Upon returning to the apartment, Aliya's breathing gradually calmed, and she fell into a deep sleep.
Ever since Lin Yu'an was reincarnated, he had been restless, sensing a strange perception that hovered around him, elusive yet omnipresent.
He went to the living room, sat on the sofa, closed his eyes, and attempted to "touch" that space.
After continuous attempts, with a subtle thought, the glass on the coffee table suddenly vanished! It disappeared out of thin air!
Lin Yu'an abruptly opened his eyes, yet he clearly felt that the glass was quietly floating in the center of that "space" he perceived.
With another thought, the glass appeared out of nowhere back on the coffee table where he was looking.
"Can I store things with my mind?"
Lin Yu'an couldn't conceal his excitement. He looked at an apple on the table, focused on perceiving its round shape, and with a thought, the apple disappeared as well, lying quietly in the space.
Next, he noticed a lost ladybug on the windowsill. With a spark of interest, he concentrated on the ladybug's tiny body, and it vanished instantly, entering the space.
But when he retrieved the ladybug a few seconds later, it remained motionless, its tiny legs stiffly curled, lifeless.
Lin Yu'an furrowed his brow, got dressed, and went downstairs to test it a few more times. No matter if it was a moth, a small ant, or a caterpillar, all turned into corpses upon entering and exiting the space.
"Living things going in... die?"
Back in the apartment, he tried focusing his attention on a bookshelf a bit farther away, attempting to store a book into the space, but nothing happened.
He took a few steps forward and tried again, but still, nothing. Until he got right in front of the bookshelf, less than two meters from the book, upon perceiving its rectangular outline, with a thought, the book successfully entered the space.
"The range is about two meters."
Lin Yu'an pondered, attempting to store a pile of vague-shaped miscellaneous items from a cardboard box in the corner, but the space did not respond.
"Furthermore, you must clearly know the appearance of the item."
Lin Yu'an slowly sorted out these key points: he could store non-living things, but living things would die.
He could store them using mental control within a range of about two meters, and he needed a clear perception of their shape.
Also, is this space gradually enhancing his physical abilities? He felt a significant improvement in his eyesight and spatial distance control. He even had an indescribable Sixth Sense!
He conducted an experiment. Within five meters, his throws with paper balls to hit bottle caps were almost every shot a success! This had a lot to do with his control over space and distance.
At this moment, he was both excited about acquiring this ability and fearful of the Golden Finger, unable to comprehend what exactly it was.
He speculated that it might be related to the shipping container that crushed him in his previous life, as through exploration, he felt that the size of this space was the size of the container.
Meanwhile, he pondered what this sudden "Golden Finger" could bring him?
Though he had now become a "hero" in the news and received a 10,000 USD reward for his bravery, he felt no joy at all at this moment.
Only deep troubles and anxiety for the future. He needed money, a large sum of money! After taxes, the 10,000 USD award amounted to about 7,000, which was far from enough.
Aliya's pregnancy nutrition, prenatal check-ups, future delivery expenses, the children's formula and diapers... also, they needed a stable and safe place to live, not this cramped apartment.
So, he had many things to do next: take care of Aliya and the children, complete his thesis, strive to earn money to support his family...
After a brief consideration, he determined that making money was now the top priority.
As for asking his family for money?
Lin Yu'an gave a bitter smile. He essentially started as an orphan; he couldn't remember at what age he began to be responsible for farm work, cooking, and various chores.
Everything prioritized his younger brother. He once suspected he wasn't biological, and under the guidance of a mentor, he secretly did a hair-based paternity test. The result was clear as day.
During the college entrance exam, he reported to the police, and Uncle Hat helped him file a separate household registration. Following his mentor's wife's advice, he applied to Texas Tech University, a school ranked beyond 800 in QS rankings.
But with his grades, he could apply for a full scholarship, so he decisively applied to this school.
Finally, he successfully got admitted to Texas Tech University, escaped that family, and received a full scholarship.
Lin Yu'an snapped back to the present. He must quickly get a sum of money to secure his and Aliya's life.
Even though Aliya had expressed more than once that she didn't want him to work hard at low-paying part-time jobs.
They could figure out a way together to get through the difficulties ahead.
But when Lin Yu'an thought of the experiences from his previous life, he couldn't bear to let Aliya suffer with him. He just hoped that in this life, Aliya could safely and peacefully enjoy happiness.
Although the guilt in Lin Yu'an's heart from the previous life kept him from moving on from losing Aliya, he didn't remain single.
After losing Aliya, he had several girlfriends, but all ended in breakups for various reasons. He wondered if there was a chance to meet them in this life.
Thinking about his ex-girlfriends scattered across distant futures, Lin Yu'an's heart began to grow restless. His feelings with them also had similar regrets.
Getting a bit ahead of himself, at this very moment in this life, he told himself he must fulfill a man's responsibilities. He must find a way to make money for Aliya and their child!
Now that he had this space, should he really learn from the movies and smuggle some contraband? The thought was immediately extinguished.
Not to mention the risks, his nine years of compulsory education did not permit him to earn dirty money by violating his conscience, nor did it allow him to taint that red faith!
If not contraband, what else could legally let him earn money quickly as an individual?
The more he thought, the more chaotic it became. Lin Yu'an turned on the TV, randomly flipping through the channels.
Suddenly, a program promotional clip filled with primitive vibes and tense rhythm caught his attention.
The screen showed endless wilderness, steep peaks, rushing rivers, and the lonely silhouettes struggling to survive among them.
The voiceover introduced in a stirring tone.
Ten top survival experts are deployed to the harshest environments on Earth! No camera crew, no companions, only themselves and ten survival tools!
You will face hunger, cold, beasts, and endless solitude alone! Whoever holds out the longest wins... a million-dollar grand prize!
The eighth season of "Alone in the Wilderness" is recruiting globally soon! Do you dare challenge?"
A million dollars!
These four words hit Lin Yu'an's heart like a heavy hammer!
His breath instantly became ragged!
"Alone in the Wilderness"! How could he not have thought of this! He was a loyal viewer of this show! It's a reality show that tests survival skills and willpower to the extreme, and the prize money is indeed shockingly high.
In his previous life, he once lived in the Canadian wilderness along the Alaska-Yukon border with a travel buddy, Inuya, an Inuit person who mastered many wilderness survival skills and taught Lin Yu'an a lot.
Now, with his spatial ability backing him up, combined with his previous life's wilderness experience and all the wilderness survival techniques he learned from watching the seven seasons of the show, he had absolute confidence to challenge for the championship!
He immediately picked up his phone to search for detailed information about the show.
Recruitment conditions, competition rules, experiences of past champions... the more closely he looked, the more intensely the fire in his heart burned!
A million dollars! If he could get this money, their short-term living would be worry-free!
He could provide Aliya with the best postpartum recovery, give the children the best formula and education, and even consider buying a house of their own in Austin!
But he quickly calmed down.
This show isn't about wining and dining or going on a wilderness vacation; those thrilling scenes in the promotional clip are anything but fictitious!
Every season has contestants who have to quit due to injury, illness, or mental breakdown. What he'll face is the real wilderness, real danger! There's even forced withdrawal due to the script!
And Aliya... is pregnant, needing his companionship now more than ever. If he goes to participate, he would be completely cut off from the outside world for weeks or even months.
He tossed and turned all night, appearing before Aliya the next day with two dark circles under his eyes.
"Darling, you didn't sleep well last night? You look so pale." Aliya tenderly touched his cheek.
Lin Yu'an took a deep breath, held Aliya's hand, and looked at her with utmost seriousness in his eyes: "Aliya, I have something very important to discuss with you."