Newly Promoted Centurion

Alex immediately noticed the Nova Director’s burning gaze, but he did not pay it any mind. Ever since joining the Nova Corps—especially after rising to Two-star Nova at an astonishing pace—he had often felt such looks. Alex was not surprised in the slightest.

The entire scene fell into the Nova Director’s eyes. Seeing Alex remain neither arrogant nor rash, he valued him even more. After pondering for a moment, he immediately announced, "Effective immediately, Alex is promoted to Centurion of the Nova Corps!" The Nova Director’s voice was not loud, but with the power of the Worldmind, it instantly traveled through the helmets atop every Nova’s head and spread throughout the entire Nova Corps.

Alex heard the Nova Director’s appointment as well, but at first, he did not react. It took him a long while to come back to his senses. His usually expressionless face was filled with disbelief that refused to fade.

While Alex was still in shock, someone gently nudged his rigid body. The force was slight, but enough to wake him. "Alex, what are you standing around for?"

"Thank you, Dai!" Alex abruptly came to his senses. He first thanked the middle-aged man beside him for the reminder, then turned toward the Nova Director at the front of the formation and gave a slight nod, indicating that he was willing to accept the appointment.

Centurions had the authority to draw upon the Nova Force, while the Nova Director, who commanded all Centurions, possessed even greater authority and could grant the Nova Force to anyone within the Nova Corps. However, if the other party refused, he could not force it upon them. Thus, even though he had announced the appointment, there was nothing he could do if Alex did not nod in acceptance.

Fortunately, Alex accepted with a nod.

As Alex’s head moved, his body began undergoing a tremendous transformation. Vast Nova Force seemed to emerge from the void, then in an instant surged into Alex’s body.

In what seemed like the blink of an eye, Alex became distinctly different. The first change was his uniform. The two stars on his chest, which symbolized a Two-star Nova, became three Novas arranged in a triangle—the mark of a Centurion. His helmet also underwent subtle changes, becoming more complex and refined.

Not only that, Alex, who had already stood one meter eighty-five, seemed to grow even taller. Like a tender spring shoot shooting up, he gained roughly another five centimeters, truly breaking past the one-meter-ninety mark. Among the generally shorter Xandarians, the tall Alex stood out like a crane among chickens, almost excessively eye-catching.

Alex’s changes naturally drew everyone’s attention once more. The Nova Force could provide Novas with nearly limitless energy, but directly enhancing the body like this was unheard of. Even the Nova Director who had promoted Alex wore an astonished expression.

"What is going on, Worldmind?" The Nova Director immediately contacted the super-life computer. Alex’s aura had clearly grown much stronger, which was undoubtedly good news to the Nova Director. Yet Alex’s unexpected changes also made him wary. Countless people had coveted the Nova Force over the years, and Alex had become a target of suspicion in the Nova Director’s eyes.

The Worldmind fell silent for a moment before finally replying, "Alex’s physique is extraordinary. Most of the cells in his body were dormant, and under the stimulation of the Nova Force, they awakened one after another, causing these changes."

"There will not be any problems, will there?" The Nova Director listened briefly. He did not care much about why Alex had changed this way; he was more concerned with whether Alex was trustworthy.

The Worldmind lapsed into silence. After a long while, its deep voice finally sounded, carrying powerful confidence. "Although I cannot probe the essence of his heart, I can clearly sense that he is someone with a pure heart!"

Hearing this, the Nova Director gave Alex a meaningful look. A faint curve quietly appeared at the corner of his lips. He nodded toward Alex, then turned and continued leading the Nova Corps onward.

Meanwhile, Alex was still stunned by the changes in his body due to the influx of Nova Force. If Dai had not pulled him along, he would likely have fallen behind the formation.

After a while, Alex finally regained his clarity. As he sensed the tremendous power constantly circulating within his body, he turned to Dai and shouted in terror, "Dai, I feel like my body is about to explode!"

Alex was not exaggerating. Under the stimulation of the Nova Force, all the energy he had absorbed but had not yet fully digested or transferred erupted at once. This was also the main reason for the drastic transformation in Alex’s body. However, there was simply too much energy—so much that Alex’s body was nearly unable to bear it!

Alex had once possessed powerful telepathic energy and Energy Control. Though he had not consciously paid attention to them, those energies had been continuously suppressed without his realizing it and had never harmed him. But now, Alex had forgotten his identity and these two abilities. He had no idea how to use his own powers.

Before the massive influx of Nova Force, those energies had automatically entered dormancy as Alex’s own consciousness "disappeared." But now, stimulated once more, they had all awakened!

At first, Dai had not paid much attention to Alex, assuming he was merely marveling at the change. Yet he quickly realized that something really seemed wrong with Alex, and he could not help crying out in alarm.

"This is bad! Something happened to Alex!"

In his panic, Dai’s voice was anything but quiet. Since it concerned Alex, the newly promoted Centurion, it immediately drew everyone’s attention. The Nova Director at the very front of the corps received the news at once as well.

Seeing Dai’s panicked appearance, then turning to the pale-faced Alex beside him, the Nova Director’s heart stirred. In an instant, he appeared at Alex’s side and asked in surprise, "What happened? What is going on?"

Dai froze, shook his head, then nodded again as he stammered, "I… I’m not… very sure. Alex… suddenly became like this, and he said… his body was going to explode…"

The Nova Director did not even wait for Dai’s answer. He immediately contacted the Worldmind. The Worldmind was connected to every Nova, so it presumably knew Alex’s current condition best.

"All personnel, stand by. Enter Guardian Mode. Target: Alex!" Before the Nova Director could ask anything, the Worldmind’s voice had already sounded in every Nova’s mind. Rare urgency tinged its solemn voice.

The Nova Director was stunned for a moment. Then, without saying a word, he immediately followed the Worldmind’s instructions. With the Nova Director taking action, the other Novas naturally had no reason to refuse and followed suit.

In an instant, a spectacular sight appeared in the vast universe. The enormous Nova Corps linked together and gathered into a gigantic cocoon. Three-Star Centurions stood at the very center, while medics formed the outermost layer, with layer upon layer of exceptionally tight protection.

And at the center of that enormous cocoon, Alex was enduring the harshest torment of his life!

I had more or less recovered, so updates were starting again. Just one chapter today; tomorrow, I would start making up what I owed…