“Reunite with him, ‘Solar Star.’ You must bring him back. You know how to find him, and how to find your self.”
Before vanishing, ‘Myriad Illusions’ left these final words.
“Only then, for better or worse, can all of this reach its conclusion.”
The projection shattered; the light curtain dissolved.
The young man stood alone in the darkness, his eyes glowing with a fierce golden brilliance, particularly the left one.
Lei Li didn’t know exactly what had happened, but he felt tense. Tension was useless, however; the current situation was clearly beyond his control.
To his surprise, a voice spoke beside him: “What is your opinion?”
“...What?”
Lei Li instinctively turned his head. Before the glare of a miniature sun could sting his eyes, he saw a pair of golden eyes even more dazzling than the sun itself.
“I am asking you,” ‘Solar Star’ repeated, “what do you think I should do?”
Lei Li pondered for a moment. “What did she want you to do... and what does it mean to ‘reunite with him’?”
In his eyes, these two had just reminisced about the past, exchanged a few riddles, and then parted ways!
Who was this ‘him’ anyway?!
Lei Li was utterly bewildered.
‘Solar Star’: “...”
“...‘Him’ refers to Lei Ting, my primary body, who carries the emotional consciousness and a portion of the metal manipulation ability,” ‘Solar Star’ explained. “He is the primary consciousness. As for the artificial intelligence ‘Myriad Illusions’... it wants me to end this chaotic era, to conclude the upheaval that has persisted since the ancient wars. It is a difficult task, but the AI seems convinced I can achieve it.”
*So my old man actually has a split personality...?*
Lei Li fell into deep thought. He couldn't truly grasp the significance of a soul being split. Yet, the question he instinctively asked was: “Do artificial intelligences... feel pain too?”
He had asked a question that bordered on interstellar philosophy.
“As long as the concept of the ‘subjective’ exists, there will be pain,” ‘Solar Star’ said. His tone didn’t sound like he was exploring philosophy; he was simply stating a fact.
Then, he rose into the air. A tangible, pale-gold radiance swirled around him, startling Lei Li. “Wait, you’ve mastered the way to use my abilities?”
“The use of energy is a discipline; its specialized techniques are all interconnected by universal principles.” ‘Solar Star’s’ voice remained steady. He flew toward the only place on the entire ship that showed an energy signature. “You still haven't given me your suggestion.”
This was the Number One Core Transfer Chamber of *Crater 900*. Massive containers were piled in every direction, but there were no light sources or weapon emplacements in sight. Dust drifted through the air, and black stains were splashed across everything from the ceiling to the floor.
When he began to fly, ‘Solar Star’ exerted significant output for nearly a second, crossing several kilometers and passing through over a dozen walls in an instant. But immediately after, he felt the energy within the body drain like a dam had burst. This caused him to abruptly rein in his power, no longer moving so fast or forcibly breaking through high-density matter, lest he exhaust the body’s energy in short order.
Even so, Lei Li, within the sea of consciousness, was shocked by that brief moment. Had he tried it himself, even using the same amount of energy, he could never have achieved such an effect.
*‘Universal principles,’ huh...?*
Muttering, “You’re so strong, how could I possibly decide what you should do?” Lei Li made up his mind and began to carefully sense and learn every technique ‘Solar Star’ had used.
The more he studied, the more he realized that if there were a limit to human potential, ‘Solar Star’ had long since surpassed it.
Whether used naturally or demonstrated intentionally, ninety-nine percent of the energy manipulation techniques ‘Solar Star’ displayed were simply beyond his current level.
And ‘beyond his level’ meant that a small portion of them would drain his energy instantly if he tried them, while the vast majority were essentially a masterclass in ‘quick ways to commit suicide’ if the output wasn't perfectly adjusted!
“...You—no, Sir, just how much energy do you have?!” Lei Li was shaken. “Why are these brute-force maneuvers so frequent? And the efficiency is ridiculously high!”
“The answer to that is difficult to quantify,” ‘Solar Star’ replied without a change in expression. “You may consider me invincible within the Milky Way... We have arrived.”
Lei Li: “?”
Invincible?
That was absurd.
What was even more absurd was that while the word ‘invincible’ felt ridiculous, the moment he associated it with this person, it suddenly seemed perfectly reasonable...
Lei Li lowered his voice, his mood complex. “...If you are truly invincible, why haven't you settled the conflicts all these years?”
“Because being invincible does not mean being omnipotent, child.” ‘Solar Star’s’ voice, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, made Lei Li feel even more dejected. “I have other things to attend to...”
*Such as suppressing the expansion of the omnidirectional space-time channels, while continuing to stabilize the energy jets of the Galactic Core, and constantly deterring the various races of the galaxy from potential internal strife.*
“The ‘me’ that has come to you is only a wisp of consciousness. The real me is currently doing something else.”
“Doing what?” Lei Li asked reflexively.
He regretted it the moment the words left his mouth. Was information about a powerhouse of this level something he should be prying into? Although ‘Solar Star’ was a part of his biological father, Lei Ting, the former clearly lacked emotion, while the latter was missing and his specific attitude toward Lei Li was unknown. Was he tired of living, asking such things?
Furthermore, the more powerful an esper became, the less they valued kinship. When supreme power resided within oneself, the functions of offspring—as heirs, comforts, or security—became increasingly irrelevant.
This was the conclusion he had reached after interacting with many different races. He didn't want to find out now if his father, the strongest Alpha in the galaxy, felt the same way.
The desire for power and control in most Alphas far outweighed their tolerance for or attachment to emotion. Though based on information gathered over the years and those two brief encounters in the past, Lei Ting didn't seem to be that kind of person...
...But could he really gamble on that possibility?
Lei Li was nervous. ‘Solar Star’ felt it.
Thus, he offered a word of comfort: “Don’t be nervous. I am currently executing a genocide.”
“...........................Huh?”
Lei Li wasn't nervous anymore. He was simply stunned. “Huh??”
What on earth did he just hear?
‘Executing a genocide’?
What?!
“A small race from the Southern Cross Arm. They possess a collective ability for ‘plunder’ and ‘assimilation.’ If left unchecked, they might become the next Calamity Species,” ‘Solar Star’ said calmly. “I originally didn't have time to deal with them, but they shouldn't have tried to attack allied forces to increase their energy reserves. In the face of the current crisis, the galaxy cannot allow any factor that might cause the collapse of the loose internal alliance to persist.”
“So,” Lei Li’s spiritual form seemed to want to swallow, but he had no saliva, so he could only whisper: “Genocide... was this decided by that new political alliance in the galaxy?”
“It was decided by me,” ‘Solar Star’ said. He didn't care about having ‘blood on his hands’; they had long been impossible to clean anyway. “We are here.”
Amidst Lei Li’s existential silence, he passed through an old-fashioned airtight door. The wheel-shaped vortex blades closed, cutting off the air behind him.
Light shone from ahead. With a single glance, he understood the purpose of this place.
This was a ‘Power Core Chamber’ and a ‘Hibernation Pod Facility.’
***
During his occasional moments of wakefulness, Evenheiler would talk with Lei Ting.
“I feel like the time I was just unconscious was long enough for the Andromeda Galaxy to merge with the Milky Way.”
He made a joke that wasn't particularly funny.
“That would take another five billion years. The time that just passed wasn't even enough to cause a shift in the Large Magellanic Cloud,” Lei Ting said.
“Time really does fly,” Evenheiler said. Beset by weakness, he struggled to sit up beside Lei Ting, looking up and closing his eyes to enjoy the sea breeze blowing from afar.
“Our transit trajectory must have drifted... Which planet is this?” he asked.
“A planet that once occupied Earth’s position. In our era, it might have been destroyed long ago.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because I just did the math and found that to survive until then, it would have to pass through the zones of twelve recorded interstellar wars,” Lei Ting replied.
The number of transits was so high that even he felt a bit lightheaded, let alone Evenheiler.
Although no attack could bypass his energy to directly harm the other man, the act of space-time transit itself was enough to inflict horrific pressure and damage on a person.
By now, Evenheiler had reached a point of extreme frailty. Thus, he decided to take a brief rest—the pursuers wouldn't catch up for a while, anyway.
“You should keep going forward,” Evenheiler said softly.
His azure gaze watched the distant dark-blue sky and the line of the sea composed of golden fluorescent liquid, ethereal and inscrutable. “You can’t let personal feelings hinder your steps, Lei Ting. Although I don't know what you're going to do...”
Lei Ting seemed to want to say something, but Evenheiler gently raised a hand to cut him off.
“Let me finish,” he said. “I don't know what you're going to do, but I know it must be very important. And you wouldn't be this anxious for your own sake—I know the kind of person you are. What you have to do must concern everyone.”
“...”
Lei Ting looked at his thin profile, stunned for a moment, before giving a bitter smile. “You think a bit too highly of me, Even.”
“Not at all. I might always mess something up—like my own life, for instance—but at least I understand what kind of man you are.”
Evenheiler said. His eyes reflected a shimmering gold light, though it was unclear if it was from the environment or from within himself.
“Since they can interfere with the timeline of this universe, I think a completely disordered disruption would be much easier for them than an orderly manipulation. I’ll make a hypothesis: perhaps after a few more transits, they will find a way to prevent you from moving linearly through space-time. At that point, they will deliberately separate us...”
Lei Ting pursed his lips slightly.
He wasn't a fool; he had naturally considered such possibilities. But he wasn't omnipotent and couldn't truly guard against them. Moreover, the battlefield of space-time was so foreign that he dared not be careless, or he might lose everything.
“You’re out of ideas?” Evenheiler turned back with a smile.
The golden glimmer permeating heaven and earth traced a faint outline around him, making his mischievous smile look exceptionally beautiful.
“How could I ‘always have a new plan’? That’s a talent reserved for movie protagonists.”
Lei Ting spread his hands and sighed, indeed feeling a trace of helplessness. “My only reliance now is that the half of my soul I left in the 40th century can serve as a beacon, allowing me to accurately locate the position I need to return to...”
“Then why don't you consider going back yourself first, retrieving ‘Immovable,’ and then transiting back?”
Lei Ting was silent for a moment, then looked away.
“Don't joke with me, Even. It’s not that simple. A single operational error could result in tens of billions of casualties,” he said. “I know what you’re going to say—that this near-endless transit is just me torturing myself... but this is the safest way. Even. I don't care about that. It’s just endurance and restraint, the things I’m best at.”
“That’s not what you’re best at, Lei Ting,” Evenheiler said. “Everyone knows that can only rank second at most.”
He pushed himself up from the grayish-purple, wood-like natural ground and took a long-overdue stretch.
“You know there’s another way. Or rather... we have another way,” he said.
Beneath the dim sky, the beautiful blonde man’s pale, thin face broke into a smile.
He leaned down and reached out, touching Lei Ting’s hair, carefully tucking a few silver strands beneath the black ones and smoothing the laurel crown over them.
“No, Even...” Lei Ting instinctively tried to stand up, a rare trace of panic appearing on his face. “I...”
“Give me a portion of your energy. We’ll split up.”
Evenheiler gave him no chance to argue. “The fragment of your soul within mine will allow me to receive your power, and ‘Immovable’ can negate the mutual repulsion between energies. Don't worry. Trust me, or at least trust your own abilities. I’ve come to understand during this time that ‘Immovable’ is indeed a good thing... and besides, I don't want to keep running. It’s useless.”
“They won't kill me; they won't even focus their attention on me. You know I’m not a direct threat to them. And I have things I must do. This is part of destiny.”
He sighed, leaning down to kiss the corner of Lei Ting’s mouth, his golden hair spilling across the other’s shoulder.
No one knew what kind of eyes were surfacing in his mind—eyes reflecting the brilliance of a Star Gate.
‘Changan’-‘Rome,’ the brief yet long Space Silk Road that opened a new hope for humanity.
At this moment, he finally understood the secret it carried.
“I look forward to... the day you see me again.” His words were heavy with meaning. “I believe, and believe in me: at the beginning of everything, we shall meet again.”
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 阳星 | Solar Star | A fragment of Lei Ting's consciousness representing his power and logic. |
| 不动 | Immovable | A specific high-level power, state, or soul fragment possessed by Lei Ting. |
| 长安-罗马 | Changan-Rome | A "Space Silk Road" representing a path of hope for humanity. |
| 灾厄种 | Calamity Species | A classification for extremely dangerous alien races that threaten the galaxy. |
| 环形山900 | Crater 900 | The name of the ship where Lei Li and 'Solar Star' are located. |
| 万幻 | Myriad Illusions | An artificial intelligence/hologram based on a former classmate of Lei Ting. |
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