Chapter 33: Thirty-Third Day of Being a Salted Fish

Siming wore a mask of pure agony.

But he couldn’t argue.

He really couldn’t expect Lu Yuan to build an entire mecha for him. Even if Lu Yuan were willing, Siming wouldn’t have the nerve to ask.

But this was just too difficult!

Lu Yuan looked at him with a smile. “You can ask Zhu Rong for help. She might be better at this than you are.”

Siming shook his head. He knew Zhu Rong was highly talented, and he knew that if she could awaken her mental power, her control over it would likely surpass his own. However…

“Zhu Rong hasn’t awakened her mental power yet.”

“Soon,” Lu Yuan said. “Think of a way. There are only a few methods for mental power awakening, and I imagine you know them all.”

“Natural awakening, near-death experiences, or intense stimulation,” Siming listed. “Those are the three I know. The first is too slow. As for the other two… I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to control the severity of a near-death experience. And stimulation? To be honest, given Zhu Rong’s personality, I have no idea how to stimulate her to the point of awakening.

“When I went to ‘kill’ Lao Tong before, even that level of stimulation didn’t make her awaken.”

“…So you actually had that goal in mind back then… but are you sure that would even work on her?”

“Uh…” Siming fell silent.

He suddenly realized his words weren’t quite accurate.

When he was “killing” Lao Tong, he truly had intended to stimulate Zhu Rong into awakening. In fact, he had used similar methods to “help” many people awaken in the past, and as a result… he had been beaten up many times.

But now, after playing so many games with Zhu Rong, he understood exactly what kind of abilities she possessed.

Her keen eye for detail was enough for her to realize, during his fight with Lao Tong, that he had no actual killing intent.

This was something Lu Yuan and Lao Tong couldn’t have done. Lu Yuan hadn’t been nearby at the time and hadn’t seen the first half of the event. Lao Tong, being in the thick of it, lacked that kind of sensitivity.

Furthermore, Zhu Rong’s reasoning and judgment were likely sharp enough to deduce his purpose from the available information.

In fact, Siming even suspected she might have known from the very beginning why he wanted her to come to Lu Yuan’s place to buy a game console, and she had simply been playing along.

Lu Yuan smiled and returned to the previous topic. “There are more than just those three methods.”

“What else is there?” Siming asked.

“For example, truly realizing that you possess such power and having the resolve to bear everything that comes with it. Based on that foundation, one can actively awaken through sheer force of will.”

“…” Siming closed his eyes in pain. “Is that even humanly possible?!”

“Of course.” Lu Yuan laughed. “Never underestimate humanity.”

“…Is that how you awakened?” After a moment of contemplation, Siming suddenly asked.

“I didn’t,” Lu Yuan replied nonchalantly. “Mine wasn’t through any of the ways mentioned. My mental power is innate.”

–

“I need you to do me a favor.” Back at home, Siming knocked on Zhu Rong’s door and got straight to the point.

His tone was slightly more serious than usual. Noticing this, Zhu Rong set down her typewriter and looked up at him.

Nearby, Lao Tong and Geshu Qing also looked over curiously.

They were currently organizing the Desolate Planet memories Geshu Qing had obtained. Regarding the things Geshu Qing had seen, everyone agreed to temporarily call them “Desolate Planet memories,” as he had suggested.

“What is it?” Zhu Rong asked.

“I need you to awaken your mental power,” Siming said. “If we want to leave this Desolate Planet, we have to build a mecha. I can’t do it alone. Lu Yuan said you might be able to help.”

Zhu Rong tilted her head. “How?”

Siming’s expression turned conflicted as he handed Zhu Rong a reader. “This is an introduction to mental power. Read it first.”

“Okay.” Zhu Rong nodded and took the reader.

There wasn’t much content on the device. In fact, it only provided a definition and the functions of mental power – and a very brief introduction at that.

This was because Lu Yuan had downloaded the content directly from the StarNet Encyclopedia. Encyclopedias were never meant to be comprehensive or specific; they only provided a general overview.

However, Lu Yuan didn’t need to provide anything comprehensive. He only needed Zhu Rong to know what mental power was.

Human will has its own power. It originates from the heart, the soul, and from emotions and thoughts. Every person possesses this power.

But the use of this power is restricted.

The soul resides within the body. The body is the bridge through which a person realizes their will. Most people are born with the ability to reshape the world through their bodies. But this is also a shackle. It limits a person to reshaping the world only through physical means.

Unless they can achieve “mental power awakening.”

“Mental power awakening” is an ability humanity only gradually acquired after entering the interstellar era.

After entering the interstellar era, humanity’s understanding of themselves also improved.

The prevailing view now is that a complete “person,” or “life,” consists of two parts: the “body” on the material level and the “soul” on the consciousness level.

Matter and consciousness exist in a relationship of unity and opposition, as do the body and soul. As the human body gestates, the soul gradually takes shape. The body grows by absorbing external influences, while the soul strengthens by acquiring energy from the consciousness level. The two influence and complement each other.

People cannot explore what the world of consciousness looks like. Most believe it is a mirror image of the material world, but others hold different views – such as the Geshu Family’s Spiritual Sea theory.

Mental power is a form of energy from the consciousness level. It can be mobilized by the soul, or rather, by a person’s willpower, to exert influence on the material world.

It exists independently of the body and serves as another bridge, besides the body, for communication between the will and the material world.

Mental power awakening refers to mastering the method of mobilizing this mental power.

Under normal circumstances, awakening requires a long period of accumulation. Some people are born with stronger wills and a keen perception of mental power, both of which grow with age. When they reach a certain threshold, they naturally learn how to mobilize mental power. This is the so-called “natural awakening.”

Of course, there are other methods to trigger an awakening.

For instance, relying on external forces.

When a person is pushed to their limit or into a desperate situation – such as a near-death experience or intense stimulation – certain latent abilities can burst forth. During such a burst, there is a chance to complete a mental power awakening.

But these aren’t actually “awakenings” in the truest sense.

True awakening is not a slow, ignorant growth, nor is it a desperate necessity forced by a dead end, nor is it merely a sudden explosion under the weight of intense emotion.

It is the manifestation of will. It is when a person truly realizes the power within their heart and chooses to release it.

Zhu Rong closed the reader and looked at Siming. “The power within the heart?”

If Siming had wanted to use external force to make her awaken, he wouldn’t have shown her this material.

Siming nodded. “Lu Yuan said that this sentence means: if you want to awaken, you can.”

“?” Lao Tong was stunned, looking at Siming in surprise.

Siming looked at her and nodded painfully. “Yeah. That’s what Lu Yuan said.”

Geshu Qing, however, didn’t seem particularly surprised. He frowned in thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

“Hmm…” Zhu Rong murmured, her eyes downcast as if she were thinking. “It’s a bit difficult.”

“But he said you could…” Siming started to speak, but suddenly realized something was wrong.

A strange energy suddenly surged in the surroundings. An undeniable, intense pressure made his exposed skin prickle with pain.

Then, all the abnormalities suddenly smoothed out.

Zhu Rong looked up, her tone as flat as ever, and her words as concise as always. “Done.”

“…Huh?” The three people beside her were all frozen.

For the first time, Siming realized with absolute clarity just what level of talent this young girl beside him possessed.

Whatever.

Siming wiped his face. He should have known; he couldn’t possibly compete with this little monster.

“Then I’ll be taking her with me.” Siming looked at Lao Tong and Geshu Qing, who were also rooted to the spot. “Good luck, you two.”

–

And so, two months later, the first mecha finally took shape.