Author: 易修罗 / Yi Xiu Luo

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 109

The arena, packed with a sea of people, buzzed as the citizens of Tianxiu indulged in their unique revelry.

Nearly a hundred years had passed since the birth of the Lone Star Warrior. In this century, Tianxiu had leaped from a weak nation, easily bullied by others, to become one of the most influential powers within the galaxy. This was the most prosperous era in Tianxiu’s history, basking in the worship of many nations and the reverence of the stars. The people began to become complacent and, eventually, overconfident, slowly discarding the teachings left by their ancestors from the back of their minds.

Starting with Cang Yun and his clones, the Lone Star Warriors had evolved into their third generation. Outdated versions had been continuously upgraded and phased out. The third generation of Lone Star Warriors possessed higher martial prowess and intelligence. They were created in the form of youths with randomly generated abilities and appearances, each a unique individual, no longer uniform as before.

To better select these creations, a coming-of-age ceremony was invented. Only by killing one of their own during the ceremony and obtaining the other’s abilities could they fully mature. The losers were recycled and reshaped, continuing this brutal selection process.

The Soul Tree, responsible for producing souls, and the Lighthouse, tasked with recycling them, appeared one after another, making the people of Tianxiu even more unrestrained. To them, the Lone Star Warriors were just mass-produced bioengineered beings. The initial sacrifices made by Cang Yun and the maidservant for creating the Lone Star had been gradually forgotten.

As time further passed, the coming-of-age ceremony took on a new definition. For the carefree and stimulation-lacking people of Tianxiu, watching these artificial beings fight to the death in the arena became a novel form of mass entertainment. The crowd would shout, cheer, and place bets, finding new pleasure in the struggles of the Lone Star Warriors.

In the arena, two teenagers, appearing only sixteen or seventeen years old, fought fiercely with astonishing combat skills.

Outside the arena, thousands of physically weak spectators, waving their frail arms and holding wads of cash, also shouted with all their might. “Kill him! Kill him!”

Both youths were severely injured, but they couldn’t surrender; giving up at this time meant death. Even with their last breath, they had to keep fighting, especially since this was the “order” they had received—the “order” they must obey without question.

Just as the outcome was about to be decided and everyone excitedly anticipated the result, a young man in strange attire suddenly appeared in the center of the arena. No one saw how he got there; they only heard him shouting angrily at the crowd:

“You’ve gone too far! Even if they are artificial, they are still lives! How can you watch them kill each other and take pleasure in it? Who saved your nation? Who allowed you to sit here without fear or worry? Is this how you repay them? You are human, yet you’re worse than machines!”

The people of Tianxiu looked at each other, puzzled. Who was this man? What language was he speaking? They couldn’t understand a word.

His hair was a light gray, his eyes the color of smoke—quite different from the yellow-haired Tianxiu people, but somewhat similar to the Lone Star Warriors.

However, by his demeanor, he must be a malevolent alien. The Tianxiu people, their instinct for killing now awakened, unhesitatingly issued an order to execute him. “Kill him! Kill him!”

The two, who had just been locked in a desperate struggle in the arena, as well as the Lone Star Warriors on standby outside, all rushed towards this newcomer. Facing so many opponents, even the powerful intruder couldn’t cope and was forced to draw a dagger in defense.

“You fools! It’s those people who are playing with your lives at will, and yet you still fight for them. I am the same as you!”

No one listened to him. While he could fend off attackers from the front, he couldn’t guard the rear. A moment’s lapse allowed his dagger to be kicked away, landing far to the side.

“Ah!” Seeing his weapon gone, he dashed to retrieve it, but the other Lone Star Warriors wouldn’t allow it, quickly surrounding him.

The Tianxiu spectators outside the arena became even more excited. Regardless of who this newcomer was, he was incredibly strong to have survived so long against so many, but alas, it seemed his end had come.

With all his strength, the intruder repelled two who blocked his way and aimed for a gap to slide through on the ground. Seeing his dagger just ahead, a familiar sensation washed over him, and he knew something was wrong.

Under the watchful eyes of all, this unexpected intruder suddenly became transparent and vanished, until he was seen no more. The Tianxiu people widened their eyes in terror, thinking they had seen a ghost, and even the Lone Star Warriors halted, warily observing their surroundings, uncertain where their enemy had gone.

This brief interlude that took place in the arena was quickly forgotten by the people, and the hot topic that took its place was none other than the proposal of the gene transplantation plan.

After who knew how many internal discussion meetings, the proposer of the plan, a researcher from the Royal Academy of Sciences named Tian Zhu, was actively expounding his views.

“We have the Lone Star Warriors, but has anyone felt that their behavior is rigid and lacks initiative? They only act upon clear orders. However, the battlefield is ever-changing, and the Lone Stars cannot adapt in time. If the enemy exploits this weakness and continuously adjusts their battle strategy, they could defeat us. When martial power reaches a certain level, it is intelligence that determines victory or defeat. If the Lone Stars also had human intelligence, this wouldn’t be a problem, and their combat power would rise to a significant height.”

“I disagree!” Tai Duo, also a researcher at the Royal Academy, stood up to rebut. “The Lone Stars are powerful enough to be unmatched in the entire galaxy. They already possess intelligence comparable to real humans. If they were to gain wisdom equivalent to humans, it would be as if they had their own thoughts. Once you can’t control such people and they develop their own agendas, what will you use to contend with them?”

Tian Zhu had always looked down on Tai Duo, seeing him as a coward who dared not innovate.

So he sneered, “Your way of thinking is self-sealing and unprogressive. We may have no opponents now, but aren’t our enemies constantly improving? If we do not advance, sooner or later we will become the ones who are no match for them, and history will repeat itself. Don’t forget, the first command in the Lone Star main program is to be loyal to the royal family and protect the nation. Even if they had human wisdom, it is absolutely impossible for them to violate this command. You are worrying too much.”

The two sides were at an impasse, and it was an awkward era. The previous emperor passed away young, at thirty-something, and the new prince was only fourteen years old and not yet of age. According to the rules of Tianxiu, the prince could only ascend to the throne when he reached the age of eighteen. During this interim, when the throne was vacant, all major affairs were decided by the cabinet discussions.

In the end, it was Tian Zhu who persuaded the cabinet. “Don’t you want to see the Lone Stars with richer expressions? They will be loyal to us from their hearts, not just as a matter of programming. After this plan is implemented, every person in Tianxiu will have their own Lone Star. They will sense our spirits, share our emotions, rejoice and grieve with us, and firmly execute every one of our commands.” As he got excited, he spread his arms wide. “I name this kind of personal Lone Star—Qizi.”

……

Inside the palace, the fourteen-year-old young prince, Yue Ying, sat listlessly in his wheelchair. He too wished to attend the gladiatorial arena to witness the coming-of-age ceremony in person, but his body was even frailer than his royal ancestors’, and even leaving the palace was a great difficulty for him, let alone going to such a noisy and chaotic place.

To entertain him, an attendant tried to cheer him up by telling him about interesting things happening in society.

“Your Highness, have you heard? The cabinet has approved the gene transplantation plan. Soon, you can have your own Lone Star. He can chat with you, feel all your emotions, and then you won’t be lonely anymore.”

“Really?” Yue Ying longed. “Can I also have a Lone Star of my own?”

“Of course, they’re called ‘Qizi’. Many people have volunteered for the experiment. Once the technology is fully mature, Your Highness will be able to choose your favorite Lone Star for the gene transplantation.”

The day the attendant described arrived quickly, and under the careful protection of many, Yue Ying came to the Royal Academy of Sciences for the first time, where Tian Zhu, the project leader, personally selected a Lone Star for him.

“Your Highness, the initial person of a Lone Star, Cang Yun, currently does not have a Qizhu. He has deep connections with the royal family. Having him as your Qizi, I believe, would be most fitting.”

Yue Ying frowned. “Cang Yun, I have always treated him as an elder. After all, he is hundreds of years older than me. If he becomes my Qizi, I might not be able to treat him as a peer.”

“Moreover, Cang Yun is a first-generation Lone Star, and in many respects, he is not as good as the newly produced third-generation ones. I want a more updated product.”

It was normal for a young person to have such thoughts, and the astute Tian Zhu immediately changed his approach. “In that case, I do have a suitable recommendation.”

He gestured, and a handsome young man was brought forward. “This is a newly cultivated third-generation Lone Star, exceptional in every aspect, and has not yet undergone the coming-of-age ceremony. Having him as your Qizi, Your Highness, would you be satisfied?”

Yue Ying sized him up from head to toe and was very pleased. “What is your name?”

The young man replied expressionlessly, “Your Highness, my name is Ling Yi.”

“Ling Yi, are you willing to become my Qizi?”

“It would be my great honor.”

Yue Ying smiled broadly. “I’ll choose him.”

The two lay side by side on the beds. “Will it hurt?”

Yue Ying asked a bit nervously.

“Not at all, Your Highness. We’ll just take a tiny sample of your genetic material. The whole process is very quick. I assure you that you won’t feel anything, and it will be over before you know it.”

“That’s good.” Yue Ying was relieved. “Soon I’ll have my own Qizi.”

He turned his head. “I really want to see what you look like when you smile.”

Tian Zhu hadn’t lied to him. The whole process indeed ended very quickly. Yue Ying declined the suggestion of others for him to go back to rest first, insisting on waiting for Ling Yi to wake up.

“He is my Qizi. I want to be the first person he sees when he wakes up.”

Time passed second by second, and the transplantation was finally complete. Ling Yi on the chair slowly opened his eyes. He was still the same person, but the infusion of emotion into his eyes made him seem entirely different from before.

Yue Ying leaned forward nervously, wanting to know if the transplantation had been successful.

Ling Yi’s deep gray eyes moved spiritedly, and then he showed the person in front of him the first smile that this soul had since its birth.

“I am pleased to meet you, my prince.”

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