After driving the metallic calcium to melt over his internal and external wounds to staunch the bleeding and promote recovery, Lei Ting calmly lowered his eyes. He coughed up blood as he waited for the *Pacific* to send rescue.
This time, the high-intensity activation of his ability did not drain his body of its nutrients. Instead, he paid the required energy cost with ease.
Though the scene was somewhat "heart-opening" in a literal, physical sense, there was no fear or sorrow in his heart.
He had lost his life once, his home twice, and his former "self" had been shattered and kneaded into this brand-new soul. Could a "terrified upright ape" from Earth, who had almost nothing left but the capacity to resist, truly be afraid of such a minor upheaval?
In this world, he possessed nothing to begin with. Therefore, most threats to his person or lures of profit were utterly meaningless to him.
Now that the enemy had confirmed their malice and villainy, it would be quite impolite not to strike back with a heavy hand.
As for how to strike...
Immobilized, he could not contact the Principal. If he could move, he would surely scare the enemy away. He needed to resolve everything within an extremely short window of time.
However, he lacked mental-type offensive capabilities, and the opponent was maintaining a mental link with him...
So, what was the solution?
There was one objective condition: when Lei Wenbo’s illusion first appeared, he had observed the environment of Lei Ting’s dormitory. Lei Ting did not believe the man’s mental strength was powerful enough to scan this far, so there was only one possibility: the man had established a mental synchronization with him, observing the room through Lei Ting's own senses.
At that point, the answer became obvious: *Thank you for the mental link.*
Just as the Logistics Chief had said, he found the "way to end the battle"—
*You want this body? Then come and get it! Try this blade on for size!*
*The one who survives is the true master!*
Lei Ting coughed up blood and let out a strained, cold sneer. He was certain that even if Dean Lei wasn't dead, he wouldn't be feeling well. Furthermore, he looked forward to the day he could greet the man face-to-face.
—*Need a calcium supplement? The kind that leads to hypercalcemia!*
Amidst his flagging weakness, Lei Ting did his best to delay the worsening of his heart injury. Less than a minute later, the dormitory hatch suddenly slid open, and a fleet of drones burst through the air.
His mind finally at ease, he closed his eyes and composedly allowed himself to sink into the misty darkness at the end of his consciousness.
...
"Vitals... stable. Heart... first aid was timely..."
"How...? He... himself... blade?"
"Why..."
...
In his stupor, as the medicine was injected and diffused through his blood vessels, the physical pain quietly vanished. Different drugs performed their various functions, ushering Lei Ting into a deep dream.
There was no one else in the dream, nor was there the *Solaris*. He drifted alone in the dark deep space, encased in a transparent bubble that felt like a deeper vision, surrounded by countless others.
A gentle, slightly maternal young female voice echoed through the dark void: "...Beneath the artificial sun lie silver frameworks and grey roads, adorned with emerald plants. The air circulation and temperature control systems lead them through the four seasons of a dream..."
*Who is it...?*
*It’s almost... like she’s reading a narration...*
Countless memory fragments flooded in like a tide. Lei Ting swayed dizzily in the deep space, trying to open his eyes and wake up.
"Young people traverse through it, following the vein-like paths beneath the shade of trees toward the direction of their future. They still have much to learn, a number nearly equal to the hardships they have seen, are seeing, or will inevitably face in their lives..."
*Who on earth is it...*
Amidst those groggy, chaotic mental fluctuations, Lei Ting tried to lift his eyelids... but he couldn't. They were too heavy. Even that golden energy could not support him in opening his eyes, for he did not yet possess "immovability" on a physical level.
But it didn't matter.
A slightly cool hand reached out and peacefully covered his eyes.
The hand was slender, powerful, and well-defined. At this moment, it released a faint, tranquil white light. The radiance was like dispersing stardust, a spiritual light descending like a flow of stars...
The physical pain had not yet dissipated, but only a moment later, a gentle isolation layer seemed to appear in Lei Ting's mind. It enveloped his spirit—which, though standing firm against the wash of memories, could still feel pain.
*...Who is this?*
*The Principal? This doesn't feel like her. The Logistics Chief? No, impossible...*
*Who are you?* Lei Ting thought. *Who are you?*
He could not speak, and thus, no one answered him.
A deeper, heavier exhaustion surged up. He knew he had to rest, or he wouldn't make it to tomorrow's classes.
Even so, at the final moment before sinking completely into sleep, he struggled with all his might to twitch his eyelids.
"..." The youth's thick eyelashes brushed against his palm. Evenheiler paused, instinctively lifting his hand so it no longer pressed against those eyes.
And so, through the gaps between his fingers, he saw the boy's face.
And within a pair of unfocused, pitch-black eyes, a fragment of sunlit waves came to rest.
***
"Trace the origin of that ship." The Principal casually tossed a paper notebook onto her desk, leaning back in her chair as she stared coldly at the light screen before her. "Also, give me back my authority, or pick someone to go find those bastards who target minors. I want them dead."
The person on the screen looked troubled: [I am very sorry, Principal, but the Federation currently...]
"To hell with your excuses."
[...Uh, 'Principal,' speaking like that is really a bit much.]
"To hell with your father, too."
[You...]
"Don't make excuses. That's not what I want. Tell the Speaker and Angye to sharpen their wits and cooperate properly, or I'll bring the *Solaris* to their doorstep and burn their home to ashes." The Principal said stiffly, "Or perhaps the Council wants to hear me recite a prose poem for them?"
As the other person’s expression turned to one of terror, the Principal hung up the communication with a *beep*.
[Communication ended,] *Pacific* said.
[Admin Comm: So now...]
[Admin Comm: Don't speak. Let her be quiet for a moment.]
Yes, quiet...
The Principal, who had just engaged in a "friendly" exchange, suddenly sighed, her entire posture seemingly wilting.
A hand that had just been lifted from her ship pushed open her office door. Without turning around, she asked, "Is he asleep?"
"He's asleep," Evenheiler said.
Though his answer was brief, calm, and detached, the Principal still turned her chair back with great interest, leaning forward to ask, "What? What happened?"
"...Nothing." The blonde man tilted his head slightly, avoiding her gaze. "His willpower is very strong... and he seemed to see my face."
"Isn't that good? At least one more person will remember that the owner of this face is still alive." The Principal snorted and slumped back again. "Damn it. Internal strife, external threats, everyone's a bastard. They borrow and never return, and they never stop borrowing..."
Evenheiler remained silent. In truth, he knew this was a critical period—the time when the *Solaris*'s defenses were at their weakest. That was why the Principal had allowed him to board this giant vessel.
To be fair, if this were the Academy in its prime, and a mere A-rank mental-type esper dared to lay a hand on a student of the *Solaris*, the Principal would have twisted his head off and mailed it to whoever was backing him.
Of course, while the situation seemed dire, Evenheiler knew perfectly well that this person's current behavior was just a deliberate act to bait him into saying more.
At times like this, he only needed to respond with calm silence.
"How boring," the Principal sighed loudly. "When did you become like this?"
"I have always been like this," Evenheiler said. "Is there anything else? If not, I shall take my leave."
"Take your leave? To seal your abilities again, put on that mask, and return to a mundane life?" The Principal’s tone was meaningful, as if she were reciting a text. "You don't belong to any of that, 'Starstream'."
"I don't belong to anything," Evenheiler said.
The Principal raised an eyebrow and watched him in silence, making no further attempt to keep him. He turned and left calmly. His tall silhouette lowered slightly, his posture losing its ramrod-straight sturdiness as he transformed back into 'Supervisor Valen.'
It wasn't until ten minutes after he left the office...
"Remember to take the side passage!" the Principal suddenly shouted into the empty air. "Otherwise, if people see you, they'll think I've been wasting the budget on materials again!"
"..."
In a perfectly straight corridor, the black-clad, black-haired figure silently changed direction.
***
The next day, Lei Ting woke up in a hospital bed again.
Exquisitely, the bed he lay in this time was the same one from before, surrounded by curtains that were rather childlike.
He was momentarily dazed upon waking, but after clenching his fist to test himself, he confirmed that his fatal injury had indeed healed with extreme speed.
The Academy's medical technology was truly superb. His long stay in the Medical Department last time had clearly been due to his awakening period and the chaos of his superpowers.
As he woke, a faint "beep-beep-beep" notification sounded from somewhere. Clearly, his vitals were being monitored by instruments that didn't even need to be attached to him; the seemingly ordinary, even cozy bed beneath him was itself a comprehensive monitor.
No... it would be more accurate to say the entire ward was a giant monitoring and treatment support pod. Such medical pods were linked together in rows, much like the dormitory cabins, forming the framework of the entire Medical Department.
Now, with just a thought, Lei Ting could perceive the general shape of this entire framework.
But he didn't do that. Instead, he watched the airtight door open with a soft hiss as several doctors walked in.
The older female doctor was leading the way again, followed by the Logistics Chief, several familiar doctors, and a handful of researchers from the Logistics Department.
The small cabin was suddenly crowded.
"Yo! 'Double S'!" The Logistics Chief was the first to approach and greet him. "You sure were brave... Whoa, whoa, whoa?!"
The female doctor pushed him aside ruthlessly. After scanning a light-brain to check the parameters, she breathed a sigh of relief. "The momentum is good. Your body is very healthy."
"Of course it is. Logistics Department special-grade nutritional paste—custom-made, scientifically balanced," the Logistics Chief said, giving a thumbs-up from the side.
"Shut up," the female doctor replied coldly.
Lei Ting blinked as he watched the two of them. The Logistics Chief usually only listened to the Principal...
When he curiously asked about this, the female doctor let out a cold laugh. "When he was in school, I was his mentor." She adjusted her glasses. "By the way, let me introduce myself. I am the school's Medical Director."
Like the Principal and the Logistics Chief, she did not include her name in her introduction. Naturally, Lei Ting did not pry for an answer.
"Simply put, given the protection of your unknown power, you won't be subjected to mental interference that easily again," the Medical Director said. "But you might still be tracked by that criminal, because you aren't yet powerful enough to truly ignore everything. Child."
Lei Ting nodded, indicating he understood her meaning. That golden energy seemed to carry a concept of "immovability," and now, that power had been truly activated...
Feeling the power personally, he couldn't even begin to imagine how it could be penetrated. As its host, even he couldn't think of a way.
Of course, he also knew he had to further explore all its intrinsic properties. First, to develop as many uses as possible, and second... to clearly master his own weaknesses. That was a mandatory part of combat training.
"The person who attacked you is being hunted. This is a major case. There are many children like you; he calls them 'cats.' A month ago, he took them away from the orphanage where you lived." The Medical Director frowned. "It was roughly two days after you were discharged last time..."
Lei Ting’s gaze shifted. He recalled what had happened then: he had been on a call with the Dean and had heard "cats meowing."
Thinking back now, those weren't cat sounds at all...
...They were the screams and pleas of human beings.
Lei Ting closed his eyes with difficulty, took a deep breath, and revealed everything.
After he finished, the Medical Director’s expression turned solemn. After a moment, she whispered, "...I'm sorry. My ability isn't very strong, and I couldn't see the problem with you... If only I had noticed sooner..."
"No, it's not your fault." Lei Ting shook his head. "Being influenced within the Academy isn't anyone's fault. The mental interference I suffered over the years was too severe."
The Medical Director still seemed to feel apologetic, likely due to her personality. However, she did not let it hinder her work. She simply looked at Lei Ting with a more caring gaze. "You can be discharged today, but I have to tell you one thing..."
"What is it?" Lei Ting’s expression became serious.
"...You need to give your ability a name," the Medical Director said with a smile, her gaze like that of a "mother" who fits every public expectation. "Although literary works have speculated about it, 'Metal Manipulation'—a power bordering on the divine—has never appeared in past records.
"Furthermore, that golden light of yours, which should belong to the Energy System... by the way, are they one and the same?"
"They are one," Lei Ting nodded. "They are the same power, inseparable."
"Then your ability cannot be named simply as an extension of 'Metal Manipulation.' It must have a name that complies with Federation regulations. Also, I suggest you choose something that sounds good."
The Medical Director spread her hands and turned to the Logistics Chief. "Regarding his ability, have you determined the source?"
"The source is himself," the Logistics Chief said. "Double S is a holder of a contemporary human bloodline that couldn't be more ordinary. We've already confirmed that the cause of his ability involves no genetic, parasitic, or contractual factors."
"Then the name will be easy to choose." The Medical Director laughed. "You aren't restricted by any format... So, choose a name you like for your power. It will go down in history."
*Go down in history...*
He had to admit, the phrase stirred his heart. Lei Ting’s gaze turned vacant as he instinctively recalled the events of last night, from beginning to end. Then he traced back through his two... or one and a half, or two and a half lives, from start to finish.
Finally, everything settled on the moment before he lost consciousness.
—What had he seen before blacking out?
He didn't know.
But for some reason, he felt as though he had a dream last night.
In that dream, he had seen a golden beach beneath the sunlight, and within that sea, floating phantoms of light that looked like stars.
***
