339: Chapter 339 The Future Belongs to You

After Elder Long finished speaking, he shifted his gaze away from the matte black alloy box and looked directly at Lin Yuan sitting opposite him.

"These two things are, without a doubt, the greatest miracles in the history of human civilization."

His voice was low and his speech was extremely slow, as if every word were being squeezed out from the depths of his lungs.

"But Lin Yuan, do you know what the most profound lesson history has left for humanity?"

Lin Yuan did not interrupt; he simply sat quietly in his seat, leaning forward slightly in a posture of listening.

"It is that if virtue does not match one's position, disaster will inevitably follow."

"With your existence, the progress of material technology will inevitably be completed in a short time through a technological explosion."

"But the cornerstone of civilization is the human heart, order, and the morality and ethics formed over countless years."

"These things cannot leap forward alongside your technology in a short amount of time."

"If our hardware enters the interstellar era, but our software—that is, our human nature—remains stuck in the stage of the law of the jungle..."

"That is not called evolution; that is called a path to self-destruction!"

Elder Long's tone was incomparably grave.

"If the leap of civilization takes too large a step, it will tear apart the very foundations of that civilization."

Hearing this, Lin Yuan unconsciously tightened his previously relaxed posture.

He looked at this graying old man, a sincere respect flashing in his eyes.

Although he possessed a system and could unscrupulously spin lies to harvest confidence and forcibly rewrite objective physical laws, he also understood that the hardest things in this world to rewrite were never physical parameters, but rather the human heart and complex social machinery.

"What you say is extremely accurate."

Lin Yuan nodded earnestly.

Seeing this, a gratified smile appeared in Elder Long's eyes.

"It is good that you understand."

"Our generation struggled through the quagmire of the international situation, fighting with all our might to drag the country from poverty and weakness to where it is now."

"The foundation is there, but our vigor has inevitably waned."

Elder Long pointed to his graying temples.

"I am old, and many others are old too."

"In the past, I thought that as long as I could hold this position for a few more years, endure through those critical technological bottlenecks, and leave behind a peaceful and prosperous age for our descendants, I would have done right by the country."

"But your appearance, you brat, directly turned the finish line our generation had set into a starting point."

"The sea of stars... these four words sound light and easy, but to actually go out there is a dimensional elevation of an entire civilization system."

"Lin Yuan, the future era belongs to you."

The weight of this sentence was too heavy.

Lin Yuan looked into Elder Long's hopeful eyes and felt the tangible weight named "civilization" pressing down on his shoulders.

Lin Yuan did not decline, nor did he offer any impassioned platitudes.

He simply straightened his back, looked at Elder Long, and nodded deeply.

"I understand."

Seeing Lin Yuan accept, Elder Long visibly relaxed, and his originally stern features softened significantly.

"Since the general direction has been set, you should decide for yourself how to handle these two phased achievements."

Elder Long waved his hand, his attitude clear.

"I will not interfere with your distribution."

"Whether you keep them for your own use or hand them over to your trusted core team for research, it's all up to you."

Upon hearing this, that familiar, gentle smile appeared at the corners of Lin Yuan's lips.

Without the slightest hesitation, he reached out and took the transparent container holding the perfect-grade gene recombination stock solution out of the shockproof lining.

Under the light, the stock solution shimmered with a dreamlike luster.

Lin Yuan gently placed it on the coffee table in front of Elder Long.

"Since you are letting me decide, I have already thought about the destination of this stock solution."

Lin Yuan's tone was relaxed, yet it carried an indisputable firmness.

"It belongs to you."

Elder Long was stunned.

He looked at the vial in front of him, capable of thoroughly transforming a person, and his brows slowly furrowed.

"Lin Yuan..."

"Elder Long, don't be in such a hurry to refuse."

Lin Yuan smiled and pressed his hand on the edge of the table, interrupting what Elder Long was about to say.

"You just said that I have full authority to decide on these two things. You can't just take back the power you just gave away, right?"

Lin Yuan's words carried a hint of joking, which eased the originally serious atmosphere quite a bit.

Then, Lin Yuan immediately continued.

"Besides, this thing looks rare now, but given our current speed of civilization development, it won't be long before it becomes the norm."

"This is just letting you experience the future a little early."

As his voice faded, Elder Long looked deeply at Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan's gaze became profound and sincere as he continued.

"Also, you just said that the leap of civilization requires a smooth transition, and the rebuilding of order takes time."

"At this critical juncture, the great ship of the Xia Kingdom needs you, an experienced helmsman, to steady its course more than ever."

"I am responsible for opening up the shipping lanes, while you are responsible for steering the helm."

"I am giving this stock solution to you, not so you have to go to the front lines and engage in hand-to-hand combat with enemies."

"Its purpose is merely to ensure your health and energy, allowing your brain to cope with the complex situations of the future—which will be a hundred times more complex than they are now—and allowing your body to withstand the even heavier coordination work of the future."

Lin Yuan stared into Elder Long's eyes, enunciating every word clearly.

"Your existence itself is the country's most precious strategic asset."

"This country cannot do without you right now."

Elder Long fell silent.

He looked at Lin Yuan, his lips moving, but he could not speak.

Every word spoken by the young man before him landed on the concepts of "the country" and "the future."

This left him unable to find any reason to refuse.

Elder Long stared at Lin Yuan for a full half-minute.

Finally, he suddenly burst into a heartfelt, incredibly hearty laugh.

"You rascal, Lin Yuan!"

"That mouth of yours—you could talk the dead back to life!"

The laughter echoed in the office, carrying a sense of relief from unloading a heavy burden.

"Fine, I accept!"

Elder Long no longer declined; he reached out and firmly grasped the shimmering container.

A cold sensation came from his palm; he could feel that what he was holding was a brand-new era.

"It's not complicated to use,"

Lin Yuan's smile deepened when he saw this.

"Just inject it directly; it will transform your body in the gentlest way."

Elder Long nodded and put the medicine away to the side.

He looked at Lin Yuan and said:

"Rest assured."

"As long as these old bones of mine can still move, I will help you steer the helm of this ship, the Xia Kingdom."

Seeing this, a completely relaxed smile appeared on Lin Yuan's face.

"Yes!"

"With the home front stable, I can also..."

"...proceed with the next step of the plan with more peace of mind."