5: Chen Yao and Chen Lu were born

Days flew by in a hurry, and in the blink of an eye, five years had passed. Chen Xi was now five years old. Children between five and six years old undergo an Aptitude screening on September 1st every year.

Time did not seem to just pass by; rather, it carved itself into Chen Jun's life in a heavy and concrete way, chisel by chisel.

It transformed into knife-like wrinkles on his forehead, glaring white frost on his temples, and a back that was slightly hunched and could no longer straighten up due to years of overwork.

He was only twenty-seven this year, the age when a man is in his prime, full of vigor and energy.

However, walking on the streets of the lower district of Sea Vortex City, no one would ever believe this.

He looked more like an old man on the verge of withering away, completely drained of all vitality by life, with an accumulation of unbearable exhaustion and vicissitudes between his brows, making him look at least fifty.

Long-term overwork, severe sleep deprivation, the immense economic pressure brought by three children, as well as the unknown, unspeakable System—his biggest secret—and the disappearance of a full thirty years of his lifespan, all combined to forge this prematurely aged shell.

That's right, Chen Jun had fathered two more daughters!

Two years ago, he discovered a rule of the System: as long as his wife was not pregnant, having relations would inevitably trigger the System, and no technological or physical means could stop it.

For the last three years, he had not dared to touch Lin Wei again.

The price for discovering this rule was losing another twenty years of his lifespan...

The harvest was conceiving two more daughters with the Innate Martial Body.

His eldest daughter Chen Xi was 5 years old, his second daughter Chen Yao was 4, and his third daughter Chen Lu was 3.

His total lifespan limit had dropped from 82.1 years to 77 years due to physical and mental exhaustion, and after deducting the thirty years swallowed by the System, only one shocking number remained on the cold panel in the depths of his consciousness:

[Remaining Lifespan: 20 years].

To support his three daughters born one after another—eldest daughter Chen Xi, second daughter Chen Yao, and youngest daughter Chen Lu—Chen Jun lived his life like a high-speed, poorly maintained machine.

Repeating assembly on the production line a thousand times, sweating profusely while moving cargo on transport platforms, and working with clumsy robots to clean up trash in the dead of night...

He worked four jobs simultaneously, challenging his physical limits every single day.

That ten-square-meter shack in the shantytown was the only place his tired Soul could return to; it was a noisy yet warm nest, where the air was always mixed with the children's crying and laughter, the scent of milk, and the lingering, cloying industrial sweetness of cheap nutrient paste.

In these endlessly gray and suffocating days, the only thing that could bring a glimmer of light and warmth, like sunlight breaking through the clouds, was his childhood friend who grew up with him in the "Hope" Orphanage: Li Goudan.

Li Goudan himself didn't live a comfortable life either; his Energy Affinity was only C-level. He worked as a production line technician at a small component factory, a job that was just as dull and grueling.

But he was optimistic and loyal, always keeping this brother of his in his heart.

Every few days, he would always bring something over "on his way" to check on him.

"Brother Jun! Open up! Look what good stuff I've brought you!"

Li Goudan's signature loud voice always arrived before he did, booming and full of life, like a hammer shattering the stuffy air of the small house.

He often came straight from work, without even changing out of his work clothes, still smelling of machine oil, yet he would be carrying something like it was a treasure...

Sometimes it was a piece of synthetic meat cutlet he had snuck extra from the factory cafeteria, wrapped tightly in oil paper;

Sometimes it was two bottles of cheap but potent industrial alcoholic beverages;

Once, he even managed to get a small bag of active probiotic powder that was said to be good for children's development from who knows where.

He would familiarly set the things down, then scoop up little Chen Xi, who would charge at him like a little cannonball, exaggeratedly tossing her high and catching her, making the little girl let out excited, bell-like squeals.

"Oof! Our Xi Xi has gotten heavier! You'll definitely be an amazing female warrior in the future!"

He would loudly praise her, then without a word, push Chen Jun, who was exhausted to the point of falling apart and slumped in his chair, back down.

"Rest, just rest! Look at your face, it looks like it's been soaked in industrial waste!"

Then, he would naturally roll up his sleeves and help repair the old air purifier that was always buzzing and making strange noises, or feed youngest daughter Chen Lu with slightly clumsy but exceptionally patient movements, all while rambling about funny things from the factory or gossip he'd heard.

Lin Wei was always incredibly grateful for this and would hurry to pour him a cup of hot water, muttering:

"Brother Li Goudan, I've troubled you again... making you spend money every time."

Only at times like this could Chen Jun's nerves, which were stretched to the limit, relax just a little.

Watching Li Goudan's busy back and listening to his children's especially joyful laughter because of the arrival of this "Uncle Li Goudan," a mix of gratitude, warmth, and immense bitterness would well up in his chest.

Occasionally, when the children were asleep and Lin Wei had also fallen asleep from exhaustion, the two men would squat at the end of the narrow, cluttered corridor outside, and by the flickering faint light of a distant neon sign, share the cheapest cigarette.

Silence often hung in the air for a while, with only the cigarette tip glowing on and off.

"Li Goudan,"

Chen Jun's voice sounded exceptionally hoarse and low in the smoke.

"Sometimes I really feel... like I'm about to collapse. The fatigue seeps into my very bones. Looking at the three of them, I feel both love and fear in my heart... These days, they're dark, and I can't see the end!"

Li Goudan took a deep drag of the cigarette, exhaled a thick, acrid cloud of smoke, and then gave Chen Jun's shoulder a hard punch. It wasn't light, carrying a kind of concern mixed with frustration:

"Pah! Talking nonsense again! Collapse? What collapse! You've got such a good life, you punk! Sister-in-law Lin Wei is so virtuous, and Xi Xi, Yao Yao, and Lu Lu—the three girls are so lively and healthy! Look at Xi Xi's spirit and strength! Let me tell you, those so-called gene-optimized kids I see at the factory don't look as Spiritual Qi-filled as her! Hang in there! You'll definitely make it! Once the girls grow up, your good days will be ahead! By then, I'm counting on you to let me bask in your glory!"

He paused, turned his head to look at the tightly closed door, and lowered his voice even further:

"Is it... money tight again? I just got my bonus this month, and I have a little extra, you take it first..."

As he said this, he really started reaching into his pocket.

"Get out of here!"

Chen Jun immediately interrupted him. His nose stung, and the mix of warmth and bitterness in his heart almost made him lose control.

He could only reach out and grab Li Goudan's rough wrist tightly to stop him, his voice choking:

"It's enough! It really is! The Federation has child-rearing subsidies before the children turn six... It's just a pity that the subsidies are honestly very little! Otherwise, we wouldn't have been abandoned at the orphanage... It's just... tired, it's fucking exhausting."

"It's supposed to be tiring! That means you're alive! That means you have something to strive for! Comfort is for the dead!"

Li Goudan gripped his hand back tightly, his eyes burning,

"We crawled out of that dump, the 'Hope' Orphanage, together! What hardship haven't we endured? What cold shoulders haven't we faced? No matter how hard these days are, it's still a home! The home we longed for most as children! Can we be worse off than back then? Don't be a coward! Don't really work yourself into the ground like a machine! You hear me!"

This simple, unadorned, yet powerful support and brotherhood was one of the few burning coals in Chen Jun's cold, desperate life, warming his almost frozen heart time and time again, supporting him so he wouldn't completely collapse.

However, warm friendship could ultimately not offset the cold System rules from a higher dimension.

The disappearance of thirty years of lifespan and the countdown of only twenty years remaining were the true Sword of Damocles hanging over his head, exuding a chill at every moment.

This fear had deeply distorted his behavior and psychology.

He developed an extreme, pathological, and polarized reaction to intimate behavior with Lin Wei.

Whenever Lin Wei was confirmed to be pregnant and entered that "safe period" lasting several months, Chen Jun would experience a nearly twisted sense of relief and longing.

This period was his only breathing room to temporarily escape the System's death threat.

He would become unusually greedy for this short-lived "safety," and would even actively seek intimacy.

During this period, he could once again taste pure intimacy, unmixed with any fear, and could feel his existence as a husband rather than a "reproductive tool."

This longing became so intense that it almost became a pathological dependency, as if he were trying to desperately grasp the last bit of warmth and normalcy in his life through this method, to make up for the huge void in other times.

Every time, it felt like the final revelry before the apocalypse, carrying a desperate sweetness.

However, once the child was born and the "safe period" ended, the extreme fear would instantly return, and with a vengeance.

He would become extremely sensitive, anxious, and even somewhat neurotic.

Any possible hint of intimacy would make him feel as if he were facing a formidable enemy, breaking into a cold sweat.

He would find all sorts of clumsy excuses to avoid it: too tired, not feeling well, headache...

His distance and resistance often left Lin Wei feeling confused and hurt. Looking at her disappointed eyes, Chen Jun's heart felt like it was being cut by a knife, yet he couldn't explain a thing.

This unspeakable pain tormented him day and night.

Countless times in the dead of night, he tried to communicate with the System in his mind, wanting to explore functions other than "reproduction" and "deducting lifespan."

[System?]

[Are you there? Besides having children and deducting lifespan, what else can you do?]

[What other functions do you have? How do I trigger them?]

[Speak!]

...

Dead silence!

Always dead silence!

The System was like the most efficient and ruthless transaction terminal; after completing a transaction, it would completely vanish, leaving not a single extra clue.

This exploration returned empty-handed every time, only deepening his sense of powerlessness and despair.

He was like an infant holding a weapon of immense power that he couldn't control and that would backfire on him.

The discussions of neighbors and coworkers had long since changed from initial envy to current pity and bewilderment, often drifting into his ears.

"That kid Chen Jun... sigh, he's only twenty-seven, right? He looks even older than Old Man Zhao. It's a tragedy..."

"Indeed, three children, it's too hard. But his eldest girl, Chen Xi, is really something. That physique, that cleverness—I think she's better than many boys!"

"The Federation's unified Aptitude screening is coming up soon. Let's see if this child can test well and change their family's fate..."

Lin Wei felt her husband's changes most keenly. Looking at his face, which looked decades older than his actual age, she often felt heartbroken and would secretly wipe away tears.

She blamed everything on the pressures of life and the hardship of raising three children, her heart filled with guilt. She could only work even harder at housework, trying her best to make the simple food palatable and keeping the children clean and tidy, hoping to lighten his burden even just a little bit.

Chen Jun buried all his fear, despair, pathological dependency on the "safe period," and gratitude toward Li Goudan deep beneath that aged shell.

He only had twenty years of lifespan left and couldn't afford any more "accidents."

He staked all his hope, all his bets, firmly on the upcoming Federal Aptitude screening.

His eldest daughter Chen Xi must succeed!

This was not just the result he had exchanged thirty years of his life for; it also carried the ardent hopes of a brother like Li Goudan, and was the last straw this teetering family could grasp.

"Soon, good days are coming soon..."

He would often lean against the doorframe, watching his eldest daughter, who ran and jumped like a nimble little leopard, seemingly full of endless energy, and murmur to himself.

In those deeply sunken eyes, a final trace of unwilling, almost insane light still burned.