[The countdown to the final exam: seven months]
Once again, Ye Mu saw Luo Qi practicing alone. He retreated to a corner, his gaze falling to his own hands.
For a long time, he had been training in combat and tactics, but he had consciously or unconsciously avoided mecha piloting. This was because his mental power was extremely volatile.
A long time ago, the first time he encountered his mental power, it had gone into a riot.
Later, he had also asked Ye Yun and Ye Qi. The Ye family naturally possessed more active mental power. This active mental power could be called a talent, allowing them to learn mecha piloting faster and better.
On the battlefield, this highly active and sensitive mental power also allowed them to notice enemy movements more quickly and react in time. They were naturally born for war.
Both Ye Yun and Ye Qi had utilized this talent well, which was why they had reached heights that many people could not achieve in a lifetime at such a young age.
However, too much of a good thing could lead to its opposite; when this talent reached Ye Mu, it seemed to be too prominent.
As long as he tried to use his mental power, he would lose his mind due to the overwhelming amount of it. His powerful and frenzied mental power could not be controlled, and it would subconsciously want to destroy everything around him.
Therefore, such mental power could not only be used in combat but could also harm teammates or even himself.
It was as if everyone's mental power was a small river, varying in depth and width, and people sailed on this river to reach distant places.
Ye Yun and Ye Qi's rivers were twice or even several times wider than others, with enough depth for a large ship to sail, naturally allowing them to reach their destination faster.
But Ye Mu was different. His mental power was not a river, but an ocean, unfathomably deep, with monstrous waves. It could not carry ships, but rather would stir up waves to swallow them.
Ye Mu still remembered that during his first mental power outburst, Luo Qi had pacified him. This might have been because of Luo Qi's wings, and also because he subconsciously did not want to hurt Luo Qi.
But since then, he had never dared to unleash his mental power to its fullest. Even when piloting a mecha, he relied solely on his theoretical knowledge and more focused attention.
But now, seeing Luo Qi working hard day by day, Ye Mu suddenly didn't want to evade it anymore.
He had always wanted to maintain the status quo, not to stand out or fall behind, and not to hurt important people due to some damned mental power outburst. Naturally, he had also lost the opportunity to conquer and control this powerful force.
Ye Mu had always thought it was fine. Even if he could only use a very small portion of his mental power, even if he couldn't be like his father and brother, he could still do his best with other strengths.
Until he saw Luo Qi frowning and pinching the tips of his wings with a hint of anger.
The few small rabbits used for experiments in front of him had all fallen asleep with soft snorts, whether they were meant to be protected or treated as enemies.
Luo Qi grumbled, "Stupid wings, bad wings, when will you listen a little?"
Watching him made Ye Mu's heart soften and ache a little.
Ye Mu clenched his fists. He had to start training too, at least so he wouldn't hold Luo Luo back.
[The countdown to the final exam: six months]
He Ning and He Yuan walked out of the training ground covered in sweat. Their bodies were exhausted, but their faces showed no sign of it, only the excitement after combat. The satisfaction brought by evenly matched combat made them both feel great, couldn't be better.
They exchanged a glance, and both saw surprise in each other's eyes.
Compared to others, before entering this place, the two of them had truly rolled in the mud, been stepped on by others. They had spent all their savings to come here, for this very moment.
Nothing gave them more security than becoming stronger themselves, no longer being bullied or ridiculed. Here, they could stand on the same playing field as people from all over the galaxy.
It was as if those sickening past events had never happened. In a sense, they were the same as them.
After moving beyond the scope of mere survival, combat became a blood-pumping pastime, a hobby that the two brothers couldn't give up.
Without the threat to their lives, they could fight to the last moment on their favorite battlefield without restraint, until night fell, and their blood would not cool.
He Yuan handed He Ning a towel, his eyes filled with a smile. "I like it here."
He Ning's lips also curved slightly. "Mm."
He Yuan sat on the bench in the lounge, tilting his head to look directly at the light above. The light strips were hidden in the ceiling, and the diffused light was very soft, so He Yuan seemed to be lost in thought.
His chest was still heaving. As soon as he relaxed, the fatigue caught up with him. "That's why we can't lose the final exam."
He Ning looked at him, then withdrew his gaze, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the towel as usual. "We won't lose."
He Yuan raised his hand, his gaze still unfocused, but his hand landed precisely on He Ning's shoulder. "Can you talk more? During the final exam, everyone will have to cooperate."
He Ning frowned, as if seriously considering the question.
He Yuan added, "Sigh, I'll have to be the one to translate your looks and expressions then, so everyone doesn't misunderstand what you're saying.
Did Mom give all your words to me when she gave birth to us?"
He Ning paused for a moment, then he smiled. This smile was much more obvious than before, his eyes almost curving into crescents.
"Yes, she gave them to you."
He Yuan rubbed his sore eyes and sniffled. "But you still need to talk more yourself."
He Ning responded, "Mm."
After many years, the two of them finally brought up this term that should have been very intimate, but in reality, was incredibly unfamiliar:
Mom.
When they were four years old, she left them and boarded a man's starship, no longer worrying about food or tomorrow.
The garbage planet was vast, but there was nothing worth her lingering for. So when she left with that man, she took nothing with her, including the two of them, of course.
He Ning and He Yuan didn't know if that man knew about their existence. Perhaps he did, but didn't care.
They also didn't know if the woman they had called "Mom" for four years had glanced back at them from the receding starship. They only knew that they had been looking at each other at that time.
Watching the starship, carrying all hope for survival, disappear into the distance.
He Ning and He Yuan never mentioned that term again.
Perhaps raising the two children alone had exhausted all the strength of that beautiful woman, who seemed out of place on the garbage planet. Therefore, He Ning and He Yuan did not blame her.
It was just that reason and emotion could never be on the same level.
He Yuan laughed again. The shadow of the starship that had long since departed, yet seemed to forever hover in their hearts, had been completely erased by their current warm life.
Because they had something better, they could forget the hardship.
It wasn't that they no longer cared, but rather that it was no longer necessary.