Chapter 33: S-Class Physical Strength

When Shi Chan and Xi Ming arrived at the private hospital, it had already been cleared out, leaving only two staff members responsible for helping them adjust the machines.

Xi Ming didn’t rush to the diagnostic equipment but had the Swift Eagle members first inspect the hospital’s communication channels, then set up signal jammers before he and Shi Chan entered an examination room.

Xi Ming was examined first. With Shi Chan’s assistance, he walked slowly to the machine and lay down.

“Sir, you need to step out…” One of the staff spoke up.

“Let him stay here,” Xi Ming said calmly, looking at the staff member.

The staff member, seemingly having been instructed, didn’t argue and withdrew, not daring to say more. Even without being told, he could tell that the people here were likely notorious space pirates, accustomed to violence.

Shi Chan gave Xi Ming’s hand a gentle squeeze and smiled. “I’ll wait for you.”

The scanning light from the machine spun, and data appeared on the screen that Shi Chan couldn’t fully understand. He recorded the data with a terminal.

After Xi Ming got back into his wheelchair, the young technician, nervous, said, “I can’t make sense of these data; we need a professional doctor…”

“Do we need a doctor?” Shi Chan asked Xi Ming.

“No need,” Xi Ming said, moving closer to the screen and squinting at the data.

The technician, Lin Hang, who was responsible for operating the equipment, stood silently, afraid to speak. He could roughly understand the data, but he didn’t want to get into trouble, so he claimed he couldn’t read it.

From the results, it appeared that Xi Ming’s legs had been affected by cosmic radiation for two to three years, with a moderate degree of radiation. Unfortunately, since cosmic radiation was incurable, it was likely a death sentence for his legs—within two or three years, they would be completely useless.

However, strangely, after reviewing the results, Xi Ming showed no signs of distress. Instead, he silently left for the next department.

Lin Hang speculated that Xi Ming probably didn’t understand the data and that his omega companion might take the data and consult with other doctors. Perhaps then, he would learn the bad news.

Regardless, this situation was the best for Lin Hang—if Xi Ming didn’t understand, he wouldn’t become enraged, and Lin Hang wouldn’t have to bear the brunt of his fury.

Xi Ming wasn’t sure what others thought, but after seeing his own improved physical data, he wasn’t as excited as he had expected. Instead, he calmly deleted the records and took Shi Chan to the gland examination area.

“Did you detect any signal fluctuations?” Xi Ming asked the Swift Eagle members waiting outside.

“Rest assured, Mr. Jin, we’ve been keeping watch, and no one has tampered with anything,” the man at the door straightened up from leaning against the wall, his face showing a hint of deference.

“Mm.” Xi Ming nodded. “Keep watching.”

“Got it, don’t worry,” the Swift Eagle member made a reassuring gesture.

Inside the gland examination room, Xi Ming didn’t let Shi Chan start the examination immediately but had the technician demonstrate how to operate the equipment.

Once the demonstration was over, Xi Ming sent the technician out. “You can leave now. I’ll call you if there’s a problem.”

Xi Ming’s own issue was just cosmic radiation, and there were many others in the galaxy who shared similar conditions. No one would think much of it, but Shi Chan was different. Xi Ming couldn’t let anyone see Shi Chan’s abnormalities.

…

“No abnormalities.” The data from the gland check wasn’t classified; there were plenty of records online, and Xi Ming had studied them in detail before coming. Comparing them to Shi Chan’s data was simple.

Shi Chan didn’t know why his pheromones had healing properties, but when he used his spiritual energy to check his body, he didn’t find anything unusual. Now, the test results put his mind at ease.

“It’s fine, but from now on, you must carry suppressants with you. Don’t expose your pheromones outside,” Xi Ming looked at Shi Chan seriously. “I know omega pheromones usually don’t appear, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

“Alright.” Shi Chan understood Xi Ming’s concern and smiled as he agreed.

“Let’s do a full-body check.” Xi Ming squeezed Shi Chan’s hand.

Initially, Xi Ming thought the full-body check would be just another routine exam, but Shi Chan’s physical condition gave him a pleasant surprise.

“S-Class…” Xi Ming stared in astonishment at the report’s physical level.

The last time Shi Chan’s physical data was updated was during his school years, and back then, his physique was rated B, and his mental strength C—nothing out of the ordinary for an omega.

However, since his cultivation level had increased, his physical condition improved along with his spiritual power, and recently, after breaking through to the eighth level of Qi Refining, his physical capabilities had also upgraded.

Shi Chan had anticipated the improvement in his physical level, so he wasn’t surprised by the result, but Xi Ming couldn’t tear his eyes away from the report.

After all, Xi Ming’s soldiers didn’t have many with S-class physiques, and those who reached that level were carefully nurtured for future roles. Xi Ming’s rise to prominence within the Empire was largely due to his S-level mental strength and SS-level physique, giving him a 3S rating.

Across the galaxy, including the Empire, the Federation, and neighboring small nations, fewer than a few hundred people had S-class physiques or mental powers in the past century, with most of them being alpha.

S-class omega with mental power had appeared in history a few times, often in extraordinary individuals, but an S-class omega with physical strength was unheard of.

Xi Ming, staring at the report for too long, caused Shi Chan to wonder if something was wrong with his body. “What’s wrong? Is there a problem with my health?”

“No problem, but your physique…” Xi Ming remembered the physical data from the omega information system he received earlier, which wasn’t S-class.

“Do you know about the change in your physical level?” Xi Ming looked at Shi Chan.

After a pause, Shi Chan confessed, “…Yes, it’s related to my ability to heal your body.” He didn’t mention anything more.

Xi Ming understood that Shi Chan had a big secret, but since Shi Chan chose not to reveal it, Xi Ming couldn’t press him for answers. His unease remained, but he suppressed it, telling himself that as long as Shi Chan was by his side, everything would be fine.

The space pirates came quickly and left just as fast. Soon, Xi Ming and Shi Chan returned home.

Xi Ming’s mind kept swirling around Shi Chan’s S-class physique. An idea took root and slowly grew stronger.

“Chan Chan.”

Xi Ming looked at Shi Chan, his throat moving. “Do you want to learn how to pilot mechs?”

Historically, only alphas and a few outstanding betas piloted mechs, as omegas generally couldn’t withstand the pressure exerted during mech movements. But Shi Chan was different. With his S-class physique, he was unprecedented in omega history.

Xi Ming wasn’t a gender studies expert, and he didn’t care about the impact an S-level Omega would have on the history of Omegas. What concerned him was the dangerous path ahead. If Shi Chan could learn to pilot a mech, even if he wasn’t good at combat, he could still use the mech to escape unexpectedly in case of danger.

Shi Chan looked at Xi Ming, feeling a surge of excitement.

“Mechs? Can I learn?” Shi Chan asked, uncertain. The idea that Omegas should stay away from mechs had been ingrained in him through education, and even after living in the stars for twenty years, he couldn’t avoid the influence of Omega training.

“Other Omegas can’t, but you can. You’re S-level. You can pilot any model of mech,” Xi Ming replied. He didn’t share the common view that Omegas shouldn’t touch mechs. To him, the issue wasn’t about being Omega, but rather about physical capability. If someone, whether Omega or Alpha, didn’t meet the required standards, Xi Ming wouldn’t make any exceptions.

“Tell me, do you want to learn?” Despite sitting in a wheelchair and being slightly shorter than Shi Chan, Xi Ming’s commanding presence was still unmistakable, exuding his former aura.

Shi Chan noticed this and felt happy for Xi Ming. After thinking it over seriously, he replied, “I want to learn.”

…He was curious to see how starship mechs differed from the magical tools he had used before.

After calming down from his excitement, Xi Ming realized that they didn’t currently have the conditions to learn to pilot a mech. “For now, let’s start with the theory lessons.”

The space in their temporary house was too small, and the defensive strength wasn’t enough. A few rounds of mech training would easily destroy the place.

Although Xi Ming had made contact with the space pirates, he hadn’t fully taken control of them yet. Taking Shi Chan to a nearby mech training ground would also be too dangerous.

Thus, despite Xi Ming’s desire to teach Shi Chan to pilot a mech, they would have to put that plan on hold for now, waiting for better conditions in the future.

“Alright.” Shi Chan understood their situation and didn’t insist on immediate hands-on training. “I’ll start by training in the virtual domain, then practice in the real world later.”

Luckily, they had brought a mech when they left the capital star, so they didn’t need to find a way to buy one.

Seemingly sensing Shi Chan’s thoughts, Xi Ming fiddled with the space button containing the mech. “Alright, I’ll modify the mech we brought. Although we don’t use this backup mech often, it has been seen by others. It’s better to alter its appearance for now.”

“Yes, that’s safer,” Shi Chan nodded in agreement.

In the following period, Shi Chan’s daily routine included learning mech theory. These lessons couldn’t just be memorized; understanding was the key.

Xi Ming knew that Shi Chan had an exceptional photographic memory, so during their tests, he never asked questions directly from the textbook. Instead, he expected answers based on Shi Chan’s understanding of the material.

Shi Chan had always been an itinerant cultivator in the cultivation world, never having formally studied cultivation theory. In the stars, Omega students weren’t held to strict academic standards. Now, under Xi Ming’s supervision, Shi Chan was studying in a highly disciplined manner, and at first, he struggled to adjust.

However, adapting quickly had become second nature for Shi Chan. Soon, he was able to keep up with Xi Ming’s lessons and begin to grasp the mech knowledge. In his spare time, he would often study mech principles on his terminal.

Unlike when he had received a magical tool in the cultivation world, where he only needed spiritual awareness to control it and didn’t need to understand the crafting process or materials, piloting a mech was based on a thorough understanding of the machine itself.

A mech’s control room was filled with numerous buttons and levers. Without understanding what they controlled and how they worked, it was impossible to operate the mech smoothly, let alone perform advanced maneuvers.

Seeing that Shi Chan’s learning was progressing well, Xi Ming focused more on the space pirates.

The space pirate forces were rapidly changing, and Xi Ming’s contacts with Swift Eagle were becoming more frequent, making it clear that he was becoming busier.

However, since Xi Ming’s legs still couldn’t support him, his busyness only involved reviewing data and attending virtual meetings in their room.