Imagine a power that is immense, fueled by nearly infinite energy, and possesses a staggering recovery speed—a power diametrically opposed to the nature of the 'Ethereal Space' or the 'Spiritual Depths,' which reflect and accept all.
This power rejects every external influence harmful to its host or subjectively resisted by them, regardless of whether that influence is good or bad.
The method it employs for rejection, defense, and protection is pure offense and destruction.
Indiscriminate offense, indiscriminate destruction... Supported by nearly infinite energy, this concept, born from an extremely steadfast mental foundation, establishes a barrier of violence and terror.
Then, under the governance of its master’s morality, self-control, and goodwill, it disguises itself as a harmless golden light that seemingly only 'stabilizes phenomena.'
This is 'Immovable.'
This is the power originating from the true self in the depths of Lei Ting’s soul.
This is the true face of the 'Solar Star.'
That brilliant sunlight was born to cruelly crush everything beneath its radiance, yet under the erosion of distance and time, it always appears far gentler and more tolerant than the reality. As for the power of metal manipulation... that is merely a trivial manifestation of its surface automatically obeying its master’s will, satisfying his needs in such a form.
After all, Lei Ting quite enjoyed doing a bit of handicraft.
...
In any case, even though the 'Lover'—that entity which links all of humanity—had only translated and transmitted a tiny fraction of that power’s sensory impact to Morgan, the Resistance leader felt as if a super-powered nuclear bomb had detonated in his mind.
Consequently, he was forced to temporarily relinquish his strength and sink into a dark, comatose sleep.
But before that, his vigilance and concern regarding this abnormal change in the 'Solar Star' drove him to endure the pain and recall Evenheiler. He told him that something terrible was about to happen or had already occurred, and the new mission for the legendary esper 'Starflow' was to stop the instigator—his supposedly kind, gentle, and considerate lover, the young Master of Metal, the 'Solar Star.'
"Hiding, calculating, avoiding the core of the conflict, ignoring the root of the problem..." In the brightly lit council chamber, a tall figure clad in black-gold armor and a black cape drifted to the head of the hall. A low voice echoed through the silence beneath the lights.
"I gave you time," Lei Ting said softly. "Five years is not short. A life can have many five-year periods, but each one is unique. Ladies and gentlemen, the future is dangerous, and you have already missed the best time to prepare."
At these words, a stir went through the assembly. Almost everyone exchanged glances for a moment.
Except for Yundell and Angye, who sat on either side of the head of the table.
Lei Ting walked to the Speaker’s seat floating between the two and sat down.
The two men beside him were dressed in formal wear today—one in black, one in white—making the atmosphere feel exceptionally solemn. But their expressions were even more grave; primarily because they hadn't been notified of this in advance.
Or rather, in a situation where the Star Net and information channels had likely long been compromised by the enemy, Lei Ting did not intend to inform anyone of his next moves.
In this era, the word 'secret' had no place in any scenario involving a network or three or more interlocutors.
...
In the starry sky and the depths of the starless darkness, 'Starflow' and his radiance were like a sharp needle. He flickered with silver light, intermittently piercing between the material universe and the 'Spiritual Depths,' like a sewing needle guiding a thread through the front and back of a soft cloth.
...
At this moment, most people in the council chamber had not yet realized the gravity of the situation. After all, the memories of short-lived species regarding danger and pain are always fleeting, and for the time being, it was difficult for them to muster the imagination required to understand this peril.
After exchanging looks, a councilor from the propaganda department voiced an opinion: "I believe we can overcome the current difficulties..."
Lei Ting’s eyes flickered slightly. A rare trace of impatience rose in his heart—it wasn't exactly agitation, but it wasn't kind either.
"Greater difficulties lie ahead," he said. "If humanity does not twist itself into a single rope, the only consequence will be destruction."
"Might we have the honor of knowing what that is?" The councilor’s polite smile was somewhat strange, clearly not taking the words to heart. "A new galactic total war? Or some other problem that is 'greater' in your eyes?"
This fellow was merely a C-rank, a type extremely common among espers. If one looked only at power, he shouldn't have been able to speak to a 'Double S' in such a tone.
In the past, Lei Ting had always tried to restrain his mental strength in the council chamber, avoiding the possibility of infringing on others' privacy... but at this moment, for the first time, he did not restrain it. Thus, for the first time, he clearly heard the man’s mental activity.
*What a joke.*
It was a voice completely devoid of fear. It radiated a polished arrogance.
*A kid in his twenties, wanting to make decisions here? There isn't a single person here stupid enough to be convicted by the law!*
Simultaneously, other voices rose from the complex mental activities interwoven with the surrounding light and shadow.
*Does the 'Solar Star' want to seize power? I need to activate the relevant contingency plans within the group...*
This thought came from the Federal Oversight Group Leader.
*I feel a strange pressure... better wait for others to stick their necks out first.*
This thought came from the Director of the Federal Bureau of Commercial Affairs.
*Anyway, this guy is more stable than previous 'Double S' ranks. Pushing someone out to say a few words to gamble for a voice in the matter won't hurt.*
This thought came from the Minister of Star Net Security, seated beside the speaker.
Beyond these, Lei Ting also perceived subtle contempt, calculation, and loathing. They permeated the hearts of almost everyone in the chamber, directed at him and at other councilors present.
Within those emotions were mixed contempt for his age, a superficial understanding of his character, a trust in the law-abiding nature of his conduct, and confidence in their own capital and abilities.
Of course, there were other various complex thoughts present:
*Anyway, I haven't done anything wrong.*
This was someone who felt the fire wouldn't reach them.
*How can I use this to push for the establishment of the new law...*
This was someone who considered themselves completely uninvolved.
*It would be great if these guys actually managed to make the 'Solar Star' truly angry...*
This was... someone who just wanted to watch the world burn.
*Solar Star... can you receive this? This is the current list of council member factions...*
This was—Yundell.
Lei Ting was somewhat surprised. In just a few breaths, he heard an amount of information from Yundell’s thoughts that an ordinary person would need a whole day to study.
This wily old fox had figured out the entire situation in just a few short minutes, and the choice he made was to lean completely toward Lei Ting... even though he wasn't entirely sure if Lei Ting could receive this information, which served as a declaration of allegiance.
The complexity of this man’s thinking made it hard for Lei Ting to imagine how he had made the decision so quickly.
One could only say that the man had likely been preparing to do this for more than just a day or two.
"..."
His posture was upright, his back straight.
Sitting in the Speaker’s chair, even though he had rarely fought alongside his army in recent months, the 'Solar Star' still carried a heavy, disciplined military air.
In the next moment, this heroic general, this flawless warrior, suddenly raised his hand and moved his fingers toward the gazes directed at him.
*Click.*
Regardless of the model, the material, or the system version.
At this moment, the external optical computers of everyone present were forcibly shut down—no matter how sophisticated the technology, if the metal components of its most critical power system suddenly gained 'freedom,' it could not continue to operate.
Copper-colored starlight flew from the councilors' external optical computers, merging in mid-air before pouring down in front of Lei Ting, forming a small pile.
***
As he passed through the largest star-gate, 'Starflow' was immediately locked onto by the dense missile defense systems and point-defense cannons.
But it didn't matter. With a light and swift flicker, he successfully slipped through the 'Spiritual Depths' before being hit, even using a decoy left behind to trick the star-gate's defense system into thinking it was just a meteorite.
In theory, a meteorite with a diameter of less than five meters wouldn't even trigger the point-defense cannons, let alone be obliterated by a crossfire of solid rounds like that decoy... the star-gate’s own structural integrity was more than enough to crush such daily greetings from space.
But the problem now was that Evenheiler himself could no longer completely suppress his esper fluctuations.
The defense system's stress response was precisely because it had scanned the esper power coming from afar on his person.
In deep space, beneath the speeding armor, Evenheiler’s face was calm despite having just brushed past heavy fire, but his eyes held a trace of anxiety.
Beneath his automatically gathered golden hair, a few strands of piercing silver hair shimmered with faint starlight.
***
"Those with internal units, turn them off yourselves," Lei Ting said calmly. "Countdown: five seconds. Five, four, three..."
*Snap, crackle, beep—* Over twenty distinct notification sounds came from various people, including Yundell and Angye.
Lei Ting, who had sensed the metal components within their cranial cavities long ago, was not surprised. He even reached out and helped the two of them adjust their internal unit structures, optimizing a few details.
Angye seemed to stiffen for a moment, not daring to move for several seconds as cold sweat soaked the back of his shirt.
Lei Ting raised his hand and, with seemingly gentle and light esper power, patted his shoulder. The man’s form-fitting light armor underwent a slight deformation, only to be easily repaired by his power an instant later.
"You should be doing more," he said softly. "As soldiers, we must all be a bit more conscientious... right?"
To this, Angye lowered his head without changing his expression, activated the pain suppression functions of some of his implants, and sat as steady as a mountain in his original seat.
"Yes," he whispered. "Everything I have is at your disposal."
—This man’s logic did not include the line 'proactively do something for the people.'
At this moment, he was merely submitting to the supreme esper power and control before him.
Lei Ting looked away, turning his gaze toward the man he had ignored for a long while.
"There are many more important things," he said, announcing to the entire council: "The most urgent one is for us to remain united, calm, and efficient in handling problems, and to begin full-scale conscription and more explicit resource allocation..."
Simultaneously, a terrifying sense of oppression that had been hidden in the void from the very beginning radiated outward, weighing heavily upon everyone.
In an instant, their minds went blank. Suffocation and a fear originating from the deepest part of their hearts caused a hollow helplessness to fill their souls.
The human brain is, after all, a biological system. Its information exchange and processing modes, as well as its specific execution efficiency, cannot be equated to a Von Neumann computer or a conventional quantum computer.
A 'Double S' rank, who had always been considered stable and trustworthy, suddenly killing someone in public...
Faced with such a situation, even the most seasoned warrior would briefly lose the ability to think.
At this moment, in the distant sky, the starlight was brilliant as 'Starflow' turned into a beam of light and vanished into deep space.
Behind him, the word 'ROMA,' formed by mosaic-like window panes, emitted a faint, cold light.
No one knew exactly how many monitors were watching his retreating figure through the window frames.
It was also at this moment that Lei Ting stood up and looked at a certain person in the assembly who had remained silent the entire time.
He raised his hand and lightly flicked his finger.
A flower of blood bloomed under the lights.
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 不动 | Immovable | Lei Ting's conceptual power, related to his "Solar Star" identity. |
| 阳星 | Solar Star | Lei Ting's title/codename. |
| 灵之底 | Spiritual Depths | A dimension or state of existence for espers. |
| 虚灵空间 | Ethereal Space | Another dimension or type of esper power. |
| 光脑 | Optical computer | Advanced computing technology in this setting. |
| 内机 | Internal unit | Cybernetic implants or internal computers. |
| 罗马 | ROMA | A specific location or ship mentioned at the end. |
