“Trying to become an experimental subject? Not bad.”
“All the Lao Lin people are dumbfounded.”
“Is it that kind of two hearts and three lungs modification? (laughs)”
“Doctor…”
Lin Zhen hesitated, his face full of uncertainty. Being called an experimental subject was never a good thing.
“Relax, you’re too tense. You’re War Camp cadets—so long as you don’t break the rules, we won’t easily use you for any kind of human modification.” Doctor Forefinger smiled helplessly.
“‘Won’t easily’—so there’s still a chance they’ll use us for human modification…” Lin Zhen complained inwardly. He really didn’t trust War Camp at all.
“Doctor, could you speak a little more plainly?”
“Simply put, I’ll help you develop your ability. The only thing you need to do is cooperate with my research.”
Doctor Forefinger pushed his glasses up, his gaze behind the lenses carrying a hint of laughter. “This is your exclusive opportunity—with my help, your growth rate could far surpass the others.”
Help me…develop my ability?
Lin Zhen was stunned for several seconds before he couldn’t help but ask, “But why me? There are plenty of cadets in War Camp with powers and talents far better than mine.”
“You’re selling yourself short.” Doctor Forefinger shook his head and stood up. “Your ability is better than the vast majority of them.”
“Better than 0001… or even 219?”
“432, tell me, what’s the standard for judging the quality of a Star Energy user’s ability?” The doctor asked in return.
“Combat power?” Lin Zhen pondered, “Or… the uniqueness of the ability?”
“Neither.” The doctor’s tone was calm.
“The Star Energy era has lasted a thousand years. In this vast universe, what kind of ability hasn’t appeared before?”
“But as the years go by, a thousand years pass, and no matter how strong a Star Energy user is, they all become dust in the end. Only creations with real value can transcend time and endure.”
“So, as I see it, the superiority of an ability lies in its creativity—whether it can promote technological progress, and whether it can serve production.”
That made sense. Lin Zhen couldn’t help nodding; he was always very interested in technology himself.
“And the ability you awakened not long ago, which I’ve temporarily named [Metal Reconstruction], just happens to have that kind of potential.”
“Creativity, huh…” Lin Zhen repeated quietly.
He had never imagined his ability would be seen as so valuable by the upper ranks of War Camp.
He felt happy—recognized—but at the same time, there was a bone-deep fear.
With War Camp valuing him this much, did he really have any chance to escape?
“That’s right. You’re able to transform metal at its core—that’s the truest expression of creativity.” Doctor Forefinger’s tone gradually grew more excited.
“Did you know, ever since a thousand years ago, the Empire’s materials science has stagnated?”
“Although the emergence of Biometal was a leap forward, it still falls far short compared to Star Energy Metal from the Negative Universe.”
“Biometal and Star Energy Metal?”
Lin Zhen instantly recalled what he’d learned in class.
Both were the top-tier materials in the universe, called Super Alloy.
The former was created by fusing the tissues of powerful cosmic creatures with metal, becoming ‘living metal’.
It had the ability to self-repair and possessed incredible strength, making it the best material for crafting Cyborgs, colonization armor, and Warships.
But its limit was only enough to withstand attacks from Level 5 Star Energy users.
That’s why Cyborgs always had their combat ceiling capped below Level 5.
The latter, on the other hand, was a unique product of the Negative Universe, and there was still no way to synthesize it artificially.
It could only be mined and refined within the Negative Universe.
Yet its strength far surpassed Biometal—the strongest Level 6 Star Energy Iron could even forge legendary weapons that could kill Level 6 Star Energy users and injure Level 7s.
But unfortunately—
Because Star Energy Metal contained Star Energy, it couldn’t be worked into complex shapes.
So it could only be used for cold weapons.
“This scriptwriter is pretty smart—knows that it’s hard to draw top-tier experts fighting, so just gave them a reason for hand-to-hand combat. Not like DC or Marvel, where those conceptual gods fight and smash planets for fun, that’s just ridiculous.”
“So Lao Lin’s going the Golden Flash route, right? Gonna keep a stash of high-grade Star Energy Iron weapons in his pants.”
“Doctor, you mean—”
“I’m thinking…”
Doctor Forefinger gently pressed Lin Zhen’s shoulder. “If we keep developing your ability, maybe we can create an entirely new alloy system beyond Biometal.”
“Maybe even find a way to synthesize Star Energy Metal, or… fuse the two technologies together.”
“If we can really achieve that—432, you’ll change the landscape of the entire Positive and Negative Universe!”
“So this was the original ending of Volume Five… Looks like, even though I messed with Volume Five, the overall direction of the story hasn’t really changed.”
Watching Doctor Forefinger enthusiastically paint a bright future for Lin Zhen, Yun Ruoxi curled her lip.
As the second female lead and a supporting character—
She’d racked her brains, endured hardship, poured her heart into her acting, all to slowly gain popularity and grow.
But as for Lin Zhen, the protagonist, he didn’t need any system at all—opportunities just came knocking at his door.
In the original story—
It was from the moment Doctor Forefinger decided to cultivate him that Lin Zhen truly began to shine in War Camp.
And now—
Doctor Forefinger was about to give Lin Zhen his first cheat.
“Today’s our first meeting. It’s only natural you’re suspicious,” said Doctor Forefinger, guiding the uneasy Lin Zhen to the surgical equipment behind the observation window.
“I’ve decided to give you an A-rank Star Energy Secret Art I developed myself as a greeting gift. This Star Energy Secret Art is called [Full-Cycle Star Energy Network]. It allows you to recover Star Energy non-stop, 24 hours a day, and keep your abilities running at minimum power at all times.”
“But for this Star Energy Secret Art, I’ll need to scan your body and implant it. There is a certain amount of risk. But don’t worry—you’re my important research partner. I’ll perform the procedure myself.”
“I… Can I refuse?” Lin Zhen’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
Star Energy Secret Arts were the secret arts among Star Arts—so an A-rank Star Energy Secret Art’s rarity went without saying.
But “body implantation” sounded really ominous.
Doctor Forefinger just smiled slightly, didn’t answer, and simply pressed Lin Zhen down onto the surgical table without any room for protest.
He looked even thinner than Lin Zhen, but the strength in his hands was shocking.
Lin Zhen’s limbs were fixed by mechanical locks; he could only watch helplessly as the doctor started the equipment.
“Knew it, still getting modified!”
“Tragic, Lin Zhen’s really unlucky.”
“Who’s Lin Zhenzhen?”
“What’s so tragic about getting a cheat? If he doesn’t get one, Lao Lin won’t even be able to keep up with his wife’s exhaust fumes.”
“True enough, I support justice getting a cheat.”
With Doctor Forefinger handling the operation himself, of course nothing would go wrong, but the pain was definitely not spared—
And maybe, it was on purpose.
The whole process had no painkillers at all. Lin Zhen’s screams nearly pierced the soundproof chamber.
Yun Ruoxi shrank her neck as she watched.
Count her out.
The protagonist’s opportunities were clearly not something normal people could endure.
She’d better stick to chasing after Lin Zhen step by step with her own hard work and sweat.
Lao Xi is rightfully scared of pain