Chapter 1: The Sky Collapses

“That person said to just kill him directly and leave a complete corpse!”

When Qi Shu woke up, his head was splitting, and the icy rain made his face incredibly pale. He didn't immediately open his eyes but could feel several forces, capable of killing people invisibly, rushing towards him.

He instinctively used up his remaining Ability to activate a shield and counterattacked.

“Bang!”

Several thuds sounded in succession.

Qi Shu gasped, leaned against the wall, and stood up. He wiped the rainwater from his face, then clearly saw the several burly A-grade Mental Power users on the ground.

The “person” they mentioned was likely the Earls Residence's true young master, who wanted the original owner dead. The original owner, who had managed to escape several assassination attempts, had truly fallen this time.

After Qi Shu transmigrated, he almost died again!

He endured the discomfort in his body, fumbled in his spatial button for an electronic mask, and put it on his face, instantly changing his appearance completely. While digesting the original owner's memories, he leaned against the wall and left, his feet feeling as heavy as lead.

There were no surveillance drones patrolling this area. Qi Shu felt no guilt for the people on the ground; he was merely giving them a taste of their own medicine. He had used his own Mental Control Ability, and those people, even if they didn't die, would become half-dead, disfigured, and useless, no different from being dead.

After he turned into an alley in the slums, a patrol alarm sounded overhead. Qi Shu's heart also pounded nervously. He gritted his teeth and quickened his pace, the alley growing darker the further he went.

At this moment, Qi Shu no longer cared about fear. His mind was filled with the urgent need to retreat and find a safe place to hide.

In the darkness, Qi Shu instinctively tried to wander aimlessly. The rain, which had been falling for who knows how long, suddenly stopped.

His Ability, having been downgraded and depleted, left him utterly exhausted. He watched as the distant blue light formed a square door, getting closer and closer, occasionally flashing the words “Pear Market.”

The path to “Pear Market” was intricate, with several unfixeD doors. This was a place to evade pursuit. Although it only said Pear Market, it was actually Pulan Star’s black market, which even the Interstellar Agency couldn't govern.

Qi Shu finally breathed a sigh of relief and stepped into the black market. The market lights were dim, and people wore bizarre clothes, most of them wearing electronic masks, cloaks, and hats as they walked.

Feeling soaking wet was very unpleasant. After entering, he immediately found a relatively clean restroom to change into inconspicuous clothes before going out to blend into the black market crowd.

Here were wanted criminals who had committed heinous acts, as well as some nobles who came to scout for goods in disguise.

Qi Shu expressionlessly drank a tube of plastic saccharine-flavored nutrient solution to replenish his energy. The taste was indeed much better than expired canned food from the apocalypse.

He decided to stay here for a while longer before leaving. He found a chair next to an inconspicuous stall, sat down, crossed his arms, and closed his eyes to rest.

But his mind couldn't relax. Layers upon layers of memories pressed down on him, making it hard to breathe.

Through these memories, he suddenly realized that he had transmigrated into the only BL novel he had read in the apocalypse, “Dawn.” This book focused on the main plot and had little romance.

Qi Shu believed that the downside of reading too many novels was forgetting one after another, even forgetting the protagonist's full name after finishing! He only remembered the original owner's story because they shared the same name.

He didn't know where the main gong and shou of this book were now. He couldn't remember much about the other contents of “Dawn,” only vaguely knowing that the original owner was cannon fodder, existing to enrich the protagonist's resume.

As his soul and body were continuously merging, Qi Shu felt a persistent headache. He vigorously rubbed his temples to relieve the pain, then decided to sort through the original owner's memories first.

The original owner was a child who had been emotionally manipulated by the Earl and his wife since childhood. He couldn't resist domestic violence. Before entering the academy on Capital Star, his terminal was often confiscated, preventing him from accessing the Star Network, and he had very few opportunities to interact with the outside world. Whenever he had internet access, he would cling to his fiancé, who was the only outside person he could contact.

As soon as the true young master returned, the original owner was blamed for many things, including but not limited to damaging the true young master's mech, making the true young master eat allergenic food, and pushing the true young master off a hovercar. His adoptive parents found an excuse to express great disappointment in the original owner, demanding that the newly adult original owner repay the money spent raising him over the years. The true young master, offering advice from the side, arranged for a loan company connected to the Earls Residence to give the original owner a loan, which was then used to repay the Earls Residence.

Leaving the previous matters aside, Qi Shu, having transmigrated, couldn't believe this fact. He opened his eyes, unwilling to give up, and checked his optical computer terminal: a debt of 3 billion Interstellar Coins, to be repaid in installments over 300 years.

Alright, now he was completely disheartened.

In his previous life, he didn't even want to owe anyone thirty yuan, and this time he owed 3 billion! Interstellar people's lifespans were around five hundred years. He would have to work tirelessly for three hundred years to pay it off! If he couldn't pay, he would be sent to a Desolate Star for reclamation.

Otherwise, just send him back to the apocalypse. Actually... zombies were quite cute.

Qi Shu used to think that people on Earth who could take out a thirty-year mortgage were amazing. The Interstellar world directly offered a three-hundred-year unsecured loan!

How playful, truly playful!

He bitterly rubbed his face, suddenly thinking that perhaps expired canned food tasted better, or perhaps, he would wake up in the apocalypse after a good night's sleep? All of this must be fake.

It wasn't until a passerby, not paying attention to the road, stepped on his foot and repeatedly apologized that he had to face the facts, hugging his leg and letting out a sob.

Qi Shu didn't know whether he was more miserable or the original owner was.

After the original owner incurred a huge debt, he overheard that the Earls Residence hadn't actually made a mistake in swapping children; rather, the Earl had deliberately manipulated things. The original owner's biological parents were originally Pulan Star's richest people, and the true young master had also enjoyed a life of luxury. It was only later that the couple's company ran into trouble, and they both committed suicide on their way to being exiled to a mining planet.

Only then did the true young master undergo plastic surgery and return to the embrace of the Earls Residence. The Earls Residence's plan was for the true young master to inherit the couple's company, but who knew such a thing would happen.

The Earl and the true young master felt their efforts were in vain and ultimately took out their anger on the original owner.

When the original owner heard about this, he was accidentally discovered. After the original owner was driven out of the house, the true young master worried that the original owner would expose the matter and damage the Earls Residence's reputation, so he secretly sent people to hunt down the original owner.

In the end, the original owner was indeed killed by them. Qi Shu, having transmigrated, looked up at the sky helplessly. This was truly a disastrous beginning!

The original owner had a notorious reputation on the Star Network, ranked last in school exams, had F-grade Mental Power, and his fiancé, Slade, the Duke's son, who was the only one who could help him, had fallen for the true young master. After breaking off the engagement with the original owner, he became engaged to the true young master.

Before he died, the original owner still didn't understand why he had to endure so much when he hadn't done anything.

The cannon fodder original owner in the book was just a small part of the story. A year after the original owner's death, the protagonist shou and his subordinates went to Pulan Star for a secret investigation, uncovering evidence that the Earls Residence's true young master hired someone to kill the original owner. Even when the truth came out, the original owner still didn't receive an apology from those who cyberbullied him. What was most infuriating was that the murderer, the true young master, actually wasn't punished; he found a clone to serve his prison sentence!

Qi Shu trembled with anger. Living in the original owner's body, he also wanted to do something for the original owner, but unfortunately, he couldn't do it now and even wished to return to the apocalypse.

Qi Shu was only grateful that his electronic mask could still be used a few more times. At least he had to wait until his brought-over Ability recovered somewhat before he could help the original owner get revenge.

For a moment, Qi Shu didn't want to abide by Interstellar law. He wanted to go and slaughter those people to quell the anger in this body.

For some reason, the people around him felt that the weather was a bit chilly today and couldn't help but shrink their necks.

Chapter 2: Trying to save a dying horse

Qi Shu, who had regained his senses, looked at the black market, wanting to find something to exchange for an anonymous light brain first, but the original owner's entire belongings consisted only of three sets of clothes, two pairs of shoes, an electronic mask, and two bottles of nutrient solution.

That’s it?

That’s all there was?

Qi Shu searched the space button for a long time and only found this much.

Qi Shu: “...”

Never mind, he needed to eat his fill before he could consider more things.

Just then, the stall owner in front of him suddenly got into an argument with a customer, and Qi Shu, being so close, found it hard not to overhear.

“Boss, your Star Card is too expensive! This Intermediate Population Card, when displayed in the Star Card skill demonstration instrument, shows that twenty people can only maintain combat for two minutes, and all they do is pick their noses! How can they fight like that!

You actually want to sell it to me for 150,000! Why don’t you just rob me, it would be quicker!”

“And this Intermediate Energy Card, it only lets the mecha fight for two minutes, I haven’t even gotten addicted to fighting yet and it’s over! You actually charge me 200,000 for this card! I have money, but I’m not an idiot!”

The Card Maker boss, dressed in a black robe, said with a cold face, “Take it or leave it, otherwise get lost.”

In today’s Interstellar society, Card Makers are the most scarce, and Advanced Card Makers have very high Mental Power levels, mostly used by royalty and the military. Some also teach in schools. Card Makers without fixed workplaces are practically walking treasures, most popular in the black market.

Star Cards first appeared three thousand years ago, exclusively for armies without Mental Power. Advanced Star Cards could even contend with S-level Mental Power users.

Later, after the war ended, high Mental Power rulers, in order to control resources and centralize power, almost massacred those Card Makers. However, after killing off the Card Makers, what they waited for was not Interstellar peace, but the invasion of the Zerg army, which caused heavy casualties among half of the Interstellar population and soldiers.

This painful historical lesson taught them the importance of Card Makers.

In short, whether they were Mental Power users or non-Mental Power users, as long as they participated in combat, they would want to rely on the help of Star Cards. With Star Cards, they might be able to buy time to avoid death, or they could deliver a fatal blow to their opponents to win.

Interstellar law explicitly states that the status of Star Cards is equivalent to that of mechas.

However, the number of people who can make Star Cards is very few, extremely rare. Even those with very high talent cannot produce many Advanced Star Cards in a year.

This is also why the current boss selling Intermediate Star Cards can be so arrogant.

“If you don’t want it, plenty of others do.”

“Me! I want it, I want it!”

“Boss, boss, do you have more! I want it too, I want it too! He doesn’t want it, I do! So what if they pick their noses!”

“Boss, don’t be angry! It doesn’t even matter if those twenty people appear while going to the bathroom!”

“Exactly, exactly, only 200,000, so cheap. The boss is so kind he’s not even raising the price.”

Qi Shu’s expression was complex. He watched as the boss put the Star Card into a transparent box, and just as he was thinking to himself how easy it was for the boss to make money, his sharp gaze swept across the Star Card. At that moment, he froze.

No, the characters on this Star Card… weren’t they the traditional Chinese characters from his hometown? They were just written somewhat like crawling caterpillars, the characters were crooked and twisted. Without a careful look, it was impossible to recognize that this was the traditional Chinese version of 【Twenty People Picking Noses】.

Qi Shu felt like he was dreaming.

Card Maker?

Someone who writes traditional Chinese characters?? This was too ridiculous!

But it was no wonder… no wonder in the Interstellar history that the original owner remembered, many Card Makers had the characteristics of black eyes and black hair!

After tens of thousands of years of sedimentation, Interstellar gradually popularized a common language, and even those who once recognized simplified Chinese characters were almost gone, let alone traditional Chinese characters.

The original owner was strictly managed by the people of the Earls Residence. Every single thing he did was monitored, and he had no contact with Star Cards at all. Under the guidance of the Earl and his wife, the major he studied in the academy was culinary arts, which explained why Qi Shu had no knowledge in this field.

“Laughing? Brother, what are you laughing at?” The man with a black snake wrapped around his neck, who had just been pushed out by a group of people, walked over.

Qi Shu didn’t know when the corners of his lips had lifted, only feeling as if he had seen a glimmer of hope.

“No, I wasn’t laughing at you.” Qi Shu replied casually, his Ability habitually probing whether the other party had any ill intentions.

His gaze lingered on the black snake around the other’s neck, feeling that this person was not simple.

“It’s good that you’re not mocking me, otherwise I wouldn’t let you off.” The Snake Man said fiercely, then prepared to turn and leave.

Qi Shu thought for a moment, then suddenly called out to him, “Um, what type of Star Card do you want?”

“Offensive! Or energy type!” The Snake Man thought Qi Shu had connections, and even his voice unconsciously lowered a bit. He pulled Qi Shu to a less crowded corner and asked, “Do you have goods?”

“No, I can try.” Qi Shu unconsciously took a step back, moving further away from the snake.

Actually, he had nothing on him. At most, it was a gamble. If he won, he won. If he lost, he would just get beaten up. No one would kill someone for wasting a little time and a few star coins worth of Carrier Cards, right? The Carrier Cards used to make Star Cards are not rare metals; they can be bought everywhere in Interstellar, so they are very cheap.

“You?” The Snake Man sized up the black-haired, black-eyed boy in front of him, then probed his Mental Power, which was almost nonexistent.

For a moment, he didn’t know whether to waste these few minutes, but the black market was a place where hidden talents resided, so maybe?

“Yes, me.” Qi Shu, who lived hand-to-mouth, smiled slightly.

“Alright, then let’s try.”

“Then, could you first help me buy a Carrier Card and a Mental Power conversion pen?” The original owner had almost no Mental Power, and Qi Shu’s Ability had recovered a bit after the recent rest.

He felt that concentrating to write traditional Chinese characters probably wouldn’t be difficult; the hard part was whether it would work.

But it didn’t matter, he’d try anything.

The Snake Man was not short on money. Seeing that he spoke sincerely and didn’t seem like someone playing tricks, he readily agreed, even renting him a small workspace directly in the black market for 30 star coins an hour.

Qi Shu was a little nervous after getting the poker-sized golden Carrier Card. He had even thought that if he failed, he would ask the big brother to try not to hit his face.

“Don’t dilly-dally, hurry up, I still need to eat.” The Snake Man urged him from beside him, with an expression that said, “I’m playing along with you, don’t let me down.”

Qi Shu swallowed, picked up the conversion pen, and slowly injected Mental Power with his fingertips, but there was a “ding” sound, and the connection broke.

“Can you even do this…?” The Snake Man felt he might have really been fooled. Could this boy not even have Mental Power?

Qi Shu: “...Wait, I just wasn’t concentrating.”

His forehead was already covered in a thin layer of sweat. Enduring his physical discomfort, he slowly activated a trace of the Ability he had just accumulated, daring to wave it in front of the man. He noticed that the man seemed unable to see the Ability, so he turned around, blocking the man’s line of sight, and boldly input the Ability into the conversion pen, no longer hearing the “ding” sound.

Chapter 3: All I want to do is leave first

When Card Making, Card Makers must concentrate. Whatever symbols appear in their minds, they write down. They mistakenly believe traditional Chinese characters to be certain symbols, and in the minds of most Card Makers, Star Cards can only be made randomly.

At this moment, Qi Shu was no exception. A few words suddenly appeared in his mind: 【One Hundred People Fart】. His hand unconsciously and smoothly wrote down the traditional Chinese version of these words.

Uh... could he say he didn't do it on purpose?

What others wanted was an attack card!

How could he have forgotten about that!

Qi Shu was already sweating profusely. He didn't know if this card could be used. He handed the card to the Snake Man.

The Snake Man was shocked, thinking, 'This guy writes so well!' The symbols on this card were written more clearly and beautifully than the previous Card Maker's!

He put on gloves, picked up the newly made Star Card, and placed it on the Star Card detector to play its effect.

After watching, the Snake Man turned to look at Qi Shu, dumbfounded.

Qi Shu was observing how to use the detector, but after seeing the playback effect... he felt a bit embarrassed to look.

Were the things in his mind really just about poop, pee, and farts?

Qi Shu was so embarrassed his face felt like it would crack.

"Uh, can I say... this was a mistake?"

"Holy moly! Brother! You wouldn't happen to be a genius, would you! An Intermediate Star Card! I see you're not very old, and your Mental Power isn't strong, so how could you make an Intermediate Star Card without even blinking?! You absolutely must keep this a secret, or you'll suffer later! Some powerful people like to enslave Card Makers!"

Qi Shu was held by his arm, and the snake on him was getting closer and closer, practically hissing at his face. "Uh, sorry, this kind of card is still..."

"I see this card can last for three minutes, and it's an Intermediate Star Card, so I'll give you two hundred thousand star coins according to market price." The Snake Man was truly very satisfied with this card; it was much more useful than those twenty people picking their noses earlier!

He had already imagined how interesting tomorrow's competition would be. He couldn't help but let out a low chuckle, releasing Qi Shu's shoulder. "Brother, I'm so glad I talked to you just now! Oh, right, how should I give you the star coins? Can you make more?"

"Not today, temporarily." The little Ability he had just stored was already depleted.

Ability could actually be used for Card Making; this was truly an unexpected surprise for him. He had originally thought that this body's Mental Power could be used, but its level was too low.

"Alright then, but you're really amazing, young and promising! May I be so bold as to add your contact information? You can ask me for any help, as long as it's within my capabilities!"

Intermediate Star Cards could be anonymous, so he didn't know the Card Maker's name. He felt that he and this Card Maker were destined!

He had a hunch just now that talking to this person might yield something! He didn't expect it to actually work out!

Moreover, he really didn't want to miss the opportunity to get to know this person.

"Then could you please help me get an anonymous terminal? And buy a ticket to the Capital Star." Preparing these two things shouldn't be difficult; the black market sold them and could offset the cost of the Star Card.

The original owner's terminal owed too much money, and any money transferred in would be deducted.

The Snake Man was slightly stunned by the words but didn't ask too many questions. He not only took Qi Shu to buy an anonymous terminal but also transferred two hundred thousand star coins into it. Finally, he helped him buy a spaceship ticket from a scalper for tomorrow afternoon's flight to the Capital Star.

Qi Shu: "..." Were there scalpers in the Interstellar era too?

"Thank you, I'm truly very grateful to you."

"You're welcome. Shall we add each other as friends using the anonymous terminal?"

"Okay." Qi Shu hadn't actually emerged from the imagined scene of 【One Hundred People Fart】. Thinking of it, he felt he shouldn't have laughed at those twenty people picking their noses earlier!

The Snake Man was still in an excited state. Outside the Capital Star, the chance of encountering a Card Maker was even lower than encountering an Interstellar superstar. Qi Shu had no idea how happy he was to meet someone who could make Star Cards!

This meant that in the future, if this brother had cards, he would prioritize asking him if he wanted them!

He raised his wrist terminal and tapped Qi Shu's terminal bracelet twice. Qi Shu, a bit unskillfully, accepted.

"I'll return those two hundred thousand star coins to you as soon as possible." Qi Shu thanked him again solemnly.

He was truly having a hard time, and also very lucky. In the black market, where there were all sorts of vicious people, he actually met someone like the Snake Man who was willing to trust him.

"No, no, helping you wasn't for nothing. In the future, when you have Star Cards, remember to consider me first. You don't need to return the money; consider it a gift from me."

The Snake Man had already spent more than two hundred thousand star coins helping him buy the terminal and spaceship ticket. Adding the two hundred thousand stored in the terminal, it was essentially double the price.

"Okay, I will."

Qi Shu felt a bit weak and listless now. After bidding farewell to the Snake Man, he found a black hotel in the black market to stay. After all, it was the Interstellar era, and there were cleaning robots everywhere, so the environment wasn't too bad; overall, it was acceptable.

After taking a shower and drinking a tube of nutrient solution, Qi Shu collapsed into sleep.

On the other side,

The true young master of Earl Xus Estate, Xu Baian, had already learned that the Mental Powers of the people sent to kill Qi Shu had been destroyed, and those people would all become brain-damaged! He would not only have to pay money but also support this group of brain-damaged people in the future!

He was so angry that he smashed everything in the room, only able to vent online and fabricate a few more scandals about Qi Shu running away from home and eloping.

He refused to believe that Qi Shu, a desperate and low-Mental Power waste, would have anyone willing to save him!

Since he dared to escape, he shouldn't let him be caught, otherwise... he would definitely kill this waste.

After posting on Star Blog, his fans immediately comforted him in the comments.

"Anan, don't be afraid! It's good that that malicious guy ran away; this way he won't bully you anymore!"

"So the reason he was unbetrothed was actually because he cheated? That's truly disgusting!"

"Poor Anan, your fiancé was originally yours, and besides, Slade is the Duke's son; Qi Shu is simply unworthy! His biological parents are just commoners."

"After the Poison King Qi sucked your family's blood, did he run off without paying it back? The Earls Residence is truly magnanimous."

The next morning, Qi Shu bought some nutrient solutions, two inconspicuous outfits, and an electronic mask in the black market before heading to the port.

After he showed his "black" ship ticket, the routine inspection personnel led him to a relatively narrow single cabin. It had a bed, a bathroom, and a toilet, but he couldn't go out and move around.

For stowaways like him who were avoiding pursuit, some spaceships willing to risk violating the law would also take them, clearing out places originally used for cargo for them to stay. The hurried Qi Shu had no mind to admire the scenery of the Interstellar port; his mind was entirely focused on leaving first.