"professor……"
After a long while, Ren Feng slowly raised his head and said with a face full of frustration.
"It's my problem."
"I was too eager for quick success."
Before Lü Yongchang could even speak, Zhang Zhengqing, who was standing next to Ren Feng, suddenly raised his head and said repeatedly, "No, no, no, it's my fault."
“I also bear responsibility for how things turned out.”
Seeing the two arguing over who should take the blame, Lü Yongchang quickly coughed to interrupt their argument.
"Cough cough!"
"As the chief of the Proxima Centauri Academy and the chairman of the Proxima Centauri People's Association, you two are definitely responsible for the failure of the reform."
"So, don't rush to take the blame; it's pointless."
Lu Yongchang narrowed his eyes slightly, staring intently at the holographic projection directly in front of him: "The most urgent matter is to tell me what kind of event could have caused the population of the Proxima Centauri civilization to drop to such a low number!"
"Is it a natural disaster or a man-made one?"
Is it a flaw in the technology itself? Or... is it due to war?
Lu Yongchang's words stopped the two from "dividing the blame".
A trace of sorrow flashed in Ren Feng's eyes.
That's right.
Regardless of how the blame is divided, as leaders of Parliament and the Academy of Sciences, they both bear inescapable responsibility.
then.
He took a deep breath and began to describe it in detail.
Zhang Zhengqing, standing to the side, would occasionally add a few words of supplementary information.
...
Earth calendar year 2340.
The third city on the surface of Proxima Centauri.
A news report was playing in every corner of the city streets.
In the holographic image, a cheerful announcer, speaking fluent and standard Mandarin, said with great enthusiasm:
"Warmest congratulations on the great success of the reform of Proxima Centauri's social welfare system!"
"According to the latest statistics, after more than 30 years of effort, the population of Proxima Centauri has finally exceeded 100 million."
"The 100 millionth Proxima Centauri human was born in the central incubation center of City Five."
"To commemorate this historic moment, Speaker Ren Feng will personally name this lucky girl..."
This is definitely something to be excited about.
After the implementation of the social welfare system, the population of Proxima Centauri surged from about three million to over one hundred million in just thirty years.
It can be said that the problem that has plagued human civilization on Proxima Centauri for hundreds of years has been solved at this moment!
However, this news did not attract much attention.
Pedestrians on the street continued to hurry along, with few stopping to observe.
but!
There are always exceptions.
Beside a holographic projection, a tall man stood motionless, staring intently at the holographic projection in front of him.
Judging from his physical appearance, the man is already an adult.
But judging from his demeanor, he's just like a naive young boy.
The man's name is Zhuang Wenxing, and he is a "publicly raised person" born from an artificial womb.
In fact, the term "publicly funded person" is a derogatory term relative to "natural person".
Unlike the others, Zhuang Wenxing looked at the holographic projection in front of him with longing.
The camera shifts, and a familiar scene appears in the holographic projection.
Others may not know, but as a "publicly funded person," Zhuang Wenxing naturally knows very well that what is in the picture is the city's central care center.
That was where he was born and where he grew up.
However, unlike the girl in the news, he was born in the central incubation center of Proxima Centauri City 3, and was not the so-called 100 millionth Proxima Centauri human, nor did he enjoy the special treatment of being personally named by the councilor.
Just a few hours ago, he passed a series of tests and successfully left the area where he was born and raised.
only……
Despite undergoing comprehensive socialization training, Zhuang Wenxing still felt somewhat uncomfortable after leaving the Central Nursing Center.
He frowned slightly.
I always felt that some pedestrians on the street treated him strangely.
Perhaps it's because he's still wearing the uniform of the Central Incubation Center?
He attributed the cause to his clothing and appearance.
He vaguely remembered that during socialization training, the teacher once said that clothes make the man, and that dressing up is something everyone must pay attention to in society.
He didn't understand it very well at the time.
But now,
After seeing the colorful world outside, he seemed to have gained a slight understanding of this concept.
"cut……"
"Isn't he just a public-born child who came out of an artificial womb and has no parents?"
Is it really necessary to create so much hype?
A soft curse came from nearby.
Zhuang Wenxing subconsciously turned his head to look in the direction from which the sound came.
He was a middle-aged man dressed in a suit and tie.
According to the instructors of socialization training courses, men dressed in this way generally have a high social status, except in a few special cases.
Zhuang Wenxing frowned slightly, carefully recalling what his teacher had said.
He carried a briefcase, walked hurriedly, and wore old, worn-out leather shoes...
It seems that the man in front of me belongs to one of those special cases.
"What are you looking at?!"
The man in the suit turned around sensitively, his dead fish eyes staring straight at Zhuang Wenxing.
Zhuang Wenxing subconsciously took two steps back.
This terrible feeling I've never experienced before has returned.
"I……"
He opened his mouth, trying to explain.
"Heh." The man in the suit scoffed when he saw Zhuang Wenxing's attire, and said with absolute certainty, "A little brat just out of the Central Nurturing Center, right?"
Zhuang Wenxing frowned.
"Little brat"... that word doesn't seem very polite.
He took a deep breath, mustered his courage, and stepped forward: "Sir, your words are very impolite, please..."
The man in the suit let out a strange laugh: "Ha! The orphanage has produced another idiot!"
“I said at the time, these people who are raised by their parents but have no fathers or mothers can’t do anything except do the lowest jobs!”
As he spoke, he glanced at Zhuang Wenxing with a mocking look, then raised his head and turned to leave.
Zhuang Wenxing wanted to step forward and stop the man who had offended him, but the content of the last lesson flashed through his mind.
In my memory, the teacher in charge of the socialization training course said with a gentle smile:
“After leaving the social care center, each of you will go through an adjustment period of several days or even dozens of days.”
"During this adjustment period, try to be tolerant of others as much as possible."
"Of course, you can report the unfair treatment you encountered to the city management center afterward, and the city management center will help you."
Looking back now.
That look and expression didn't seem to fall into the category of gentleness.
Perhaps, it should be called pity.
Zhuang Wenxing clenched his fists tightly and swallowed the pent-up frustration in his chest.
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