...

Sun Xiao walked wearily into the dormitory-style room of the cheap hotel, the strange, pungent smell unique to the crowded people filling her nostrils.

She numbly wrinkled her nose, sat on the rock-hard bed she had bought with 20 points, took out a stainless steel cup from her backpack, and brewed half a packet of premium nutritional supplement.

Having just returned from a near-death experience in a dungeon, Sun Xiao allowed himself to consume some expensive nutritional supplements that he wouldn't normally be willing to spend.

Sometimes, the more expensive something is, the more you have to wait.

Like premium nutritional supplements, they are prepared much more slowly than basic nutritional supplements. Only time allows premium nutritional supplements to develop a richer and more delicious flavor.

While waiting, Sun Xiao browsed the task list, looking for the next team task.

Her special ability was weak, and no organization was willing to recruit her. She could only humbly seek out others to form teams and find protection. Consequently, her gains were minimal.

As I was looking at the taskbar, a notification popped up above my wristwatch.

Sun Xiao wanted to swipe away the notification, but her watch was old and slow to respond, so the swipe action turned into tapping it.

The watch started playing a video.

This basic watch lacks a projection function, and the small screen makes it difficult to see clearly, but the audio in the video is very clear.

"What kind of mutated animal is that lump on the ground?"

"They're trash, all mutants are trash."

"I am a mutant, a mutant with three arms. Friend, did you hear me? I said I am a mutant."

You said you were going to look for instant noodles in the ruins of a convenience store, and I said the instant noodles had expired eighty years ago.

You said you could grow tomatoes from spice packets? My tin cactus, which I grew by stealing tires, is laughing so hard its paint is peeling off…

Sun Xiao's lips twitched, forcing a stiff smile. The video she'd accidentally clicked on, though the lyrics were incomprehensible, was inexplicably funny.

"Explorers dig for treasure in dungeons, capitalists collect protection taxes underground. Everyone is working hard for their dreams, but I have nothing to do."

dream?

Sun Xiao thought for a moment; it had been a very long time since she had heard those two words.

Why is there always dust in the sky? Why are mutants constantly being driven out? Why can't I find a place to stay even after traveling so far?

I can't think of any of these "whys," because my brain has long since rotted away. Shake it, and the water splashes and gurgles inside.

But my friend, you're different.

Sun Xiao smiled, feeling as if she had truly gained a mutant friend. She wanted to hear how she differed from mutants. Unbeknownst to her, the noise in the room gradually subsided, and everyone involuntarily quieted down.

"You live a stable and comfortable life, with treasures in dungeons waiting for you to explore, reliable teammates, caring family, trustworthy weapons, and plenty of time to squander."

So sometimes, I don't understand why you're sad.

Sun Xiao couldn't hold back her tears anymore.

I'm so sad.

Because she suddenly realized that she was not living a stable and peaceful life, that the game was full of dangers, and that she had no family or friends in real life.

On the contrary, her situation is the same as that of the mutant in the song: looking up at the sky, surrounded by dust, drifting with the tide, homeless, struggling, and displaced.

But why?

Why is her life so difficult?

She has tried her best, but the gap that existed since birth has firmly pinned her to the bottom.

Sun Xiao smiled bitterly. No, she wasn't even at the very bottom. Some ordinary people who hadn't awakened didn't even deserve to live.

If a person's fate is already written from birth, then what is the meaning of their life?

Is living meant to be suffering?

Living is so tiring...

"Why is there always dust in the sky? Why are mutants constantly being driven out? Why can't I find a place to stay even after traveling so far..."

The chorus starts, and the lyrics loop...

“Wow…Mom, I miss my mom…” The dark-skinned woman next to Sun Xiao burst into tears even faster than Sun Xiao.

Sun Xiao's eyes were burning; the mechanical singing, with its staccato notes, was like a heavy hammer, relentlessly pounding on her already numb soul.

She rarely showed a hint of tenderness, and gently patted the dark-skinned older sister's shoulder.

The short-haired girl on the other side punched the dark-skinned woman: "Big girl, what are you crying for? Wipe away your tears, eat something, get a good night's sleep, tomorrow is a new day."

The short-haired girl used two points to boil water in the shared stove in the room: "Don't cry, I'll treat you to hot water."

Blackie burst into laughter through her tears, rummaging through her bag as she sobbed, "You're so stingy! You should at least get me something to eat. Let me treat you to something else. I may not have any good stuff, but I'll give you plenty of nutritional supplements."

Sun Xiao held a half-cooked packet of premium nutritional supplement in one hand and the remaining half-packet he hadn't used in the other: "Premium stuff, want some?"

"Yes, yes, yes." The short-haired girl pointed to the pot, indicating that Sun Xiao should just put the food in the pot and eat it together.

"Wait a minute, let's get a bigger pot." The middle-aged woman on the other side of Sun Xiao pulled out a large pot out of thin air, with a few pieces of dried meat inside.

"And me..." A room full of women, each contributing a little bit of vegetables, a little bit of dried meat, a little bit of salt, together made a pot of thick rice.

The short-haired girl quietly accumulated more points; such a large pot couldn't be heated with just two points of energy.

...

Sun Xiao doesn't understand one principle—

If you feel like you're carrying a heavy burden, then there must be something riding on your head, making life peaceful and serene.

The differences between people are not only reflected in their quality of life; even when they see the same video, different people will have different reactions.

Unlike Sun Xiao and others who reflected on their situation and wallowed in self-pity, some people are already furious about similar videos.

A huge screen on the wall projected Xia Chuhe's clear face; her mouth opened and closed, and the words she uttered were more piercing than knives.

"They talk about peaceful and prosperous lives, honest people, full granaries, and happiness and well-being, but what I see is hunger and cold, tattered clothes, displacement, and people selling their children..."

Although the dialogue did not mention the upper echelons or the base at all, Lu Yunzhao felt that Xia Chuhe was satirizing the upper echelons and the base, and provoking conflict between the evolved beings and the upper echelons.

Lu Yunzhao, his face dark with anger, couldn't hold back any longer. He picked up the teacup on the table and threw it hard at the big screen, smashing it to pieces.

Unfortunately, the machine was of such good quality that even though the screen was broken, the video was still playing and the sound was still ringing.

Lu Yunzhao turned off the video, kicked open the door, and strode towards Old Master Lu's office.

Since Lu Dangui hasn't been bothering her lately, she's stopped pretending and no longer follows the rules. She pushed aside the secretary guarding the office and barged headlong into Lu Lao's presence.

She was Lu Lao's beloved great-granddaughter; rules and instructions were things for lowly people like Lu Dangui.

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