Chapter 41 – The Third World 第三个世界

When Lin Yuan woke up, what greeted his eyes was a ceiling with a metallic texture and the indoor decorations that gave off a blue light of technology. It took him a full three seconds to realize that he had already arrived at the "next plane" mentioned by the Jiuchong Ring.

"Kepler 4b?" He sat on the bed, his eyes instinctively scanning the surroundings, his heart filled with confusion. This was a future plane of interstellar colonization, and he had learned something about it from the brief introduction of the Jiuchong Ring. This was a habitable planet 240,000 light-years away from Earth. The technology here was advanced, and Earth became unsuitable for large-scale living because of over-exploitation.

Just as Lin Yuan was about to complain that this place looked too cold and mechanized, the voice of the Jiuchong Ring suddenly interrupted: "Host, congratulations on successfully arriving at the new plane. This time, your identity is set as a member of a wealthy family on Kepler 4b. The family situation has been synchronized with your memory. Please digest it on your own."

"Wealthy family?" Lin Yuan frowned, and a bunch of complex information suddenly popped into his mind.

His father, Lin Tiance, was a senior executive of the most influential energy company in the Kepler 4b star domain. He had a calm personality and was resolute and efficient in his work. His mother, Ye Qingxuan, was an elite in the legal field, strong and capable. His younger sister, Lin Wanqing, three years younger than him, was already a top figure in scientific research and her nicknamed "Genius Researcher".

And he, Lin Yuan, at the age of 26, the eldest son in this family, was the only one in the family who didn't have any remarkable achievements. After graduating, he had tried several times to start his own business, but all ended in failure. Now he was just an ordinary energy maintenance technician. Although the family relationship wasn't bad, he always felt that he was the "least outstanding" one in this family.

"This identity setting is a bit random, isn't it?" Lin Yuan silently complained in his heart.

The Jiuchong Ring retorted sharply, "Host, cherish this rare good chance. A rich family and a stable status can spare you much trouble."

Before Lin Yuan could retort, he heard a clear knock on the door.

"Brother, haven't you gotten up yet? There's an important family gathering today." A gentle female voice with a hint of unyielding came from outside the door. It was his younger sister, Lin Wanqing.

"Coming, coming!" Lin Yuan replied and got up in a hurry. He knew that this time, he had to quickly adapt to his new identity and environment.

Lin Yuan was called downstairs by his younger sister Lin Wanqing and walked into this luxurious residence that seemed like a "home" but was still a bit unfamiliar to him. The residences of the wealthy class on Kepler 4b were mostly located in the thermostatic area with a beautiful environment. Each residence had an intelligent tech support system. The exteriors were mainly made of simple metallic materials and glass, and the interior of the residence was equipped with all kinds of facilities.

In the dining room, the family of four had already gathered together for breakfast. This was their rare family time because Lin Tiance, the father, and Ye Qingxuan, the mother, were busy with their work, and Lin Wanqing, the younger sister, was often on the go between the scientific research laboratory and academic conferences.

Lin Tiance held a document in his hand. Although he was sitting at the dining table, it was obvious that his mind was still on the company.

"Yuan'er," Lin Tiance glanced at Lin Yuan and asked firmly, "When will you go for the interview at the energy company I recommended?"

Lin Yuan was taken aback for a moment and scratched his head: "Ah, Dad, I'm still considering it recently..."

"Considering?" Lin Tiance put down the document, and his chiseled face darkened slightly. "You're already 26 years old. At this age, if you don't have a clear career direction, you'll be eliminated."

Lin Yuan silently sighed in his heart. He had just traveled here and hadn't even figured out the situation yet, but he had to face his father's high standards.

His mother, Ye Qingxuan, sitting on the other side, was looking at a legal document on her smart wristband. Even at breakfast, she kept a meticulous professional manners.

"Old Lin, don't put too much pressure on the child," Ye Qingxuan looked up, but her eyes carried a kind of scrutiny. "Isn't Lin Yuan still in the position of an energy maintenance technician? That's also a very important job."

Lin Tiance snorted coldly: "That position is a transitional period prepared for him. He can't keep doing that forever."

Ye Qingxuan sighed and said to Lin Yuan, "Hear that? Plan whatever you do. Don't disappoint us."

Lin Yuan could only nod, feeling a bit helpless in his heart. His mother's requirements for his work ability were no less than his father's, but at least, her strength in the family was accompanied by a kind of rational tenderness.

Lin Wanqing gracefully cut the food on her plate with a fork and occasionally carefully pushed the jam in front of Lin Yuan: "Brother, eat more. You don't look too well recently."

"Thank you, Wanqing." Lin Yuan forced a smile. His younger sister, who was only 23 years old, had already made a name for herself in the scientific research field on Kepler 4b. In work and life, Lin Wanqing showed a maturity and stability beyond her age.

Lin Yuan learned from his "memory" that Wanqing seemed to have always taken good care of this "not-so-successful" brother.

"Brother," Lin Wanqing suddenly spoke up, her tone calm but with a hint of worry. "Actually, Dad is right. In this era, if we don't work hard, we'll be eliminated. I know you have your own ideas, but don't be too self-centered either."

Lin Yuan was left speechless by the admonition. His identity made his family full of expectations for him, but compared with the outstanding backgrounds of his family members, he was indeed the most "ordinary" one. While listening to his family talking, he silently thought, "Jiuchong Ring, isn't the identity you set for me this time too hard?"

Jiuchong Ring replied lazily, "Host, being in this family means you won't lack food and clothes, and have plenty of resources. Aren't you happy?"

=====================

林远醒来的时候,眼前是金属质感的天花板,还有那带着科技蓝光的室内装饰.他花了整整三秒钟,才意识到自己已经到了九重戒指所提到的 "下一个位面".

"开普勒4b?" 他坐在床上,目光下意识地环视四周,内心充满了疑惑.这是一个星际殖民的未来位面,他从九重戒的简短介绍里了解过一些.这里是距离地球24万光年的一颗宜居星球,科技高度发达,而地球因为过度开发,已变得不再适宜大规模居住.

正当林远准备吐槽这地方看上去过于冰冷和机械化时,九重戒的声音冷不丁地插了进来:"宿主,恭喜你成功抵达新位面.这一次,你的身份设定为,开普勒4b富裕家庭的其中一员,家族情况已同步至你的记忆,请自行消化."

"富裕家庭?" 林远皱了皱眉,脑海中瞬间多了一堆复杂的信息.

他的父亲林天策,开普勒4b星域最具影响力的能源公司高管,性格冷静且雷厉风行;母亲叶青璇,是一名法律界的精英,强势干练;妹妹林晚晴,比他小三岁,却已是科研界的佼佼者,人送外号 "天才研究员".

而他,林远,26岁,这个家庭中的长子,却是家里唯一一个没什么特别建树的人.毕业后,他试过几次创业,但全都以失败告终,现在只是一名普通的能源维修技师.虽然家庭关系不算差,但他总感觉自己是这个家庭里 "最不耀眼" 的那一个.

"这身份设定有点随意吧?" 林远在心里默默吐槽.

九重戒毫不留情地回怼:"宿主,请珍惜这次难得的良好条件.富裕的家庭背景和稳定的身份,可以为你节省大量麻烦."

林远还没来得及反驳,就听到一声清脆的敲门声.

"哥,还没起床吗?今天可是有重要的家庭聚会." 门外传来了一个温柔中带着一丝不容拒绝的女声,是他的妹妹林晚晴.

"来了,来了!" 林远应了一声,匆匆起身.他知道,这一次,他必须迅速适应新的身份和环境

林远被妹妹林晚晴喊下楼,走进了这座看似 "家" 却对他来说还有些陌生的豪华住宅.开普勒4b的富裕阶层住宅大多坐落在环境优美的恒温区,每座住宅都有智能化的科技辅助系统,外观以简洁的金属和玻璃为主,内部设施一应俱全.

餐厅里,一家四口已经聚在一起共进早餐.这是他们难得的家庭时光,因为父亲林天策和母亲叶青璇工作繁忙,而妹妹林晚晴也经常奔波于科研实验室和学术会议.

林天策手握一份文件,虽然坐在餐桌旁,但显然心思还在公司上.

"远儿," 林天策瞥了林远一眼,语气不容置疑地说道, "我给你推荐的那家能源公司岗位,你什么时候去面试?"

林远愣了一下,挠了挠头: "啊,爸,我最近还在考虑..."

"考虑?" 林天策放下文件,刀削般的脸庞微微一沉,"你已经26岁了,在这个年龄还没有明确的事业方向,会被淘汰的."

林远默默在心里叹了口气.他才刚穿越过来,还没搞清楚状况,就要面对父亲的高标准要求.

坐在另一侧的母亲叶青璇正在浏览智能腕环上的一份法律文件.即使是在早餐时间,她依然保持着一丝不苟的职业状态.

"老林,别给孩子太大压力了," 叶青璇抬头,目光却带着一种审视, "林远不是还在能源维修技师的岗位上吗?那也是个很重要的工作."

林天策冷哼一声: "那个岗位是为他准备的过渡期,他不可能一直干这个."

叶青璇叹了口气,转向林远: "听到了吗?不管你做什么,都要有规划.别让我们失望."

林远只能点头,心里却有些无奈.他的母亲对他的工作能力要求,丝毫不亚于父亲,但至少,她在家庭中的强势是带着一种理性的温柔.

林晚晴优雅地用叉子切着盘中的食物,偶尔还细心地把果酱推到林远面前:"哥,你多吃点,最近看你气色不太好."

"谢谢晚晴." 林远勉强笑了笑.他的这位妹妹,才23岁,却已经在开普勒4b的科研领域名声在外.无论是工作能力还是生活态度,林晚晴都展现出一种超越年龄的成熟和稳重.

林远从 "记忆" 里得知,晚晴似乎一直很照顾这个 "混得不太行" 的哥哥.

"哥," 林晚晴忽然开口,语气平静但带着一丝担忧, "其实父亲说得没错,在这个时代,如果我们不努力,就会被淘汰.我知道你有自己的想法,但也别太自我了."

林远被劝得有些哑口无言.他的身份让家人对他充满期待,但对比起一家人出色的背景,他的确是看起来最 "普通" 的一个.他一边听着家人的讨论,一边低头吃饭,心里默默嘀咕:"九重戒,你这次给我安排的身份是不是有点太高难度了?"

九重戒懒洋洋地回应:"宿主,进入这种家庭,你至少衣食无忧,资源丰富,还不满意?"