Yan Changfeng was taken aback.
This talent seemed extraordinary to her, especially since its effects could strengthen as her mental power level increased. To think it was only a Primary Talent?
Since she had this ability, Yan Changfeng decided to test it out.
She pulled the table leg out of the rat hole and slammed it against the wall. Soon, a black shadow scurried out from the crevice.
Without her even needing to consciously control it, the ability of her Spirit Eyes triggered. Even in the pitch-black environment, she clearly captured the rat’s silhouette. She hurled the table leg in her hand.
*Squeak!*
The broken table leg impaled the rat’s body. It kicked its legs a few times on the spot before going still.
A long-absent smile slowly curled onto Yan Changfeng’s lips. Although it consumed a certain amount of mental power, the rat’s movements had appeared nearly twice as slow in her eyes. What surprised her even more was that the Spirit Eyes came with a built-in night vision capability.
The surroundings were dark, yet her vision remained unobstructed.
Once she had fully adapted to using the Spirit Eyes, the system’s voice rang out again.
“Hello, host. I am your system, Unit 097. I am very pleased to be working with you.”
This was their first conversation since the binding, excluding the initial setup. Yan Changfeng replied formally, “Hello, 097. I look forward to your guidance.”
“Host, according to my detection, your current Physique Level is E-grade, and your Mental Power Level is E-grade. The evaluation is: as fragile as a sheet of paper, so weak you could be floored by a single punch. Please hurry and increase your Physique and Mental Power levels.”
Did it think she didn’t want to improve? Right now, even getting a full meal was a problem.
Yan Changfeng was silent for a moment before slowly speaking, “Is it possible that I’m just… poor?”
More importantly, while she could rely on day-and-night training to improve her physique, she had no way to increase her mental power.
Based on her current understanding of the world, increasing mental power required specific equipment for mental exercises or direct improvement through combat.
Neither of these methods was feasible for her right now. Today in the No Man’s Land, she had almost lost her life.
097 remained silent for a long time. Just as Yan Changfeng thought the communication had been cut off again, the electronic voice returned.
“Host, once your mental power reaches A-grade, the system will unlock the Mental Power Space. It will help you continue increasing your mental power level through virtual combat and other methods. The effects far exceed those of the Star Net Space training camps.”
The Star Net Space was essentially another holographic projection of the interstellar world, a physical manifestation of the old internet that all interstellar races could log into via an optical computer.
When Yan Changfeng first heard about it from others, she had been very interested in this holographic network world. Unfortunately, there were no shops selling optical computers in her area. It was said that a shop in the city district sold them, but she likely couldn’t afford one anyway.
“Warning: System energy is nearly exhausted. All functions except for the Normal Skill Card Pool are now locked. After the Divine Favor Card Pool is opened, the system space will become permanent. Host, I look forward to our next meeting.”
As the electronic voice faded, 097 gave no further response no matter how Yan Changfeng called out.
Yan Changfeng didn’t feel much about 097 losing contact again. She was used to being alone; having a system actually made her feel a bit out of place.
She turned her attention to the nine potions she had just drawn from the card pool: one Physique Enhancer and eight Nutritional Fluids.
The Physique Enhancer was a pale yellow liquid that gave off a faint herbal scent when opened.
After drinking the potion, Yan Changfeng closed her eyes and maximized her physical awareness, feeling for any changes.
For the first ten minutes, she didn’t feel much. But after that, the physical anomalies suddenly manifested. A powerful pressure appeared out of nowhere, nearly snapping her spine. Yan Changfeng had to prop her elbows on her knees just to keep her back straight.
Every muscle in her body felt like it was being smashed and rebuilt, and the sound of bones grinding together echoed in her ears.
An unknown amount of time passed before Yan Changfeng regained consciousness from the torture. Thanks to the Physique Enhancer, the wound on her back had completely healed.
Yan Changfeng stretched her limbs. Her body felt more comfortable than ever before. The only issue was a slight cramping in her stomach from hunger. After downing two Nutritional Fluids, she finally licked her dry lips in satisfaction.
The system’s Nutritional Fluid was over a hundred times more delicious than the ones she had drunk before.
…
After resting for the night, Yan Changfeng put on her windbreaker. She planned to keep a low profile for a few days before returning to the No Man’s Land. Since she had nothing else to do, she figured she might as well spend the time picking up trash.
She slung her sack over her shoulder and headed to the landfill as usual.
With the Spirit Eyes, Yan Changfeng felt as though she had been equipped with a透视 (X-ray) smart eye. Within a ten-meter radius, every piece of junk inside the trash piles was reconstructed in her mind. She no longer needed to rummage through everything just to find a few valuable items.
In just one morning, Yan Changfeng had scoured three adjacent trash mountains. Her sack was filled with Level 2 Metal Materials and even a piece of Level 3 Metal Casing. The mechanical gear parts she used to treasure were now beneath her notice.
A sack full of metal materials was unimaginably heavy. Fortunately, having drunk the Physique Enhancer earlier, Yan Changfeng was able to hoist the sack onto her shoulder with a single hand.
Seeing Yan Changfeng prepare to leave, several familiar scavengers nearby cast looks of envy and jealousy.
“Little Yan, finishing so early today? The garbage trucks from the city will be delivering a new batch later. Don’t blame us old folks if we don’t save any for you.”
As he spoke, the Rat-eyed Man squinted at Yan Changfeng’s sack, trying to see what was inside. Unfortunately, the quality of the sack was too good, and he couldn’t make out a thing.
Yan Changfeng smiled. “You should worry about yourself, Uncle. The trip to the Recycling Station is quite far. I always see you carrying only half a bag there. Is it because you don’t like carrying a full one?”
The Rat-eyed Man sputtered, “You!”
It wasn’t that he chose to only pick half a bag; he just couldn’t compete with the others!
Yan Changfeng ignored him and went on her way.
Once Yan Changfeng was far enough away, the Rat-eyed Man spat on the ground. “What kind of valuable stuff can be in something she can lift with one hand? What’s she acting so smug for? We’ve been scavenging here for years—how can we let a little brat step all over us?”
The people around him were too busy scavenging to pay him any mind. Feeling he had lost face, he lowered his head and muttered maliciously, “That girl has always been strange. I bet the person the authorities are looking for is you.” He repeated the thought twice, and the idea took root in his mind.
That’s right. This Yan girl had been acting weird for a year. she was often nowhere to be found. It was highly likely she was the one on the wanted posters.
While the others were buried in the trash, the Rat-eyed Man quietly picked up his own sack and walked off in a different direction.
…
The walk from the landfill to the Recycling Station took about half a star hour with Yan Changfeng’s current physique. The route passed through many abandoned building areas where many other scavengers lived. There were even small stalls set up, and the foot traffic was usually significant.
But today was strange. Yan Changfeng didn’t see many people along the way. Even the trash piles near the Recycling Station, which were normally swarming with people, were nearly deserted.
The line at the Recycling Station was only a third of its usual size, and there were even guards at the door checking identification.
Yan Changfeng suddenly felt a sense of unease. Carrying her sack, she quietly blended into the crowd and pulled aside a child who didn’t look very old. “Did something happen today? Why are there so few people?”
The child replied, “Some big shots came to the Recycling Station. They said they’re hunting for fugitives and need to test everyone’s blood samples. Many people have already been blocked at their doors for testing. I heard they’re going to put up a cordon around the landfill tonight.”
What kind of fugitive would flee to their Trash Star?
Yan Changfeng suddenly thought of the two people from last night and that bag of blood-stained firearm materials. Could those two be the fugitives they were looking for? If she provided information, would there be a reward?
But she couldn’t explain why she had been in the No Man’s Land. Yan Changfeng thought it over and, unable to find a suitable excuse, dropped the idea.
There were many children scavenging at the landfill. Yan Changfeng, being thin and small, didn’t attract much attention. The person in charge of the checks outside the Recycling Station glanced at her and let her through without even checking her ID.
Yan Changfeng continued forward with her sack when a hand suddenly dropped onto her shoulder.
The Middle-aged Woman who had previously asked her about the Level 2 metal materials said with a forced smile, “Little Yan, I went to the place you mentioned today, but I couldn’t find any metal materials. Did you remember wrong?”
Yan Changfeng replied, “It was probably just a matter of luck. I just got lucky that day.” After responding, she turned to look at the front of the line. There weren’t many people left; it would be her turn in about thirty more people.
Suddenly, Yan Changfeng’s pupils constricted. She stared intently at the Golden-haired Woman standing at the entrance of the Recycling Station.
The woman held a testing instrument and was chatting with the Recycling Station staff. Every person selling trash had to place their hand on the device as they passed. They were only allowed to leave if the indicator light didn’t turn red.
Weren’t they poachers?
Why were they the ones in charge of the inspection?
Who was she looking for?
Cold sweat broke out on Yan Changfeng’s forehead. She could only fear the worst. She had indeed tricked those two that day. What if the person the Golden-haired Woman was looking for was her? Did they have her blood sample?
Yan Changfeng suddenly remembered the wound on her back. The wild boar’s carcass, the ground, the bushes… they could have collected her blood sample from any of those places.