Chapter 1: The First Interstellar Prison

Chapter 1: The First Interstellar Prison

"Still can't survive, huh? Even the galaxy's most resilient life form can't take root on Blue Star?"

A rare flicker of regret passed through He Xiangchen's eyes. His slender fingers gently brushed the withered grass leaves, like he was caressing a cherished toy.

Then, he lifted his thumb and crushed the leaf.

"This is the first time I've seen Mr. He this upset," an electronic voice suddenly sounded. "After nurturing it for a month, it still couldn't survive Blue Star's harsh environment. It's truly disappointing."

"This has nothing to do with you."

He Xiangchen stood up, coldly muttered a few words into the air, then turned and left the ecological greenhouse without looking back.

The moment he stepped out of the greenhouse, the structure he had painstakingly built, brick by brick, tile by tile, crumbled into ruins, just like the barren land beneath his feet.

"Mr. He, Blue Star can no longer sustain any life form," the electronic voice paused, then quickly added, "Except for you, of course."

He Xiangchen gave a self-deprecating smile. "Yeah, 001, your timing's off. I'm in a terrible mood right now, absolutely terrible."

001 fell silent, uncertain of He Xiangchen's thoughts. Or rather, it had never quite understood its host's mindset.

But it had to speak up—it had an important mission to fulfill. "A few days ago, I became the main system of Area 13."

"Oh? Congratulations," He Xiangchen's tone remained indifferent.

"It's all thanks to you. You helped me complete countless tasks, making me the fastest-promoted system ever. I'll never forget this kindness..."

He Xiangchen cut 001 off impatiently. "I've heard this a dozen times. I've said I don't accept migrating to other planets. So your rewards don't interest me."

"But..."

"Go back and tell your master. Tell him I, He Xiangchen, refuse to be his puppet anymore. Doesn't he have plenty of systems and subordinates? Let them handle the viruses for him."

He Xiangchen's lips curled into a mocking smile. He had sold his soul to the master to return here. Now, he just wanted to live freely, even if the only company he had was the scarred Blue Star.

Not bad, at least he wasn't alone.

He Xiangchen didn't want to say more. He closed his eyes, preparing to drive away the pitiful system that had invaded his consciousness with his will.

Sensing an overwhelmingly powerful force pushing it out, 001 finally panicked. "Mr. He, please listen to me!"

"Unnecessary."

"We can restore Blue Star's vitality!!!"

001 desperately transmitted the last wave of data into He Xiangchen's consciousness, its electronic voice trembling with uncontrollable fear and panic.

The expulsion suddenly stopped.

001 let out a human-like sigh of relief after narrowly escaping disaster.

Then it heard He Xiangchen's questioning voice. "Is this your promise, or your master's?"

"It's the master's. I wouldn't dare to make such a decision on my own."

He Xiangchen didn't doubt the system's words. He knew very well how loyal these systems were. And precisely because of this, a wave of emotion suddenly surged in his heart.

Restoring life to a lifeless planet was as difficult as reaching the heavens. If such a method truly existed, Blue Star wouldn't have faced doomsday in the first place, nor would it have become what it is now.

System 001 quickly noticed the change in He Xiangchen's emotions and continued, "I know Mr. He still has some hesitation. Indeed, bringing Blue Star back to life requires an enormous amount of energy, something only the master in his prime could achieve. But now, with the virus running wild, the master doesn't have that much energy to spare..."

"What does he want from me?" He Xiangchen asked directly.

"The master will transport you to worlds infected by the virus. You need to find the individuals the virus has infected, and then the master will eliminate it. But if you insist on bringing Blue Star back to life, the master will need to conserve energy to transform Blue Star and won't have much energy left to protect you. In that case, when you enter the virus-infected worlds, you will be detected by the virus. And in each world, you only have one shot."

He Xiangchen understood, "So, I only have one life in each world, is that what you mean?"

"Exactly."

"Alright."

System 001 didn't react immediately until He Xiangchen added, "Let's start. I don't want to wait another minute."

He Xiangchen had no family or friends; his people had perished long ago in the apocalypse.

And this land was the only thing he could consider a connection.

...

He Xiangchen opened his eyes to a metallic ceiling, its dark, oppressive color weighing down on him.

Footsteps grew louder as they approached.

"Well, well, Yu Qiming, General Yu, never thought you'd end up like this! This secret prison for death row inmates isn't new to you, is it? Before, it was you sending people in, and today, it's you being locked up here!"

He Xiangchen glanced at the speaker but didn't respond; instead, he slowly sat up.

As he moved, he noticed his hands and feet were shackled. He couldn't identify the material, but he could feel their extraordinary heaviness.

The speaker, as if expecting He Xiangchen's reaction, snorted coldly and sat down nearby, "If it weren't for these shackles that suppress gene levels, I wouldn't dare come in. Now, you're no different from children whose genes haven't yet awakened. How does it feel, this sense of powerlessness, isn't it funny?"

"You despise me."

He Xiangchen finally uttered three words.

These three words set the man's anger ablaze!

"Of course, I despise you!" The man rushed at He Xiangchen, grabbing his collar, "I wish I could blow you to smithereens with a particle cannon! Why, why is it that as members of the Yu family, you can rise so high, while Hao Ran and I can only be overshadowed by your halo?"

"Everyone, they all mock me! Do you know what they say? They say you are the celebrated five-star general, the great hero of the Federation! And I'm just a gene level C failure! Haha, but now this failure can still live well! While you, the great hero, are to be sent to the military court, facing trial. Even if you die, you'll be cursed by everyone, your name forever tarnished!"

Yu Jiashi's face was full of glee, as if he wanted to vent all his pent-up frustrations over the years.

He Xiangchen looked at him, a flicker of pity in his indifferent eyes, "But you're still a failure."

"What did you say?"

He Xiangchen gently pulled Yu Jiashi's hand from his collar, slowly straightened his collar, and then continued, "Whether I live or die, whether I'm a hero or a criminal, that's my business. Even if I'm sentenced, cursed by everyone, it doesn't change the fact that you're a failure."

He Xiangchen averted his gaze, as if looking at him any longer would taint his eyes, "People mock you because you're Yu Qiming's cousin. One day, when they forget Yu Qiming, they'll naturally forget you too. By then, you'll still be a failure. Is that what you want?"

His tone was flat, devoid of any emotion, yet it hit Yu Jiashi like a sledgehammer.

He was still a failure.

Without Yu Qiming's lofty halo, he was still just a resentful failure in the shadows, like a clown.

Yu Jiashi didn't know how he walked out of that prison, only that his life had become a joke.

"Master, master..."

A soft electronic voice chimed in, successfully catching He Xiangchen's attention.

"You're not System 001?" He Xiangchen frowned in confusion.

"Yes, Senior 001 is the regional master system. It oversees all affairs in Area 13 and is too busy to assist."

"Heh," He Xiangchen sneered, "It never mentioned this to me!"

"...Sorry."

"Then who are you?"

"I am System 009, currently in training. Please guide me."

An intern system? The master assigned such a critical mission to an intern system. I don't know if it's reckless or just has faith in me.

He Xiangchen got straight to the point, "I need detailed information about this world."

"Yes."

Soon, a flood of information filled He Xiangchen's mind. The name of the body he inhabited was Yu Qiming, one of the three five-star generals of the Federation, with outstanding achievements. According to the original timeline, he should have continued this glory, eventually leading the Federation to unify the Alpha Galaxy.

Not like now, imprisoned and dishonored.

Even worse, in three days, the military court would try him for allegedly betraying the Federation by siding with the Demelans. Given the existing evidence, he didn't even have a chance to defend himself.

This was nearly a hopeless situation!

After reviewing the information, System 009 was equally alarmed. It even began to suspect that the seniors' apparent envy when they learned it would be working with He Xiangchen was feigned!

"Master, what's your plan? Should we forge some evidence?" 009 couldn't help but promote itself, "I'm quite skilled at this."

He Xiangchen waved his hand, "Not yet, and even with forged evidence, it would be difficult to change anything. The fact that Yu Qiming has fallen to this point means that the virus has been targeting him for a long time. A premeditated plan against an unprepared target—hastily prepared evidence can't withstand scrutiny and won't hold up against what's already been presented in court."

"..." The first suggestion was shot down, leaving 009 somewhat discouraged.

"009," He Xiangchen suddenly called out.

"...Yes?"

"Can you access the StarNet?"

"Yes, I can."

He Xiangchen nodded in satisfaction, "I want you to post a message on the StarNet, saying that the Demelans targeted Yu Qiming for an unexploited energy planet within the Federation. This energy planet has countless mineral resources, enough to replenish the entire Alpha Galaxy's energy consumption for a hundred years. And only Yu Qiming knows the route to this energy planet."

009 silently noted down what He Xiangchen said in its notebook.

To make the message more convincing, it reviewed the world's information and suddenly realized that the calm, composed, and methodical He Xiangchen giving orders now perfectly matched the Yu Qiming in the records.