The Spy Family

By ROBERTO FRANCO GORNI

He is a spy, and all the men and women in his family have been spies for generations. They eat power and money, drink loyalty and betrayal, play with eyes and words, and enjoy riddles and decryption.
Their enemy is always another group of spies. Even if they are separated by stars and void, they can't stop them from fighting openly and secretly.

• Language: English
• Publisher: ROBERTO FRANCO GORNI
• Release date: Sep 22, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223167938

Book preview

Volume 1 Heir to the Planet

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Chapter 1 The Barber

On May 11, Standard Interstellar Era 300, humans on the seven planets celebrated the annual Earth Day together. The lively scene was broadcast live across space. Although there was a delay of a few minutes, it was harmless.

Like many festivals, this day was originally an anniversary of tragedy - 300 years ago, the earth's civilization was destroyed, and only a few humans were left to continue to thrive on the newly developed planet - year after year, the tragedy gradually faded away After that, the festival was retained and became one of the important dates alongside New Year's Day.

The grandest festival scene is the high-altitude electromagnetic fireworks display. At dusk, when the wind is light and the clouds are clear, colorful pictures begin to appear in the sky. The theme changes every year and lasts for several hours. During peak hours, it can often cover dozens or even hundreds of square kilometers. , and there are more than one, ensuring that residents everywhere can enjoy this beautiful scenery as long as they raise their heads.

This is also a time when several major planets compete for strength. They compete secretly. Even if they can't compete, they can't appear too weak.

It's all money. Shao Yunyuan, the barber, looked up for a while and felt his neck hurt, so he said this and turned back to the shop.

At this moment, Shao Yunyuan didn't know that a huge pie was about to fall on his head.

He is from Zhai Wangxing. He lives in the old town of Zhai Jing City and owns a medium-sized barber shop. He entered this business when he was twenty-three years old and has been working for more than twenty years. His business is becoming more and more stable year by year, and his body is getting better and better. Each month is becoming more generous, and the beard and hair are getting thinner day by day. The only thing that remains unchanged is the craftsmanship, which is still as mediocre as before. It has long been unable to keep up with the popular fashion, and the machines in the shop are also obsolete products from more than ten years ago.

In this regard, Shao Yun is willing to have his own explanation: Barbering is a job done by machines, and artificial haircuts are just a gimmick. After working for a long time, compared with the machine, there is only one percent difference, and it may not be as good as the machine. A real barber should It is the abbreviation of psychological expert-psychological barber expert.

To put it more bluntly, a barber's main job should be to chat with his customers. Shao Yun would like to call it social organizing activities. He is like the master who controls the scene at a party, creating topics, guiding topics, adding fuel to the fire, or taking the piss out of the pot. , ensuring that every guest can participate and enjoy an hour or two of fun.

There are not many customers who accept this trick. The poor have no objection to machine haircuts, as long as the price is low. As for the customers who can afford it, they are still willing to accept the gimmick of artificial haircuts and pay more for the one percent difference. Several times, dozens of times the price.

Shao Yun's dream of moving out of the old city and into a new center never materialized.

He has long been accustomed to the somewhat sad thought that life will never get better.

The store is not big, arranged in a semicircle, with seven seats evenly placed. Behind the three in the middle are hairdressing machines. One is considered to be in good condition, but one will have some minor problems from time to time, causing embarrassment to both the host and the guest. One was reduced to a decoration, could not be repaired, and was not moved.

Because it was a holiday, there were more guests than usual, and all seven chairs were occupied. Most of them were old neighbors nearby, who were used to getting haircuts and chatting here. This was one of the few hobbies they could afford.

There were two strange customers. They both looked young and were incompatible with the decaying atmosphere of the store, but they did not have the vigor of young people. They sat there hardly moving, did not open their mouths to participate in the conversation, and rarely made eye contact with others, as if Tourists who are tired from walking on the street take a haircut as an excuse and go into the shop to rest for a while.

No matter what, they had to pay when they left. This was the only reason why Shao Yunyuan didn't open his mouth to chase them away.

The other five people, all regular customers, were arguing passionately about which firework display was the most exciting.

The argument had been going on for a while, and it was entering the boring stage. No one could convince the other, and the tone gradually became more angry.

Shao Yunyuan came back just in time and immediately changed the subject, After all, it is electricity and money. This year it is a seven-star competition, next year it will be an eight-star competition.

Even on a day when the whole nation is celebrating, Eight Stars is still a hot topic.

It's really unexpected. A planet developed more than 300 years ago, which should have been proven to have failed or was completely forgotten, suddenly appears and is said to have entered a mature stage and is acceptable. Have humans immigrated? I feel something is wrong, there is something fishy here. Shao Yunyuan added, pointing the way to the topic.

Conspiracy always attracts people's hearts. One person starts it, and others follow, and they develop all kinds of incredible theories.

What attracted people's hearts more than conspiracy was wealth. The topic quickly turned to the value of new planets. From time to time, someone's eyes were blank for a few seconds. That was when he was retrieving the news that had just been released through the chip in his body, adding new material to the chat.

At this moment, a tempting corner of the huge pie was revealed.

Hey, did you see it? A regular customer's voice suddenly rose with excitement, The Star Alliance has just made a decision to determine the ownership of the new planet according to the inheritance law!

Which company is so lucky? Perhaps it has ceased to exist a long time ago, right?

It's not a company, it's a family that owns the company, or just a certain person...

Suddenly, everyone in the store suddenly shut up and stared blankly. A large amount of news appeared on the Internet like a volcanic eruption, with at least one exclamation point after the title.

Yixing Company... I've never heard of it.

The company is gone a long time ago. There is one major shareholder and many small shareholders. The one who benefits the most should be the major shareholder, right?

Of course. The major shareholder's surname is Shao, and the successor... is being determined, but there will definitely be one.

There is an entire planet, and the machines on it, as well as the Guangye Farm, all belong to the Shao family? This is too outrageous.

It's been three hundred years. There must be a lot of descendants of the Shao family, right? Besides, there are other shareholders as well. I'm afraid there must be hundreds of thousands of descendants.

The news that just came out said that New Planet was originally developed by Shaw Brothers with family funds and is not owned by Yixing Group.

The whole planet is owned by just one family? Really... Hey, Lao Yun, isn't your surname Shao? Could you be one of the heirs?

Haha... Shao Yunyuan smiled a little fakely, If I were the heir, I would give each of you a lifetime free haircut coupon.

How stingy.

It's dark outside, but Lao Yun is still daydreaming. With such a big company, the descendants of the Shaw family should be a big family by now, so how can they be involved in the barbering business?

The guests laughed, and Shao Yunyuan laughed along with him. Accepting ridicule was an important part of his job. He was used to it, but today he felt a little uncomfortable.

The guests chatted and chatted, and after it became completely dark, they left one by one. The two strange young people finally stood up and paid obediently without saying a word of nonsense.

Shao Yunyuan managed to remain calm, but in fact he was so distracted that he lost most of his judgment and did not notice the strange look cast by the strange guest before leaving.

It was just an hour into the night, and people were coming and going on the streets outside. The electromagnetic fireworks in the air were still going on. Shao Yunxiang had no intention of doing business anymore, so he locked the door, turned off the lights, covered the windows, rummaged through boxes and cabinets, and found a microcomputer that had not been used for a long time. Then I sat down in a chair and started searching my family tree.

He was very cautious and did not use the chip inside his body.

The Shaw family did not have a ready-made family tree, so they had to go back through birth certificates, and they could only look up their own genealogy.

Half an hour later, Shao Yun wanted to stop the microcomputer and sit still. It took him a long time to come back to his senses.

It was confirmed that he was really a descendant of the Shaw family. Coincidentally, the chairman of Yixing Development Group in the Earth Age was named Shao Xinyuan, only one word different from the eighth generation grandson's name.

It seems that only one granddaughter of this chairman was lucky enough to escape the disaster and lived in Zhai Wangxing. Shao Yunyuan is her descendant. After many twists and turns, she has always stubbornly retained the Shao surname.

It turns out it was just for this day. Shao Yunyuan suddenly had a thin layer of sweat on his body. His arms loosened and the microcomputer fell to the ground. He jumped up and walked in circles instead of picking up things on the ground. It's big and fast, but the small store becomes increasingly cramped.

There are still many things that cannot be determined, such as how many descendants of the Shaw family are there? How are inheritance rights distributed? Will the Star Alliance's decision change again...

But the joy has already swelled, filled the heart chambers, overflowed the body, and was looking for openings everywhere to rush out of the room.

Maybe it's all in vain. Shao Yunyuan murmured. He had to pour some cold water on himself, but he couldn't keep calm anyway, so he unlocked the door and joined the crowd outside.

The streets were packed with people and the traffic flowed slowly like thick syrup.

The fireworks show in mid-air was not over yet. At this time, a giant spaceship appeared, more than ten kilometers long, almost suspended.

It is impossible for a real spaceship to be so close to the planet. This illusion is extremely realistic and seems to weigh heavily on the city at any time.

Shao Yunyuan was not very interested in the spaceship at first, but now he looked up and admired it for a while, because it suddenly occurred to him that he might soon own such a behemoth.

Not just the spaceship, everything had a different meaning in his eyes. For example, the pedestrians and vehicles on the street were part of his life not long ago, but now they have become much smaller. Shao Yunyuan even felt that he was looking down on all living beings.

Someone bumped into him, turned around and cursed, blaming him for standing still for no reason.

Shao Yun smiled and was too lazy to respond. His thoughts were flying to the eighth planet that had not yet been officially named. Even if he only had one ten thousandth of the share, it would be an unimaginable huge wealth, far beyond this street. On, no, on the entire King Zhai planet, all personal assets.

The old city is full of entertainment venues, most of which are cheap. Shao Yun is willing to pass by and go to a relatively high-end bar three streets away.

The waiters here are all living humans. Unlike other places, charging and serving wine are all automated systems, and there are not even human-shaped machines.

The high price did not deter customers. The bar was crowded with young people, and the noise kept irritating the eardrums. Shao Yun wanted to squeeze in the crowd to get a glass of wine. He stood outside the counter and took a sip. He was disappointed to find that it was no better than a cheap bar. Delicious.

There are five waiters busy behind the long counter, their movements skillful and efficient, almost like robots.

After only drinking a glass of wine, Shao Yun was willing to leave in a hurry and return to the street, silently lamenting that his time was gone. He thought back then, like these young people, he would go to every amusement place in groups and spend half the night. Can spend a week's income.

He continued to go in and out of bars, one after another, drinking at most two drinks, staying away from his neighborhood so as not to run into anyone he knew.

Tonight, he didn't want to meet with acquaintances, and he might never meet again in the future. He thought that if he made adjustments quickly, he would be able to meet some people, especially those who had underestimated him.

He had three love experiences, but none of them were successful. He often regretted this, but now he can only feel happy.

Their expressions must be very interesting when they see the news. Shao Yunyuan whispered, drinking an extra drink for each of his ex-girlfriends.

After coming out of the tenth bar, he was already drunk, his steps staggered, his mind fell back from the clouds a little, and he seriously considered how to use the wealth he was about to acquire, designing future houses one by one...

Unknowingly, Shao Yun is willing to go deep into the core of the old city. It is full of tall buildings older than him. The streets are full of potholes filled with water, but some of the best small shops are hidden among them. They offer high quality and low prices. You can meet interesting people.

Shao Yunyuan hasn't been here for a long time. Tonight, he wants to relax completely.

He is the descendant of the Shao family and the heir to a planet. Shao Yunyuan is certain about this. He believes that he will get official notification soon, and he will never be so relaxed again.

There are far fewer pedestrians in this area, and there is often light only dozens of meters away. Shao Yun is not afraid. He knows the streets here well and will not get lost even with his eyes closed.

A group of teenagers, about seven or eight people, walked towards them. Shao Yun wanted to get out of the way no matter how drunk he was. Groups of teenagers have always been one of the three major nuisances in the old city, and no one wanted to fight with them.

The teenagers laughed for no reason. They had obviously passed by each other. One of them turned around, spat on the ground, and asked loudly: Old guy, how to get to the funeral parlor?

The teenagers laughed louder. Shao Yunyuan did not dare to reply or even take another look, but he had already made a decision in his heart. These people would never be welcomed in the new planet, let alone build a bunch of high-rise buildings. They would become unscrupulous in a few years. A teenager's playground.

Shao Yunyuan was hit, neither lightly nor seriously. The man didn't apologize and walked past quickly. He couldn't tell his age and appearance, and he didn't know if he was one of the gang of teenagers.

Shao Yunyuan stood against the wall for a while, feeling dizzy. He wanted to have another drink and go home, but he could not move.

Someone ran over and roughly grabbed his right arm.

Shao Yunyuan lost his last bit of strength and slowly sat down along the wall. With the dim light, he saw a slightly familiar face. He quickly remembered that this was one of the two strange customers sitting in his shop at dusk. one.

There were footsteps approaching again, and another strange guest also appeared, with an obvious look of surprise on his face.

You did it! the latecomer said in a low voice.

Idiot, how could it be me? The first arrival released his palm, took half a step back, and looked in the direction where the teenagers disappeared.

Shao Yunyuan felt strange. He tried to force out a professional smile, but was unable to do so. He looked down for a while and finally recognized that a large dark stain on his clothes was actually blood, and he didn't feel any pain at all.

How strange, he thought, never looking up again.

The two strangers looked at each other and suddenly ran away in opposite directions. The giant spaceship in mid-air had just dissipated and was showing the eighth planet to be inherited. It was much smaller in size. The buildings on it were still clearly visible and could even be seen. To the slowly squirming mass of machinery and equipment.

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Chapter 2 Farm Children

He is very handsome, with a slightly unbeatable look. When people see cute babies, they always want to pinch their cheeks, and when they see furry animals, they always want to rub them. It is said that this is called compensation psychology, and he is so handsome. , whoever sees him always wants to beat him severely to make up for the gap in his heart.

Yuan Miyu, the first time Miss Yuan saw him, she felt the urge to grab that thick and unruly hair and ravage it as much as she wanted. Of course, she would be merciful and never lose a single hair.

It was at a large party, all the participants were friends of friends, and it was very lively.

Ms. Yuan immediately asked her friends for the man's name and origin. She had a strong feeling that this would be a major moment that would only happen once in her life. No matter whether the final result was good or bad, it would change the course of her destiny.

After only asking three friends, Ms. Yuan got the information she wanted. She was surprised but somewhat proud to find that the other party seemed to be asking about her too.

The man’s surname is Mei, his first name is Qian Zhong, the emphasis is on the importance, not the repetition. He is a meteorological investigator - no one knows what this profession does specifically, and they don’t care. They only care that he has a good reputation among a group of people. How dazzling.

Mei Qianzhong is the kind of person who is born to be the center of attention. Even if he just stands somewhere and looks around blankly, he will attract many looks of admiration or jealousy. He has long been accustomed to it, and is as comfortable as a fish returning to water.

In addition to his name and occupation, Miss Yuan also found out that he currently had no public partner. For her, this was enough. She decided to start immediately because there were many potential competitors.

Miss Yuan is a principled person, so she first went to find her current boyfriend, interrupted his eloquent talk, pulled him out from the circle of men, and said calmly: I have thought about it carefully, we are not suitable, or Let’s break up, I wish you happiness, goodbye.

The boyfriend did not react and stood there blankly. After a while, he would get angry and might act erratically. Ms. Yuan was not afraid, because the so-called irrationality probably meant crying in public, which was not the case. Threatening, a little embarrassing.

Before her boyfriend's embarrassment affected her, Ms. Yuan smiled to show comfort, then turned and walked away. When she passed the bar, she picked up a glass of wine and walked towards the dazzling jewelry without any hesitation or timidity. Consider what would happen if you were rejected.

She has never experienced rejection.

This was an electric love, and neither party tried hard to hide their feelings. They hit it off immediately. When the party was about to end, the two had fallen into the trap of falling in love with each other. In the eyes of most people, they were a couple. A model couple who has been dating for a long time deserves blessings.

Only Ms. Yuan's ex-boyfriend couldn't accept the fact immediately. He fell into the arms of a girl, sobbing and reprimanding his ex-girlfriend for being ruthless and shameless.

Miss Yuan and Mr. Mei are in love. According to her, this is the first time she has truly shown her true love. In the past, she only used it to relieve her loneliness. Mr. Mei did not say it so absolutely, but every word and every move was filled with emotion. The love seems to be everything to her.

Except for going to work, the two spend every moment together. The flame of love burns higher and higher, and there is no end in sight for a while.

A month later—only a month later, Ms. Yuan said she was surprised because she felt the two had known each other for several years—Mei Qianzhong invited Yuan Miyu to meet her family and pay her birthday to an elder.

This is an important and sensitive turning point. Many men and women have not reached this point even though they have been married for many years.

Yuan Miyu agreed without thinking, and regretfully told Mei Qianzhong that she had no other family but him.

They gave up the fast flight, drove a car, packed more than a dozen gifts, and embarked on the trip. They traveled around the mountains and rivers. On several occasions, they suddenly had a whim and took advantage of the excitement to go to nearby scenic spots to find out.

It was always Ms. Yuan's whims, and Mr. Mei never refused, quickly remaking plans to meet all her requests.

It took them seven days to reach their destination, just in time for the birthday banquet the next day.

This is one of the things that Ms. Yuan is very satisfied with about Mr. Mei. No matter how many changes are added in the middle, no matter how casual it seems, he can always arrange things in an orderly manner, including the holidays that should be taken, the greetings that should be said, the things that should be bought, The accommodation that was scheduled was not left behind.

Mr. Mei's hometown is a farm, Guangye Farm. What is grown here is not crops, but patches of solar power panels. From a distance, it looks like an endless blue ocean. Only when you drive closer can you see the rows of solar panels. Paths and grassy areas in the middle of the light board.

How big is the farm? Miss Yuan asked in surprise. She grew up in the city and this was her first time visiting Guangye Farm.

Nearly 10,000 square kilometers, half of them are power generation panels and half of them are other facilities. Mr. Mei replied with a smile. He was not impatient or talked about boring professional knowledge. This is the problem of many farmers. They talk too much. , but reduced visitors’ interest in the farm.

The car stopped on the side of the road, and Mr. Mei took Miss Yuan into the depths of the blue sea and walked hand in hand along the road. The scenery was monotonous, and neither of them felt bored.

The skin cannot feel the wind blowing, but there is a roaring sound all the time. After getting used to it, the sound of the wind turns into a vast silence.

I feel like we are like two small fish swimming in the sea. Ms. Yuan said.

A small fish, shorter than a finger. Mei Qianzhong gestured.

They met a group of maintenance workers driving strange-looking vehicles. Someone stood up and waved their arms in the distance, calling out Mr. Mei's name to indicate that he was home.

Yuan Guangye Farm, also called Yiyiyi, the residents here often proudly claim to outsiders that this is the first Guangye Farm on the planet, decades earlier than the name Zhai Wang.

The residential area only occupies a small area of the farm, with a main street running through it. The layout is no different from a common small town, except that the houses appear older, there are no high-rise buildings, and they are at most three floors, usually commercial places.

The population is less than 10,000, and everyone is familiar with each other. Mr. Mei's car crawls as slowly as a snail because he has to greet so many people. Sometimes he has to stop, get out of the car, shake hands, exchange greetings, and then warmly introduce Miss Yuan.

Ms. Yuan's face froze in order to maintain her smile, but she was really happy to have the opportunity to integrate into Mr. Mei's life circle.

Early the next morning, the two of them went to pay homage to the old man's birthday. According to seniority, Mr. Mei wanted to call him great-grandfather.

There were at least 200 people waiting in line to pay their birthdays, queuing from the front hall to the courtyard, and the long queue circled several times.

Ms. Yuan, who grew up in the city, had never experienced this kind of thing. She was worried, and her face showed it. Mr. Mei put his arm around her shoulders and comforted her in a low voice: Don't be afraid, it's very simple, just follow me and do it. "

It is indeed very simple. My great-grandfather has lost most of his body functions because of his old age. He is like a zombie or a puppet connected by springs. He keeps nodding his head tremblingly and moans like the wind in his throat. Everyone who sees him is shocked. There is no change in expression.

Mr. Mei and Miss Yuan bowed three times, handed over the red envelope, placed it on the coffee table in front of the great-grandfather, and then stepped aside. The birthday greetings were over, and it only took more than ten seconds.

Only then did the real party begin. Only a small half of the family members lived on the farm. Most of them, like Mr. Mei, came back from other places, one to pay homage to the old man’s birthday and the other to exchange feelings.

In the family, Mr. Mei is still the dazzling figure. He never takes a moment to rest. While waiting in line, he often nods to others. After paying his birthday, as soon as he returns to the yard outside, he is surrounded by a group of young men and women. , talking non-stop, surrounding him to meet other elders.

Miss Yuan felt left out for the first time since they met, but she had a good attitude and treated it as a small farewell. Soon, he returned to her.

Miss Yuan waved to Mr. Mei in the distance, indicating that she wanted to go out for a walk. Mr. Mei nodded with a smile, immediately looked back, and talked seriously with a woman next to her.

The woman is very young. Miss Yuan walked out of the door with a little jealousy, but soon returned to a happy mood. If she had any motto for the young woman, it must be: everything belongs to the outside world, only the mood belongs to you, so be yourself Take good care of yourself.

In a small town where everyone is close to each other, outsiders feel even more lonely, so Ms. Yuan deliberately avoided the only main street in the town and walked to a more secluded place. Instead of looking at people, it was better to look at the scenery.

Apart from the vast ocean of power generation panels, the town has no special scenery. It is just different from the big city in every way. In Ms. Yuan’s opinion, it is quite interesting. For example, many houses here directly use power generation panels as building materials and repaint them in other colors. And there are almost no signs, making it difficult for outsiders to distinguish where the residents are and where the shops are.

Miss Yuan likes the tranquility and kindness of the small town, but she is determined that if she has to choose, she would rather give up Mr. Mei and return to her home, that noisy and chaotic city, where people are suddenly enthusiastic and suddenly indifferent. One night they drank and talked happily, hugged each other and cried, and the next day they were strangers. This was the life she wanted.

The path led her to the shore. The river was not wide, but the water looked quite deep. There were sparse trees planted on both sides, and weeds were overgrown among the trees. It seemed that they were rarely trimmed. There were only places where benches were placed, and the surrounding areas were trampled. An open space.

Miss Yuan was strolling around and was quickly attracted by the scene on the other side of the river. It was a forest with tall and straight trees. Strangely, they were all dead trees without a single green leaf.

What's this?

Miss Yuan asked herself, not expecting an answer, but instead a voice came and told her: This is the Creation Forest.

Miss Yuan was startled and looked around. It turned out that the benches here were all back-to-back. Facing the road and looking at the river, just a few steps away, a man poked his head out from behind the chair and looked at her.

The man was probably in his twenties, looked a little thin, and had a bookish look on his face, as if he had not graduated from school.

This was not the type that Miss Yuan liked, let alone someone she was afraid of, so she raised her head slightly and said, What a loud tone, Chuangshi Lin.

The man stood up and was really thin. He actually held a rare paper book in his hand. Miss Yuan had only seen it before she was ten years old. He said: Guangye Farm is still in the automatic operation stage. When humans have not yet immigrated to King Zhai, In order to increase the oxygen content, the machine threw a large number of plant seeds and grew a large forest, so it was called the Creation Forest because they arrived earlier than humans.

Oh, then why is it withering again?

Because there is already enough oxygen, and any more would be harmful, humans have destroyed most of the Creation Forest. Some of them have been shoveled clean, and some have left ruins. The one on the other side is the second largest on this planet in terms of area.

Why keep the relics? As a souvenir?

No. The man walked around the bench without getting too close. There is no need to eradicate it. There is no economic benefit. The material of these trees is not good, and the land after the eradication is temporarily useless.

You know so much, what should you study?

Majoring in history.

No wonder, then you must know our planet very well?

Uh... I majored in earth history and don't know much about modern and contemporary history.

Ha, is it because King Zhai only has a history of three hundred years, which is not enough for you to study?

After you reminded me, this seems to be the real reason.

Both of them laughed. Miss Yuan walked to the bench and sat at one end. She pointed to the other end and motioned for the other person to sit down too.

The man sat at the other end, looking a bit reserved. His mouth could talk freely, but his body was not so flexible.

Neither of them had any ready-made topics to talk about. Ten seconds later, the interesting encounter turned uncomfortable. Ms. Yuan missed Mr. Mei even more. With him, such a scene would never happen.

Is this your first time at the farm, Miss Yuan? the man finally asked.

Do you recognize me? Miss Yuan was a little surprised.

The man smiled and said, We have met before. When I was celebrating my great-grandfather's birthday, I lined up behind you and the old man introduced us.

Miss Yuan could not recall this scene at all, I'm so sorry, there were too many people at that time...

Well, there are enough, and more people are coming to pay their respects. The man leaned forward slightly, handed the book to his left hand, and stretched out his right arm, My name is Lu Linbei. Hello, Miss Yuan.

Miss Yuan lightly touched the extended palm and said with a smile: Your family's surname is either Mei or Lu.

Well, there are other surnames, but these two are the most common.

What did you call him just now?

Crook? Yes, we all call him Lao Qian. Here, the younger you are, the older you are called.

I see, what about you? What did they call you?

Old Bei.

Miss Yuan pursed her lips and smiled, took a long breath, looked up at the sky, planning to find an excuse to leave in a few seconds, but suddenly realized something, turned around and asked: Are you an interstellar orphan too?

Lu Linbei nodded, Same as Miss Yuan.

They are all named Lu, right?

In this family, that's about right.

Miss Yuan felt a little more cordial in her heart, I thought interstellar orphans would only be sent to the city... Are there also orphanages on the farm?

No, we were born in the Mei family and grew up here. There is no difference between brothers and sisters. It was only after I turned fifteen that I understood the true meaning of 'interstellar orphans' and discovered that I was one of them.

I envy you. The orphanages in the city are not so harmonious. No one even said 'goodbye' when they left. Miss Yuan moved slightly closer, Can I ask you something?

Of course, as long as I know, I know more about the Earth Age.

I don't ask about history. Well, it counts as history. That...Mr. Mei, a con man, often brings girls to the farm, right?

A sly smile appeared on Lu Linbei's face, Not many, I haven't seen him a few times anyway.

How many times? Have you ever happened before? Tell me, I'm just curious and won't let it out. And don't worry, I don't know for sure who has made more friends, me or Mr. Mei.

I have been living on campus in the past few years and know very little about farm matters. Lu Linbei is obviously a strict man.

Instead, Miss Yuan became interested. She had a hundred ways to make a man reveal all his secrets. When used on Lu Linbei, he was like a battle-hardened general. Occasionally hunting was both exercise and entertainment.

Unfortunately, this hunt was interrupted before she could take action.

Hey, you are hiding here! Mr. Mei's voice came.

Lao Bei, I don't know how brave you are to steal the con man's girlfriend! said another voice, which was also a young man, about the same age as Lu Linbei, slightly shorter, and equally thin, but not at all He looks weak and has too much energy. He even jumps up and down when he walks, like a monkey begging for food.

Ms. Yuan had a vague impression of Monkey but couldn't remember the name. She stood up and said with a smile: There are hidden dragons and crouching tigers here. You have opened my eyes. I am hesitant to continue with you.

Mr. Mei spread his hands pretending to be disappointed, Miss Yuan has such a good eye, she actually picked the most talented person on our farm.

A couple is flirting and the one being talked about is sitting there smiling.

When he came closer, Mr. Mei kissed Miss Yuan, whispered in her ear: Can I have a word with Lao Bei?

Why? Begging him to withdraw from the competition?

Mr. Mei kissed her again, I asked him for a lot of things.

Miss Yuan knew that this was not the time to get to the bottom of things, so she laughed a few times and walked away. Monkey followed closely, telling some jokes that were neither serious nor serious, as if the two had known each other for a long time.

Mr. Mei watched Miss Yuan walk away, sat on a chair, and approached Lu Beilin, Everything has been settled. Third uncle agrees. You can join the organization.

Lu Linbei put the book in his hand beside him and did not reply immediately. Instead, he became more and more reserved.

You don't want to? Mei Qianzhong asked with a smile.

Yes, of course I do. Thank you.

What I want is more than just a thank you, and you should know that joining the organization requires going through a test.

Of course, I am ready to accept the test at any time.

Qianzhong didn't make a sound.

You mean now? Lu Linbei asked in surprise.

Mei Qianzhong turned his gaze to Miss Yuan in the distance, stared at it for a moment, and said, That is a first-class person. If she were an ordinary person, I think I would love her forever. Unfortunately, she is a spy from another faction.

Lu Linbei's surprise turned into horror.

The door to spies is sealed by magic, and only blood can open it. The look of being beaten was even more obvious on Qianshige's handsome face. He was actually smiling, as if what he was about to do was a prank often played by children of several years old, This is your test.

Are you sure she is a spy?

The question is not whether I can confirm it, the question is whether you can trust and obey my orders. This is the basic requirement of our profession. Mei Qianzhong added a bit of comfort, which was patient but also unquestionable.

Lu Linbei stayed for a while and glanced at Yuan Miyu in the distance. She was laughing so hard at the monkey.

He shook his head, no doubt as well.

Mei Qianzhong also waited for a while, without any further persuasion or force. He patted Lu Linbei on the shoulder, said you, then raised his other arm and snapped his fingers, as if to greet Yuan. The waiter at the office.

Monkey got the signal and pushed Yuan Miyu, who was still laughing, into the river.

––––––––

Chapter 3 Interstellar Orphans

Interstellar orphans are a special group with a long history.

The Earth was destroyed so suddenly that only a handful of humans escaped. They were scattered around the major planets. They were all busy saving themselves and had no time to care about anything else. It took more than half a century to remember that there might be similar species surviving on distant alien planets. , so we began to focus on rebuilding the interstellar transportation system.

Interstellar transportation costs a lot of money, and it has not been able to return to the level of its heyday for a long time. There are very few spaceships, and not many items can be carried. As for passengers, they have to be carefully selected, and only the most necessary people can board. The number of spaceships is so small that they can be ignored.

If this continues, the interstellar transportation system will collapse again sooner or later, and the major planets will have no choice but to develop independently. Some people have issued extremely pessimistic predictions, believing that humans will embark on a completely different evolutionary path and eventually become a completely different species.

At the same time, mankind is also facing another problem. The panic caused by the destruction of the earth continues. Humanity's desire to have children is extremely low, and the population has not been increased.

After many rounds of negotiations, someone proposed a plan that hoped to solve both problems at the same time.

Interstellar orphans have appeared. They are artificial embryos sent to other planets by spacecraft. This has multiple benefits: children will almost never meet their biological parents again, eliminating many moral dilemmas; population mobility eliminates reproductive isolation. threats; giving interstellar transportation a necessary reason to exist, and the requirements for spacecraft are not high. Only a small corner is needed to transport tens of thousands of embryos.

Decades later, human panic gradually dissipated, the fertility rate began to rise, and interstellar transportation also developed tremendously, with more economic benefits and even some passenger transportation functions restored.

The problem no longer exists, but Orphans from the Stars has not been cancelled.

On the one hand, a large number of human beings have developed the habit of being hands-off parents. Having children is like paying taxes. Once paid, it has nothing to do with them. Although this approach and mentality are extremely controversial, it is a real social custom.

On the other hand, the major planets have developed unevenly, and are gradually divided into strong and weak ones. Sending interstellar orphans begins to have a certain level symbol. Strong planets send out the most orphans and receive the least.

In short, this system has become a legacy issue that has been avoided by all parties.

For those interstellar orphans, the problem is not that complicated. Like ordinary people, they always have to prioritize the issues around them, such as what kind of work to do, what friends to make, where to have fun...

There are fewer problems when an interstellar orphan becomes a corpse.

Yuan Miyu said that Ms. Yuan sank to the bottom and came up again. The monkey who pushed her into the water followed the rules and called the police. When the police showed up, he calmly told the cause and effect, blaming the incident on the carelessness of an outsider, She wanted to see the river. The fish failed to stand firm, and it was right here. I stretched out my hand and almost missed it...

Lu Linbei didn't see this scene, he was sent away by Mei Qianzhong.

It's such a pity. If you don't trust the people in the family, how can you gain the trust of the family? This is a two-way matter. You should go home first and think about it. Maybe there will be a chance in the future, maybe.

Mei Qianzhong's tone was not harsh, it could be said to be kind, or it could be because he didn't care at all, otherwise he would not have brought the monkey as a backup plan.

The name of Monkey is Lu Yezhou, and his companions call him Yi Zi. He is also an interstellar orphan adopted by the Mei family. He has been Mei Qianzhong's follower since he was a child, obeying his instructions.

Lu Linbei didn't say anything, picked up the book on the chair and walked towards the town.

Miss Yuan's water quality is not very good. Lu Yezhou made a gesture as if he was inviting Lu Linbei to watch the scene in the water.

Lu Linbei quickened his pace. On the way, he met the police driving over and pointed them in the direction without saying anything else.

After returning home, Lu Linbei threw away the book and fell on the bed. Thinking back on what happened just now, he realized that he had been wrong from beginning to end.

He failed the test and lost a valuable opportunity.

He didn't save Ms. Yuan, or even tried. He watched her being pushed into the river and heard her scream.

He didn't even know whether Miss Yuan was an enemy spy. He had no clue and couldn't even scratch his head.

After thinking about it, he couldn't even figure out his truest thoughts: did he regret losing the opportunity, or did he regret not being able to save people? This made him particularly discouraged.

The bedroom was small, and the window faced west. At this time, sunlight filtered in quietly from the outside, like an emotionless spectator, staring at the bloody scene, but still felt that the smell of blood was not strong enough.

There is a bunk bed placed against the wall. Lu Linbei lives in the lower bunk, and the upper bunk belongs to someone else. Yes, he is twenty-seven years old and does not have a private room yet.

There was a tall and thin cabinet between the end of the bed and the wall. Apart from that, there was nothing else in the room, which was as simple as a prison cell.

There was the sound of the door opening outside, and just by the sound of footsteps, Lu Linbei guessed that this was mother coming back.

Mom is the owner of this house and the caregiver of a group of orphans. She is in her sixties, tall and strong. She has never been young or aged. She has raised many orphans. This is her profession and her hobby.

The orphans will leave when they grow up. Some work as maintenance workers on farms, while others go to foreign lands to look for opportunities. The transition usually occurs before the orphans are twenty-three years old, when they graduate from middle school or college.

Lu Linbei is the orphan who has been here the longest.

The house was very large, with ten bedrooms in total. Each one was very small and always filled with children of different ages. Sure enough, not long after, Lu Linbei heard the noise of the children. They were asking for cakes from their mother. Like a flock of chirping chicks.

Every year when my great-grandfather celebrates his birthday, his mother will go to help and bring back a lot of food, mainly cakes. Lu Linbei ate a lot when he was a child, but now he has no interest in it.

The bedroom door was pushed open, and Lu Linbei's roommate came back, another older resident of this house.

Lu Yezhou is twenty-four years old and has graduated from college for one year. If he cannot join the organization this year, his future will also be worrying.

The test completed by the river was a guarantee, and Lu Yezhou was in a good mood. He hummed a little tune in his mouth, and without taking off his shoes, he easily climbed to the upper bunk and lay down heavily.

Neither of them spoke. After a while, Lu Yezhou poked his head out of the upper bunk and asked, Are you hungry?

Um.

After sleeping together for many years, even enemies will develop some friendship. What's more, Lu Yezhou is a lovable guy who gets along well with everyone. He is willing to run around and has many tricks. He is often the main force to liven up the atmosphere at parties. .

Lu Yezhou handed over a piece of cake.

Her mother was kind but strict and did not allow any children to eat or drink in the bedroom, but Lu Yezhou always found a way to avoid surveillance.

Lu Linbei took the cake and ate it slowly.

Lu Yezhou still kept his head tilted, remained silent for a while, and said, Don't think that I can be indifferent in my heart, but someone has to do this kind of thing, either you or me.

Do you believe she is a spy for the other side?

Why do I have to worry about this issue? The crook is the leader, he has the final say and is responsible for everything. Just like the army, why the war is fought belongs to the politicians, and how the war is fought is left to the generals. As a soldier, just shoot and kill people. We are all soldiers, why should we ask for trouble and trouble ourselves with meaningless questions?

Lu Linbei silently finished a small piece of cake and carefully ate the residue that fell on his clothes to avoid being discovered by his mother later. Then he said: In many novels, gods and bodhisattvas often recruit demons and ghosts to act as gatekeepers. ."

Hey, do you understand that you don't want to do this? Becoming a god starts with being a monster. Now we are just the monsters who have been recruited. We have to do all the dirty, hard, and tiring work. When we achieve success, new people will naturally come. Do.

Maybe... I'm too weak. Congratulations.

Me? Oh, you're talking about organization. Well, the old man hasn't given me the final decision yet, but it should be almost the same. I will leave soon. Mom may have heard something. She just asked me to put everything in the kitchen. Pack it up. Lu Yezhou couldn't control his excitement and leaned out of the bed, Nine years. I started training at the age of fifteen. It's been nine years. If you can't be a spy, it will all be wasted. It fell.

For Lu Linbei, it was not nine years, but twelve years.

The best way out for the Mei family is to become spies. Lu Yezhou began to ramble, Investigator, team leader, regional team leader, and then two different paths. Of course, our surname is not Mei, so we cannot be analysts. I can only continue to move forward along the road of investigator, special team leader, division team leader, I heard that someone once became deputy director. My ambition is not that big, the regional team leader is enough, he can manage three or five There are three or five people in each group, which is quite a lot.

be safe.

Of course, I will never be as stupid as that woman, who dares to trick people into cheating, sneak into the farm, and seek death. I will never take this risk. I will always be a fisherman on the shore. I will never Go into the water and use it as bait...

Someone knocked on the door. Lu Yezhou immediately shut up, lay down on the upper bunk, and said loudly: Come in.

Mei Qianzhong pushed the door open and walked in, took a glance, and said with a smile: This place will always look like this. When I was a kid, I came here to play and even if I wanted to find a hiding place, I couldn't find it.

Lu Yezhou rolled over and jumped to the ground, standing upright like a new recruit, Hello, team leader.

Lu Linbei sat up from the bed.

I haven't confiscated it from you yet. Don't call me team leader. Go outside and guard. Mei Qianzhong's kind attitude was meant for Lu Linbei. To Lu Yezhou, he was not polite from his tone to his expression. He treated Lu Yezhou completely. is a slave.

Yes. Lu Yezhou didn't care. Instead, he became more serious. He walked out of the room with a shapeless step and closed the door gently.

Mei Qianzhong walked to the window, stood on the side without sunlight, looked out, and said for a long time: Generally speaking, you will be eliminated permanently. But this is you after all. It is a pity for you not to be a spy. It’s a loss to the family. So I’ll make an exception and give you a little more explanation.

Thanks.

Mei Qianzhong raised his hand and waved lightly. Even if he only looked at his back, he was a handsome man with a tall and straight posture. Lu Linbei could vaguely see the appearance of the future leader.

Yuan Miyu is a spy of the Cui family in the southeast, there is no doubt about it. She is a peripheral spy recruited by the Cui family, and her only task is to lure me into the trap. Alas, the situation in the city is very chaotic now, and we cannot afford to be careless.

That’s a brief explanation of Meiqianzhong.

Does it have to be murder? I mean, there's no need to bring her to the farm.

Mei Qianzhong turned around, with a charming smile on his face, which quickly disappeared, and said in a well-measured serious tone: I said I would make an exception to explain to you, but I didn't say I would make an exception and allow you to ask questions. The rules of being a spy, you Have you forgotten everything?

Sorry, it's my fault. I just... I guess I was too weak.

Yes, but you have other advantages that are enough to make up for your weakness. Pack your things and leave tomorrow. You will start to serve the family. Remember, you still owe me a test.

––––––––

Chapter 4 Group

Lu Linbei and Lu Yezhou have been unable to join the family's spy organization, each for different reasons.

The children on the farm received the same education from an early age, but split up around the age of fifteen. Some continued to receive regular education, while the other group - a much smaller number - were selected by the Mei family to enter special schools. In addition to the normal curriculum, they began to receive In spy training, students are eliminated every year and new ones join.

These future spies take normal exams and have to wait until they graduate from college before they can officially join the organization.

Lu Yezhou made a mistake once in college. He actually showed off his knowledge about spies to outsiders. Although most of his knowledge was wrong and would not cause actual harm to the organization, his superiors still believed that he was not strict enough. Being a spy remains to be investigated.

Lu Linbei's situation is more complicated. He was selected very early to become a Mei family member and received basic spy training. Except for his slightly poor physical fitness, he was excellent in every aspect.

Soon, he noticed a detail. Unlike the students who were selected, those children with the real surname Mei would be selected whether they wanted to or not.

When he was about fifteen years old, he finally realized the meaning of interstellar orphan. Although he had read relevant articles, he always thought that it was a term that had nothing to do with him.

Lu Linbei felt disappointed for a while when he discovered that the person who had been taking care of him was not his biological mother. Other than that, he didn't have any other thoughts. There were many children like him around him, and he felt no obvious discrimination.

After two years of basic training, a spy teacher said to him: You should be an analyst. It's a pity that your last name is not Mei.

There are two development paths for spies. One is to be an investigator, charging on the front line, recruiting peripheral spies, and collecting as much material as possible. The other is to be an analyst, responsible for finding the most valuable information from large amounts of data.

There is no clear line between the two. Everyone has to start as an investigator, but in the end only people with the surname Mei can become analysts. There is no way. Although this position is not high, it comes into contact with too much sensitive information, so it can only be done by The most trusted person takes charge.

According to the rules, teachers should not say such things to students, so he never mentioned it again, and Lu Linbei did not ask further questions. The turbulence in his heart quickly calmed down, and he was willing to accept his fate.

When he was preparing to take the college entrance examination, he showed his stubborn side for the first time. He ignored the advice of his teachers and insisted on applying for the history department, majoring in earth history. This is a major that few people care about. Some young people with no worries about their future take it out of temporary interest. There are some students who come to study for four years because of poor grades and no other choice.

Even so, Lu Linbei may still be absorbed by the organization. Spies always need an identity anyway, and historians are also good.

But in his junior year, Lu Linbei became sick.

Strictly speaking, this is not a disease. It is a certain mental phenomenon. It will fall into a pessimistic state for no reason. It is not as serious as depression and usually recovers on its own without treatment. It has a common name called Star Syndrome.

The probability of interstellar orphans experiencing this symptom is as high as 20 to 40 percent. Some people speculate that this may be related to the experience during the embryonic period. The long interstellar travel has some kind of magical effect on these small clusters of cells.

There are many related academic articles, but there is no conclusion yet.

Most star autism manifests itself in childhood. Lu Linbei's syndrome was very late, with moderate symptoms. It did not interfere with life, but affected his studies.

The Mei family planned to abandon this seedling, which was reflected in the fact that there would no longer be regular teacher visits.

Lu Linbei decided to take a break from school for five years. Suddenly, the Mei family opened the door to him and waved enthusiastically. To be honest, this made him a little strange.

Lu Yezhou was also selected, and when Mei Qianzhong was leaving, he notified him at the door.

Lu Yezhou was overjoyed and thanked him reservedly. As soon as Mei Qianzhong left, he did a somersault in the small bedroom. After he stood firm, he immediately ran to the window, stared outside for a while, and said, Lao Qianzhong He must have become the regional team leader, and we are the new group he wants to establish. Lao Qian is a powerful person. Since childhood, we all regard him as the leader, including children older than him. I guess he will be in the future If he can become deputy director, or even director, if we follow him, he will also have a chance to be promoted...Why don't you say anything?"

Be careful. Lu Linbei pointed to his mouth.

Ha, I won't make the habit of talking too much again. I'm not talking about you. If it were someone else, even my mother, I would... Lu Yezhou made a gesture to seal his mouth.

Lu Linbei didn't say anything. He finally became a spy as he wished, but he didn't feel much joy in his heart.

Are you still thinking about that woman? Lu Yezhou came over and asked. Mei Qianzhong outside had already walked away, You can't work with such a mentality. It's a bigger problem than talking too much. You won't... fall into the same old problem again, right?

"I'm wondering why the