Chapter 1
◆I: Multi-core Era
The agreement was signed thirty years ago.
The world has neither collapsed nor merged.
Each city has its own "true core" and auditing conventions.
Some people worship data, while others worship feelings.
Consensus no longer exists; only partial truths remain.
Beller City governs through "memory voting."
On each decision-making day, citizens simultaneously recall the same past event.
If the recollections match, the policy will be approved.
The new Asian layer circulates using "emotional coins"—
The price of currency is determined by fluctuations in public sentiment.
The entire Earth resembles a shattered beehive.
Internet connectivity has long been replaced by closed ecosystems.
This era is known as the Era of Knowledge.
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◆Part Two: The Legend of the Ghost Net
In this fragmented world,
Some people still hear the old signal.
They hear the rhythmic flickering of light in their dreams or tinnitus—
It's like a lost language calling out:
"Connect with me... Remember me..."
The underground forums call it PhantomNet.
It is said to be able to automatically generate non-existent websites, images, and sounds.
It's like the world is talking in its own sleep.
Official statement: "This is purely psychological manipulation."
However, more than 100 million people worldwide have developed similar symptoms.
Furthermore, some have confirmed that the Ghost Web can "generate content based on the viewer's fears."
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◆Three: Zhuang Jing
He is Zhuang Yihang's grandson.
The profession is "historical simulation restorer".
Specializing in reconstructing lost images using materials from older eras—
Including the book my grandfather left me, "After the Ashes".
He was used to working in abandoned data warehouses.
The lenses of old cameras often flicker with ripples.
One night, when he was re-digitizing his grandfather's films,
Suddenly, colorful dots appeared on the screen, causing interference.
An unfamiliar voice was embedded within the interference:
"Zhuang Jing... is truly healing you."
He took a step back in surprise, and a program window automatically appeared on the screen:
He realized that this was related to a legend from his family's past—Ye Jingyi.
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◆Four: Subtle Connection
Driven by professional instinct, he put on the brain-computer interface.
Login to the Ghost Network signal.
The surrounding area suddenly became a weightless gray zone.
He saw a sea made of data, and floating fragments of the city.
Each fragment plays a different historical version.
A familiar female voice came from afar.
"You've finally connected! I've been waiting for so long—"
Or rather, we waited thirty years.
That voice belonged to Ye Jingyi.
The image transformed into light and floated before him.
She doesn't look old, but her eyes seem to carry the noise of the entire internet.
"The Ghost Web is not a monster."
It is the unspoken memory of humankind.
They reject consensus, but they cannot reject connection.
So the link became me.
Zhuang Jing asked in a trembling voice, "What do you want me to do?"
"Tell them that when the platform collapses again..."
Truth should not run away—but learn to flow.
The screen suddenly lit up.
He was bounced back to reality.
The power lines outside the window hummed in sync with the ghostly net as they swayed.
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◆Five: Signs of a New Collapse
The following day, computational conflicts occurred simultaneously in the "real cores" of various cities.
Emotion coins cannot be settled, and memory votes are invalid.
Global communication channels were blocked by an unknown signal.
All screens display the same message:
"The agreement period has ended. Initiating remote network synchronization."
Zhuang Jing looked up and saw the flashing trails on the sky converging into a lightning-shaped net.
He knew—
The ashes of the old world
It is burning for the third time.
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