Nüwa’s affirmation of the Fourth Star Ring’s Star Network exam was like a shot of adrenaline, filling Melina and her team with energy and motivation.
They were determined to make this year’s military academy assessment a landmark event, leaving a bold and unforgettable mark on the history of the entire Fourth Star Ring.
Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.
The spacecraft docked at the port of Haige Star.
“My dear Lin Xiaohe, once you step off the ship, we’ll have to keep our distance, okay? Wishing you the best of luck on your exam.”
Melina arranged for an aircar to take the Lin family to Whale Hotel.
It was the safest hotel on Haige Star and a favorite spot for exam candidates, much like the Outlets Hotel on the Fifth Star Ring.
Sitting in the aircar, Lin Xiaohe felt like a country bumpkin seeing the big city for the first time, her mouth hanging open as she gazed out the window.
There was no sun in the sky, only an energy dome glowing with a faint blue light.
A massive, glazed azure whale soared into the air, charging fearlessly toward the energy dome.
Its fins spread out like a starry veil. With every movement, it left a trail of shimmering light in its wake, creating a dreamlike scene.
Its mouth was open, as if in a mournful cry.
The moment it collided with the energy dome, its colossal body exploded in a spectacular shower of blue starry rain.
“Wh-What is that?” Lin Xiaohe was deeply shaken by the sight.
The aircar driver glanced up at the blue sky and explained, “This is an ocean planet. The entire city is built within a bubble of space. What you’re seeing is the energy dome—it protects us from stellar dust contamination.”
“No!” Lin Xiaohe pointed at the fading blue starry rain. “I mean the blue whale.”
“Oh,” the driver said, his eyes briefly catching the last traces of blue. “That’s the afterimage of Haige Star’s native creature, the Great Voice Whale.”
“Afterimage?”
“Yeah, like a mirage. Under certain conditions, it shows scenes from the past.”
Lin Xiaohe watched the last remnants of blue dissolve into the air and murmured, “Why did it charge into the dome?”
“Maybe it regretted something. This all happened a long time ago. When the Federation decided to establish the Fourth Star Ring and chose Haige Star as the political center, they used anti-gravity field generators to anchor deep-sea thermal vents and create a giant bubble.”
The driver thought for a moment and continued, “The Federation brought technology to Haige Star, but it also brought stellar dust. A lot of marine life went extinct because of the contamination. To keep their species alive, some of the Great Voice Whales chose to accept the stellar dust, becoming mutated beasts that flew into deep space, while a small number stayed behind on Haige Star.”
Lin Xiaohe pressed, “Are there any Great Voice Whales left now?”
“Heh, how could there be?” The driver chuckled. “Great Voice Whales are beautiful. They have this iridescent membrane on their skin. If you implant it under human skin, it changes color with temperature. It’s a very popular modding material.”
He clicked his tongue. “And their songs are incredibly melodic—they say their voices can cut through time. People discovered that if you tap their skulls lightly, they make a sound more beautiful than a pipe organ. Those skulls became one of the most expensive musical instruments, known as ‘Whale Song.'”
Lin Xiaohe didn’t ask any more questions. A quiet sadness welled up inside her.
Haige Star had risen because of the Great Voice Whales, but now, while the planet still existed, the whales had vanished from it.
The aircar arrived at Whale Hotel.
The building was shaped like the whale Lin Xiaohe had seen, its exterior covered in an iridescent film that shimmered with flowing pale blue light beneath the dome.
It looked like a giant whale resting on the land.
Lin Xiaohe’s fondness for the whales made her feel a slight warmth toward the hotel.
But that warmth turned to shock and disgust the moment she stepped into the lobby.
The hotel was indeed built around the skeleton of a massive Great Voice Whale. Its bones were impeccably preserved, glowing with a soft white light.
In the center of the lobby stood a crystalline harp, crafted from the whale’s skull.
When a draft passed through, the harp played ethereal music.
In front of the harp was a piece of seabed stone with an inscription:
“They were wandering star rivers, hiding starlight within their folds. When darkness drowns every lighthouse, only the whale’s song redraws the star map for those who have lost their way.”
“Captain Lin, you like the Great Voice Whales too? They’re spirits of the ocean, so beautiful.” The hotel manager approached her.
Meanwhile, other staff members helped move Lin Xiaohe’s luggage to her room.
Lin Xiaohe replied, “I like the way they moved through the ocean and the sky, not as a fossil.”
The manager’s expression stiffened.
Halder, who had been waiting in the lobby, clapped his hands. “Great minds think alike! Lin Xiaohe, interested in joining our environmental organization?”
With a pained expression, he said, “Humanity has spread across the stars, but it’s brought disaster to so many native species. Our organization’s mission is to protect life and coexist in harmony!”
Lin Xiaohe’s first impression of this young man was quite favorable. “You are?”
“Halder.”
Well, that impression instantly plummeted to rock bottom.
Lin Xiaohe’s look shifted from appreciation to wariness, which puzzled Halder.
What the heck?!
Lin Ye and his group watched Halder’s failed attempt to curry favor with a sneer.
Glaring at the Fourth Star Ring candidates around them, they walked up to Lin Xiaohe, sizing her up with barely concealed disdain.
“The one Marshal Chu values? Looking forward to seeing what you can do on the exam field. But I have to warn you—this exam’s difficulty is unprecedented. It’s on par with the Central Military Academy’s actual combat assessments.”
Lin Ye stepped closer, his deep eyes cold. “For certain reasons, the Education Bureau reopened registration. From what I know, the top five from the Third Star Ring and the top hundred from the Second Star Ring have all signed up.”
His voice dropped to a sinister tone. “Their strength is beyond anything you can imagine. To catch Marshal Chu’s attention, they’ll definitely team up to take you down. You know how it is—if they can’t have something, there’s no way they’ll let some commoner get it.”
“In a situation like that, there’s no way you’ll survive. Only by teaming up with us, relying on the strong, can you have a fighting chance.”
As if on cue, another group of candidates arrived at the hotel entrance.
The man leading them was tall, with handsome, sharp features, piercing eyes, and thin lips pressed together in an expression of undeniable authority.
His gaze landed on Lin Xiaohe, and his voice was so cold it could freeze. “Lin Xiaohe?”
Lin Ye whispered to her, “That’s Youan, a big shot from the Third Star Ring. He’s a quarter Chinese. Oh my, what would you do without our help?”
Youan—a name meaning “noble birth.”
Lin Xiaohe wasn’t impressed. If nobility was the measure, she was the noblest of them all.
Her soul came from Blue Star China!
She patted Lin Ye’s face, her eyes carrying a warning. “Since we share the same last name, let me give you some advice. Stop trying to manipulate me. I don’t buy it.”
Then she locked eyes with Youan and crooked her finger at him. “Exam arena—if you’ve got guts, bring it on. You coming?”
