alpha, just as good-looking as the others. She has the title of Young Marshal and the actual power of a Marshal. Word is she’s being reassigned here—do you think they’re planning a marriage for her?”

Suddenly hearing herself becoming the subject of gossip, Gu Jin quietly slipped away to a distance.

“Perfect timing, then, since the eldest miss of the He family is also back. They’re a perfect match in status, though I heard they don’t get along. I wonder if it could work.”

“Wow! The Mech Goddess and the Female Marshal in a love-hate rivalry? That’s so hot!”

Gu Jin: “…”

Not wanting to hear any more, she took out her aircraft ring, opened the Royal Channel, and vanished from the busy street in the blink of an eye.

Leaning back in the seat of her aircraft, she pondered the gossip. While it was just idle talk, it wasn’t useless. In the ten years she was gone, the new generation of each family had grown up, and the cycles of political marriage had begun.

She hadn’t paid attention before, but hearing Gu Ting’s explanation put the gossip in a new light. Aside from the Empress, who married Gu Ting to escape the Xiao family, almost all other unions were between those three or four major clans.

But…

After a night of tossing and turning, Gu Jin was just drifting off at dawn when her optical computer pinged. She frowned and opened her eyes, which held none of the grogginess of sleep. It was a message from He Yu.

He Yu: I’ve finished going through the data. I found some problems. Come over.

Looking at the message, Gu Jin, who should have been happy, felt conflicted. On one side was justice; on the other, her family. She was caught in the middle and forced to choose.

Propping up her head, Gu Jin got out of bed, changed into combat gear, and went to her training room. She put on basic protective gear, took off her micro-mech, and began punching the sandbag with raw, venting force.

“Marshal, I heard those brats who go out to collect space junk found a treasure. Everyone rushed to see, and when they opened it—guess what? Hahaha, it was Zerg excrement!”

“Marshal Gu! Look at our spoils! I even found that Star Rubik’s Cube you lost in the Zerg swarm. Haha, it’s just a bit smelly.”

“Of course it’s smelly, it came out of a Zerg’s mouth! But we actually captured two Zerg space carriers this time. They’re a bit trashed, but it’s a win! We’ll have the military factory refit them; they’ll be war monuments!”

“Wow! A real, live Young Marshal Gu! Reporting to the Marshal! Song Qi, age twenty, from Capital Star! Reporting for duty! Marshal, I’m your biggest fan!”

…

The voices and smiles of her former comrades echoed in her ears. With every “Marshal Gu” she heard in her mind, her punches grew heavier. The dull thuds filled the empty training room as the familiar faces flashed before her eyes…

Bang! The ultra-fiber synthetic sandbag burst under the impact. Gu Jin’s hands trembled as she dropped uncontrollably to her knees. Drenched in sweat, she clutched her chest, her face pale, almost blending with the white of her hair.

She let go and lay flat on the floor, her chest heaving as she closed her eyes in pain.

When she opened them again, the agony, hesitation, and struggle were gone. They were replaced by the steely resolve forged by blood and blades on the battlefield—a resolve as sharp and unstoppable as a knife’s edge.

She pushed herself up, flicked her high ponytail, and shut off the high-gravity field that only S-rank bodies could endure. The pressure lifted, and she took a deep breath.

After a shower, she put on casual clothes with a hood. Ignoring her damp hair, she pulled the hood up, launched her aircraft from the roof, and arrived at the He residence in an instant.

Click! The sound of a quantum element gun charging met her. Gu Jin looked at the two soldiers blocking her way and raised an eyebrow. “Do you really think you can stop me?”

“Young Marshal, please don’t make this difficult for us. The Emperor has issued an order: you are not to have any further contact with Miss He. Furthermore, her movements have been completely restricted. Please don’t put us in a tough spot.”

The two soldiers knew their own strength; they could only pray that Gu Jin wouldn’t go “wild” and insist on entering.

She hadn’t expected Gu Ting to be this thorough. Knowing she might not give up, he had simply blocked her path, making it impossible for her to investigate even if she wanted to.

“How could I make things difficult for you? You’re just doing your duty. Fine, keep watch. I’m leaving.” With her hands in her pockets, Gu Jin looked up at He Yu, who was watching from the balcony, and boarded her aircraft.

A moment later, the aircraft vanished. The soldiers breathed a sigh of relief, lowered their weapons, and resumed their posts.

Three seconds later, Gu Jin was standing in He Yu’s bedroom, signaling for her to stay quiet.

He Yu, who had thought Gu Jin really left, turned around and was shocked to find her right behind her.

“How did you get in?” He Yu mouthed. She knew that while only two soldiers were at the gate, the entire house was covered in a transparent energy shield. Without the sentry’s authorization, it was impossible to break through without alerting the entire Guard.

Gu Jin spread her hands and gave a slight, tilted smile. “In this Empire, is there any shield that a ‘Gu Ting’ cannot pass through?”

Huh? He Yu looked at her, confused. She was used to Gu Jin referring to the Emperor by name, but she was curious—Gu Ting could pass, but she was Gu Jin.

Gu Jin refused to explain further. She activated the room’s jamming devices and got straight to the point. “What problems did you find?”

Now that she was inside, He Yu didn’t press for details. She sent the findings from the previous night to Gu Jin’s computer. Fortunately, only her physical freedom was restricted; her optical computer hadn’t been confiscated.

“The design blueprints were my own. Under normal circumstances, there should be no issues, especially since the prototypes didn’t fail. But after comparing the blueprints with the wreckage of the accident mechs, I discovered the problem might lie in the core manufacturing process.”

Since all the mechs had failed, it had to be a systemic issue at the source. It would be impossible to sabotage that many mechs individually after production without being noticed.

“In my original design, while balancing size and lethality, I included several protective settings for the operators. It’s a new type of shielding that separates the mech’s operation from the pilot to ensure their safety. However, in the accident summary, I found that this protective program had been altered.”

They had finally reached the core of the matter. Gu Jin’s face darkened. Altering the protection program?

“You piloted one of those mechs; you must have felt it. The mech had a strong rejection reaction to you. Furthermore, a portion of the damage the mech took was transferred directly to your body. Combined, no one below your ‘freakish’ constitution—even a normal A-rank Alpha—would have lasted more than three seconds.”

He Yu was right. Gu Jin had felt it personally; she knew exactly what that pressure felt like, and it had been far beyond normal levels.

After a long silence, Gu Jin looked at He Yu. “Are you the only one who knows about this new protection program?”

“I developed it myself, but several people knew about it, as it had to be manufactured. However, as for the core technical construction of the program, only I understand it fully. I used a new structural method; otherwise, I doubt I would have found the issue this time.”

Looking at the data and then at the dark circles under He Yu’s eyes, Gu Jin guessed she hadn’t slept either.

“He Yu, do you realize that the entire design and production process for the new mechs is controlled by your family? Have you thought about the impact on the He family if this conclusion is released? Do you still want to use this data and investigate to the very end?” Out of He Yu’s sight, Gu Jin’s hand slowly clenched. They were both facing the same agonizing question.

He Yu froze. She looked at the results she had just calculated. Her mind, which had been immersed in high-speed computations, finally shifted to the complex web of consequences.

She pursed her pale red lips, her brow furrowing. Seeing the same struggle in He Yu’s eyes that she had felt earlier, Gu Jin actually felt a strange, fleeting sense of schadenfreude…

Heh. I shouldn’t be the only one suffering. Might as well have someone to share the burden.

“I believe in my parents. They wouldn’t do something like this. And even though it’s under the He family’s control, not everyone involved is a He. Manufacturing a mech isn’t something one family can do alone.”

After a moment, He Yu’s clear eyes met Gu Jin’s. Her voice was filled with unshakable resolve. “Investigate! It must be investigated to the end! A failure of this magnitude, one that will be written into history, must be accounted for. Even if it turns out to be the He family’s fault, then the family should pay the price!”

Gu Jin stared at the determined He Yu, her expression complex. Her heart felt heavy. She really wanted to ask He Yu: Does Elder He know you’re about to throw your own father and grandfather under the bus? You’re literally planning to destroy your own house.

At that moment, Gu Jin realized that while He Yu was far smarter than her in many ways, she was also incredibly naive in others. Perhaps she had spent so much time focused on mechs that she never bothered to look at the treacherous world of politics and power.

Gu Jin hesitated, wondering if she should explain the risks to her one more time before she made a final decision. He Yu didn’t seem to fully grasp the fallout.

Seeing He Yu looking at her, Gu Jin spoke up. “I’m asking you one more time, He Yu. Have you really thought this through? Once it’s confirmed as a mech issue, not only will the He family take a massive hit, but your parents will also face criminal charges. Your own career in mech research will be over. After an accident like this…”

She trailed off. He Yu looked stunned. She clearly hadn’t considered those consequences. In her “bookworm” brain, she probably thought they would just catch the person responsible, reveal the truth, and punish the culprit.

“Think carefully. Do you really want to give this to me?”

Gu Jin asked her one last time.

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