Stars See Me [Interstellar] | Chapter 1 | The Villain's Awakening | Novela.app

“Lei Ting? Lei Ting? Hey! Get your things ready, we’re moving!!” A voice was calling him. *Lei Ting,* he thought. “Lei Ting? Lei Ting??” “Are you calling Lei Ting? What’s with him… Good grief, that’s incredible. Don’t tell me this guy has already entered his Awakening Period… Is it really happening this fast?” *Awakening Period? What’s that?* Lei Ting’s brow furrowed slightly as he tried to open his eyes, but to no avail. A heavy sense of lethargy pinned him down like sleep paralysis, leaving him unable to move even though his mind was clear and he knew perfectly well he was sitting in a cushioned chair. “Lei Ting?? Are you okay? It’s almost time for the transfer…” *I know. Thank you very much,* Lei Ting thought. *But I really can’t open my eyes…* Moreover, for some reason, he felt his thoughts were in disarray. Unfamiliar images and sounds repeatedly surged from the depths of his memory. An ancient city, unfamiliar faces, a gentle voice calling him to dinner… but the dining table was made of wood, set with old ceramic plates and what looked like bamboo chopsticks… The aroma from the plates wafted through the air, drifting past Lei Ting’s nose. *Boom!* A violent lurch followed by a chorus of screams. The shock forced Lei Ting to snap his head up, finally prying open the eyes that had been frozen shut for so long. The shuttle cabin, dominated by silver-white tones, possessed a distinct sci-fi aesthetic. Within the cabin, a hundred teenagers in identical black uniforms were mostly stumbling and swaying, trying to steady themselves. The one closest to Lei Ting was screaming as he tumbled forward— Lei Ting stood up unhurriedly, reached out to steady the other person, and used the momentum to guide him into his own seat. The boy looked dazed as he leaned back into the chair, which still held the lingering warmth of Lei Ting’s body. “Ah… uh? Thanks?” Lei Ting didn’t speak, nor did he offer any other reaction. He hadn’t quite figured out what was going on yet. He vaguely remembered being accepted into some school and boarding the school’s transport vehicle? In that novel… that novel… …What happened in that novel? Lei Ting was shocked to find he had forgotten the novel he had stayed up all night reading. His pupils dilated in a momentary panic, wondering if his lack of sleep had finally triggered early-onset dementia. But in the next instant, he stiffened and looked up. —He remembered. He had transmigrated into the novel he was reading, and he had been here for seventeen years. Humanity in this world had developed rapidly, completely leaving their planetary cradle to enter interstellar society by the year 3000 AD. It was now the year 3996. After numerous trials, the main body of humanity had moved away from imperial rule, forming the ‘Orion Human Federation.’ They had become the largest carbon-based race in the Pan-Galactic Complex, leading the galaxy in cultural trends. Furthermore, the Orion people were top-tier in terms of military prowess. The ‘Orion First Military Academy,’ located in the capital system, was the undisputed number one military academy in the galaxy. And just now, Lei Ting had regained his memories of his past life and realized one thing: It seemed he had become the great villain of that novel. The kind of villain who killed all the good people and committed every possible evil. …Well, then. Although he had forgotten the specific plot and ending, he still remembered that this character—who shared his name—would eventually become a true enemy of the entire interstellar society and blow up quite a few planets in the later stages of the story… The novel’s protagonist and the protagonist’s love interest had nearly been turned to ash by this villain several times—the kind of ash you didn’t even need to bother collecting. If the villain hadn’t been so arrogant that he disdained stooping down to finish them off properly, the novel would have ended much sooner. However, this villain was actually quite popular among the original fan base… Lei Ting: “…?” *Wait a minute, Author! What use is high popularity to me?! Every generation of the Lei family has been law-abiding citizens! Even though I’ve been an orphan in both lives and never met my parents… I’m really not villain material, Author!!!* Lei Ting’s mind was a mess. He scanned the cabin with a vacant gaze. The five rows of seats, each twenty deep, were currently in a state of chaos, though many of the teenagers had already regained their composure and sat back down. Such collective discipline was expected of military academy candidates… In his own seat, the guy who had called him—his classmate, ‘Luo Xi’an’—was looking at him with a simple, wide-eyed expression. With a single glance, Lei Ting saw ‘envy,’ ‘longing,’ ‘respect,’ and a sliver of ‘jealousy’ in the handsome youth’s eyes. But those emotions vanished quickly, hidden entirely beneath a mask of ‘admiration,’ as if Lei Ting had simply misread him. Lei Ting’s expression remained unchanged. He didn’t dwell on it, instead taking a deep breath as he recalled everything that had just happened and turned his head. His seat was on the far left of the penultimate row, right next to a side corridor. On the corridor wall, the circular porthole looked out into the boundless darkness of deep space. The surface of the porthole was covered by a stable blue hexagonal mesh shield—the ship’s standard defense system. Further out in the void, several other silver-white shuttlecraft were floating. Without exception, they had cut their kinetic propulsion and sat still in the dark, as if waiting for inspection. Though his memories were still a bit muddled, Lei Ting recognized their origin at a glance from the double-layered emblems—painted and projected—on the ships’ hulls. —Just like the ship he was on, they were all new cadet transport vessels belonging to the ‘Orion First Military Academy.’ Their primary mission was to escort these cadets from their homes to the *Solar*, a city-class centralized transport ship forty-two kilometers long, where they would spend one Earth-year studying and living in a space environment. …Earth. That word felt so distant. Lei Ting clicked his tongue inwardly. He scanned the cabin and noticed that the doors, which should have opened after the violent jolt, remained tightly shut. A test? Or something else? Lei Ting looked at the hundred or so prospective military cadets. He didn’t rush to make Luo Xi’an get out of his seat. Instead, he asked, “Were you the one calling me?” Even though a full half-minute had passed since Lei Ting stood up, Luo Xi’an showed no suspicion toward this unusually delayed reaction. “Yes, yes!” he chirped with a joyful smile. “Looking at you, have you entered your Awakening Period? Starting the awakening process this early… as expected of a Double-S…” Hearing his voice, the others in the cabin turned their heads to look at Lei Ting, the only one standing. For a moment, whispers broke out: “Double-S??” “No way, the last S-rank appeared nearly thirty years ago.” “Wait, did you see? His eyes…” Lei Ting frowned. This world was very different from the era of Earth he originally came from. Aside from the level of technology, the biggest difference was that human gender here was not binary. It was a six-gender system formed by the random combinations of ‘Male/Female’ and ‘Alpha/Beta/Omega’… and beyond that, there were the miraculous ‘Superpowered Awakeners.’ Among them, Omega Awakeners were the rarest, and Alpha Awakeners were the most unstable, but both tended to possess either ingenious abilities or immense power, often serving as trump cards. Meanwhile, the ones who usually dominated society were the Betas, who were the most numerous and stable. When the Alphas and Omegas were busy with their dramas of love and hate, the Betas were always on the front lines, gathered to watch the spectacle. Sorting through the scattered memories of his past and present lives, Lei Ting believed he shouldn't have any great talent. He was likely a Beta with B or C-rank mental strength. Furthermore, if his awakening were to complete, the ability he gained should be related to security or protection—suitable for security, medical, or technical work. But theoretically, if that were the case, he should be in the second or third wave of people to begin awakening… it was impossible for him to be the ‘first,’ unless everyone else on this ship had D-rank potential. No, his memory was still a bit confused… Lei Ting struggled to maintain his composure. He took a deep breath to calm himself and slowly pulled his ‘Orion First Military Academy’ admission notice from his breast pocket. As he opened the palm-sized red hard card with its built-in transparent data pad, the black standard-issue neural link device clipped to his ear flashed a red light. It scanned his personal identity information from the card: 【Name: Lei Ting】【Race: Orion Human】【Gender: Male · Alpha】【Age: 17】【Department: Combat - Superpowered Mecha】【Mental Strength Awakened: Yes】【Preliminary Mental Rank Assessment: SS】【Preliminary Superpower Category: Matter-type】【Note: This cadet is currently in the Superpower Awakening Period. Please ensure nutritional supplementation and security management.】 …Tsk. A complete miscalculation. Perhaps he still didn't know himself well enough. Lei Ting closed the notice. He didn't rush to face the stares and suspicion of the crowd in the cabin. Instead, he asked the guy still occupying his seat, “Where is your seat?” Luo Xi’an froze for a moment, as if only just realizing his position. His face turned slightly pale as he turned to look at the corner of the very last row. Following his gaze, Lei Ting looked as well—at the seat directly behind his own. Currently, a pair of legs was propped up on it. Seeing their gazes turn toward him, the person sitting next to Luo Xi’an’s seat, with his feet resting on it, gave a snide grin. “Yo, you’re awake? Mr. Awakening Period Big Shot?” Lei Ting studied him for a moment. Amidst the storm of chaotic information in his mind, he sluggishly recalled this guy’s identity. —Luo Mu, Luo Xi’an’s half-brother. He was also Lei Ting’s classmate and one of only two other students in this batch who, like him, hailed from the ‘New Solar System.’ Unlike the shy and timid-looking Luo Xi’an, this guy’s greatest hobby was picking fights and causing trouble regardless of the time or place, especially for Luo Xi’an. As the person from the same school closest to these two at this stage, Lei Ting had frequently been caught in the crossfire. And now, in front of everyone, trouble had come knocking once again. *** Glossary Table: