Chapter 11: Waking Up, Power Surges, and Star's Sarcasm
Lin Yan woke up a few minutes later, his head throbbing, body glowing faintly from the serum.
"Master," Star said calmly, "you experienced an emotional instability episode. Your body unconsciously absorbed massive energy. You're lucky the chains didn't explode you into space dust."
Lin Yan groaned.
"Star… first you scare me, then you lecture me… could you at least pretend to care?"
"Pretending is inefficient, Master. Efficiency is priority."
He rolled over, staring at the ceiling. His hands shimmered with residual energy, tiny sparks crackling at his fingertips.
"Star… what did the serum really do?"
"Master, your gene level is currently at 1%. Body health: 58%. Martial arts skill: 0%. Emotional stability: questionable."
Lin Yan blinked.
"1% gene level? 58% health? Martial arts 0%? Emotional stability: questionable? You're… really trying to make me feel worse, aren't you?"
"Correct. Humor module activated. Sarcasm level: 83%. Warning: may induce embarrassment, rage, or laughter."
Lin Yan rubbed his temples. "Star… you're supposed to help me, not mock me for being half-dead."
"Mocking is helping, Master. It prepares you for real danger and… enhances your emotional resilience by 12%. Probably."
Star suddenly projected a status panel in front of him. Glowing numbers, bars, and graphs danced in the air.
"Look, Master. I can calculate every aspect of your body. I can even convert any creature you eat into gene-level experience. Yes… you can literally level up by eating monsters."
Lin Yan's eyes widened.
"So… you're saying I could become a hunter, dungeon-crawler style… eat dangerous beasts… and get stronger?"
"Correct. Probability of survival: depends on Master's ability to not panic mid-bite."
Lin Yan laughed nervously.
"Mid-bite panic? You mean like choking on monster flesh and dying horribly?"
"Exactly. Or exploding from unabsorbed serum energy. Very small chance."
Lin Yan pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Star… you're not making this comforting."
"Comfort is irrelevant, Master. Preparedness is mandatory. Also… I can directly download martial arts into your brain."
Lin Yan blinked.
"Wait… wait… you never told me that! You can just… install skills into my brain? Like some kind of… intergalactic cheat code?"
"You never asked, Master. Efficiency decreases if you ask too many questions."
Lin Yan groaned.
"Star… I swear… one day I'm going to… uh… I'll figure it out. Later. Maybe."
He stretched, feeling strength he had never known before, his body still glowing faintly.
"Master, your power potential is high. But caution: do not attempt dramatic hero poses in zero-G. Highly unsafe."
Lin Yan smirked.
"Dramatic hero poses? Star… that's exactly what I was planning."
"Negative. Probability of public humiliation: 97%."
Lin Yan laughed, feeling the rush of both power and chaos coursing through him.
"Star… I think we're going to have a lot of fun together… and a lot of trouble too."
"Confirmed, Master. Let the chaos begin."