147: Fellow villagers meeting

In Lin Fan's heart, a surge of indescribable and complex emotions instantly welled up.

There was awe, curiosity, and expectation, but more than that... it was a kind of... envy originating from the depths of his Soul that he hadn't even noticed himself?

Yes, envy!

Envy that the other party was so young!

Envy of that composure and serenity that seemed innate!

Envy that the other party... seemed to not have to worry about anything at all?!

Compared to his life of struggling to survive, working his heart out, and ultimately nearly having everything come to naught, the life of this "Ancestor Chen" before him was simply like the legendary days of the immortals!

He struggled, wanting to pay his respects, but his weak body would not obey him. He stumbled and nearly fell.

Li Qingshan was quick and agile, catching him with a gentle force.

Chen Jun sighed inwardly as he looked at Lin Fan's state.

He could feel that this Hometown fellow's flame of life was already like a candle in the wind, liable to go out at any moment.

This was truly the point of exhaustion, a manifestation of extreme mental and physical depletion.

“No need for formalities. Quick, bring a seat,” Chen Jun said in a gentle tone, pointing to a similarly comfortable chair nearby.

Li Qingshan immediately supported Lin Fan, carefully helping him sit down.

After sitting down, Lin Fan took a few breaths before speaking with a voice as raspy as a broken bellows, “I... I am Lin Fan. Greet... Greetings, Ancestor Chen...”

He had to pause after every few words, as if he had exhausted all his strength.

Chen Jun felt pity and gave Li Qingshan a look.

Understanding the gesture, Li Qingshan immediately took out a cup of “Hundred Herb Essence Liquid” that emitted a thick aura of life and held it to Lin Fan's lips. “Mr. Lin, drink some of this first. Calm down before we talk.”

Lin Fan gave Li Qingshan a grateful look and didn't refuse, drinking it in small sips.

As the liquid entered his throat, it turned into a gentle warm current, quickly nourishing his parched Meridians and nearly depleted Soul.

A trace of color returned to his face, his breathing became much smoother, and the dead gray in his eyes seemed to dissipate slightly, regaining a flicker of the luster belonging to an intelligent being.

He looked at Chen Jun again, this time with a bit more clarity and inquiry in his gaze.

Seeing that his condition had improved slightly, Chen Jun smiled and spoke in standard Mandarin Chinese, “Hometown fellow Lin Fan, relax. We... are on the same side.”

“On the same side?” Lin Fan froze for a moment. The language the other party spoke... although there were slight differences in accent, it was definitely Chinese! “You... you are also...?”

“Yes,” Chen Jun nodded, his tone carrying the sentiment of meeting an old friend in a distant land. “I come from Blue Star, Huaxia.”

Lin Fan's eyes widened instantly!

Blue Star?! Huaxia?!

It really was a Hometown fellow?!

In this infinitely distant alien Universe, at the core of a high-level civilization, he had actually met a Hometown fellow from the same birthplace?!

A massive surge of excitement pounded against his heart, making his just-stabilized breathing become rapid once again!

“You... you really are...” Lin Fan's voice trembled. “That's great... it's truly... great...”

Meeting an old friend in a distant land was one of the four great joys of life.

Not to mention being in this alien civilization where he had no relatives and his own civilization was on the brink of destruction!

This sudden sense of identity and belonging almost brought him to tears!

Chen Jun could understand his feelings and smiled gently. “Relax, relax. Speak slowly. I heard from Qingshan that you know the ‘ten questions of the starry sky’?”

At the mention of the “ten questions of the starry sky,” Lin Fan's spirit visibly rallied, as if he had found some kind of spiritual pillar.

He nodded vigorously, his eyes shining with the light of memory. “Ye... Yes! I know them!”

Chen Jun became interested. “Oh? Then tell me about them.”

Lin Fan took a deep breath and struggled to sit up straight:

“The first of the ten questions of the starry sky: Hydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium, boron? The answer: Carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, neon.”

“The second: Odd changes, even stays the same? The signs depend on the quadrant.”

...“The fifth: Which school has the best excavator technology?”

When Lin Fan reached this point, his tone was somewhat uncertain. “Go to Lanxiang in Shandong, China?”

However, Lin Fan's next words left Chen Jun stunned.

Lin Fan said, “The sixth: This year's holiday, no gifts accepted, except for... uh...” He got stuck, frowning in deep thought, and finally shook his head helplessly. “This... I can't remember clearly... it seems to be related to ‘health’ and ‘longevity’?”

Chen Jun was a bit speechless internally. How could this Hometown fellow drop the ball at the critical moment?

Not just this one, he didn't know the slogans that followed either... Looking at Lin Fan's expression of annoyance and self-reproach for being unable to complete the ten questions of the starry sky, Chen Jun's mouth couldn't help but twitch wildly!

Good grief!

Out of the ten questions, you forgot all the most critical slogans that could best prove your ‘Hometown fellow’ status?!

Or did you just not know them at all?!

You only remembered the most basic math, physics, chemistry, and ancient literature?!

How could you not know ‘Most Dazzling Folk Style’ and ‘Lonely Warrior’?!

Your knowledge structure before Transmigration... it's a bit lopsided, brother!

Chen Jun couldn't help but facepalm and began to complain:

“Big brother! What exactly did you do before Transmigration?! Why do you only remember things from textbooks? TV commercials, internet surfing, pop songs... you didn't touch any of it?!”

“So you're a ‘studious’ transmigrator? Ignoring everything outside and focusing only on the classics?!”

“No wonder you've had such a miserable time... this knowledge structure is too unbalanced! You only know how to take exams and don't understand life!”

Looking at the ever-changing expressions on Chen Jun's face—sometimes realization, sometimes between laughter and tears—Lin Fan felt even more uneasy.

He struggled to get up. “Ancestor Chen... please forgive me... I... have failed...”

“Stop, stop, stop! It's fine, it's fine!” Chen Jun hurriedly waved his hand, comforting him with a wry smile. “Knowing the first few is enough to prove your identity! The ones after that... if you don't know them, then forget it. They're not important, really not important!”

He finally understood.

This Hometown fellow Lin Fan was most likely a top student, a scientific researcher, or someone similar before Transmigration, focusing on academics and not dabbling much in pop culture.

That's why he could remember the periodic table, trigonometric functions, and ancient poems, but had no impression of those brainwashing commercials and songs, or perhaps his brain automatically filtered them out as ‘unrefined.’

This was normal; everyone's energy and time are limited. If you spend more time here, you'll naturally have less time there... However, this was already enough.

The three lines—“Hydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium, boron,” “Odd changes, even stays the same,” and “Which school has the best excavator technology”—especially the excavator one, which was a very Earth-Shandong characteristic advertisement, along with his standard Mandarin, were enough to confirm his Hometown fellow status!

Looking at Lin Fan's face, which still bore fear and self-reproach, Chen Jun couldn't help but feel a surge of sympathy.

What a “simple and honest” Hometown fellow!

He only knew how to work hard, do research, build, and lead a civilization forward, but didn't know how to leave behind some “down-to-earth” secret codes like Yan Xiao... As a result, he ended up... sigh, look at this miserable state!

Compared to his own days of winning while lying down, it was simply like heaven and earth!

Chen Jun motioned for Li Qingshan to hand Lin Fan another cup of nourishing liquid with gentler energy, and then asked in an even kinder tone:

“Hometown fellow Lin Fan, don't be nervous. Let's just chat. How... how long has it been since you transmigrated? How have you lived all these years?”

At the mention of this topic, Lin Fan's eyes instantly dimmed, as if countless painful memories had been stirred up.

He was silent for a moment before he slowly began to recount his long and arduous “history of struggle” in a raspy voice... From initially transmigrating to a war-torn alien world where he didn't know the language and struggled to survive... to relying on knowledge that surpassed the era to gradually improve medicine, optimize gunpowder, and improve steam engines, lighting a faint spark for civilization amidst despair... to establishing schools, promoting education, and training talents, working his heart out to start the industrial revolution... to planning railways, prospecting for oil, establishing power Systems, and driving the information revolution... to advocating for political reform, establishing a republic, and clearing obstacles for technological development... and finally, to dedicating his life's blood to bringing a New Han Republic from the steam age into the information age... He spoke intermittently, and many details were already blurred.

But that conviction that “knowledge changes destiny” and “struggle achieves civilization,” as well as the hardships of facing desperate situations and working with every ounce of his being, were clearly transmitted through his calm tone.

No System, no Physique, the only small Golden Finger was the modern knowledge he brought with him from his Transmigration...

It all depends on one's own drop-by-drop effort and a heart that never gives up!

It's truly too tragic... "...Sixty years," Lin Fan finally let out a long sigh, his voice filled with endless exhaustion and a hint of indescribable emptiness. "I struggled for sixty years, overdrawing my health and exhausting my life's blood, and finally... finally, I brought the New Han Republic to the threshold of touching the sea of stars."

"I thought... we could finally catch our breath and begin to truly explore this starry sky..."

His voice choked up, and a look of immense pain and fear appeared in his eyes.

"But... but those Star Pirates... they... they were like crushing insects... our fleet, our cities, our compatriots..."

He covered his face with both hands, his thin shoulders trembling violently as he let out a suppressed sob, sounding like a wounded beast.

It was the ultimate despair of a faith completely collapsing and a lifetime of effort turning into nothing!

Chen Jun listened quietly, his heart also filled with a thousand emotions.

It wasn't easy!

It truly wasn't easy!

This Hometown fellow was a true model of a "struggle addict"!

By his own power alone, he led a civilization through several industrial revolutions. This kind of achievement, even in the history of Blue Star, would be enough to make him a great man whose name would go down in history!

Back on Blue Star, an otaku like me wouldn't even have the right to say hello to him!

However... in this cold and cruel dark forest of the Universe, his efforts and his struggles seemed so... fragile... in the face of higher-level civilization forces. Like a hardworking ant who spent its life's energy building an exquisite nest, only to have it crushed by a passing giant's foot... effort doesn't necessarily lead to success.

It might even lead to... an even more tragic death?

Chen Jun couldn't help but think of himself.

Also a case of Transmigration, his start was also at Hell difficulty—F-Rank Aptitude, nearly working himself to death... But after activating the System, the style completely changed... Although he had experienced the frustration of being a "tool man" and tried to be an "involutionary immortal" or a "struggling immortal," he quickly found the correct way to "win by lying down."

Having daughters, enjoying the "end-of-life care" from big shots, then having grandchildren... his status rose step by step until he reached the level of a god!

His lifespan increased day by day, and he completely became an immortal who won by lying down!

Multiple Benefits was also about to be activated, and his strength was about to rise... Even if he currently had no strength and couldn't Cultivate, he had Star Arm Level daughters to step forward and crush all defiance... Life was so pleasant and comfortable... Eternal life, descendants gathered around, more resources than he could use, and the System Rank was still steadily rising... This comparison... was just too tragic!!!

Looking at this Hometown fellow crying like a child before him, Chen Jun felt extremely satisfied with his choice to "win by lying down" for the first time!

Fortunately, I wasn't that desperate!

Fortunately, I chose to lie flat!

Look at Lin Fan; he looks older than a hundred-year-old on Blue Star! This was worked out of him!

Effort doesn't guarantee success, but not trying is definitely very relaxing!

At this time, Lin Fan's emotions calmed down slightly. He raised his bloodshot eyes and looked at Chen Jun, his gaze filled with uncontrollable envy... "Ancestor Chen, Hometown fellow... how... how did you... do it?" he asked in a raspy voice. "You look... so young... your civilization... is so powerful... even a powerhouse like Lord Li is so respectful to you..."

He couldn't understand it.

Both were transmigrators, so how could the gap be so large?

Chen Jun looked at his gaze that hungered for an answer and rubbed his nose, feeling a bit embarrassed.

He couldn't exactly say, "I have a System whose main function is having children, and I won by lying down through having kids," could he?

That would be too demoralizing!

He weighed his words and tried to speak vaguely in a way the other could understand:

"Well... maybe my luck is better? The 'Talent' I awakened is rather special? Plus... um, knowing how to 'go with the flow' and not liking to... fight hard?"

Lin Fan seemed to half-understand.

Good luck?

Special Talent?

Going with the flow?

This sounds... so much like... lying flat and slacking off?

But look at the other's achievements, this state of life... Could it be that "lying flat" is the correct way for a transmigrator?!

He recalled his own experiences—almost no entertainment, no personal life, all time dedicated to work and civilizational development. As a result... a massive sense of absurdity and self-doubt surged into his heart.

Seeing the shifting expressions of existential crisis on Lin Fan's face, Chen Jun felt a secret thrill, but on the surface, he maintained a look of sympathy and concern.

He cleared his throat and decided to give this over-exerted Hometown fellow some substantial comfort.

"Lin Fan, let the past be the past," Chen Jun said in a gentle tone. "Since you've come here and found me, it's fate. From now on, you and your New Han Republic will be covered by me!"

He waved his hand, displaying the bearing of a "successful Hometown fellow":

"How about this! I will immediately order a batch of resources and technical personnel to be allocated to help you build your civilization!"

"Additionally," he looked at Lin Fan with sincere eyes, "Lin Fan, your body has suffered too much wear and tear. Stay here at the Pillar of Leaders to recuperate! I'll have Mo Heng... oh, he's the Dean of our Academy of Sciences, use the best resources to nurse your body back to health!"

"As for your clansmen and nation, don't worry! From now on, you'll be a 'friendly brother civilization' of our Human Federation! You'll be under the Federation's protection! If you have any difficulties, just speak up!"

Listening to Chen Jun's casual words that contained supreme power and resources, Lin Fan was completely stunned!

Allocating resources? Sending technical personnel? Protecting the civilization?

These things that he had spent his whole life and sacrificed everything for, yet still struggled to achieve, were as simple as going out to buy groceries in the other's mouth?!

Is this... the power of a high-level civilization?

Is this... the confidence of a "win-by-lying-down" big shot?!

The massive contrast left him momentarily unsure of how to react.

Should he be ecstatic?

Or should he be sorrowful because the value of his life's struggle was so easily negated?

Perhaps, it was both.

Ultimately, all emotions turned into a long sigh filled with endless complexity and a heartfelt, trembling expression of gratitude:

"Many... many thanks, Hometown fellow... for your great kindness... Lin Fan... will never forget this!!!"

He struggled, wanting to bow again, but was stopped by Chen Jun's gaze.

"Alright, no need for formalities. We're both from the same hometown; it's only right." Chen Jun smiled like a Maitreya Buddha. "Go with Qingshan to the arranged place to rest first and get familiar with the environment. If you need anything, just tell him."

He gave a look, and Li Qingshan immediately understood. He stepped forward to support the uncontrollably emotional Lin Fan and said gently, "Mr. Lin, please come with me."

Watching Lin Fan leave the side hall supported by Li Qingshan, looking back with every step and weeping with gratitude, Chen Jun comfortably collapsed back into his lounge chair.

Mmm, the feeling of helping a Hometown fellow... is truly not bad!

"Tsk tsk, people sometimes shouldn't work too hard..."

Chen Jun picked up a plate of small cookies made from the leaves of the "Eternal Life Tree" that could extend one's life and took a blissful bite.

"You have to follow my example—lie flat when it's time to lie flat, and enjoy when it's time to enjoy..."

"Grasshoppers that struggle and compete freeze to death after autumn, while the turtle that lies flat lives for ten thousand years."

"Before transmigrating, those 'involution kings' on Blue Star who earned millions a year stayed up every night working their hearts out. With that workload, some would suddenly drop dead in their thirties or forties."

"On the other hand, there's Old Man Wang at the street corner who loved reading novels and playing games when he was young. He didn't earn a penny and was a perfect member of the moonlight tribe, but he was happy every day and lived to be ninety-nine."

"Tell me—who is the real winner in life?"

...Meanwhile, Lin Fan, who had been brought to a luxurious residence, looked at the miracle-like sight of the Pillar of Leaders outside the window... feeling the comfort of his body being nourished by pure energy, and then thinking back to Chen Jun's "unadorned" life of winning by lying down... two lines of murky tears silently fell again.

Only this time, the meaning behind the tears was even more complex and difficult to discern...