The old man on the podium droned on, his voice steady and tireless.
"Everyone knows that in this era, stargate technology is the top priority for interstellar navigation. However, stargates can only be constructed in galaxies with binary stars. As a result, nearly one-third of known galaxies remain unable to establish stable stargate networks…"
Zhao Chen opened his eyes slowly, his vision swimming.
His head felt heavy, as if stuffed with cotton. The last thing he remembered was staying up late gaming, then dozing off the moment class began. By all logic, the notoriously strict Instructor Miejue should have already dragged him to his feet.
Yet no reprimand came.
That was when Zhao Chen realized something was wrong.
The desk beneath his hands was no longer wood, but a smooth, pure-white surface that felt faintly warm, as if alive. In front of him hovered a translucent holographic screen, its light pulsing softly. He looked down at himself—his familiar school uniform was gone, replaced by a sharply tailored outfit straight out of a sci‑fi war film.
Zhao Chen reached out and touched the hologram. Resistance met his fingers, and when he pushed harder, his hand phased cleanly through it.
"…What the hell?"
He jerked upright and looked around.
One entire wall of the classroom had been replaced by a vast floor‑to‑ceiling window. Beyond it stretched a breathtaking sea of stars, galaxies spiraling in silent brilliance—an image he had only ever seen in documentaries.
The remaining walls were lined with floating electronic scrolls. Some displayed sleek fighter craft, others massive warships—no naval vessels, but true interstellar battleships, the kind only seen in games and films.
Then Zhao Chen's gaze snapped to the podium.
The instructor standing there was humanoid, dressed neatly, but unmistakably inhuman. His bald head was patterned with vine‑like textures, and from either side of his skull extended ears shaped like delicate butterfly wings.
Zhao Chen's blood ran cold.
This was no human.
Before panic could fully take hold, a torrent of memories surged into his mind, crashing together violently.
Interstellar Era. Star Empire. Galaxy Calendar 3030. North Star Fleet Military Academy.
Zhao Chen. Captain Department. Third‑year student.
He gasped and clutched his head, pain lancing through his temples.
"Old Zhao, what's wrong?" someone whispered urgently. "You okay?"
Zhao Chen looked up to see a boy beside him, concern written plainly on his face.
Li Wei.
The name surfaced instantly, along with years of shared memories. Best friend. Classmate.
"I'm fine," Zhao Chen muttered, forcing his breathing to steady. "Just stayed up too late."
Li Wei nodded, though his eyes lingered suspiciously.
Zhao Chen turned his attention back to the lecture, maintaining a calm exterior while his thoughts raced.
He had transmigrated.
Not just to another time, but to an interstellar age.
This was the Xingyao Empire's starship military academy. He was a cadet in the captain program, training to one day command an interstellar warship.
His fingers brushed against something in his pocket—a small medicine bottle.
The memory surfaced unbidden.
This body's original owner had swallowed poison after a failed romance.
Zhao Chen exhaled slowly. Fate had twisted cruelly, yet here he was, alive, inhabiting a body with the same name.
Before he could think further, a clear mechanical female voice echoed inside his mind.
[Ding… Super Star Fleet System binding in progress…] [Binding complete. Host: Zhao Chen.]
His heart skipped.
[Newcomer Gift Pack opened.]
[Congratulations. You have obtained 100 system points.] [Congratulations. You have obtained the profession: Top Starship Engineer.] [Congratulations. You have obtained: T3 Blizzard‑class Light Interstellar Battlecruiser technical drawings.] [Congratulations. You have obtained one random special attribute extraction opportunity.]
Zhao Chen froze, then felt his pulse quicken.
A system.
His golden finger.
With a thought, a translucent interface unfolded before him.
His eyes skimmed the interface, then lingered on his profession.
Top Starship Engineer?
Curious, Zhao Chen opened the academy's holographic database and searched for starship manufacturing materials. The moment the information appeared, comprehension followed instantly—principles, structures, formulas unfolding in his mind with effortless clarity.
"So… I can build starships?" he thought, stunned.
He shifted his focus to the system's explanation of points.
[System points are generated daily based on the number of system‑built starships owned by the host. Points may also be earned through system missions and exchanged for items in the system mall.]
The mall interface opened next. It was stocked with starship blueprints and various items—all at the T1 technology level.
In this universe, technology tiers ranged from T1 upward. The higher the tier, the greater the combat capability and sophistication.
A T3 starship.
Zhao Chen's breath tightened.
Within the Star Empire, fewer than ten types of T3 starships were currently in active service. A single T3 blueprint was worth billions—perhaps tens of billions—of star coins.
If word got out that he possessed one, the empire would erupt.
A man with treasure invites disaster.
Zhao Chen knew better than to let this secret slip before he had the power to protect it.
Unfortunately, reality was sobering. Constructing a T3 starship required no less than ten million star coins in materials alone.
For now, it remained far out of reach.
His attention returned to the system interface, where the quarterly mission icon pulsed faintly.
[Quarterly Mission: Own one system‑produced starship.]
Zhao Chen gave a wry smile.
Not exactly easy.
Then his gaze dropped to the final section: Special Attribute.
He selected it.
A new window unfolded.
[The host will randomly select one attribute and its corresponding restriction.]
[Option 1: Fleet may recruit only male soldiers. Grants fleet combat power bonus and Encouraging Voice.] [Option 2: Fleet may recruit only female soldiers. Grants fleet luck bonus and Insight Eye.] [Option 3: Fleet may recruit only non‑humanoid soldiers. Grants fleet loyalty bonus and Universal Language.]
Zhao Chen's expression darkened.
"…Is this system trying to mess with me?"