Stars See Me [Interstellar] | Chapter 21 | The Top Player | Novela.app

Just because he couldn't quite erase the traces of his past, this bizarre label of "Retro-ist" was now pinned firmly to him? Just how little did modern Orion people care about ancient Earth knowledge? And as for this supervisor—most people at work might sneak a look at a novel or scroll through social media, but this guy was something else. He was openly playing games in the shop? If others were "slacking off" by catching a minnow, this man had hooked a sperm whale. Lei Ting wanted to bury his face in his hands, but his gaze drifted to the rapidly refreshing comment section. He was shocked to find that this was a platform-wide livestream. The current live viewership stood at 16.8 billion, and it was climbing at a visible rate. Furthermore, the rolling, randomly filtered comments were all discussing three things: "The Demigod is still as handsome as ever!", "What does Half-Life actually look like? People who’ve seen him say he’s quite a looker," and "The Demigod hasn't played in two months; does he still have his touch?" "..." Lei Ting, a country bumpkin who hadn't seen this much information even if he combined both his lifetimes, was stunned. He instinctively leaned away from any direction his optical computer might be recording. "...You're famous?" A smile played on Vallen's lips. He raised a finger and gestured in front of Lei Ting's eyes. "Perhaps you aren't aware... I am the number one ranked player among all carbon-based biological gamers in the Galactic Union." "...!" Though he wasn't sure exactly how many trillions of people that "one" was chosen from, Lei Ting clearly felt the weight of being "No. 1." He was profoundly shaken, and his posture leaned even further away. "Don't be nervous. Your appearances are classified while you're in school. Recording and posting them online is a punishable offense." During the final countdown, Vallen manipulated his character to move around the arena's preparation room, switching weapons to regain his muscle memory. He waved a hand at Lei Ting to reassure him. "Besides, even if something were posted, 'The Pacific' would filter the content immediately." Hearing this, Lei Ting ran through the school regulations in his mind and indeed found such a rule. It seemed these merchants had to memorize the rules and regulations before coming here; Vallen appeared to know the school codes by heart. With his concerns addressed, Lei Ting sat back in his chair, even crossing his legs in a rare display of casualness. "What are you doing?" At that moment, Vallen was using the last dozen seconds to rapidly cycle through weapons. Light firearms, heavy firearms, thrown weapons, melee weapons... Lei Ting even saw the game character pull a thin wire from his bracer. It shimmered with a light akin to a plasma cutter, but it seemed to require charging for each use. The charge didn't last long, and the light flickered like a breath, indicating unstable power. Lei Ting's eyes narrowed as "Half-Life" flicked the lasso-like end of the wire, effortlessly severing a distant target. "I haven't played in a few days, just getting the feel back," Vallen said. "Even though today's match is in 'Descent Mode'." Lei Ting looked at the silver-white low ponytail fluttering behind the cowboy's head. He tried to figure out what "Descent Mode" was in his head, but his mouth asked, "It looks like your character in the game is also quite tall?" "If the height difference is too great, it's hard to adjust when switching or exiting holographic mode," Vallen explained. "It's barely manageable if it's just daily activities, but in a combat state, it's fatal." —This was also why the physical difference between his two identities, "Vallen" and "Evanheiler," wasn't particularly large. When returning to his original identity, his superpower limit-break was fine, but in the "Vallen" state, he was essentially just a "perceptive ordinary person." At most, he had better physical fitness and more combat experience than the average person. If, in such a subpar state, a problem occurred due to the perspective shift from gaming that shouldn't have happened, it would be enough to be recorded in the *Encyclopedia of Superpowered Jokes*. As he spoke, the colorful virtual projection surrounding them rippled like a wave, and a light screen appeared in the center of the immersive scene. A vast cityscape appeared on the screen, with a circular arena situated within it. Cheers and applause, following Orion customs, erupted alongside stirring music. Immediately after, the camera dove sharply into the arena, which was illuminated by soaring floodlights. Billboards, architectural structures, hanging red curtains, and decorative flowers flashed by as five figures appeared one by one on the screen. A girl with a parasol whose frame was far too slender; a back view of someone in matte black full-body combat armor; a strong woman wearing a pitch-black horned mask; a ghost draped in an outer robe like a white mist... With each figure that appeared, the cheers grew louder. By the time the final silver-haired cowboy appeared, his mid-length hair tied casually behind his head, the cheering had reached the level of screaming. The camera descended like a falcon, coming to rest on the arena's commentary booth. The excessive noise made Vallen frown. "Lower the volume." The volume dropped instantly. At least the names of the various contestants being shouted by the crowd in the stands were no longer so piercingly audible. Lei Ting rubbed his temples, feeling like the noise was giving him a headache—something even "Dean Lei," that A-rank psychic, hadn't managed to do. Speaking of the mind... after waking up, the nebula-like power that had wrapped around his "Sky Eye"—the mental core of every Orion—had vanished. —The Orion "Sky Eye" did not exist on a superficial level; it was essentially the pineal gland, which had evolved multiple times over vast stretches of time due to various external factors. Every Orion possessed a "Sky Eye." Those who lost it found it difficult to maintain their cognitive abilities entirely on their own. Furthermore, very few people could mobilize "mental energy" and release it outside their bodies; those who met the admission standards for the Superpowered Mecha Department were as rare as phoenix feathers. Lei Ting didn't know who that nebula-like power had come from, but he knew the person must be incredibly strong, and they might still be aboard the *Sun*. To be honest, he was curious: where exactly on the *Sun* would such a powerful individual be? "This 'Descent Mode' exhibition match is a one-versus-four. Me against the four of them." Vallen spoke as he watched the person on the commentary booth shouting the introductions of the five star players, completely unaware of what the young man beside him was thinking. But Lei Ting snapped back to reality and asked him a question: "'Descent Mode'—what is that?" "Oh..." Vallen suddenly realized this kid had never played games before. "...It's like this: *Galactic Superpower War* collaborates with the official Galactic Union database. They've incorporated famous combat masters from history... forget it, just look at this." The five players had already been scattered to five directions of the arena, forming a stalemate. "Half-Life" stood in the brightest light. When the camera swept past him, he flicked the brim of his wide brown cowboy hat with interest. His azure eyes scanned the field casually, triggering wave after wave of screams. Outside the screen, Vallen tapped his optical computer's external unit and focused intently on the movements within the arena. With a *beep*, Lei Ting received a file from the other man. Opening it, he found it was the gameplay guide for the current version of *Galactic Superpower War*. —That's right, this game could directly use certain non-classified data from the official database. They took renowned warriors from historical figures and put them into the game's production, restoring their combat capabilities as much as possible in the virtual world. If those people still had direct relatives like descendants or students alive, the developers would pay them various royalty fees. The images of these characters were also carefully protected. They would not participate in any plot or PVE gameplay; they only appeared in the "Descent Mode" of PVP. After all, these were all big shots. If they offended some connected person, the production team might go to bed with their heads on and wake up without them. As for this "Descent Mode," it could also be described as "PVP-limited roleplay." In this mode, players would become data replicas of those historical powerhouses who had been meticulously researched and verified by countless experts. Through different customized perspectives, they would use those powers to engage in thrilling, high-octane battles. Lei Ting: "..." While it sounded impressive, wasn't this just a combination of an MMORPG and a MOBA!! No, based on the feeling the game gave him, there might even be other classic gameplay styles integrated into it... Furthermore, interestingly, it mentioned that among the powerful characters selectable in "Descent Mode," there existed a type known as "Hero Units." Every one of these characters was someone who had created a miracle in a campaign, led a group to turn the tide against all odds, or secured a far-reaching victory. They were also powerful figures who had consistently received high approval ratings in multiple Galactic Net public votes, confirmed as universally recognized shining benchmarks. "Hero Unit" characters even had their own portrait frames, colored in their favorite hues from when they were alive or the colors considered best in their race's customs. Beyond that, there were all sorts of details, some so fine that Lei Ting felt like applauding. After all... "...After all, the galaxy is so large that one careless move could invite some very headache-inducing retaliation," Vallen said. "Twenty years ago, there was indeed a case where fanatical fans of certain individuals collectively attacked the game company's headquarters. It was only stopped by a student from the Academy who happened to be out shopping." "An attack?" Lei Ting blinked, scanning the selectable characters in the data with curiosity, especially the "Hero Unit" section. "How many people?" "Over ten thousand, I think. I can't remember clearly," Vallen said. "After all, I wasn't even there at the time, and the specifics were suppressed. I only heard this bit of information from a friend." An attack by over ten thousand people, likely including superpowered individuals, stopped by a single student... Lei Ting didn't ask where this information came from. Instead, he felt a sincere sense of admiration for this fellow alumnus—if the story was true. "Can I know who that student was?" "..." Vallen's eyes flickered. A moment later, he replied, "Upton Onyé."