The First Analyst of the Interstellar Era

Chapter 1 : Talo Star

The thick cloud layer of Talo Star moved slowly.

Scattered sunlight penetrated the layered clouds, casting circles of light on the marble floor of the Ocean Boulevard.

Various shop signs hung on both sides of the street, some already covered with a thick layer of dust, their light nearly diminished.

In the most eye-catching position was Peter's Repair Shop, with its dazzling flashing red and green light sign and spotless electronic screen.

A thin arm reached out from the repair shop, tossing out a round, stout robot assistant, while a thick, tired female voice lazily said: "Go, greet customers outside, call me when someone arrives."

The intelligent robot's light screen flashed a smiley face emoji, and its voice, adjusted to sound like a young boy, eagerly replied: "Okay, Suisui, I'll definitely complete the mission."

Chen Sui waved her hand and adjusted a few settings on the operation panel at the entrance.

The repair shop door opened completely.

Morning sunlight rushed in, along with cold air mixed with the scent of machine oil and nutrient solution.

Chen Sui poked her head out and saw a metal display stand extending from the neighboring shop, with a robot arm arranging various types of nutrient solutions on it. A small boy, three or four years old, crawled out from underneath the metal panel of the display stand.

He excitedly touched the smooth head of the round robot, then chirped Chen Sui's name.

Chen Sui looked up. Her messy black short hair was thrown back, with strands naturally falling around her face. Fragments of hair fell in front of her eyes, covering her green left eye.

A metallic, mechanical-looking sphere turned within her eye socket, then settled down.

"What are you doing?"

Chen Sui greeted him, and the little boy held up a mechanical butterfly with a broken wing. "Suisui, fix fix."

Chen Sui took it, pinching the mechanical butterfly between two fingers, manipulated it a few times, and the butterfly's wings stood upright again.

The child revealed an innocent smile: "Good good, thank you Suisui."

Chen Sui curved her lips slightly, patting his soft hair with a warm smile: "Go play now."

The child mumbled happily, delightedly chasing the butterfly as he ran away.

That was the son of the neighboring nutrient solution shop owner.

Three months ago, Chen Sui had traveled to this world.

Severely injured, penniless, and owing old Mr. Peter an expensive medical bill, she was left to work at the repair shop to pay off her debt.

The neighboring shop owner, seeing her weak body and malnutrition, often sent her nutrient solutions.

Grateful for her kindness, Chen Sui would use discarded parts to make toys for her child.

These toys might not be much in the main star ring of the interstellar system, but on the remote star ring, the impoverished Talo Star, they were enough to entertain a child for a long time.

The suspended track made creaking sounds continuously.

The aroma of nutrient solution from the neighboring shop drifted far away.

Interstellar life was peaceful and tranquil, completely different from the cruel apocalyptic world full of alien species where survival was uncertain from day to day.

This was the peaceful life she had longed for.

Chen Sui scanned the increasingly busy street, her gaze moving to the swaying suspended car tracks in mid-air, and stretched lazily with some weariness.

After paying off her debt to old Mr. Peter, Chen Sui thought.

Once she saved enough tuition fees, she would spend a few years at a military academy, and after graduating, she could obtain official resident status in the star ring and purchase housing.

By then, life would truly be comfortable and pleasant.

Chen Sui gazed into the distance with pleasant thoughts, took a deep breath, and began today's work.

When she traveled to this world, she had lost part of her memory due to an unknown impact. According to old Mr. Peter, when she was found in the mine, she was covered in blood, her chest pierced by a sharp object, her right eye punctured, seemingly having gone through a fierce battle. She had been treated in the medical institute for three months before waking up.

As a result, Chen Sui could only register as an interstellar nomad. To settle here, she needed to either join the border military or attend a military academy.

Having just come of age, she was currently selecting a military academy with an enrollment program for interstellar nomads.

"Ding dong."

"Customer number 8559, Mr. Pyson, hello," came the voice of the intelligent robot.

Chen Sui, who had just reached the operation console, quickly looked up: "Hello, welcome to Peter's Repair Shop."

The visitor had a mountain-like figure, blocking the doorway and the light source inside. As he walked in, Chen Sui could see his familiar features through his thick beard.

"Mr. Pyson, your mecha repair order has been processed."

Chen Sui changed from her lazy, tired demeanor to a professional, serious one.

She clicked a few times on the operation console, and two metal pillars supporting the repair shop extended a box from the metal wall behind them.

With a click, the metal shell on the surface opened, revealing a small ball with a chain placed in the center of a palm-sized space.

"Is it already completed? I can't wait to try my new mecha," Mr. Pyson politely thanked her, taking out the ring containing the mecha, smiling appreciatively.

Mechas were devices developed in the interstellar era to combat suddenly appearing energy bodies with powerful strength, designed to amplify human combat abilities.

They could adhere to various nerves in the human body, enlarge the body about tenfold, and enhance attack and speed.

In Chen Sui's original world, mechas were also combat weapons. She quickly mastered the operations at Peter's Repair Shop, gaining a good reputation in nearby star regions and bringing in a considerable customer flow.

Mr. Pyson checked the mecha's condition through his light brain, then nodded with satisfaction: "No wonder my friends recommended Peter's Repair Shop. Technician Chen's repair skills are indeed excellent."

Chen Sui smiled politely, responding courteously: "You flatter me. Customer satisfaction is our greatest encouragement, and we look forward to your next visit."

Mr. Pyson nodded, turning around satisfied. He had already walked to the door of the repair shop, just about to step outside.

But the mechanical sensor door suddenly stopped, shook violently twice, then slammed shut with a 'bang,' completely sealed.

The indoor sensor emitted a dazzling red light.

The city alarm sounded.

The piercing sound of the city broadcast shattered the peaceful morning atmosphere.

"Abnormal energy concentration detected, residents please stay away from surrounding objects and prepare energy protection!"

The voice spoke extremely fast.

As it broadcast, inside the repair shop, Mr. Pyson paused his steps and looked up.

Chen Sui raised her eyes. She removed her hands from the operation console, maintaining a posture without contact with her surroundings, her eyes fixed on the outside.

"This is..."

In the sky, the thick cloud layer gradually became black, completely blocking the sunlight. The ground grew darker, and within seconds, like a solar eclipse, it suddenly became pitch black.

A blue light screen descended like a veil, clinging to the tall buildings. Though it looked as light as a feather, it instantly crushed the buildings.

A hurricane swept from afar, tearing up the road in one go.

Cracks spread across the ground, the street completely split, and under the blue veil, the ground erupted like magma, rolling out layers of black soil.

An indescribable force ground man-made structures into ruins.

Space seemed to twist imperceptibly, and rugged mountains burst through the soil, rising from the ground.

Amidst the changing terrain, crowds screamed and fled as the metal ground beneath their feet was corroded and melted by the black soil, replaced by soft black mounds emerging from below.

Mr. Pyson's expression changed dramatically: "This is bad, an energy field has descended!"

He spoke with a grave tone, just about to take out his mecha, when a storm containing immense energy blew in from outside.

The energy storm tossed aside the robot assistant, crushing it instantly before it could make a sound, then shattered the transparent door. Metal fragments scattered in all directions.

The powerful force came rushing in. Chen Sui moved several steps away from the operation console, quickly grabbing a mecha ring from the surface.

The hurricane swept through the repair shop.

Wind blades carrying energy sliced her skin, creating countless tears in her black work uniform. Blood-colored marks covered the exposed skin.

The operation console collapsed with a crash.

The ground rose with black soil, and fallen metal was immediately swallowed by the earth.

The metal walls of the repair shop were instantly pushed open by black rock layers.

The hurricane effortlessly lifted Chen Sui's body, moving it wildly across the ground.

Her body was pulled and curled.

The energy wind blades cut into her skin, pain making her awareness of surroundings weak.

After an unknown time, the energy wind blades suddenly weakened.

Chen Sui sensed their decline and, relying on the tension from years of apocalyptic combat, reacted instantly.

Controlling her muscles to exert force, she used the hurricane's enormous push to break free from the wind, leaped down from mid-air, rolled on the ground, avoiding a wind blade sweeping from afar, and stabilized her body.

As the wind vortex passed, Chen Sui stood up and quickly scanned her surroundings.

The entire city had completely changed in just moments.

Streets had collapsed into ruins, huge mountain bodies had risen from the ground, forming a winding, uneven mountain range. Buildings and streets were crushed by the protruding mountain rocks, and black mud corroded the broken ruins.

Looking at the devastated scene, images of wasteland flashed through Chen Sui's mind.

A dark color rose from the depths of her eyes as Chen Sui gripped the mecha ring in her palm.

Mr. Pyson crawled up from the edge of a black soil mound not far from her, spitting out several mouthfuls of soil.

He was also covered in wounds, his beard cut ragged by wind blades, looking as if gnawed by a dog.

But Mr. Pyson clearly couldn't care about these matters. He quickly took out his mecha and, seeing Chen Sui, rapidly exchanged words with her: "An energy field forming so quickly, this energy body is truly extraordinary."

"We need to find a way to get out quickly. As far as I know, your planet doesn't have Star Ring Military Guard services."

"Just our luck," he cursed under his breath.

Star Ring Military Guard services were when planets paid substantial service fees to apply to the Military Committee for border military deployment and training of local garrison troops.

After the disappearance of the previous Military Committee Chairman Song Baining, service fees had skyrocketed, and many peripheral planets couldn't afford the fees, resulting in the withdrawal of garrison troops.

Talo Star was one of them.

Chen Sui didn't know about the Star Ring Military Guard, but that didn't prevent her from understanding that Mr. Pyson was right—their current situation was very dangerous.

Chen Sui held a basic mecha ring in her palm and similarly activated her mecha to pilot.

"You... this is a basic mecha?"

The basic mecha was the simplest type in the Interstellar Alliance, equipped only with a basic light sword and energy cannon. Compared to higher-grade mechas and custom mechas, the basic mecha's combat capabilities were much weaker.

Chen Sui knew these shortcomings, but it was the closest one to her at the time, and among all the mechas in the repair shop, she only had the activation sequence for the basic mecha.

Mr. Pyson choked a bit but couldn't dwell on this now. He frowned, "Are you an Awakened?"

Chen Sui honestly shook her head: "I'm not."

Awakened were another type of people in the interstellar era besides mecha soldiers. They had awakened spirit bodies in their mental thresholds and could summon them to fight, making them the most important force in the interstellar defense against energy bodies.

Chen Sui thought to herself, not being from this world, how could she possibly possess this world's special awakening ability?

Mr. Pyson sighed with some disappointment: "Let's hope we can find an anchor point soon and leave the energy field. Otherwise, if we encounter an energy body, with just you and me..."

He stopped mid-sentence, but had already expressed his wariness toward energy bodies.

Even though neither of them had ever seen one.

Chen Sui's impression of energy fields and energy bodies only came from conversations among Talo Star residents.

"Are energy bodies that difficult to deal with?" Chen Sui asked somewhat puzzledly as she followed Mr. Pyson across the pitch-black city ruins.

Mr. Pyson nodded without hesitation.

Although puzzled by Chen Sui asking about something common knowledge in the Star Alliance, he still answered her:

"Of course, energy bodies possess terrifying regenerative abilities. Our mechas can only inflict the most superficial attacks on them. Only Awakened can truly kill them. Energy bodies can drive natural elemental energy storms, and their energy factors can easily turn a person into a pile of ash."

Chen Sui's expression remained unchanged as she nodded inside the mecha cockpit, lowering her eyes in thought.

Whether difficult to deal with or not, only fighting would tell.

Walking past the black soil mounds, a section of unaltered silver ore lying in black liquid caught Chen Sui's attention.

"What's that?"

Mr. Pyson strode over and carefully crouched down in a slightly wider spot. His mechanical fingers pinched the edge of the silver metal, lifting it from the black mud.

It appeared to be a metal ball, its edges covered with black liquid. The gap was very sharp, not looking like it had been crushed by heavy objects or corroded by energy. The metal surface was similarly covered in scratches.

"It's energy metal."

Energy metal was a special material forged to mimic energy bodies' energy factors, generally used in energy cannons to attract energy bodies.

Looking at the cutting surface of this metal, Mr. Pyson suddenly became alert. He immediately stood up and activated the exoskeleton's lighting device.

Chen Sui calmly observed: "The cut is clean, doesn't look like violent fracture."

Mr. Pyson said tensely: "It's wind blades, energy body wind blades!"

"It's been cut and consumed by an energy body!"

If the energy body had consumed energy metal here, that meant...

The energy body was nearby.

Mr. Pyson's face turned grim.

Chen Sui's cold face showed a trace of fighting spirit as her gaze slowly and cautiously scanned the surroundings.

While outwardly perfectly calm, internally she thought somewhat frantically.

Originally, she would have cleared her debt this month after finishing her work, but at the final step, it was ruined by this damned energy field. She wondered if old Mr. Peter would still pay her salary.

The energy body that destroyed her work and quiet life was just as hateful as the alien species.

—And just like alien species, it deserved to die.

Chen Sui lowered her gaze somewhat coldly.