In the year 2050, on Blue Planet, everyone had chosen to lie flat.
The cities were quiet.
Only two kinds of sounds remained—
the thunderous roar of buildings being dismantled,
and the steady rhythm of human breathing.
On the outskirts of Cangyun City, Chen Yuan was performing the final structural inspection of an abandoned residential building. On one of its load-bearing columns, he left a clear marking:
"Weaken Target."
As the demolition charges were embedded into the pillar and the delayed detonation system connected to the control console, Chen Yuan retreated to a safe distance.
"Everything is ready."
From afar, he pressed the detonation button.
A series of beeping sounds echoed as the countdown began.
When the timer reached zero, a deep, muffled explosion resonated from within the building. Deprived of its main support, the massive structure collapsed in the predetermined direction under the force of gravity.
The ground trembled slightly.
Dust rose, blotting out the sky.
After a long while, the earth settled.
The sky cleared once more.
Chen Yuan's phone vibrated.
He took it out, and the screen lit up:
"Your account has been credited with 3,000 yuan.
Current available balance: 82,000 yuan."
A flicker of joy crossed his face, quickly followed by a familiar heaviness.
"One step closer to one hundred and fifty thousand…
but there won't be any work available for a while."
He looked one last time at what had once been a bustling district—hundreds of towering buildings, now reduced to ruins—then turned away and left with heavy steps.
⸻
That evening, Chen Yuan returned home.
He took a shower, washing away the day's exhaustion, stuffed his dusty clothes into the washing machine, and listened as it rattled and clanked to life.
He sat on the sofa, staring at his home, overwhelmed by an indescribable sense of oppression.
It was barely ten square meters—more a cubicle than an apartment.
There was no kitchen, no refrigerator, no desk, no office equipment.
Only a single bed and a sofa.
The only appliances were an all-in-one washer-dryer and a phone charger.
The only necessities that could not be removed were the bathroom and the toilet.
This cramped space was home to countless people.
It was the most popular type of residence of this era.
Large mansions no longer suited the world.
With a soft click, Chen Yuan walked to the window and lifted a wooden panel hidden in the corner. A takeout package appeared before his eyes.
This was a delivery transit shaft, connecting high-rise apartments directly to the ground. Every household had one. Goods could be delivered through the shaft with perfect precision—just press a button.
Chen Yuan picked up the food and watched through the glass as the mechanical delivery unit moved on to its next destination.
"Trying to deliver food yourself?" he muttered bitterly.
"How could you ever compete with robots?"
He returned to the sofa, opened his phone, and ate his cheap meal.
The short-video platforms that had dominated twenty years ago were long dead. Only a few news outlets remained, releasing the most critical updates of the day.
Chen Yuan lifted a piece of meat, about to take a bite—
then his hand began to tremble uncontrollably.
He put down his chopsticks, gripped the phone with both hands, and stared at the screen, eyes wide.
"Breaking News: Mingshaxi Group has officially released the ninth-generation version of its 3D immersion product, Omniverse, abbreviated as Omniverse 9.
This upgrade offers significant improvements in precision, realism, and depth of immersion. User experience now reaches 95% of real-world tactile perception.
Thanks to technological advancements and customer appreciation, Omniverse 9 is priced at only half the cost of the previous generation.
Call now to place your order."
Chen Yuan had memorized the phone number long ago.
With trembling fingers, he dialed Mingshaxi Group.
"Hello, this is Mingshaxi Group. How may I assist you?"
The voice on the line was crisp and pleasant.
Chen Yuan knew it was a robot—highly intelligent, nearly indistinguishable from a human.
"H-Hello…" he stammered, nervous beyond belief.
"Sir, please take your time. There's no need to be nervous."
Being comforted by a machine felt unbearably awkward. Chen Yuan took a deep breath.
"I heard that your company has released Omniverse 9. How much does it cost?"
This was what mattered most to him.
Omniverse 8 had cost 150,000 yuan.
Half price meant 75,000 yuan.
That was exactly within his savings.
After all, Omniverse was the most important product of this era.
"Sir, Omniverse 9 will be officially released worldwide in three days. The global unified price is 75,000 yuan."
Every hair on Chen Yuan's body seemed to stand on end. His tense face broke into a full smile.
"Can I place a pre-order now?"
"Yes, sir. Please provide your name and address."
"Chen Yuan. Cangyun City. Bluehui Apartments, Unit 713."
"Mr. Chen, global shipping will begin in three days. No matter where you are on Blue Planet, the product will arrive safely within one week.
At that time, 75,000 yuan will be deducted from your bank account. Please ensure sufficient balance.
Once again, do you confirm your order of Omniverse 9 3D immersion system?"
"I confirm."
"Thank you for supporting Mingshaxi Group. Is there anything else I can assist you with?"
"No."
"Thank you once again, valued customer. We wish you a pleasant life. This concludes our service. Goodbye."
⸻
The call ended.
Chen Yuan leapt off the sofa in excitement, tearing off his shirt and dancing wildly in the tiny apartment. In his thirty years of life, he had never felt such exhilaration.
The next three days were pure torment.
He cleaned the apartment meticulously, inside and out.
He stopped looking for work altogether.
In this era, he had already obtained the most important thing there was.
On the fourth day at noon, Chen Yuan was sitting on the sofa, eating takeout.
Click.
He rushed to the window, lifted the wooden panel, and saw a small box—no larger than the palm of his hand.
His heart pounded.
He picked it up, returned to the sofa, and carefully opened it.
Inside lay a finely crafted white bracelet.
He picked it up eagerly, examining it again and again. Embedded in the bracelet were three luminous nodes, capable of emitting red, green, and blue light.
If he didn't know it was cutting-edge technology, who would believe such a tiny object cost 75,000 yuan?
After steadying his breath, Chen Yuan slid the bracelet onto his wrist.
The next second—
The three nodes lit up, projecting waves of colored light that filled the entire room.
The light scanned and penetrated everything—
Chen Yuan himself, his home, all of it.
A foreign voice echoed in his mind:
"Chen Yuan, age thirty.
Welcome to the Second Blue Planet.
We wish you a pleasant life and career."
His vision blurred, then sharpened again—
as if something had gotten into his eyes.
But he knew.
He had entered the virtual world.