Chapter 3

While the sky was still bright, he slung his Type 95 assault rifle over his shoulder, carried a backpack, and dragged a large suitcase, continuing on his journey.

Actually, there was no path on the ground to begin with; it only became a path when many people walked on it.

The mountainous area where Shen Fei’s school was located and the 911 Aircrew Base were connected by a narrow path that did not show up on the electronic map on his phone, but it was clearly there in reality. As long as he followed the path, he wouldn’t get lost.

The driver of the "three-wheeler" who had dropped Chen Fei off nearby, whether his name was Karzai or Muhammad, had some conscience and didn’t make him take a detour.

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The last rays of the sun finally disappeared behind the undulating mountains. Chen Fei finally arrived at the 911 Aircrew Base, located on a high ground, before sunset. He glanced at the health band on his left wrist, which showed he had walked 42,531 steps, equivalent to about 21 kilometers that day.

The peachwood fish hanging on the rifle’s sight seemed more convincing than an ID card, and he passed through the gate without any trouble.

The personnel manager of the aircrew base was a man with perpetual dark circles under his eyes. His name was Takal, a high-caste individual with a low-caste brown skin.

Takal was enjoying his dinner, a plate of coffee chicken and a small dish of lentil sauce. He believed that eating with the right hand and scratching his butt with the left was a traditional, green, and low-carbon way of life, which saved toilet paper and was worth promoting.

Hearing a knock on the door, he said without looking up, “Come in!”

Noticing the person who had entered and approached his desk, Takal finally looked up and said, slightly taken aback, “Uh, how about a bite?”

The standard language had already been popularized to over 80%, and except for the primitive natives who had been in contact with civilized society, anyone who had received basic education could more or less understand and speak it, and even write it, though their accents might be a bit strange, forming new dialects.

The room was filled with a pungent smell of curry, the kind that was extremely spicy, making Chen Fei want to cover his nose. However, out of politeness, he held back and said, “No, thank you. I’m here to report for duty.”

After saying that, he handed over a paper document across the desk.

Chen Fei didn’t mind spicy food, but this kind of spicy curry made him feel uneasy, as if it were heretical and should be burned at the stake.

“Let me take a look.”

Takal pushed his food bowl to the side and took the document without wiping his hands, leaving several yellowish fingerprints on the paper.

“Chen Fei, 22 years old, undergraduate in economics, with an older brother and a younger sister. Not bad, we never accept only children here. Let me see, weak affinity for magic elements, no spiritual talent, unable to condense a seed of battle qi, no martial arts training, no awakened abilities, a standard civilian. Why didn’t you continue your studies? It’s at least a way out!”

Takal muttered to himself as he flipped through the pages.

Magic elements and battle qi were imports from the Sky Realm. The potential of humans in the Blue Star Realm in these areas was highly polarized. Some had affinities for multiple elements and high activity, while others were like wooden blocks with no reaction at all, and the same applied to battle qi.

Although those with the qualifications to learn magic and battle qi were a minority in any realm, the proportion of lucky ones in the Blue Star Realm was still lower than in the Sky Realm.

The 911 Aircrew Base was not the only place that refused to hire only children. Since it was a military base operated by a private company, the risks were high, and if a battle or accident occurred, casualties were inevitable. For families with only one child, the loss of their only child would be equivalent to the destruction of the family, and the social pressure would be immense. Money alone couldn’t resolve the issue, so many industries and companies followed this unwritten rule.

Nowadays, people rely on themselves for old age. If they don’t save enough for retirement, and their child dies, their old age will be miserable.

“This employment contract entitles you to temporary worker benefits, including five insurances and one fund: pension, medical, maternity, disability, and life insurance, as well as war compensation. The probationary period is six months, with a monthly salary of 10,000, which increases to 50,000 after the probationary period, but 95% goes to the credit company, leaving you with only 5%. Hmm? This contract is quite unusual!”

Takal looked at Chen Fei with confusion. The young man seemed spirited and had managed to reach the 911 Aircrew Base alone, so he didn’t seem like a fool. Why would he sign such a blood-sucking contract?

Fortunately, the aircrew base provided food and accommodation and issued work uniforms and some daily necessities. Otherwise, the remaining 5% of his salary wouldn’t be enough to maintain a basic living.

“I took out a personal loan.”

Chen Fei smiled bitterly.

He had come to this desolate place, not by choice, but out of necessity.

The Chen family was a civilian family. The eldest, Chen Shi, was preparing to get married and needed to buy a house. He borrowed money from relatives and friends, and after much effort, the two elders finally managed to scrape together the down payment for the mortgage.

However, just as the family was tightening their belts, the young sister, Chen Meng, was tricked by her high school classmate and best friend into guaranteeing a large loan from a credit company.

Unexpectedly, the classmate and her family suddenly disappeared without a trace, leaving the debt to be borne by the guarantor. Chen Meng wasn’t the only one deceived; the combined amount of the guarantees from several unfortunate children was a staggering sum.

For the Chen family, who were already financially strained, this was like a bolt from the blue.

When debtors run away, guarantors are legally responsible for the debt, and there’s no point in complaining. Such economic disputes are protected by law.

Even if the guarantors reported the case to the police, it was uncertain when the police would catch the debtors, and even if they did, it was unlikely that the money would be recovered. The debtors might be like weasels by the fire—clawed and furless, and it would be difficult to enforce the collection, even if they were imprisoned for a few days and then released to continue their carefree lives.

However, if Chen Meng was labeled as a dishonest debtor, it would not only affect her but also her family, and the mortgage for the eldest’s wedding house would be in jeopardy.

Without the wedding house, the wedding would be called off!

If they paid off the debt guaranteed by the younger sister to remove the dishonest label, the hard-earned down payment for the mortgage would be depleted.

The result would be the same.

Without the wedding house, the wedding would be called off!

With no other options, the second son, Chen Fei, decided to make a sacrifice.

Without a formal job guarantee, he borrowed 5 million star coins from the credit company, converting the guarantee into a personal loan, and paid a substantial handling fee, which temporarily resolved the Chen family’s urgent needs.

To repay the debt, Chen Fei had to give up his postgraduate studies and pack his bags to work in this desolate mountain area, with the debt principal and interest deducted from his salary.

The time frame was... a lifetime. When the debt was paid off, that would be the end of it.

His original plan to pursue postgraduate studies was also ruined, as the family no longer had the time or money to support his further education.

The so-called five insurances and one fund were essentially life insurance. If anything happened to him, the life insurance and war compensation would cover the 5 million star coins, and the creditors would not lose out, truly achieving the concept of "death cancels the debt."

The longer Chen Fei lived, the more interest the credit company would earn.

Such lending practices were only available to recent graduates, and companies facing recruitment difficulties could get the workers they needed, making it a win-win situation for all parties involved.

However, such a large loan amount was only available to graduates from prestigious universities.

“Poor guy!”

Takal shook his head. He didn’t know the full story behind it, but he could understand the miserable situation of being pursued by debt.

After finishing reading the contract, he leaned back lazily and said, “Alright! You’ve passed the interview!”

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