Chapter 3, The Interstellar Orphan

For those interstellar orphans, the issues are not that complicated; like ordinary people, they must prioritize the problems around them, such as what kind of job to take, what friends to make, and where to have fun

For Lu Linbei, it is not nine years, but twelve years

Lu Linbei sat up from the bed

Mother is both kind and strict, not allowing any children to eat or drink in the bedroom, yet Lu Yezhou always finds a way to evade supervision

I? Oh, you are talking about the organization. Well, the old con artist hasn't given me a final conclusion yet, but it should be about time; I will be leaving soon. Mom might have heard something, as she just asked me to tidy up everything in the kitchen. Lu Yezhou could hardly contain the excitement in his heart, leaning a bit further out of the bed, "Nine years, starting training at fifteen, a full nine years! If I can't become a spy, it will all be wasted."

Of course, I would never be as foolish as that woman, daring to entertain the idea of cheating, and even going so far as to infiltrate the farm, seeking her own demise. I will never take that risk; I will always be the fisherman on the shore, never venturing into the water to become bait

Meanwhile, humanity is also facing another dilemma: the panic caused by the destruction of the Earth has persisted, leading to a very low willingness to reproduce among humans, and the population has not seen any significant increase.

It is truly regrettable. If you do not trust your family, how can you expect to gain their trust? This is a matter that involves both sides. You should go home and think it over. Perhaps there will be another opportunity in the future, perhaps.

"I haven't accepted you yet, so don't call me team leader. Go outside and keep watch." Mei Qianchong's amiable demeanor was directed at Lu Linbei, while towards Lu Yezhou, his tone and expression were entirely impolite, treating the other party as nothing more than a slave

A bunk bed is placed against the wall, with Lu Linbei occupying the lower bunk, while the upper bunk is assigned to another person. Indeed, he is twenty-seven years old this year and still does not have a private room

Upon returning home, Lu Linbei threw away the book and collapsed onto the bed, reflecting on the events that had just transpired, realizing that he had been wrong from the beginning to the end

Interstellar orphans are a unique group with a long history

Well

Mei Qianchong's tone is not severe; it can be described as amiable, or perhaps it is simply due to his complete indifference. Otherwise, he would not have brought the "monkey" as a backup plan

Mei Qianchong walked to the window, standing at the end without sunlight, gazing outside. After a long while, he spoke: "Generally speaking, you would be permanently eliminated. However, this is you after all; not becoming a spy is a regret for you and a loss for the family. Therefore, I will make an exception and share a bit more explanation with you."

The issue no longer exists, but the interstellar orphan has not been canceled

Lu Yezhou flipped over and jumped to the ground, standing straight like a new recruit, "Hello, team leader."

After multiple rounds of negotiations, a proposal was put forward by someone, hoping to simultaneously address two issues

The bedroom is very small, with a window facing west. At this moment, sunlight is quietly streaming in from outside, like an emotionless spectator, staring at the bloody scene, still finding the smell of blood insufficiently strong.

Yuan Miyu is undoubtedly a spy for the Cui family in the southeast. She is an external spy recruited by the Cui family, and her sole mission is to lure me into a trap. Alas, the situation in the city is very chaotic now, and we cannot afford to be careless.

Mei Qianchong turned around, revealing a charming smile on her face, which quickly faded. In a perfectly measured serious tone, she said: "I said I would make an exception to explain to you, but I did not say that I would make an exception to allow you to ask questions. You haven't completely forgotten the rules of being a spy, have you?"

After much contemplation, he could not even understand his truest thoughts: whether he regretted losing the opportunity or regretted not being able to save the person. This left him particularly disheartened

Pay attention to safety

Lu Linbei did not witness this scene; he was dismissed by Mei Qianchong.

Every year, during the celebration of my great-grandfather's birthday, my mother would go to help out and then bring back a large amount of food, mainly cakes. Lu Linbei had eaten quite a bit of them when he was young, but now he has long lost interest

The sound of a door opening came from outside, and just by the sound of footsteps, Lu Linbei guessed that "Mom" had returned

Lu Linbei said nothing, picked up the book from the chair, and walked towards the town

Indeed. Lu Yezhou did not care, but instead became even more serious, marching out of the room with an unformed step, gently closing the door behind him

On the other hand, the development of the major planets is uneven, gradually leading to a distinction between the strong and the weak. The dispatch of interstellar orphans begins to carry a certain symbolic hierarchy; the more powerful planets send out the most orphans, while receiving the least.

The best path for the Mei family is to become spies. Lu Yezhou began to speak at length, "Investigator, team leader, regional team leader, and then there are two different paths. Of course, since we do not share the surname Mei, we cannot become analysts, so we can only continue along the path of investigators. Special team leader, deputy team leader; I have heard that someone once became a deputy director. My ambitions are not that grand; being a regional team leader is sufficient for me, able to manage three to five small teams, each with three to five members, which is quite a lot."

Lu Linbei silently finished a small piece of cake, carefully eating the crumbs that had fallen on his lap to avoid being discovered by his mother later. Then he said: "In many novels, deities and bodhisattvas often recruit demons and monsters as gatekeepers"

Hey, don't you understand this quite clearly? Becoming a deity starts with being a monster. We are currently the newly recruited monsters, and we have to do all the dirty work, hard work, and exhausting tasks. Once we achieve our goals, naturally, there will be newcomers to take over.

If this continues, the interstellar transportation system will inevitably collapse again, and the major planets will only be able to develop independently, each going their own way. Some have made extremely pessimistic predictions, believing that humanity will thus embark on a completely different evolutionary path, ultimately becoming entirely different species

Having shared the same bed for many years, even among enemies, a semblance of friendship may arise. Moreover, Lu Yezhou is a likable fellow, getting along with everyone, willing to run around, full of clever ideas, and often serves as a key player in enlivening the atmosphere at gatherings

This is a brief explanation of Mei Qianchong

Decades later, the panic among humanity gradually dissipated, the birth rate began to rise, interstellar transportation experienced significant development, and there were greater economic benefits, even restoring a portion of passenger transport functions

At the foot of the bed, there stands a tall and slender cabinet; apart from this, there are no other items in the room, which is as simple as a prison cell

Thank you

I apologize, it is my fault. I just... I think I have been too weak

Why should I bother with this issue? The con artist is the leader; everything is determined by him, and he is also responsible. Just like in the military, politicians decide when to go to war, while generals decide how to fight; as soldiers, we only need to focus on shooting and killing. We are all soldiers, so why create trouble for ourselves and burden ourselves with meaningless questioning?

When an interstellar orphan becomes a corpse, there are even fewer problems

In summary, this system has become a lingering issue that all parties seek to avoid

He is even more unclear about whether Miss Yuan is an enemy spy, feeling completely at a loss, unable to grasp even the edges of the situation

As Mei Qianchong raised his hand and waved lightly, even from the back, he was a handsome man, tall and upright, and Lu Linbei vaguely discerned the appearance of the future leader

Miss Yuan's temperament is not very good. Lu Yezhou made a gesture, as if inviting Lu Linbei to admire the scenery in the water

Interstellar orphans have emerged; they are artificial embryos sent to other planets by spacecraft. This approach offers multiple benefits: children will almost never meet their biological parents, thus avoiding many moral dilemmas; it facilitates population mobility, eliminating the threat of reproductive isolation; it provides a necessary justification for interstellar travel, and the requirements for the spacecraft are not high, as only a small corner is needed to transport tens of thousands of embryos

On one hand, a large number of individuals have developed the habit of being "hands-off parents," treating childbirth as akin to paying taxes; once paid, it becomes unrelated to themselves. Although such practices and mindsets are highly controversial, they are a genuine social custom that exists.

Do you believe she is a spy for the other side

The destruction of Earth occurred quite suddenly, with only a very small number of humans escaping the catastrophe, scattered across various planets, all preoccupied with their own survival and unable to attend to anything else. It was not until more than half a century later that they began to consider the possibility that perhaps their kind still existed on distant extraterrestrial worlds, and thus they started to focus on rebuilding the interstellar transportation system

Lu Linbei quickened his pace. Halfway, he encountered a police car approaching and pointed them in the direction, without saying anything further

Miss Yuan Miyu sank to the bottom of the water and then floated back up. The "monkey" who pushed her into the water reported it to the police as per the rules. When the police arrived, he calmly recounted the events, attributing the incident to the momentary carelessness of an outsider. "She wanted to see the fish in the river, but lost her balance. Right here, I reached out, but almost didn't catch her..."

As Mei Qianchong pushed the door open and entered, she glanced around and smiled, saying, "This place has always looked like this. When I was a child, I couldn't find a hiding spot no matter how hard I tried."

Mother is the owner of this house and also the caretaker of a group of orphans. In her sixties, she is tall and strong, having never been young and showing no signs of aging. She has raised many orphans; this is both her profession and her passion

Orphans will leave once they grow up; some become maintenance workers on farms, while others go to distant places in search of opportunities. The turning point usually occurs before the age of twenty-three, during their high school or university graduation.

Perhaps it is my weakness. Congratulations to you

Lu Linbei is the orphan who has been here the longest, known as "Lai".

Lu Yezhou, at the age of twenty-four, has graduated from university for one year. If he is unable to join the organization this year, his future will similarly be concerning

The house is very large, with a total of 10 bedrooms, each of which is quite small, always filled with children of varying ages. Indeed, before long, Lu Linbei heard the noise of the children; they were asking their mother for cake, like a group of chirping chicks.

Is it really necessary to kill? I mean, there was absolutely no need to bring her to the farm

Lu Yezhou handed down a piece of cake

Interstellar travel incurs enormous costs and has not been able to return to the peak levels for a long time. Spaceships are scarce, and the items that can be carried are limited. As for passengers, they must be meticulously selected, with only the most essential individuals allowed to board the spacecraft, resulting in a number so small it can be disregarded.

Lu Linbei took the cake and ate it slowly

He did not save Miss Yuan, nor did he even make an attempt, watching helplessly as she was pushed into the river, hearing her scream

Someone knocked on the door, and Lu Yezhou immediately fell silent, lay down on the upper bunk, and then said loudly: "Come in"

The bedroom door was pushed open, and Lu Linbei's roommate returned, who is also another older resident of this building.

The monkey named Lu Yezhou is called "Yezi" by his companions. He is also an interstellar orphan adopted by the Mei family and has been a follower of Mei Qianchong since childhood, obeying him without question

Neither of them spoke. After a while, Lu Yezhou poked his head out from the upper bunk and asked, "Are you hungry?"

The "test" completed by the river can be considered a guarantee, which put Lu Yezhou in a good mood. He hummed a little tune, did not take off his shoes, and easily climbed up to the upper bunk, lying down heavily.

Well, you have other strengths that are sufficient to compensate for your weaknesses. Pack your things, we depart tomorrow; you are to begin serving the family. Remember, you still owe me a trial.

He did not pass the "test", losing a valuable opportunity.

Lu Yezhou still maintained a probing posture, remaining silent for a moment before saying: "Don't think that I can remain indifferent in my heart, but such matters must be addressed by someone; if not you, then it will be me"