Chapter 1 - 1 Conscription

Chapter 1: Conscription

“That’s the situation.”

“You should prepare yourself after you go back.”

The instructor in the black uniform crossed his arms and looked at the frail youth before him, a flicker of sympathy in his eyes.

“I’ve been… included in the conscription quota?”

Lin Yuan’s expression stiffened for a moment.

He had not long crossed over and had not yet had time to adapt.

Before he knew it, he was hit with this bolt from the blue.

Actually, for ordinary students like Lin Yuan,

conscription wasn’t such a bad thing.

The government was always generous with its military spending.

Even if you were a conscript, the treatment wasn’t bad.

But that was during peacetime.

Now, there were rumors of alien invasions in the border star systems.

Many people speculated that the purpose of this conscription was to bolster the front line reserves.

In the Starry Sea Era of 2,600,000 years, the Cosmic Human Alliance carried out fervent interstellar expansion, occupying countless galaxy systems, inevitably coming into contact with other species’ civilizations.

Resources were limited, and to vie for various cosmic resources,

human civilization initiated a series of conflict wars.

Those ousted alien civilizations…

all watched human civilization from the shadows, looking for any opportunity to counterattack.

“Now this is troublesome.”

Lin Yuan’s mood sank.

He was well aware that, although human civilization overall

had the absolute upper hand in most wars against other species’ civilizations,

the situation on specific battlefields was anything but smooth sailing.

The alien civilizations deep in the starry sea were ferocious and brutal,

with individuals whose strength was unimaginably great.

Tearing apart warships with bare hands was no joke.

In combat against these aliens, even fully-armed human soldiers

had an average mortality rate of twenty to thirty percent.

Moreover,

due to the secrecy of the war,

all soldiers involved in the extermination of alien races were prohibited from communicating with the outside world.

The average duration of localized starry wars was long, lasting a hundred or even several hundred years as nothing out of the ordinary.

In other words, Lin Yuan, having been selected for this conscription quota,

even if he survived the conflict with the aliens,

would likely spend the rest of his life aboard a cold spacecraft in outer space.

He would never again touch the ground or seas of a living planet.

Lin Yuan took a deep breath, “Director, can we talk about this, my parents are counting on me for support, and I have a younger sister…”

The instructor tapped on the desk, speaking seriously, “Don’t worry, by actively responding to the government’s conscription policy, your family will be properly taken care of.”

“Your father’s current position will be raised by one level, and your mother will receive a respectable job in the district.”

“Your sister will have all her tuition fees waived from now on, and after she turns eighteen, she will be granted one opportunity for advanced study at a higher education institution.”

“…So, you’ve even taken care of everything after my death?”

Lin Yuan pursed his lips, feeling indescribably complex.

In truth, these terms were acceptable.

His father was currently at a career bottleneck, which most people couldn’t break through in decades.

His mother was unemployed, and securing a respectable job

would greatly improve the family’s living conditions.

As for his sister… a chance for advanced study at a higher education institution was something money couldn’t buy.

If his sister could attend advanced studies at a higher institution, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say her prospects would be boundless.

But,

But,

But,

why should all this come at the expense of my sacrifice???

Lin Yuan had only crossed over into this body a few days ago, and although he had received all the memories,

facing such a situation of ‘sacrifice one for the happiness of the family,’ an indescribable resistance surged in his heart.

“I still prefer life on a planet…”

Lin Yuan fell silent for a while, then couldn’t help but speak out.

Once he became a soldier, everything would be subject to militarized management.

By then, it would be too late to refuse.

Although refusing now probably wouldn’t make much difference either.

“Lin Yuan, serving the government is a duty every citizen should fulfill,”

“Besides, this conscription is a mandatory policy. If it lands on you, it’s no use not wanting to go.”

“Moreover, young man, what’s wrong with going out and making your way? Getting to see alien species that only appear in textbooks is something ordinary citizens can never achieve in their lifetimes.”

“If you manage to distinguish yourself, you might even be reassigned back to a military position. It’s a rare opportunity.”

The director patiently consoled Lin Yuan for a few moments.

“But…”

Lin Yuan opened his mouth, wanting to say more,

but the director cut him off with a sweep of his hand, “Alright, you can go now. Spend more time with your family in the next few days.”

Under the director’s gaze, Lin Yuan stood up and left.

Outside,

over a dozen students about Lin Yuan’s age were lined up waiting.

When Lin Yuan came out, one of the students entered.

“Classmate, what did the director ask us to come here for?”

A student with dark skin urgently grabbed Lin Yuan’s arm and whispered.

“You’ll know once you go in,”

Lin Yuan sighed and, without saying more, walked away.

Before meeting the director, Lin Yuan had not expected to be included in the mandatory conscription quota.

Last week,

he learned about the compulsory conscription from a broadcast by an authoritative media on his planet.

But at the time, Lin Yuan didn’t take it too seriously.

The scope of compulsory conscription included the entire Canglan Star as well as dozens of nearby habitable planets.

With a permanent population of fifty billion on Canglan Star,

the conscription quota allocated to Canglan Star was only in the hundreds of thousands.

From a probabilistic standpoint, the chance that a citizen would be selected for mandatory conscription was roughly one in a hundred thousand.

Such a minuscule chance didn’t concern Lin Yuan in the slightest.

But reality is full of surprises,