Interstellar orphans are a special group that has a long history.

The earth was destroyed very suddenly at the beginning. Only a very small number of human beings escaped the disaster and were scattered on the major planets. , so began to focus on rebuilding the interstellar transportation system.

Interstellar transportation costs a lot, and it has not been able to return to the level of its heyday for a long time. There are very few spaceships, and there are not many items that can be carried. As for passengers, they have to choose from a thousand choices, and only the most necessary people can board. Spaceships, the numbers are negligibly small.

If things go on like this, the interstellar transportation system will collapse again sooner or later, and the major planets will have to go their separate ways and develop independently. Some people make extremely pessimistic predictions, thinking that human beings will embark on a completely different evolutionary path and eventually become a completely different species.

At the same time, human beings are also facing another problem. The panic caused by the destruction of the earth has continued. Humans' willingness to reproduce is extremely low, and the population has been slow to increase.

After several rounds of negotiation, someone came up with a plan, hoping to solve two problems at the same time.

The emergence of interstellar orphans, artificial embryos sent to other planets by spacecraft, has multiple advantages: children and biological parents will hardly meet again, avoiding many moral dilemmas; population mobility, avoiding reproductive isolation Threats; to give interstellar traffic a necessary reason for existence, and the requirements for the spacecraft are not high, only a small corner can transport tens of thousands of embryos.

Decades later, human panic has gradually dissipated, the fertility rate has begun to rise, and interstellar transportation has also been greatly developed, with more economic benefits, and even part of the passenger transport function has been restored.

The problem is gone, but Orphans of the Stars is not canceled.

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

On the other hand, the development of the major planets is uneven, and the strengths are gradually separated. The sending of interstellar orphans begins to have a certain level of symbolism. The powerful planets send the most orphans and receive the least.

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

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

When an interstellar orphan becomes a corpse, there are fewer problems.

Yuan Miyu Miss Yuan sank to the bottom of the water and floated up. The "monkey" who pushed her into the water called the police according to the rules. When the police showed up, he calmly told the cause and effect, blaming the incident on the carelessness of outsiders, "She wanted to see the river. The fish didn't stand still, 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 a pity. If you don't trust the people of the family, how can you gain the trust of the family? It's a two-way thing. You go home first and think about it. Maybe there will be opportunities in the future, maybe."

Mei Qianzhong's tone is not severe, it can be said to be kind, or it may be because he doesn't care at all, otherwise he would not bring "monkey" as a backup plan.

The "monkey" is named Lu Yezhou, and his companions call him "Yeze". He is also an interstellar orphan adopted by the Mei family. He has been Mei Qianzhong's follower since he was a child, and he obeys his words.

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

"Miss Yuan's water is not very good." Lu Yezhou made a gesture, as if asking Lu Linbei to watch the scene in the water.

Lu Linbei quickened his pace. Halfway through, he met the police who were driving over and pointed them in the direction without saying anything unnecessary.

Back at home, Lu Linbei threw away the book and fell on the bed. Thinking back on what happened just now, he realized that he was wrong from start to finish.

He failed the "test" and lost a precious opportunity.

He didn't rescue Miss Yuan, didn't even try, just watched her being pushed into the river and heard her scream.

He didn't even know whether Miss Yuan was an enemy spy or not.

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

The bedroom is small, the window faces west, and the sun is quietly filtering in from the outside, like an emotionless spectator, staring at the bloody scene, still thinking that the smell of blood is not strong enough.

A bunk bed is placed against the wall. Lu Linbei lives in the lower bunk, and the upper bunk belongs to someone else. That's right, he is twenty-seven years old this year, and he doesn't have a separate room yet.

A tall and thin cabinet stood between the end of the bed and the wall. Apart from that, there was nothing left in the room, and it was as simple as a prison cell.

The sound of the door opening came from outside, and only by the sound of footsteps, Lu Linbei guessed that it was "mother" coming back.

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

Orphans leave when they grow up. Some work as maintainers on farms, while others go to other places to find opportunities. The turning point usually occurs before orphans are twenty-three years old, when they graduate from high school or college.

Lu Linbei is Lai's orphan for the longest time.

The house is very big, with ten bedrooms, each of which is very small. It is always full of children of different ages. Sure enough, not long after, Lu Linbei heard the noise of the children, who were asking their mother for cake. Like a flock of chirping chicks.

Grandpa's birthday every year, my mother will help, and then bring back a lot of food, mainly cakes, Lu Linbei ate a lot when he was a child, and now he has no interest.

The bedroom door was pushed open, and Lu Linbei's roommate came back, who was also another elderly resident of the house.

Lu Yezhou was twenty-four years old and had graduated from university for a year. If he couldn't join the organization this year, his future would also be worrisome.

The "test" completed by the river was a guarantee, so Lu Yezhou was in a good mood. He hummed a little song in his mouth, did not take off his shoes, easily climbed to the top bunk, and lay down heavily.

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

"Ok."

Having slept in the same bed for many years, even enemies will develop some kind of friendship, not to mention Lu Yezhou is a likable guy, he gets along well with everyone, he is willing to run around, he has many ghost ideas, and he is often the main force of the active atmosphere at parties. .

Lu Yezhou handed over a piece of cake.

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

Lu Linbei took the cake and ate it slowly.

Lu Yezhou still kept the probe posture, and was silent for a while, and said, "Don't think that I can be indifferent, but this kind of thing has to be done by someone, it's not you, it's me."

"Do you believe she is a spy for the other party?"

"Why do I have to worry about this issue? Lao Qian is the boss, and he is in charge of everything. Just like the army, why do wars belong to politicians, and how to fight belongs to generals. As a soldier, just shoot and kill. Now. We are all soldiers, why are you asking for trouble and bothering yourself with meaningless questions?"

Lu Linbei ate a small piece of cake silently, carefully eating the residue that fell on the placket, so as not to be discovered by his mother later, and then he said: "In many novels, gods and bodhisattvas often recruit monsters and ghosts as gatekeepers. ."

"Hey, don't you think it's clear? To become a god starts with being a monster. We are the monsters that have just been recruited. We have to do all kinds of dirty work, hard work, and tiring work. Do."

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

"Me? Oh, you're talking about the organization. Well, Lao Qian hasn't given me the final word yet, but it should be almost the same, and I'll be leaving soon. Mom may have heard something, and she asked me to put everything in the kitchen just now. Pack up." Lu Yezhou couldn't control the excitement in his heart, and leaned out of the bed again, "Nine years, I started training at the age of fifteen, a full nine years, if you can't be a spy, it's all wasted. It's gone."

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

"The best way out for Mei's family is to be a spy." Lu Yezhou began to talk, "Investigator, team leader, regional team leader, and then there are two different paths. Of course, we are not named Mei, so we can't be analysts. I can only continue to follow the path of the investigator. The task team leader and the team leader in charge. I heard that someone has become a deputy director. My ambition is not that big, the regional team leader is enough, and I can manage three or five Groups, three or five people in each group, that’s not a lot.”

"be careful."

"Of course, I will never be as stupid as that woman to dare to play the old man's idea, and dare to sneak into the farm and seek death. I will never take this risk, I will always be a shore angler, never Into the water as bait..."

When someone knocked on the door, Lu Yezhou immediately shut up, lay down on the top bunk, and said loudly, "Come in."

Mei Qianzhong pushed the door open, glanced at it, and smiled: "This place will always look like this. I came here to play when I was a child, and I couldn't find a place to hide if I wanted to."

Lu Yezhou rolled over and jumped to the ground, stood up straight, like a recruit, "Hello team leader."

Lu Linbei sat up from the bed.

"I haven't taken you yet. You are not allowed to call me the team leader. Go outside and guard." Mei Qianzhong's kind attitude was given to Lu Linbei. To Lu Yezhou, he was polite from his tone to his expression, and he completely treated him as the other party. is a slave.

"Yes." Lu Yezhou didn't care. Instead, he became more serious. He walked out of the room and closed the door softly.

Mei Qianzhong walked to the window, stood on the side where there was no sunlight, looked outside, and said after a long time, "Generally speaking, you will be eliminated permanently. But after all, this is you, not being a spy is a pity for you, 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, tall and straight, and 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 lead me in. Alas, the situation in the city is very chaotic now, and it cannot be taken carelessly."

This is the short explanation of Michenjue.

"Do you have to kill? I mean, there's no need to bring her to the farm at all."

Mei Qianzhong turned around, with a charming smile on his face, which disappeared quickly, and said in a serious tone that was just right: "I said I made an exception to explain to you, but I didn't say that I would allow you to ask questions. The rules of being a spy, you Didn't you forget it all?"

"Sorry, it was my fault. I just...I think I was too weak."

"Well, but you have other advantages that are enough to make up for your weakness. Pack up, leave tomorrow, and you'll start serving the family. Remember, you still owe me a test."