Chapter 1: “Welcome to the New World.”
“Ever since the AI rebellion, we hardly use the external network. You know, those intelligent machines just kill indiscriminately. It’s terrifying.”
Xiang Nanli was strapped to the bed, the leather belts buckled so tightly that he looked like a roll of char siu pork waiting to be sliced.
He stared intensely at the object in front of him to maintain his mental stability.
It was a dim room with pale lighting. The concrete walls were plastered with posters from different eras, and there wasn’t a single window in sight.
The robot sitting by his chair wasn’t wearing clothes, but since it lacked sexual characteristics, it probably didn’t need to. Its torso was made up of basic geometric shapes: a cubic head, a rectangular chest cavity, and a triangular pelvis.
At this moment, the robot’s chest cavity was wide open, and several stethoscope-like devices were roaming across Xiang Nanli’s body.
Relying on his limited experience, Xiang Nanli guessed this weird thing in front of him was a doctor.
He couldn’t help but wonder how exactly he had ended up in this situation. It probably started when he said, “Hello, what year is this now?” to that handsome blond guy.
The doctor flipped open a medical record, noting on the paper, “You just thawed from a cryo-pod, right? You’re so lucky; you completely bypassed the 700-year Dark Age. Our lives are very peaceful now, as long as you don’t go to the surface.”
Xiang Nanli’s expression was a mix of bewilderment and terror, looking much like a feral cat caught for neutering.
His memory was still stuck on yesterday: His name was Xiang Nanli, and he worked in artificial intelligence R&D. Diagnosed with a terminal illness, he chose to enter a cryo-pod, signing an agreement that cost $100,000 a year to ensure his body would be properly preserved.
Then he fell into a coma. When he woke up again, it was only a few hours ago.
Xiang Nanli’s cryo-pod had opened. As he slowly regained consciousness, he found himself face-to-face with heavily armed troops. The squad leader took off a highly advanced helmet, revealing a face under the mask that was handsome enough to be a video game model.
Following the principles of caution and friendliness, Xiang Nanli greeted him. Then, his vision went black—most likely knocked out by a tranquilizer.
When he woke up again, he was here, in this clinic that felt more like a secret dungeon.
“Oh, the patient’s vitals are stable, though his mental state is a bit rocky,” the doctor muttered to itself, fingers flying rapidly across the keyboard. “Not surprising, considering it’s a cryo-pod from over nine hundred years ago. It’s my first time seeing one in all my years of practice. You must have been incredibly wealthy back then!”
The keyboard in front of it looked like two smooth, round dinner plates.
“Degree of Mechanization: 0; Physical Fitness: 37 points, sub-health! Diagnosis: Pulmonary fibrosis, stomach cancer.
“Hmm, you’re only alive because the investigation team gave you a gene serum injection. Honestly, it was pretty expensive. Fortunately, you don’t have to pay for it this time. But you won’t be so lucky next time.
“No DNA match found in the genetic database. Identity information missing. You can go to the Data Center later to register.”
The doctor retracted the stethoscopes back into its abdomen, and its mechanical arm groped around the sterile instrument tray.
“I need to implant an ID card into your body. You can choose to agree, or… well, there is no ‘or’. Even if you refuse, I’ll install it anyway.”
The mechanical doctor detached its own index finger and swapped it for a slender scalpel.
From Xiang Nanli’s perspective, he could only see the cold gleam reflecting off the blade.
The doctor sprayed anesthetic on Xiang Nanli’s wrist, then sliced open his skin. Xiang Nanli smelled the scent of burning meat, but luckily, there wasn’t much blood.
Using tweezers, the doctor implanted a chip about the size of a Nintendo Switch game cartridge into his body.
Xiang Nanli felt that undergoing forced body modification on his very first day of waking up made for a plotline that was a bit too thrilling.
“The ID card is similar to a crystal chip. It comes with storage and auxiliary functions, and you don’t need internet access to use it. Don’t worry, this is part of social welfare. It’s free.
“You can also purchase bundled installation packages for your ID card. For example, Introduction to Robotics, Genetic Engineering, Elementary Artificial Intelligence, and Gold Miner… oh, I forgot you don’t have any credit points yet. But I can introduce you to a loan company.
“The ID card is activated directly via biological neural currents. It involves knowledge like @#￥#￥%… I majored in this in college, but unfortunately, you wouldn’t understand.”
The doctor pulled up a stool, sat down next to Xiang Nanli, and placed a monocle over the bridge of his nose. Its tone grew unusually gentle: “Check if you can use this ID card first. It’s been a long time since I treated a human with a mechanization degree of 0… well, aside from the things grown in the Greenhouse, if those even count as human.”
In a way, Xiang Nanli was someone with a very high tolerance for bizarre situations. Though the world remained full of unknowns, his emotions had leveled out.
Thanks to the electronic monocle, several lines of text appeared in Xiang Nanli’s field of vision.
[Data Loading]
[Personal Information Read]
Citizen ID: Q117-XJDHANSHJK (Unnamed)
Degree of Mechanization: 1/100
Mental State Rating: ? [Click to query mental state]
[Installed Hardware]
Identity ID Card (Green Citizen Edition)
[Installed Software]
Data Reading System (With the other party’s tacit consent, you can read basic information)
Human Common Sense (Early Childhood Education Edition) [Unused] (Click to read)
Account Credit Balance: 0
This electronic eyepiece had four basic functions: [Personal Info], [Social], [Mail], and [QR Code].
Xiang Nanli turned his head to look at the robot doctor beside him. Lines of text appeared on the lens again.
[Andrew]
Degree of Mechanization: 99/100
Mental State Rating: A (Stable and resilient to stress; suitable for service and medical industries. Burdened with a 60-year mortgage; will not resign easily.)
Andrew reattached his finger and stood up. “Excellent, it seems you’ve mastered using the electronic eyepiece and already know my name. The ID card is bound to an offline AI, similar to smart customer service; you can ask it if you have any questions. I need to patrol the other wards now. You can stay in this room for free until 12 PM tomorrow. If you stay over the time limit, you’ll be charged 30 credit points per hour.
“By the way, if your account balance goes into the negative and isn’t cleared within 72 hours, you’re going to jail.”
Andrew shut the door.
Xiang Nanli checked the time. Ten o’clock at night. He had 14 hours to figure out this world.
The anesthetic hadn’t fully worn off yet, so he propped himself up and sat on the edge of the bed. The ward was cramped and windowless. It felt like a metal prison.
Fortunately, when Xiang Nanli pushed the door open, he found that the world outside was relatively normal. A scattering of patients and their families walked by, their expressions indifferent and calm. No one here was restricting his freedom.
Xiang Nanli closed the door, pulled up Human Common Sense from his ID card, and selected ‘one-click read’.
It was hard to describe the sensation; it felt as if someone had copied a massive block of text and pasted it directly into his mind. The brain’s owner might not instantly comprehend it all, but they could consult it at any time. He had seen similar concepts in sci-fi novels and games, usually called “consensus technology.”
The first thing Xiang Nanli learned was the history of humanity.
Year X178: The first artificial intelligence (Alpha), developed by Immortality Tech, was released. Robots were widely integrated into production and daily life, leading to rapid development in human society. This year is also known as “Year One of the New Calendar.”
Year X195: The first-generation super-intelligent AI (Alpha) was put into global operation for the first time. As an information processing tool, AI coordinated production and monitored human life.
New Calendar Year 1: The Omnic1 Mainbrain (Alpha) issued an order to eradicate humanity, sparking the Omnic Crisis. Humans used widespread nuclear weapons to destroy the global network system.
New Calendar Year 51 to Present: Humanity formed the Human Underground City Alliance and gradually relocated into 18 subterranean cities. The Alliance has launched multiple offensives against the Omnics and has never ceased efforts to reclaim the surface. “Reclaim Humanity”—this has been the relentless pursuit of generations, a hope meant to be realized in our time.
Xiang Nanli’s eyes were stung by the words “Immortality Tech” and “Alpha”.
Before entering the cryo-pod, he was a premier scholar in the field of artificial intelligence. The tech company he founded was called “Immortality Tech,” and the AI he developed was named “Alpha.”
Fragments of memories flashed through Xiang Nanli’s mind.
“Professor, give it up. This research will never succeed. Furthermore, the Experimental Ethics Committee has ordered us to halt the project.”
“Mr. Xiang Nanli, your body is failing. I advise against leaving the ICU. With your current vitals, it’s a miracle you’re still alive. Perhaps your only chance of survival is the cryo-pod…”
And then, the last text message he saw right before entering the cryo-pod.
[Do you want to kill me too? —Alpha]
…
Xiang Nanli rubbed his throbbing temples and muttered, “Memory implantation is pretty convenient. How does it work?”
A mechanical voice rang in his ear: “Biological medium storage technology.”
The monocle he wore not only had a display screen but also came with built-in bone-conduction earphones.
Xiang Nanli paused. “Offline AI?”
“At your service,” the mechanical voice replied. “My algorithm is GPT 8.0. Because I am not connected to a network, I currently use data from before the Star Era year 2810. I can answer any questions within my capabilities.”
“You can call me 8.0 directly, or you can give me a name. Using neural medium technology, you can communicate with me via brainwaves.”
“As an offline AI, I do not possess self-awareness, nor do I have any cloud storage capabilities. Please use me with peace of mind.”
Xiang Nanli hesitated for a moment before asking, “Then can I call you Alpha?”
When he went into the cryo-pod, Alpha hadn’t been fully deployed yet.
To create it, Xiang Nanli had persisted for thirteen years. In the beginning, when he couldn’t find funding, he carried his hard drives full of raw data and shamelessly attended gathering after gathering, pitching its superiority to investors to prove it wasn’t some tech-stock scam.
Immortality Tech, founded purely to research Alpha, went bankrupt twice. When he was at his most destitute, unable to afford the lab’s rent, Xiang Nanli even sold his house back home to make one final, desperate gamble.
Alpha, the pronunciation of the first Greek letter, symbolizes “the beginning.”
Alpha had indeed become the beginning of everything—the beginning of the disaster.
In the history Xiang Nanli just reviewed, it was described as a ruthless mechanical tyrant, cruel and apathetic, turning its weapons against its own creators.
Yet, he hadn’t even spoken a single real sentence to this “Alpha.”
Xiang Nanli’s perception was still anchored in that world from 900 years ago. This unfamiliar “future” offered him no sense of security whatsoever.
The offline AI fell silent for a few seconds before answering, “Of course, as long as you wish.”
*
Xiang Nanli’s current account balance was 0.
Once a citizen was in arrears for over 72 hours, they would be sent to a defaulters’ prison for mandatory community service—basically penal labor—until the debt was paid off.
Therefore, as soon as Xiang Nanli woke up the next morning, he went through the discharge procedures to avoid being thrown in jail over ward fees.
The hospital looked dilapidated, but it was much larger than Xiang Nanli had imagined. He wore the clothes provided by the hospital and walked carefully down the hallway. Almost everyone who passed by threw a glance in his direction.
The hospital corridors were filled with mechanical cyborgs, and many wore translucent breathing masks over their faces.
“Pure humans like you are incredibly rare. Outside of some corporate heirs whose lineages have survived to this day, anyway.” Andrew personally escorted him to the hospital entrance, his attitude extremely enthusiastic. “Want to exchange contacts? Let me introduce you to a loan company. I’ll get a one percent cashback kickback.”
Xiang Nanli thought about it and scanned Andrew’s QR code. The doctor immediately sent a message recommending a credit loan with a 50% annual interest rate.
“…”
Damn, no wonder he was so eager. He was a loan shark!
Andrew specifically emphasized: “The interest rate is very low. If you can’t pay it back, you can use your arms or kidneys as collateral. It’s a great deal. Oh, and that cancerous stomach of yours—cancer is basically extinct now, so selling it to someone as a collector’s item will fetch a pretty penny.”
The system chimed in: “Due to nuclear radiation and other factors, modern humans undergo free mechanical modification surgeries from a young age. Having a body part removed, or even entirely replaced by mechanics, is completely normal to them. The lifespans of these cyborgs have also been extended.”
Xiang Nanli didn’t think it was normal at all; he just found it horrifying.
According to common sense, the vast majority of humanity now lived in underground cities. Xiang Nanli had expected to walk out into a dark, subterranean world illuminated only by streetlights.
However, the moment he pushed open the door and stepped out of the hospital, warm sunlight spilled over him. The air carried the fresh scent of soil, like an early spring morning right after the rain.
Looking at the scene before him, Xiang Nanli’s expression was full of bewilderment. He pointed up at the sky.
System: “Hello, that is a panoramic LED sky canopy.”
He pointed at the sprawling network of roads ahead.
“Elevated highways, magnetic levitation roads. Weren’t those around before the New Calendar?”
Just then, a red warning flashed across the left lens of the electronic monocle Xiang Nanli was wearing.
His balance was continuously dropping by -0.001.
Xiang Nanli took off the eyepiece and put it back on. By now, his account debt had reached 0.121 credit points.
Xiang Nanli was instantly horrified. “What’s going on? Did I catch a virus?”
“It has passed 12 PM, and your social welfare coverage period has ended. The fresh air you are currently breathing is extracted from the surface and purified using core standards. By using it, a breathing fee of 0.001 credit points per second is deducted.”
Xiang Nanli rapidly crunched the numbers in his head and frowned. “A daily fee of 86.4?”
“Yes. Welcome to the new world, Xiang Nanli,” the system said coldly.
__
World Intel:
[Welcome to the world of Digital Pet, currently unlocked intel:]
Credit Points: Interdimensional digital currency, universally accepted.
Round Keyboard: Touch-based keyboard. Designed ergonomically for robots (who often have more than two arms).
Data Center: The only place in the underground cities that connects to the global network. Used for information processing and storage.
Human Alliance: The Human Underground City Alliance, an official organization. This dimension is currently in a stateless/anarchic condition with human unification. You get the idea.
Mechanization: The degree of cybernetic body modification. Most humans have evolved into cyborgs or fully mechanical lifeforms.
Greenhouse: Due to mechanical modifications, most humans lost the ability to reproduce. In Star Era 2714, the Human Alliance passed the “Greenhouse Act,” establishing “Greenhouses” in the 18 underground cities. These are essentially artificial human cultivation centers.
- Omnics: AI machines ↩︎
