Chapter Two: The Coexistence Mindset

The voice that suddenly appeared in Ji Yu’s mind was unmistakably that of Xu Yan, the man he had buried deep within the coral reef. The information wave indicated that Xu Yan’s life index was recovering—a reversal from death to restoration, an event defying the typical characteristics of life. On Ramstar, technology had advanced to the point of prolonging biological lifespans, yet it could not control the death of microorganisms. There were 537 known types of microorganisms within a living organism, numbering in the tens of billions, exceeding the total cell count by a factor of 13.13. When these microorganisms die, the cells lose their vitality and the organism inevitably declines.

Ji Yu had journeyed through a wormhole from Ramstar to Bluestar, and it was perhaps the process of quantum superposition that stripped Xu Yan of his vital signs. Yet, this vital sign referred only to the physical form that carried the information wave—the corpse he had buried. The quantum superposition, however, preserved Xu Yan’s information wave, inadvertently revealing the method of information wave preservation that Ramstar scientists had long sought.

“Hello, Xu Yan. My name is Ji Yu, and I come from Ramstar!” Ji Yu introduced himself proactively.

“How are you controlling my body?” Xu Yan asked, perplexed.

Ji Yu replied with precision, “To be exact, your life information wave entered my body. Your physical vessel has suffered a complete, physical death.”

“Life information wave? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“According to Bluestar’s understanding, it’s your consciousness, though that explanation is quite superficial.”

Xu Yan’s information wave fell silent for a while before asking, “So am I dead, or am I alive?”

Ji Yu did not answer directly but instead posed a question, “Can you tell me what your last perception of your life information was?”

Xu Yan seemed to digest Ji Yu’s words before responding, “I’m not sure. I had just entered the water, and suddenly everything stopped. Do you understand? The water ceased to flow, I couldn’t move, and then… nothing.”

Ji Yu filtered Xu Yan’s account, recognizing it as the change in environmental perception brought about by quantum superposition after passing through the wormhole. Though time could not be measured in units—perhaps everything happened simultaneously—it matched Ji Yu’s own experience in the wormhole exactly. Perhaps ten years inside the wormhole and one second outside were equivalent. This was not quantum entanglement, but quantum superposition.

Regrettably, Ji Yu’s current physical sensing abilities had diminished, preventing him from analyzing Xu Yan’s life information wave.

Quantum superposition had placed Xu Yan’s body in a state of stasis, but real physical pressure still existed; this was the true cause of Xu Yan’s death. From the beginning, Ji Yu experienced no change in perception, but after interacting with Xu Yan’s information wave, Xu Yan’s life information wave awakened and took away Ji Yu’s original physical attributes from Ramstar. This presented a new direction for research, but Bluestar’s technology was far too primitive, lacking the equipment required for such studies. To unravel these mysteries, Ji Yu would have to return to Ramstar or find a highly advanced planet.

Until then, he could only survive on Bluestar. The Gold River Special Forces, which Xu Yan was about to join, would be Ji Yu’s inevitable path toward entering the interstellar squad and searching for answers.

Having understood all this, Ji Yu hesitated no longer. Survival on Bluestar would require Xu Yan’s help.

“Xu Yan, I might be able to help you regain a physical body, but first I need to join the interstellar squad.”

“Are you kidding? The Gold River Special Forces are already elite!”

“What makes them elite?”

“Physical strength, mindset, and their grasp of interstellar knowledge…”

“If I told you your physical strength only matches three percent of a normal Ramstar citizen, and that I am a researcher in interstellar science, and—don’t forget—I came through a wormhole,” Ji Yu said confidently.

Xu Yan fell into a long silence, as if struggling to digest these words. To him, all of this was too extraordinary, far beyond his conventional understanding.

“So what do you need me to do?” Xu Yan finally asked.

“First, help me get into the Gold River Special Forces, then into the interstellar squad.”

“But I can’t help much. I haven’t even reported to the Gold River Special Forces yet,” Xu Yan replied, somewhat lacking confidence.

“No, your role isn’t to help me directly, but to warn me about things that can’t be done on Bluestar. For example, how should I deal with those people?”

The small boat he was piloting was approaching the spot where Xu Yan had once left the shore; two men and one woman were walking toward him.

The benefit of coexistence was that Xu Yan could fully perceive the basic skills of the body; not only could Ji Yu see with his own eyes, but Xu Yan’s life information wave could sense it as well.

Ji Yu’s sensing capabilities had dropped to their lowest, but compared to Xu Yan’s own body, they were still considerably superior.

Ji Yu’s visual network could not scan biological information, but from Xu Yan’s information wave he learned the names of the two men—Jing Dong and Wu Mingjie—and the woman, Ouyang Nan.

They were all classmates from the same university, and soon to be comrades joining the Gold River Special Forces. Before reporting for duty, they had come to the seaside for a holiday.

Wu Mingjie, like Xu Yan, came from a modest background.

Jing Dong and Ouyang Nan, on the other hand, belonged to the younger generation of two great families; their reasons for joining the Gold River Special Forces were distinct. Beyond their special status, entry was a severe test of physical fitness, with the annual acceptance rate barely reaching one in a thousand.

Having four people from the same class was a first for Meiling Academy.

Xu Yan quickly relayed all he knew about the three to Ji Yu, along with his own position in this small group.

Ji Yu stepped off the boat and coldly sized up Jing Dong, who was at the front.

No matter the planet, power and the desire for control can swell a person, causing them to forget that life is equal.

“Xu Yan. Back in less than an hour—I thought you’d burn through all the fuel on my yacht before you returned.” Jing Dong, dressed in flashy clothes, asked with a hint of amusement.

Ji Yu frowned, still unaccustomed to the loss of his sensing abilities; otherwise, he would have quickly assessed Jing Dong’s physical fitness. Yet even so, with Xu Yan’s body as a reference, he paid Jing Dong no mind.

He had no interest in responding to the ostentatious remarks, and brushed past Jing Dong, moving to greet Wu Mingjie and Ouyang Nan.

“Xu Yan!” Jing Dong, irritated by being ignored, shouted angrily, “You took my yacht out to sea and don’t even say thank you?”

“Thank you,” Ji Yu replied, turning his head, then ignored him.

Jing Dong suddenly felt a chill crawl up his spine, and involuntarily took a step back.

“Why did you come back so soon?” Ouyang Nan stepped forward to ask.