For humanity, burn the stars.

Qin Heling's bare muscles were covered with fine blood droplets, which trembled slightly in the air, and each breath brought pain.

However, he still stood straight, with his hands clenched tightly at his sides.

The instructor finally raised one of his tentacles, indicating that the demonstration could end.

It first checked the preset recording, and after confirming that everything was correct, it nodded with great satisfaction.

"Major General Qin Heling, thank you for your cooperation."

"Next, please return to the device, and I will restore it for you."

Qin Heling glanced at it, said nothing, and silently walked back.

The instructor then began performing skin restoration surgery on Qin Heling.

A small amount of regenerating gel flowed from the silver tube and was evenly applied to Qin Heling's exposed skin, with not a single gram wasted, achieving its perfect effect.

The gel is cool to the touch and quickly penetrates into the intermuscular spaces, mixing with tissue fluid to form a translucent film.

The previously completely peeled skin is reattached to its original position, and under the action of nanoscale active substances, the edges adhere and heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The pain gradually subsided like the receding tide, replaced by a slight tingling sensation as the skin regenerates.

The mentor stood by and watched the gel levels steadily decrease, but at that moment he felt no heartache whatsoever.

In one's own professional field, obtaining such irreplaceable data is priceless.

Moreover, the entire process has been recorded, and the principal would likely be very willing to reimburse the costs.

Luke hovered forward, his fiber optic organ on his head held high, his emotions surging with undisguised pride and admiration.

It turned to Qin Heling and said with great satisfaction:

"Well done, Qin Heling."

As it circled around Qin Heling, its whiskers gracefully overlapped in front of it, like a collector admiring his masterpiece.

"Your performance today far exceeded my expectations."

Just then, another student named Vera in the back row of the classroom, seemingly still not satisfied, impatiently expressed his opinion:

"Is that all? Can't we look at it a little longer?"

As it opened its mouth, the other Vera members, still somewhat unsatisfied, also began to clamor:

"Yes, take a look at the internal organs."

"Anyway, the medical technology is advanced enough that even if something happens, it can be saved, right?"

"Even if they're on the verge of death, they can definitely be saved, so why not..."

However, this time, Luke did not agree.

Luke turned to the students around him who were making noise. Although he didn't say anything, a wave of displeasure rippled outwards.

The Vera, who had been in high spirits, immediately fell silent, their whiskers drooping obediently, their smooth skin even gleaming slightly with a tense sheen.

The Vera on Earth have mastered the dregs of human society, such as reading between the lines and the suppression of hierarchy.

Luke then turned to the group, his whiskers outstretched, and his voice returned to its usual tone:

That concludes today's exhibition.

"Qin Heling needs to rest."

Qin Heling had no particular thoughts about Luke's defense.

After all, in the other party's eyes, he was just an exhibit, and only because he had value could he not be damaged.

In Qin Heling's eyes, she wouldn't feel grateful for such a trivial reason.

Both sides were simply getting what they wanted.

Qin Heling returned to the cylindrical device containing the life-sustaining fluid, slowly sinking into the ground and returning to the empty compartment of the exhibits.

What happened next was none of his business.

The task remains unchanged: to wait.

-----------------

After school, Qin Heling left with Luke's spaceship.

He returned to that luxurious, almost unreal manor, or rather, to his glamorous prison cell.

A silent hovercraft transported him to the master bedroom door.

Qin Heling pushed open the door, and the indoor temperature control system sent in just the right amount of warm air, with a soothing aroma of incense wafting through the air.

He then went straight to the bathroom and rinsed his body with water.

The feeling inside that cylindrical life support device was unpleasant, especially the special solution that soaked him in.

The water washed away the residue of the solution, but the uncomfortable feeling lingered for a long time.

After turning off the water, Qin Heling silently looked at the holographic mirror in front of him.

The body in the mirror was perfect, with smooth muscle lines and smooth skin without any marks, not even the slightest scar.

But only he knew the vague phantom pain that the peeled and reattached skin brought him, and the humiliation behind it.

He raised his hand and gently touched his cheek, which was now covered by skin again.

It feels smooth and warm to the touch, just like a normal person's, and the previous exhibition left no tangible trace.

That was a truly awful experience...

Although this place was nothing more than a carefully crafted cage for him, where he was under constant surveillance, it was at least a place to stay.

Only now could Qin Heling relax and take a few deep breaths to relieve his fatigue.

However, in Qin Heling's view, the pain and humiliation he had endured were worthwhile.

After experiencing this very cooperative exhibition, Luke felt much more at ease with him.

After all, the fact that it could endure such an exhibition meant that Qin Heling was probably a well-behaved "exhibit" in its eyes.

Qin Heling dressed and slumped onto the sofa, looking like she was just resting.

In reality, he was currently immersing his consciousness into the 'Seed Fire System'.

And next... he must do everything he can to find that ship, that device.

Qin Heling searched the database and retrieved the warships that belonged to the Earth United Fleet back then.

The numbers, models, and final known outcomes of each warship flowed through his mind.

Finally, the warship carrying the imaginary jump device reappeared in his mind.

—Starmark.

It was a small frigate, built and put into combat later in the war.

The database of the Seedfire system does not appear to contain any clear battle reports proving that it was destroyed.

After finding information about the warship, Qin Heling slowly opened his eyes and let out a soft breath.

Although the chances of finding it are still slim, at least... it's better than certain that it has been destroyed.

The situation remains dire, and no matter how slim the chances are, he can only take it one step at a time.

If they were to find out that the "Starmark" had been destroyed, then Qin Heling would have no choice but to give up completely.

Because no other solution can achieve the effect of imaginary jump, taking him away from this Earth.

That was the only hope he found in the vast amount of data in the Seedfire system that could potentially bypass the Vera's monitoring and defense network and perform a long-distance jump.

Qin Heling rested his chin on his knuckles, carefully considering the next plan and strategy.

And how to leverage the existing situation and one's own value to shift the balance.

He needed an opportunity, a plausible excuse, to find the imaginary jump device sealed on the "Starmark".