Is Unlocking the Stellaris Tech Tree in Star Rail Really Okay? [73]

It shattered—completely shattered!

The deflection shield generator that Chen Lin carried with him had taken a direct hit, suffering irreparable damage.

This was the first time since arriving in this world that Chen Lin had been struck by such a powerful attack—far exceeding his expectations.

Of course, there was another factor to consider: Chen Lin usually avoided direct combat, preferring to let his team handle most fights. Before crossing over to this world, he was nothing more than an ordinary researcher, far from a seasoned warrior.

Caught off guard in the chaos, Chen Lin hadn’t even considered the possibility of an attack coming from within the fray. By the time he realized what was happening, there was no time to warn Seele, who was focused on her own battle.

Left with no choice, he lashed out instinctively.

With a solid thud, Chen Lin’s foot connected with Seele’s backside, sending her sprawling to the ground.

“Wha—?!” Seele cried out, her face a mask of shock as she tumbled forward.

But that was all the time Chen Lin had. He quickly turned, throwing the little girl from his arms as the beam obliterated the deflection shield and struck him directly.

Light is really, really fast.

This was the thought that flitted through Chen Lin’s mind the moment the shield shattered.

BOOM!

A deafening explosion tore through the battlefield, the shockwave compressing the surrounding air into a visible sphere before erupting outward with a thunderous roar.

“Chen Lin?!”

March 7th was the first to react, her proximity to the blast allowing her to take the brunt of the shockwave. She waved her pale arm, conjuring a massive ice barrier to absorb the remaining impact.

Even as she protected Chen Lin, March was already in motion. Her legs launched her off the ground with enough force to crack the stone beneath her feet. She soared through the air at breakneck speed.

But it was too late. Chen Lin had been blown away faster than she could reach him. All she could do was catch the girl he had thrown clear, gently cradling her before landing safely.

As for Chen Lin…

He slammed into a distant stone wall like a meteor, dislodging countless rocks from the impact site. Through the swirling dust, the others could see a massive crater where he had struck, surrounded by a pile of rubble four to five meters high.

How can a human body withstand that kind of impact?

Seele’s mind raced. She stared at the crater in disbelief, her small eyes filled with big questions.

Wasn’t this the same guy who got winded from running just a little too long?

“I’ll hold them off here. Watch out for any more beams like that!” Dan Heng’s spear glowed faintly with a greenish light as he unleashed his full power. “Go check on Chen Lin!”

“On it!”

Without waiting for instructions, Stelle had already dashed toward the direction where Chen Lin had been flung. March handed the little girl to Seele and followed suit.

---

Underneath the pile of rubble, Chen Lin’s head was spinning. His thoughts felt like rusted gears grinding to a halt. If he could open his eyes, he would have seen strange, dark-golden energy clinging to his body both inside and out.

Fortunately, his psionic energy detected the anomaly, beginning to circulate around him and gradually neutralizing the invasive force. As the energy dissipated, Chen Lin’s mind cleared, and his body regained mobility.

However, faint, chaotic voices echoed in his ears, familiar yet distant:

"Huh? Is this… my future?"
"Unbelievable fluctuations! It’s incredible—such a thing actually exists!"
"This is the source of all disasters. If we can contain its ripple effects, the frost could…"
"We’ll establish an underground research facility. No matter how long it takes or what challenges we face, this war will continue."
"Energy doesn’t just mimic the dead—it allows the shadows of the deceased to retain fragments of their memories… A major discovery! This must be documented. Well done!"
"The limiter is failing… What should we do next…? This mustn’t leak—it could shake Belobog to its core!"
"I’m… sorry… I’m so sorry…"

The voices shifted from youthful excitement to fearful despair, fading into silence like a dying man’s final mutterings.

Regaining his senses, Chen Lin found himself with both good and bad news.

The good news: After expelling the residual energy, his psionic abilities had absorbed a small portion of it, noticeably strengthening him.

The bad news: While his body, enhanced after his awakening, had weathered the impact surprisingly well, he was now trapped beneath a mountain of rubble.

Well, this is just great.

Sighing, Chen Lin concentrated, manifesting his psionic energy as a spectral form. The projection slipped through the rubble, emerging outside. There, he saw March and Stelle working diligently to dig him out, their efficiency suggesting they’d reach him soon enough.

Relieved, Chen Lin redirected his spectral form toward the source of the beam.

It wasn’t long before he sensed it—clusters of life energy converging deep within the battlefield. In psionic theory, this energy was known as "vital force," often equated with the essence of the soul.

When a person dies, this energy separates from the body, gradually dissipating into the world.

But something—or someone—was absorbing these souls.

Chen Lin’s expression darkened.

In his studies of psionics, he knew that certain practitioners could harness this destructive ability through rigorous training. However, such techniques were universally condemned as “forbidden arts,” illegal even in psionic nations.

The practice was restricted to state-sanctioned use, often to execute condemned criminals, channeling their death energy for state benefit.

“Who would dare…”

Chen Lin’s spectral form darted forward, his expression grim.

---

T/N: bros reaction time is crazy, and he can move at that speed too

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!