In the year 4028 AD, the third year since the "Galactic Core Crisis" and the Ring World fission incident, the war continued.
Under the threat of total annihilation, major powers joined forces. Every S-class and over half of the A-class individuals affiliated with any faction across the galaxy converged, contributing their strength to shut down the black hole weapon within the Galactic Core and avert a predictably grim future.
On the Human Union’s side, Angye had been comatose in a medical pod in a vegetative state for three years.
During the events three years prior, his brain and spinal nerves had suffered immense damage. While this was not an insurmountable problem for the Human Union, he did not wake even after his physical body was fully repaired.
This was because his "Spiritus" had been damaged to the point of near-dissipation.
Regarding this, Yongdai Er voiced his opinion and offered a suggestion:
"The Union needs a new Vice Speaker... no, two," he said. "I am nearly a hundred and seventy years old, Your Excellency Sun Star."
Lei Ting looked up from a file on the latest biotechnology and turned toward the holographic projection before him.
"You want to dilute your own power?" He arched an eyebrow.
"Yes. The current power structure of the Council is far too deformed; such a state can hardly be considered healthy. Even if I am one of the primary beneficiaries of this 'deformation'—you understand, I must be responsible to the Union more than to myself."
Yongdai Er nodded slightly.
"Regarding this, I have drafted a proposal." He unfurled an informational light screen. "Add one Vice Speaker seat and gradually divide the powers originally held by the two Vice Speakers into three domains: 'Military,' 'Livelihood,' and 'Law,' performing a more complete and thorough segmentation..."
"If you intend for three Vice Speakers to each manage one domain, it will likely lead to antagonism between departments," Lei Ting pointed out.
Simultaneously, a trace of doubt arose in his mind: with so many documents and materials, he wondered when Yongdai Er had found the time to prepare them... did this fellow really have that much energy?
"Appropriate internal antagonism and mutual checks and balances are necessary factors for a stable structure," Yongdai Er said.
Then, he seemed to take a deep breath and gritted his teeth. "...Moreover, I’ve wanted to say this for a long time, Your Excellency Sun Star..."
Yongdai Er clenched his fists and glared at the projection, his voice rising as he exhaled:
"—No matter how much you diminish your own political significance and presence, you can't just dump all the Union's work on me!
"Do you have any idea? Even my clones are working! It’s been twenty years! I have less than fifteen days of rest a year—less than fifteen days!!"
Yongdai Er’s ability to manifest avatars also stemmed from his superpower.
Creating a clone by simulating every personality he had carefully observed was one of the flexible ways he applied his ability. Even though he knew very well that sometimes this was merely self-deception...
...it didn't stop him from manifesting versions of himself from different life stages to stay up all night processing documents.
But! If! There was a choice! Who would want to do that?!
"Listen to me, Your Excellency Sun Star... no, Speaker. I need colleagues, and you need new deputies," Yongdai Er shouted indignantly. "If not, I’m resigning!!"
Though he knew perfectly well that before all this ended, let alone resigning, he wouldn't even be allowed to die.
"Fine, I agree." Lei Ting pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a rare sense of guilt. "According to the regulations..."
"According to the regulations, to prevent favoritism and corruption, I cannot involve myself in this matter." A hint of schadenfreude touched Yongdai Er’s smile. "This is your job, Mr. Speaker."
"..."
Lei Ting clicked his tongue. "You did this on purpose, didn't you?"
"Yes, Your Excellency Sun Star," Yongdai Er said solemnly. "I know you act for the good of the Union, but as the Union’s true pillar, you must let the people feel that you are protecting them, that you hold them in your heart."
"No." Lei Ting refused. "Not that. Anything but that," he said.
"Why?" Yongdai Er countered.
Lei Ting thought for a moment, rose from his chair, and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window nearby. He crossed his arms, looking out at the newly completed integrated joint project spaceport.
This was a planetary-scale spaceport operating entirely under military regulations, maintained in a permanent state of Level 1 alert. It was garrisoned by armed forces from over four hundred interstellar civilizations or major powers, any one of which could deploy over a thousand starships capable of solar system extermination at a moment's notice.
During these years, because a tug-of-war between "Stasis" and "Pollution" had been occurring on a mental level, Lei Ting spent more and more time in quiet places.
Regarding this, even if he never said it explicitly, countless people spontaneously cooperated to "accommodate" him. As a result, even though this "Galactic Union Spaceport" saw a daily traffic of over twelve billion people, the overall atmosphere was practically silent.
Currently, he stood at the highest point of this spaceport, which was composed of two massive O-shaped rings—one horizontal and one vertical. Looking out, people were active on every plane of the two "O"s. Crimson energy winds brushed against the outer spherical shield, scraping brilliant streaks of violet-red light across it.
"Because, while the Union may need my strength to move forward right now..." he said, "...if they want to go far enough, they must get used to days without me.
"No, I should say..."
He turned back, amidst the sky full of violet-red, and spoke to Yongdai Er across half the galaxy: "Humanity does not need 'The Sun Star'."
"..."
Yongdai Er opened his mouth. For a moment, he didn't know how to respond.
But he quickly recovered. "Then does humanity need 'Lei Ting'?"
"'Lei Ting' has no weight, Vice Speaker Yongdai Er."
The tall man with graying temples gave an accurate description of himself: "Perhaps he counts as a hardworking student, a decent tactician, or a battlefield commander who can achieve some results, but he is not suited to be a ruler, nor is he suited to lead anything indefinitely."
"How do you know he's not suited if he hasn't tried?" Yongdai Er asked softly.
"And why must a person like him be forced to 'try'?" Lei Ting sighed. "If the result is poor, no one will be happy."
"Perhaps this is his mission." Yongdai Er gazed at the projection. Even through the filter of technological conversion, he did not dare look directly into those eyes, so he lowered his gaze to the emblem on the other's chest armor. "Toward the upper echelons, the Union has always practiced an absolute meritocracy, and he is the most outstanding among them."
"But the Union cannot continue like this forever." Lei Ting shook his head slightly. "Selecting elites and allowing only elites to occupy every position are two different things. Especially when the criteria for 'elite' include 'family' and 'class,' it loses its persuasiveness."
Yongdai Er actually wanted to nod in agreement, but he couldn't.
He only asked one last time: "Then your meaning is...?"
"..." Lei Ting pondered for a moment and finally sighed.
"This time, I will give you the candidates," he said. "But after that... restore the electoral system of humanity's early years. However, you must ensure that vote manipulation is strictly eliminated."
"Very well." Yongdai Er followed his lead, and the communication ended.
Lei Ting silently watched the spaceport and the ships coming and going. Countless sapient beings walked below; to an ordinary person, they might not even look as large as ants, but he could see... every single one, and their souls.
A massive spherical starship, encased in a water-like soft shield, was descending. That was the flagship of the new King of Abrisak.
—Recently, the internal strife in Abrisak had tentatively concluded, and a new king had ascended the throne.
Regarding this, Lei Ting also expressed his thoughts:
"Still a monarchy."
The corners of his mouth twitched, revealing a rare trace of disdain.
Sometimes, the loss of his sensibility actually allowed him to express "emotions" with fewer inhibitions.
...
...
In mid-4028 AD, the first Galactic Crisis Joint Conference was convened in the name of the "Complex," which existed in name only. During the conference, within thousands of venues every day—referring here to a 30-hour artificial day-night cycle—no fewer than three hundred issues had to be rapidly discussed and resolved in each.
In early 4030 AD, the Human Union gained two new Vice Speakers (perhaps written as "Vice Speaker" but read as "Tool"), and that meeting at the top finally concluded.
In the latter half of 4032 AD, the crisis joint project received its own name: the "Pan-Galactic Temporary Union System," and began the exploration of the Galactic Core black hole weapon.
If this efficiency were applied to 21st-century Earth, the "daylilies would have long since turned cold," but on a galactic scale, it was sufficiently swift and powerful.
Thereafter, with the arrival of technicians from various major powers, long-term technical exchange meetings naturally emerged.
In mid-4033 AD, the Human Union’s hyperspace technology advanced once more. The first inter-planetary space jump experiment of the single-person shuttle "0-II221" was a complete success.
In the same year, the exploration of the black hole weapon yielded its first results.
After Lei Ting reviewed a copy of those records, he received a gift—the single-person space shuttle "XIV001."
"The people at the Hyperspace Research Institute said that you are of extraordinary significance, and it is of extraordinary significance, so you complement each other," Yongdai Er said with a shrug over the comms.
Lei Ting blinked and nodded, accepting the gift.
In his mental space, he sat in a chair atop a skyscraper with his hands clasped. After a moment, he let out a soft breath and leaned back against the chair.
Sitting opposite him, Evenheiler appeared completely normal. He asked with a concerned look, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Lei Ting shook his head slightly.
He did not intend to let Evenheiler have constant contact with outside information. This was because, currently, he didn't know if his "lover" would have another lapse and exert influence on him, nor could he provide the other with a complete physical body—
—Though he had been trying to culture a mindless clone of Evenheiler to house this "Spiritus," he lacked a genetic carrier taken while the other was in a healthy state. Furthermore, the power of "Pollution" acted directly upon hereditary factors.
So far, in his laboratory located within the unmanned fleet, every embryo carried some sort of "congenital" defect, resulting in an extremely short lifespan.
Moreover, compared to mechanical engineering, he truly was not skilled in biological sciences...
...Wait.
Wasn't there an organization in this world that possessed both one of the Human Union’s formerly most brilliant biologists and physicians—or perhaps two—and might have preserved biological tissue from Evenheiler’s healthy state?
As Lei Ting thought, he suddenly sat up.
Facing Evenheiler’s bewildered gaze, he dropped a stiff "I have business, leaving for a moment" and vanished from the spot.
At the same time, a ship from the Human Union’s star sector, painted with the "GAIA" logo, landed at a certain docking bay in the Union Spaceport.
The airlock opened, a long ramp extended, and several figures walked down quickly.
This group wore uniform attire, uniform respirators, and goggles. The leader’s eyes flickered with a mix of green and red behind his lenses.
Beside him, a tall, black-haired youth adjusted his goggles. His blue eyes watched the scene where at least a hundred thousand soldiers and technicians of various races moved to and fro, yet the entire place was eerily silent...
"...I’m starting to doubt it. Can we really find clues related to my parents... or my two fathers here?" the twenty-two-year-old youth asked in a low voice. "I couldn't have sensed it wrong, could I?"
The corner of the leader’s eye twitched violently. He turned back and made a "hush" gesture.
Simultaneously, the man grumbled inwardly:
*Forget clues about your parents; you might actually run into your father himself here...*
*...But if we really do run into him, whether your aunts and uncles here can get away is another story entirely.*
***
