Chapter 3: Exploitation by one’s Clan
Chapter 3: Exploitation by one’s Clan
Translator:Lordbluefire
Editor:Lordbluefire
Every single legend was a path to Godhood!
The myths and legends that had already almost completely disappeared in the Interstellar Era were actually extremely familiar to Feng Lin who came from the past.
Right now, his vitality was only at 0.4; he was far from meeting the average standard of vitality of the human beings in this era.
But then, human beings of the Ancient Earth Era only had vitality stats of 0.1. Compared to his original Earth Era's body, his constitution was now four times stronger.
When vitality increased, one's memory would be strengthened. The strength and speed attributes, along with other physical aspects, would be strengthened as well.
He might have already forgotten some of the stories about the myths and legends he had read before when he had been back on earth, but they were definitely in some corners of his mind. Now, as long as he concentrated and tried to recall them, information about them would appear in his mind. The countless myths and legends in the Ancient Earth Era were all records of the secrets pertaining to ancient civilizations of Earth.
Feng Lin could feel himself in control of countless paths leading to Godhood.
Countless thoughts appeared in his mind. He exited the school gate and sat on the magnetic levitation train as he returned home.
Many thousand-story buildings resembled heavenly pillars leading up to the heavens. Flying cars with blazing trails of light and flames behind them soared through the air like comets. Intelligent robots were busy with their activities in every corner of the city...
This was an unprecedented grand era.
Conquering the starry skies, enjoying boundless resources, everyone could become dragons among humans!
...
Even when Feng Lin had already gained the memory of this era's Feng Lin, he still felt extremely stunned when he personally saw all of this.
The traveling speed of the mag-lev train was exceedingly fast, exceeding 3,000km/hour.
He arrived home after ten minutes!
Feng Clan Grand Building!
A gigantic silver building constructed from metal could be seen before his eyes. It was several hundreds of meters tall, akin to a small mountain and appeared extremely majestic.
Feng Lin furrowed his brows; a wave of uncomfortable memories involuntarily appeared in his mind.
He got down from the train and walked inside. As he entered the building, a beam of red light fell down, shining upon him, scanning him inside out. "Microchip scan is complete. Identity verified! A 9th-tier clansman, Feng Lin…" Another door opened up after that, and Feng Lin stepped through it, arriving at a spacious living lounge.
Numerous escalators could be seen connecting this level to different higher levels. The decorations here were gorgeous and elegant; there were swimming pools, cultivation rooms, massage rooms...there was everything here, allowing one to indulge themselves in supreme enjoyment should they wish to. There were several beautiful women in maid costumes walking around. This was simply like an imperial palace that had existed in feudal times.
Feng Lin merely glanced at them once before retracting his gaze. He turned and walked towards a remote corner. Over here, an ancient-looking elevator could be seen, leading down to the basement.
There were numerous high-spirited youths walking past him in the surroundings, all of them moving towards the higher levels of the building. From the beginning until now, no one spoke a single word to Feng Lin. They couldn't even be bothered to cast a glance at him.
However, these people were all his clansmen.
The Interstellar Age was an unprecedented grand era.
The starry skies were without limit; the universe was infinite.
There was boundless freedom here, as well as endless terror. The universe was so dark and cold, capable of devouring everything in our world. Terrifying interstellar monsters, savage alien lifeforms—every one of these could swallow humanity whole!
The infinitely vast universe followed the darkest law of the jungle. Natural selection was prevalent and the survival of the strong was the truest rule.
Not only was there competition between the different races, but everyone in the Interstellar Era was also competing against each other. The population of humanity had already reached several trillion and was at a staggering amount. The competition was just way too intense.
Only the truly strong could pursue freedom.
The weaklings had to huddle together for warmth and could only barely eke out a living by sticking together.
Clan—this ancient social structure had been brought back and made popular in the Interstellar Era. Majority of people had to group together for the sake of survival.
And as a result of over ten thousand years of development, the resources of Earth in the solar system had almost been completely exhausted. The space outside Earth had now transformed into a region known as the Chaotic Star Region. It might as well only exist in name. Science and technology were considered more inferior compared to other planets, and chaos reigned supreme. A small clan was akin to a small-scale society which also resembled the internal structure of an ant nest. All the clansmen had different talents, different capabilities, and different cultivations. They were suited for different jobs. Some people were like the industrious and silent worker ants; some would be responsible for protecting the clan's interest just like soldier ants. There were also some who had higher status, possessing great authority and power. These existences were equivalent to the king and queen ants…
The Feng Clan on Earth was precisely a small clan like that. The clansmen of the Feng Clan all resided in the silver metallic building named 'Feng Clan Grand Building', and the clansmen could be classified into nine different tiers.
The 9th-tier clansmen were considered the lowest grade, while the 1st-tier clansmen were the highest.
Those with outstanding talent were considered superior, and they lived on the upper floors, enjoying the preferential emperor-like treatment. They didn't need to work hard and could enjoy free cultivation resources from the clan. They were like the proud children of the heavens.
As for those with mediocre talent, their situation would be miserable as they resided in the harshest environment. After graduating from high school, it was very tough for them to have an opportunity to enter college. They usually would be sent to help the clan, following the distribution of work orders. Any product formed from the daily labor would all be given to the clan for free. They would only receive a pitiful amount of income every month that was barely enough to feed their family.
However, the key was that no one wanted to leave. The situation outside was even harsher compared to living in the clan. If they left their clan, not only would they find it hard to provide for themselves, but they wouldn't even be able to guarantee their own safety.
Although the life of remaining inside the clan was tough, the clansmen would receive the clan's protection and they wouldn't need to worry about the safety of their lives.
The purpose of the clan doing this was because they wanted to gather the clan's resources, and hopefully, nurtured a true genius that could achieve interstellar travel. By then, they could become someone of the upper echelon among humans, making a profit for the clan and elevating the clan's status.
The Feng Clan was not the only one that was doing this, but this was also a true portrayal of countless small clans on earth and other planets.
Feng Lin was already a senior in his third year in high school. His physique was thin and weak; his vitality was only 0.4, not even reaching 1.0. As one of the lowest of the low among 9th-tier clansmen, he naturally wouldn't even have a chance to enjoy cultivation resources.
So, the place where he stayed in was the basement...
Naturally, although it was a basement, it was an extremely vast underground space. There were all kinds of equipment here, including small-scale shopping malls, convenience stores, restaurants...everything. There were also many extensive tunnels that led to various places. Those living in the basement could be considered a small community, and several thousands of people could stay here.
Interstellar technology was very well developed, and the population had exploded in numbers. Right now, on the tiny planet Earth, there were already over 26.8 billions of people.
The buildings constructed above ground were built higher and higher, while they also extended deeper into the ground. For these basements, although there were artificial suns installed, how could the warmth and light, which the artificial suns provided, be comparable to natural sunlight?
These underground communities were places where inferior people lived in. Those lofty high-tier clansmen would never come here.
Feng Lin walked towards an escalator that brought him through a tunnel, leading to his home. Occasionally, there would be other people passing by him silently. The atmosphere here was a little depressing, and the expressions of everyone was numb.
These people were all the lowest-tier clansmen of the Feng Clan.
Once, Feng Lin was also a part of them. A deep discomfort always surfaced in his mind when he thought about it.
These people worked very hard, but the proceeds of their labor were all handed over to the clan, while they could only receive a meager salary. As time passed, all of these clansmen would definitely feel extremely depressed in their hearts.
This was simply exploitation, stark naked exploitation.
Feng Lin found it hard to imagine that humanity had already developed so far and reached the Interstellar Era, but such cruel scenes still occurred everywhere.
And indeed, as long as there were differences in terms of social classes, there would definitely be exploitation.
Heaven had never been far away from Hell.
Everyone was from the same clan, but there were nine different tiers separating their existences.
"I must definitely get out of this predicament!" Feng Lin silently mused.
He was a man who was unreconciled to mediocrity.
He had lived a life before this, and this could be considered his second life. If he still didn't live more fascinatingly—assuming that there were others—wouldn't he have lost the face of those who had crossed-over two worlds?
Swiping his identity microchip at the door of a shabby-looking room, the tattered metal gate automatically swung open, revealing a crowded room of about 60 square meters.
A middle-aged couple was busy with their tasks. Their faces were filled with wrinkles born from enduring the fatigue of many years.
"You are back." Upon seeing Feng Lin returning, they inclined their heads and called out. After that, they lowered their heads again and got busy with their tasks once more.
Feng Lin didn't mind. These were his parents of this lifetime.
On the table, five bottles of dark and tasteless liquid could be seen. They were tonight's dinner. This kind of low-level nutrient solution was manufactured in batches through industrial synthesis and could barely supply someone with a day's worth of nutrients. However, it was as tasteless as water since there was no flavor at all.
Naturally-occurring foods were incomparably expensive. They weren't something Feng Lin's family could afford.
"Big brother!" At this moment, two skinny and tiny figures rushed over. These two were fraternal twins, Feng Lin's younger brother Feng Cheng and younger sister Feng Xin. They were already seven years of age and had always liked sticking close to their elder brother.
After inheriting the memories of his original host, Feng Lin also inherited his emotions. Staring at his malnourished little siblings, sadness filled his heart.
In his past life, he was the only child. He didn't expect to have a pair of younger siblings when he crossed-over to this world.
"Let's eat!" his father, who had been silently working on his task, spoke quietly.
As a poor family, it was already troublesome enough to provide for Feng Lin. Now, with an additional pair of mouths to feed, it was no wonder that Feng Lin's parents would have a perpetual bitterness on their faces throughout the year.
The entire family was silent as they slowly sipped the bottles of the tasteless nutrient solution.
BANG!
All of a sudden, a projection manifested.
An elderly with a cold face stood before everyone, staring down with disdain over Feng Lin's family.
He didn't cast an additional glance at Feng Lin's parents. His eyes were like a hunting eagle flying through the air, staring at his prey. He then spoke, "Feng Lin, as a 9th-tier clansman, you are about to graduate. However, your vitality stats is only at 0.4, and it's completely impossible for you to become a cultivator. After you graduated, the clan will arrange you to work in an energy factory inside the clan. In a month, you can go there and start learning the ropes. In any case, you wouldn't make it to college. The clan has provided for you for so many years, and according to the clan's laws, you should start to produce contributions as early as possible. 70% of your salary will be paid to the clan, and you can keep the remaining 30%..."
From the start to the end, the elderly man didn't seek Feng Lin or his parent's approval. He was simply informing them, and they didn't have any chance for the slightest rebuttal.
After speaking, the projection vanished.
The atmosphere in the house grew even heavier and became somewhat stifling. Feng Chen and Feng Xin glanced at each other in dismay, but they didn't even dare to breathe too loudly.
Feng Lin's parents had an even more bitter look on their faces. They drew in a deep breath and sighed, choosing not to say anything.
They had long since been used to such a life; they had long learned not to resist.
Born in the clan, they would die here within the clan as well. It had been so for generations.
In the Interstellar Era, not having genetic talent was the greatest sin!
If one wanted to escape this destiny of mediocrity, one had to display outstanding talent before they could obtain the heavy recognition of the clan and upgrade themselves to a higher-tier, becoming an upper-class clansman.
Facing the tragic fate that would soon happen to their son, they were helpless to change anything. They could only speak to their two other young children, "You two must definitely work hard and awaken the powerful mythological genes. Only then would you be able to gain the clan's attention and become an interstellar cultivator, avoiding the fate that your elder brother would soon face!"
The fact that they failed to change their fates through the generations was like a heavy mountain pressing down on their family, causing them to be unable to breathe.
Feng Lin stood in his original spot with his fists tightly clenched. A flash of determination could be seen in his eyes.
Such a destiny… he didn't want it!
As the eldest son in his family, he had a little cabin-like room that resembled a miniature junkyard.
He sat cross-legged on his bed and did breathing exercises as he started to practice an entry-level genetic cultivation art.
This was an ungraded low-quality cultivation art. One was supposed to adjust their breathing to stimulate the initial potential of their genes.
Although his heart was filled with anger, Feng Lin gradually regained a calm state of the heart. His breath grew slower and slower, eventually lapsing into almost nothing. Only the occasional puff of air from his nostrils indicated that he was still alive.
Gradually, he felt a warm current in the depths of his body. The warm current entered his meridians, his flesh and blood, each individual cell, and their nuclei, as well as his genes.
At this moment, his body suddenly trembled. There was an inexplicable throbbing from the depths of his genes. A mysterious wave of unknown cooling energy suddenly surged out, instantly expanding, gradually submerging him.
His eyes suddenly blurred. In the darkness of the void, a transparent human silhouette could be seen there. Countless pinpoints of light flickered unceasingly, like the countless stars in the skies, brimming with their own radiance.
The features of that shiny silhouette were actually identical to him.
At this moment, a surge of information mysteriously appeared in his mind.
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Name: Feng Lin
Vitality: 0.4
Monkey Gene: 2
Stonebirth Gene: 1
Genetic Potential: 1468%
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