Picking Up An Alpha On Garbage Star - Chapter 81

Upon returning to Anmo Star, Pei An found that the pain and resentment he had accumulated on this planet had been worn away by the passage of time.

 

Perhaps this was also related to his experiences, after all, he had been the head of the Lyte Republic for twenty years.

 

Twenty years after his last visit to Anmo Star, Pei An was not just revisiting old places.

 

After the rebels declared their surrender, many war criminals were imprisoned for reformation. Each prison was different, but every prisoner had to follow the same routine, including drills, labor, studying the laws of the Lyte Republic, and attending various cultural classes.

 

During the twenty years of reformation, some of the prisoners, initially stubborn, often clashed with the prison guards and wardens. Some even tried to provoke the prison guards due to their fighting skills. However, each prison’s warden, like Ye Xiuzhe, was a skilled former military officer, so every attempt to challenge the prison’s authority was eventually suppressed by the warden.

 

Despite this, some prisoners, increasingly stubborn, continued to find ways to oppose the prison, hoping to gain freedom through disturbances.

 

They wanted to live.

 

Yes, even knowing they had committed countless murders and heinous crimes, these war criminals did not want to die. With human lifespans being so long, who would wish to die after just a few short decades? Everyone desires a natural end.

 

Regardless of the prisoners’ antics, the Lyte Republic did not execute them. The prisons simply continued to make them write confessions, with no hint of their fate—whether they would face a firing squad or be hanged remained unknown.

 

Pei An was bemused when he learned that some prisoners believed they would be hanged. He remarked to Xie Yu, “Why do they think we would use an ancient Earth method to execute them? Are we reviewing history?”

 

Xie Yu pondered and replied, “Perhaps it’s because they were space pirates for a while, and in ancient Earth times, pirates were often hanged.”

 

Pei An: “.” Valid point, hard to refute.

 

But it still seemed absurd.

 

Nevertheless, whether these prisoners speculated or not, a year passed, then two years, five years, ten years—still no execution orders were issued by the Lyte Republic.

 

Over this long period, the prisoners were gradually reformed. Those who had realized their mistakes earlier became active in encouraging other prisoners to write confessions, including the one who had issued the order to deploy biochemical weapons on Anmo Star and had apologized to Pei An in person.

 

The state’s reformation efforts were highly effective. After twenty years, in all prisons nationwide, tens of thousands of prisoners had written confessions and were willing to face court trials.

 

They all expressed that, regardless of how the Lyte Republic decided to handle them, they had no regrets. They deeply regretted everything they had done.

 

After the prisoners wrote their confessions, the state began to arrange their court appearances. Surprisingly, they even had lawyers provided by the Lyte Republic.

 

No prisoner understood why the Lyte Republic would do this, especially the high-ranking rebels who knew their crimes were grave. Even if they were dragged out and whipped after death, they were surprised to have lawyers.

 

Pei An went to Anmo Star to observe the trials of the prisoners who had been reformed there. For twenty years, their daily task was to clean up the polluted Anmo Star. It took a full twenty years to thoroughly clean the planet, but its ecological environment still wasn’t suitable for human habitation. Apart from routine maintenance and cleaning personnel, only a few hotels were operating on Anmo Star.

 

Anmo Star was a crucial patriotic education base for the Lyte Republic. Nearby planets would organize student visits to Anmo Star, and a historical museum was built alongside it.

 

Additionally, Star World launched a tourism project featuring Anmo Star, among other similar projects. These projects were free on Star World; anyone willing to spend time visiting and learning about the history of war and peace could do so, even customers who didn’t have a holographic pod at home could visit the store and not spend any money.

 

During the war years, not all star systems were directly involved in the conflict, so many people couldn’t know how brutal the war was. Independent forces often reported only good news, avoiding pressuring the public. Thus, with advanced technology today, people could appreciate how hard-won peace was.

 

Back to the main point, Pei An went to Anmo Star to observe the trials of the prisoners but did not attend as the head of state. He obtained a chip from Li Chengrui to disguise himself and Xie Yu, and they took seats in the jury to witness the trials.

 

The official media of the Lyte Republic had set up cameras to record the entire trial process. The details of how the prisoners were tried would be carefully documented and preserved in the nation’s memory.

 

All personnel in the courtroom stood, and Pei An and Xie Yu stood with the crowd. The prisoners stood in the defendant’s stand, heads bowed, waiting for their fate.

 

The presiding judge, in formal attire, solemnly announced, “The Special Military Tribunal of the Supreme Court of the Lyte Republic is now in session to try the war criminals.”

 

Although the prisoners had already written their confessions, during the trial, citizens who had been harmed would testify about the crimes committed. These crimes had been meticulously compiled over twenty years by Lyte Republic officials, with only a few details missing.

 

The judge presented the list of prisoners to be tried today: “Now verifying the names of the defendants.”

 

“Wen Kun.”

 

“Present.”

 

“Boli.”

 

“Here.”

 

“Milton Tang.”

 

“Here.”

 

“ Duncan.”

 

“Here.”

 

“Ishikawa Saori.”

 

“Here.”

 

“Anthony.”

 

“Here.”

 

The judge called out the names of the high-ranking rebel leaders, who were among the first to be tried.

 

“Defendant names have been verified. Please take your seats.”

 

The crowded courtroom settled down.

 

Next came the individual questioning.

 

“Bring in the defendant, Wen Kun.”

 

……

 

“Bring in the defendant, Anthony.”

 

“Defendant Anthony, do you have any objections to the charges listed in the indictment?”

 

“No objections.”

 

“Defendant Anthony, do you need a lawyer to represent you?”

 

“Judge, I do not.”

 

……

 

The crimes of each war criminal were laid bare before everyone. There was no doubt that the Lyte Republic had not wrongfully accused any of the war criminals or added extra charges.

 

“Defendant Wen Kun, the charges are upheld. You are sentenced to sixty years in prison, starting from the date of your arrest. With the twenty years already served, you have forty years remaining.”

 

“Defendant Boli, the charges are upheld. You are sentenced to sixty years in prison, starting from the date of your arrest. With the twenty years already served, you have forty years remaining.”

 

“Defendant Milton Tang, the charges are upheld. You are sentenced to sixty years in prison, starting from the date of your arrest. With the twenty years already served, you have forty years remaining.”

 

……

 

“Defendant Anthony, the charges are upheld. You are sentenced to sixty years in prison, starting from the date of your arrest. With the twenty years already served, you have forty years remaining.”

 

The seven high-ranking war criminals being tried today all showed astonished expressions.

 

The Lyte Republic had not sentenced them to death or even to life imprisonment. With a sentence of sixty years and the twenty years already served, they would only need to spend forty more years in prison before regaining their freedom.

 

“Thank you… thank you…” Boli was the first to kneel down, crying profusely.

 

The Lyte Republic had not sentenced them to death!

 

Xie Yu tightly gripped Pei An’s hand. Pei An turned to Xie Yu, smiled, and silently mouthed: I’m fine.

 

For a head of state, reforming these war criminals and giving them a chance was beneficial for the country. When these war criminals eventually left prison, they would become advocates for peace and dedicate their lives to atonement—a long-term strategy.

 

However, for an ordinary omega, releasing the person who had killed his only biological child was a heavy burden. As the head of state, he had the power to have that person secretly executed, but he chose not to.

 

The trial lasted a long time, from morning until after lunchtime.

 

Lunch was hosted by Ye Xiuzhe. While others were unaware of the presence of two national leaders in the jury, Ye Xiuzhe knew.

 

Ye Xiuzhe had been on Anmo Star for twenty years. Over this time, he had hardly changed, still appearing innocent and harmless. However, the war criminals who had suffered under his authority knew that Ye Xiuzhe was indeed not to be trifled with.

 

The prison had not changed much over the past twenty years, so Ye Xiuzhe could only take Pei An and Xie Yu to the cafeteria.

 

Unexpectedly, Pei An ran into Boli at the cafeteria.

 

It was Boli who called out to him, “Mr. Pei.”

 

Pei An turned in surprise. He had disguised his appearance using the chip provided by Li Chengrui. How did Boli recognize him?

 

Perhaps sensing Pei An’s confusion, Boli explained, “You were here before. I remember your build.”

 

Since Boli felt deep guilt towards Pei An, he remembered him clearly.

 

He had expected to be sentenced to death during his trial, but instead, he was given a prison sentence.

 

Honestly, Boli did not understand this. He had once asked Pei An if he didn’t want to kill him. Pei An had advised him to comply with prison rules and seek a reduction in his sentence, but the crimes Boli committed seemed severe enough to warrant a death sentence.

 

Yet today, no one was sentenced to death in the judgment.

 

Boli found it hard to describe his feelings.

 

“Serve your sentence well and live a good life after you are released,” Pei An said, no longer displaying the emotional outbursts he once did. He smiled at Boli in a way that was beyond anyone’s comprehension. “I hope you can do good for this country once you are out.”

 

Boli was moved and said, “I promise I will!”

 

Pei An said no more and left with Xie Yu.

 

The prisoners who were tried earlier received longer sentences, while those tried later received shorter ones. The shortest sentence required only ten more years in prison.

 

Pei An and Xie Yu had a busy schedule and did not stay long on Anmo Star. They had many tasks to complete.

 

As a national leader, Pei An was quite busy. The country was vast, and inspecting distant star systems could take months. Now that there was no war, Xie Yu, the Marshal of the country, had a much easier job and accompanied Pei An around the country. After all, if Xie Yu were to be separated from his omega for several months, he would be very unhappy.

 

Time had added a few faint wrinkles to Pei An’s face, but compared to his overall brilliance, these wrinkles were insignificant. Besides, Xie Yu was always by his side, flattering his looks.

 

Xie Yu had hidden much of his true nature while leading troops in battle. Now that the fighting was over, he had let his previously hidden childishness emerge. Pei An noticed that Xie Yu’s behavior and that of his son, Xie Rao, were very similar, proving the saying, “like father, like son,” true.

 

No one reminded Pei An that he was aging. Even Pei An himself did not realize he was no longer young until much later.

 

One day, when he wasn’t busy, Pei An was browsing the star network and saw a trending topic related to the former rebel war criminals. Curious about what had happened, he clicked on it.

 

Ah, Boli.

 

After serving his sentence, Boli did not leave Anmo Star but stayed on and applied for a job as a guide at the history museum and memorial.

 

He became the most unique guide ever. Importantly, Boli did not hide his war criminal identity. Initially, he faced hostility from the public and even the local officials suggested he change positions, but Boli refused. He insisted on staying in the role for ten years.

 

He inadvertently became a unique internet celebrity.

 

Pei An: “.” Well, that’s impressive.

 

The trending topic revealed that there was a special section in the electronic guide for Anmo Star on the star network, featuring recordings by Boli. Schools even used his recordings to introduce students to Anmo Star, and they could book live explanations and interactions with Boli.

 

Pei An, who had initially wanted to develop tourism projects to benefit the public and increase financial revenue, never expected such a feature to be developed on the star network.

 

But it was indeed a good thing.

 

Many people like Boli were spending their remaining lives repenting for their crimes.

 

War was over, and peace was to be hoped for.

 

Pei An visited many star systems after taking office. The Moran Star System was his final stop, the most remote star system in the Lyte Republic.

 

The remote star systems of the past had changed significantly. This place was where Pei An had left; it was not an ordinary star system. Pei An returned here, reminiscing about the past with Xie Yu while conducting official business.

 

Due to urban upgrades, the house Pei An had in DS009 was demolished. The place where they once shared warmth was now a beautiful residential area with complete facilities, including schools and supermarkets.

 

DS009 had changed so much that Pei An, returning after seventy years, could no longer recognize it. The city’s scale had increased greatly, but the base of the Star Organization from back then was preserved and had become a tourist attraction.

 

Pei An never imagined that the base intended for rebellion would become a popular tourist destination.

 

The Moran Star System had changed drastically. Yi Rui had managed the system well. It was no longer the dreaded remote star but had become as prosperous and thriving as other star systems.

 

The population of DS009, a small asteroid with a population of seven digits, had now grown to eight digits.

 

While the planet had changed greatly, the universe had changed little.

 

On the spaceship, Pei An and Xie Yu looked out at the twinkling stars, as if it were yesterday.

 

“Xie Yu, it’s been over seventy years,” Pei An couldn’t help but reflect. “Seventy years seem to pass in the blink of an eye.”

 

Xie Yu embraced Pei An from behind, their posture affectionate. Since there were no outsiders, they could be close to each other without formalities, whether as leaders or lovers.

 

“Yes, over seventy years,” they had been in love for more than seventy years.

 

From a path once shrouded in darkness to one now full of light, they had traveled a long journey.

 

Human life is brief, and the landscapes one encounters are few. Time flows and changes constantly, and no one can keep up with it.

 

Yet, amidst endless changes, there are always things that remain eternal.

 

History leaves traces, and the universe silently remembers.

 

“Xie Yu, even if we live for another seventy or eighty years, I will still be the same as every day in the past,” Pei An turned his face to kiss Xie Yu’s chin.

 

“Just as I have been every day, loving you.”

 

In this quiet moment, the heartbeat echoed with great strength.

 

The mature yet equally childish Marshal said to his companion of half a lifetime, “I love you too.”

 

The stars seemed to peer into the window.

 

**Author’s Note:**

 

Awakened in a dying state, here is the final chapter. 

 

Struggling with illness, the extras will be posted later.