Chapter 2 Star Navigation Competition
A year ago in the spring, there was a rare thunderstorm and heavy rain fell in Galaxy City.
Lightning struck from the sky, illuminating the bustling, complex city. A no-fly zone was declared in the capital's Galaxy District, forbidding civilian aircraft from taking off. Workers were trapped in commercial buildings, unable to return home. Shoppers hid within the glass-lined interiors, afraid to leave. Protective partitions descended behind the windows of the Galaxy Library, shielding the chip cabinets within.
The parents rushed back home in a special military aircraft and stood in the corridor outside the family medical room.
Mingyu was in excruciating pain, caught in the struggle of awakening. He felt as if every bone and nerve in his body were on fire. Several mental detectors and vital sign monitors were placed by his bedside. Several doctors who had rushed over from the Capital Hospital were closely monitoring his condition.
Mingyu was nearly unconscious from the pain, his body convulsing, his vision blurring, and the sound of thunder booming outside the window filling his ears. Into that chaotic world, a familiar voice broke through.
"This loser actually dared to secretly use Xiao Zhuo's energy stone..." The mother's voice was filled with suppressed anger. When it fell into Mingyu's ears, it was like the sound from a radio with poor signal, sometimes louder and sometimes softer, making it difficult for Mingyu to hear clearly. "What if he awakens...?!"
There was a coldness in his mother's voice that Mingyu had never heard before, which instantly woke him up.
"I told Xiao Zhuo to keep it to himself and not let Mingyu see it..." His father's voice was then heard, equally unclear. "As early as when Mingyu was just born... I checked... He couldn't possibly awaken successfully..."
"Even though he's a burden, at least I've raised him for so many years..."
"It's just a waste. If it dies, it will die. It saves us from wasting our energy..."
The faces of father Ming Zhilang and mother Zhao Ying appeared in the darkness, their lips moving and their expressions showing an unconcealable indifference.
They were facing Mingyu's direction, with familiar facial features and unfamiliar expressions, as if they were strangers who had never seen him before.
Mingyu almost thought it was a near-death hallucination.
He is an unawakened human, a weakling who makes up less than 10% of the human population.
From childhood until he was nineteen, he was always ridiculed by his classmates because of this, and was not as loved by his parents at home as his older and younger brothers.
But no matter what, his parents spent money to raise him and never lacked food, clothing, and daily necessities. Although his parents didn't smile at him too often, they would treat him like an older brother, telling him to be careful and come home early after school.
He always thought that even though his parents didn't love him much... they still loved him.
How could they call him a waste and a burden? Mingyu's thoughts were in turmoil. Why did they say so calmly and naturally, "Just die, don't waste your energy on it?"
At this moment, Mingyu didn't even think about why he could see and hear the scene in the corridor outside the medical room through a door.
He didn't expect that his mental power had awakened at this moment.
The incessant thunder, the whispered conversations of his parents, the shrill alarms of medical equipment, and the nervous shouts of medical staff mixed together, filling Mingyu's brain and gradually becoming a mess.
"The mental instrument still hasn't responded?——"
"No! No! No value yet! His mental power has not been detected!"
"It's no use, his vital signs are gone! Quickly inject him with a barrier agent, we can't let the awakening process continue..."
"Oxygen mask! Heartbeat... Push the CPR machine over here!"
The young man's wrists and ankles were fixed with medical collars, and his limp body bounced upwards under the shock of the resuscitator, then fell back onto the bed, again and again.
die.
Death will bring relief to parents and free them from a heavy burden.
Mingyu's head tilted to one side and trembled as his body shook. His beautiful eyes were staring blankly, and the tears accumulated in them finally slipped out.
He doesn't want to die yet.
"The test results are fine." Doctor Zhang's businesslike voice brought Mingyu back to reality. "You have fully recovered. All indicators are healthy and everything is normal."
Mingyu felt cold.
It was as if the memory dragged him back to the gates of hell, causing him to lose a lot of body heat. He removed the sensor patch from the instrument and heard his mother, Zhao Ying, ask, "So... what about your mental power? Are there any signs of reawakening?"
The doctor shook his head, his tone a little regretful, "No."
Ming's father and mother sighed at the same time.
After a moment, Zhao Ying patted her chest and slowed down her tone: "Being healthy is fine."
"Thinking back to that afternoon, I'm still terrified. Xiaoyu failed to awaken and had a near-death experience. He was in a coma for several days. After waking up, he was speechless and motionless, as if he had become a vegetable... It took a year for him to slowly recover. In my opinion, Xiaoyu should have stayed at home to recuperate for another year..."
Mingyu thanked the doctor politely, then went to the shower room at the back to take a shower and wash off the cream he had applied during the examination to make the patch fit better.
The sound of the shower blurred his mother's nagging. Mingyu stared at the smoke in front of him, vaguely thinking about the repeated doubts he had felt about his mental state during the year-long rest period after his spiritual power awakened. He thought about the feelings he had forced himself to observe his parents' interactions with him like a magnifying glass. He also thought about the plan he had been planning for the past few months to make money and leave the Ming family.
He had the opportunity to leave the Ming family earlier.
Mingyu has been fascinated by space travel since childhood. He previously didn't understand the difference between ordinary humans and awakened ones, and once vowed to become a starship observer, sailing into the mysterious universe beyond human space.
Only when I grew up did I realize that starship observers can only be awakened humans, and they are usually navigators among awakened humans who are known for their sharp mental powers.
Because he really liked star navigation, Mingyu gave up being an observer and became interested in starship design.
Although his parents had never supported his dream of star navigation and told him that even the position of starship designer only recruited awakened humans, Mingyu still secretly taught himself many courses, thus neglecting other "serious" studies.
When he was eighteen and in his third year of high school, Mingyu searched the Star Network and found a Star Navigation School located on the edge of the central star field. Because the school was so remote, its starship design program accepted ordinary students. He cautiously proposed to his family that he leave the capital to study on a fringe planet, but his parents expressed strong disapproval.
They said they were worried that Mingyu would not be able to take care of himself, that Mingyu would be bullied, and that their son, who had not awakened his spiritual power, was living in a place where they could not reach.
So Mingyu gave up at that time.
He once thought that since he couldn't be the pride of his parents like his older brother, he could only be a "good kid" who didn't cause them any trouble.
Mingyu lowered his eyes.
He applied to Capital Star Comprehensive University. Six months before the college entrance exam, he put aside his preconceived notions about starship design and crammed for his major, earning him a spot in the Star Navigation History program. Then, during that summer vacation, his spiritual power awakened, and he saw the cold faces of his parents.
Mingyu changed into his pajamas. His parents had already gone upstairs to the lounge with Dr. Zhang, chatting about family matters. Mingyu did not join them. He went upstairs to his bedroom and collapsed on his bed.
"How could you be so ignorant? Doctor Zhang waited for you at our house for several hours, and you didn't even bother to talk to him..."
It was getting dark outside the window. Zhao Ying came up and knocked on the door, scolded him for his behavior, and asked him to come downstairs for dinner.
Mingyu opened his eyes and pretended to be asleep, listening to his mother muttering as she went downstairs. As the night deepened, the noises in the house gradually quieted down.
The hands passed midnight, making a soft click.
"Ding——" A slight sound came from the communication bracelet, and the reminder message that Mingyu had set in advance was triggered, and a light screen automatically popped up in the dark bedroom.
Mingyu opened his eyes and turned off the reminder on his bracelet because he was in a bad mood. For a moment, he couldn't remember why he set such an alarm.
Until he saw the communicator's information screen light up, and an information prompt email ending with the official domain name appeared on the interface, with a line of extremely clear prompts displayed in the detailed information.
"Congratulations to registrant LUCE, your Star Navigation Competition registration has been successful, and your Star Navigation Competition team has been successfully matched!
Identity: Starship Designer. Team: Colorful Team.
Please log in to the StarNet Star Navigation Competition section as soon as possible to familiarize yourself with your teammates and the competition process and rules.
Mingyu: “…”
Mingyu: “……!!!”
His eyes widened instantly and he suddenly turned over and sat up in bed.
The bad mood that started when he received the call from his mother at noon was suppressed by surprise at this moment. Mingyu's heart was pounding, and he excitedly took out his virtual helmet from the bedside table and connected to the star network in holographic mode.
The random matching of the Star Navigation Competition team was successful!
His registration is valid and he can participate in the competition!
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