Chapter 389 – ABO: The Heaven-Sent Sweetheart – Burn It Down (13)
Causing the death of the former Grand Marshal was no small matter. Even though he tried his best to suppress the incident, Jacob’s relentless publicity made the scandal spread nonstop across the internet, and some so-called “concerned netizens” even produced evidence.
Why hadn’t this evidence been released years ago, and only now? Because back then, the Grand Marshal had high status and great power, while those “concerned netizens” were too weak to oppose him. They could only bide their time.
The Grand Marshal was overwhelmed—pressured by the public demanding an explanation while also needing to stay alert against the Empire’s looming invasion.
Meanwhile, the “concerned netizen” Jacob was sitting on a distant pirate planet, holding his beloved teenage boy in his arms and feeding him fruit.
“Tang Tang, open your mouth.”
“Ah—”
The two fed each other sweetly, so sugary that the pirates around them—who had all turned into jealous lemon spirits—felt their teeth ache.
So he found a partner, and suddenly the boss’s entire style changed. Where did the decisive, domineering, cold-blooded alpha from before go?!
“Some things can’t be obtained just because we envy them,” Warren said as he followed the two back. He had eaten dog food all the way here, eaten so much he was numb to it. At this point, he didn’t feel sour at all.
A strong heart is trained over time, but the pirates were still too young, too inexperienced.
Very irresponsibly, Warren thought: they need to see more, learn more.
As the timing grew ripe, the Grand Marshal, pressured by public opinion, had no choice but to hold a press conference.
Facing numerous reporters’ questions, the Grand Marshal remained calm and asked everyone to quiet down.
Tears streamed down his face as he recounted the past—how he fought against the Empire, how his son was killed, and how his wife, unable to bear the blow, jumped to her death.
“I am deeply sorry. As a subordinate, I failed to protect my superior during the retreat. As a father, I failed to protect my child. As a husband, I failed to prevent the tragedy. By the time I took the position of Grand Marshal, I had already lost everything. If I could… I would trade all of this for the return of my superior, my wife, my child…”
In the interstellar era of the future, the birth rate was extremely low, and pregnancy was difficult. Instinctively, almost everyone would protect children, whether they were their own or not.
The reporters fell silent. Children were the softest part of their hearts. Faced with a grieving father, they couldn’t bring themselves to speak words of accusation.
Though the Grand Marshal kept his head lowered, covering his face in sorrow, he still spared some attention to observe the reporters below.
Seeing their silence, he secretly curled his lips. A bunch of fools.
Just as the Grand Marshal seemed ready to manipulate public sympathy and slip through the crisis—
Suddenly, a small spaceship streaked across the sky, scattering countless sheets of paper down like snow.
The bystanders picked up the papers. When they took a serious look, they found detailed records of how the Grand Marshal and Sam had framed the former Grand Marshal back then, how they used his nine-year-old son to divert suspicion from themselves, as well as transcripts of their conversations. There was even a document personally signed by the Grand Marshal, ordering the protection detail guarding the former Grand Marshal to be reassigned. This led to the former Grand Marshal being abducted by an Imperial spy—along with his young son—and both perishing together in an explosion.
Even a tiger doesn’t eat its own cubs. The Grand Marshal’s ambition for power was one thing, but to harm even a nine-year-old child—utterly despicable.
As they read each piece of evidence, the public grew increasingly horrified.
For them to have survived peacefully all these years… they had to admit it was pure luck.
Naturally, the one capable of digging up so much dirt on the Grand Marshal was none other than their classmate, Qiu’er.
With the points Bai Tang exchanged, the Grand Marshal’s entire life became crystal clear—down to what he had eaten for lunch on this very day ten years ago.
Watching the public’s reaction from the main battleship, Jacob couldn’t help but smile.
“At critical moments, I really can only rely on my Tang Tang.” Jacob knew Bai Tang had secrets, but he didn’t mind. Everyone had their secrets. He didn’t want to force Tang Tang to explain—so long as Tang Tang stayed by his side, that was enough.
“Of course. If you ever want to investigate anyone in the future, just tell me. I’ll get you all the intel you want.” Bai Tang patted his small chest with a proud “Leave it all to me” expression. His confidence and cuteness made Jacob adore him even more.
The alpha pressed a kiss onto the boy’s soft, fair cheek. “I’ll be counting on Tang Tang from now on.”
The pirates behind them: Here we go, here we go again…
The Imperial spies hidden within the Alliance saw that the Grand Marshal had lost the people’s support. Seizing the perfect opportunity, they notified the Imperial general and shut down the Alliance’s military defense shield.
Imperial warships launched a massive offensive, firing laser artillery from above the Interstellar Alliance.
Without the defense shield, the ground was blasted open by powerful laser strikes. Civilians walking on the streets screamed and ran, but the next second, a falling beam of laser fire struck them, swallowing them instantly in blinding light.
The sudden catastrophe stunned everyone. The reporters could no longer care about interviewing the Grand Marshal—they grabbed their equipment and fled for their lives.
Buildings collapsed. Artillery fire roared endlessly. Corpses littered the ground… countless people fell, and the smoke of war spread, staining the sky a heavy gray.
“Boss, they’re fighting! They’ve really started fighting!” Sou, who had been avoiding watching the couple and instead staring at the monitor, saw the Alliance’s devastation and couldn’t help clicking his tongue.
The scene was too shocking, leaving him unable to recover for a long time.
Those who were still alive lay on the ground with mangled bodies, unwilling to die. They crawled forward, leaving trails of vivid red behind them.
Qiu’er ran over and covered Bai Tang’s eyes with his paws.
“Don’t look, Tang Tang. It’s terrifying. You’ll have nightmares.”
Tang Tang was still the same timid Tang Tang—but he didn’t like the feeling of being kept in the dark.
He pulled Qiu’er’s paw away and said, “It’s okay. I’m not afraid.”
To like someone meant standing side by side with them in battle.
Looking at the screen filled with broken, mutilated people, Tang Tang’s stomach churned violently. His expression didn’t look very good, but when he met the worried gazes of Qiu’er and Xiao A, he forcibly endured it. “Qiu’er, I’m fine. Look—I’m okay right now, aren’t I?”
“Does Abu have a plan right now?”
Jacob took Bai Tang to the guest room. There was clearly a plan he didn’t want Bai Tang to know about, afraid he would worry. Since Bai Tang couldn’t get any information from Jacob, he could only ask the system instead.
“The Imperial general took the initiative and launched an attack without even issuing a formal declaration of war, directly leading Imperial forces against the Interstellar Alliance. The male lead has already led the pirates to stop them,” Xiao A said.
In fact, Jacob’s intentions were easy enough to guess. He despised the Grand Marshal, but he had no intention of venting his anger on innocent civilians. The Empire had acted without honor, launching an unprovoked attack with no justifiable reason—already violating the war treaties agreed upon by the various nations and alliances. What Jacob needed to do now was to save as many innocent civilians as possible.
“It really is worthy of the male lead—someone who carries the fate of the world in his heart.” At this moment, even Qiu’er couldn’t help but praise Jacob.
“Then is there anything I can do to help Abu?” Bai Tang asked. He also wanted to do his part for the innocent civilians.
Qiu’er scratched his head. Tang Tang’s heart was in the right place, but in this world, Tang Tang was a low-combat-power omega. When it came to fighting a war, there really wasn’t anything suitable for Bai Tang to do.
“The best help the host can give is to stay safely on the ship and wait for the male lead to return,” Xiao A said. “Only when the host is safe and happy can the male lead fight without worries.”
Xiao A’s words were equivalent to saying nothing at all. The most awkward thing was when the air suddenly fell silent.
After several minutes of silence, the ship suddenly shook violently. Bai Tang failed to steady himself and fell toward a nearby cushion.
Sou, who had been left behind to guard the ship, came rushing over and knocked urgently on the door.
“Bai Tang! Bai Tang—!”
Bai Tang stood up and ran to open the door. Sou’s face was filled with panic. He grabbed Bai Tang and tried to drag him toward the escape pods.
“Sou, what’s going on?” Bai Tang stumbled as he was pulled. He shook Sou off, irritation flaring—he was rarely treated so roughly. “Don’t tell me the ship is about to explode?”
Sou stopped, opened the rear hatch where the escape pods were stored, and said, “You guessed it right. The ship is going to explode.”
As if to confirm Bai Tang’s words, the moment Sou finished speaking, the ship shook again, accompanied by the sound of rupturing pipelines.
Something had gone wrong inside the ship. When one section failed, it would trigger failures elsewhere. Judging from the noise, the explosion was only a matter of time.
Bai Tang froze for a moment, then suddenly turned around. As he ran back, he shouted, “Is there anyone who hasn’t left yet? If we’re going, we go together—!”
Bai Tang was Jacob’s treasure, and the pirates all knew it. Those who stayed behind naturally prioritized Bai Tang, insisting Sou take him and leave first. The rest stayed behind to attempt emergency repairs—if they could fix it, all the better. If not, they could still enter the escape pods at the last moment before the explosion.
But Bai Tang didn’t think that way. When he rushed back to the control room, the pirates were already preparing to evacuate.
They had been well hidden, yet they were still discovered by the Empire. After Jacob left the ship, the enemy had sabotaged it from the rear without anyone noticing. The fuel transport pipelines had been destroyed. No matter how hard they tried, repairs were impossible.
“Why are you still here? Sou, didn’t I tell you to take Bai Tang and leave first?” the bearded pirate shouted gruffly.
The ship continued to shake, the sounds of explosions becoming more frequent and closer.
“Everyone, leave now! We can’t stay here!” Bai Tang shouted.
This wasn’t the time to argue or assign blame. The pirates rushed toward the escape pods, entering them one after another. Just as Sou was about to fasten Bai Tang’s safety belt, Bai Tang suddenly stood up and, with a swift motion, pushed Sou into the seat he had been sitting in.
There was no time left. If Sou secured Bai Tang first, he wouldn’t have time to enter the adjacent escape pod himself.
Amid Sou’s stunned gaze, Bai Tang closed the escape pod door and pressed the launch button.
At the same moment, the ship finally exploded. The massive vessel was engulfed in raging flames.
Inside the escape pod, Sou shouted Bai Tang’s name again and again, but his small voice was swallowed by the blazing firelight. One after another, the small escape pods sped toward the nearby Interstellar Alliance.