LOWKEY INTERSTELLER CAPTAIN

A Path in the Shadows

Graduation day had arrived, but for Chen Bo, it was nothing more than a formality. The once-proud heir of a noble family, now reduced to a mere Baron of a desolate land, had no interest in basking in the Empire’s hollow celebrations. He had seen firsthand how quickly fortunes could change—how easily the powerful could be cast aside when they became inconvenient.

As the Academy halls buzzed with excitement, he stood at the periphery, his gaze distant. Xian Ren, adorned in ceremonial uniform, reveled in the attention of high-ranking officials and nobles. Aeliana stood beside him, a vision of elegance, her eyes never straying toward Chen Bo. It was as if he had become a ghost.

But ghosts had their advantages.

He had chosen the path of the unseen, the unnoticed. No longer would he seek the approval of the Empire or vie for positions within its fleets. His path lay elsewhere—in the depths of his fallen family’s legacy, in the secrets buried beneath his ruined territory, and in the power only he could wield.

A Bitter Farewell

As the graduation ceremony concluded, each cadet received their assignments. Some were drafted into prestigious fleets, others into strategic research divisions. When Chen Bo’s name was called, the hall fell silent for a moment, then a few murmurs spread.

“Chen Bo… assigned to independent status. Rank: Baron of the Fallen Territory.”

Xian Ren smirked. Aeliana didn’t even react.

A message from the System flickered in his neural interface.

[System Notification: Empire Records Updated. Status: Low Priority.]

They had officially written him off. No longer a threat. No longer relevant.

Perfect.

Without waiting for the ceremony to fully conclude, he turned on his heel and left. His new journey had already begun.

Returning to the Ashes

The journey to his former land was a bleak one. Once in a thriving province, it had been stripped bare after his family’s fall. What remained were crumbling structures, forgotten relics, and scattered settlements struggling to survive.

His arrival was met with suspicion. The people who once lived under the banner of his family had long abandoned hope. They saw him as nothing more than a remnant of a doomed past.

But Captain Orin and his loyalists stood beside him, their silent presence a declaration.

As night fell, Chen Bo activated a hidden terminal deep within the ruins of his family’s estate. A buried command center flickered to life, revealing old records, lost schematics, and a connection point to something far greater.

[System Notification: Void Sovereign Interface Detected. Awaiting Further Instructions.]

His plan was simple. He would lay low, build his strength in the shadows, and reclaim everything in time. The Empire thought him weak. Xian Ren believed him defeated.

They had no idea.

Chen Bo’s era had just begun.