Stars See Me [Interstellar] | Chapter 208 | Echoes of the Fallen Empire | Novela.app

Hearing this, ‘Firewine’ churned and tumbled for a while before saying, “I have my suspicions.” “Of course. I think we all have our suspicions, to one degree or another.” Lei Ting nodded, feeling a sense of relief that this trustworthy comrade had not lied about such a matter this time either. In his ‘previous life,’ he knew the other had suspected this early on, which was why Firewine had deliberately severed the link between the Imperial Remnants’ equipment and the Star Net. That was a course of events that would not change due to his butterfly effect. One could not blame him for being overly cautious; these were necessary security precautions. Next, Lei Ting selectively shared some of the information he had confirmed at this stage. “As I said, they are lurking within the network environment,” Lei Ting stated. “Although the Star Net is currently disconnected, I suspect they still have their own interconnected information network within the galaxy. I simply do not know if the underlying protocols are similar.” “I believe they must be. Their current form of existence is that of digital life—a ‘program.’ Just as we cannot exist in a place where the physical laws are fundamentally different from this universe, they likely cannot exist in a place where the underlying protocols are fundamentally different from the Star Net. Otherwise, they shouldn’t have been able to enter the Star Net in the first place.” Firewine seemed to be deep in thought. After a moment, it spoke cautiously and slowly: “You’re right.” “You seem to have something to say,” Lei Ting pointed out. “Uh... nothing. Fine, I mean, I was thinking about some things from the past.” Speaking of this, Firewine seemed a bit dejected. “When the Empire’s Remnant Escape Plan set sail, there were a full six hundred and sixty-nine fleets. Each fleet had a hundred starships like the *Treasure*—which is the core of that city you saw... “As long as they had sufficient power, they could even slowly and automatically terraform a planet’s environment, creating an excellent new home for the survivors. That was the theory, anyway.” “...” Lei Ting blinked. This was a piece of information he hadn’t known. “But in the end,” Firewine said, “as you can see, only one ship remains. This is all that’s left.” “That doesn’t make sense,” Lei Ting said. “Where did the Empire’s military technology go?” “Everything with a danger index above a certain set level was destroyed. A weapon capable of FTL destruction on a ‘conceptual’ level erased all traces of them. That’s why you can only find the ashes and empty shells of the Empire in the galaxy, much like the ‘Star Net.’ I think you understand.” Firewine’s tone grew heavy. “At first, I thought this was why the remnant ships disappeared one by one. Now it seems there might be something deeper targeting them.” “Then why is there still one *Treasure* left here?” Lei Ting raised an eyebrow slightly. “What makes it special?” “The *Treasure* doesn’t have a unified serial name because it was the prototype for the emergency escape ships. It’s the most complex, comprehensive, and powerful hull—completely different from the mass-produced models,” Firewine explained. “But as for what makes it special...” Firewine’s voice grew quieter and quieter. Finally, it twisted itself back into a round ball. “...I don’t know.” Its mood suddenly plummeted. “I don’t know. I can never figure out a lot of things, but goddammit—” it used some profanity— “goddammit, this kind of stuff always finds me. Why? Look, I can’t even figure out a question like that, so why are you asking me so much?” “In the life of a sentient being, the time they spend unable to figure out questions about themselves is longer than the time they spend unable to figure out others or knowledge,” Lei Ting said. “Are you excluding yourself from ‘sentient beings’?” Firewine was stunned. “Do you think you’re not sentient, or not a being?” “...” Even Lei Ting was momentarily silenced by this fellow’s uncanny ability to focus on the strangest points. “Evaluations need to be objective.” “Ha! Listen to yourself. Do you know how many people would hear the scent of arrogance in those words? —But I won’t! Arrogance should be tempered with mercy; arrogance without mercy is merely foolish conceit.” Firewine seemed to become manic again. “It’s truly amazing. I can’t feel a single ripple of emotion from you... Rather than a person, a normal living thing, you’re more like a piece of iron, a sword, a Star-Slaying dreadnought turret, or some other precision instrument! An instrument cannot be ‘arrogant’; it only handles matters officially. But I want to know, do you still have love, hate, or a sense of morality? Or are you just simulating your former personality traits, driving yourself to act like a running program?” “You can’t have failed to guess that the enemy’s target is you.” Lei Ting remained expressionless. “For your sake, they allowed this starship to reach this place... They are shackles, shackles prepared specifically for you. After all, you were once a member of the Empire, weren’t you?” “Have you observed your own superpowered projection? I’ve seen it from afar—or rather, I’ve seen ‘you.’ In that space, your projection is the foremost among the brightest individual projections in the galaxy!” Firewine’s wild voice made one feel that if it had a human form, it would be beaming with excitement right now. “Your power can’t radiate from the Orion Arm to the entire galaxy yet, can it? Do you have the time to slowly distinguish those ‘superpowered projections’ mixed among the superpowered entities? Those are all perfect embryos for new superpowered entities... Don’t you want to know where those few guys who are only a fraction weaker than you are?” “To have them specifically plan for you, your background is certainly not simple,” Lei Ting said. “Come and fight by my side. Our interests are aligned.” “Please, brother, cooperate a little,” Firewine said. “You’re making me look like an idiot... and vice versa.” “………………” Lei Ting was silent for a moment, then spread his hands and tilted his head. “Then, let me put it another way—help me.” “? This is only our second meeting!! Why should I help you?” “Because our interests are aligned, ‘Firewine,’ or should I say, ‘a blob of flaming red slime,’” Lei Ting said softly. “In the eyes of those ‘things,’ both the Imperial Remnants and the people of Orion must be eliminated.” “The people of Orion... Tsk, what do they have to do with me? I only need to protect these mere hundred thousand people from external enemies. As for their own development, I don’t even need to give them extra care—maybe one day they’ll screw themselves to death and I can go travel, just like before.” Firewine’s words were filled with impatience. “Besides, there’s an ‘S-class’ among them. Didn’t you notice? “Actually, you did notice, but you don’t care. Because his combat power is practically non-existent to you. In your eyes, he’s the same as everyone else. Everyone—whether their ability is to establish defenses in a closed environment, control air pressure to a certain degree, summon heavy rain that can tear apart mountains and seas, or create near-real illusions in water mist—you don’t care about any of them. Because they are too weak; they pose no threat to you at all...” Lei Ting blinked. “Fine,” he said. “Then I’m leaving.” Having said that, he really turned around, preparing to turn into light and vanish. Firewine was utterly shocked. “Wait, no, didn’t you come all this way just to persuade me? You’re giving up that easily?” “What else? Force you to do something?” Lei Ting shrugged, his gaze coolly sweeping over the other with a look that could hardly be called ‘human’ anymore. The metal cube orbital rings, which had not been removed since he began his... ‘cleanup work,’ shimmered around him. “If you can accept that, I have no problem with it.” Firewine: “...” Firewine gave a couple of dry laughs. “Ah... haha, hahahahaha.” Its laughter grew louder, but it was rapidly backing away—it had no ‘eyes’ anyway, nor any concept of front or back. “No thanks!” it rejected him with unwavering determination. A golden cube that was drifting out of orbit beside Lei Ting quietly fell back into place, its trajectory filled with a sense of disappointment. “Hey, hey, hey, what are you trying to do...” Firewine scurried away, shouting as it flew: “Actually, come to think of it, it’s no big deal if the Star Net is gone—think about it! If that thing didn’t blow up, how many people would still be worrying about their lifelong browsing history before their family opens the door, the department checks in, or they die!” “?” Lei Ting froze for a moment, then reacted: “…………” ...Forget it. He didn’t have that kind of strange browsing history anyway. Even Heiler had some, but Lei Ting had deliberately avoided reading the details. “I look forward to your arrival. No one can avoid this war.” Before leaving, Lei Ting said softly, “As for me, I shall immerse myself in it first.” “...If one only fights but leaves no path for others or oneself, then one is not a warrior, but merely an arrogant tyrant.” On the distant planet, within the flaming meteor descending from the sky, a blob of red slime grumbled these words. “But a machine cannot be ‘arrogant’...” it muttered. “Is this a sort of history repeating itself? Ha. How truly sad.” ……………… ………… …… Lei Ting knew nothing of Firewine’s thoughts, secrets, or what it intended to say to the ‘Imperial Remnants.’ However, combining various pieces of information with his intuition, he was certain that the other party had a deep connection with the ‘Galactic Empire.’ The secrets of both sides likely shared some commonality. That fellow had also spent a lot of time not telling the truth during their conversation—for instance, its attitude of not really caring about the specific life or death of the ‘Imperial Remnants’— —Did it really not care? Truly? Lei Ting dared to say that if he were to turn back now and give that planet a strike, Firewine would become his mortal enemy on the spot. The reason he said this was because ‘last time,’ that was exactly how it had become a mortal enemy of ‘Star’... At a new location, Lei Ting descended. With his head held high and a steady gait, he walked into the turbine-like, orderly space palace. Under the prostrate welcome of giant insects with dark carapaces, he walked toward the aura belonging to the ‘Architect.’ “Architect, I have come to grant you a warning,” he said in a deep voice. Combined with his bearing, he looked incredibly reliable. “A necessary warning.” —Did he really think he could persuade everyone in one go? No, Lei Ting thought. —He was merely making preparations in his personal style for more actions in the future.