Su Xuan was contemplating life.
She stood in a shabby room.
The walls were weathered, the furniture was old, the paint on the desk had faded in patches, and the bed was simply made from a pile of packing boxes.
Sitting on the bed was a very young man.
His short brown hair was slightly messy, his face was pale, and his features were sharp and handsome, as if sculpted. He looked very good.
The man raised his head and glanced around: "Where is this place?"
Suddenly, the answer and relevant information appeared in Su Xuan's mind.
Su Xuan: "Aen Orbital, Satellite No. 7."
It was classified as a barren planet due to its harsh environment and lack of resources.
She spoke in a strange but familiar language.
Su Xuan: "To be more specific, it's my home."
The man nodded: "How should I address you?"
Su Xuan: "What about you?"
The man was silent for a few seconds. "My name is Han Yu."
Su Xuan: "..."
This was the name of the male lead from Interstellar Tortured Love.
Su Xuan couldn't tell if she was lucky or unfortunate.
One moment, she was hit by a car running a red light, and the next moment, she found herself in this dilapidated house, facing a stranger who had just woken up, with a bunch of new memories in her mind.
Now, she was certain—she had transmigrated into a book.
Interstellar Tortured Love was a romance novel that lived up to its title—abusive to the body, mind, the protagonist, and even the readers.
The female protagonist was an orphan abandoned on a barren planet, kind and naive, and at the start, she saved the male lead after his spaceship crash-landed, spending all her savings to treat his injuries.
Soon, the appearance of a vicious female antagonist caused them to separate. After ten long years, they finally reunited.
By then, the male lead had become the Marshal of the New Empire, powerful and famous across the universe, but he had forgotten the female lead.
He even mistook the female antagonist for his savior and got engaged to her.
They showed off their love on the star network every day, making countless imperial citizens envious and jealous, and were even hailed as the Empire's best couple.
After a series of unexpected events between the male and female leads, the female lead was slandered and insulted, called a homewrecker and a slut by the public.
In the end, after being framed by the malicious side characters, misunderstood by the male lead, kidnapped by space pirates, and suffering from amnesia and a miscarriage, the female lead miraculously survived.
She also managed to awaken the male lead's memory, prove her identity, drive away the fraudulent female antagonist, and end up with the male lead.
"..."
Su Xuan looked at the man and then surveyed the dilapidated room again.
Everything in her memories—the names of places, the environment—was a perfect match with the content from the novel.
Yes, she had transmigrated into the novel as the female lead with the same name.
The original female lead had tripped in the room, seemingly falling unconscious, and when she woke up, she was someone else.
Su Xuan looked at the mirror on the wall.
The reflection in the mirror showed a frail little girl.
Her short, jet-black hair was slightly curly and messy, making her face look even smaller.
Her features were distinct, with bangs falling over her forehead, deep-set eyes, long, thick lashes, large, bright eyes, a high nose bridge, and thin lips that lacked color.
This face was indeed delicate and beautiful with no flaws, but her complexion was poor.
Su Xuan touched the scratched mirror surface.
This was the face she was familiar with, her own face.
It just didn't have the dark circles from staying up late and had gotten a little thinner.
"Are you alright?"
The man on the bed looked at her with some confusion.
"I'm fine."
Su Xuan responded, "What about you? You've been unconscious for five days. How are you feeling now?"
"Maybe I can manage to walk," Han Yu shook his head slightly, seemingly trying to reassure her. "I'll be fully recovered in two days."
Unfortunately, two days was too long.
Su Xuan was very clear about what would happen next.
At nightfall, the malicious female antagonist would bring a large group of bodyguards and thugs to break in, knock the female lead unconscious, and take the male lead away.
Then, the female antagonist received a video call.
— It was from her brother, the most malicious male antagonist in the original novel, who called to ask about the progress of their plans.
The brother and sister discussed and decided to have one of their subordinates modify Han Yu's memory.
The malicious male antagonist also suggested that they should kill the female lead to silence her.
"That way, we'll be 100% his saviors," the malicious male antagonist said to his sister. "Killing that child is just a precaution, after all, she's just a lowly scavenger."
One of the bodyguards immediately shot the female lead in the chest.
The shot went straight through her heart.
Two days later, the female antagonist and her group had already left the planet.
Miraculously, the female lead's heart healed itself, and she "came back to life."
By this point in the novel, readers expected the female lead to be filled with hatred, to begin her path of revenge, and to kill everyone in her way.
Unfortunately, the author only wanted the female lead to continue suffering.
Before the female lead could figure out how she had resurrected, she was once again kidnapped by space pirates passing through the planet, sold to human traffickers, and became an item at an underground auction.
After a few twists and turns, she was sold again, and by coincidence, she met her family, who found her and took her back.
— It turned out the female lead also came from a wealthy family. Her parents had been forced to abandon her on the barren planet because they were being hunted.
Unfortunately, her parents were already dead, and the relatives in her family who were in charge now—her uncle, aunt, and cousins—were all wicked, despicable people.
They only found her and brought her back because she was the only one who could open her parents' belongings and take their stored fortune.
Readers had been eagerly waiting for the female lead to explode in anger, to beat up everyone who had wronged her, and to take revenge on the antagonistic siblings.
But alas, over ten years had passed, Han Yu had become the Marshal of the New Empire, and the female lead was still being mistreated by her despicable relatives, who had taken everything her parents had left behind.
The female lead had no ability to resist, nor did she ever think of fighting back.
The readers were furious, and Su Xuan, unable to bear it any longer, was driven by her obsessive-compulsive disorder to finish reading the entire novel and finally blocked the author.
Now.
Su Xuan looked at the man on the bed with a complicated expression.
"Can I ask you a question?"
"You saved me," Han Yu smiled slightly at her. "You can ask me anything."
Su Xuan: "When I dragged you out of the spaceship, I almost thought you were dead. The injuries on your body were very strange—"
"Ability user."
Han Yu interrupted her, "The people chasing me were powerful ability users, with special powers."
Su Xuan had been leading up to this topic.
In this interstellar era, there were indeed abilities.
That's why the male lead's memory could be modified, and the female lead could "come back to life."
But the focus of the novel was on the love story between the male and female leads, with all other settings serving as background to the main plot.
Even the basic information about the classification and levels of abilities was never provided in the text.
For example, the female lead, though an ability user, had never developed or researched her own powers—she just used them to endure abuse and suffering.
In addition, the original novel did mention the female lead being captured by space pirates, and the male lead single-handedly destroying their warship, showing that the male lead was indeed very strong.
Of course, that was the version of the male lead as the future Marshal of the Empire.
At this time, the empire did not exist yet, and the emperor himself was hiding in some corner of a distant planet.
Su Xuan: "You're also an ability user? So that's how you can withstand such injuries?"
After a while, Han Yu gave a vague answer, saying, "Thank you for saving me. I will repay you."
Su Xuan didn't want to change the subject. "You said I could ask you anything. So I'm asking: Are you an ability user? Or do you not want to answer?"
"The answer is meaningless to you."
Han Yu said flatly, "The less you know, the safer you'll be. The world of ability users is not a place for weaklings like you—ordinary people shouldn't meddle in it."
His words sounded like concern, but his tone carried a subtle condescension.
It was as though these so-called kind reminders were a form of charity.
"Once I'm fully healed, I'll take you away and protect you. You won't need to deal with any of this."
Han Yu looked at her earnestly.
Su Xuan: "?"
Han Yu thought she hadn't understood. "I'll give you a stable life. As long as I'm here, you'll be—"
Su Xuan's patience gradually wore thin. "No thanks."
"No, you don't understand. According to Federation law, minors—"
He stopped halfway through.
On the barren planet, those companies didn't care how old you were. As long as you were tall enough to operate a vehicle, you could work as a laborer.
Han Yu spoke with some sympathy. "In the place where I live, children your age are all in school. You should be like them, carefree."
Only after saying that did he realize the other person wasn't even listening.
Su Xuan was rummaging through the room, sorting her belongings.
The original body had been abandoned on this planet as a child and was lucky enough to be adopted by a foster father who raised her.
Last year, the foster father died unexpectedly, and the original body inherited his job, working as a temporary employee at a recycling company.
She drove into the radiation zone every day, searching through piles of garbage for valuable resources to salvage.
Su Xuan laid everything out on the table.
A handheld radiation sensor, a half-face breathing filter, a pair of wind and sand goggles, a condensation evaporator with purification function.
A high-polymer vibration knife, a small laser cutting saw, and a small box of mini-explosive laser grenades.
A tube of medical glue, a pair of chemical-resistant thin gloves, and two bottles of basic formula nutrient liquid.
Along with some miscellaneous parts, various sizes of gear shafts, bearings, screws, and the empty shells of energy storage units—none of it was particularly useful.
Then, there was an old-style lightbrain left by her foster father. It was a miniature computer that could be worn on the wrist.
It was something her foster father had salvaged and modified from a junk pile many years ago. The model was outdated, almost like a regular smartphone, with only basic functions: connecting to the network, communication, photography, reading, and finance.
She glanced at the account information—502 star coins.
The cheapest nutrient liquid was five star coins per bottle, so this balance was enough for a few months' worth of meals.
Her foster father had left a small sum of savings, but most of it had been spent on buying a very expensive regeneration gel to treat the male lead's injuries.
The gel had already been used up.
"Mr. Han."
Su Xuan turned around. "I bought you the best cell regeneration gel before, but now I have no money left."
"Actually, as long as the environment is safe and there's enough time, I can fully heal on my own."
Han Yu paused. "All you had to do was bring me out of the spaceship—"
Su Xuan's expression became increasingly unfriendly.
Han Yu: "Sorry, you don't understand the powers of ability users. I've made you spend money, but I can't log into my account to transfer you any funds. Someone is tracking my location."
Su Xuan: "?"
What use are you to me?
She shoved everything from the table into a suitcase and, after checking the room, packed a few more items and old clothes.
Su Xuan waved the items in her hand. "Your gun—can I sell it for money?"
The original body had kept it to return to its owner, but she had no intention of doing that now.
"Yes."
Han Yu paused. "Though you don't need to do that. I'll take you away soon—"
"My friend just messaged me. A group of people has come to the city."
Su Xuan immediately interrupted him. "They're looking for a spaceship crash survivor."
Of course, that was just made up.
She had no goodwill toward Han Yu, but she didn't want the malicious female antagonist to easily find him. Otherwise, she might also get into trouble.
Su Xuan pushed open the door. "Your spaceship was shot down. I guess someone is hunting you? Maybe it's these people. You should hide."
"Wait!"
Han Yu quickly called out to her. "Where are you going?"
"…I don't know."
Su Xuan dropped the truth, then walked out the door without looking back.
The original body's residence was a dilapidated spaceship wreck turned into a shelter, located on the outskirts of the settlement, surrounded by endless white desert.
On the sand was an anti-gravity ground vehicle that looked like a jet ski at first glance.
Its paint was a mix of green and purple, the body covered with scratches of various sizes, the outer radiator was hanging by a thread, and the headlights were shattered on one side. The propulsion unit was even held together with duct tape.
This vehicle had no cabin, only an open seat, leaving the driver fully exposed to the elements—wind, rain, or sun.
Su Xuan put on her goggles and breathing mask, pulled up her hood, jumped into the seat, and twisted the throttle to accelerate, leaving the place with the engine sputtering in the background.
Even if she could heal and revive from death, Su Xuan didn't want to get involved in this ridiculous plot.
Cherish life, stay away from the male lead.
About an hour later, the vehicle entered the city.
Su Xuan began to see scattered vehicles and a few pedestrians here and there.
On either side of the street were buildings of varying heights, old and rundown, with tangled pipelines, exuding a sense of desolation and decay.
The air was filled with dust.
The intersection ahead was blocked, and there were dozens of locals gathered around, all with confused looks on their faces.
"Excuse me, have you seen this person?"
A young woman, about twenty years old, spoke with a gentle and refined demeanor. She had dark brown curly hair, wore an expensive dress, and a necklace that sparkled in the light. Her expression was calm and kind.
She was surrounded by a few bodyguards dressed in black suits.
These people were clearly outsiders, with faint energy shields around them to block the dust, and their clothes were pristine and neat.
In contrast, the locals looked dull and dirty, covered in dust with tiny sand particles lodged in their clothes and hair.
The two groups seemed to belong to entirely different worlds.
"That's him."
The girl held up a holographic projection in the air.
The projection was vivid and highly realistic, showing a bust of Han Yu.
So, this must be the male lead's fiancée, the malicious female antagonist, Rong Yin.
Su Xuan blended in with the crowd and glanced at her inconspicuously.
"His spaceship crashed on this planet. If anyone knows where he is or has any clues, I will reward you."
Rong Yin chuckled.
"A reward that you'll never make in your lifetime."
Her eyes held unabashed arrogance and faint disdain.
"????"
The locals exchanged puzzled looks.
They were all tempted by the so-called reward, but they hadn't seen the man. Making up a lie wouldn't guarantee they'd get the money; they might even get into trouble.
"No."
"I only saw a few garbage transport ships."
"Did it crash in the no-man's land? If so, he might be dead."
The crowd shook their heads one after another.
Su Xuan did the same.
Rong Yin closed her eyes for a moment. "You can go."
She then turned to her bodyguards and whispered in complaint, "This is a waste of time. We might as well just go search the no-man's land for the ship. I don't want to talk to these garbage-picking peasants anymore—"
"Wait, I think I've seen a large shuttle crash. I think it was in Sector 30. I still remember the location."
A man suddenly spoke up loudly.
"What?"
Rong Yin turned sharply, "Where? Take me there!"
"It's really far, and I still have work to do later—"
The man didn't immediately lead the way, only coughing a few times.
Rong Yin smirked sarcastically.
As expected, these poor peasants cared about nothing but money.
"If it's the ship I want, I'll give you fifty thousand star coins."
The man screamed, "I'll take you there right now!"
The rest of the crowd watched them leave, their expressions varied.
"Who knows if it's even the right one."
"Yeah, and didn't she say it's a reward they'll never earn in a lifetime? Fifty thousand isn't that much."
Su Xuan was no longer in the mood to listen to their snide remarks, so she immediately accelerated the vehicle to the highest speed.
— It seemed that in the original story, Rong Yin found the female lead's house in this way.
Once Rong Yin saw the ship, all she had to do was confirm that it belonged to Han Yu. Then, she could contact the company and request the list of employees who had entered Sector 30, along with their addresses.
As for whether the recycling company would cooperate with her?
Rong Yin had more than one ability user among her bodyguards.
For a small company on a desolate planet like this, it would have no power to refuse her.
While speeding, Su Xuan silently calculated in her mind.
The journey from the habitat to Sector 30, along with contacting the company and so on, would take a considerable amount of time. It wasn't something that could be resolved in just a few minutes.
The earliest Rong Yin would be able to find her house would probably be at night.
And besides, she had already said enough. As long as Han Yu wasn't a fool, he wouldn't just sit there waiting for them to show up.
As long as he hid, it would buy them some more time.
Even if they ran into each other, Han Yu wouldn't be in danger.
If she wasn't around, he could act accordingly, and maybe even avoid the brainwashing.
...
Half an hour later, Su Xuan arrived at the spaceport.
The entire spaceport was poorly maintained and looked somewhat dilapidated. Most of the docking bays were empty, with only a few dozen ships parked here and there.
Among them, a sleek, brand-new luxury yacht stood out, obviously belonging to Rong Yin.
"Wonder whose ship that is..."
"That's the Liufeng No. 3. We wouldn't even be able to afford one of its engines with ten lifetimes' worth of salary..."
"I heard she's here looking for someone."
Two staff members were talking as they walked by.
Su Xuan brushed past them, taking a quick look around the sparsely populated waiting hall. She found the flight departure signs.
Regular passenger ships didn't usually pass by desolate planets; only cargo ships and private vessels would land here for refueling during long-distance travel.
To make a little extra money, they might allow locals to hitch a ride.
Su Xuan thoughtfully gazed at the sign.
The destinations of these ships were varied, but all were headed to planets with numerical designations.
"Hello."
She looked at the sign for a moment before heading to the service desk. "Which ship is departing the soonest?"
"Huh? You're planning to board?"
The staff member, who had been dozing off, glanced at the screen. "The transport ship at A-zone C-position is taking off in ten minutes."
Su Xuan: "Please contact them for me, thank you."
"Okay."
The staff member shrugged, sending a message as he spoke. "Their destination is Star 233, are you familiar with it?"
Su Xuan: "Yes, please hurry, thank you."
Actually, she found the planet somewhat familiar.
Because the number combination was special, and also because the original story seemed to have mentioned this place.
But now wasn't the time to think about it—escaping was the priority.
"I've sent them a message... but you do know that numerical designation planets are all dark stars, right?"
"The city is full of ability users and criminal groups, and outside the city, there are high-risk mutated beasts. It's way more dangerous than the radiation here, are you sure about this?"
Suddenly, Su Xuan realized where that sense of familiarity was coming from.
It was mentioned in the original story that many important figures of the future empire had started their rise on dark stars, carving a bloody path to become powerful.
Including the emperor himself.
The one who could destroy fleets in the blink of an eye and annihilate countless planets with a wave of his hand—the cosmic tyrant—seemed to have started his rise on a dark star known as Star 233.