Is Unlocking the Stellaris Tech Tree in Star Rail Really Okay? [151]

Purple Moonlight made a clean exit...

...

No matter how strong one’s body is, it cannot withstand the chasmic blow of a mental collapse. Just like a gym rat who might endure two stabs without flinching but would break down upon hearing devastating news, a sound mind is infinitely harder to protect.

Psionic power is an ability born from the mind. Though intangible, it signifies that Chen Lin’s mental strength has reached a level unattainable by most.

Whether it’s commanding objects with thoughts, manifesting will into reality, or altering and erasing memories—all these are rooted in this power.

Faced with Chen Lin’s sudden intrusion into his memory, Purple Moonlight’s mind was no longer his own in an instant.

A compulsion to speak arose from nowhere, and as for what to say? He didn’t know. Or rather, under the influence of psionics, his mind had lost the habit of deliberation. The words left his mouth before he could think them through.

As if that weren’t enough, memories of being overshadowed by the prodigies of the Cloud Knights surged into him, igniting a wave of inexplicable fury. Without thinking, he smashed the wine glass in his hand to the ground.

“Attack!!!”

His thunderous roar shocked everyone present, their gazes turning to him in utter bewilderment. Clearly, Purple Moonlight’s actions were not part of the plan.

What is he doing?

That was the question in the minds of over a hundred people. Yet before anyone could demand answers, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from outside. The door was kicked open, and a large group of armed men and women stormed in.

“Cloud Knights Enforcement! Nobody move!”

Why were there so many Cloud Knights on their turf? And why hadn’t they been warned?

What happened to the lookouts? Why was there no signal?

Someone in the crowd let out an enraged shout.

“Purple Moonlight is a traitor!!”

Now it all made sense—the strange actions of Purple Moonlight had been to tip off the Cloud Knights!

“Lord Purple Moonlight, you’re…” Green Hibiscus gawked, pointing at Purple Moonlight, who stood frozen in place.

“What?” Purple Moonlight snapped out of it, his face pale as he recalled the words he had just uttered and the glass-smashing signal he had unknowingly given.

To his credit, as a seasoned leader, he immediately realized that he’d been tampered with. Just as he was about to explain—

“You’ll get us all killed!!”

Chen Lin, who had somehow moved behind him, suddenly lashed out, landing a heavy punch on Purple Moonlight’s neck.

In an instant, the gravity around Purple Moonlight dropped to zero. His body was flung backward uncontrollably, crashing to the ground.

Before he could recover, it felt as though several starships were pressing down on him. Unable to move, his lips locked tight as if filled with lead, all he could do was emit muffled groans.

As the Cloud Knights clashed with the over one hundred members of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus’s secret division, Chen Lin, feigning anger, barked at Green Hibiscus nearby: “Are you all trying to get me killed?!”

“Golden Tulip, listen to me! I had no idea Lord Purple Moonlight was a spy…”

Who could have foreseen this? The most senior figure in the division turned out to be a mole planted by the Cloud Knights.

Green Hibiscus retorted indignantly, “He betrayed so many Cloud Knight agents! Everyone trusted him!”

“Your vetting process was worthless! A simple act of feigned loyalty fooled your whole organization. And now? I’ve been dragged into this mess!!”

Chen Lin’s chest heaved dramatically. “Good thing I have a backup plan.”

With that, he pulled out some candy he’d won at the card table yesterday and popped it into his mouth, his expression contorting as he trembled. “Brother Green Hibiscus, we’re in the same boat. Buy me some time. This miracle pill will grant me great power temporarily, but it needs three minutes to take effect. Once it does, I’ll get us out of here!”

“Fine… fine!”

Green Hibiscus, visibly terrified, looked around. It wasn’t just ordinary Cloud Knights they were up against—these were elite forces. In just a few seconds, he had seen many of his comrades struck down effortlessly.

Especially their leader, an old man wielding twin blades, who was cutting down his transformed allies as if they were mere twigs. Charging through the crowd with surgical precision, he was nothing short of terrifying.

Those attempting to escape over the walls were met with screams of agony upon landing. Clearly, the area outside was heavily fortified.

They were doomed.

Joining the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus was supposed to prolong their lives, but realizing the odds, morale plummeted. Many couldn’t even organize a proper defense, instead choosing to run in circles, pursued lazily by one or two Cloud Knights.

Resigned to a desperate gamble, Green Hibiscus shouted, “Everyone, gather around and protect Golden Tulip! He has a plan to save us!!”

Amid the chaos, most members couldn’t hear him, but a few turned back.

They saw Chen Lin seated cross-legged, muscles rippling and skin twitching unnaturally as he hovered a meter off the ground in an almost divine display.

Spurred by Green Hibiscus’ words, those who noticed him clung to the hope of salvation, forming a human wall around Chen Lin to protect him for three minutes.

More and more gathered as Green Hibiscus relayed Chen Lin’s words, desperately clinging to the only chance they had. Rational thought gave way to survival instincts—they had to protect him at all costs if they wanted to live.

Meanwhile, a Cloud Knight officer yelled, “Look! What’s that creature doing?!”

“No idea, but stop him! I’ve got a bad feeling—hurry!!”

Desperation gave rise to ferocity. The Cloud Knights, like rabid hounds, launched an assault.

Already backed into a corner, the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus members had little room to maneuver. Within moments, dozens were slain, their bodies piling up on the ground.

Despite this, six or seven dozen members fought tooth and nail to shield Chen Lin. Many fell, some even using their bodies to block blades aimed at him.

In the midst of the chaos, Chen Lin, still floating, covertly assessed the situation. The timing felt just right. Channeling his psionic energy, he created an illusion of cosmic power erupting.

The air around them seemed to change colors, an otherworldly force rippling outward. Even the trees in the courtyard swayed violently under the onslaught of wind.

The twenty or so remaining members of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus brightened with hope.

Salvation?

The Cloud Knights hesitated, alarmed.

Is this the cue for the next phase of the exercise?

All eyes were fixed on Chen Lin as he raised a hand, palm facing forward. His strained expression and hoarse shout reverberated: “Die!!!”

Though the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus felt nothing, they watched in astonishment as their Cloud Knight assailants clutched their chests, collapsing to the ground in spasms.

Unbeknownst to all, Chen Lin had crushed blood packs hidden in his clothes using his psionics, painting himself in gore.

“Green Hibiscus, take the others and run! Don’t linger. I’ve poisoned these hounds—I’ll meet you at our initial rendezvous point!”

The remaining Disciples of Sanctus Medicus members were struck by a profound gratitude beyond words.

Though a newcomer, Chen Lin had sacrificed himself to clear a path, taking grievous injuries to ensure their escape.

Some even insisted on staying behind to fight with him, muttering tearfully about brotherhood and loyalty.

“I can’t hold them off for long! Green Hibiscus, go!!”

Green Hibiscus gritted his teeth and cupped his hands. "Brother Golden Tulip, I owe you a debt I can never repay. Until we meet again!"

With that, Green Hibiscus ordered his men to drag away the few insisting on staying behind. Without a backward glance, they fled the courtyard.

Once they were completely out of sight, Chen Lin dusted off his hands. During his "awakening," he had counted heads. Every Disciples of Sanctus Medicus member who was supposed to escape had done so, and most of those who shouldn’t had met a thorough end.

"Alright, let's clean up the scene," Chen Lin said, withdrawing his psionic power and landing gracefully.

At his command, the supposedly grievously injured Cloud Knights cheerfully got up and began finishing off the still-breathing Disciples of Sanctus Medicus members on the ground.

Chen Lin, meanwhile, led a group of officers to where Purple Moonlight lay. The psionically altered leader was well aware of what had transpired. If he didn’t understand the situation after hearing everything that had just been said, he might as well bash his head against a tofu block and end it there.

Noticing that the crushing weight was about to kill him, Chen Lin slightly eased the gravity. Purple Moonlight finally managed to speak, though his voice was hoarse and strained, as if his vocal cords had been shredded.

"You… you’re… a Cloud Knight’s lapdog…"

Blood pooled beneath Purple Moonlight. His struggle against the oppressive gravity had clearly taken a toll. Chen Lin, however, felt that for someone in charge, Purple Moonlight's strength was underwhelming. Out of curiosity, he had doubled the gravity earlier, nearly crushing Purple Moonlight to death.

So this is what passes for leadership material in the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus?

Twenty times gravity, and he almost died?

Back in Belobog, Chen Lin had seen miners in the lower district casually haul stones weighing over 200 pounds. He figured even the average Belobog laborer could endure ten times gravity before passing out.

And these so-called "perfectly evolved" monsters are this weak? What a joke.

"Commander, should we hand him over to the Divination Commission?" a captain asked. "The general might be able to extract some useful information from him."

"This guy won’t last long," Chen Lin replied casually. "I went a little overboard earlier—his bones are shattered, and his internal organs are probably mush. The fact that he’s still conscious is a miracle."

Squatting down, Chen Lin gestured at Purple Moonlight’s broken body. "Besides, there’s not much he can tell us. Each branch of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus operates independently. But I am curious about the people supplying their alchemical recipes and which departments in the Six Commissions they’ve infiltrated."

"Ha… cough, cough… I won’t… say anything…" Purple Moonlight croaked stubbornly. "I’m going to die… anyway…"

"That’s not up to you."

Chen Lin pressed his hand to Purple Moonlight’s forehead, and a wave of familiarity washed over the dying man. He realized, to his horror, that this was the person who had manipulated him into exposing himself as a traitor.

"Don’t… you dare…!"

"Stubborn, aren’t you? Fine, let’s see about that."

When Purple Moonlight resisted, Chen Lin picked up a stone and struck him on the head. Already severely injured, Purple Moonlight couldn’t withstand the abuse. His eyes rolled back, and he passed out.

Chen Lin knew his own limits. Facing experts like Jing Yuan or Fu Xuan, he would stand no chance in a direct fight. His psionic techniques might at best serve to annoy such opponents.

But why fight on someone else’s terms? Let’s see who thrives in their domain, he thought smugly. If even minor psionic manipulation is too much for you, what gives you the right to talk big?

With Purple Moonlight incapacitated, Chen Lin freely delved into his memories. The process was tedious, but as he pieced together the fragments, his astonishment grew.

Are you an alchemy sect or a brewery?!

Minutes later, Purple Moonlight’s so-called "immortal" genes failed to prevent his demise. His body dissolved into dust, his mind and soul dissipating in an instant.

Watching the grotesque end of the Mara-infected body, Chen Lin couldn’t help but reflect. This was the first time he had seen how such creatures truly perished. Their dissolution left no trace—a point that would prove valuable in understanding the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus’s methods.

As the Cloud Knights began clearing the battlefield, a stretcher carried away the surviving Disciples of Sanctus Medicus members. Yet, on one stretcher, a member suddenly sprang to life, injuring his escort and escaping into the chaos.

---

In a hidden corner, a shadowy figure observed the scene before retreating to a secluded area where a woman stood with her back turned.

"Leader, a new recruit from the Changletian branch injured a Cloud Knight and managed to escape. Whether they’ll evade capture is uncertain."

"So, this branch has been devastated, and the former leader—confirmed to be a Cloud Knight infiltrator—is dead?"

"That seems to be the case…" The shadow hesitated before adding, "Leader, our members suffered heavy losses. What about our plan?"

The woman sighed.

"We don’t have much time. Rebuilding the Changletian branch to its former strength is nearly impossible. Let them recover at their own pace. We’ll compensate them after our goal is achieved."

"And who will lead the survivors?"

"If this recruit is sincere about joining the Merciful Medicus embrace and has already saved followers from certain death, let him lead. That is, if he survives the pursuit."

The shadow nodded. "Understood. I’ll relay your orders."

"Such a devout individual… I’d like to meet him. If his strength proves sufficient, I may consider involving him in our plans."

Without ever turning around, the woman departed after speaking.

---

After playing a careful game of cat and mouse with the Cloud Knights, Chen Lin arrived at the location where he first met Green Hibiscus. His body was still covered in blood, and he made sure to appear as weak as possible.

This ruse, he thought, would surely secure his place within the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus. With the Changletian branch crippled, they would likely transfer him to another division. From there, he could repeat his sabotage until the entire organization crumbled.

Before long, Green Hibiscus found him and, overjoyed, handed him a letter.

"Brother Golden Tulip, you’re alive! Great news—the leader heard about your deeds and appointed you as the new head of our branch. She even wants to meet you! If you perform well, you might become her trusted confidant. You’ve made it big!"

Chen Lin: "?"

---

T/N: ah, i forgot his strongest skill- acting

This is a fan translation of 在星穹铁道点群星科技树真的没问题吗? by 杏雨诗韵 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!