Chapter 12: Strange Encounters (Part One)

Jiang Hui recalled the interstellar novels she had read in her past life, where the protagonists conquered all by relying on exquisite cuisine. Suddenly, she sensed the disparity in worlds; clearly, one interstellar realm was not the same as another.

It seemed that if she were truly to settle here, relying on cooking for a livelihood would certainly be unfeasible. Besides... her culinary skills were mediocre at best.

Hmm, this drink—whatever fruit juice it is—tastes refreshingly good. Wow, everything is delicious.

Probably because it was mealtime, Jiang Hui was engrossed in eating, while the atmosphere around her gradually grew livelier.

A man and a woman sat at a small table next to hers. Strangely, although the tables were not that close, Jiang Hui could hear their conversation clearly. Even if she tried not to listen, snippets would occasionally drift over, making it impossible to ignore.

Better finish eating quickly, she thought, lest it seem like she were eavesdropping on others’ private matters.

But she didn’t pay much mind; after all, in public places, some noise was inevitable. Compared to what she had seen of interstellar citizens so far, their manners were quite good. In such a vast dining hall, everyone managed to keep their voices at a reasonable volume, making the overall environment pleasant.

The conversation between the two beside her was nothing unusual; she ate, and they talked. But the content was truly bizarre. Jiang Hui felt that even the novels she had read in her past life were not this outlandish.

The two were likely relatives of patients. They spoke first at length about their family members’ conditions, which Jiang Hui didn’t pay much attention to and couldn’t quite follow. What was ridiculous came afterward—

Their family members were probably in neurology, quite near to her own ward in general surgery, just one floor up. After she emerged from the treatment pod, unconscious and nearly sent to neurology, she knew that meant the injury was severe.

After briefly discussing their own family members, the two began talking about a patient in the neighboring ward.

Gossip truly is a human instinct; no matter the era, no one can avoid it, Ningxia quietly concluded upon overhearing this part.

That patient hadn’t been admitted for injury but was brought in under military custody, immediately undergoing brain surgery. Afterwards, the soldiers seemed to retrieve something before leaving.

“So, the patient next door didn’t do something they shouldn’t have?” one asked.

“Probably not. Those soldiers left without looking back once they got what they wanted, abandoning the patient with no further follow-up.”

“What exactly happened then?”

“Hey, I heard a rumor—no guarantee it’s true—picked up from one of the medical staff.”

Jiang Hui couldn’t help but silently scoff; the phrase “no guarantee of truth” was still in use here, apparently.

But she quickly lost interest in mocking such nonsense, as what they said struck a chord with her.

…

“Apparently, someone higher up noticed and sent investigators, who found out he’d been duped and crippled. His neurons had been implanted with a controller and receiver. To collect evidence, the higher-ups sent him to the hospital for craniotomy to remove the devices.”

“How could he be so gullible? Didn’t he pay attention during safety lessons in early education? They clearly warned not to accept any spiritual power originating externally, nor to attempt to accommodate non-self-generated spiritual energy. That stuff can speak, think, and deceive. Didn’t he suspect anything?”

…

After that, Jiang Hui found it hard to concentrate, barely able to eat. This was the kind of plot from a gritty realistic novel. The story was simple yet bizarre in its development. She couldn’t believe such a thing was happening in reality; even novels in her past world wouldn’t dare write this way.

They said the man was an ordinary student—average family, average studies, unremarkable background. But recently, he received a “system”…

Yes, you heard right—that thing was called a “system,” the most common trope of power fantasies on Blue Star.

The system claimed to be bound to him; as the host, completing tasks would earn him various items and hefty monetary rewards.

Familiar plot, right? Indeed, it was exactly the kind of cliché system novel littering Blue Star’s internet, with no innovation or fresh twists.

This young man believed it and began accepting rewards for the “tasks” given. What started as skepticism soon grew into deep immersion.

He began to shine at school, gaining recognition and gradually trusting the system to lead him to the pinnacle of life.

Yet he was unaware that danger was quietly closing in.

One day, while performing a regular task, he was caught by the military force investigating for days.

Then followed a series of investigations and revelations. The so-called system was not from some higher civilization as claimed but was a prohibited control device developed elsewhere in the same interstellar region.

This device was tied to the interstellar black market and dark web transactions.

It was implanted into citizens’ brains through some method, then deceived them into joining the trap under the guise of a system.

Once the hosts trusted it, they were ordered to perform “tasks,” which were recorded via controllers and cameras and uploaded to the dark web for amusement. The rewards were actually payments from viewers who watched on the dark web, which took the lion’s share.

The dark web even offered custom tasks, allowing those behind it to “design” the host’s life for greater amusement.

The host, being the only one unaware, was lured by benefits to continue performing these “tasks” until their entire life was completely controlled.

Doesn’t it sound absurd? Yet such cases had occurred multiple times within the interstellar community. Though each scam came with different stories, the schemes were identical. Almost all were orchestrated by the dark web and black market, using others’ lives and existences as entertainment, utterly disregarding citizens’ privacy rights.

The Interstellar Patrol Bureau had worked hard to expose these incidents. Each time one surfaced, it was published publicly. Headlines reported these scams continuously, yet fools still fell for them.

The most outrageous case involved a fool in a remote star sector who was deceived for 150 years straight. When finally discovered, their brain region was half destroyed, and they were a complete wreck—gaining nothing, living a miserable life.

As the man had said earlier, the safety education manual taught repeatedly in early education warned not to misuse spiritual power and to protect one’s own mental energy. Ultimately, it was greed that led to such a fate; otherwise, they wouldn’t have ended up so ruined.