Currently, the lost sectors of the Human Union’s star territory accounted for approximately one-fifth of its original range, all of which were located in outer space without exception.
The Union’s contraction tactics were effective. While they resulted in the destruction of tens of billions of human lives and habitats, they successfully preserved the lives of those remaining, allowing them the possibility of a "future."
Meanwhile, propaganda regarding war and death had finished circulating across the Union’s Star Net.
People being killed, planets being annihilated, space stations exploding into unquenchable fireballs in the void... segments of footage taken from real battlefields began to shift the overall atmosphere of the Human Union.
As the populace became more grief-stricken, martial-minded, and centripetal, a large number of military academy graduates who had transitioned to civilian life after service were recalled to the military. They were currently preparing to reenlist amidst the reorganization and rectification of various legions.
Simultaneously, the volume of discussion regarding the "Sun Star" on the Star Net increased geometrically. Over a month ago, the man-made disaster that occurred on the Capital Planet had been given a rational explanation by the Parliament.
To gain the public's trust, the Parliament even displayed some of the sample instruments and non-essential information Lei Ting had recovered at the time. They packaged Lei Ting into a cold, hardened figure who did everything solely for the people's benefit—and while he truly was such a person, neither the public before the propaganda nor the majority of the Parliament actually believed it.
As for Lei Ting himself and his fleet—
Including the newly added units, there were currently one thousand two hundred unmanned fleets, totaling one hundred and forty thousand ships of various sizes cruising the stars. They existed in the form of floating cannons, stripped of cockpits and manual operating systems, serving Lei Ting from afar on the Capital Planet.
Their specific service involved monitoring the status of every planet within the contracted borders of the Human Union, with priority given to various hub planets, and stationing portions of the force in the interplanetary space surrounding problematic worlds.
Monitoring the stars without the aid of AI... it sounded like an exaggeration, but this was the level of capability he ought to possess after his healthy growth.
Furthermore, he actually held even more firepower in reserve; deploying this much was simply sufficient for the time being.
In the temporarily vacant Parliamentary Hall, Lei Ting sat upright and opened his eyes.
Beneath the steel mask—which had been heavily modified to completely eliminate eyepieces, relying instead on micro-cameras for visual transmission—the darkness was illuminated by his gaze.
Amidst a vast golden glow, he silently rose and returned to the living room of "Waterdrop Garden 2202," watching the semi-automated medical maintenance system that had begun operating throughout the house.
A moment later, he confirmed that there was no damage to the entire system, which extended dozens of meters deep underground.
Then, he entered the master bedroom.
This room had been converted into a complete physiological maintenance and regulation pod. Lei Ting had personally understood the principles of every component, assembled them onto the machines, and controlled every detail.
Even if he himself felt "off" lately... the mechanical creations and craftsmanship from his hands were absolutely stable and reliable.
At this moment, Evenheiler was lying on the bed, enclosed within a faceted cylindrical isolation shield about six meters in diameter.
Through that curtain of light, which carried a subtle repulsive force, Lei Ting watched him quietly.
Handsome, mature, weary... fine lines by his eyes were decorations of time, the downturned corners of his mouth were honed by the past, and those sharp-lined golden brows, even in peaceful sleep, still branded his delicate skin with traces of bitter, profound distress.
*He looks quite good,* Lei Ting thought.
A human life is a series of cycles that occasionally intertwine, but he did not believe in that "occasionally." He insisted on making it "always."
Now, he watched the other man through the isolation screen and camera from inches away, just as Evenheiler had once watched him in the medical bay of the *Sun* all those years ago.
A moment later, he stepped inside, walking over soundlessly to sit by the bedside.
Almost instantly, Evenheiler bolted upright from the bed, throwing off the thin blanket. He tore away the sensor leads connected to his arm and lunged for Lei Ting’s neck!
But even though those fingers, scattered with starlight, moved like lightning, they were easily blocked by the gold-lit armor covering the neck.
Then, with a *thud*, he collapsed back into the mattress, bouncing weakly twice.
Lei Ting, who had watched him the entire time, did not move his head, but his gaze behind the lenses traced a zigzagging line up and down in mid-air. For a moment, he almost wanted to laugh.
Then, he actually let out a single laugh. Just one.
"..." Evenheiler, having lost the initiative, remained silent.
*Tsk. High-defense unit.*
"You’re very energetic, Even," Lei Ting said. He had returned to that composed, unhurried manner he had maintained for over a month.
From that day forward, Evenheiler had never again seen him show any fluctuation in emotion.
"Lie down," he said, casually repairing the torn sensor leads. Holding the adhesive patches at the ends, he waved them like a bouquet of flowers. "For your health."
"And what about my mental health?" Evenheiler had lost control over his own body. He could only grit his teeth as he was straightened out by Lei Ting, staring fixedly at the force field generator on the ceiling. "Even my link to 'Stellar Stream' has been severed... how much longer are you going to keep me locked up?"
"If you cannot endure a mere month of solitude, I can only conclude that you are weaker than I imagined," Lei Ting said.
"And so?"
"And so, I will protect you with even greater intensity."
"You are simply imprisoning me."
Evenheiler coldly tore away the hypocrisy of the Human Union’s Acting Speaker. This month had made him fully realize the fact that while this man still had feelings for him, he was beyond saving. "Just as the Union imprisons every enemy that doesn't need to die right now," he said.
"You indeed do not need to die now. In my plan for your life, you will have a long future." As Lei Ting spoke, he calmly covered him with the blanket and casually stroked his shimmering golden hair. "Your hair has grown a bit. Do you need me to help you trim it?"
"..."
A sudden wave of powerlessness surged in Evenheiler’s heart. *Damn it.* To prevent him from committing suicide, Lei Ting had even attached that power of "Immovability" to his body long-term. Without approval, it was difficult for the medical system to perform invasive treatments like injections, let alone a haircut...
What terrifying energy recovery and maintenance capacity. What horrific data calculation and control ability.
With these two things, combined with this guy’s off-the-charts learning ability, the result was... when he was controlled into lying obediently in the covers just now, the movements were so natural that no one could find a flaw.
This performance was worlds apart from a month ago.
In fact, just two days after that day, when Lei Ting personally came to modify this semi-automated medical maintenance system that occupied an entire building, this level of control had already risen to such an unsurpassable degree.
*GM, someone is hacking in Galaxy OL!*
Evenheiler mustered all his strength and lightly punched the bedding.
Lei Ting laughed again. He found Evenheiler quite cute like this—so cute that his mind began to wander involuntarily, yearning for a normal life and long voyages with the other man.
Nowadays, he only let his thoughts wander this much regarding this person. Of course, even this small space for fantasy was gradually compressed into the span of a single breath as he gathered more information from various sources and remembered more of his "past life."
As for Evenheiler... he seemed stung by that laugh.
"Lei Ting," he stared at the steel eye mask and suddenly asked, "how long has it been since you’ve had a real laugh?"
"..." Lei Ting paused.
"I wanted to say it that day—that laugh of yours is incredibly fake," Evenheiler sneered. "Fake and hypocritical. If the old you was a lion, the current you is a wolf. You seem to have gained more help, but you’ve actually lost your greatest strength."
"Perhaps." Lei Ting did not want to discuss this topic further; some things were destined to be understood only by himself. "I came here to ask if you have any needs."
"The great 'Sun Star' of the Federation has given me the best living and medical conditions. What needs could I possibly have?"
Evenheiler’s smile grew colder. He looked away, staring at the core of the force field generator, continuing the escape plan calculations that never stopped in his mind. "Bringing this up suddenly... it seems you’re preparing to leave here for a while.
"An expedition? Or negotiations?"
Lei Ting did not answer his question, only saying, "Yes. But you know, I will still maintain my focus on this place."
"You cannot stay awake and rational forever," Evenheiler said coldly. "As long as there is a single moment where you stop the total lockdown of this place..."
"Yes, you would leave me completely," Lei Ting said. "But Even, I can make it so you never know when I lose my wakeful rationality. Believe me, I can do it."
*Ah, yes.* Evenheiler thought.
*How could Lei Ting not do it? He is such a powerful person... a powerhouse so strong that I once envied and looked up to him.*
*If the me of back then had this kind of power...*
...Forget it. There was no need to harbor sorrow for the impossible.
Perhaps feeling a sliver of relief at the fact that "Lei Ting is about to leave this planet," Evenheiler’s brow relaxed slightly.
After a moment, he said, "A need... I have one."
"Hmm?" Lei Ting watched him, uttering a short questioning sound.
Evenheiler turned his head, his brow twitching as he revealed a look of pure malice.
"Fuck me," he said. "And then, sleep here."
"..."
Lei Ting almost thought he had misheard. He tilted his head in a bit of a daze. "...Eh?"
Simultaneously, Evenheiler, whose restrictions had only recently been lifted, suddenly lunged upward. He slammed into Lei Ting’s chest, his body clad in a cream-white medical suit using all its strength to pin the armored Lei Ting onto the bed.
At the same time, he knelt heavily on the mattress, only to have his knees caught by Lei Ting’s reflexively extended hands, lowering him gently.
"I said... Mr. 'Sun Star'."
The elegant, blonde older man straddled the abdominal armor of the young Speaker, General, and warrior. His hands pressed against Lei Ting’s pauldrons as he gave him a frigid smile.
At this moment, the former strongest esper of the Human Union, one of the galaxy’s former top powerhouses, practically had it written on his face that he intended to seduce the current Acting Speaker—to make this man, who had begun to stray but remained as hard as iron, abandon his principles for him.
Both of them knew that if he truly did as requested, Lei Ting’s feelings aside—the mere act of "sleeping," even for just a few breaths, would be enough for Evenheiler to completely escape his control.
And if he didn't... heaven knew what this man, who understood both the Human Union and Lei Ting so deeply, would do.
Lei Ting pursed his lips, his mouth tightening into a straight line.
But the mature, beautiful man atop him wore a victorious smile.
"Fuck me. Right now."
Evenheiler pulled open his loose medical suit as he leaned down, staring at the eye mask from inches away.
His eyes were sharp and flashing, as if he could see a pair of pitch-black eyes right through it.
"And then, we’ll register our marriage," he said.
***
