ryethenovel Chapter 200 System Unbinding - Perfect Mark
Chapter 200 System Unbinding - Perfect Mark
On the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month in 1996, as Lin Chen drove his Santana away from Beijing, the back seat was piled high with New Year's gifts from his neighbors in the courtyard house—the sugar-coated sesame cakes made by Liu Guangfu still smelled of the burnt oil paper, Qin Huairu's winter plum blossom collar cotton-padded jacket was folded on top, and the eighth-grade fitter badge handed over by Yan Xiaowei was clutched in Lin Xiaoyu's hand like a treasure. Su Qing looked at Nanluoguxiang gradually shrinking in the rearview mirror and said softly, "This time coming back is warmer than I imagined." Lin Chen's grip on the steering wheel tightened, his gaze falling on the dashboard, where a few gray hairs that had just sprouted at his temples were reflected. Thirty-five years had passed, yet in this journey back and forth, it was clear as if etched in time.
On the way back, Lin Xiaoyu kept flipping through Yan Bugui's old account book. Suddenly, he pointed to one of the pages and exclaimed, "Dad, look! Great-Grandpa remembered that you sold tools for food coupons back then, and he even wrote 'Not speculation, but survival'!" Lin Chen glanced at it and saw Yan Bugui's crooked handwriting from his later years on the yellowed page, with a small abacus symbol drawn next to it. Su Qing leaned over to take a look and smiled, "Teacher Yan finally figured it out in the end. No matter how meticulous the accounts are, they can't compare to the clarity of people's hearts." These words suddenly reminded Lin Chen of that cold night in 1960 when he clutched the newly made windproof insoles and ate some stale rice porridge in the storage room. At that time, he only thought about surviving and never imagined that thirty-five years later, he would reconcile with the past in this way.
As the car entered Zhangcheng, the radio broadcast local news: "Chenqing Precision Manufacturing Co., Ltd.'s automotive wheel bearings have successfully passed the quality certification of the German Mercedes-Benz Group, becoming its first private supplier in China..." Lin Xiaoyu excitedly patted the seat: "Dad, you're amazing!" Lin Chen smiled and lowered the volume, his gaze sweeping over the rows of factories along the roadside—the industrial empire he and Su Qing had built step by step from 800 yuan. The semi-automated production lines in the workshops still faintly showed traces of his system integration and transformation back then.
As soon as he arrived at the company entrance, Xiao Chen, the director of the general manager's office, quickly greeted him, holding a gold-embossed invitation: "Chairman Lin, this is an invitation from the Provincial Science and Technology Commission. A high-tech enterprise commendation conference will be held next week, and you have been designated as the representative of entrepreneurs to speak." Lin Chen took the invitation, his fingertips touching the gold-embossed words "Serving the Country through Technology." He suddenly recalled that morning in the steel rolling mill in 1960, when he used a self-made wear-resistant wrench to tighten the loose bolts on the forging press, and Director Zhou Jianguo's words, "Young man, technology is the hard currency." Time has passed, but this sentence has always been the guiding principle of his path.
Walking into the office building, the corridor walls were lined with certificates of honor, the most eye-catching being the first utility model patent certificate he received in 1980—for the moisture-proof packaging he developed by integrating waterproof canvas and sealant into a system. It was this technology that won him the trust of Mr. Chen from Hong Kong. In the elevator, several young technicians were discussing a new research and development plan. One of the young men, wearing glasses, said, "The machine tool that Chairman Lin improved back then is still being used by us based on his waste heat utilization principle. It was so ahead of its time!" Hearing this, Lin Chen felt no pride, only relief—the system had only provided an opportunity; what truly sustained him to this day was his daily dedication and perseverance.
As soon as Su Qing entered the CFO's office, she was surrounded by several accountants: "President Su, the year-end bonuses for the poverty alleviation workshop have been calculated, and they've increased by 30% compared to last year. The villagers are all waiting for you to distribute the money!" Su Qing looked through the reports, a relieved smile on her face. Over the years, the Chenqing Charity Foundation, which she spearheaded, has not only sponsored thousands of impoverished college students but also built three Hope Primary Schools in her hometown. The poverty alleviation workshop has also enabled villagers from more than a dozen surrounding villages to find employment nearby. She looked up at the window and saw Lin Chen standing at the entrance of the R&D center, discussing blueprints with several engineers. The sunlight shining on him made him look exactly like he did when he was instructing apprentices in the precision group of the steel rolling mill.
At 3 PM, Lin Chen was debugging a newly developed high-speed rail bearing sample in the lab when the old-fashioned watch on his wrist suddenly vibrated slightly—it was a timekeeper he had modified using system fusion, and it had never malfunctioned in thirty-five years. He glanced at it; the dial showed 3:00 PM. Just then, a familiar electronic voice suddenly sounded in his mind, gentler than before: "Detected that the host has completed the ultimate mission of 'Technology for Self-Esteem, Benevolent Legacy.' The All-Encompassing System is about to be unbound."
Lin Chen paused, nearly dropping the testing tools in his hand. The engineers in the lab noticed his unusual behavior and stopped what they were doing: "Chairman Lin, are you alright?" Lin Chen waved his hand, signaling everyone to continue, and then walked to the window, looking down at the technical school students doing physical training on the playground below—those young people in blue school uniforms, their eyes full of longing for the future, were just like himself when he first entered the steel rolling mill.
"The host can view the details of the ultimate mission completion." The electronic voice sounded again, and a light blue system panel appeared before his eyes, clearly listing the items: 1960: Completed the novice mission by fusing horseshoes and gained a chance to survive; 1962: Developed a high-efficiency forging mold, increasing workshop efficiency by 30%, completing the "Ability Enhancement" mission; 1978: Founded Chenqing Hardware Factory, creating 8 jobs, completing the "Survival Guarantee" mission; 1990: Established a charitable foundation to support impoverished students, completing the "Goodwill Inheritance" mission... The last item was: 1995: Returned to his hometown to visit relatives, promoting the neighborhood mutual assistance model of the courtyard house, completing the hidden mission of "Humanistic Fulfillment".
Below the panel, a line of golden text flashed: "Reward 'Life's Perfection Mark,' automatically bound to the host's consciousness. System unbinding countdown: 24 hours." Lin Chen reached out, wanting to touch the familiar panel, but his fingertips passed right through it—this golden finger that had accompanied him for thirty-five years was about to leave his life. He wasn't disappointed; instead, he felt an unprecedented sense of relief, as if he had unloaded a burden he had carried for many years. Looking back, the burden was filled with treasures bestowed by time.
"Chairman Lin, it's Deputy Factory Director Liu Guangtian on the phone." Xiao Chen gently knocked on the door, interrupting his thoughts. Lin Chen answered the phone, and Liu Guangtian's cheerful voice came through the receiver: "Xiao Lin, I have great news for you! The steel rolling mill, using the technology you provided, has successfully developed a new type of seamless steel pipe and secured an order for a key national project! Jianjun has made a great contribution and has been named a municipal-level model worker!"
Lin Chen leaned back in his chair with a smile, recalling the image of Liu Guangtian being scolded and beaten by Liu Haizhong years ago, and Liu Jianjun's earnestness as a child studying a forging manual. "This is the result of his own hard work," Lin Chen said. "The technical training school starts next month, so let him come back to teach the younger students and pass on his experience." On the other end of the phone, Liu Guangtian readily agreed, even saying he would bring his whole family to Zhangcheng for the New Year to try the cured meat from the south.
After hanging up the phone, Lin Chen walked to the bookshelf and took down a thick photo album. The first page showed a photo of him in 1960, shortly after returning to the city. He was wearing a patched cotton-padded coat, standing under an old locust tree in a courtyard house, his eyes filled with wariness and unease. The next page was a photo of him and Su Qing when they started their business in Zhangcheng. They stood in front of a dilapidated factory building, with several secondhand machine tools behind them, but their faces beamed with hopeful smiles. The last page was a photo from last year's company annual meeting. More than two thousand employees stood in front of the newly built R&D center, with him and Su Qing in the middle, and Lin Xiaoyu standing beside them holding a trophy, bathed in sunlight.
"What are you looking at?" Su Qing walked in with a cup of hot tea and placed it beside him. Lin Chen pointed to the factory in the photo: "Remember? Back then, we got Boss Chen's first foreign trade order with just these few machines. To meet the deadline, you didn't sleep for three days and three nights, and your eyes were swollen from working so hard." Su Qing smiled and nodded, her fingers tracing her younger self in the photo: "Back then, you said that when we had money, we would build a state-of-the-art laboratory to bring China's precision manufacturing up to world standards. Now, you've done it."
Lin Chen grasped Su Qing's hand; the warmth of her palm remained. He recalled the first time he saw Su Qing at a technical networking event at the steel rolling mill in 1961—she was standing in a corner, wearing faded work clothes and clutching her ledgers, ostracized by her colleagues because of her family background. He was the one who stepped forward and helped her solve the financial statement problem. From that moment on, two people who both upheld their principles began a partnership that would last for over thirty years. "I can do this all thanks to you," Lin Chen said earnestly. "Without you managing the finances and overseeing production, how could I concentrate on research and development?"
As evening fell, Lin Xiaoyu came home from school and ran up to him holding a certificate: "Dad, Mom, I won first prize in the school's science competition!" The certificate read, "Lin Xiaoyu: First Prize in the Elementary School Group for 'Environmentally Friendly Moisture-Proof Packaging Design'." Lin Chen took the certificate and smiled when he saw the familiar three-layer structure on the design drawing—it was the moisture-proof packaging he had developed years ago to solve the problem of rust on seagoing containers. He never expected his son to use the same principle to design an environmentally friendly version.
"Dad, look at my design! Isn't it more environmentally friendly than yours?" Lin Xiaoyu pointed to the biodegradable material description on the blueprints, his eyes full of pride. Lin Chen squatted down and patted his son's head: "It's even better than Dad's because you not only considered quality but also environmental protection." Su Qing came over with fruit, smiling as she added, "That's what it means to surpass your teacher!" At dinner, Lin Xiaoyu kept pestering Lin Chen to tell him about his entrepreneurial days. When he heard that his father used a system to fuse scrap steel to make wrenches, the little guy's eyes widened: "Dad, isn't that system amazing?"
Lin Chen put down his chopsticks and looked earnestly at his son: "The system did help me a lot, but what truly allowed me to establish myself was my skills and my kindness. If I had only focused on making money back then and hadn't helped Grandpa Liu's family or taught Grandma Qin Huai to earn a living with her skills, I wouldn't have so many friends now." Su Qing chimed in, "Like the moisture-proof packaging you designed, if we hadn't used the best materials to save money, we wouldn't have won Boss Chen's trust." Lin Xiaoyu nodded, seemingly understanding, and put a piece of pork rib in his mouth: "I understand. Just like the teacher said, honesty is gold!"
That night, Lin Chen lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. He quietly got up and went to his study, turning on his computer—equipment he had imported from Germany last year, containing Chenqing Company's research and development plan for the next five years. He opened the "High-Speed Rail Bearing R&D Project" folder, looking at the densely packed technical parameters, and suddenly recalled that cold night in 1960 when he was fusing horseshoes in the storage room. Back then, he would never have imagined that one day he would be involved in such a high-end field, much less that the system would bring not only hope for survival but also a ladder to realizing his self-worth.
"Host, the system is about to be unbound. Do you wish to retain some functions?" The electronic voice sounded again, tinged with reluctance. Lin Chen smiled and shook his head: "No need. Thank you for your companionship over the past thirty-five years." He paused, then added, "I have learned how to create value with my own hands, and that is enough." The electronic voice was silent for a few seconds, then said gently: "Detected that the traits of 'technical research' and 'kindness towards others' in the host's consciousness have been solidified, meeting the core requirements of the 'Life Fulfillment Mark'. After unbinding, the mark will be permanently effective. Goodbye, host."
As the last note faded, the pale blue panel vanished completely from his mind, and the modified watch on his wrist returned to its ordinary form. Lin Chen felt no disappointment; instead, he felt an unprecedented sense of peace—he knew that what had truly sustained him to this point was never the superpowers granted by the system, but rather the reverence for life, the dedication to technology, and the steadfast commitment to humanity that he had gained after his rebirth.
The next morning, Lin Chen took Su Qing and Lin Xiaoyu to the poverty alleviation workshop. As soon as they entered the factory area, villagers greeted them with banners that read, "Technological poverty alleviation warms hearts, industry revitalizes the village, we thank our benefactors." Workshop director Lao Yang shook Lin Chen's hand excitedly, saying, "Chairman Lin, this year our hardware accessories sales exceeded five million yuan, and each villager received a dividend of over twenty thousand yuan!" Lin Chen walked into the workshop and saw the former impoverished villagers now dressed neatly in work clothes, skillfully operating the machine tools, their faces beaming with confident smiles.
In a corner of the workshop, a familiar figure was instructing a young worker on how to operate the equipment—it was Xu Damao. He was wearing clean work clothes, his hair neatly combed, and his face had long lost the slickness and sleazy of yesteryear. Seeing Lin Chen, he quickly stepped forward, scratching his head sheepishly, "Chairman Lin, thanks to you for giving me that opportunity back then, I've not only gotten married, but I've also become a key technical member of the workshop, earning twice as much a month as when I was a projectionist!" Lin Chen patted him on the shoulder, "Work hard. Earning a living with your own skills is better than anything else."
After leaving the poverty alleviation workshop, Lin Chen took his family to Chenqing Technical Training School. On the playground, hundreds of students were holding a flag-raising ceremony, the five-star red flag rising slowly in the sunlight. The principal quickly approached and handed Lin Chen a report card: "Chairman Lin, our first graduating class of students achieved a 100% employment rate, with over thirty students gaining admission to key universities to study mechanical engineering!" Lin Chen walked to the classroom door and saw students drawing mechanical blueprints. On the blackboard were eight large characters: "Serve the country through technology, strive for excellence," the school motto he had personally inscribed.
During recess, a boy in a worn-out school uniform approached Lin Chen and timidly handed him a note: "Chairman Lin, my name is Wang Xiaoqiang. I'm a student you sponsor. I want to join your company and develop the most advanced machine tools." Lin Chen took the note and saw the densely written study plan on it in pencil, which reminded him of his own past. He squatted down and looked into the boy's eyes: "As long as you're willing to work hard, I'm waiting for you to join our R&D team. Remember, no matter what, never give up on your pursuit of technology."
In the afternoon, Mr. Chen from Hong Kong flew in specially, bringing good news: "Brother Lin, we've reached a cooperation agreement with a European automotive giant. They specifically requested Chenqing bearings, and the order volume is five times that of last year!" At the signing ceremony, Mr. Chen shook Lin Chen's hand and said with emotion, "When I first met you, I knew you were no ordinary person—you not only have technical skills, but also integrity. Now it seems I was right." Lin Chen smiled and said, "We Chinese value 'treating others with sincerity.' Doing business is like being a person; integrity is the way to long-term success."
After the signing ceremony, Su Qing walked in with a document: "Chairman Lin, this is the charity foundation's annual report. This year, we sponsored two hundred impoverished college students, renovated five community elderly care service stations, and even built a Hope Primary School in our hometown." Lin Chen flipped through the report, seeing photos of children attending classes in their new classrooms and scenes of elderly people playing chess at the elderly care service station. A gratified smile appeared on his face. Su Qing leaned close to him and whispered, "Back then, you said in the courtyard house that you wanted to make sure everyone around you lived a good life. Now we've done it."
As evening fell, Lin Chen brought his family to the company's observation deck. The setting sun bathed the entire industrial area in gold, and the four large characters "Chenqing Precision Engineering" shone brightly on the distant Chenqing Building. Lin Xiaoyu leaned on the railing, watching the endless stream of cars below, and suddenly asked, "Dad, do you think Grandpa would be happy to see you like this if he were still here?" Lin Chen thought of his past life, when he was ostracized for upholding his principles, and then of the years of hard work he had endured after his rebirth. He said earnestly, "He would be happy, because Dad not only survived, but also became the person he wanted to be—establishing himself through technology and treating people with kindness."
Su Qing grasped Lin Chen's hand, feeling the warmth of his touch. A gentle evening breeze carried the faint scent of machine oil from the factory—a familiar smell to Lin Chen, a mark of his years of hard work. Looking at his wife and children beside him, and gazing at the distant factory buildings, Lin Chen felt a surge of intense happiness. He recalled the prompt before the system was unbound: "The Mark of a Fulfilling Life"—true fulfillment wasn't about possessing superpowers or accumulating vast wealth, but about using one's own hands to ensure the safety of one's family, the prosperity of one's employees, social recognition, and unwavering commitment to one's original aspirations.
"Dad, look!" Lin Xiaoyu pointed to the sky, where a flock of pigeons flew by, their wings gilded by the afterglow of the setting sun. Lin Chen looked in the direction his son was pointing, and it was as if he saw the starlight of that cold night in 1960, the lights of his startup in 1978, and the smoke rising from the courtyard house in 1995. These images intertwined, forming the tapestry of his thirty-five years of life, and also proving a truth: technology can change destiny, but only kindness and perseverance can make life truly fulfilling.
As night fell, the lights of Chenqing Building illuminated the entire city like a dazzling pearl. Lin Chen and his family descended from the observation deck, preparing to go for dinner. In the corridor, several young technicians were discussing new research and development plans, their voices full of energy and anticipation. As Lin Chen walked past them, he overheard one of them say, "Our Chairman Lin started his business with a self-made wrench; now we're going to develop world-class technology and take Chenqing to the global stage!"
Lin Chen paused, turned back, and smiled at them. The young people, seeing him, immediately stopped their discussion and greeted him respectfully. Lin Chen waved his hand encouragingly, "Work hard, the future belongs to you." He knew his story was still unfolding, and Chen Qing's legend had only just begun. Although the system had been unbound, it left behind not superpowers, but a belief—to establish oneself through technology and pass on the legacy with kindness. This was the most precious mark of fulfillment, the most valuable wealth he wanted to pass on to his son and to all of Chen Qing.
Stepping out of the office building, the evening breeze carried the aroma of food. Lin Xiaoyu, holding his parents' hands, skipped ahead, humming a nursery rhyme he'd learned at school. Lin Chen watched his son's retreating figure, then glanced at Su Qing beside him, his heart filled with certainty. He knew that no matter what challenges the future held, as long as he held fast to his original aspirations and remained grounded, no obstacle was insurmountable. And the All-Encompassing System that had accompanied him for thirty-five years had long since become part of his resilience and kindness, integrated into his life, becoming an eternal mark of fulfillment.