Stars See Me [Interstellar] | Chapter 88 | A Dying Bequest | Novela.app

A figure shrouded in dark red mist emerged. It was the Hata’an King, now entirely stripped of its human form. The radiance of the ‘Solar Star’ carried the property of ‘immobility,’ making the light itself a terrifying form of attack to its enemies. The monster let out a shriek that, even in the vacuum of space, caused the heads of all who heard it via psychic shock to throb with agonizing pain. Then, it dove headlong into the Orion Human Union’s position. In the next instant, it detonated into a terrifying, writhing mist of dark red blood. This mist, seemingly possessed of its own life, expanded in a flash, enveloping the entire OHU position amidst violent spatial fluctuations. No one had expected such a turn of events. Ivanheller’s eyes widened. He transformed into a bolt of light, streaking across the void. But the thick mist suddenly contracted, taking every swallowed target with it—including Lei Ting himself, who had instinctively turned back to attempt a rescue. Everything within a spherical range, including the command base and a vast number of starships, vanished. By the time Ivanheller reached the edge of the early warning system’s range, there was nothing left but chaotic, untraceable spatial ripples. ...Well, at least no one could discover him now. First, the sweep of energy radiation, and now this spatial disturbance—no system could possibly continue functioning. Even for an armored suit fully integrated with a psychic power, the analytical systems were currently blurred and erratic. Reason told Ivanheller that while tracking the lingering traces of a spatial jump was the simplest method, he absolutely could not go further. Even for a psychic with spatial traversal abilities like himself, falling into the fissures of chaotic space-time usually meant a ninety-percent chance of death. Even if he managed to survive, he couldn't be sure where in the universe he would emerge, or if he could survive once he got there. ... Ivanheller chose to listen to his reason. As he always did. At the edge of the silent battlefield, the tall, slender psychic warrior slowly scanned his surroundings and retreated slightly. Finally, he cast a deep look toward the fading sun. He raised a hand, summoning a grain of stardust containing a wisp of black mist, and crushed it. He watched as the black mist flowed in a specific direction before dissipating. That black mist was a sliver of the enemy’s power he had intercepted—it belonged to the now-monstrous Hata’an King. As long as he found it, everything would be resolved. *** When Sandro hit the ground, he felt as if he had been impaled by a steel rebar. His vision went dark, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. Realizing he was no longer in his original position and was severely injured, his first reaction wasn't to reach for emergency medicine in his tactical belt, but to croak out a name: "Su... Susanna..." Silence reigned in all directions. No one answered. Sandro gave a stiff laugh, which caused him to cough up more blood. He panted heavily, laughing with relief that he hadn't been torn apart during the teleportation or embedded into a wall. Injecting emergency stimulants was a mandatory course. Sandro valued his life, so he had learned it well—better than Lei Ting, even. After all, while that guy studied every branch of knowledge seriously, he was simply too strong, so strong that it seemed he would never have a use for such things... unless he was injecting them into someone else. But Lei Ting didn't want teammates. Even they, the 'team members,' were only responsible for logistics. Now, reality had proven that when he fought for real, the logistics team couldn't even connect to the damn network. It made it seem like their existence in this team had no value at all. Even if 'Big Brother Lei' was a good person—kinder than everyone outside combined could guess—they couldn't just keep being a burden to him. Copying homework or transcribing notes in the past was one thing, but for the future, one couldn't just settle for being a 'rice worm'... Sandro smiled. He liked to smile, even though his ability and his original personality should have made him dislike it. It was because Susanna used to love smiling and talking—until she was bullied by an Alpha at school. From then on, she had become a different person, driven by a certain hatred. But it didn't matter; Sandro knew she was still the same person, so he was willing to accompany her to the military academy. If he had followed his original personality, he probably would have gone to a much more relaxed and pleasant comprehensive university. However, even with things turning out like this, he didn't regret it. 'Do not regret; when a mistake happens, first consider how to remedy it' was one of the three things they had learned from Lei Ting. The other two were 'take responsibility' and 'strive for progress.' The medicine quickly circulated through his bloodstream. Sandro pulled out the standard-issue dagger from his belt and flicked the switch. The blade hummed softly, glowing with a faint red light. Amidst the agonizing pain of the rebar piercing his side, he gritted his teeth and slowly propped himself up, using the dagger to cut through the thin metal rod. He called it 'rebar,' but it was actually an unfamiliar, high-hardness alloy. The energy within the dagger was mostly depleted by the high-intensity cutting before the rod finally snapped with a faint sound. Throughout the intense pain, the best information engineer of the Orion Human Union First Military Academy’s Class of 4000 didn't make a sound. A short while later, he struggled to his feet. Amidst the heavy scent of blood—thankfully, there was no foul stench, proving his intestines were likely still intact—he sprayed himself with hemostatic foam and pressed the switch for the light on his belt. Nothing happened. Sandro: "..." Refusing to believe it, he pressed it twice more. The belt light remained as if the bulb didn't even exist. ...Tsk. That spatial surge hadn't even broken him; how could this belt light, which was sturdy enough to be swung as a weapon in a pinch, be broken? A bad premonition stirred in Sandro’s heart, but his mind was already beginning to wander. He injected himself with a shot of adrenaline. Feeling a jolt of energy, he raised his hand, trying to get a response from the silent optical computer eyepiece in front of his eyes. *Zzzzt—!!!!* A sharp, terrifying screech of static echoed in his ears. Crimson warnings of [Signal Unstable] and [Strong Electromagnetic Interference] flashed before him. Sandro’s heart nearly stopped from the shock. He hurriedly shut down the optical computer and pulled out a chemical glowstick, snapping it. This ancient design could still function and save people in dire straits; one really had to be grateful for the wisdom of the ancients. When he got back, he’d have to ask Big Brother Lei for some pointers on retro-futurism. Cracking jokes to himself, Sandro tucked the glowstick into the glove strap at his cuff. With his knife in one hand and his standard-issue laser pistol in the other, he began to feel his way out. He didn't encounter any danger on the way out; perhaps people who smiled often really did have better luck. Much later, just as he began to feel weak and powerless again, he saw the first person. Or rather, half a person. Sandro stared blankly at the figure. It was a classic case of a teleportation error—half the person's body was fused into the wall. Blood poured from the seam; it was clear they wouldn't survive. Sandro had seen such cases in textbooks before, but that person... ...That person was an acquaintance. "...Luo Xian...?" he murmured the name, then stumbled forward. "Hang in there! I still have adrenaline..." "No... *cough, cough*... no need..." Luo Xian didn't look up. He only tremblingly reached for his chest, his voice raspy. "You... "Give this... to Big Brother Lei... "And... tell my brother... he..." His voice was faint, as if he had only stayed alive this long just to say these words. But he couldn't finish them. When a hand wearing a stained white glove dropped, he died. A data chip slipped from his fingers, hitting the ground and becoming submerged in a pool of blood. In that moment, Sandro’s mind went blank. *He’s dead,* he thought. *He’s dead.* *He’s dead.* *He’s dead... He’s dead!!!* Why? Why? He hadn't even been hit by a shell; he just died, easily and abruptly... Why? Is human life such a fragile thing? Oh, it is... that’s exactly what it is... His lips trembled. His classmate was dead. His friend was dead. He didn't dare imagine how many times and in how many places this scene was currently playing out. So easily. So abruptly. Like being hit by a car while turning a street corner—was it the victim's fault for going out today? No, of course not... but death descended regardless, sudden and unexpected. Drenched in cold sweat, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it would explode, he leaned against the wall and picked up the data chip from the blood. His vision was a blur of darkness and haze as he staggered toward a light in the distance. The exit of this cave, which was filled with intense electromagnetic interference, was right there, but Luo Xian hadn't been able to move. And so, he had died in this darkness. Just like that. Even though just a few days ago, they had been discussing where to get a small cake for Big Brother Lei. At the time, Sandro had even teased him: "You usually seem so afraid of Big Brother Lei, why do you want to get involved in this?" And how had the other replied? "—It’s not Big Brother Lei I’m afraid of. Never was. He’s a good person. People shouldn't fear good people." Someone who could say such a thing, no matter what path they took to get here, must have been a good person at heart. And yet, he died just like that... Sandro lunged into the light. He instinctively blinked, trying not to let the intense glare sting his eyes for the second time today. A wave of warmth flowed down his face. No, it wasn't warmth... ...Even compared to the blood gushing from his waist, it was startlingly hot. In his daze, he saw a sky filled with debris, an unfamiliar planet, a cooling battlefield ruin, the tattered flags of the Human Union, and... the insignia of a famous Voro armed force. The name of that army was— —'Deep Space Stealth.' ***