Stars See Me [Interstellar] | Chapter 153 | The Murky Depths of Secrets | Novela.app

Lei Ting’s outstretched hand grasped at the empty air. After a moment, he did not give chase; he simply clenched his fist tight. Refusing treatment, giving up the struggle, keeping secrets, hiding illness from the doctor... Or perhaps, Evenheiler knew that even with medicine, he likely couldn't be cured in the time he had left, and the time required for recuperation would delay urgent matters, so he simply chose to forgo it? This was truly... ...a headache. Lei Ting remained silent for a long while, his emotions seemingly unstable for a fleeting moment. But when he withdrew his hand, he had returned to his usual calm and solemn demeanor. The mask obscuring his brow and eyes served to further restrain his emotional expression. Yet, at that very moment, in a patch of lightless dark within the Federation’s star sectors on the other side of the galaxy, something involuntarily flickered with a golden light for a brief second. Not long after, using that superpowered 'sun' as a spatial anchor, Lei Ting leaped back across the barrier between two space-times and returned to the reality of the Human Union’s territory. The moment he reconnected to the Human Union’s Star Net, a dense barrage of notification chimes rang out. Lei Ting quickly scanned the contents of the messages he had received, and his brow furrowed. As expected... while he was away from the Human Union, a series of 'coincidences' had occurred, resulting in disturbances aimed directly at the core regions. No one would believe this wasn't a sneak attack launched after a successful 'luring the tiger from the mountain' maneuver. Now, the question arose. He hadn't told anyone about leaving the Federation’s territory... How did those unidentified enemies determine that the 'Solar Star' had left? Was it through physical observation in reality, or by monitoring his Star Net connection status? He, or his optical computer, was definitely being watched by something. Either a spy had been planted within the First Legion, or they had directly bypassed layers of network security to monitor his optical computer... Both tasks were of similar difficulty, and neither was something a normal powerhouse could achieve. The First Legion was the strongest official military organization of a decaying but powerful Interstellar Federation. Among the various legions—most of which had mixed reputations or were outright reviled—it had always been one of the most well-regarded. It was the oldest, most traditional, and possessed the strictest internal discipline, bar none. As for hacking an optical computer... in interstellar society, every nation, race, or large-scale organization not divided by polity or bloodline had its own information security department. Their job was to work alongside their respective AIs to establish Star Net security firewalls. Take the Human Union, for example. In a connected state, if one wanted to hack a citizen's optical computer terminal, the enemy would first need to bypass 'Tianhe’s' protection, then the information system protections of various star sectors, and finally the internal detection and protection of the planet itself. For someone with Lei Ting’s level of security clearance... this process would be multiplied by ten, with the addition of 'Xihe,' the First Legion’s dedicated AI, as a final defensive system. The key point was that all of this had to be achieved without triggering a single alarm at any stage. This was something even the Consortium could not do. Yet, Lei Ting’s personal suspicion leaned toward this possibility. Because while it was the most difficult, it was also the most likely. An ordinary spy could not possibly access information regarding his movements. To do so, the person would at least have to be an administrator within the Federation’s various departments. But... those who could climb to such a level had undergone countless tests, both overt and covert. They wouldn't go so long without showing a slip-up, and they certainly couldn't hide from Lei Ting’s perception during a meeting. In the dark depths of space, the tall man set off, flying into the distance. As he streaked past the stars, he inexplicably remembered something. In the past, when the 'Principal' spoke of certain important events, he would deliberately bypass the Star Net and optical computers. But He... had never told Lei Ting a single inside detail regarding this matter. *** Even without Lei Ting, the internal forces of the Federation had successfully neutralized that brief assault. This was only natural—the Federation’s strength did not rest upon 'a single person.' A starved camel is still bigger than a horse; no matter how many hidden perils the current Federation harbored, it was far from being 'weak' enough for just anyone to bully. Correspondingly, however, aside from this war that failed to threaten the true core sectors, another massive, imminent threat cast a shadow of worry over the hearts of all who knew the truth. The 'Sea Lord.' Currently, fires of war were breaking out all across the Consortium. Sixty percent of its factions had entered a state of Level 1 combat readiness or total war. Unknown accounts were repeatedly spreading information on the Star Net regarding the 'Ethereal Plane (Spirit’s Depth)' and the 'Sea Lord.' The content was ambiguous but had already reached a dangerous threshold; with just a slight modification, it could teach the current galactic civilization a harsh lesson in humility. Even more terrifying was that this thing was alive. Although it showed no inclination to move for the time being, the star sector where it resided had already seen a massive gathering of Abominations. The situation was strikingly similar to that of Starbeasts. This phenomenon led people to wonder: what exactly was the connection between Abyssal Demons and Abominations—specifically those with 'codenames'—and Starbeasts? The answer was unclear, unknown, and currently impossible to investigate. At present, the major civilizations serving as members of the Consortium Council had disconnected their internal networks from external links. Most of those still connected to the Galactic Star Net were minor civilizations. Most of them had only recently entered interstellar society and were slow to react. Even though the Consortium and major civilizations were broadcasting signals across space, requesting all orderly civilizations to cease observing the universe—especially the near end of the Orion Arm—it would likely take several years for them to fully respond. In response, the Consortium deployed its forces, drawn from various civilizations, to blockade the capital system of the former Abrisak Empire. However, even this failed to prevent a large number of Abrisaks from developing problems that no one wanted to see. *** "Look at this. Intelligence sent by some little friends." Angye played several videos in a calm tone. Each one showed, to varying degrees, humanoid creatures with aquatic features screaming and struggling as their bodies rapidly mutated under the erosion of a pitch-black mist. "Currently, almost all Abrisaks within our borders are undergoing... 'mutation'." In the small meeting room, Yongdai'er, Mila, and Lei Ting looked at one another. "Polluting existing organisms through bloodlines..." Mila frowned. "Or is this actually stemming from an influence at a 'deeper level'?" "I think it's the latter," Lei Ting said solemnly, staring at the scenes of Abrisaks turning into Abyssal Demons on the light screen. "They are beyond saving." "Indeed," Yongdai'er agreed. "The situation 'next door' is even more severe. The Consortium Council is considering sending some high-level espers to purge these..." Angye paused, then suddenly let out a cold sneer, "...things." The group fell silent. Yes, everyone knew that those 'creatures' with collapsing flesh, oozing pustules, and questing tentacles were originally part of an orderly civilization—someone's friend, someone's child, someone's partner. But once they entered this process of mutation, all of that was... 'in the past.' For the safety of the entire galaxy, they had to be exterminated. Even if it seemed cruel. "You are on the invitation list drafted by the Consortium," Angye said to Lei Ting. "Will you go? If not, the Council will help you decline." Lei Ting remained silent for a moment before asking, "Who else is on the list?" "Aside from some A-class espers with special abilities, the current top ten in the galaxy have all received invitations." Angye continued. "But given that three of them have been missing for decades or even a century, and four are tied down by various reasons... as it stands, the only ones likely to go are 'Firewine,' 'Architect,' and 'Dragon Slayer'." "Dragon Slayer?" Hearing this name, Lei Ting, who had been looking at the data, withdrew his gaze. "She’s going too?" "Yeah, that race is just like that. If there's prey worth fighting, they have to join the fun." Angye spread his hands and asked, "You seem to know her?" "Yes." Lei Ting didn't elaborate. Instead, he changed the subject. "Tell them I’ll go... but I will only act against the primary target." "Understood," Angye nodded. "You don't seem to want to kill too many," Yongdai'er noted. "But... 'Solar Star,' we all know you aren't exactly soft-hearted." At those words, Mila also looked up from the documents she was processing, and all three turned their gaze toward Lei Ting. Such a gaze, if directed at any other 'Double S' in the past, might have invited a disaster. However, Lei Ting had always been different from those people. Though he was unimaginably powerful, he was... too gentle, too stable. So much so that while this power had been displayed for years, it had failed to fully establish a sense of terrifying majesty. It even made him appear somewhat weak-willed despite his strength. If a force is not used to cause harm, its danger is eventually forgotten. Time smooths over the past, and memory cannot hold onto pain that never reached the foundation. He was too tolerant. Even his emotions were always so calm, as if he would never truly be impatient, pained, surprised, or sad. Violent joy and deep despair seemed to have nothing to do with him. He was forever stationed at the center of the emotional scales; even if he occasionally swayed, he never moved his foundation. Unbeknownst to anyone, the Lei Ting of the past seemed to have been buried beneath mountains of steel. Only on very rare occasions could those who knew him well catch a faint glimpse of that brilliant young man with a promising future. And now, this man, whose balance and stability were beyond words, suddenly asked, "Aside from all that... Angye, where is 'Lina' now? The psychic who tested me years ago under your instructions?" Angye was stunned. His eyes flickered for a moment as he thought to himself, *Good grief, why is this big shot suddenly bringing up old scores?* "...She is at my research facility." Lei Ting frowned slightly. "Research facility?" Though he hadn't investigated it deeply, Angye’s research facility was not a pleasant place... "Yes, the research facility. If you have questions for her, I’ll call her here immediately," Angye said without changing his expression. "She is recuperating there... because her mental state isn't very good." Lei Ting looked at Angye in silence, observing this murky river of the Federation. After a moment, he suddenly said, "Do you know? You only remember to use honorifics with me when you're nervous." Angye opened his mouth, fine beads of sweat soaking his shirt from behind. "..." "Tianhe, report on the status of the A-class psychic esper 'Lina'," Lei Ting commanded. "I mean the one arrested several years ago." [Yes, respected 'Solar Star',] Tianhe’s voice emerged from his optical computer’s external unit. [A-class psychic esper 'Lina Valentine,' codename 'Heart-Echo.' Current status: Mentally unstable, deep coma. Caretaker: 'Falin Valentine'...] Falin Valentine? Lei Ting had not forgotten that name, and... "'Valentine'?" He furrowed his brow. "Lina and Falin share the same surname? And... a deep coma? In Angye’s research facility?" ***