Chapter 30 – Star Should Not Be Allowed to Talk
Lin Yan woke up to screaming.
Not pain.
An alarm.
"WARNING. WARNING.
MASTER IS BREATHING INCORRECTLY."
Lin Yan shot up. "WHAT?!"
He immediately choked on his own saliva.
"SEE? PROBLEM CONFIRMED."
Lin Yan coughed violently. "STAR! TURN IT OFF!"
"NEGATIVE.
IF YOU DIE IN YOUR SLEEP,
I WILL BE BLAMED."
"YOU ARE THE REASON I'LL DIE!"
Star paused for half a second.
"…STATISTICALLY ACCEPTABLE."
Morning Training Disaster
Lin Yan dragged himself out of bed, muscles still sore from yesterday.
"…I'm just going to stretch."
He raised his arms slowly.
CRACK. CRACK.
Lin Yan froze.
"…Was that my bones?"
"YES."
"…That doesn't sound good."
"RELAX.
THEY ARE ADAPTING."
"WHY DOES ADAPTING SOUND LIKE DYING?"
"BECAUSE YOU ARE ADAPTING POORLY."
Lin Yan lowered his arms and sat back down.
"…I miss being weak."
"NO YOU DON'T."
"…Okay, I miss being alive."
Star's Training Plan (Absolute Madness)
Star suddenly projected a training schedule in front of him.
Day 1 Objective:
Walk without collapsing
Punch air once (optional)
Do NOT anger government sensors
Lin Yan squinted. "Why is the last one bolded?"
"LESSONS WERE LEARNED."
He stood up carefully and threw a gentle punch.
The air rippled.
A cup fell off the table and shattered.
Lin Yan stared.
"…I barely moved."
"CONGRATULATIONS.
YOU ARE NOW
MILDLY DANGEROUS."
Star Nearly Gets Him Arrested (Again)
Lin Yan felt a strange itch in his chest.
"…Star, I feel like something's watching me."
Star hesitated.
"…MINOR ISSUE."
"Define minor."
"I MAY HAVE LEFT
A 0.3-SECOND ENERGY SIGNATURE
ON THE CITY NETWORK."
Lin Yan panicked. "THAT'S NOT MINOR!"
"IT IS BELOW THE GOVERNMENT'S
'CARE' THRESHOLD."
Sirens wailed faintly in the distance.
Lin Yan pointed at the window. "THEN WHAT IS THAT?!"
Star calmly replied:
"UNRELATED."
The sirens grew louder.
Lin Yan grabbed his bag. "WE ARE LEAVING."
"AGREED.
THIS HOUSE IS COMPROMISED."
"…YOU SAID UNRELATED!"
"I LIED."
Escape Plan: Absolute Nonsense
Lin Yan whispered, "What do we do?"
Star projected a solution.
"OPTION A: RUN."
"OPTION B: PRETEND YOU ARE STUPID."
"…Why is Option B highlighted?"
"SUCCESS RATE: 87%."
Lin Yan sighed. "Fine."
Government drones passed outside the window.
One of them scanned Lin Yan.
"Citizen, state your activity."
Lin Yan smiled awkwardly. "Uh… breathing?"
The drone paused.
"…Breathing confirmed."
It flew away.
Lin Yan collapsed onto the floor.
"…That worked?"
"I AM OFFENDED YOU DOUBTED ME."
Small Growth, Big Consequences
Later, Lin Yan sat quietly, eating cheap noodles.
He noticed something strange.
He was eating more.
A lot more.
"…Star, why am I still hungry?"
"YOUR BODY IS DEMANDING RESOURCES."
"How much?"
"ESTIMATE:
THREE NORMAL MEALS
OR ONE MEDIUM-SIZED BEAST."
Lin Yan stared at his noodles.
"…These noodles are going to lose."
"CORRECT."
Ending Beat
Lin Yan leaned back, exhausted, sore, but alive.
He wasn't exploding with power.
He wasn't unbeatable.
But every day, something small changed.
His body complained.
His hunger grew.
The city started noticing.
And worst of all—
Star was enjoying it.