The First Analyst of the Interstellar Era

Chapter 170 : Extra Chapter - Chen Yugold

"Yunlai..."

The moment the pendant fit perfectly into the statue, the Zhu Jing Stone burst with dazzling light. As the halo spread out, Chen Sui's vision went completely white before gradually revealing a layer of floating images merging into the surrounding scene.

Red wooden rooms surrounded Chen Sui. Looking up, she could see spherical luminous bodies hanging from the ceiling beam. Below her feet was a solid wood floor covered with black carpet. Looking up, the statue that had been in front of her was now overlaid by a space containing a redwood table, like a semi-transparent layer in a drawing, yet everything was so three-dimensional it seemed she could reach out and touch it.

A gentle female voice unhurriedly sounded. As the door opened, Chen Sui heard the clicking of gear mechanisms behind her. She turned to look, and in the open library-style room behind her, an embossed door suddenly appeared. Natural light rushed in eagerly from outside as a young woman in a black coat walked in.

Chen Sui watched her look around the room, following her gaze. The previously incomplete holographic image became completely clear. As her vision extended, all the room's furnishings came into view.

Near the outward-opening wooden window, someone was lying in a reclining chair.

The person had their legs propped up, reaching for a metal component from a tall wooden table beside them, slowly fitting it into the mecha model in their hand.

"Teacher, you're living such a leisurely life, while I'm so busy I can't even stop my feet."

As soon as Song Yunlai stepped inside, her expression softened. Looking at Chen Youjin who was modifying the mecha component, her tone was like a child meeting a parent who would back them up.

Chen Sui saw the person turn to look, revealing an unfamiliar face, but as she looked at her, the name automatically surfaced in her mind.

—Chen Youjin.

"I'm planning to take a few days off to make an appointment at the reproduction center for an artificial womb. Teacher, you have to help me!"

Song Yunlai took a big step forward and crouched at the edge of Chen Youjin's recliner. Her eyes were rounded at the corners, slightly drooping, making them very cute puppy eyes that softened people's hearts when she looked pleadingly at them.

But Chen Youjin was immune to her pleading look. Seeing this, she just patted her shoulder a few times: "You're so busy you can't stop your feet, yet you're thinking about having a child. What's the rush?"

"Not really rushing. In my plan, it's time to nurture the next generation," Song Yunlai was a very organized person who rationally arranged every path of her future, deciding what to do at what time. Now was the optimal period for her to have children—her eggs were in perfect condition. Additionally, she had keenly perceived certain things, so she wanted to make some efforts.

"Teacher, I came today to have you choose a name," Song Yunlai said with a smile.

She had been feeling uneasy lately. Ever since the AI revolt, after the system integration and separation from her, Song Yunlai had a strong feeling that Master Jin might not stay much longer.

Even though Chen Youjin appeared calm, Song Yunlai glimpsed her preparations for departure in her proposals to build Zhu Jing Fu and research bionic bodies.

If possible, Song Yunlai thought, at least don't let the connection between her and her teacher be completely severed.

"You want me to name it?" Chen Youjin's toe stopped tapping the ground, halting the rocking motion. She smiled knowingly, "After naming, you're not going to ask me to help raise the child, are you?"

Song Yunlai was exposed and guiltily lowered her gaze, coughing twice: "That wouldn't be so bad!"

"Teacher, if you raised her, I can't even imagine how outstanding she would be!"

This was Song Yunlai's impression of Master Jin—such confidence.

"I don't have any particular expectations for her. Just peace through the years. I was thinking Song Sui, Song Ping, Song An, or if all else fails, Song Ping'an, but Aliya said my naming sense is terrible."

At this point, Song Yunlai sheepishly touched her earlobe, then looked at Chen Youjin, suddenly thinking of something: "It doesn't necessarily have to follow my surname. Taking Teacher's surname would be nice too. Chen Sui, Chen Ping'an, that does sound better."

Song Yunlai thoughtfully savored the names.

Chen Youjin was about to say something when she suddenly heard one of the names. Her expression showed a hint of nostalgia as her gaze passed over Song Baining to the distance, exactly where Chen Sui was standing.

Across intersecting spaces, Chen Sui met her gaze. Even though she knew what she was seeing was just a recorded image, she still stared intently at Chen Youjin, wanting to clearly see her expression at that moment.

"Chen Sui..."

Chen Youjin recited this name, her voice dropping an octave as she slowly said: "Let's change it. I've already raised one Chen Sui."

Hearing these words, Chen Sui's face instantly lit up with a smile, though her eyes glistened with moisture.

Chen Jia still remembered.

"Your child should certainly take your surname. But these names you've chosen could still be improved upon."

Chen Youjin spoke very tactfully, but showed no intention of naming the child for her.

Hearing this, Song Yunlai's heart first skipped a beat, then found a bitterness on her tongue.

She understood Master Jin's meaning now.

Naming was a profoundly significant act for Chen Youjin. Naming marked the beginning of responsibility.

Song Yunlai had originally wanted her to establish another connection, to ease her anxiety about Chen Youjin's imminent departure.

But now it seemed Master Jin had already decided to leave.

Someone as intelligent as Song Yunlai immediately understood her meaning, so as Chen Youjin gently stroked her hair, her downcast face already had completely reddened eyes.

"The Star Alliance has now passed through its most difficult time and is gradually entering stability. Although you're busy now, before long, once the programs are restored, everything will proceed in an orderly fashion. And henceforth, this will be your world."

Chen Youjin spoke calmly.

As she spoke, Chen Sui saw the recorded image growing fainter and fainter, completely disappearing as her words ended.

Seeing Chen Youjin's figure dissolve into the air, Chen Sui instinctively reached forward, but her fingertips passed right through the semi-transparent building, with particle number flows dispersing from her fingertips.

Moving forward, Chen Sui could only touch the huge statue. Her movement froze in place as the surrounding particle number flows poured into the central cylinder behind. The statue's eyeballs, however, keenly rotated a few times.

The rough grinding sound drew Chen Sui's attention. The eyeballs, originally the same color as the statue, were turning toward the back, and the reverse side of the eyeballs that emerged were artificial eyes assembled from mechanical materials, similar to prosthetic eyes.

The surface of those eyes flashed red once, then turned back, restoring the statue to normal.

That glance seemed to allow it to see the person before it, and then a voice transmitted through the statue.

Chen Sui wasn't sure if this was a recording left by Chen Youjin, or if in another spacetime she didn't know about, the other person had glanced at her through the artificial eyes.

"Ah, so it's you."

Chen Youjin's voice rang out with a smile.

"It must have been quite difficult to discover this place, right?" This was a somewhat playful rhetorical question.

"As expected of my student, being able to discover the universe's most invincible Little Jin's secret. You can graduate now," Chen Youjin teased.

Chen Sui detected something familiar in these words.

Chen Jia was always like this—maintaining a calm and composed demeanor in face-to-face conversations, but once there was a network between them, or even just a wall, her tone would carry a hint of effortless teasing and self-satisfaction.

"Although I'm glad you discovered this little mechanism, Little Sui," Chen Sui was startled to hear her name suddenly, "after parting, don't dwell on the past."

"Teacher has taught you about parting before. No matter where you go or who you meet, live well."

Reminded by her, Chen Sui remembered that during each mission with Chen Jia, her teacher had taught her about parting.

In the dangerous wasteland world, every excursion could be a final farewell. Chen Sui just hadn't expected that the lessons Chen Jia had taught would only be fully applied in another world.

"I know," Chen Sui didn't know if the other person could hear her, but only after seeing Chen Youjin did she completely let go of all attachments to the past. "Teacher, I know."

"I will take good care of myself, and I have very good friends."

"Please rest assured."

Chen Sui slowly exhaled, the shackles on her body finally completely removed in this moment.

Her words received no response. Chen Sui waited for a long time, but there was no reply in Zhu Jing Fu. The statue maintained its motionless posture, the eyeballs showed no change, and the Zhu Jing Stone continued rotating along its original trajectory.

The appearance of Chen Youjin and the recorded image seemed like a hallucination that had suddenly occurred to her, but looking at the embedded pendant, Chen Sui knew clearly that all this had happened.

She didn't remove the pendant. Chen Sui had a feeling that perhaps Chen Youjin, no, Chen Jia, had also hoped to see this moment.

She would have a new life, new friends, companions, teachers. She had a new life here, more concrete than Chen Sui's simple plan to buy a house for survival.

By the time she left Zhu Jing Fu, the midday sunlight had already tilted, with the azure blue sky carrying a crimson hue spreading at one corner of the horizon.

Zhu Jing Fu was not far from the school team building. Due to the Star Alliance energy riot during the league match period, teams participating in the league match had not completed the subsequent reward phase, which was the process of leading the team to collect resources from the Ten Major Energy Fields.

The school team's early return by a few months would allow them to catch the selection of the next school team.

As Chen Sui approached the school team building, she was still thinking about the situation of the next school team. The Zone Eleven and council had discussed that, with the crisis brought by the Star Alliance riot, the major energy fields had also experienced resource explosions. Military students would enter the Border Army early to participate in the cleanup and response of the major energy fields.

She should have a chance to see the school team selection completed.

Chen Sui pondered.

She was immersed in her thoughts, so she didn't notice the arrangement of the school team building.

From the steps outside the building downward, they had been wrapped with flower bouquets unique to Yuguang Star. Faint red light was encased within the flower bundles, looking like the center of flower stamens from a distance, without any abnormality.

High in the building, watching Chen Sui walk over from a distance, several pairs of eyes were pressed against the glass window in the crowded training room.

He Lanxi, wearing a black sweatshirt, reached back with his muscular arm to poke Cheng Wei behind him: "She's coming, she's coming!"

Zhou Chen peered from the side, but Cheng Wei grabbed him back: "Zhou Chen, don't expose your field of vision. Little Sui has extremely precise eyes. Be careful not to be spotted."