In front of the recycling station on Garbage Planet No. 5271, a seemingly endless queue stretched out.
A teenage girl dressed in tattered rags stood near the front of the line, a snakeskin bag slung over her shoulder. The moment the recycling station’s window opened, she immediately hoisted the bag and shoved it into the intake.
“Level 2 metal materials, mechanical armor wing plates, airship circuit connection boards… total value: 337 Star Coins.”
A middle-aged woman standing behind the girl cried out in surprise.
“Xiao Yan, your luck is quite good today! You actually found Level 2 metal materials.”
Yan Changfeng turned her head and gave a soft acknowledgment. “Just lucky, I suppose.”
“Oh, I wish I had your luck. Where did you find them? I’ll go take a look myself in a bit.”
Yan Changfeng casually mentioned a location, scanned her wristband on the machine to collect the Star Coins, and left.
It had been a year since she arrived in this world.
This world was different from the cultivation world. Although it lacked spiritual energy, its technology was incredibly advanced. Besides humans, there were Aliens and Insectoids, and people even worshipped deities.
The Insectoids were a highly aggressive race with a society resembling a matriarchy, led by an Insectoid Mother who constantly invaded the star domains of the other two races.
“Aliens” was a collective term for various tribes: mutated beasts, half-demons, elves, merfolk, and more.
The fact that humans could coexist with these two races in the interstellar era was thanks to two factors. First, three thousand years ago, humans broke free from the shackles of ancient humanity, evolving to possess mental power and enhanced physiques. Second, many interstellar humans worshipped and made offerings to gods; those favored by the deities would receive Divine Favor Skills.
After waking up in this world, Yan Changfeng had been bound to a system. As long as she picked up trash to gain energy, she could unlock card pools and draw talents and skills.
The system currently had two card pools: the Normal Skill Card Pool and the Divine Favor Skill Card Pool. The former required 100,000 energy points to unlock, while the latter required 1,000,000. For every piece of Level 1 garbage she scavenged, she received 1 energy point.
The system wasn’t a glutton for just any trash; only “valuable” garbage was counted. On a good day, she would have to thank the heavens if she found a hundred pieces of trash that met the standard.
Yan Changfeng did some quick math and realized she’d basically have to pick up trash for the rest of her life. Instead of feeding the system, it seemed more practical to sell the trash for money.
The pharmacy owner greeted Yan Changfeng warmly when he saw her. “Xiao Yan, here for medicine again?”
“Yes.”
The area she lived in was Zone D of the trash planet. Due to the planet’s harsh environment, her original body had contracted a lung disease three years ago. She visited the pharmacy frequently and was on familiar terms with the owner.
The owner sighed and took a pale blue potion from the counter. After handing it to Yan Changfeng, he hesitated for a moment before offering another, clearer vial.
“A new batch of potions just came in. As a reward for our old customers, this one’s on the house.”
Yan Changfeng blinked. “Thank you, Boss.” A potion to treat lung disease might not be worth much elsewhere, but to the people of a trash planet, even a single Star Coin was precious.
After purchasing the medicine, her pace quickened as she headed home. Calling it a “home” was generous; it was actually just an abandoned, unsafe building. The original owner of this body was small and physically weak, unable to outcompete the adults for space. She had simply spread a straw mat on a stairwell landing to serve as a bed.
Yan Changfeng pulled a bag out from a corner. Inside were some old newspapers and dry weeds. Wrapped in the newspaper was half a moldy steamed bun. She winced, tore off the moldy parts, threw them away, and wolfed down the rest.
The gnawing hunger in her stomach finally subsided.
Suddenly, Yan Changfeng felt her wristband vibrate.
The Star Coins in that wristband were her entire net worth!
Her heart sank. She checked the wristband, and as expected, the balance had been cleared to zero. In its place, the energy bar in her mind had increased by 337 points. She was still nearly 90% away from unlocking the first Normal Skill Card Pool.
The system didn’t just eat trash; it ate her money too, converting it at a one-to-one ratio.
Damn system! Her Star Coins!
“Cough, cough, cough!”
Yan Changfeng felt her lung disease flare up. She was trembling so hard she could barely breathe, though she suspected part of the shaking was from sheer rage.
She took out the potions from her pocket and drank one. However, the cramping pain didn’t subside at all. Instead, it intensified, agonizing her until she collapsed onto the floor.
It wasn’t until the sun was nearly set that Yan Changfeng finally adjusted to the physical discomfort and slowly stood up.
She cursed under her breath.
“Money-grubbing system!”
After resting for the night, Yan Changfeng woke up early the next day. She circled to the back of the unsafe building, where a multi-owned, beat-up small motorcycle was parked. She climbed on and drove in the opposite direction of the garbage dump.
About half a star hour later, Yan Changfeng reached an area enclosed by a barbed wire fence.
The area inside the fence was overgrown with thickets. Looking in, she could see nothing but layer upon layer of wild grass.
A dilapidated wooden sign read:
[No Man’s Land]
No Man’s Land was an area established after the trash planet was cataloged. The Star Alliance had dispatched military forces to herd all non-human biological entities on the planet into these designated zones. Filled with various wild beasts and exotic plants, these areas were extremely dangerous, and humans were strictly prohibited from entering.
Despite the danger, many people still chose to risk their lives.
Aside from the eccentrics looking for a thrill, most people entered No Man’s Land to hunt beasts or find edible plants.
These ingredients, common on other planets, were incredibly precious on a trash planet and commanded high prices. The system also classified these as “trash.” According to the price conversion, if she could kill a dozen or so expensive beasts, she could earn the 100,000 energy points she needed.
However, Yan Changfeng’s luck had been average at best. Since discovering No Man’s Land, she had come to explore occasionally, but she only ever ran into worthless wild rabbits and chickens.
Yan Changfeng pushed the motorcycle to the side, covered it with a straw mat, and drew a rusty small military dagger from the inside of her boot.
She had found this while scavenging for trash and had kept it on her person for self-defense ever since.
There were many poachers in No Man’s Land, so there were already several paths cut through the barbed wire. However, Yan Changfeng wasn’t sure of her chances against experienced poachers.
To avoid running into them, she had specifically chosen this overgrown spot.
Using her dagger, Yan Changfeng cut a hole in the fence large enough for her to crawl through. She entered and left markers along the way.
It took about ten minutes of walking to clear the thickets. Her overcoat had already been snagged and torn in several places. Feeling the sting of the loss, she took it off and hid it in the bushes, continuing deeper into the zone wearing only her simple shirt.
After wandering for most of the day, Yan Changfeng had only managed to hunt a single wild chicken. At most, it would fetch 300 Star Coins—300 energy points.
The nights in No Man’s Land were far more dangerous than the days. After a moment’s thought, she decided to head back. She wrapped the chicken in newspaper and began walking back toward the thickets.
Suddenly, a blinding white light flashed across the sky, followed by a mechanical roar in the distance. That was not a sound that belonged in No Man’s Land. Yan Changfeng immediately realized something was wrong and quickened her pace.
Before she could get far, a howl erupted ahead of her.
A burly creature covered in black fur appeared before her, its maw filled with fangs stained with the blood of some unfortunate poacher.
It shifted its four hooves, watching Yan Changfeng’s every move warily.
“A wild boar? I would have been much happier to see you half a day ago.”
Wild boar meat was among the highest-priced of all wild beasts, and while they weren’t the hardest to kill, they were extremely rare in No Man’s Land. Encountering one was considered a stroke of incredible luck.
But right now, Yan Changfeng didn’t feel lucky. She just felt like life was a pile of shit.
There was something unknown behind her, and a stubborn wild boar blocking her path ahead.
Suddenly, the boar bared its tusks and charged at her with startling speed.
She immediately dove to the side, grabbing the wild grass on the ground to stabilize herself. Her other hand, gripping the dagger, lashed out at the boar.
The blade scraped across the boar’s thick hide with a *shink* sound, as if hitting a hard wooden plank. It left only a faint red mark, failing to even break the skin.
The boar’s squeals grew louder, and its speed increased significantly, becoming almost a blur to the naked eye.
Relying on instinct, she tightened her grip on the dagger. Instead of retreating, she pressed forward. Using her body’s flexibility and reaction speed, she wrenched herself aside a split second before the boar could collide with her. Her back scraped against the rubble, but she slammed the dagger deep into the boar’s eye.
Fresh blood sprayed. With a piercing shriek, the boar tumbled. Yan Changfeng scrambled away to avoid the impact, then rushed back as the boar struggled to get up, repeatedly stabbing her dagger into its vital spots.
Only when the boar beneath her stopped moving did Yan Changfeng realize she was drenched in sweat. Her body felt limp and weak, and a sharp, throbbing pain radiated from her back.
*Vroom, vroom, vroom—*
The mechanical sound was getting closer. Yan Changfeng looked at the boar’s carcass with heartache, but she forced herself to abandon it and dove into the thickets. The sharp thorns raked across the wounds on her back; she grit her teeth, suppressing a whimper.
Soon, a mecha about seventeen or eighteen meters tall appeared next to the wild boar. It scanned the carcass thoroughly. Then, the cockpit opened, and a square-faced middle-aged man stepped out.
“Didn’t expect to just pick up a free wild boar.”
Hidden in the bushes, Yan Changfeng’s teeth itched with rage.
What do you mean, “pick up”? That’s mine!
The man whistled. “We’re eating wild boar tonight.”
Yan Changfeng grew even angrier.
A moment later, a modified off-road vehicle pulled up near the mecha. A golden-haired woman stepped out. The two set up a pot and stand on the spot, cutting the boar into chunks and tossing them in. The rich aroma of pork wafted through the air. Yan Changfeng, who hadn’t eaten all day, felt her stomach churn painfully.
Fortunately, this torture didn’t last long. An instrument at the duo’s side suddenly emitted a shrill alarm. They immediately dropped their bowls, donned their combat suits, and drove the off-road vehicle deeper into No Man’s Land, leaving the mecha and half a pot of soup behind.
Yan Changfeng waited in the bushes for another ten minutes. Once she was certain they wouldn’t return immediately, she crawled out.
The wounds on her back had gone numb. She had survived many such injuries; this body was resilient. She irritably kicked over the boiling pot, then turned her gaze toward the massive mecha.
This was the first time since arriving in this world that she had seen a real mecha outside of a newspaper.
Next to the mecha, the pair had left behind a No Man’s Land terrain map, a beast distribution map, a large bag filled with various mechanical parts, and several blood-stained firearms. The sheer quantity suggested they weren’t just for two people.
They weren’t just poachers; they hunted other poachers as prey.
Yan Changfeng paused as a thought flashed through her mind.
Do these things… count as trash?
She tentatively placed her hand on a firearm.
A system prompt popped up.
[Recycle G735 Laser Rifle (Value: 5,000 Energy Points)?]
Yan Changfeng nodded frantically. “Yes, yes, yes!”
In the next second, the blood-stained laser rifle vanished, and the system’s energy bar jumped.
Now revitalized, Yan Changfeng touched the firearms one by one, along with the mechanical systems in the large bag. The energy bar soared. Finally, after throwing a high-grade energy battery to the system, she reached the 100,000 energy point mark.
[Unlock Normal Skill Card Pool?]
Yan Changfeng didn’t unlock it immediately. Instead, she stuffed the terrain and distribution maps into her pocket, sold the duo’s pot and stand to the system, and then looked hesitantly at the mecha.
She reached out and touched it.
[Does not meet “trash” criteria. Cannot be recycled.]
It wasn’t trash, and it wasn’t Star Coins, so the system didn’t want it.
Well, Yan Changfeng had suspected a perfectly functional mecha couldn’t be sold as trash, but she was still a bit disappointed.
Before the pair could return, Yan Changfeng—intent on leaving them with nothing but rage—stripped the area of everything she could possibly loot and then bolted.
…
After returning to the garbage dump, Yan Changfeng first performed basic first aid on her wounds and then sold the wild chicken for 300 Star Coins. The stairwell where she stayed didn’t block out light well enough, so she went to the pharmacy, offering 50 Star Coins to stay for the night.
“Any room will do.” Her requirements were low.
The owner cleared out a quiet little storage room. A few cardboard boxes were piled in the corner, and a mouse scurried out from among them, retreating into a hole when the light hit it.
It was clearly a junk room, one that hadn’t been used in a long time.
“This is the only room left. You can stay here for the night.”
The wind chimes at the shop’s entrance rang, and the owner hurried downstairs.
Seeing this, Yan Changfeng closed the door and turned off the light. In the darkness, she heard rustling coming from the mouse hole.
With the light gone, the mice were coming out to play.
“Sigh.”
Sighing, Yan Changfeng forced herself to focus. She used a broken table leg to block the mouse hole and hammered around the opening a few times. The noise finally ceased.
Opening the system interface, Yan Changfeng used all her energy points to unlock the Normal Skill Card Pool.
[Energy Value has reached 100,000. All energy points consumed to unlock the Normal Skill Card Pool. 10 free card draws granted. (PS: 10,000 Energy Points can be exchanged for one draw. 1 Energy Point = 1 Star Coin.)]
A transparent, silver-glowing sea of stars appeared before her. Dozens of talent cards flashed by before merging into the pool, eventually forming a classic card-drawing interface.
She tentatively reached out. Her fingers passed through the interface without feeling anything. She gently tapped the “Ten Consecutive Draws” button in the bottom right corner.
Instantly, lights of various colors flashed across the interface, reflecting in Yan Changfeng’s eyes.
Soon, beams of light converged and formed ten cards above the pool. Nine of them vanished, turning into nine reagents, while the remaining card featured a pale blue eye.
An electronic voice echoed in her mind.
[Primary Talent: Spiritual Eyes]
[Passive Talent. Enhances visual perception. In your field of vision, the movement and attack speed of all objects will slow down. Effect scales with Mental Power Level.]