'Star-Flow.'
The descending stars, the falling stars, the irreredeemable stars.
A young man’s pride is a volatile thing. When he witnessed certain injustices, his heart burned with a resentment that could not be quelled. He felt the urge to draw his blade, but against whom could that edge be turned? His teachers were benevolent, his friends and family were joyful; everyone looked at him with smiles because they could not see the things he saw.
They could not see the people suffering in the shadows of the cities. They could not see the ethnic groups in the borderlands who had been oppressed for centuries.
They could not see children being processed into nutrients. They could not see the burning lines of fire in the starry sky closing in on the edge of the Milky Way.
They could not see flowers withering before they could bloom. They could not see the malice cast from the depths of space.
They could not see people’s skin splitting and bones rotting in planetary storms—storms that should have been stabilized and controlled, but were left to rage due to corruption—where lives dissipated like snow.
Or perhaps they did see, but they remained indifferent. They did not consider ways to change things because that blade-like wind did not blow upon them.
They benefited. In a world of man-eating and blood-drinking, there were always those who were natural beneficiaries.
Just like his family and friends, who seemed so passionate about charity; they ran businesses that sucked the lifeblood out of others, occasionally tossing out some hypocritical kindness. They didn't even care where their donations ended up—after all, that pittance meant nothing to them, and the fame and fortune they bought with it had already been secured.
In truth, Ivenheiler Kang was not cynical, nor did he believe everyone was obligated to lend a hand to others.
He was simply angry. Angry at himself.
—*Why must I see those things?*
—*Why do I have the power to help them?*
—*Why am I naturally inclined to want to reach out?*
—*Why must I know that all superficial joy is fleeting?*
A perfectly fine remote residential planet would be occupied by star pirates, and officials would collude with them, allowing the planetary environment adjustment system—dismantled by the pirates—to go unrepaired. In the end, less than one in ten locals survived the flesh-melting, bone-grinding storms.
And the people he had exhausted himself to save would vanish along with their planet in a disaster where the military inexplicably designated it as a resource collection target, turning them into a string of cold digits.
He had seen too many such incidents... planets turned into interstellar drug labs, planets turned into human livestock farms, people killed before his eyes, people falling into depravity in living hells...
Each case was a lesson written in blood and tears.
The entire Seventh Legion—no, the entire military, even the entire upper echelons of the Federation—was rotten.
He went to his superiors; they didn't care. He went to his family connections; they refused to help. He released information; it was instantly deleted. He tried to draw his blade and fight for those people; the muzzles of starships were pointed at him, and death threats against his family were delivered immediately.
He had no choice but to yield, yielding time and time again.
Until finally, just looking at the peace and prosperity of the Capital Star System made him want to vomit, want to cry.
How painful it was... humans have so many choices, so why could he not endure the other options?
Valen closed his eyes slightly and let out a soft sigh.
Year after year, a hateful indignation brewed in his heart. He turned himself into someone smooth enough to rely on every different persona to achieve his goals, waiting for an opportunity to approach.
—*As long as you still hold expectations for the dawn, you can always wake from an infinite dream.*
Ivenheiler hated the expectation in his heart, an expectation so naive it was laughable.
Then he drew that blade, woke from the innate dream of joy, and walked into the depths of darkness.
"Star-Flow," he whispered the phrase.
STAR-Flow.
The starry sky flowed down like a waterfall. Within it, countless people were dying, would die, and must die for one absurd reason after another.
So he carved it here, and he carved it into his own heart, into his own life.
It was good, wasn't it? The existence of this name itself served as a constant reminder to Ivenheiler: *Do not stop! You still have your unfinished business!*
But he had always found it difficult to speak of any of it to anyone ever again.
"...Are you alright?" Lei Ting asked softly.
The sorrow radiating from this man was too immense, prompting Lei Ting to reach out and press a hand onto the other's shoulder, attempting to offer a sliver of supportive strength.
"...It's nothing," Valen said quietly.
"Knowing so much, are you a fan of 'Star-Flow'?" Lei Ting guessed cautiously. "I saw you were quite skilled when you used his character in the game before..."
"I'm just used to being fully prepared." Valen shrugged, withdrawing his gaze from the 'signature' worn down by time. "I can tell you the lore behind most things here, believe it or not."
"I believe you," Lei Ting answered readily.
"..." Valen paused. "...Why would you believe me?"
"Can't you?" Lei Ting was also taken aback.
Valen stared at him blankly for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter. "I actually can."
Following that, his face, which always carried a hint of exhaustion, relaxed for a rare moment. He smiled and bumped the young man's shoulder as he led him toward a columnar botanical garden not far away, which pierced through the entire interior of the celestial body and was responsible for natural air purification.
As they walked, he introduced the origins of almost every interesting building or decoration around them to Lei Ting. Despite theoretically being a merchant visiting for the first time, he acted like a talkative tour guide.
Lei Ting listened to his introductions quite seriously; after all, these things were truly interesting.
But when they entered the botanical garden surrounded by transparent reinforced explosion-proof glass, Valen’s topic suddenly shifted: "Do you know what this botanical garden used to be?"
"What?" Lei Ting asked in cooperation.
"A main cannon," Valen replied with a light laugh.
"..." Lei Ting was stunned. "???"
"As you can see, this entire planet is actually a planetary warship that served in the mid-to-late stages of the Third Total War.
"Back then, what stood here was a broad energy weapon firing channel. Whenever the warship was activated, it would be lowered by mechanical power to interface and assemble with other structures that existed here at the time, eventually mounting at the entrance we came through, ready to point at any invading enemy."
Valen smiled. "This was the first planetary warship of the Orion people. The enhanced nuclear reactor for power was installed where the commercial district is now. To be honest, it's full of genius designs. Of course, it’s been decommissioned for over a century now, just like the *Sun*..."
"...And then it became an academy campus?" Lei Ting’s expression was extremely strange. "Alright, I'm not surprised..."
Looking at his expression, Valen laughed quite boisterously. He seemed not to have laughed like this for a long time, to the point where he was even a bit unsteady, resting one hand on Lei Ting’s shoulder.
To prevent this beautiful Beta from accidentally falling into the arms of a stranger... well, not a stranger anymore—to prevent him from falling into the arms of a hot-blooded young Alpha and making said Alpha unable to sleep for half the night, a certain Alpha surnamed Lei, who wished to remain anonymous, sighed. He reached out to support the other's lower back and guided him into a nearby bench.
"..." Valen’s laughter gradually faded. He narrowed his clear blue eyes, looking up at Lei Ting with a half-smile.
"..."
Lei Ting didn't know why he felt guilty, but he still looked around at the plants guiltily. He took a deep breath of the fresh air in the botanical garden, inexplicably feeling that there was... a subtle, familiar scent.
Thinking carefully, it should be the smell of mint candy. Sweet and refreshing, the mere thought of it whetted his appetite.
*I'll go buy some in the commercial district later,* Lei Ting decided privately. Then he sat next to Valen and said earnestly, "Manager Valen."
"What?" Valen had already retracted that somewhat strange gaze, putting on his usual polite corporate face with the corners of his mouth pulled flat and downward.
"Even if you're a Beta, you can't let your guard down around Alphas," Lei Ting taught him with serious solemnity.
"..." The corners of Valen’s mouth pressed down even further.
"Sexual orientations are free now. You're so beautiful, even more beautiful than an Omega. What if some Alpha develops wicked intentions toward you?"
"............" Valen’s brow furrowed tightly. He slowly closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"In short, you have to protect yourself..."
".................."
Valen’s face was as cold and hard as a statue. He pressed a hand onto the armrest of the bench, stood up stiffly, and walked toward the exit of the botanical garden.
"...Not all Alphas... Eh??" Lei Ting was stunned for a moment, then stood up and quickly followed. "Manager Valen, where are you going?"
"Back to my shop!" the tall, handsome, mature man growled in fury. A cold, sharp aura that had never appeared on him before made Lei Ting daze for a moment. Then he was pushed aside by a palm, left to stare blankly at the man's retreating back as he strode away.
A moment later, a metal cube flew out from under Lei Ting’s hem, steadily catching a partition rod at the entrance of the botanical garden that he had accidentally knocked over while coordinating with the other's force to step back—avoiding injury to that ordinary person's body from trying to push a mountain.
Afterward, the youth, whose features were already beginning to show a profound handsomeness, gazed at the man who didn't look back. His expression softened slightly. With one hand in his pocket, he gently rubbed his calloused fingertips.
The sound of calluses rubbing against each other rose.
The sound was so faint that no one but himself heard it, left to be lost quietly in the wind.
...
...
*Signal Capture*, *Destruction Weapon Operation Technology*, *High Energy Physics*, *Superpower Dynamics*, *Warp and Tracking*, *Defense Barrier Generation*, *Offense and Sabotage*, *Prisoner Control*...
These were the subjects Lei Ting needed to study recently, and they were also the compulsory courses for the 'Superpower Mecha - Assault' major.
Meanwhile...
"Elective courses?" Lei Ting looked up from his seat, repeating the somewhat retro term with some surprise.
"Yeah! Electives!" Several classmates who had flown over to him in their hovering chairs all narrowed their eyes and smiled. "And apparently, each department has its own independent system! Brother Lei, do you want to see the syllabus in advance?"
***
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
伊文海勒·康 | Ivenheiler Kang | The real name of 'Star-Flow'.
第七军团 | Seventh Legion | A military unit mentioned in the protagonist's backstory.
首都星系 | Capital Star System | The central star system of the Federation.
行星战舰 | Planetary Warship | A massive warship the size of a planet; the academy is built inside one.
太阳号 | The Sun | A famous decommissioned ship mentioned by Valen.
超能机甲-突击 | Superpower Mecha - Assault | Lei Ting's specific major/branch of study.
信号捕获 | Signal Capture | A course name.
毁灭武器操作技术 | Destruction Weapon Operation Technology | A course name.
高能物理学 | High Energy Physics | A course name.
超能动力学 | Superpower Dynamics | A course name.
折跃与追踪 | Warp and Tracking | A course name.
防御屏障发生学 | Defense Barrier Generation | A course name.
进攻与破坏 | Offense and Sabotage | A course name.
俘虏管制 | Prisoner Control | A course name.
