After a brief moment of silence—
A gentle breeze stirred the air softly.
Chen Sui tightened her grip, withdrawing her lightblade as she bent low, kicking off forcefully against the energy beast beneath her.
The recoil helped her pull the blade from its thick hide. Her body curved midair like a crescent moon, the blue arc of the lightblade and the faint gray glow of the energy crystal at its tip trailing a sharp crescent through the sky.
Upon landing, her mecha skidded half a meter before dropping to one knee and coming to an abrupt stop.
She rose, supporting herself with one hand against the ground, the other holding the sword.
Before her, the massive energy beast collapsed with a resounding crash, like a mountain falling.
The impact thudded heavily against the earth.
Chen Sui gave the enormous corpse a cold glance, then raised the tip of her sword and removed the energy crystal from its apex.
She flicked the blade in the air and slid it neatly into the mechanical sheath on her back.
Mr. Paisen's face turned red as he watched the beast fall.
Only after a few seconds did he remember to breathe, gasping for air while his eyes remained fixed on Chen Sui.
"You..."
Mr. Paisen had barely spoken when he was interrupted by a strange disturbance nearby.
The energy storm within the field began to converge toward the central exo-mecha.
The violent concentration of energy made it difficult for Mr. Paisen to breathe.
Before he could finish his sentence, his eyes rolled back and he collapsed.
Invisible winds surged toward them. All plant life within the energy field dissolved into imperceptible green light, flowing into the energy crystal in the exo-suit's palm.
Outside the energy field.
Students from the Six Institutes of the Third Ring had just arrived at Taro Star. They joined the border troops and made their way to the Energy Field Management Office.
"The field has already been partitioned based on the energy beasts' distribution."
A woman in military uniform with a long ponytail stepped out from the crowd, saluted the border troops, and nodded respectfully to the instructor leading the students. "Thank you to the United Academy for your support."
The United Academy referred to the Third Ring Joint Academy Training.
She swiftly led the group into the energy field monitoring tower, where multiple field energy fluctuation maps were displayed on the holographic screen.
The border troops quickly issued assignments and began sending teams into each energy field in waves.
The management staff sighed in relief, their tone somber. "We are counting on all of you. There are 57,000 people trapped on Taro Star. On their behalf, thank you."
The lead instructor felt a sting in his nose and nodded heavily. "We will follow the border troops' arrangements."
Students from the Six Institutes and the border forces hurried toward the energy field anchors.
The students were split into smaller groups, each following different border troop squads. Holding energy detection devices, they prepared to enter the fields.
"This is ridiculous. They brought us here for rescue, and then stuck us in the lowest-ranked zone."
They had been assigned to the Ocean Avenue energy field, home to a single S-class energy beast. The student who spoke frowned irritably. He did not care about an S-class energy crystal—what he really wanted was to enter the SS-class field.
Another team member overheard and asked, "Are we not here to assist with the rescue?"
The boy scoffed. "Rescue? Let us grab the crystals first."
The girl frowned in disapproval and reminded him, "The teacher clearly said the priority inside the field is rescuing survivors."
He gave a dismissive laugh. "The border troops can handle the survivors. I am more interested in fighting an unrecorded energy beast. I am looking forward to it."
Unable to argue with him, the girl rolled her eyes.
Just as the students were about to enter the anchor, a border soldier monitoring the energy readings noticed something wrong and signaled everyone to stop.
The irritable boy clicked his tongue. "What now?"
Before he could finish, his energy detector emitted a sharp alarm.
"Severe energy fluctuation detected! Severe energy fluctuation detected!"
Panic flickered across the boy's face. He gripped his device tightly, cursed under his breath, and looked toward the border forces.
"Fall back!"
A command rang out.
Everyone near the anchor—staff and students alike—retreated in unison, pulling away from the field.
A deafening rumble came from within. The anchor point cracked, then was torn wide open.
Energy storms spilled outward, rampaging toward the surrounding area. If not for the insulation materials in place, many people would have been injured.
With the rupture at the anchor, the entire energy field's containment barrier collapsed. Those outside could now see the layers of jagged mountains and crumbling ruins within.
As the energy field lay fully exposed to view, tension gripped everyone present.
Then, the energy barrier completely vanished.
Beep—
The energy detector showed a nearly vertical drop on its waveform. The readings plummeted from their peak to zero in an instant.
"Detected energy levels... 8, 7... 5, 4, 3, 2, 1."
"No energy detected. Energy field dissipated. Alert lifted."
The cold, mechanical voice was the only sound remaining.
A second after the field's barrier dissolved—
The black mountains cracked into massive boulders. Dirt clung to the earth.
The energy-eroded skyscrapers crumbled into rubble, roads shattered and torn, and broken levitating tracks fell from the sky—now all part of a chaotic wasteland.
Dirt and stone buried unknown regions, lifeforms were corroded by black sludge.
Amid the ruins, near the shattered peaks, a massive mecha rose from the ground.
The hiss of mechanical parts and propulsion systems echoed in the silence.
Underfoot lay the immense body of the energy beast.
Its corpse slowly melted into the soil, vanishing like the storm that had accompanied it. As everyone watched, the mecha detected abnormal vital signs from the pilot and swiftly ejected its cockpit, gently lowering the person to the ground.
Without the mech suit, the crowd could now clearly see the pilot's face.
A slender girl with short black hair lifted bloodshot eyes filled with a chilling intensity. Her overwhelming killing aura made the border soldiers frown.
The brutal air around her kept everyone at a distance.
So they only watched as she took a single step forward, her body swaying unsteadily.
But Chen Sui did not feel well at all.
The moment the energy field dissipated, a massive force rushed into her body, stealing her breath.
Her brain felt flooded with molten lead—heavy and slow.
Her eyes throbbed painfully. It felt as though her eyeballs would burst from their sockets.
Her vision blurred. She could barely tell she had walked out from the dark mountains.
Blinding sunlight turned the scene before her pure white.
The glare obscured every face. Her ears filled with a rushing, roaring sound like water.
Someone seemed to be speaking, but soon, she could not hear anything at all.
The white light faded into blackness once again.
Everyone saw her step onto the rubble, tilt sideways, and collapse.
That was when the crowd snapped out of their shock.
"What... just happened?"
The arrogant boy whispered, taking a deep breath. He dared not admit he had been frightened by just her gaze.
His teammates had no answer. Many were still disoriented after the energy field's collapse.
The border troops resumed control, retrieving unconscious civilians buried beneath rubble and hills, sending them to medical stations.
The Ocean Avenue field was the first to be resolved among all Taro Star's energy zones.
The resolution came from a single mecha pilot.
When the border troops retrieved Chen Sui and Mr. Paisen, they confirmed the pilot's identity through mecha recognition.
"A basic mech took down an S-class energy beast? That is impressive."
"Even with the help of high-grade weapons, this combat ability is incredible!"
Two soldiers exchanged looks, both nodding in agreement.
Chen Sui felt her consciousness drift into a strange space.
Everything around her looked familiar.
She was back in a desolate wasteland.
Grotesque monsters of terrifying power destroyed a coastal city and slaughtered all life in sight.
A bold woman piloting a blood-red mech swiftly executed the monsters that had invaded a sector of the underground city.
She jumped from the mech and smiled at the younger Chen Sui.
"As a vanguard, your job is to eliminate all enemies at any cost. Do you understand, Xiao Sui?"
"This is the most dangerous, the most insane position. You are the first target for the creatures. Are you sure you want to be the vanguard?"
Chen Sui no longer remembered her response.
Suddenly, she saw a dreamlike valley.
Verdant woods formed a cozy cabin, nestled among towering trees on a grassy plain. The house rested on a branch, surrounded by vibrant flowers. The enormous red man-eating blossoms at the door resembled a staircase—like something out of a fairytale rose garden.
The dream scenes were chaotic and overlapping. In a clear stream, she saw her own reflection—one eye a vivid green, the other not a silver prosthetic, but hollow like glass, refracting brilliant colors.
A voice whispered from another dimension, like a distant god's chant.
Though it spoke an unfamiliar tongue, Chen Sui understood it.
The voice called to her: "Wood-born flower, descend."
"Our world is about to begin."
Voices broke through the dream.
Footsteps. Murmurs. Machinery. Doors opening and closing.
Scents hit her nose—sharp disinfectant stinging her sinuses.
Chen Sui slowly opened her eyes. The wasteland and forest vanished like a dream. All she saw was a silver-white ceiling and a mess of wires connected to her.
The medical pod's lights blinked to indicate she was awake.
Footsteps approached. The door opened. A doctor in silver protective gear walked in.
Chapter 5 – Taro Star
Lying on her back, Chen Sui turned her head. Her entire body ached as though run over by a vehicle. Every joint and bone throbbed. The pod's medication eased the pain significantly.
The doctor scanned her information and read aloud, "Chen Sui, 18 years old, not awakened, residing at Ocean Avenue, No. 139. Please confirm your details."
She displayed the data to Chen Sui, who responded weakly, lips dry and voice hoarse, "Yes. The information is correct."
The doctor nodded and adjusted the pod's settings. "Your injuries are nearly healed. You will be discharged by noon. Once the slow-release meds are finished, remember to collect your records from the treatment room."
She turned to leave. Chen Sui quickly asked, "Doctor, may I ask why I was hospitalized?"
The doctor paused and looked at her strangely. "You do not remember? You were hit hard by an energy storm in the field. Fortunately, your zone had a skilled solo pilot who dealt with the beast. If not, your injuries would have been beyond saving."
The doctor gave her a relieved look before walking away.
Left alone, Chen Sui lay quietly in the pod, letting the medication soothe her body.
Her mind drifted aimlessly, trying to make sense of everything.