Stars See Me [Interstellar] | Chapter 126 | A Player's Perspective | Novela.app

"Just greedy"? Listen to that... it made him want to roll his eyes even more than the previous lines! Evenheiler, clutching a handful of stardust, slapped Lei Ting’s visor off and slammed the ball of energy onto his forehead. "Get lost! Who talks about themselves like that?" "Ah!" Lei Ting let out a theatrical cry of pain as Evenheiler pushed him back, sending him tumbling onto the ship’s hull. Just like their first meeting years ago, the stardust energy surged into Lei Ting’s eyes. A white mist rose from all directions. He lay on the ship, watching Evenheiler smile in the sunlight, though the latter quickly flattened his lips, successfully suppressing any hint of amusement. "You want to see? Then watch closely." Still feeling weak, Evenheiler crossed his arms and floated into the sunlight. "This place of yours isn't bad. I’m going to take a look around." With Lei Ting’s active acceptance, the stardust flooded his vision. He fell into a dim, white light. ... ... ... As the stardust faded, Lei Ting found himself sitting at a desk, looking down at a datapad. The model was one of the "Wise" series, popular among young people in the late 40th century, but this appeared to be a custom edition, distinct from any retail version of the line. The datapad was translucent with thin, flat gold trim. The screen was currently set to an eye-protecting night mode of grayish-black, displaying a news article. —[**Kang Pharmaceuticals and the Federal First Medical Research Institute Jointly Launch New Civilian Nutritional Fluid**] —*Author: Baishi, United News Agency Correspondent* —*December 28, 3965 AD. Kang Pharmaceuticals released a new product...* Lei Ting’s eyes moved down line by line. He quickly finished the article. It was a piece of news from forty years ago regarding Kang Pharmaceuticals and its ruler, Katrine Kang. As for this nutritional fluid they had launched... Lei Ting remembered it clearly. It was the biggest mistake Kang Pharmaceuticals had made in the last hundred and twenty years. Although the random samples had passed inspection, a major issue occurred in the subsequent processing and production line. A batch of substandard products entered the market, and before they could be recalled, they caused serious health problems for at least twenty people. Although the aftermath was handled perfectly—none of them actually died, and Kang Pharmaceuticals covered all medical expenses in addition to massive compensation—this quality control failure, which should never have happened, still tarnished a reputation that was already a mix of praise and blame. But all of that was too far removed from the current Evenheiler. Born in 3952 AD, he was only thirteen years old now. His body moved on its own, closing the datapad and setting it down. Before it was put away, Lei Ting caught a glimpse of a very youthful, blurred reflection in the translucent surface. Then, "he" picked up a long rod from the black-and-gold marbled table. ...No, not a rod. Lei Ting could feel through his hands that it was a single-handed training saber. Its center of gravity was shifted forward, and the hilt had excellent anti-slip properties with a classic ribbed design. Its length suited the height of this body—a good choice for a beginner. Of course... Lei Ting looked at the silver-bright blade held before his eyes, following the gaze of this body to examine it closely. Judging by the proficiency with which this body held the blade, "he" had been practicing with it for at least half a year. At the same time, a voice rang out in the void: 【When I was thirteen, no one of my age among the elite of the Capital Planet could last three rounds against me.】【Father said I was a natural-born Alpha. Under his tutelage, I always agreed with that statement, just like everyone around me. "Evenheiler is definitely an Alpha, the strongest Alpha"—this baseless flattery had surrounded me since I was old enough to understand...】【Back then, they all said that I and my blade proved it.】 *Even?* Lei Ting instinctively wanted to smile upon hearing the voice, but under the influence of Evenheiler’s ability, he had no control over the movements of this current body. 【Hello, Player One. This is just a narration, and you are currently in the prologue CG,】 Evenheiler said coldly. 【Please do not attempt to move randomly. If you move, your "Immovability" will clash with me. It will be very troublesome if this continues.】 "Oh, oh, okay." Though he didn't know what new game Evenheiler was playing at, Lei Ting followed along obediently. After all, if he didn't cooperate, his power might instinctively lash out and harm Evenheiler, which would be a severe blow to his current physical condition. *Just how much does this guy trust me...* Lei Ting felt caught between laughter and tears, but a helpless warmth rose in his heart. Evenheiler, who was currently in direct mental communication with him, was well aware of this. In the vast city outside, Evenheiler, walking down a deserted street, paused briefly, a flicker of embarrassment crossing his face. Truth be told, despite acting as if he didn't even want to disclose his physical state to Lei Ting, he actually trusted Lei Ting more than himself—the kind of trust where he could place his very life in the other's hands. If Lei Ting were the type to use that trust to control someone's freedom, this would be a disaster. But Lei Ting wasn't. He was a rare exception. It seemed that picking up a "sun" from the roadside had truly exhausted all the luck of his life, and all his previous failures were perhaps just preparations for the moment they met. Evenheiler silently kicked a pebble by the road, just like an ordinary person, nudging it bit by bit back into the grass where it belonged. 【I used to love playing games. I once thought about becoming an explorer and then turning all my adventures into a series of independent games of my own...】 His magnetic, pleasant voice echoed in Lei Ting’s dream. 【In those years, I made many plans. Many—so many I couldn't count them. I planned to start from the Origin Star System—】 A holographic projection flashed before Lei Ting, opening a file titled *Origin Star System Related Plans*. From preparations to route calculations, to scheduling, and then to contingency plans for possible accidents. A plan spanning tens of thousands of bytes was displayed, interspersed with occasional images. There were comparison photos of the ruins of the Origin Star System versus how it looked when it was still the "Solar System," as well as the vehicles needed to travel from the Federal Capital to the Origin System, points of interest, and scenery along the way. Lei Ting read it all seriously, bit by bit. He had to admit, Evenheiler was indeed a genius at operational planning. This plan, made when he was twelve or thirteen, covered almost every possible obstacle. This stemmed not only from his intelligence but also from his earnestness and anticipation. Lei Ting felt a surge of emotion: a person like Evenheiler should have succeeded in everything he did. Someone who prepared so meticulously, even if he failed in some matters due to force majeure, it could not overshadow his reliability and success as a person. "...!" Evenheiler almost kicked a stone bollard into a tree. Fortunately, he reined in his strength in time, avoiding any actual damage to Lei Ting’s retro urban greenery. 【—and end in the direction of the Large Magellanic Cloud,】 he continued to recite his lines with apparent calm using mental resonance. 【This was the beginning of the exciting life I had prepared for myself after returning from the military.】【And now, for this perfect beginning, I am going to train myself.】 A solemn pop-up window appeared in the upper left corner of Lei Ting’s vision. [**Main Quest: Head to the private training grounds.**] Control of the body was released. Lei Ting instinctively gripped the scabbard of the long saber, picking it up for a look. He didn't see anything that connected it to the legendary weapon "Starflow" used later, other than the fact that they were both long sabers with a forward-shifted center of gravity. But Evenheiler wouldn't have started out with that arrogant combat style of using a two-handed saber with one hand—a style that demanded absolute strength and skill. He must have started with a single-handed saber. Thus, Lei Ting understood: Evenheiler was using the psychic nature of his own ability to turn his past into a game. Yes, a game. A game exclusively for one player. It was truly... flattering. 【This can only be considered a DEMO because time is limited,】 Evenheiler’s voice was cold. *Fine, an Early Access mechanic then.* "That’s quite nice. When is the full version being released?" Lei Ting laughed. Seeing his childhood face wearing Lei Ting’s characteristic, youthful smile, Evenheiler choked for a moment. 【...Please, player, do not focus solely on talking to the narrator.】 "I call this a Developer Interview," Lei Ting said solemnly. 【Go do the quest!】 "No, I want to see your house first..." 【Is the Vice Commander of the First Legion really this idle?!】 "Oh, alright." Lei Ting felt a sense of loss; he really couldn't waste too much time. In fact, the only reason he could stay here with a clear conscience was that Evenheiler’s identity as "Starflow" was indeed important on every level. "Then I’ll go do the quest... Where is your training ground? Is there a map marker or something?" Evenheiler really wanted to snap back with *Find it yourself*, but out of the professional ethics of an independent game developer (presumably), he still placed a mini-map in the upper right corner of the UI. Then, as Lei Ting walked toward the training ground, he suddenly asked: 【Wait... "Developer Interview"? "Map"? I thought you didn't play games much. How are you so familiar with this?】 "It’s not like you were by my side every moment from the beginning." Lei Ting blinked and said righteously, "I actually have played games." Except, not with holographic projections or consciousness immersion, but with a keyboard, mouse, and controller. 【Alright.】 Evenheiler didn't harbor any suspicion—what was wrong with having played games? There were so many games on the Star Net; you could open them with a click. Most games, except for the massive ones, didn't even need to be downloaded. It was perfectly normal for Lei Ting to have encountered them in his spare time. "Your house is quite big," Lei Ting remarked as he walked. "It’s just... was your height at thirteen only 1.6 meters? To be honest, I’m not quite used to it." 【The issue you raised is not a matter of game quality; the developer is not responsible.】 "Fine. You're the boss." Lei Ting smiled helplessly. As he approached the training ground, he suddenly heard a loud shout from behind a nearby corner. A boy leaped out with a "WAAGH!!!!" "Even!!!" ...What the hell! Given that his perception didn't work well here, Lei Ting was startled to the point that he almost drew his blade. *** | Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | 明智 | Wise | A brand/series of datapads popular in the late 40th century. | | 康氏制药 | Kang Pharmaceuticals | The pharmaceutical company owned by the Kang family. | | 卡崔恩·康 | Katrine Kang | Evenheiler's father/predecessor. | | 联新社 | United News Agency (UNA) | A news organization. | | 白石 | Baishi | A journalist's name (lit. White Stone). | | 始源星系 | Origin Star System | The star system where humanity originated (Solar System). | | 大麦哲伦星云 | Large Magellanic Cloud | A satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. | | 第一军团 | First Legion | The military unit Lei Ting belongs to. |