Stars See Me [Interstellar] | Chapter 172 | The Weight of Strength | Novela.app

Someone was crying. In the streets, in the alleys, in corners where loved ones had just perished. From the perspective of an ordinary person, this was a sudden disaster. A massive number of instruments exploded seemingly at random; the heads of those nearby suddenly burst like flowers; a golden light enveloped the entire planet, followed by a near-ceaseless expansion—onward and outward. The warm sunlight was refreshing, but when the radiance’s caress rendered one’s body briefly immobile, the only feelings it evoked were vigilance and fear. High-rises exploded. Some people’s optical computers suddenly melted. Tiny surveillance bugs, once removed, shattered in mid-air. Vehicles weaving between floors were forcibly suspended in the sky; their powerful thrusters flared with tail-fire, yet the scene possessed a strange, solemn majesty. The closer one got to the Council Hall, the hotter it became. While not enough to ignite anything, the heat still left countless people drenched in sweat. As for the non-Orion species... they were similarly fixed in place or held in safe positions mid-air. General-purpose life-support machines manifested from the light, ensuring their biological safety. “Solar Star!” Undeir’s voice was low and urgent. “This could trigger a diplomatic incident!” “In the current galaxy, no one has the time to complain to the Collective.” Lei Ting ‘watched’ the distant edge of the star system. In that tranquil, semi-cleared zone, a figure draped in starlight was bathed in his solar glow. He quietly ‘looked’ at that slender silhouette. The brilliant golden eyes and the darkness of the blindfold intersected, as if he were gazing into a pitch-black future. Evenheller Kang... his lover. Since their last unpleasant parting, both seemed to have changed quite a bit by today, yet it wasn't as if everything had truly shifted. What changed was the method; what remained was the thought. Across the blindfold, the buildings, the fleet, and the space that even light took time to traverse, Lei Ting and Evenheller locked eyes. For a moment, neither made a sign. “If their home civilizations use this as a pretext to react excessively...” Undeir lacked the ability to perceive Evenheller’s presence; he was still considering the issue most important to him. “We might find it difficult to respond appropriately.” Currently, the Human Federation’s military needed a massive overhaul. What needed pruning should be pruned; what needed binding should be bound. A military could not grow like a tree—if a spear grew too many branches, its lethality would suffer. And weakness was the original sin of a military bloc. “They won’t have the energy,” Lei Ting said. “I have not harmed them. If those civilizations decide to seek trouble over such a trifle at a time like this... I can personally visit their core systems and speak with their decision-makers.” Just as many had speculated or hoped for years, he was beginning to ‘disregard the rules.’ But as he truly transitioned into his own set of ‘rules’ and used them to measure his conduct, Lei Ting clearly sensed that many were secretly praying in their hearts—praying that he would soon return to his original self. In the distant deep space, Evenheller did not approach the Capital Planet. He raised a hand, watching the play of light and shadow as the starlight covering it took on a faint golden hue. “Do you intend to control humanity?” he asked. “No. I have never wanted to control anything.” Atop the Speaker’s dais, Lei Ting’s lips barely moved, yet he let out a soft whisper. Beside him, the two Vice-Speakers were presiding over the increasingly chaotic scene. Hearing the voice, they subconsciously glanced at him, but quickly realized he was conversing with someone across the void. Thus, they maneuvered their seats and calmly raised other topics with practiced composure. “But that is what you are doing in practice,” Evenheller said. Bathed in the sea of sunlight, he quietly radiated a different kind of light, meeting those magnificent golden eyes. “Has this brought you closer to your ideal?” he asked. “Perhaps, perhaps not. At least for now, I do not know the answer to that question...” Lei Ting murmured softly. “...But I think I will have it soon. Just as I obtain every other answer.” From his tone, cadence, and syntax, Evenheller keenly sensed changes that went far beyond surface-level behavior. Because of this, his brow furrowed slightly, and he crossed his arms. “Tell me, Lei Ting,” he said. “If one day, you needed to actively kill a group of innocent civilians for an essential goal that cannot be allowed to fail... what would you do? I know you would try your best to avoid such a development, but this is just a question.” “...” How should one answer such a question? It was the most quintessential moral trap, a mountain-like instrument of torture. But it could not be avoided. Beneath the blindfold, Lei Ting closed his eyes. He did not want to place the body of civilization, sentient life, or his compatriots on any scale to be weighed against ‘value’ and ‘interest.’ But even he could not completely reduce the possibility of such a scenario occurring to zero. Ultimately, he gave an answer that wasn't quite an answer. “...I am strong,” he said. This short sentence of infinite pride should have added greater conceit to the crown of the ‘Solar Star,’ yet in his low, calm, and even slightly soft voice, it sounded profoundly steady and composed. Thus, a sense of persuasion that wasn't exactly cold arose naturally. *I am strong. Therefore, I can do my utmost to prevent tragedy from occurring, and I can also solve problems faster and more efficiently than anyone else when a trend becomes irreversible.* But this only caused Evenheller to slowly shake his head. “Ah...” A long-absent trace of melancholy appeared in his expression. He murmured softly, trying to see the familiar black within those golden eyes. “...” Lei Ting waited for him to say more, but soon, he fell silent. A moment later, the strongest member of the Resistance suddenly said, “You won’t come with me, will you?” “No,” Lei Ting said softly. As he spoke, he set aside the jar of restoration solution in his mind and raised those terrifying eyes—eyes capable of stinging any S-rank esper—to gaze at the figure with tranquil stillness. “Not only that... you are going to stay.” Before his voice had even faded, a dazzling golden brilliance erupted within the sea of light! Heavy mechanical shackles manifested from all directions. Evenheller, having been prepared, raised an arm to block. With a booming thud, he flickered away from his original position, only to be clamped in the next instant by a war-fortress-style restraint that had been pre-planted within the ‘Abyss of Spirits.’ As his body abruptly lost its strength, Evenheller’s energy drained rapidly. Horrified, he struggled to lift a finger, only to suddenly realize that he had never truly understood the full extent of what Lei Ting’s abilities could do. Naturally... he also didn't understand how to effectively counter that power. Evenheller gasped for breath. He realized where his problem lay: excessive worry regarding various aspects had caused him to actively stumble into the domain of a ‘Double-S’... In the past, he had been fortunate enough to witness this Double-S’s most gentle and kind face, and had felt his most considerate and intimate gestures. He had watched this young man grow, from the time on the spaceship when his own probing had implicated the boy, to this day, where he was bound by these shackles... Time flies, and the years pass like a shuttle. Such words always seemed too cliché when written in an essay, but when one truly felt time passing like a white stallion glimpsed through a crack, that cliché became a fitting lament. “Come back to me, Even. You need the best medical examination...” A voice echoed in Evenheller’s mind—so young, yet low and soft like the young man’s once-deep black eyes. He heard that person’s voice. The voice he missed, so close, right inside his mind. But an intense pain caused Evenheller to suddenly hunch over. He clutched his head with both hands, trying to rub his temples through his helmet, his entire body trembling. Now, his greatest weakness could no longer be hidden. The fragility of his spiritual power meant that, like Solo Morgan, he was usually in extreme agony; now, his mind was as chaotic as a basket of eggs into which a scorching hot pebble had been tossed. A sense of being torn, shattered, and ground down. As long as Lei Ting’s spiritual power existed nearby, it was a form of torture for him. Amidst this pain, Evenheller struggled to open his mouth and form words: “I am... already dying, but you are different, Lei Ting... You and I are not the same...” *Powerful and young, utterly different from the current me.* *If only we could walk the same path... how wonderful that would be!* Evenheller let out a hoarse cry of pain, cold sweat pouring down his body. Consequently, even though the two were clearly no longer on the same side, Lei Ting instinctively withdrew a portion of his power in shock. But in the next instant, ‘Starstream’ spun and drew a blade of light. Amidst the ring of a blade vibrating from the depths of his spirit, this legendary super-warrior suddenly erupted with unprecedented brilliance. With one strike, he cleaved open a narrow and chaotic spatial rift, severing the light of the ‘Solar Star’ that enveloped that space! Because he needed to control the precision of his ability, reduce lethality, and minimize the possibility of harming the public, Lei Ting had not synchronized ‘Immobility’ to every strand of energy during this large-scale release of power. And when he discovered Evenheller... perhaps out of a certain conceit regarding the agility of his own abilities, he had not immediately used ‘Immobility’ to blockade all of the other’s paths. But in this moment, a familiar feeling arose, reminding Lei Ting of the first local war he had experienced, and the enemy he had failed to catch on that road. Back then, a powerful esper had used a spatial rift to take his target away...!! “It really *was* you—!” Even though he had long known the details of ‘Starstream’s’ abilities, a rage suppressed for years surged forth because of this. Lei Ting slammed his hand on the table and stood with a roar of fury, vanishing into the light in an instant, leaving the hall full of Federation councilors staring at one another in bewilderment. ‘Starstream,’ who had been about to say something, stopped abruptly. Half a word caught in his throat, neither going up nor down, as if it were trying to choke him to death or simply force him into silence. Cold sweat soaked the roots of his golden hair, but he didn't notice, only realizing— *Oh no!* Without a word, he turned and lunged toward the rift. Setting aside all other issues, if he didn't run now, he wouldn't be able to leave at all!! ***