Work Prophet

Zhang Yanlin rarely saw such an exhausted expression on Li Yu's face.

Moreover, she was uncharacteristically late by an hour and a half on Saturday night, and Zhang Yanlin didn't know exactly when Li Yu arrived. Anyway, when she looked out the window, she saw Li Yu standing silently alone in the darkness outside the apartment building.

Seeing this scene, Zhang Yanlin's nose inexplicably tingled with unease.

She turned her head and glanced at the few people by the dining table. Zhou Xi was holding a guitar, demonstrating her newly self-taught song "Xi Shua Shua."

The lamb spine in the pot simmered noisily, and the atmosphere around the dining table was lively and joyful, in stark contrast to the scene downstairs.

Zhang Yanlin hesitated for a moment and didn't call Li Yu upstairs. Instead, she beckoned to the cone, "Come here."

The golden retriever was originally circling the table, waiting for someone to throw it the uneaten lamb spine.

Upon hearing Zhang Yanlin call it, it reluctantly glanced at the table, but eventually wagged its tail and ran to its mistress's side.

Zhang Yanlin said to the middle-aged woman busy serving others dishes, "Mom, hasn't Cone been walked today? I'll take it for a walk."

"Hey, eat your meal, why suddenly want to walk the dog? Your friends are all still here." The middle-aged woman nagged.

"It's fine, Zhou Xi and the others are not outsiders," Zhang Yanlin replied, "You all continue eating. Besides, I'm already full."

Zhou Xi and Zhang Yanlin had been friends for over twenty years; they grew up together since childhood. She knew that if Zhang Yanlin suddenly wanted to go out, there must be a reason.

But now was not the time to ask questions; as a friend, she should help Zhang Yanlin without asking.

So Zhou Xi strummed the strings again, "Just go, I'll play 'The New Mandarin Duck and Butterfly Dream' for Uncle and Aunt."

And upon hearing what Zhou Xi said, Zhang Yanlin's mother couldn't stop her either. Zhang Yanlin quickly changed her shoes, put a collar on Cone, and hurried downstairs.

However, when she left the apartment building, she couldn't see that familiar figure anywhere nearby.

Zhang Yanlin felt somewhat disappointed. At that moment, her phone vibrated, and she quickly took it out from her pocket.

Opening WeChat, the first thing she saw were multiple messages she had sent earlier, asking if the person was stuck in traffic and approximately what time they would arrive.

But there had been no reply until she received a new message just moments ago.

——Sorry, I've got something to deal with tonight and can't make it.

Zhang Yanlin quickly typed, I just saw you downstairs, but then she deleted it halfway and replaced it with:

"It's okay, my mom says you can come next time." She followed it with a lighthearted bear okay sticker.

About half a minute later, Zhang Yanlin received a reply.

Just two words — Thank you.

Staring at the two words on the phone, Zhang Yanlin was momentarily dazed until Cone's barking pulled her back to reality. She squatted down and patted the furry dog's head.

"Alright, alright, you're always the most anxious. I'll walk you now."

Li Yu left the neighborhood where Zhang Yanlin lived and wandered aimlessly down the streets.

It was just past eight o'clock at night, and the streets were bustling; every barbecue stand and outdoor stall was filled with people, friends, couples, university students, even entire families.

Street vendors pushed carts, selling peanuts and sour plum soup, adding to the vibrant street life.

However, these familiar scenes no longer appeared the same to Li Yu. In his eyes, they seemed like strings of running code.

He saw endless coldness sweeping and obliterating everything.

The last thing Li Yu saw were Mr. Qin's resolute and cold eyes. Though he didn't speak, his eyes conveyed everything that needed to be said.

——Are you willing to watch it all vanish?

Survival has never been about justice; it's a primitive struggle in the mud, abandoning all dignity and grace, only clenching teeth and a fierce expression, with every pore screaming "I must survive."

Even if the face becomes twisted, the stance ugly, and the body covered in dirt, it doesn't matter.

Because only those who survive can continue civilization.

For this, the board doesn't hesitate to destroy other universes, even sacrificing six billion compatriots, to complete this migration.

Last night, after returning from the "station," Li Yu again asked Mr. Qin, "When will those who didn't win the lottery know the truth?"

"They will never know the truth," Mr. Qin replied lightly. "This is a kind of mercy; they will fall into eternal slumber once the servers are shut down."

"But their sacrifice won't be in vain; it will become fuel, allowing the torch of human civilization to keep burning."

"Are they... willing to accept such an ending?"

"What if they don't accept it?" Mr. Qin countered, "Should the herd let the old, frail deer and the weak, flawed ones live while the strong, healthy deer die?

"Don't be silly. Evolution is about selecting the strong from the group. So-called morality is just an accessory to civilization, not a necessity. You can talk about fairness and be a gentleman when the survival of the species isn't at stake.

"But when a crisis strikes, I mean a real crisis, holding onto that fairness and justice is suicide. Besides, we've already released some quotas to demonstrate fairness."

"Lose humanity, lose a lot; lose animality, lose everything," Li Yu murmured.

That was the line from "Three Body" that left the deepest impression on him.

Unknowingly, Li Yu had wandered the streets for two hours. These past two days, he had been in a daze.

He couldn't sleep; even when he lay down, he couldn't close his eyes, only gazing silently at the ceiling above.

While brushing his teeth early in the morning, Li Yu noticed his eyes were veined with blood.

He couldn't even control his thoughts, feeling like his brain no longer belonged to him. As he walked, his mind automatically replayed scenes from "South Park," a crude cartoon he watched years ago.

The details had long slipped his mind, yet today they inexplicably reappeared, forcing him not to change the channel.

Approaching midnight, Li Yu finally dragged his weary body back to his rented small room.

He was obviously exhausted but still couldn't close his eyes, so he leaned against the sofa.

Wang Guowei, hearing the commotion outside, paused his game and came out to look, then jumped in shock.

"What the heck, Brother Li, did you break up with someone?"

"No, and haven't you never been in a relationship?"

"Never eaten—no, wait, haven't seen a pig run? Haven't eaten pork?" Wang Guowei raised his eyebrows, "The way you are now is exactly like one of my friends when he broke up."

"Is that so? What happened to him afterward?" Li Yu replied dismissively.

"What else could happen? He got a new girlfriend and was full of energy again," Wang Guowei said.

"That's how people are, with health bars. Getting critically hit loses health, but you recover over time."

"And what if you don't recover?"

"Then you just die," Wang Guowei scratched his head, "But that's rare. No need for that; even if you like someone so much, you should break up if it's time, except for yandere, which is what galgames taught me."