Chapter 003: A New Life in the Slums of the Small Town

She went to inquire, but the older child who took Chen You away had not returned either. The hostess's attitude towards her was extremely cold. Lin Hongyan could sense her intense resentment, a complex mix of emotions and thoughts that were anything but simple.

That is not an easy sequence to remember; she always completes over one hundred decoding sequences very quickly each time.

Many elderly individuals, middle-aged people, and young women have come one after another, offering care and concern, inquiring about well-being and warmth

Finally, one day, she suppressed her unwilling emotions and retrieved the high-tech micro-light battle armor, mechs, and various weapons from the equipment data for him to see. Chen You listened with great interest and asked with deep anticipation.

Yet she still does not love to go out, nor does she dare to. As long as she is alive, she fears the sunlight; this is her sorrow. Now that she has children, her fear has only intensified

Lin Hongyan listened, unable to hold back her tears. She had never thought in her life that she would rely on someone else for support. Unexpectedly, in the end, there was a man who wanted to take care of her, and that man was her son. She felt a deep sense of reluctance, yet still resolutely nodded in agreement, offering her praise.

Chen You's eyes were almost cast from the same mold as hers, and his face resembled that of the man, with sharp eyebrows as well. When he was born, he did not cry; instead, his pair of large, bright eyes looked around, and then he kept staring at her, even smiling at her, his mouth opening and closing, though it was impossible to discern what he was trying to say.

She began to learn to accept things calmly, started to engage in casual conversations with these people, and, out of necessity, wove a false narrative about her background. Gradually, her relationship with the neighbors became closer.

That morning, the weather was splendid. The sun shone brightly. A smile adorned Chen You's face

All the assets under her name have been legally absorbed, and all the affairs she previously managed have been taken over by others

She and the illustrations in the book rarely step outside, nor do they scavenge or compete for the limited opportunities of others. Consequently, no one bothers to dislike or trouble her.

This left her, as a person with special abilities, somewhat disappointed

Some food is generously provided, and the idle women take turns accompanying her daily without the need for discussion, helping her complete the trivial household chores. In the evening, there are even people who stay overnight, claiming to be concerned that she might need care during the night

The man who had gone mad passed away soon after, but before his death, he experienced a moment of clarity, confessing his ill intentions at the time and recounting the supernatural events he encountered at the door

No one knows about this matter, yet she still feels very uneasy in her heart

She truly does not wish for her child's area of development to be in this aspect. However, she cannot help but think of Chen You's father, that extraordinarily powerful existence that transcends common understanding

Chen You listened and then stated that starting tomorrow, he would go scavenging with the girls next door, earning money for food

The storm is raging fiercely, and people do not dare to go outside

Later, Chen You learned to use the equipment to search for information on his own. One day, Xiao Chen You found a book on ancient internal martial arts cultivation in Lin Hongyan's private storage and began to practice it.

She looked at that ancient internal martial arts book, which was given to her many years ago by a woman with whom she grew up, as close as sisters.

In the end, most did not truly take action, some mysteriously disappeared, and others suddenly experienced health issues, either resulting in death or paralysis

The slum of the small town, thus gained an additional person

When Chen You was five years old, he began to ask Lin Hongyan.

The storm did not cease until noon the following day. The people in the slums, through word of mouth, spread the news that a new life had been born.

Lin Hongyan quickly adapted to here

The warm-hearted people comforted her with tears and spontaneously offered their assistance

When asked about the child's father, she simply said that he died, killed in battle

Chen You would always affectionately call her "Mom" repeatedly, and he would eagerly watch her tidy up the furniture and clean, even attempting to help out with small tasks when he was still too young to do so.

She will not have the ability to dissolve that man's internal strength. The only person who can save her, apart from the man, is probably just one, but he cannot save the child in her womb, and perhaps as a result, he might kill her.

These unusual circumstances do not attract much attention. In such places, people often go missing, and there are frequent cases of severe illness.

Some people are curious about how she makes a living. Consequently, there are those who suspect that she is secretly selling herself, after all, her facial features and appearance are quite good, giving her that kind of capital

This observation left her quite frustrated, and she had to admit that Chen You's interests truly lay in these areas

Chen You was born here

Both the women and the older children believe that it is the spirit of Lin Hongyan's deceased "husband" that is causing trouble. Although they brought this upon themselves, they cannot help but direct their resentment towards her and her child

She could hardly resist the urge to contact an old acquaintance, wishing to send her child to the Red Country for better education and training as well as a good life. In the end, she still refrained, as those she could trust were not reliable, and those who were reliable could not be trusted.

Thus, the testing sensors integrated with the gene armor were taken out, and measurements were conducted every half month, maintaining this practice for two years

Lightning continuously illuminates the night sky, while the rumbling thunder is deafening

These passions made Lin Hongyan feel overwhelmed. Yet she found it difficult to refuse, for she knew that evil was very real, and so was goodness and beauty.

The combination of the picture and the book left Lin Hongyan feeling quite frustrated. When she asked him how he was able to open it, he replied that he often saw her inputting the password and had memorized both the password and the steps to unlock it

My precious Chen You has grown up

No one believes she can endure living in such a place

Upon further inquiry, it was revealed that the person's father had attempted to intrude upon her home many years ago, only to be driven insane by the illusions she conjured with her extraordinary abilities

Lin Hongyan was unsure whether limited prenatal education was truly effective, but Chen You was exceptionally intelligent. He learned to walk and speak much earlier than the average child. He was neither reclusive nor particularly lively and active

In such a pitiful struggle for survival, Lin Hongyan found herself feeling no shame at all

At that time, it was 22:22 on February 22, 4222.

She would rather stay in such a place, striving only to be a good mother, enduring harsh conditions that she never thought she could withstand

Lin Hongyan sensed the gradual decline of her vitality and realized that her life was not long. She must, and can only, strive to minimize the consumption of her life force to extend her time of existence

She could completely think of these things, yet she does not care about them

She considers herself a person waiting to die. In fact, she is; her bodily functions seem to have recovered, but not completely. The man's internal energy still remains within her, and she knows that even if she tries her hardest to hold on, she absolutely cannot survive for long.

Lin Hongyan thought carefully and said to him. In order to give birth to him, she had been saving some money, relying on these savings to make ends meet. Now, her health was severely deteriorating and could not be treated, leaving her unable to do these things.

It seems to be inherently more composed

She would never teach him how to kill or how to destroy more effectively. Even if she did not want to forcibly suppress his interests against his potential, she would absolutely refuse to teach him.

Regardless, she must endure and live longer. Chen You is still too young, and he has not been taught the concept of stability in values and personality. He desperately needs his mother to be alive to guide and educate him. She absolutely does not wish for an unpredictable life to turn her child into a person with a shattered inner self.

A woman who appears ordinary and unremarkable, coming from a background of poverty, with rough, yellowed skin, thick calluses, and fingers that are coarse and unattractive

She felt the weight of responsibility, carrying a child destined to grow up without a father. She must make greater efforts and think more deeply to ensure that he becomes an excellent and well-rounded person in the future

A place that absolutely no one who knows her or is familiar with her would ever imagine, the slum in the small town. It is a location that is in stark contrast to the conditions she has previously experienced.

This is a world of marginalized groups, existing in a small town yet distant from the urban populace. The purpose of life is merely survival, for tomorrow's livelihood and the next meal's satisfaction

On the seventeenth day of Chen You's scavenging, he did not return home on time. Lin Hongyan felt a bit anxious and learned from the companions who went out with him in the neighborhood.

She began to lie on the couch without getting up; whenever Chen You was not at home or during her rest, she allowed herself to fall into a state resembling deep slumber. The neighbors all thought her condition had worsened and could only sigh.

A combat genius, destined to follow in her footsteps in the future

Mother, why do others have to scavenge for a living to have food to eat, while we do not?

It has finally been discovered that Chen You is not an ability user and does not even meet the basic conditions for the manifestation of abilities acquired after birth

The only grocery store owner on the street in the morning, with a scrapped vehicle, said he would take him out of town to make money

This made her somewhat suspicious that Chen You was also a person with special abilities. Being someone who possessed such abilities herself, she knew that many individuals with special powers were particularly intelligent, yet often lacked a strong interest in the knowledge courses offered in textbooks. Due to their extraordinary mental faculties, they unconsciously experienced numerous mysterious sensations from a young age, which led them to be more inclined towards a passion for esoteric theories

Lin Hongyan did not dare to gamble with the child's life

Lin Hongyan allowed her son to inherit the cold-blooded surname of his father, feeling a sense of gratitude for the difficulty of childbirth and the luck of survival, and named him You

On the second day, Chen You went out, joining a few neighborhood children of similar age to scavenge on the streets. Lin Hongyan could not hold back her tears as she watched his small figure disappear around the corner of the street from behind the window

After Lin Hongyan imparted more knowledge, she discovered that Chen You's mathematical understanding and logical abilities were exceptionally outstanding, always able to draw inferences from one example to another, which did not cause her, a mother who had never been a teacher, any difficulty or worry. However, he did not exhibit a strong interest in delving deeply into these subjects.

Chen You stated that he could sense the existence of true energy. Lin Hongyan felt somewhat helpless; she still refused to guide him, but did not prohibit him from practicing on his own

In the assassination organization, her profile is marked with the word "missing".

Thus, there are also bachelors who are infatuated with women and have set their sights on her

Lin Hongyan did not go far; she stayed in the magical small town.

While she was reading the text on the reader, Chen You would always snuggle in her arms, his big eyes blinking curiously. Although it was clear he did not understand, he would not immediately ask questions. Only after she finished reading would he inquire about what those things were.

Lin Hongyan also discovered that Chen You had always been interested in close combat weapons, yet he had never spoken up about it, seemingly sensing her displeasure regarding his interest in them

Lin Hongyan began to teach him writing, and Chen You learned very quickly

In fact, she still does not understand how to speak. However, Lin Hongyan feels that her son is calling her mother