Chapter 3: The Third Planet
"No, I'm not hungry, I'm going to go rest."
Su Ming stifled the desire in his heart and replied; he casually turned around to leave the dining table and walked towards the stairs.
Soon Su Ming was back in his room, lying on the bed, quietly staring at the ceiling, his thoughts racing.
He still hadn't figured out why he had come to this world. Moreover, he was having some trouble recalling his previous memories.
After he had assimilated Su Ming's memories, he even had an illusion as if he hadn't traveled through time; he was Su Ming. The past seemed clear as day, the real intermixed with the unreal.
After a long while...
Su Ming sighed helplessly and said,
"Ah, what's here is here; I should just accept it."
He could only accept this reality helplessly.
He then sat up, re-examined his body, and muttered to himself,
"What now? This body is too fat, with a height of 175, weighing a full 185 pounds, the body fat percentage must be around 30%. To achieve a perfect physique, I need to slim down to 135 pounds, meaning I have to lose 50 pounds. If I want to lose it in the shortest time without harming my body, it will take at least 120 days, which means I have to..."
Su Ming flopped back onto the bed, pondering as he drifted off into sleep.
....
The next morning.
In the luxurious living room, Zhao Ning instructed Chen Hui,
"Go to the kitchen and keep an eye on things; when the ingredients arrive..."
"Uh-huh."
Chen Hui responded respectfully.
At this moment, Su Ming, dressed in loose sportswear, passed by and greeted Zhao Ning.
"Mother!"
"Son? You're up? Where are you off to so early?"
Zhao Ning asked in surprise, recalling that Su Ming had never gotten up so early before.
"Jogging!"
Su Ming responded succinctly, then jogged away.
He ran out from the house, through the small garden, and soon reached the concrete road.
Su Ming glanced back at his home; it was a detached villa, considered very nice even in the wealthy district.
Su Ming smiled slightly, then turned and jogged onward.
His current location was in the Old Galaxy·Federation·Third Planet·Thirteenth District.
The Third Planet was the main star of the Old Federation, hosting three cities and sixteen districts.
The so-called three cities were the three behemoth cities standing on the surface. The sixteen districts referred to the sixteen major administrative regions underground.
Since the Third Planet was a Class 5 habitable star (for reference: habitable stars are categorized from 1-7, with Earth being a Class 6), the climate was extremely harsh; surface temperatures often reached 60° at the hottest times, sometimes even higher. In the cold, it plummeted to as low as minus 23° and could sometimes drop to minus 70°. The surface was no longer suitable for long-term survival, so most administrative districts were built underground.
At this moment, Su Ming ran out of the gate of the affluent district, and a few chattering ladies saw him and started to talk about him.
"Isn't that the Su family's little fatty?"
"Yes, it's him. I heard he just tried to hang himself not long ago, and it caused quite a stir."
"Hehe, what a disgrace. You'd think with Zhao Ning being so shrewd, how could she have such a foolish son."
"Who knows."
...
Su Ming ignored the odd looks from those around him, running steadily forward.
He ran past towering steel buildings and bustling squares, carefully pondering this world.
The civilization here was somewhat deformed but relatively advanced. The Old Federation, aside from its Main Star, had many Directly Controlled Stars and Mining Stars.
Of course, aside from the Old Federation, there were two major powers: the Empire·Dark Star·Belonka in the First New Galaxy and the Divine Authority Country·Apocalypse·Saint Lox in the Second New Galaxy.
These two civilization forces were stronger than the Old Federation, so the Federation's situation was not very favorable.
Of course, these two were not the biggest threats. The real threats were the two Alien Races in the universe: one composed of silicon-based life, the Mechanical Clan, and the other, the undying Chilami.
According to his memories and the information he had gathered, the Old Federation had been desperately resisting both races for centuries. It was a very arduous existence. It wouldn't be surprising if they were wiped out one day.
Fortunately, the Old Federation wasn't the only one facing a crisis; the Dark Star Empire and the Heavenly Revelation Divine Country were in similar straits. Hence, while not getting along, the three had reached a temporary peace under pressure from external enemies.
Sigh~
Su Ming ran up to a towering sky bridge, leaning against the railing and gasping heavily for breath.
When he lifted his head to gaze into the distance, he could see towering buildings standing tall with various unevenly scattered buildings around them. Wide roads meandered through the city like ribbons, with aerial corridors crisscrossing the different areas in mid-air, and antigravity flyers shooting around like meteors.
A radiant smile spread across Su Ming's face, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
He lifted his head to look up at the sky, seeing nothing but clear blue and a bright sun shining high above.
Of course, Su Ming knew very well that the entire Thirteenth District was one massive underground city and that the sky he saw was a false projection, the dazzling sun was artificial.
The Thirteenth District was divided into the Upper and Lower Districts.
He was in the Upper District, where the residents were relatively affluent, so everything seemed very nice.
But that wasn't the case. The Lower District was the true reflection of reality.
The Old Federation had a total population of 32 billion, with 5.2 billion residing on the Main Star·Third Planet, the Thirteenth District had a population of 210 million, and only 10 million people lived in the Upper District; the rest were all in the Lower District and scattered in outlying areas.
The Lower District was densely populated with outdated facilities and extremely scarce resources; everyone struggled bitterly for survival.
It's worth noting that the main structure of the Old Federation was the parliament, three City Lords, and sixteen administrative district heads.
Although the parliament made the major decisions for the Old Federation, it did not directly govern the three cities and sixteen districts. Each region was largely autonomous with significant self-governing rights.
Therefore, the condition of a district depended largely on the governance of its respective administrative district head.
...
An hour later.
Su Ming came home drenched in sweat.
Zhao Ning greeted him with concern upon his return.
"My boy, are you tired?"
"Not too bad."
Su Ming replied, panting. He felt ready to pass out; his body was just too weak. He had planned to run for two hours, but he could barely make it through one, even with breaks.
But there was no helping it; he could only take it slowly, gradually increasing his exercise.
"You must be hungry after all that exercise, right? Breakfast is ready, and there are the greens you wanted to eat."
Zhao Ning led Su Ming toward the dining table.
Soon, Su Ming sat in front of the dining table, and in front of him was a plate of green vegetables, only about seven or eight in quantity.
Su Ming picked one up with his chopsticks and gave it a taste; it was just average. Plus, because of the excessive exercise, he didn't have much appetite and only ate a few before stopping.