Stars See Me [Interstellar] | Chapter 3 | The Price of Awakening | Novela.app

Great. This was certainly stimulating. Lei Ting remained expressionless as he was hoisted into the air, his collar tightening until he felt like his life was nearing its end. "I’m not... entirely sure..." He slowed his speech, his voice carrying clearly to the other students watching with various expressions. "But judging by the look in your eyes, you need a 'Healer' or 'Guardian' type specialization, don't you?" "And why do you say that?" the burly man asked, seemingly obsessed with asking 'why.' "Because you look like you're about to give me a hell of a beating," Lei Ting replied amiably. The man burst into a deafening roar of laughter. In the next heartbeat, he violently hurled Lei Ting into the air. Reaching to the waist of a man beside him, he drew a short blade and flicked his wrist. *Zip!* The blade whistled through the air. A figure in mid-air sprayed crimson blood, flying backward past the rows of seats. He slammed heavily into the floor, rolling several times before crashing into the far corner of the cabin. One of the masked men standing near the leader widened his eyes and instinctively took two steps forward, only to be held back by those beside him. "He’s Angye’s man. You can’t do anything," one of them whispered in his ear. "Relax, this is just an exercise. The medical department is already on standby. These kids need to learn to shed their 'child' mindset, don't they?" Beneath his mask, the man’s sea-blue eyes turned cold as he glared at them, but he ultimately stopped his advance. Shortly after, several gunmen moved to the rear of the cabin, lining up calmly to form a cross-fire defensive perimeter with the men at the front. "Cough... cough..." Lei Ting clutched his blood-drenched abdomen, feeling as though his head was about to split open. Between the impact of the repulsion field on his hand earlier and this current ordeal, he had likely broken six or seven bones. Crimson was spreading, blood was flowing... his life was draining away. A strange throb began to sprout in his heart— *Thump-thump!* He heard a swelling sound. A heartbeat, or perhaps something else... "Where would a 'Double S' come from in a place like this? If you're going to lie, at least find a better excuse... idiot." The burly man sneered, pacing slowly through the cabin. "Come on, awaken for me! If you don't produce a good ability, I'll kill you right here!" "You... how can you do this!" the naive blond boy in the neighboring seat shouted anxiously. "He’ll die if you keep this up!" *Thump-thump!* His head throbbed with rhythmic pain. Lei Ting gasped for air, his vision blurring. He somewhat dazedly gripped the blood-slicked hilt of the dagger in his abdomen. *Am I really going to die right after regaining my memories...?* A peculiar sense of irony rose within him, causing him to break into a faint, dazed smile amidst the meat-grinder agony. "Die?" The burly man let out a cold laugh, his face looking particularly ghoulish. "Kid, now that you’ve said that word, you’re finally starting to look the part..." He chuckled and tapped the repulsion barrier near the blond boy’s face. "What’s your name?" The blond boy glared at him, his green eyes overflowing with hatred. But in the next moment, his barrier was shattered by a single punch from the man. When his slender frame was hoisted up, he looked like a ribbon fluttering in the wind. In other seats, some people instinctively jumped up—likely his acquaintances—screaming for the man to stop, offering to take his place. *Thump-thump!* Lei Ting gasped, suddenly exerting force in his hand to pull out the dagger. He needed... to stop the bleeding. He also needed to kill the enemy... I need... *...Power,* he thought. *—Crack.* The sound of something shattering echoed clearly in his mind. The pale, black-haired youth closed his eyes. Within his mind, a powerful surge of mental energy—difficult to understand how to use without training—poured out in a ceaseless torrent. The flowing power surged through his entire body, scanning his internal condition. A moment later, the blood flow at his wound began to slow, the clotting speed increasing rapidly. At the sites of his fractures, a faint silver substance began to emerge, forcibly knitting the larger breaks back together. As for his ribs... Lei Ting gritted his teeth and painfully rolled over in the pool of his own blood. Once he had adjusted his posture, he used the same method to fuse the breaks. As he did all this, the scent of blood swirled around his nose. He didn't vomit, nor did he move unnecessarily. Once his physical condition had stabilized, he opened his eyes and, guided by his blood-smeared vision, slowly crawled further into the corner. That was where the cabin medical supplies were kept, a standard feature of every transport ship. He rummaged through and found an adrenaline injector—something covered in basic education. He aimed the plum-blossom-shaped needle at his waist and gave himself a shot without hesitation. As the drug was injected, the airtight seal made a faint hissing sound. Lei Ting exhaled, no longer hiding his movements—the sound of the injector was enough to alert the gunmen nearby. But it didn't matter. In the corner, the youth felt strength surging through him. His spreading mental energy had already locked onto the two gunmen who were turning their heads toward him. Then, a glint of gold flickered deep within his eyes. *Snap!* Faint, wisp-like golden light appeared on the two men. They suddenly went limp, and in the next instant, the weight of their heavy firearms actually snapped their arms. They stumbled to the ground, suffering multiple fractures across their bodies. The two men screamed in agony, drawing everyone's attention. The burly leader at the front was also startled; he dropped the blond boy and rushed over. "What happened?!" Ignoring the throbbing pain in his head, Lei Ting ruthlessly squeezed his newly formed mental energy core—the 'Heavenly Eye'—driving the thin, golden waves of light to diffuse through the air. Within two breaths, over twenty gunmen suffered fractures and collapsed. Even the burly man, who seemed capable of strengthening himself with black energy, staggered and fell to his knees. The man’s expression changed drastically. Following instinct, he sat flat on the floor to prevent his suddenly softening bones from snapping under his weight. Right now, he felt as if he were suffering from an extreme calcium deficiency... but this was completely abnormal! This... wait... The man’s face suddenly went pale, and cold sweat poured down his forehead. He realized a possibility—one where even with his backers, he might not walk away from this unscathed. "Dammit... this kid, he..." he muttered. "Is he really... a 'Double S'...?" Based on the age of these students, only an S-rank or higher esper capable of entering an early awakening period could display such an anomaly. And now, it was highly likely that a 'Double S' in the midst of awakening was releasing his unstable power! "Motherfucker..." Black energy rapidly spread across the man's body. He leaped up from the floor, ignoring himself and the other gunmen, and shouted in shock: "Medics! Medics! Save him! Holy shit! Where are the Academy's medics?!" In response to his shout, footsteps echoed from the shattered front hatch. A team of medical personnel wearing the white uniforms of the Orion First Military Academy’s medical department ran in, carrying their kits. They fanned out with practiced efficiency amidst the bewildered gazes of the students. The core members of the team, directed by the burly man, ran straight toward Lei Ting in the back. Lei Ting was already drifting in and out of consciousness. He couldn't tell if someone was shouting; all sounds felt equally distant... but he still tried his best to control himself, ensuring he didn't harm the medical staff who had greeted the students when they first boarded. Of course, it was also difficult for him to concentrate enough to gather the power for another mass-fracture technique. *Ha.* Awakening a power that could manipulate calcium and promote healing just as he was about to die... what was this? Heaven didn't want him dead yet? Moreover, he felt as though his ability was capable of more than just this... "Shit... he really is a Double S?! We're fucking dead..." "God dammit... what have you all done?!" "We... we didn't—" "Get lost! Get away from my student!" The voice of Instructor Irene Kingsley roared in fury. "I went to check the shield damage caused by the 'pirates,' and you beat my student into this state?! You morons, this isn't over! I’m telling you, even Angye can’t protect you!!" In his stupor, Lei Ting felt people arriving. Strange men, strange women, Alphas or other genders, and the medical staff. They pushed back the students who wanted to crowd around or check on him. He saw the instructor he’d met a few times, and... Before being lifted onto the stretcher, the unconscious, tall, black-haired youth suddenly snapped his eyes open. Those eyes, shimmering with faint gold, stared fixedly at the burly man behind the crowd—the man was currently covered in pitch-black energy, his body incredibly solid. It was only because of this that he could stand even as his bones grew softer. "...Shouldn't be," Lei Ting murmured. The youth's voice was so weak that even the instructor, leaning in close, couldn't hear him clearly. She followed his gaze to the man she had just threatened and more or less guessed what her new student meant. So, she said gently, "He will be punished... Lei Ting, rest first..." "Shouldn't be..." Lei Ting whispered, the gold in his eyes gradually fading. This time the instructor heard him, and she blinked in confusion. "What? What shouldn't be? Ah, you're right, this shouldn't have happened..." "Ugh..." The youth seemed to struggle to form clear words. The nutrient supplements the medics were injecting into his veins didn't seem to fully offset the energy he was consuming. "That's not right," the young doctor preparing the medicine said blankly. "He's still consuming his own energy." "Didn't they say his ability is healing? Maybe he's subconsciously repairing himself," an older female doctor suggested. Then, she leaned down and said softly, "It's alright now, child. You're safe..." "...Shouldn't be," Lei Ting said. This time, his voice was so quiet he couldn't even hear himself. The severe energy depletion and the consumption of nutrients that could be converted into energy caused his face to turn deathly pale in an instant— But in the next moment, his eyes flew open! A flash of golden brilliance! *Bang!!!* The burly man, whose body was pitch black except for his joints, suddenly froze. His brain, which had been pondering something, went completely blank. Then, he slowly and dazedly lowered his head. At his joints—the parts that couldn't be fully hardened without rendering him immobile—countless, dense, silver-white needles had pierced through his skin and exploded outward. In an instant, he collapsed, blood gushing out like a fountain. Amidst the screams of the surrounding people, Lei Ting peacefully closed his eyes. *Relax?* *Ha.* *Now, I can relax.* ---