The soft hum of hovering vehicles drifted through the open window as Tang Lin stepped outside his small apartment complex.
Neon lines traced across the morning sky—advertisements, transit routes, military signals.
This era was peaceful… for now.
To Tang Lin, it felt surreal.
> "Twenty years… I've gone back twenty years."
Before Earth encountered the first wave of alien scouts.
Before humanity built the first proper space fortress.
Before everything became war.
And before he himself became a general.
Tang Lin tigh tened his fists.
> "This time, I don't intend to rise slowly."
The Academy of Star Armor Pilots
Students in sleek uniforms filled the campus entrance.
Some excited, some nervous, some showing off flashy gear.
A holographic banner floated overhead:
[STAR ARMOR TRAINING ACADEMY – ENTRANCE EXAM TODAY]
Tang Lin smiled faintly.
The academy… where it all began in the original timeline.
Here, he had been just another ordinary student—
a nobody.
But not anymore.
As he walked through the gates, he caught fragments of conversations.
> "Did you hear? There's a rumor someone awakened an S-Class Armor Core this year!"
> "No way. That only happens once every decade."
> "I hope I get at least a C-Class…"
Tang Lin secretly laughed.
Armor Cores…
In this era, students would receive their first Star Armor based on their core compatibility.
Originally, Tang Lin had awakened a low-tier D-Class—
weak, unimpres sive, unremarkable.
But with Star Copy, the tier didn't matter.
He could steal—
no, duplicate—
the abilities of whoever had the strongest Star Armor.
Inside the Examination Hall
A giant sphere of blue energy floated at the center of the hall.
Lines of students waited for their turn.
Instructors monitored data screens.
> "Next— Tang Lin."
The examiner called his name with a routine tone.
Tang Lin stepped forward, placing his hand on the glowing sphere.
Light spun wildly, scanning his body, his mind, his latent potential…
Then it froze.
The sphere dimmed.
Everyone stared.
"Huh? Did it break?"
> "What's going on?"
The examiner frowned and tapped his tablet.
> "Strange… the system can't read his class."
> "Meaning?" a student asked.
The instructor squinted at him.
> "Meaning his core is… undefined."
A whisper rippled through the hall.
Undefined.
Unranked.
Unclassified.
In other words:
Unknown.
But Tang Lin remained calm.
Of course… my soul isn't originally from this timeline.
No wonder the system can't categorize it.
The examiner coughed awkwardly.
> "Even if it's undefined, the academy cannot reject such a rare case.
Candidate Tang Lin… proceed to the next stage."
Whispers followed him as he walked away.
> "He's weird."
"Undefined? Is that even good?"
"Maybe he's a failure."
"Or maybe… a monster."
Tang Lin ignored all of it.
He didn't need recognition.
He needed strength.
A Familiar Face
As he proceeded to the training arena, a confident voice called out:
> "You're Tang Lin, right?"
He turned to see a tall boy with sharp eyes and silver hair—
a face Tang Lin knew all too well from his past life.
Xiao Ran.
In the original timeline, Xiao Ran became an elite pilot—
one of the strongest in the academy.
The owner of an early-stage A-Class Star Armor.
A perfect target for Star Copy.
Xiao Ran smirked, not knowing the future.
> "Undefined core, huh? You don't look weak though."
Tang Lin gave a subtle smile.
> "You don't look weak either."
Xiao Ran laughed, completely unaware of the danger standing before him.
> "Let's both get strong Armor Cores today.
We'll need them when the real battles start."
If only you knew, Tang Lin thought.
System Activation
As Tang Lin stepped into the arena, the mechanical voice returned.
[STAR COPY System: ACTIVE]
Potential Targets Detected]
Xiao Ran – Future A-Class Pilot
Li Mei – B-Class Sniper Specialist
Han Rui – Defensive Tank User
Wu Chen – Heavy Artillery User
**Copy permission ready.
Awaiting physical contact or direct scan.**
Tang Lin's heartbeat accelerated.
> "So it begins."
His second life—
The war against fate—
And the preparation to destroy the enemy that once killed him—
started here.
Chapter 2 ends.