Chapter 1

A shrill screech woke Lin Dong, the sound so loud it seemed like a thunderclap right by his ear, making his eardrums throb.

"Damn, who the hell is disturbing my sleep in the middle of the night!" Lin Dong complained, but strangely, he didn't hear his own deep, resonant voice. Instead, a loud baby's cry echoed through the air!

Lin Dong was puzzled, struggling to open his eyes, only to see a scene that resembled the end of the world.

The asphalt road on the ground was cracked, pockmarked with craters as if hit by small meteorites. The cars on the road looked as if they had been ravaged by the Hulk, and most of the tall buildings around him had collapsed, with not a single intact window left.

Looking up into the sky, he saw huge black shadows accompanied by sonic booms, a flock of unknown birds. Lin Dong was certain that if he wasn't dreaming, he was definitely not on the Earth he knew!

"Hongguo, there's a baby over here!"

"Xinlan, run! We don't know when those Black-Crowned Eagles will return. The army's strong ones have lured them away to ensure our safe evacuation. We can't delay!"

"I just heard it cry, it's still alive! Let's save it, we're not far from the evacuation point!"

"Ah... who knows when this world will be peaceful. Xinlan, we need to hurry, the evacuation time won't change!"

Hearing the conversation of this unfamiliar couple, Lin Dong's mind raced, "No way! Luo Hongguo and Gong Xinlan! Luo Feng! Devouring the Stars! I've been transported to the Great Nirvana period! I'm a hardworking laborer..."

Before he could finish thinking about the entire plot of Devouring the Stars, his brain grew weary, and he fell back asleep.

...

Eighteen years later.

Lin Dong dragged his luggage back home, turned on the lights, and found a letter on the living room table. It read: "I've taken your mother to the hospital for delivery. I know you're busy, but if you come back, please come to the hospital to be with your mother." Your father, Luo Hongguo, June 6, 2038.

He put the letter in his pocket, opened the fridge awkwardly, and made himself a bowl of egg noodles.

This was already Lin Dong's 18th year in the world of Devouring the Stars. He had experienced a lot, from the initial excitement of being transported, to the frustration of encountering monsters, and the fear and unease of being on the run. Fortunately, following the protagonist's parents, he had managed to grow up safely in the base city.

He always looked forward to life, after all, he was the older brother of the future City Lord Luo!

It was already June 7th, and tomorrow, June 8th, 2038, would be the day his brother, Luo Feng, was born. To be able to latch onto the biggest leg in this world, he couldn't afford to miss it.

Lin Dong quickly finished his noodles, lay down on the sofa, and summoned the system.

"Sure enough, still 99%! It's been 18 years, do you know how I've spent these 18 years? What conditions do I need to activate it? At least give me a hint!"

Lin Dong had discovered the system, one of the golden fingers of a transported person, during the Great Nirvana period.

But the system had remained inactive, and he had tried everything he could under the current conditions, even resorting to fast food. Yesterday, after taking a day off, he hadn't returned home, thinking it might activate after 18 years of being transported.

"Ah, forget it. Tomorrow, I'll rent a better apartment, at least one with an elevator! Transported to a top-tier world, but without cultivation talent, this is really frustrating."

As soon as he reached the age, Lin Dong started trying to cultivate at the Limit Martial Hall, but unfortunately, he lacked the necessary talent. Despite his efforts, he remained a senior student. He even tried to increase his heart rate, but no matter how high it got, he didn't faint, and thus, he had no connection to the mentalists. He had to temporarily give up on cultivation.

To improve his family's living conditions, he didn't go to a liberal arts university. Relying on a junior general uncle he had befriended as a child, he became a material collector for the Limit Martial Hall, a job that was dangerous during wartime but paid well!

In the first year, he used his earnings to support his family and sent all the money to the uncle who had helped him, to maintain their tenuous relationship. Because of this, the martial artists in the wartime base had heard of him and knew he was a grateful child, which led to more people seeking him out for material collection in the second year.

Each time, he could take a 0.5% commission on the materials, which, while not comparable to the income of martial artists, was still higher than most people's salaries in the base city. Without connections, he wouldn't have gotten this lucrative job.

Two years of work had allowed Lin Dong to save a considerable amount of money. Although he couldn't afford a villa, renting a three-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment with an elevator for 20 years was no problem. He was tired of living in the 36-square-meter cheap apartment!

As for 20 years later, free villas would be available, and he wouldn't need to work hard. Once his brother grew up, resources would be abundant, and even pigs could become immortal!

Lin Dong took out his phone and sent a message to his adoptive father, Luo Hongguo, confirming he would arrive the next day.

To this day, Luo Hongguo and Gong Xinlan hadn't told him the truth about being adopted. After all, he was too young to remember, and the original parents of this body were likely...

Lin Dong was happy to play dumb, confirmed the contract signing time with the real estate agent, and then went to sleep.

...

The next morning, Lin Dong took a car to the Dongsheng neighborhood in Yian District. Showing his Limit Martial Hall senior student ID, he smoothly met the landlord with the real estate agent and rented the 18-1601 unit he had previously looked at for a monthly rent of 20,000, paying 20 years' rent in advance.

This neighborhood was some distance from their current home in the Nanan neighborhood, with low residential density, good greenery, and mostly 200-square-meter apartments with sky gardens, making the rent very high. His father, Luo Hongguo, earned only 3,000 a month!

Lin Dong rented the smallest unit, 217 square meters with a 30-square-meter sky garden. Although it was called a sky garden, it was originally used for storage and no longer looked like a garden, just a regular balcony.

Although he hadn't broken through to become a martial artist, as a senior student, Lin Dong had a strength of at least 800 kg. Moving furniture and setting up the new home was no problem for him.

After signing the contract, Lin Dong had the delivery company bring in the new furniture and items he had purchased, replacing everything so that when he picked up Luo Feng from the hospital, they wouldn't have to return to the cramped old house.

"Ah, comfortable!" After finishing the setup, Lin Dong took his first comfortable shower in a spacious bathroom since being transported, then summoned the system, glanced at it for a second, and immediately turned it off. Still 99%.

Not knowing the exact time of Luo Feng's birth, Lin Dong headed to the hospital address Luo Hongguo had left him, which was not far from the neighborhood, a ten-minute run.

At the hospital, he bought some fruit and went to the maternity ward. Before he could ask the pretty nurse, he saw his father, Luo Hongguo, anxiously waiting outside the delivery room.

"Dad, don't worry, everything will be fine," Lin Dong comforted him.

"You finally came back to the base city, you've been out for almost a year!" Luo Hongguo patted Lin Dong's shoulder hard and continued, "Your mother has been in there for half an hour. You'll understand how I feel later."

Lin Dong smiled and reassured him, "Dad, you and Mom have been through the Great Nirvana together. Giving birth is a small matter; people's physical conditions are much stronger now, so there's no danger."

Before Luo Hongguo could respond, a loud baby's cry came from the delivery room. The doctor then came out with Luo Feng, showed the baby to Luo Hongguo, and said, "It's a boy, and both mother and child are safe."

"Great!" Luo Hongguo said happily.

"System activated, world object bound. Please check the details, Guardian." At the same time, Lin Dong heard the system activation in his mind.

Lin Dong suppressed his excitement and said to Luo Hongguo, "Dad, I'll go get Mom and the baby a private VIP room."

"Don't waste money, a regular room is fine. Your mother isn't that delicate!" Luo Hongguo, of course, wanted a VIP room, with its comfortable environment, new equipment, and dedicated nurse, but the daily cost was nearly 10,000, which he couldn't afford. So he stopped Lin Dong as he turned to leave.

"In a regular room, the baby would have to go to the communal nursery. What if they get mixed up? Dad, I've earned a lot this year, it's time to show my gratitude."

Seeing Lin Dong's determination, Luo Hongguo didn't argue and let him go, returning to wait outside the delivery room.

As Lin Dong walked to the hospital payment office, he summoned the system, and a light screen only he could see appeared.

Name: Lin Dong

Realm: Apprentice Level 1 (no lower levels displayed)

Mental Realm: Slightly stronger than average (Earth standard)

Cultivation Technique: None

Combat Techniques: Basic Boxing (Beginner), Basic Movement (Beginner)

Mental Techniques: None

Current World: Devouring the Stars

Bound Seeker (1/1): Luo Feng (Apprentice Level 1)

Available Worlds (1/?): Wu Dong Qian Kun, Coiling Dragon, Perfect World, Lord of Snow Eagle

Pending Gift (1/1)

"Yes! Finally, you're here, and I didn't give up!" After confirming the system was activated, Lin Dong closed the screen. He didn't immediately claim the gift, unsure what it contained. If there were any world-altering phenomena, he wouldn't be able to handle them with his current strength. He had waited 18 years, so a little more wouldn't hurt.

Soon, Lin Dong successfully arranged a VIP room for the future City Lord Luo.

The VIP room had a reception area right inside the door. Lin Dong walked straight to the sofa and waited for the nurse to bring them over.

Yes, you heard that right. The VIP room had a reception area, which was ridiculous. Lin Dong walked around the room, and it was almost identical to a five-star hotel suite from his previous life, even including a small kitchen and a separate nursery. No wonder it was so expensive; you get what you pay for.

After nearly an hour, Lin Dong finally saw little Luo Feng, who was immediately taken to the nursery by the nurse.

"Son, you've spent so much. It's been a year, let Mom hold you." After two hours of postpartum observation, although Gong Xinlan was still weak, she could walk on her own. The RR virus had brought disaster but also evolution.

"Mom, rest well. I've had a good year. When you and the baby are discharged, there's a big surprise waiting for you!" Lin Dong hugged her and carefully led her to the bed.

"Oh? What surprise? Don't spend too much, you're almost at the age to get married," Luo Hongguo interjected.

"Marriage? I don't want to get married so early. My goal is the stars and the sea, of course, if I encounter some interesting scenery along the way, I can stop to appreciate it." Lin Dong thought.

With the script, he wouldn't limit his vision to Earth. His lifespan would be measured in eras!

But he couldn't go against his parents' good intentions, "I haven't spent recklessly. You'll see! Also, Dad, I've transferred one million Chinese yuan to your account. This is part of what I earned this year. Keep it; with the baby, the family expenses will increase."

"One million! Where did you get so much money?" Gong Xinlan asked.

"Commissions from the Limit Martial Hall. Don't worry, Mom. I'll transfer another 500,000 for your spending money. Rest well and take care of the baby. By the way, have you decided on a name for the baby?"

"Limit Martial Hall... that's a relief. His name is Luo Feng!" Luo Hongguo and Gong Xinlan exchanged a glance and replied.