Lu Lin couldn't believe his ears.
What did Zhou Ziqiang just say? His sister had suddenly awakened half a month ago? What a joke! In modern society, everyone knew that ordinary people, or even the descendants of some Star Warriors, had to complete the Awakening Ceremony at the Ministry of Education's Awakening Base to awaken and unlock their Talents. But there was no College Entrance Exam half a month ago. How could Zhou Ziqiang's sister have suddenly awakened?!
"It's true," Zhou Ziqiang affirmed. "Brother Lu, I don't dare tell anyone else about this, nor do I dare let my sister tell her teachers at school. After all, she's only seven years old."
"Then why do you dare to tell me? Aren't you worried I'll spread it?"
"Not worried!" Zhou Ziqiang shook his head. "Because my dad, Zhou Aiguo, had a nickname in the police special operations team: Jin Dao!"
Jin Dao? It turned out to be him.
Lu Lin recalled the Lakeside Mansion kidnapping case when Zuo Zhenyu had ordered a direct assault. A team composed mainly of Star Warriors was formed. Fire Dragon was the team leader, and Jin Dao was the deputy team leader. He never expected that Deputy Team Leader Jin Dao, who had sacrificed his life in that robbery, was Zhou Ziqiang's father.
At that moment, the image of Zhou Ziqiang standing before him gradually overlapped with that of Deputy Team Leader Jin Dao.
"Deputy Team Leader Jin Dao was your father. His... his sacrifice was very meaningful... Please... my deepest condolences." Lu Lin had no idea how to comfort Zhou Ziqiang.
Whenever Lu Lin had seen Zhou Ziqiang before, the guy had always been an incurable optimist, with a rather roguish air about him—the kind of person you felt you could rough up if you encountered them on a dark street late at night and not feel like you'd wronged an innocent soul. Lu Lin truly hadn't expected Zhou Ziqiang to be bearing such a burden.
"Brother Lu, after my dad's sacrifice, the other members of the Star Martial Team visited our family and told us some things about you," Zhou Ziqiang continued. "I know Brother Lu is absolutely trustworthy. A man willing to use his own body to shield his teammates from the shockwave of a robber's self-detonation at a critical moment is definitely someone you can trust."
Facing Zhou Ziqiang's sincere words, Lu Lin was caught off guard. Throughout his entire life, even including his experiences before he transmigrated, no one had ever trusted him so completely.
"So, what do you need me to do?"
"Brother Lu, I want you to help my sister with Guiding Star Skills so she can comprehend them."
"Guiding?" Lu Lin waved his hands repeatedly. "No, no, no! I can't do that. I won't lie to you; just the day before yesterday, I was at the Dragon Battle Hotel with Master Jiang, learning the basics about being a Star Skill Instructor. I've only just managed to construct my Star Power Domain, and it's still completely empty inside."
"Ziqiang, how about this: I'll go to your home later to see your sister, and then I'll ask my teacher to guide her Star Skills. What do you think? You've met Master Jiang. He's highly respected, exceptionally skilled, and a man of integrity. He definitely wouldn't go blabbing about it."
Zhou Ziqiang shook his head. "Brother Lu, no! I really can't let too many people know about my sister. If my dad were still here, he could at least offer some protection. Now that my dad is gone, I want my sister to have more ability to protect herself. You should understand what it means to awaken at the age of seven. I've already lost my father; I can't lose my sister too."
"Brother Lu, I'm begging you." Zhou Ziqiang looked as if he was about to kneel. "Brother Lu, I trust you, and you're the only one I can trust. Please, for my father's sake, help me this once. Once my sister gets into high school and starts preparing for the College Entrance Exam, I'll finally be able to relax."
Lu Lin's heart was genuinely moved. After his own College Entrance Exam, he had been so worried that the exposure of his Second Talent would lead to his capture by the Federation's Secret Star Martial Team, forcing him to spend his life in a laboratory, that he had written over a dozen farewell letters to his parents.
Zhou Ziqiang's sister, only seven years old, had awakened naturally.
It was well known that before the Federation mastered a stable Awakening method, individuals who could naturally awaken and unlock their Talents were exceedingly rare—not even one in ten thousand. For the past thousand years, although there had been occasional reports of natural Awakenings, humans generally still relied on Awakening Bases to unlock their Talents.
One could imagine that if Zhou Ziqiang's sister's situation became known, her fate would likely be no better than what Lu Lin had once feared for himself.
"Zhou Ziqiang, in that case, I'll go take a look first," Lu Lin conceded. "However, I can't guarantee success."
"Thank you, Brother Lu! Thank you so much!" Zhou Ziqiang thanked him profusely, then took Lu Lin to his home in a taxi.
Inside Zhou Ziqiang's home, a black and white photograph of his father, Zhou Aiguo, was still displayed.
In the Interstellar Era, everything was simplified. Even death required only a simple mourning hall. The physical body would be sent to the city's One-stop Funeral Service Center, and future memorials could only be conducted electronically via the Star Energy Network.
"Brother, you're back!" Hearing the sound at the entrance, Zhou Ziqiang's little sister ran out, a bit shyly.
When she saw Lu Lin standing next to Zhou Ziqiang, she immediately took half a step back and asked cautiously, "Brother, have you been kidnapped? If you have, blink your eyes, and I'll run away as fast as I can."
Zhou Ziqiang looked at his sister, speechless. It was all his fault for teaching her such outlandish things.
"Xiao Ru, this is brother's good friend, Lu Lin, whom you saw on video yesterday. You can call him Brother Lu Lin."
Xiao Ru blinked, looking curiously at Lu Lin. "Hello, Lu Lin. Are you really going to ask my brother for my hand in marriage and then take me home as your bride?"
Zhou Ziqiang was dumbfounded.
Lu Lin smirked, thoroughly amused. What on earth has Zhou Ziqiang been telling his sister every day?
After a bit of effort, Lu Lin and Zhou Ziqiang finally managed to settle down the precocious little girl, getting her to sit quietly on the sofa without fidgeting, looking around, or chattering.
"Ziqiang, that means even though your sister awakened half a month ago, you still don't know what her Talent is, right?" Lu Lin asked.
"Yes, Brother Lu. My dad and I didn't dare publicize this, and Xiao Ru's description is unclear, so we still don't know what attribute her Talent is."
"Alright." Lu Lin nodded. "In that case, our goal today is to try and initially detect Xiao Ru's Innate Attribute. As for Guiding Star Skills, I can only try my best. If I fail, don't worry. I'll work on improving my own skill level as quickly as possible to help Xiao Ru comprehend a Star Skill sooner."
"Brother Lu, I'm counting on you then," Zhou Ziqiang said solemnly.
Star Skill Guidance itself wasn't dangerous, but if this attempt failed, Xiao Ru would have to wait until her Star Vein Refinement Degree reached 100% to comprehend a Star Skill. Another Guiding attempt could be made before she broke through to become a Level 1 Star Warrior.
"Lu Lin, does this mean my brother is entrusting my entire life to you?" Xiao Ru, having listened to their conversation, stood up and gave Lu Lin a graceful bow. "For the rest of our lives, please cherish me, your humble concubine, my dear husband."
Lu Lin's vision darkened for a moment, and he turned to look at the innocent-looking Zhou Ziqiang.
"Brother Lu, believe me, I really didn't teach her that…"