Soft morning light entered a modern bedroom in China, year 2050. Min Zing Zhia slowly opened her eyes. Her long black hair rested quietly against the pillow as her deep black eyes adjusted to the day. She stretched, yawned, and smiled faintly—calm, composed, and curious by nature.
The morning felt ordinary.
Warm water poured over her as steam filled the bathroom. Zhia stood beneath the shower, relaxed and unaware that this day would change everything. After dressing in simple futuristic home clothes, she moved to the dining area and ate breakfast casually at the glowing table.
Her phone rang.
She glanced at the screen and answered.
"Zhia! Did you hear the news?" her friend asked urgently.
Confused, Zhia paused. "What news?"
"The Robo Tech company is about to go bankrupt. And the founder is missing. He disappeared with ten billion dollars."
The words hit her like ice.
Zhia froze.
That didn't make sense. The founder had always been confident, even when the company was suffering losses. He had never abandoned his work before.
"Why would he suddenly steal the money and run away?" she wondered aloud.
One thought became clear. Robo Tech had not released any recent robot updates. That explained why sales had been falling day by day.
After ending the call, Zhia walked slowly through the long, silent hallway of her house. Her thoughts echoed in her mind.
I am Min Zing Zhia, she thought. The daughter of the founder of the Time Machine.
She stopped in front of a locked, high-tech door—one she had never been allowed to open alone. Today, her father was not home.
The door slid open.
Inside stood a massive machine surrounded by glowing panels. Energy hummed through the air. Zhia stepped inside carefully, her heart pounding. Her father had never allowed her to enter this room.
She put on a special futuristic watch and closed her eyes, recalling a memory.
"The code…" she whispered. "I heard it from my father."
She stepped into the time machine.
Lights activated instantly.
Time is past.
Time is future.
Time is future.
Time is past.
The machine hummed loudly.
"Without time, nothing works," Zhia said with determination. "Time Machine… take me to the year 2070."
The lights flashed violently. The floor vibrated. Sparks flew as the machine shook and wrapped her in blinding light.
When everything went silent, Zhia opened her eyes.
She was in the future.
The city looked almost identical to 2050.
"Huh… what's the difference?" she muttered.
As she walked through the streets, something strange caught her attention. People passed by silently. Each of them had a chip embedded in their heads. Their eyes were blank—mechanical, empty.
Zhia stopped outside a shop when a police officer approached her.
"Where is your chip?" he asked coldly.
An alarm sounded.
Zhia ran.
She escaped into a narrow alley, her breath shaking as fear tightened her chest. From there, she finally understood.
The people were obsessed with the chip.
Those without it were hunted.
"What's wrong with these people?" she whispered. "They're completely controlled by the chip."
She checked her special AI watch.
"AI… is there a chip connected to the human mind?"
No response.
"Network disconnected."
Sweat rolled down her forehead. Her hands trembled.
"God… please let the AI work," she prayed softly, looking around nervously.
She was alone.
Hunted.
Trapped in the future.
"What do I do now?" Zhia whispered.