Heart Soldier

Heart Soldier is a science-fiction interstellar mecha novel by the web author Landi Meichen. It was first serialized in September 2015 on the "Impossible World" platform, runs to 508 chapters and roughly 1.61 million characters, was completed in May 2016, and belongs to the author's "Chaos Era" body of works. The story takes place in an alternate universe where multiple empires contend and the mercenary trade flourishes. The protagonist, Wang Qi, comes from Lone Mercenary Village in the neutral Jiajia Star System and studies at the local mercenary academy. He firmly believes that "life is the process of pursuing the future to which one's heart is drawn"; he gives up comfortable paths such as joining the imperial guard and chooses to roam the stars as a mercenary. During his graduation internship he is drawn into strife between empires, his home star system falls into the chaos of war, and he escapes by wit and courage. On the way he rescues a tiny human girl, Xiaoxiao, and meets Tata, a little girl adrift and helpless; he takes on the unpaid task of rescuing her parents, and thereafter gradually gathers companions and forms the mercenary corps "Home of the Heart." As a mercenary, Wang Qi accepts the mission of protecting the holy maiden princess of the Bia Empire and comes under attack from the Destruction Empire, whose governing philosophy is militarization; he can only lead his team to escort the princess from star system to star system, breaking through along the way, meeting more and more companions, and gradually drawing closer to clues about his own origins. The work's core premise, "heart-soldier power," emphasizes the equality of talent and effort and covers both active and passive skills such as resistance to negative energy and illusion; the narrative uses a relatively light touch to write about paranormal combat, interstellar political maneuvering, and character bonds, conveying values of pursuing freedom and belief.