The hours dragged on as Ian worked under the chilling wind. His fingers ached from planting the baby blueberry trees, their tender roots pressed into the fresh earth.
Ian wiped his brow with the back of his hand, grateful for the steady rhythm of labor. The work itself was grueling, but the environment was better than he expected.
The crisp autumn air, the occasional chirp of birds, and the soft rustle of the wind through the leaves helped make the long hours bearable. His coworkers, Ella and Jay, were friendly enough, and their quiet chatter as they worked made the time pass faster.
The sound of shovels hitting the dirt, the thump of roots settling into their new homes, and the occasional laugh between them provided a strange sense of comfort.
As noon approached, Lucas, the supervisor, appeared from the other side of the field, his wide grin framed by the cool breeze. He walked over to where Ian and the others were planting, his boots crunching against the gravel path. "Alright, mates, lunch time," he said with a casual wave of his hand. "Take your break. I'll keep an eye on things."
Ian and the others nodded gratefully, dropping their tools and making their way toward the small area where they usually ate. The work had been tiring, and their stomachs rumbled in unison.
Ian sat down on the grass with his brown bag lunch. It wasn't much—just a sandwich, an apple, and some water—but it was enough to get him through the day. As he unwrapped the sandwich, he heard a faint sound in the background. At first, he thought it was just the wind, but then the noise repeated, like a small notification from his phone. A soft ping.
He looked around, confused. No one else seemed to be reacting to the sound. He took a bite of his sandwich, then froze. A message appeared in front of him, glowing faintly in the corner of his vision.
[Congratulations, you have been chosen as one of the beta players for Earth 4.0.]
Ian blinked, almost choking on his food. His eyes darted over the window, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. He hadn't been expecting anything like this, especially not here. He scanned his surroundings, but the others were too busy with their own lunch to notice.
Curious, Ian looked up at Jay, who was sitting next to him. "Hey, can you see this?" he asked, pointing at the floating message.
Jay looked up from his sandwich, his brow furrowing. "See what?"
"This!" Ian gestured at the pop-up window, his fingers hovering around it.
Jay stared at him as if he'd lost his mind. "Mate, are you okay? Did Lucy hit you too hard this morning?" He raised an eyebrow, his voice a mix of confusion and concern. "Your brain not working anymore?"
Ian blinked, unsure whether he was just imagining it or if this was something real. The notification still hung in the air.
As Ian stared at the pop-up window, something strange began to happen. The words in front of him shifted, transforming right before his eyes. The once-static message began to reformat, changing its content as if the window had a mind of its own. The message on the screen now read:
[You are the only one who can see this notification.]
Ian's confusion deepened. His eyes darted around, but no one else seemed to notice the strange text hanging in the air. His fingers hovered over the message, unsure if he should tap or just ignore it. He had no idea what this was about, but something about it felt oddly familiar. He wasn't new to gaming—he'd played his fair share back in his home country. The term "beta player" was something he recognized. But Earth 4.0? That was entirely new.
"Earth 4.0?" he muttered under his breath, his brow furrowed in confusion. "What the hell does that mean?"
He glanced at Jay, who was busy eating his sandwich, but Ian didn't feel like disturbing him. The window still floated there, teasing him with its cryptic message. He sighed and shook his head. Maybe he was just tired or dehydrated, maybe it was the heat of the day or even the stress of being away from home for so long. But then the window shifted again, and Ian's heart skipped a beat.
The new message read:
[Earth has undergone three major updates. The first, the Ancient Age; the second, the Prehistoric Age; and now, the third: the Present.]
Ian blinked, his brain struggling to process the words in front of him. The Present? What the hell was this? Was this some sort of virtual reality game? Or some kind of weird augmented reality that was now messing with him?
His eyes widened as he wiped his eyes with his sleeve, just to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. The cold air from the autumn breeze hit his face, but the window remained stubbornly in front of him. He blinked again. Still there. He rubbed his temples, trying to focus on the message.
[You are about to experience the next phase of Earth's evolution. Your journey as a beta player has just begun.]
Ian's thoughts raced, but he could barely grasp what was happening. What was "Earth 4.0," and why was he chosen to be a beta player? What kind of game or simulation was this?
He glanced again at Jay, hoping for some clarity. But Jay was completely absorbed in his lunch, oblivious to the bizarre window floating in front of Ian.
Ian stared at the window, his mind still reeling from the last message. But before he could gather his thoughts, the text on the pop-up window changed again. The words shifted, responding directly to his unasked questions.
[The beta players are chosen randomly. Each player is assigned a basic profession acknowledged by the Administrator, such as doctor, teacher, scientist, warrior, cook, and many others. You have been chosen to be a beta player of the Farmer profession.]
Ian's heart skipped a beat. Farmer? He blinked in disbelief. He wasn't a farmer. He barely knew the difference between a tomato and a potato. But now, he was supposed to be a farmer?
Before he could react, the text shifted again, answering the question he hadn't even voiced out loud.
[This is not a game or a simulation. This is salvation from the Administrator. The first two updates were disappointing to the Administrator. When the Earth reached the conditions necessary for evolution, almost all of humanity faced extinction.]
Ian froze, his mind grinding to a halt. Salvation? Extinction? He rubbed his eyes, hoping the words would somehow stop shifting, but they didn't. They kept coming, more unsettling than the last.
His head spun with the weight of the information. He wasn't sure whether to laugh or scream. This didn't feel real. How could it?
But the text didn't wait for him to process. It shifted again, answering his next question, as if anticipating his confusion.
[Humanity has reached the next threshold for Earth's evolution. The Administrator does not want another failure to occur. To avoid the disaster of the past, a new concept was created—something most humans are familiar with. This is the last grace the Administrator will grant to humanity. The rest of humanity will receive their grace when Earth officially begins its update in four months.]
Ian's jaw dropped as the words hit him like a ton of bricks. The Administrator? Earth's evolution? The last grace? He couldn't make sense of it all.
But before Ian could fully process the new message, the pop-up window vanished. It was like it had never been there at all.
But something remained. A faint, almost imperceptible glow lingered at the left corner of his vision.
He shook his head. It's nothing, he told himself. You're just seeing things.
Ian wiped his hands on his pants, taking a deep breath. Maybe it was time to make an appointment with a psychiatrist. Whatever this was, it didn't feel real, and he wasn't sure if he was losing his mind or if there was something else going on.