The Interstellar Guest

In the Name of the People is a science fiction novel by Mao Ni, often categorized within online literature as Eastern fantasy. Serialized on Qidian from April 27, 2009, to September 5, 2011, it spans four volumes and 998 chapters, totaling approximately 3.43 million Chinese characters. Opening with Kant's famous reflection on "the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me," the novel constructs a space opera world where humanity, after a cataclysm, is scattered across multiple star regions: the three major zones of Donglin, Shanglin, and Xilin belong to the Federation, facing the Empire, with the Bermuda Star Region in between.

The protagonist, Xu Le, is an orphan from a half-abandoned mining star in the Donglin zone, extraordinarily gifted in mechanics and mecha repair, whose simple creed is "mistakes demand punishment." Drawn into the manhunt for his mentor Feng Yu, he assumes a new identity to study and work in Shanglin, where he befriends Zhong Yanhua, the young daughter of a warlord; Shi Qinghai, an unconventional agent; Tai Zhiyuan, a descendant of a former dynasty; and parts ways with Zhang Xiaomeng, a woman driven by revolutionary ideals. Rising from menial labor into the military, he repeatedly confronts the clash between "the big picture" and "the little man" on battlefields woven from mechas and starships, and during a deep operation into the Empire, he discovers his hidden origins. Ultimately, he exposes the forces behind the scenes and brokers peace between the Federation and the Empire.

Renowned for its tightly woven ensemble structure and abundant clashes of ideology, the work is regarded by many critics as one of the sharpest long-form discussions in online literature of justice, sacrifice, and cost. It won the Silver Award at the inaugural West Lake Type Literature Biennial Prize in 2013, and in 2018 topped the list of "20 Works of 20 Years of Chinese Online Literature."