1: Chapter 001 My First Day of Unemployment: The System Hit Me
June weather was as sweltering as a steamer.
Lin Mo dragged his heavy steps out of the suffocating gates of the talent market. The thin resume in his hand had edges softened by sweat; he had handed out over a dozen copies, but the only responses were the recruiters' formulaic "wait for notice" and their undisguised, critical gazes.
"Aerospace engineering? This major is hard to find a job for these days..."
"We prefer candidates with overseas backgrounds."
"Sorry, the industry is currently in a slump, and we have no recruitment plans for the time being."
Those cold words still echoed in his mind like fine needles, pricking his chest until it felt congested. Four years of hard study, winning scholarships every year, graduating with dreams of contributing to the Dragon Country's aerospace industry—and the result? He had run head-first into another round of extremely cruel technological blockades initiated by the Pretty Country and its allies. High-end chips, precision instruments, special materials... almost every field related to aerospace was being strangled. The industry was filled with wails of despair, and even the national teams were struggling to maintain themselves, let alone fresh graduates like them who had nothing but passion.
"It's over, this month's rent..." Lin Mo looked up at the grey sky and let out a long breath of turbid air, which carried a bitter taste of despair. He felt his flat wallet; only a few crumpled bills remained inside, making even his next full meal a problem.
Returning to his ten-square-meter rental room, where clutter left no place to step, he was greeted by the smell of instant noodles mixed with dust. He slumped heavily into a creaking old chair. The computer screen still showed a news page announcing the Pretty Country's sanctions against a certain Dragon Country aerospace research institute; the arrogant face of the spokesperson was particularly eyesore.
A sense of powerlessness submerged him like a tide. He had ambitions but no way to serve; he had knowledge but nowhere to apply it. Could it be that after more than a decade of hard study, he couldn't even support himself in the end? Could it be that Dragon Country could only survive while being strangled like this?
He was unwilling! But the heavy pressure of reality was almost bending his spine.
Just then—
[Ding! Detecting the host's strong unwillingness and civilization-level demands... Conditions met... Binding...]
A cold, emotionless mechanical voice rang out without warning deep in his mind.
Lin Mo jolted, instantly springing up from his chair and looking around alertly.
"Who's there?"
The room was empty; besides himself, there wasn't even a ghost.
An illusion? Auditory hallucinations from too much pressure?
[civilization leap system binding successful! Assessing host civilization status...]
The mechanical voice sounded again, unmistakably clear. Immediately after, a futuristic light-blue holographic interface was projected directly onto his retina. In the center of the interface, a complex, constantly rotating galaxy emblem slowly emerged.
Lin Mo's pupils constricted, his heart felt as if it were gripped by an invisible hand, and his breathing stopped. He rubbed his eyes hard and even pinched his thigh—it hurt! Not a dream!
[Assessment complete. host's civilization: Blue Star Dragon Country. Civilization Level: Level 0.75 (Prototypical Planetary Civilization). Current Status: Technological development has hit a bottleneck, facing technological lock-in by external forces, risk of civilization regression exists.]
[System Ultimate Mission: Assist the host in leading this civilization to complete a technological leap, break through blockades, head towards the sea of stars, and face future challenges.]
[Newbie Gift Pack has been issued, please check it, host.]
The barrage of information made Lin Mo's head buzz; it took him several seconds to barely digest this incredible content. A system? Civilization leap? Wasn't this a trope only found in web novels?
He forced himself to calm down and tried to touch the holographic interface with his consciousness.
"Open Newbie Gift Pack."
The interface flickered, and a virtual treasure chest icon burst open, the dazzling light almost blinding him. As the light faded, a massive, extremely complex 3D structural diagram appeared before him, with a line of striking text labeled next to it:
[Modular Permanent Moon Base (Phase I Project) Complete Set of Technical Blueprints and Process Details].
Lin Mo's breathing instantly became heavy, his eyes widened as he stared fixedly at the blueprints. As a graduate of aerospace engineering, he knew all too well what these blueprints represented! From the base's structural design, energy supply (a highly efficient miniaturized nuclear fission reactor, far surpassing all current market technology), lunar soil in-situ utilization technology, ecological recycling systems, to various era-transcending new material formulas and processing techniques required for construction... any single item taken from this would be enough to cause an earthquake in the global aerospace community!
This was simply not something that should appear in this era! This was the key to the future!
Wild joy erupted from his heart like a volcanic eruption, instantly dispersing all confusion and despair. With this system and these blueprints, what did he have to fear from unemployment? What did he have to fear from blockades?
If an individual couldn't digest it? Then hand it over to the country!
Only by relying on the power of the nation could this era-transcending technology be transformed into actual national strength most quickly and effectively, and only then could that damn blockade truly be broken!
An incredibly firm thought took shape in his mind.
He took a deep breath, pressing down his slightly trembling hands from excitement, and looked out the window towards the distance—the direction of the Dragon Country's heart.
"The Pretty Country's blockade... it's time to let you taste the feeling of being crushed by technology."
"It starts with these Moon Base blueprints!"
[System Notification: Newbie Guide Mission issued—[Initial Mastery of Basic Blueprint Principles]. Mission Reward: 100 Points, Elementary Information Encryption Technology.]
The system's voice sounded again, pulling Lin Mo back from his passionate thoughts to reality. His eyes lit up, and without any hesitation, he immersed his consciousness into that vast ocean of technology.
The era belonging to Lin Mo has arrived. And the landscape of the Blue Star would quietly change from this moment on.