NIP Chapter 1 Rebirth in the Cold Night, Crisis Emerges
Chapter 1 Rebirth in the Cold Night, Crisis Emerges
The lingering chill of the winter solstice in 1960, like needles hardened with ice, seeped through the cracks in the window covered with old newspapers, pricking Lin Chen's back. He was awakened by the cold, or rather, he was frozen as if he had struggled out of an endless darkness.
The earthen bed had long since lost all its warmth, and the straw beneath him was stiff and hard, reeking of a lingering musty and sweaty smell. He huddled up, his teeth chattering uncontrollably, each breath carrying a puff of white mist that was immediately swept away by the cold wind overhead, leaving only a stinging sensation on the tip of his nose. This was not the constant-temperature laboratory of the military research institute he was familiar with, nor was it the scorching heat that erupted when that precision instrument short-circuited—that was his last memory before the end of his life: the blinding white light, the acrid smell, and the hastily written annotations on the unfinished debugging report.
"Cough...cough cough..." Violent coughing tore at his throat, carrying a metallic, sweet taste. Lin Chen struggled to open his eyes, his gaze slowly focusing on the dimly lit room. A kerosene lamp, unlit, hung from the low beam, its cord dangling and swaying gently in the draft. The walls were made of rammed earth, cracked in many places, the old newspapers pasted on them yellowed and curled at the edges, the "Great Leap Forward" slogan still mostly legible. Against the inner wall stood a peeling wooden cabinet, a rusty iron lock hanging on its door, and on top of it piled several old, patched cotton coats—his only possessions.
This is not his body.
The thought struck him like a thunderbolt, cleaving through his hazy memories. He abruptly raised his hand, revealing a thin, chilblain-covered hand, its knuckles deformed from years of labor, and a scar on the web of his hand that hadn't healed—a cut he'd gotten three days earlier when he was carrying luggage from a wooden crate after finishing his rural assignment and returning to the city. This was eighteen-year-old Lin Chen, who had just returned from three years of rural work in Hebei and had been assigned by the local government to work as an apprentice in the forging workshop of the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill. He was temporarily living in this less than twelve-square-meter side room on the north side of the central courtyard of the Hongxing Courtyard.
He was reborn. He returned to 1960, an era when grain was more precious than gold, and to the Red Star Courtyard where he had suffered humiliation and starvation in his previous life.
Memories of his past life flooded back like a tidal wave, carrying a chilling cold. It was also a morning after the winter solstice when his half-sack of life-saving sweet potatoes, hidden in the storage room, was stolen. He had saved them by scrimping and saving during his time in the production team where he was sent to work, hoping to survive the most difficult period between winter and spring. He went hungry for three days, running a high fever, to confront the thief, only to be falsely accused of stealing grain coupons from Yan Bugui's family in the front yard. Grandpa Yi from the middle yard, citing "neighborly harmony," advised him to "be patient," while Master Liu from the back yard berated him for being "unruly." Meanwhile, the culprit, Jia Zhangshi, was cooking the stolen sweet potatoes in her own house, steaming hot, while her grandson, Jia Geng, deliberately licked his lips and showed off at the gate.
What happened next? Later, his health collapsed due to lack of food. While working in the workshop, he became mentally unstable and was called a "lazybones" by Liu Haizhong, a level-seven blacksmith. Then, Qin Huairu falsely accused him of stealing chickens. Everyone in the courtyard sided with the Jia family, and Yi Zhonghai even stepped in to "mediate," making him pay the Jia family half a jin of grain coupons to settle the matter. Finally, he took the blame for "damaging workshop equipment" for Shazhu, was fired from the factory, and wandered the streets in the dead of winter. He eventually collapsed at the entrance of an alley not far from the courtyard, his last sight being Jia Zhangshi's gloating face.
"Squeak—"
A slight noise came from outside the window, like someone trying to pry open the window frame with a twig. Lin Chen's heart sank, and the fear of having his sweet potatoes stolen in his past life instantly gripped him. He held his breath, slowly moved to the window, and looked out through the holes in the old newspaper.
The courtyard was dimly lit, with only a faint glimmer of dawn on the eastern horizon, barely enough to make out the outline of the central courtyard. The old locust tree by the communal pond was bare, its branches swaying in the cold wind, casting menacing shadows. And beneath his window, a short, stout figure squatted, wrapped in a patched cotton-padded coat, a tattered headscarf covering his head, revealing only a pair of eyes gleaming with greed—it was Jia Zhangshi!
Jia Zhangshi held a thin wire in her hand, carefully poking it into the crack in the window frame. Her movements were very light, clearly indicating that she was used to this kind of thing. Lin Chen could even see the smug smile on her lips, a smile exactly the same as the one he had vaguely seen at the entrance of the alley in his previous life.
"You son of a bitch..." Lin Chen gritted his teeth, his nails digging deep into his palms. In his past life, he was cowardly and patient, believing in "being kind to others," but all he received in return was repeated scheming and plunder. In this life, he is a military engineer from the 21st century, having seen the most sophisticated instruments and understood the most complex human hearts. He will never again be slaughtered!
A fierce will to survive and a burning rage for revenge raged within him, threatening to scorch his cold body. Just then, a pale blue light suddenly appeared before his eyes, followed by a cold, mechanical voice echoing in his mind:
[A strong will to survive has been detected in the host, meeting the activation requirements of the "Fusion of All Things System"...]
[System binding in progress... 10%... 50%... 100%, binding successful!]
[Welcome, host Lin Chen. The All Things Fusion System is at your service. This system can consume mental energy or points to fuse any non-living object to create a new item. The fused product retains the characteristics of the original item and can be optimized in a targeted manner.]
A semi-transparent light blue panel appeared before Lin Chen's eyes, clearly displaying his personal information:
[Host: Lin Chen]
Age: 18
[Physical condition: 3 (The average for an average adult male is 5; currently malnourished)]
[Mental Strength: 6 (Higher than average adult male, engineer profession bonus)]
Points: 0
[Currently available items to fuse: None]
[New Player Task: First Fusion. Please fuse two inanimate objects of the same material. Completing this task will earn you 10 points and a new player reward.]
A system? A cheat system? Lin Chen was stunned at first, then overjoyed. As an engineer who had read many online novels, he immediately understood what this meant. This was his greatest asset in surviving this cannibalistic era, and even in seeking revenge!
Outside the window, Jia Zhangshi was still struggling to pry open the window frame, the wire scraping against the cracks in the wood with a hissing sound. Lin Chen forced himself to calm down, his gaze quickly sweeping across the room. When fusing two objects of the same material, the easiest thing to find is scrap metal—in this day and age, what household doesn't have some scrap metal at home?
He remembered the things in the storage room. This side room had a small storage room of three square meters attached to it, right next to the door. Inside, there were some odds and ends he had brought back from the countryside, as well as a few old tools left behind by the original owner. Lin Chen struggled to climb off the earthen bed, his legs went weak as soon as they touched the ground, and he almost fell. He held onto the wall and moved step by step to the door of the storage room, pushing open the creaking wooden door.
The storage room was even darker, and a damp, musty smell wafted out. Lin Chen groped his way to the corner and, sure enough, touched two cold objects—a pair of old horseshoes. He didn't know where the original owner had picked them up from; they were rusty and worn along the edges. Horseshoes are made of iron, the same material, which was perfect for completing the beginner's quest.
He gripped the two horseshoes tightly, the icy touch bringing him back to his senses. He returned to the center of the room and, following the prompts on the system panel, focused his mind on the word "fusion." The mechanical voice in his mind sounded again:
[Detectable fusion item: 2 Rusty Horseshoes, same material, 100% fusion success rate, requires 1 point of Spirit Power. Confirm fusion?]
"confirm!"
At Lin Chen's command, the two horseshoes in his hands suddenly emitted a faint red light, and the rust on their surfaces began to peel away, revealing the dark iron core beneath. As if drawn by an invisible force, the two horseshoes slowly drew closer and eventually joined together. The red light grew brighter, and Lin Chen felt a slight dizziness in his mind—the sensation of his mental energy being depleted—but he stared intently at the objects in his hands, unwilling to miss a single detail.
The red light lasted for about ten seconds before slowly dissipating. The two horseshoes that had been in Lin Chen's hand had vanished, replaced by an irregularly shaped iron block about the size of a palm. This iron block was jet black and shiny, without a trace of rust, its surface so smooth it seemed to have been finely polished. It felt heavy in his hand, even heavier than the two horseshoes combined.
[Newbie mission completed! 10 points earned. Newbie reward: 1 windproof and warm insole.]
[Item Information: Fusion Iron Block. Material: Iron (purity increased by 30%), Characteristics: Hard texture, can be used as a basic forging material.]
[Item Information: Windproof and Warm Insole. Material: Cotton fiber + windproof coating (system generated). Features: 50% increased warmth, significant windproof effect, effectively relieves chilblains.]
A gray cloth bag suddenly appeared below the system panel. Lin Chen reached out and grabbed it, placing the bag in his hand. Opening the bag, he found a pair of black cotton insoles inside. They felt thick and soft to the touch, and when he brought them closer to his nose, they emitted a faint, fresh scent of herbs and trees. Without bothering to examine them closely, he immediately took off his worn-out cloth shoes and stuffed the insoles inside.
The moment the insole touched his feet, a warm sensation slowly emanated, spreading from the soles of his feet throughout his body. His feet, which had been numb from the cold, instantly regained feeling, and even the chill in his body dissipated considerably. Lin Chen couldn't help but sigh with relief. This system reward was truly a godsend!
"Thump!"
A muffled thud suddenly came from outside the window, followed by Jia Zhangshi's low curses. Lin Chen quickly went to the window and saw Jia Zhangshi crouching on the ground, clutching her knee, her face ashen. It turned out she had been so focused on prying open the window that she hadn't noticed the ice under her feet and had slipped. She glanced around warily, and seeing no one was watching, slowly stood up, rubbing her knee. Her eyes glared even more fiercely at Lin Chen's window, and she pried harder with the wire in her hand.
Lin Chen's eyes turned cold. It seemed that Jia Zhangshi wouldn't give up until she got what she wanted. He had just been reborn and was still very weak; a direct confrontation would definitely put him at a disadvantage, but he couldn't swallow the insult of letting her steal like this. Perhaps it was time to settle the scores from his past life.
His gaze fell on a corner of the storage room, where a pile of wood ash he had brought back from the countryside was stored, originally intended for washing clothes. A sudden idea struck Lin Chen. He picked up a broken bowl nearby, scooped out half a bowl of wood ash, then took some dry yellow soil from the stove, added some water, and stirred it into a paste. Then he found an old newspaper, poured the wood ash paste onto it, wrapped it into a small paper packet, and poked a few small holes in the packet.
Having done all this, he silently walked behind the door and picked up a wooden stick leaning against it—something he had specially found yesterday to keep out the mischievous children in the yard. The sound of picking the lock outside the window grew louder and louder; Lin Chen could even hear the window frame loosening. He took a deep breath and suddenly flung open the door!
As Jia Zhangshi was intently prying open the window, she suddenly heard the door behind her open, startling her so much that the wire in her hand clattered to the ground. Turning around, she saw Lin Chen standing in the doorway. At first, she panicked, then quickly adopted a righteous air, slapping her thigh as if to throw a tantrum: "You little Lin! Trying to scare me to death by opening the door so early in the morning? Let me tell you, I came to see if you were cold, we're neighbors..."
"Aunt Jia, are you squatting under my window to help me fix it?" Lin Chen interrupted her, his voice not loud, but carrying a cold, penetrating force. He held a wooden stick in his hand, his gaze fixed on Jia Zhangshi's face, the humiliation of his past life and the wariness of this life intertwined in his eyes, causing Jia Zhangshi to involuntarily swallow her words.
Madam Jia was taken aback, not expecting this usually timid young man to suddenly become so assertive. Her eyes darted around, and she saw the wooden stick in Lin Chen's hand. A slight fear gripped her, but thinking of the empty grain jar and her grandson Jia Geng crying for food, she hardened her heart: "Why are you fixing the window? I saw your light wasn't on and thought something had happened to you. Couldn't I come and check on you? Young man, you really don't know what's good for you!"
"Is that so?" Lin Chen sneered, slowly raising the paper package in his hand. "Then, Aunt Jia, could you explain what that wire in your hand is all about? And if you really cared about me, why were you crouching under the window instead of knocking on the door?"
Jia Zhangshi's face flushed red and then paled, her eyes darting away, avoiding Lin Chen's gaze. Knowing she was in the wrong, and seeing no point in continuing, she decided to throw caution to the wind, hands on her hips, and yelled, "I just wanted to see what food you had in your room! In the dead of winter, our Genggeng is practically starving! What are you, a single young man, doing storing up so much food? What's wrong with giving some to the child? You're so stingy!"
"My food is something I've saved up from the tiniest of my teeth. Why should I give it to you?" Lin Chen took a step forward, tapping the ground lightly with the wooden stick in his hand. "Aunt Jia, I respect you as an elder and don't want to make a scene. Now, pick up your wire and disappear from my doorway immediately. Otherwise, I'll call the whole courtyard to come and see how you, as a grandmother, are teaching your grandson to steal!"
"You dare!" Jia Zhangshi's tantrum flared up, and she was about to lie down on the ground. "I don't believe it today, that a young man like you would dare to bully an old woman like me! I'm calling for help right now, and I'll tell them you're bullying an old woman..."
Before she could finish speaking, Lin Chen abruptly threw the paper package at her feet. The package shattered on the ground, splattering wood ash all over Jia Zhangshi's trousers. Tiny specks of ash trickled down her legs and into her shoes, making her itch so much that she stomped her feet.
"You...you dare to throw me?" Madam Jia was both angry and anxious, and reached out to grab Lin Chen.
Lin Chen was prepared and dodged to the side, gently placing the wooden stick in his hand on her wrist. Although the stick wasn't thick, Lin Chen used considerable force, and Jia Zhangshi felt a sharp pain in her wrist, immediately daring not to move. Looking at the ruthlessness in Lin Chen's eyes, she felt fear for the first time—this Lin Chen seemed different from before, no longer the soft persimmon that could be easily manipulated.
"I'll say it one last time, get out." Lin Chen's voice was icy cold, devoid of any warmth.
Madam Jia gritted her teeth, glared fiercely at Lin Chen, knowing she wouldn't get away with it today. She picked up the wire from the ground, dusted herself off, and muttered "Just you wait" under her breath as she limped towards the backyard. When she reached the middle courtyard, she didn't forget to turn back and glare at Lin Chen's door, her eyes filled with such venom that it seemed she wanted to devour him alive.
Lin Chen watched Jia Zhangshi's figure disappear through the back gate before letting out a sigh of relief, the wooden stick in his hand clattering to the ground. He leaned against the doorframe, panting heavily; the confrontation had almost exhausted him. But a feeling of unprecedented exhilaration welled up inside him—in this life, he was finally no longer the weakling who could be bullied at will.
He closed the door, bolted it again, and found a thick rope to securely tie the window shut. Only after doing this did he feel a little safer. He went to the storage room and, using the faint light streaming in through the window, carefully searched the place. He thought he'd seen something flash in the corner when he was fusing the horseshoe.
In the corner of the storage room, some old and worn-out items were piled up. Lin Chen moved a wooden box with a broken bottom and, sure enough, saw a small pottery jar hidden in the corner. He took the jar out, opened the lid, and saw that it contained half a bag of old rice! Although the rice was a bit yellow and mixed with some fine sand, in this era, it was undoubtedly a valuable treasure.
Lin Chen's eyes welled up with tears. He recalled his past life, how his health had collapsed after running out of food because he hadn't found this half-bag of rice. It seemed that fate had its own design. He carried the earthenware pot to the stove, found a broken iron pot, cleaned it, put in two handfuls of rice, added some water, and placed it on the stove. He took some dry firewood from the firebox, lit it with a match, and the flames crackled and popped, the warm firelight reflecting on his face, dispelling the last trace of chill.
The porridge cooked slowly, and a faint aroma of rice gradually filled the air, making Lin Chen's stomach rumble. He sat down in front of the stove and opened the system panel again. He now had 10 points, his physique was still 3 points, and his mental strength had dropped to 5 points due to the fusion and confrontation earlier. There was also an icon for the "Points Mall" on the panel. He clicked on it and saw that it had a wide variety of items, from whole-grain biscuits to simple tools, but none of them were cheap. The cheapest whole-grain biscuits cost 5 points a pack.
Lin Chen thought for a moment, deciding not to rush the exchange. The most important thing now was to recover his strength and then establish himself at the steel mill. He closed the control panel and his gaze fell on the iron pot on the stove. The porridge was already boiling, bubbling gently, its aroma growing stronger. He ladled out a bowl, carefully blowing on it as he sipped it. The warm porridge slid down his throat, settling comfortably in his stomach, making him feel completely alive again.
Just then, the sound of washing clothes came from outside the courtyard gate, accompanied by a woman's deliberately soft voice: "Aunt Liu, are you here to fetch water too? It's so cold today, my hands are frozen from washing clothes."
Lin Chen paused, recognizing the voice all too well—Qin Huairu. The woman who had framed him for stealing chickens in his past life, driving him to despair. He walked to the window and peered through the hole. He saw Qin Huairu squatting by the public pool, rubbing a man's cotton coat in her hands, with a swaddled baby on her back, presumably her newborn daughter, Huaihua. She wore a faded cotton-padded jacket, her hands were red, covered in chilblains and cracks, and her face wore a tired yet fragile expression, glancing occasionally towards the central courtyard.
Lin Chen's eyes turned cold. He remembered clearly that today was the early shift day at the steel rolling mill, and Sha Zhu should be coming home soon. Qin Huairu was washing clothes here at this time, choosing the exact route Sha Zhu would take home. Her weak and helpless demeanor was clearly an act for Sha Zhu's benefit. In his past life, Sha Zhu had been deceived by her appearance, willingly giving away all the food and ration coupons from his canteen to the Jia family, even at the cost of turning against his own sister, He Yushui.
"It's true what they say, old habits die hard," Lin Chen sneered. He finished the porridge in his bowl, hid the earthenware jar in a crack in the storage room wall, and then sealed it with a stone. Then he picked up the iron block he had just fused and examined it carefully. The purity of this iron block had increased by 30%, making it perfect for forging tools. He remembered that he was about to become an apprentice in the forging workshop of a steel rolling mill, and with this iron block, perhaps he could secure some opportunities for himself.
The sky outside the window was already bright, and the courtyard was gradually becoming lively. Yan Bugui's coughing could be heard from the front yard, and Liu Haizhong's shouts of cursing his son could be clearly heard from the back yard. Lin Chen knew that a new day had begun, and his battle had only just begun. He gripped the iron block in his hand, feeling its cold, hard texture, his eyes filled with determination.
This winter, he will no longer freeze or starve to death. He will settle the accounts of this courtyard house, one by one, slowly and surely.