At Things, while it was still light, he slung his Type 95 automatic rifle over his shoulder, carried a backpack, and dragged a large suitcase, continuing his journey.
Actually, there was no path to begin with; it was created by the many people walking on it.
There was a narrow path between Shen Fei's mountain school and the 911 Air Crew Base. It wasn't shown on the phone's electronic map, but it was clearly there in reality. As long as you followed the path, you wouldn't get lost.
The "three-wheeled vehicle" driver who had dropped Chen Fei off nearby—whether he should be called Karzai or Mohammed—had some conscience after all and didn't make him take an unnecessary detour.
The last rays of the sun finally disappeared below the horizon where the mountains rose and fell.
Chen Fei finally arrived at the 911 Air Crew Base, located on high ground, before sunset. He glanced at the health bracelet on his left wrist; he had walked a total of 42,531 steps that day, equivalent to about 21 kilometers. The small peachwood fish hanging on the muzzle of his rifle seemed more convincing than his ID card, allowing him to easily pass through the gate.
The personnel manager at the aircrew base was a guy with dark circles under his eyes all day, named Takar. He was of high caste but had the brown skin of a low caste.
Takar was enjoying his dinner: coffee, chicken, rice, and a small dish of lentil sauce. He believed that eating with his right hand and picking his butt with his left was traditional, a green, environmentally friendly, low-carbon lifestyle that also saved toilet paper, and was worth promoting.
Hearing a knock on the door, he said without looking up, "Come in!"
Only when the person who had entered came to his desk did Takar look up, pause slightly, and say, "Uh, want a bite?"
Standard spoken English was already over 80% spoken. Except for primitive aborigines who had never been exposed to civilized society, most people with basic education could understand and speak it, and some could even write it, though their accents might be a little strange, forming new dialects.
The room reeked of pungent, insanely spicy curry, so strong that Chen Fei instinctively wanted to cover his nose. However, out of politeness, he forced himself to endure it and said, "No, thank you. I'm just here to report for duty."
He then handed Chen Fei a paper document across the table.
Chen Fei didn't dislike spicy food, but this kind of spicy curry made him feel vaguely uncomfortable, like a heretic deserving of being burned at the stake.
"Let me take a look."
Takal said, pushing his food bowl aside and taking the document without wiping his hands, immediately leaving several yellowish-brown fingerprints on the paper.
"Chen Fei, 22 this year, an undergraduate in economics, has an older brother and a younger sister, not bad. We never accept only children here. Let me take another look. Weak affinity for magical elements, mediocre spiritual talent, unable to condense a battle qi seed, no martial arts training, no awakened superpowers, a standard commoner. Why not continue your studies? It would at least be a way out!"
Takal muttered to himself as he turned the pages.
Magical elements and battle aura are imports from the Celestial Realm. Humans on Blue Star exhibit a stark polarization in their potential in these areas: some possess affinity for multiple elemental types and are highly active, while others are completely unresponsive. The same applies to battle aura.
Although those qualified to learn magic and battle aura are a minority in any realm, given Blue Star's population, the proportion of such fortunate individuals is ultimately lower than in the Celestial Realm.
It's not just 911 Airborne Base that refuses to hire only children. After all, it's a privately operated military base, where fire and water are merciless, and bullets are indiscriminate. In the event of combat or an accident, casualties are inevitable. For families with only one child, the death of their only child is tantamount to the extinction of the entire family, resulting in immense social pressure that cannot be quelled by monetary compensation alone. Therefore, many industries and companies follow this unwritten workplace practice.
Nowadays, retirement depends on oneself. If one hasn't saved enough for retirement, the loss of a child could lead to a miserable old age.
"This employment contract here offers temporary worker benefits, including five social insurances and one housing fund: pension, medical, maternity, disability, accidental death, and war compensation. The probationary period is six months, with a monthly salary of 10,000. After the probationary period, it will be raised to 50,000, but 95% will be deducted for the loan company, leaving you with only 5%. Hmm? This contract is strange!"
Takar looked at Chen Fei with suspicion. The young man seemed quite energetic, able to arrive at the 911 Aircrew Base alone; he didn't seem like a fool. Why would he sign such a bloodsucking contract?
Fortunately, the aircrew base provided food and lodging, as well as work clothes and some daily necessities; otherwise, the remaining 10% salary wouldn't be enough to maintain a basic standard of living.
"I took out a personal loan."
Chen Fei said with a bitter smile.
He had come to this godforsaken place not by choice, but out of necessity.
The Chen family was an ordinary family. The eldest son, Chen, was getting married and needed to buy a house. They borrowed from all their relatives and friends, scraping together every penny, eventually emptying their parents' pockets to barely make enough for the down payment.
Just when the family was tightening their belts, the naive youngest sister, Chen Meng, was tricked by her high school classmate and best friend into guaranteeing a large loan for a loan company for working capital.
However, the classmate and best friend, who had promised to repay the loan quickly, suddenly disappeared without a trace. The debt, naturally, fell on the guarantor's shoulders. Chen Meng wasn't the only one scammed; the combined amount guaranteed by several unfortunate children became a staggering sum. For the Chen
family, whose finances were already strained, this was a devastating blow.
When the debtor absconds, the guarantor is naturally pursued for repayment; protesting is useless, as such economic disputes are protected by law.
Even if the guarantor reports it to the police, only God knows when they will be able to apprehend the person.
Even if justice prevails and a verdict is handed down, the money is unlikely to be recovered. The other party is probably like a weasel warming itself by a fire—clean and dry, impervious to any consequences. Paying for enforcement might not work; at most, they'll be detained for a few days and then released to continue their carefree ways. That's how shameless they are.
However, if the younger sister is labeled a defaulter, she won't be the only one suffering; it will also affect the whole family. The eldest son's wedding mortgage will naturally be unsecured. Unable
To afford a wedding house, the wedding is off!
If the debt guaranteed by the younger sister is repaid to avert the defaulter crisis, then the hard-earned down payment for the mortgage will inevitably be depleted.
The result is still the same.
Unable to afford a wedding house, the wedding is off!
With the whole family at their wits' end, Chen Fei, the second eldest son, had no choice but to make a sacrifice.
Lacking a formal job to act as guarantor, he borrowed 5 million yuan from the loan company and did a loan refinancing, turning the guarantee into a personal loan. He paid a hefty handling fee, which temporarily relieved the Chen family's immediate crisis.
To repay this debt, Chen Fei had to give up his postgraduate entrance exam and pack his bags to work in this desolate, godforsaken mountain area, deducting the principal and interest from his wages.
Time was... a lifetime; he'd only stop when he'd finished paying it off.
His original postgraduate plans were naturally ruined; his family no longer had the time or money to support his further education.
The so-called "five insurances and one fund" are actually life-saving money. In case of any mishap, the life accident insurance and war compensation can cover the principal of 5 million star coins, so the creditor doesn't lose anything; it's truly a case of debt being wiped out upon death. Every
Every extra day Chen Fei lives means the loan company can collect one more day's interest.
This kind of lending business is only open to young people fresh out of school, and companies struggling to recruit can get the workers they need—a win-win situation for all parties.
However, only graduates from prestigious universities qualify for such a huge loan amount as Chen Fei's.
"Poor guy!"
Takael shook his head. He didn't know the full story behind it, but he understood the miserable situation of being chased by debt collectors.
After reviewing the contract in front of him, he leaned back lazily and said, "Okay! Interview passed!"
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