I handed over to another world

Chen Lin looked through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the command center toward the distant sky. His voice suddenly became soft, with a hint of nostalgia.

“When I first set foot on the land of Origin Star, it was still a wild land.”

He turned to look at Wang Duan, and gently slid his fingers across the holographic projection, calling up a long-forgotten video record.

In the picture, the young Chen Lin is wearing simple protective clothing and standing in a red desert.

Behind him was the original portal that had just stabilized. It was less than three meters in diameter and trembled slightly in the strong wind. When Chen Lin first entered the Origin Star, his abilities had not yet been upgraded. He needed to go in and out with the large force every time, otherwise the portal would be out of control.

"The portals back then were far less stable than they are now."

Chen Lin chuckled and said, "Every time you teleport, you run the risk of being caught in a lot of uncertainty. I remember the first time I went on an expedition with the team, only eight of our twelve-member team returned."

The image switches to a simple camp, where exploration team members wearing early uniforms are building a temporary shelter. In the distance are strange purple vegetation and creatures that have never been seen before.

"In the first three months, even our basic survival was a problem."

Chen Lin pointed at a young man who was debugging equipment in the picture, "That's Professor Sun's apprentice. He designed the latest exploration equipment, which is enough to ensure that the exploration team will not encounter any major problems."

Wang Duan leaned forward involuntarily. He had only seen fragments of these historical images in textbooks and had never seen them presented in such a complete manner.

The scene suddenly switched to a crisis scene. A huge sandstorm swept through the camp, and the team members struggled to fix the crumbling portal.

"That was a regular monsoon on the desert planet, a satellite planet of the origin star."

Chen Lin's voice deepened. "When we first entered this world, we lost seven team members, and even the portal was almost destroyed. In the end, Li Tianyun pulled me in, and it was with my ability that we were able to barely preserve this passage to the new world."

The images continued to change, showing the various milestones of the development of the Origin Star: the establishment of the first permanent base, the cultivation of the first batch of localized crops, the development of the first mineral mining area...

"Look here."

Chen Lin paused the video and pointed at a group of workers who were celebrating. "This is the first successful mining of antimatter in the Chiyang Galaxy. At that time, none of us thought that this discovery would completely change the energy structure of the two worlds."

Wang Duan was surprised to find that the face of a young worker in the picture was somewhat similar to his own.

"Come to think of it, that person is indeed related to you. He is a distant relative of yours."

Chen Lin smiled and said, "He is one of the first engineers trained locally on the Origin Star and participated in the research and development of antimatter refining technology."

Wang Duan's throat rolled. His father had never mentioned anything related to him, and he himself did not know this so-called distant relative.

"In the past 25 years, the Origin Star has grown from a barren wasteland to its current size."

Chen Lin closed the image and called up the current global data of the Origin Star. "Now there are 38 billion permanent residents here, six mature affiliated colonies, and industrial output accounts for % of the total value of the association. These achievements are the result of the joint efforts of countless people on Earth and the Origin Star."

He looked directly into Wang Duan's eyes and said, "I know the value of the Origin Star better than anyone else, and I hope it will develop better than anyone else, but all this must be based on the unity and cooperation of the two worlds."

The command center fell into a brief silence, and the humming sound of the quantum purification device echoed in the cabin.

"I understand, President Chen." Wang Duan finally spoke, his voice much calmer than before, "I will convey your meaning to the people truthfully... Origin Star will always be an inseparable part of the Red Dragon Association."

Chen Lin nodded and pulled out a new document: "This is the Origin Star Special Development Plan drawn up by the association. Let's take a look at it first."

Wang Duan picked up the document and looked at it carefully, and then his pupils shrank sharply.

The document decided to increase the industrial autonomy of Origin Star to 45%, and at the same time increase the proportion of Origin Star residents in the association's decision-making level. Wang Duan quickly browsed the terms, and the surprise in his eyes became more and more obvious: "These... far exceeded our expectations."

"Because I always remember," Chen Lin looked at the starry sky outside the window, "the oath we made when we first came here - to make Origin Star a prosperous new home, not just a resource warehouse."

Chen Lin lightly swiped his finger across the holographic projection, and the image record dissipated like smoke.

The lights in the command center came back on, giving his outline a cold, hard silver edge.

"Twenty-five years of development have proven the value of the Origin Star." Chen Lin's voice was low and powerful, "But now, we are at a new turning point."

He walked to the holographic projection table in the center of the command center and pressed his palm on the authentication panel.

A blue light swept across his retina, and the system issued a confirmation sound: "Authentication passed, the highest authority granted."

Above the projection platform, a complex three-dimensional structure slowly rotated and unfolded. It was an unprecedented portal design, several times more complex than the current system, with strange quantum patterns flickering at the core.

"Project Skydome," Chen Lin announced, "a comprehensive upgrade of the second-generation Origin Star portal system."

Wang Duan involuntarily took a step forward, his eyes fixed on the design drawing.

As a young representative of the Origin Star Industrial Committee, he immediately recognized several technologies that only existed in theory. "Quantum stabilizer? Have you solved the problem of energy field distortion?"

Chen Lin raised his lips slightly. "I made a breakthrough three years ago. I was just waiting for the right time." He tapped his fingers and the design was broken down into several modules. "The new system will increase the transmission capacity tenfold and reduce energy consumption by 60%. Most importantly -"

He paused and glanced at all the staff in the command center who were waiting with bated breath.

"——It will realize true instant two-way transmission. There will be no cooling period and no capacity limit. By then, the Origin Star and the Earth will truly become one."

There was a burst of low exclamations and discussions in the command center.

Wang Duan's expression changed subtly, shock mixed with a hint of imperceptible vigilance.

“How many resources will this require?”

Wang Duan asked, keeping his voice deliberately steady, "I'm afraid the current industrial system of Origin Star is..."

"Resources are not a problem," Chen Lin interrupted him, "The association has been preparing for five years. The problem is..."

He suddenly turned to Wang Duan and asked, "Is Origin Star ready to accept such a change?"

The two men's eyes met in the air, and Wang Duan felt a drop of cold sweat sliding down his spine.

He knew very well what this plan meant to the Origin Star—not only convenience, but also a deeper level of control.

The portal is the umbilical cord. Whoever controls the umbilical cord controls life.

"I need to see a detailed plan," Wang Duan finally said, "especially the part about energy distribution and operating authority."

Chen Lin nodded, as if he had anticipated this request.

He slid the projection and called up an encrypted file to transfer to Wang Duan's terminal. "All the details are in it, including the ones you are particularly concerned about-"

He gave Wang Duan a meaningful look and said, "Including the terms of independent energy supply for affiliated planets."

Wang Duan's fingers tightened slightly on the terminal. How could Chen Lin know what they discussed in private?

Unless...some system is always monitoring them!
Wang Duan became inexplicably nervous at this time. He realized that Chen Lin, the president of the association, gave enough face to the entire Origin Star. If it were any of the previous presidents, they would have been in jail by now.

How could you still make a sound here?

"Of course," Chen Lin continued, seemingly not noticing Wang Duan's reaction, "the new system will require a three-month transition period."

"During this period, the existing portals will operate at a reduced frequency, and all cross-world transportation must be applied for in advance."

“Three months?” Wang Duan raised his head suddenly. “This will affect 90% of the export industries on Origin Star!”

"Necessary sacrifice." Chen Lin's tone left no room for doubt. "Unless you want another portal collapse accident like the one fifteen years ago?"

His eyes became sharp. "Similar things have happened many times. Your father seemed to have died in one of these accidents, right? None of us wants this to happen again, so the portal must be stable..."

Wang Duan’s face turned pale instantly. That was his memory when he was fifteen years old, his father’s back as he walked through the portal for the last time, followed by eternal silence.

The official report said it was an accident caused by energy fluctuations, but other versions of the story have been circulating in the family.

"I understand." Wang Duan gritted his teeth and said, "I will convey it to the Industrial Committee."

Chen Lin's expression softened. He walked closer to Wang Duan and unexpectedly placed his hand on the young man's shoulder.

"I know this isn't easy, Wang Duan."

"But believe me, when the new system is online, Origin Star will usher in a true golden age." He lowered his voice, "It will be more glorious than your father dreamed of."

Wang Duan nodded stiffly, but his eyes unconsciously drifted to a secondary module in the corner of the projection image - it was a symbol he had never seen before, and it looked like a lock.

"Do you have any other questions?"

Chen Lin asked, following his gaze.

"That module..." Wang Duan pointed at the symbol, "Is it a new security protocol?"

Chen Lin smiled, and that smile made Wang Duan feel inexplicably chilled.

"Good observation skills."

"That's the quantum encryption anchor point, which ensures that the portal is always open only to the right people." He paused, "especially to prevent certain... uninvited guests."

The temperature in the command center seemed to drop suddenly by several degrees. Wang Duan felt that Chen Lin's gaze penetrated him like an X-ray, as if he saw through his secret meeting with the "Free Origin" organization and the plans hidden in the data chip.

"In three days, the technical team will go to the Origin Star to make preliminary preparations."

Chen Lin finally looked away and walked to the window. "How about you lead the team yourself? By the way... go home and have a look."

This is not an invitation, but an order.

Wang Duan knew the consequences of refusing.

"my pleasure."

He bowed slightly to hide the fluctuation in his eyes.

Chen Lin looked at the starry sky outside the window and said slowly, "Do you know, Technician Wang?"

"When I first walked through the portal, I thought I would be scared, but the moment I stepped on the red soil..."

There was a rare hint of warmth in his voice, "I felt a feeling stronger than the Earth, more like a sense of belonging."

Wang Duan looked at the back of the association's president Chen Lin in surprise. He didn't know what Chen Lin's purpose was in saying these things. This middle-aged man had become very unfathomable. Every word he said could even be studied by others. Chen Lin's emotions had long been deeply hidden in his words and could not be felt at ordinary times.

"So believe me," Chen Lin turned around, his expression becoming resolute again, "No one cares about the future of Origin Star more than I do."

"This plan is to protect the Origin Star and to make it glorious again."

Wang Duan didn't know how to respond. Every word Chen Lin said was like a coin, one side was a promise, the other side was a threat.

And he must carefully consider which side will land first.

"If there are no other questions," Chen Lin walked towards the exit, "the meeting ends here. You have 48 hours to study the details of the plan and submit your feedback at the same time the day after tomorrow."

The staff members stood up and left.

Wang Duan stood there, watching the new portal design slowly rotating on the projection table.

How much unspoken control is hidden behind that exquisite structure?

What real purpose is hidden behind the mask of Chen Lin’s warm memories?
He remembered what the organization had told him before - "The portal is both a bridge and a chain."

And now the chain is about to be upgraded, and they haven't even found a way to crack the first generation.

Wang Duan took one last look at the lock symbol and turned away.

No matter what Chen Lin's game is, he has to play it - at least until he finds a breakthrough.

Chen Lin's holographic projection flashed a few times and then disappeared. Chen Lin was too lazy to say anything else. He had almost solved the problem of the Origin Star. For the entire Earth and planetary development project, the problem of the Origin Star could be said to be the easiest part to solve.

In comparison, all the accidents encountered before were nothing.

The decision to shelve the development plan of Origin Star was actually made during Zhang Shouren's term of office. At that time, the technological development of the Red Dragon Association had reached a critical moment and it was necessary to shift the center to Earth - or in other words, shift the focus back to the right track.

The Planetary Development Agency was established at that time, and then expanded rapidly during Chen Lin's entire twelve-year term. It was also at this time that the Origin Star was shelved.

Now that the development of the solar system is completely on track, it is time for Chen Lin to shift his focus - or rather, to allocate some of the focus that should have been invested in the Origin Star back again. (End of this chapter)