Stars See Me [Interstellar] | Chapter 25 | The Stargate's Radiance | Novela.app

“Finished?” Lei Ting asked, handing over the water despite already knowing the answer. “Finished,” Valen replied composedly, taking the bottle. “Then why were you looking at me and smiling just now?” Lei Ting launched a sudden verbal strike. “Cough, cough, cough, cough…” Valen choked on a mouthful of water, stumbling and nearly collapsing. “I—cough, cough, cough…” Startled and filled with guilt, Lei Ting stood up to support him. He carefully patted and rubbed Valen’s lithe back, letting the unsteady man lean against his shoulder. But the moment they touched, Lei Ting regretted it—the other man was considerably taller than him, and he found his face buried right in the crook of Valen’s neck. Furthermore, this ‘ordinary person’ who had just brutally crushed a group of alien supers in the game spent a good while coughing his lungs out until his face was flushed crimson. His well-proportioned frame trembled throughout the ordeal until he finally gasped for air and broke away. “Sor… sorry…” “No, I’m sorry. This was my fault. I shouldn’t have said that while you were drinking…” Lei Ting watched as Valen retreated two steps to sit in his chair. Lei Ting shoved his hands into his pockets, rubbing his slightly calloused fingers together. He didn’t sit back down, instead standing to the side with a calm yet concerned expression. “Are you alright?” Valen, his face still slightly flushed, steadied his breathing with a speed that almost made one wonder if the coughing fit had been a calculated move to seize control of the conversation. “I’m fine,” he said, turning his head to meet Lei Ting’s gaze, his voice slightly raspy. “…” Lei Ting looked at him, seeing his own reflection in those two sea-blue depths, and felt a momentary daze. Messy jet-black hair, a lean and handsome face, an Adam’s apple bobbing within a slightly loosened collar, and collarbones catching the light alongside two necklaces. Even when relaxed, the space between his brows bore the faint traces of years spent in serious thought. The shape of his eyes was beautiful, though unlike a youth like Lei Ting, the corners were marked with fine lines. The depth between his eyes and the bridge of his nose was pronounced, creating a striking contrast of shadows near the inner corners. It was a face that could only be described as handsome—mature, slightly weary, and weathered by time. Those cerulean eyes reflected the black-haired youth before him, still shimmering slightly with moisture from the coughing fit. For some reason, Lei Ting felt that Valen bore a resemblance to the current ‘Evenheiler’ he had caught a glimpse of… a resemblance that had nothing to do with features or physique, but was entirely a matter of spirit. Yet, in every other respect, the two felt completely different. Of course, they did share one common trait: they were both very… Beautiful. … …No, I can’t think like that. It’s too rude!! The black-haired youth condemned himself inwardly. He abruptly turned his head away, completely averting his gaze from the bewildered and innocent-looking mature man. After several seconds of parched silence, Lei Ting suddenly turned around and said, “I have things to do. I’m leaving.” “…Alright,” a hesitant voice sounded behind him. “Take care. You’re welcome back anytime.” Lei Ting’s silhouette paused for a moment. He gave an awkward, hurried “Mhm” and increased his pace even further as he departed. Valen watched the boy’s retreating back—which could only be described as a frantic escape—disappear into the street. He took a deep breath and looked at his slightly trembling hands. A moment later, the mature and handsome black-haired manager inhaled sharply. He felt as though a faint, lingering scent—metallic, like raw iron, and strangely captivating—still hovered at the tip of his nose. *We were too close just now,* he thought. Even though suppressors minimized a wearer’s pheromone secretion and dulled their perception of others’ scents, minute traces would inevitably cling to the wearer’s inner clothing. And for a moment, he had practically been leaning into that young Alpha’s embrace… Thus, even with double suppressors as insurance, he had smelled something he shouldn’t have—a scent a normal Beta could never perceive. It was the scent of a ‘powerful Alpha.’ A dull ache throbbed at the back of his neck. Valen wiped his flushed face hard and stood up slowly, though not with too much difficulty. He walked with steady steps toward the back, pushing open the door in the corner that led to his temporary living quarters. After traversing a sealed corridor with increasing difficulty, his face now flushed and drenched in sweat, he stumbled into his cabin. Tearing off his shirt, he fumbled through his bedside drawer for a sealed plum blossom auto-injector. He ripped open the packaging and plunged the needle into his shoulder. A long while later, as his body temperature stopped rising and the agitation finally settled, he slid down to a sitting position, panting as he leaned his forehead against the side of the bed. —Likely no one would ever imagine that the young ‘Double S’ who had yet to come into his own had, with a single supportive gesture akin to a hug, nearly… …No, it should be said he had successfully induced a heat in a former ‘S-rank’ Omega. … …Ha. It’s like the plot of some third-rate novel. *That kid is still a minor!!* Valen… no, Evenheiler Kang, laughed helplessly. His laughter was thick with melancholy and a subtle sense of breakdown. He raised a hand and slapped himself; the crisp, loud sound helped clear his head. “Alpha…” he murmured the word, swearing for a rare, genuine time: “Truly, fucking pests.” Of course, even as he cursed, he knew it wasn't Lei Ting's fault. No Alpha or Omega could control the natural concentration of their dissipating pheromones. However, the purity of that young man’s pheromones was truly… unprecedented. Even with technological assistance, it was difficult for an average Alpha to maintain pheromones at that level for long. Evenheiler didn’t think his brief moment of being lured was incomprehensible—aside from the scent being too cold and hard, no Omega would dislike an Alpha who possessed such an aura, one that smelled profoundly reliable. Though that didn't stop Evenheiler from maintaining his sense of self. He closed his eyes, exhaled, and lay flat on the bed. His habit of never opening the curtains was a blessing; there was no danger of being seen from outside, which was a small mercy. If all went as expected, Lei Ting shouldn't have smelled his pheromones. He sprayed himself with pheromone neutralizers every day. Of course, that bit of medicine was useless now. The concentration of pheromones he had released in this cabin because he had nearly entered heat had reached a level that would make anyone dizzy just from a single whiff. Reaching out to turn on the air circulation, Evenheiler briefly dropped his disguise, letting his reawakened super-powered strength help him rapidly recover his stamina. Come to think of it, he could have just dropped the disguise in the hallway earlier; that would have at least spared him this pathetic state… but the sudden reaction had flustered him, to the point where he now needed to change his clothes again. The blonde man shook his head silently, lying lazily on his bed. Old scars from various sources quietly surfaced on his skin. His brilliant golden hair—slightly longer than ‘Valen’s’ but not quite long hair—scattered across the pillow. His long legs, clad in black trousers, rested casually off the edge of the bed. As the sweet fragrance in the air gradually dissipated, the owner of this body slowly relaxed. But before long, the notification chime of his optical computer’s memo arrived along with a flashing light. He snapped back to reality and sighed helplessly. He stood up, restored his disguise, and changed his clothes. He then sprayed himself and his external optical computer unit once more with scent neutralizer. Returning to the front shop, he adopted a posture of humble subservience and began dialing his superior to deliver his report. ……………… The rest area remained empty; everyone was likely on the bridge watching the approaching stargate. His mind in a state of chaos, Lei Ting took a shortcut around the central plaza and hurried into his dormitory. He pulled off his heavy uniform jacket—which a normal hook could barely hold—and threw it into the standard-issue non-levitating chair with a heavy *thud*. Then, he leaned back into the chair, covered his face with his hands, and took a long, deep breath. … Soon, he lowered his hands, his dark eyes returning to their usual calm. He switched his optical computer back to notification mode, grabbed his student data pad, and opened the technical book he hadn't finished, *Multi-Species Communication and Negotiation Techniques*, and buried himself in study. Several hours later, having powered through a book and a half, a composed Lei Ting stepped out of his room. The moment he stepped out, he noticed the entire dreadnought was bathed in a cold, pale blue light. Lei Ting froze for a moment, then looked up. His vision was first met by a colossal blue ring of light, wide enough for thousands of ships the size of the *Sun* to pass through end-to-end. The energy flow of its outer disk moved at an incredible velocity, shooting out shifting, flame-like tails toward the lower-left and upper-right. The outer ring was anchored by two massive, slightly flattened Ω-shaped mechanical structures. Hovering to the side was a cross-shaped giant ship with a hollow interior, surrounded by countless vessels of all sizes moving in and out like industrious ants against the backdrop of the peerless ring of light. The moment he saw that ring, Lei Ting’s ability to think momentarily vanished. —A stargate. *That’s a stargate,* he thought. It was the most stable spatial warp technology the Orionites possessed to date. Its essence lay in forcibly tearing a rift in space-time and then using highly classified technological means to fix it within ‘space.’ The construction of any stargate was not a task a single generation could complete… This particular gate had been built long ago. Based on the average lifespan of Orionites at that time, it had consumed the youth and lives of roughly four to six generations. In the face of such magnificent time and space, all individual thoughts, joys, and sorrows seemed as insignificant as a single grain of sand in a vast ocean… According to some records, this was a gate capable of ‘welcoming’ the entire Earth. It was also the mark of when the Orionites truly began to integrate into interstellar society. In the distant past, the Orionites had spent centuries exploring the medium-sized natural wormhole that existed here. Those great pioneers had shone brilliantly during the Second Great War, yet in the end, they had forfeited the massive rewards the Galactic Empire of the time had prepared for them. Instead, they had specifically requested this wormhole—the one that led directly to the Galactic Inner Rim. And then, everything else followed. ***