Stars See Me [Interstellar] | Chapter 119 | The Living Fortress | Novela.app

Today, Lei Ting learned that humanity’s oldest planetary weapon was not the mobile type common in the 41st century, but a massive, omnidirectional turret capable of splitting apart at any moment. Every structural block, large and small, concealed war machines of varying functions. Forced together, the planet looked much like a child had squeezed a handful of snowflakes into a ball. Moreover, to this day, most of those instruments still retained their functionality. Every fissure within the planet was essentially a structural junction. When he extended his mental strength deep into the celestial body and sensed a biological reaction resembling a small Starry Behemoth within the geothermal energy core, his eyelid twitched. The most terrifying realization followed: the madmen of the Human Union had actually built a sprawling control center inside this living "energy core." Cold sweat nearly broke out on his skin. One had to remember that although this planet sat on the frontier, it currently housed 1.2 billion people. While these 1.2 billion were scattered across the globe, making the world seem empty, the thought that they all lived on a planet capable of instantly entering a "scattered like stars" state made Lei Ting’s blood run cold. Lei Ting didn't even need to think twice to be certain that such a crazed design philosophy was the Human Union’s own handiwork. Turning one’s home into a war fortress? Not enough. Turning one’s home into a fragmentation bomb? Now that was the way. It wasn't that no one else dared to play such a game, but rather... matching the time and location, it felt like there was only one possible culprit. From this, one could see just how dire the war had been back then. The Human Union, newly entered into the stars, didn't just have to consider whether to allow the flames of war to reach their home soil; they had to figure out how to survive in a battlefield spanning tens of thousands of light-years, while remaining prepared to drag their home world down with the enemy at any moment. This proved that the danger of that war had, from the very beginning, reached a level where "if defeated, even casting seeds of fire into the stars would not allow civilization to endure." What exactly happened back then...? Lei Ting shook his head inwardly. Without a word, he first seized control and double-locked a series of structural interfaces, making the thing slightly less dangerous. Of course, he didn't destroy the original structures; he merely used "Star Alloy" for secondary reinforcement and to seal key nodes, establishing a barrier to sever the control center's authority over them. Though they had remained marginally safe for centuries, one could never be too sure. Since Lei Ting had the ability, it was better to eliminate the hidden risks. In the few breaths it took him to do this, Eborn, who had been briefly overcome by the emotional instincts of an Aberrant, regained his composure. He stared silently at Lei Ting, saying nothing. After a moment, he suddenly flashed a twisted smile. "A 'Double S'... You are too high and mighty. Sooner or later, you will be just like 'him'—abandoned by all, losing everything." "I’ve heard that a person can only truly know themselves when they’ve lost everything. I’m curious about that feeling. But I suspect that day is not today, nor will it be because of you." Lei Ting’s tone held no curiosity at all. Instead, the metallic elements in all directions became active once more at the sound of his voice. "Did venting your mouth make you feel better, Prince Traitor?" "..............." Though he hadn't expected a single sentence to shake the fellow... Eborn swore he hated the "Solar Star." Of course, his primary task now was to find a way to ensure this hatred could last until the next planetary rotation. Confessing was out of the question; he knew perfectly well that if he dared to reveal the truth, his centuries-old life would certainly end right here. Only a fool would believe words spoken by an enemy on the battlefield, especially an enemy who didn't have a record of "never lying." Never assume the powerful won't deceive! "I know what you're here to investigate. The 'Boiling' virus, right?" Eborn’s voice returned to its usual calm and soft tone. "I believe I have some information regarding that..." "..." Lei Ting fell silent for a moment and sighed. "I’ve lost my patience," he said. The Aberrant Eborn froze. "Wait, I—" In the darkness where only golden sunlight shimmered, his words could not be finished. As the words left his mouth, he lowered his head in shock. He found his elongated limbs were shattering and dissolving. Shattering like glass, dissolving like ice and snow. The disintegrating matter fell into the lake of blood. Eborn’s eyes widened. He had never imagined things would develop this way. How? How?! Was this how Lei Ting operated?! He clearly wasn't the type to rashly kill a valuable target! Had his judgment been wrong? No... there must be some mis— The structural disintegration spread. Within two breaths, it moved from the extremities to his chest. Eborn had wondered since childhood how he would die, but he—or rather, *he*—had never thought his death would be today, and the cause... would be this "Solar Star" who was nothing less than ten years ago. He had lived so long, yet the person before him was only in his twenties. He had used blind revengers who lost everything in the war to establish orphanages for different races across the galaxy, yet an extraordinary person like Lei Ting had emerged from them. Fine. He had underestimated humanity after all, and the carbon-based lifeforms that so rarely produced a "Double S." As the shattering reached his neck, Eborn barely managed to look up at Lei Ting. He opened his mouth with all his might and let out a shrill, piercing shriek! The sharp, ear-splitting sonic wave kicked up a ring of explosive air, which had no effect on Lei Ting. However, "Red Giant," who had been lying on the ground like a mangled corpse without even attempting to repair its limbs, suddenly leaped up. With a wild roar, it turned into a streak of blood-red light and slammed into Eborn above! In an instant, the two collided. Countless hideous phantom hounds exploded out from the blood-light, lunging desperately at Lei Ting. Meanwhile, "Red Giant" merged once again with Eborn. But unlike the previous hound-headed man, this time they transformed into a giant dog with a human face! The body was that of a massive, blade-tailed dog dozens of meters long. The human face was that of a handsome young man who fit human aesthetics but appeared particularly horrific due to his sheer size. His eyes were filled with densely packed eyeballs, and the bloody tears dripping from them into the lake below hissed as they corroded the liquid. The disintegration process was paused. Lei Ting clasped his hands, looking at the human-faced dog. For a brief moment, it gave him a feeling close to that of the "Creeping Wolf" in the Ethereal Plane five years ago, yet it did not trigger his perception to reveal its "Title." Likely, such a trait required an Aberrant to reach a certain level of power. But those names... who gave them to them? Amidst the phantoms crushed in a single encounter by light and metallic blades, Lei Ting leaned back slightly, squinting at "Athelin Red Giant Eborn." The creature was currently emitting a form of pollution that would be extremely terrifying to an ordinary esper—an infectivity belonging to a "Super-grade Aberrant." But... unfortunately, before Lei Ting, it was neutralized by "Immovable" as always. Lei Ting had known from the start that the dog wasn't dead. Such a thing was too easy for him, as was "sensing from Eborn’s mind that the other was full of suspicion and had no intention of communicating." It must be said, he truly hadn't intended to let the other leave alive, nor did he intend to believe a single word they said. He had asked the questions only to find clues to further perceive their spirit. —Though an Aberrant’s spirit was chaotic and full of pollution, with "Immovable" as his backing, he could still achieve deep perception. "You know," the man in black armor and a golden crown sighed softly, "you feel less 'real' to me than this dog, 'Eborn'." He looked at the human-faced dog’s honeycomb-like eyes and watched as it opened its mouth to spit out a barrage of light orbs. He raised a hand, letting a "Solar Alloy" cube float between his fingers. At the same time, he recalled what he had just perceived. Beneath the chaotic surface and the rational middle layer, the deepest core of this fellow calling himself "Athelin Eborn" was a void. It was a void just like every Aberrant, strong or weak, he had encountered during his travels through the Ethereal Plane over the years. Is this thing truly "Athelin Eborn"? Or is it that even when transformed from an ordered being... these Aberrants are essentially just empty shells containing partial memories of their former selves, filled with uncontrollable chaotic emotions, desires, and a trace of "Black Mist"? *I’ll have to ask the 'Principal' properly when I get back,* Lei Ting thought. *It’s been a while since I’ve seen Him.* He gave the Solar Alloy cube in his hand a gentle spin, released his stability control over it, and tossed it casually toward the human-faced dog. He then flickered out of the pitch-black, smooth, yet non-reflective giant sphere forged of Star Alloy. A terrifying energy reaction was born within the metal sphere. Once Solar Alloy exploded, it wouldn't end quickly. Lei Ting no longer cared about anything happening inside. He simply left the throne he had created because standing for an interrogation was too much trouble, preparing to go see the situation in the "control center" at the planet's core for himself. But before moving, he suddenly stopped and turned to look at a patch of rocks over ten kilometers away. In the next moment, he raised a hand. With a roar, the sparse metallic elements beneath those rocks aggregated, capturing an... eyeball that was wriggling and trying to burrow underground, bringing it before him. "..." Staring at the eyeball that was trying to use a few optic nerves and blood vessels to pry away the surrounding metal, Lei Ting was actually stunned for a moment. No, why an eyeball? And an eyeball that looked like it belonged to a Hunter?? Wait... Wasn't this the thing "Eborn" had hanging from his waist earlier, only to sell it out at the critical moment?! *** **Glossary** Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation --- | --- | --- 全向炮塔 | Omnidirectional Turret | A weapon capable of firing in all directions. 星空巨兽 | Starry Behemoth | Massive space-faring biological entities. 散是满天星 | Scattered like stars | A Chinese idiom (聚是一团火，散是满天星) used here to describe the planet breaking apart. 破片爆弹 | Fragmentation Bomb | A bomb designed to break into many lethal pieces. 阳合金 | Solar Alloy | A high-energy material/alloy controlled or created by Lei Ting. 人面巨犬 | Human-Faced Giant Dog | The fused form of Eborn and Red Giant. 蠕狼 | Creeping Wolf | A specific Aberrant encountered by Lei Ting in the past. 黑雾 | Black Mist | The substance that fills the "void" inside Aberrants. 猎户人 | Hunter | A specific alien race in the setting (Orion/Hunter).