Chapter 123: A Family of Oddballs, A Starship of Legends

Inside the room, Lin Yu and Lin Feng stared at each other, eyes wide.

One thought, Is this weirdo really my son?

The other… seriously?

This guy’s my dad?

Off to the side, Mu Qingxue held Lin Yun and couldn’t take it any longer.

“You two have been staring each other down for half an hour. Enough already!”

Lin Yu let out a small sigh.

He realized at that moment—never judge this little one in front of him as just a toddler.

Most kids at twelve or thirteen probably couldn’t keep up with how sharp his mind was.

Clearly, his son was special.

No, not just special—extraordinary.

So, free-range parenting was out. It was time to find someone to actually teach him.

“Qingxue, take the kids to see Lu Bo tomorrow. I have a hunch that even if they start spending long hours in space now, they’ll be just fine.”

“Honestly, if we wait even a few more years, we might miss the best window.”

“Still, that’s only my guess. Let’s have Lu Bo check them out first.”

Mu Qingxue immediately nodded in agreement.

After all, she’d known her twins weren’t ordinary for a long time.

And if it was just for a checkup—if it wasn’t suitable, she’d just keep them planetside a few more years.

But if Lin Yu was right, and the kids really were different—immune to any negative effects from dark energy in space—

then it’d be urgent to get started.

After all, the younger they started, the better the effect.

If it wasn’t for the fact that children under six couldn’t handle dark energy exposure, some parents would send their babies to space the moment they were born.

“Okay!”

Off to the side, the two little ones perked up, looking excited.

Because—

they’d wanted to live in space for ages.

Up till now, whether it was Wang Jing or Mu Qingxue, the best they’d do was let them tag along for a short orbital trip—never more than a few hours.

Living up there long-term? Out of the question.

Suddenly, Lin Feng realized—hey, maybe his old man was good for something after all!

Guess Dad’s got his uses!

——

The next day.

Lin Yu and Mu Qingxue took their twins straight to the Zhulong.

Lu Bo’s team was still packing up, hadn’t left yet. Lin Yu found him and explained why they’d come.

Turns out, Lu Bo was genuinely interested in this problem.

He immediately called over a few experts and ran a comprehensive checkup on the kids.

In the end—

“Lin Yu, your kids are real outliers…”

“I know. Otherwise, why would I specially ask you for help?”

Lin Yu spread his hands.

“Alright, then I’ll be blunt. After humans are born, the brain develops in several key phases. The first four are especially important—they’re called the brain’s golden stages.”

“Stage one: neural growth, from conception to birth.”

“Stage two: myelin development, from birth through age one.”

“Stage three: further myelin maturity, skull fully formed, fontanel closed—the brain’s basically like an adult’s by ages two to three.”

“Stage four: solidifying foundations for more advanced development, usually finishing between ages five and six.”

“That’s why the Human Federation only allows long-term space living for kids after six. Before that, basic brain growth isn’t done. They just can’t handle dark energy exposure for long.”

“But your two? They’ve already passed all that—and not recently, either. If my guess is right, they…”

“They already completed the first three phases in the womb, then wrapped up phase four within their first year after birth.”

“And here’s the kicker—their brains are already entering advanced developmental stages!”

……

……

Lin Yu and Mu Qingxue were stunned silent.

Sure, they’d figured their twins were unusual.

But this? This level of unusual was beyond anything they’d imagined.

“Lu Bo, do you have any recommendations?”

“Advice? Have them start living in space right away. Also, the Federation’s standard school system probably isn’t right for them. You’ll want private tutors.”

“Alright, got it. Thanks, Lu Bo.”

Lin Yu thanked him, sincerely.

If it wasn’t for Lu Bo, he and Mu Qingxue probably would’ve just taken the kids to a regular hospital.

No way they’d get such a thorough workup there.

Some of these exams—normal hospitals don’t even have the tech or specialists to run them.

And the result would be—

the kids missing their prime window for growth.

“By the way, your daughter seems really into research. She asked me a bunch of fascinating questions earlier. Once she’s done with basic schooling, how about letting me mentor her?”

“If she wants to, I have no objections.”

“Great, it’s settled then.”

Lu Bo couldn’t hide his joy seeing Lin Yu agree.

With those kinds of gifts, these kids could shine in any field.

He’d just secured a future prodigy as his student—what a win.

He might even be training humanity’s next greatest scientist…

You never know.

——

Three days later, after settling the family business—

Lin Yu returned to the Sixth Fleet’s mother port and finally boarded the ship he’d been longing for: Warstar.

Ship name: Houyi

Full class: Warstar-class Interstellar Mothership

Hull length: 5.75 km

Maximum width: 1.52 km

Maximum height: 1.63 km

Just looking at the sheer size, there’s no way a battleship could compare.

Houyi wasn’t just massive—its arsenal was just as formidable.

As humanity’s first fully energy-weaponized Warstar, its core power systems included three sets of Zero-Point Modules, running in synchronized operation for peak efficiency.

Weapon-wise, it had a scaled-down version of the Stellar Megacannon as its main gun.

The same kind as the one once deployed on Europa.

Of course, using the original would be insane—that barrel was longer than the Warstar itself.

So, as they designed the next-gen Warstar, the research team also redesigned the Megacannon, shrinking the main barrel to 1.8 km and mounting it to Houyi’s underside.

Performance took a hit, sure, but it could still shoot across fifteen light-seconds—with devastating power.

Only downside? Each shot needed around thirty minutes to recharge.

Beyond that, Houyi packed thirty-two ion cannons with a range of five light-seconds, a hundred twenty-eight with three-light-second range, and over two hundred ninety-eight high-speed ion cannons for close-range firepower.

Even counting total weapons, it didn’t match some of the other Warstars.

Take Qiongxiao, for instance—it had over a thousand railguns alone.

But if you were comparing firepower and range—

Houyi left previous-generation Warstars in the dust.

This loadout—even in the hands of a mid-tier civilization—would still make Houyi an absolute powerhouse.