He spoke with great sincerity, yet Lei Ting only turned his head to look at him, asking, "Under twenty-five?"
"Yes, under twenty-five... though not all of them are superhumans specifically trained by the Federation." Green lowered his head slightly. "This is a test tailored for you personally. Naturally, we cannot use the most precious 'teaching aids' for such a purpose."
"Regardless of whose man you are, I think you need to reconsider your phrasing." Lei Ting adjusted his gear while performing a routine check on the deployment pod. "Don't you agree?"
"You are right." Green immediately lowered his head in a mental kowtow. "My deepest apologies. I meant to say—"
"Fine, stop." Lei Ting’s tone was mild.
Green obediently shut his mouth.
Lei Ting folded his arms and leaned against his black box, contemplating the current situation. He was aware of everything happening within the fleet—every corner of it—because it was forged of metal.
He knew people were approaching; he knew that personnel were being gathered on more than just this ship; he knew that distant operators were currently cooling the warp engines in preparation for the next jump... In a world of metal, there was nothing he did not know. And as for what he could monitor right now...
...Everything.
Lei Ting mused.
As long as he released his perception, he could not only use his mental pulse to scan the specific locations and power levels of others, but he could even eavesdrop on distant conversations by sensing the minute vibrations of metal caused by sound waves.
No... it would be more accurate to say he had been capable of this for a long time. If he wished, he could do even more.
The current him was undoubtedly stronger than 'Star Stream' had been upon graduation. This was not just due to the growth of his own abilities, but also because... the Principal had personally admitted that he worked much harder than Star Stream ever had. If that fellow had been as diligent back then as Lei Ting was now, he might have avoided a great deal of suffering.
Thinking of that man, who had practically etched laziness into his DNA, the corners of Lei Ting’s mouth twitched with a hint of helplessness.
Then, he suddenly spoke. "According to the meeting, we can ask you any question?"
"Yes, esteemed 'First Forerunner'." Green bowed his head.
"Then," Lei Ting said in a low voice, "why is this team restricted to 'under twenty-five'?"
Generally speaking, the peak period for a superhuman’s power usually fell between the ages of thirty and one hundred and sixty. If it were purely for the sake of strength, there was no need to limit the age. Nine out of ten superhumans under twenty-five had yet to establish their own independent and complete combat systems... and being young meant having less experience, which naturally led to more potential blunders than those over thirty.
Take Lei Ting, for example. He was twenty-one this year and had undergone a massive amount of high-intensity training. However, in terms of raw survival instincts and combat experience in life-or-death moments, any veteran who had served for over ten years could still run circles around him.
He was so powerful that he simply hadn't needed to experience those things.
And also... it was only after becoming a super-soldier and receiving systematic training that Lei Ting realized: the tropes in stories where someone could kill a fully-prepared veteran using only 'technique' and 'awareness' after some casual practice were an absolute joke.
Even in the modern Federation, those veterans were fiercer than the last. Compared to the raw recruits and the superhumans responsible for raising the ceiling of combat power, they were the true backbone of the Federation military.
Thus, in a state where neither side used superpowers, Lei Ting’s current win rate against a veteran in a duel was seven-to-three—seven for him, because his physique was ultimately far superior to a normal human's. But if the scenario changed to a fight to the death, that win rate plummeted to four-to-six—four for him.
Because he had yet to witness with his own eyes just how far a person would go to stay alive.
Nor did he know... in this interstellar era, where any battle that descended to the level of individual soldiers inevitably became a meat grinder, exactly what a person had to do to survive.
Consequently, he found it even harder to understand why this team had to be restricted to 'under twenty-five'... Good grief, were they running a youth talent class? If they had the leisure for this, wouldn't it be better to pull in some veteran superhumans between thirty-five and seventy?
One had to remember that superhumans generally possessed excellent learning capabilities. The boost that age and experience provided to a superhuman's combat effectiveness far exceeded the boost it gave to an ordinary person!
'Precise, efficient, fearless'—a superhuman under twenty-five might not meet even one of those requirements, while one over thirty-five would certainly meet at least two!
In any case, Lei Ting viewed the combat strength of most of his peers as being at a kindergarten level. While he didn't rule out the possibility of exceptional units like himself—and that possibility was quite high—at least the ones currently approaching him...
The moment Lei Ting confirmed through his expanded mental perception that he could directly manipulate the metallic elements within their bodies, he knew clearly: they were weaker than him. Much weaker. So much so that he didn't understand the point of forming such a team at all.
To this, Green provided an answer.
"Because this batch of military academy graduates will be deployed to a very different kind of battlefield," the handsome, well-mannered young man said with a smile.
As he spoke, the four teammates arrived. They were of varying builds and heights, each fully armed, even wearing their superhuman mecha helmets with the faceplates sealed tight.
"It is a planetary weapon of a short-lived race called the 'Hataan.' It is also their war base, which we call 'Hataan 25'."
Green explained to the group in a gentle tone: "This race rarely produces superhumans. Their average lifespan, converted to Human Union time units, is 15 years, with a theoretical maximum lifespan of 26 years. Their civilization's heritage relies on consuming the cognitive and memory organs of their ancestors. Furthermore, they possess a powerful force—when they enter a state of combat readiness and gather in large numbers, they form a 'Premature Aging' field...
"This collective evolutionary trait was originally intended to conserve resources before war, but later it was used to kill creatures with longer lifespans than their own. The criteria for this 'premature aging target' is whether the target's existence has exceeded their theoretical maximum lifespan. Once the premature aging effect locks on, the target is severely affected. According to those who have experienced it, it feels like suddenly stepping into old age.
"In short, any biological entity over the age of 26 is at a severe disadvantage when fighting them head-on."
...Lei Ting was stunned.
Good lord, what kind of logic was that? *If I can't outlive you, I'll drag your lifespan and physical state down to my level??*
That truly was... a move only a short-lived species could pull off!
"Given that the estimated time required for this mission is between one to seven months—a conclusion reached after considering all possibilities—the Federation cannot choose those 26-year-old superhumans who have one more year of combat experience. We can only choose you," Green said softly. "After all... if one of them suddenly had a birthday, it would make things very difficult for the Federation.
"By the way, this is also why we chose to activate military academy graduates early—the Hataan have a high reproductive rate and are gathered all across the front lines. Once a Premature Aging field appears, our regular forces must withdraw from the battlefield in large numbers.
"And we need you to split into five squads to infiltrate and sabotage the five main systems of this planetary weapon. We have calculated that even with you, the 'Sun Star,' this mission cannot be completed with fewer personnel."
Lei Ting: "..."
Fine. The Federation Council was probably disgusted to death by this and had no choice but to resort to this plan.
If they could win normally with mature combat units, why would they consider throwing the future pillars of the nation, who hadn't even finished growing, onto the battlefield? They weren't some nihilistic civilization that had brainwashed their entire race from top to bottom into thinking their lives were too long.
Speechless, Lei Ting nodded silently. He asked again for the preliminary intelligence on this test mission, and after grasping the specifics, he turned to look at his four teammates.
Throughout the conversation, these four had remained silent.
In the scanning module of his external optical computer, their current status was displayed as 'Squad Members.' Aside from himself—'No. 1 - Assault - Matter - Male Alpha'—the others were 'No. 2 - Assault - Guard - Male Alpha,' 'No. 3 - Assault - Augmentation - Female Alpha,' 'No. 4 - Assault - Energy - Male Omega,' and 'No. 5 - Special - Mutation - Female Omega.'
Yes, this was a cutting-edge squad composed entirely of Alphas and Omegas. The superhuman intensity of most Betas of the same age likely wouldn't even reach the lower limit of the most unstable aura among them, Number Four.
—In an era where a powerful superhuman could interfere with everything, AO superhumans were generally stronger than Betas and had a higher probability of producing elites. This was one of the reasons why, despite their small numbers, they always occupied dominant positions.
However, an Energy-type Omega?
Well, not unheard of; Lucas Kang was a Guard-type, after all. If an Augmentation-type Omega ever appeared, that would be truly surprising.
Four Assaults and one Special, no logistics unit—a standard Forerunner configuration. Lei Ting had no objections to this.
Forerunners fought "glass cannon" blitzkriegs; it was all about hacking through from start to finish. Logistics units were treasures that were the last to disembark even during boarding actions; they couldn't be stuffed into an ultra-frontline vanguard squad like this... Who would want to send the healer on a charge before the front lines were even exhausted? Did everyone here have a death wish?
Lei Ting greeted his teammates. The others responded, though not in perfect unison, which eased his mind slightly—even though Number Two had nothing left but a brain that hadn't been cybernetically modified, Number Three’s internal composition was abnormal and suggested extensive genetic adjustment, Number Four was fitted with a full set of controllers from brain to spine to limbs, and Number Five’s 'Heavenly Eye' seemed to have mutated and was likewise fitted with a controller...
...But at least they were all human. Probably.
As for himself...
The Federation was simply forcing teammates on him to prevent him from getting used to fighting alone. He was indifferent to it.
With a faint smile, Lei Ting mounted his black box to the side of his deployment pod and stepped inside. He watched as the curved, translucent reinforced partition lowered, and a glowing blue hexagonal prismatic structure shimmered upon it.
Then, the surrounding pitch-black metallic structures closed and locked, wrapping around him layer by layer, finally leaving only a palm-wide cross-shaped viewport for the deployment pod. A cold blue light glinted upon it, distorting the view from the outside in.
He knew what the Federation wanted to do, of course. They wanted to test him, to understand him, and they seemed to feel quite successful in doing so.
But to this day, Lei Ting still felt that under normal circumstances, he should have been a Beta—a Beta with a not-so-high level of ability... because he only ever thought about three things: making life better for himself and those around him, making the world he saw a better place, and successfully weathering the visible upcoming upheaval.
He did not possess the intense ambition, lust for power, or desire for control that most Alphas had. He could even be considered a person of few desires; thus far, his greatest projections of desire were his thirst for knowledge and his feelings for Vallen...
...
...Forget it. At a time like this, thinking about that was a bit too unserious.
In short, he didn't really seem like an Alpha, yet he was indeed an Alpha. A 'Double S' rank Alpha at that.
From this, it was evident that—just as the feedback from the outside world had always suggested—he did not know himself as well as he thought he did.
So, whatever the source of this 'lack of understanding' might be...
Since even he didn't dare claim to know himself, how could those people feel so certain that they understood him?
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 哈塔恩 | Hataan | A short-lived alien race with a theoretical max lifespan of 26 years. |
| 哈塔恩25 | Hataan 25 | A planetary weapon and war base belonging to the Hataan. |
| 早衰领域 | Premature Aging Field | A collective ability of the Hataan that affects anyone older than their max lifespan (26 years). |
| 阳星 | Sun Star | Lei Ting's codename or title. |
| 一号先行者 | First Forerunner | Lei Ting's designation in the new squad. |
| 突击 | Assault | A superhuman combat specialization/role. |
| 守卫 | Guard | A superhuman combat specialization/role (Defense-oriented). |
| 强化 | Augmentation | A superhuman combat specialization/role (Physical enhancement). |
| 能量 | Energy | A superhuman combat specialization/role (Energy manipulation). |
| 特种 | Special | A superhuman combat specialization/role (Specialized/Utility). |
| 异化 | Mutation | A superhuman combat specialization/role (Biological/Physical mutation). |
| 天眼 | Heavenly Eye | Likely a specific sensory or psychic ability/organ (mentioned for No. 5). |
