The First Analyst of the Interstellar Era

Chapter 137 : Mechanical Tower

At Tata Mine Star, during the preparation period.

Not all planets can be called mining stars.

After the distant Kamanna Empire fell, resources in the star sea were reorganized. Only a few extremely resource-rich planets, containing vast quantities, numerous varieties, and exceedingly rare materials, could be designated as "mining stars."

Tata Mine Star was particularly special among these mining stars.

—It was once the border of Kamanna. After Chairman Song Yunlai and Master Jin overthrew the imperial rule, it became the border of the early Star Alliance, at the very edge of the star sea.

After the Star Alliance expanded its territory, Tata Mine Star was assigned to the outer rim of the Tenth Star Ring.

Because it was extremely close to Zone Eleven, the Competition Committee's station was directly set at Zone Eleven's temporary base.

At this moment, several transfer ships had not yet departed, and Competition Committee members relocated from Poplar Star were withdrawing one after another.

"Why is Tata Mine Star's transfer so bumpy? I haven't felt this nauseated in a long time."

Noya walked out of Saint Laurent's ship, leaning against the towering silver light pillar outside the base door, irritably removing the anti-shock band wrapped around his wrist.

When Chen Sui came down from the Zhu Jing Fu ship, she saw Saint Laurent members surrounding him. On the other side, other school teams were looking over, and several groups walked together.

Suddenly exposed to the cold wind carrying fine dust, Chen Sui uncomfortably raised her hand to wipe her eyes, brushing away a trace of moisture on her hand.

Xie Chunshi had the Zhu Jing Fu school uniform jacket hanging on his arm. When Chen Sui couldn't help raising her hand to wipe again, his slender hand grasped her wrist, and the young man took disinfectant tissue from his jacket pocket.

"The medical staff said special material artificial eyes aren't as convenient as mechanical ones and need some time to adjust. This material has less rejection and should feel better after another day."

As he spoke, he raised his hand slightly as if to wipe away the tears welling up for Chen Sui, but the analyst had already taken the tissue and absorbed the tears, her tone somewhat suppressed with frustration: "The new eye feels so foreign, and besides—"

"It's not as clear as the previous one."

Although her mechanical eye was installed on Talo Star, it was the latest model with high visual precision and a mirror lock, very convenient to use. This new eye wasn't as detailed as the previous one, but its advantage was lower rejection, allowing for quick adaptation.

Ink Hills approached, first looking at Noya who was hugging the light pillar with closed eyes to recover. His golden hair sparkled in the white light.

Then they looked at Chen Sui. Ink Hills' analyst Jiang Zhongyu looked much better than before. "But I think my new one is better."

Jiang Zhongyu had received a new mechanical heart made of special materials. Since his previous artificial organ had been in use for some time, he took the opportunity to replace it with an entirely new configuration that matched his bodily functions and was beneficial for physical enhancement.

"Little Sister Sui, don't keep rubbing it. Give it a few days to adjust."

Noya finally woke from the discomfort of transfer and looked back at Chen Sui.

The group walked toward the inside of the base, chatting along the way.

"Colonel Lu doesn't seem to be on the review panel this time. Could the Gu family have replaced him?"

Speaking of the new review panel, because of frequent energy field disturbances, Zhao Loulan, Mo Qiu'an, and others who originally had time to stay at the Competition Committee base now had to go to Zone Eleven to oversee the situation and handle messages from across the Star Alliance. As a result, most faces on the review panel had been replaced. Currently, all affairs at the Competition Committee base were handed over to Director Jian Run. Issues beyond his authority would be directly submitted to the council for decisions.

This measure basically had no impact on the participating students. For StarNet viewers, the familiar faces remained the same. But undeniably, after several Star Alliance upper leaders left, other forces had more room to intervene.

"Not sure. During the off-season, I briefly mentioned to my parents that Gu Haichuan was removed from office. Now another branch has taken over, and the Gu family patriarch is sitting in the family head position."

Lu Hang Jiu joined in, quite interested in these gossip topics.

But when it came to gossip, nobody understood it better than He Shuangmu. Hearing this, he hurriedly retreated from the front, away from several Commanders discussing energy field conditions, and plunged into the back of the group.

"Ah, how is it always about the Gu family? Isn't Lu Cuining your third uncle? Where has he been transferred?"

Lu Hang Jiu scratched his head somewhat puzzled: "I don't know either. Although he's my third uncle, Colonel Lu is always elusive. Even if you asked Xiao Er, he might not know."

Chen Sui trailed at the end of the team. Hearing this, she quietly shifted her gaze to the front.

The black-haired wolf-tailed young man seemed to sense something and turned to give her a reassuring look. Chen Sui raised her eyebrows.

Goodness, could this be what the Commander meant by "no problem"?

Simple and direct, solving the problem at its source.

Chen Sui was internally surprised for a second, not noticing Gu Qinxue beside her being pulled away by a beautiful hand.

A long-haired wave-like young woman suddenly appeared at her side. Chen Sui's nose detected the scent of finely processed fragrance, smelling like a sunny spring day, but the base note inevitably carried the peculiar industrial processing smell of interstellar perfume, making it somewhat unnatural.

He Lanqi stood beside her, seemingly glancing forward. Seeing no one looking back, she quietly approached Chen Sui: "Student Chen Sui, Xue Yaoyao said you taught her a method to train energy control. May I humbly request one as well?"

He Lanqi turned her head to look at Chen Sui, her long hair falling from behind, appearing very gentle.

Chen Sui blinked and looked at Xue Yaoyao: "You mean that one? I posted it in the group."

Chen Sui pondered that when He Chigui set up the large analyst group, she had posted it there.

Not just in the seven schools' analyst group, but also in the Zhu Jing Fu analyst group.

He Lanqi's expression froze, somewhat unexpected.

Would Chen Sui directly post such teaching secrets in a group?

After the initial surprise in her heart, she immediately scolded herself for having too narrow a perspective, then scrolled through the group chat.

Chen Sui saw her swipe through her light brain a few times and, fearing she couldn't find it, carefully picked out the record from a pile of files: "Here, it's this one, though the name isn't very formal—"

Chen Sui looked at the naming with some resignation.

To be fair, the version she sent to Xue Yaoyao was quite disorganized. After being posted to the Zhu Jing Fu analyst group, it was reorganized there and given this name.

Looking at the large characters 'All Analysts, Kill Energy Bodies!' on the document, Chen Sui couldn't help but wonder if the Analyst Department had organized the file for the Combat System.

He Lanqi looked at the filename, also speechless: "Fine, I was wondering who posted such an informal file to the group."

He Lanqi smiled and looked at Chen Sui with some gratitude: "Thank you, Student Chen Sui. If there's anything you need my help with, please don't hesitate."

Chen Sui smiled but didn't take these words to heart, nor did she expect that not long after, she would use this offer of help.

Because the competition was set at Tata Mine Star, after training during the preparation period and completing venue preparations, after each school searched the Mechanical Tower energy field, the first thing they did was to come to Zhu Jing Fu's area to seek material lists from Chen Sui.

Worth mentioning is that Zhu Jing Fu secured the position of defending champion for this Mechanical Tower competition.

As the leader in elimination round points, Zhu Jing Fu undoubtedly became the defending side.

"Little Sister Sui, when you're defending, will you have the energy to find materials?" Noya spoke righteously. "Why not let me bear this arduous task? I promise to strip the energy field bare."

Chen Sui twitched her lips. "Commander Noya, just say you want to freeload material distribution information. I won't mock you."

As one of the high-level energy fields that appeared in recent decades, the Mechanical Tower contained very little information. Compared to Sand and Mirage, which caused major accidents upon its arrival, although it was SSS-level, because of its numerous energy mines and severe energy storm erosion of those mines, the energy field's spread wasn't extensive. Annual cleaning and processing kept things well under control.

As for Tata Mine Star, it was quite famous a hundred years ago.

It's said that Master Jin's interstellar travel trajectory was interrupted here, and thus some considered it Master Jin's burial place.

But as rumors about Master Jin proliferated within the Star Alliance, it was later generally accepted that Master Jin hadn't died but was "in seclusion" in some unknown place, similar to the ancient stars.

And after the main star established Master Jin's statue, the Star Alliance's spiritual focus shifted away from Tata Mine Star. After that, this mining star lost all its halos, serving only as one of the mining stars providing endless resources to the Star Alliance.

In this severe lack of information, Zhu Jing Fu, or rather Chen Sui, should be the person most familiar with Tata Mine Star.

For no other reason than she could guess what materials were contained inside based on partial images and roughly predict their locations.

Hearing her say this, Noya quickly slid to his knees: "I want to freeload material distribution information."

"Heh," Zhou Chen looked at him sideways: "You're shameless."

Noya clenched his fist: "But what I said isn't wrong. Your Zhu Jing Fu has to defend—I don't believe you won't be heading straight for the main base station when you enter the energy field."

Zhu Jing Fu had already secured two rounds of multipliers. They didn't need to accumulate many more multiplier points this round; they just needed to ensure other teams couldn't get multipliers to maintain their first place.

The points Zhu Jing Fu had accumulated in the first two rounds had already grown to an enormous number.

Zhou Chen pressed his lips, originally wanting to show off a bit, but as words left his mouth, he suddenly became alert: "Hey, I won't say! You're trying to trick me!"

This time Noya was genuinely surprised: "Zhou Chen, we've only been apart for a few days during the preparation period, right? Where did you go to supplement your brain?!"

Chen Sui held back her laughter and began adjusting material distribution information.

Undeniably, Noya was right. Zhu Jing Fu had only one task this time: to quickly secure the multiplier. But for a team that always liked to strip energy fields bare, not collecting materials would be more painful than losing.

"I can give you the material distribution, but let's make a deal," Chen Sui's eyes turned a bit, looking at Noya with complete sincerity. "Commander Noya, your Saint Laurent can't take this information for free, right?"

Hearing her say this, Noya immediately leaned back cautiously: "What do you want?"

"Eight-twenty," Chen Sui made a gesture for eight and patted Noya. "Once you reach the base station and scan the surroundings, you'll immediately get a live map, even various processing techniques and surrounding energy body distributions."

Chen Sui explained considerately: "You won't lose out, right?"

Without Zhu Jing Fu's material distribution and processing information, it wouldn't be easy for Saint Laurent to find all these. Although they could check Border Army trades to estimate the energy field's resources, this process was too complex and couldn't accurately calculate material growth cycles. What Chen Sui offered was ready-made, just asking for twenty percent...

Noya thought, without this information, Saint Laurent might not get anything. Rounding up, he was netting eighty percent, only needing to put in effort, and if he didn't put in effort, he wouldn't lose out either. Since there was no loss, why not do it?

Saint Laurent couldn't think of any reason to refuse. Noya nodded decisively: "Deal."

Not only did Noya think this way, but the other academies thought the same.

When Song Yuan came looking, Chen Sui brought out the same pitch she had already repeated several times. The Xitisi Commander was an upright person who never intended to take for free. Hearing Zhu Jing Fu only wanted eighty percent, she immediately nodded in agreement.

After all, in the next energy field, only Zhu Jing Fu would be busy.

Busy avoiding attacks from other teams.

When Xie Chunshi saw Song Yuan off, Chen Sui calculated that each team would earn twenty percent. Besides filling spatial buttons, Zhu Jing Fu could earn an extra profit. She should have promoted this method earlier.

As for defending, they'd deal with that once on the field. She observed the situations of the other academies. For materials, the higher grade the better, and coincidentally, quite a few academies had overlapping needs.

She hoped they wouldn't start fighting outside the mine pit.

Chen Sui thought.

She hadn't exaggerated in the information, though some prices were indeed reported on the high side.

When Xie Chunshi returned, he saw the analyst sitting at the conference table, counting something on her fingers. Whatever result she calculated, in the end, she tilted her fair face in the light and smiled faintly.

The discomfort brought by Song Yuan's words also dissipated with this smile.

"By the way, Xie, Chunshi," Chen Sui had been corrected once and was trying to call the Commander's full name, but it always felt awkward, not as natural as spontaneously saying Commander Xie, Leader, or Commander. She paused, not dwelling on the form of address, and directly said: "The mecha repair is almost done. The structural issues have all been reshaped, but I haven't found suitable replacements for the key materials. Going to the mining star this time, we can see if there are appropriate ones."

The mecha Chen Sui was referring to was Black Execution, which had been kept with her all along.

Xie Chunshi's eyes moved slightly, and he nodded at her words: "Besides the key materials, is there anything else?"

"The weapons are completely damaged and can only be remade. Repair is impossible. To make new weapons compatible with the mecha, some key materials may also be needed."

White Satin Gold Gilt was almost extinct in the Star Alliance. Currently, apart from the three mechas handcrafted by Master Jin, no substitute materials could be found.

Chen Sui hadn't expected there would be a material with such excellent performance, almost comparable to the legendary Zhu Jing Stone's "impervious to fire and water, untouched by dust."

However, if in the wasteland Professor Zhang Que's laboratory developed for a few more years, they might be able to create materials with such properties.

"In that case, let's look in the energy field."

Xie Chunshi nodded in agreement.

Perhaps unlike what the other academies thought, from the moment Zhu Jing Fu decided to defend, they anticipated preparations for attacks from the other academies.

So contrary to Noya and others' guesses that Zhu Jing Fu planned to quickly place their instruments, Xie Chunshi insisted on dragging it out, seeing how long these people could guard outside the main base station.

Chen Sui neither agreed nor disagreed. After all, in Zhu Jing Fu, one by one, they were all people who liked to draw hatred.

The preparation period passed in busy preparations. Because the Mechanical Tower was a very rare SSS-level venue, during preparations, Chen Sui incorporated various materials into mecha and weapon reinforcements.

Among the five Zhu Jing Fu members, except for herself due to her parasitism situation and Xie Chunshi due to his special mental domain condition who didn't carry summoned bodies, the other three had their summoned bodies changed once again.

On the last day of the preparation period, Xie Chunshi looked at the release message from the Prison Tower.

After the God-Abandoned Domain incident, Xie Liuyun was sentenced to six years, and his term was about to end.

His father was about to be released from prison.

Song Yuan's reminder still echoed in his ears.

"Grandfather reassigned Colonel Lu Cuining. He didn't ask why, but, Little Brother Chun, with the Gu family intervening, once Chen Sui's situation is discovered, she might become a live target."

"Why not wait until Director Xie is released and discuss it thoroughly?"

Xie Chunshi sneered. Discuss?

With Xie Liuyun's love-addled brain, as soon as he's released, Xie Chunshi didn't need to guess—he would definitely be summoned to various energy fields to look for his mother.

He was too emotional.

It's better to wait until Zhu Jing Fu's points stabilize before finding a solution. In any case, he must ensure Chen Sui gets to the God-Abandoned Domain.

The transfer process from Zone Eleven to the Mechanical Tower energy field management department went smoothly.

As military school students entered the energy field one by one, in the base control room, three reviewers had taken their seats.

Jian Run still sat at the far side, He Lanrui in the center, and on the other side was a rarely seen face.

[Star League Competition Third Match—]

[SSS-level Mechanical Tower Energy Field]

[Transfer Complete—]

[Competition Countdown—]

"Master Yi, Director Jian," Gu Pingyang greeted his two colleagues warmly, then raised his eyes to the screen.

The live broadcast cameras opened as the military school students settled in the energy field, revealing a metal city gleaming under the light.

Towering buildings, low metal structures stacked one by one, forming the embryonic shape of city after city, yet without any human presence. All that could be heard was the howling of machines running and the sound of gears interlocking.

Even the ground they walked on was covered with a thick layer of metal.

As the outer light shield dispersed, the Zhu Jing Fu team immediately felt an oncoming energy storm.

The invisible wind was like a knife, making a scraping sound as it passed the side of the mecha, triggering painful sensations through the mecha's sensors.

"Damn, so this is a metal-property energy field? I'm afraid my protective coating will be scratched off."

Zhou Chen wiped his hand over the mecha's exterior, looking at what lay ahead with some distress.

Zhu Jing Fu's landing point was right at the outskirts of a city. Ahead were intersecting streets, lit neon lights, hover cars moving on suspended tracks in mid-air, and cleaning robots on the ground. Everything looked no different from a Star Alliance city.

"It's so quiet," Zhou Chen's muttering was particularly noticeable in this atmosphere. The presence and voices of the five Zhu Jing Fu members made what lay before them seem like an empty city.

[Wow, is this the Mechanical Tower?]

[It looks quite similar to where we live]

[A bit eerie, I mean, I feel it's gloomy. This energy field is so similar to our lives, just without people! Not a single person!]

[Good news, there are residents here. Bad news, they're not entirely human]

The bullet screen comments initially didn't understand what this meant, but watching as Zhu Jing Fu circled the perimeter, they looked at the mecha signals.

"We're really far from the main base station," Zhou Chen looked at the path on the mecha channel and sighed: "I didn't feel it when attacking, but defending, I realize this path is truly difficult. Just thinking about it, I know all the other teams are waiting to attack us."

Chen Sui laughed: "Don't worry, we won't take this route."

The energy field would last ten days. The other academies all guessed Zhu Jing Fu would quickly place their instruments, but Xie Chunshi deliberately wouldn't. He wanted to drag it out and see how long these people could guard outside the main base station.

"Then shall we go to the secondary base station first? For a prolonged battle, how can we fight without replenishing ammunition!"

Zhou Chen lifted his gun cannon, excited at the thought of other academies being depleted of energy while he still had power.

His words struck a chord with Chen Sui. The analyst immediately nodded, looking at the city before them: "The energy body situation in the Mechanical Tower is special. Most appear in forms similar to mechanical instruments, mechanical people, even mecha forms. The surrounding energy fluctuations are very complex, so be careful when entering."

"Especially you."

Chen Sui turned to look at Puluo, warning him.

That's right, the one carrying the energy-attracting absorption device this time was still Zhu Jing Fu's soldier.

Puluo hugged his shield umbrella tightly, honestly following behind the analyst. "Okay, Little Sui, protect me well."

Chen Sui extended her hand to shield him, her long spear twirling, her gaze vigilant as she looked at the city with flashing lights in front: "Don't worry!"

[Dreamlike]

[A few months ago, a soldier asking an analyst for protection would be nailed to the pillar of shame]

[Now, I'm willing to call Puluo a true hero]

[Know the situation, Puluo. You've grabbed the biggest support in the entire league!]

[Zhu Jing Fu using the same trick twice? I can't imagine which academy thinks the device will be on who this time]

[Looking at other perspectives, all academies unanimously believe Zhu Jing Fu will immediately go to the main base station]

[They look quite leisurely to me]

[Zhu Jing Fu's point multipliers in the previous two rounds have already widened the gap. This round, as long as they ensure others don't get the device, even if they miss the next two rounds, there's probably no chance of being overtaken]

[Then why aren't they going to the main base station? Wouldn't it be better to rush to the main base station before other academies arrive?]

[Don't ask me, I don't understand either. If I did, I'd be sitting in Xie Chunshi's Commander position]

[6]

"If we carry the device directly inside, won't everyone inside chase after us?"

Zhou Chen touched his Four-sided Mace. Although the sharp teeth hadn't been allocated to the Four-sided Mace, Chen Sui had still made special enhancements to his weapon. The metal property also suited his style well. Zhou Chen now wanted to perform but feared becoming the target of aggro.

"Yes, being chased is good. We can deal with them all at once."

Chen Sui twirled her long spear. "If only the gun cannon's energy storage was larger, I'd want to blow up this entire city."

Zhou Chen looked at her, realizing she was serious, and became even more speechless.

Of course, who are you? You want to blow up everything.