"The following will tell you about today's gas phase."
"Article 1: All working people in society, please do not step into the company door with your left foot first between 8:00 and 10:00 this morning."
"Article 2: Today's even numbers are restricted. Anyone whose birth and death year ends with an even number, please do not drive vehicles, including children's cars, bumper cars, go-karts and other types of vehicles."
"Article 3: The North Gate of the Third People's Hospital is temporarily closed today. All citizens and friends who are not hospital employees are asked to take the initiative to avoid it."
"..."
The progress bar was pulled back, and on the small mobile phone screen, the well-known gas phase anchor wearing gold-rimmed glasses once again used his magnetic voice to continue broadcasting:
"Article 1: All working people in society, this morning..."
Repeatedly, the owner of the phone stared at the screen and stood at the door of the economic and trade building where people were coming and going, like a stone that was numb to the feet, blocking the flow of people. You want to ask him why he is nervously looking at his mobile phone here?
Because he forgot to check the weather forecast when he went out today, he stepped into the company door with his left foot first and was fired. The whole process went very skillfully and quickly, and he got the resignation certificate in less than half an hour.
But why did he miss the gas phase forecast?
Because the alarm clock was broken and he had worked overtime last night. He had caught a bit of cold due to the late spring cold and was feeling dizzy. When he woke up, he found that he had gotten up late, so he hurried out. The subway was noisy and crowded, and the looping gas forecast became inaudible. He tried hard to maintain the balance of his body and wanted to distinguish carefully, but the fatal serial calls from his immediate boss came again, so he could only focus on this end first.
The day of a social worker is always busy and ordinary.
After he bought the coffee requested by his boss, he ran into the company door with a bead of sweat on his head. His left foot took the lead and started his bad luck for the day. The boss looked a little regretful, patted him on the shoulder and said to him: "Xiao Ming, the coffee is good, it's a pity, I actually still think highly of you, keep working hard."
A colleague who competed with him for the same project, who was called caring but actually said gloatingly: "Xiao Ming, don't be discouraged, you just made a small mistake. As young people, it is inevitable to make mistakes. There will be opportunities in the future. Yeah. If you get rich, don't forget your old colleagues."
When he came out of the human resources department in confusion with his resignation certificate, the company's cleaning lady suggested to him sincerely, "Xiao Ming, why don't you work hard and take a job exam? Young people have a bit of fighting spirit, and civil servants are so good. As for my job, the grandson of my next door neighbor’s second uncle has been admitted as a civil servant in the Bureau of Gas Physiology!”
Xiao Ming.
Xiao Ming.
Surrounded like a curse.
But I have worked hard enough, Xiao Ming thought.
In this world full of absurd rules, he lives every day seriously. He studies hard, works hard, is polite, civilized, and obeys the law. Although he is ordinary, he feels that being ordinary is not shameful, and anyone who lives a serious life is not ashamed. Although his parents died early and he could only live with his aunt, he never complained. He worked his way up to where he is today step by step, but due to a ridiculous mistake like stepping into the company with his left foot first, he was forced to lose his job.
Why?
Am I surprised that you asked this question? Or is this world too strange?
Xiao Ming looked away from the screen of his mobile phone and looked at the tallest building in the city center - the Qi Xiang Bureau. A question began to swirl in his mind: What is the truth about the world?
Everyone who lives here knows it.
The truth is that the place they live in is a fictional world, the so-called world of fiction.
In other words, one second you were reading a novel with gusto, and the next second someone mysteriously told you that the world you live in is actually a novel, and then you raised your head and narrowed your doubtful eyes. , spit out a wise saying:
"I know, who is still a person? We all call ourselves paper people here."
This statement has been around for a long time and no one doubts it. After all, this place is full of all kinds of ridiculous rules, and it doesn't look like it's for normal people.
The official statement is——
When people gradually awaken to their self-awareness and realize the truth, this fictional world will collapse. To prevent this collapse, world consciousness responded. It begins to save itself, and its self-rescue is the suppression or even obliteration of self-awareness.
Just like the origin of the universe, consciousness collided with consciousness, resulting in a big bang, which blew holes in the basic rules that make up this world.
So the world went off the rails.
Today, thirty years have passed. With a spirit as tenacious as weeds, human beings have managed to survive and have found a way to survive in this out-of-control world.
In short, the basic rules of the world were blown to pieces, and new rules were born to fill them. And these new rules are like strange patches or scars on wounds. They are often absurd, weird, and unreasonable.
If you discover it and abide by it, you can survive in this world. On the contrary, you may be captured by the hidden world consciousness again, which will have terrible consequences.
Of course, it can't be that simple.
The first chapter of the "New World Book" reads: Rules have three major characteristics.
1: Rules are distributed regionally. Different regions have different rules, so people divide cities according to different rules. Shangfang City, where Xiao Ming is located, is considered a big city.
2: The rules are not set in stone. This can be seen from the gas phase forecast that changes every day. It is the crystallization of human wisdom over decades and can be predicted through special means and widely advertised.
3: There are gaps in the rules.
This is the whole truth.
At this moment, Xiao Ming felt that his life seemed to be derailed. He has kept the rules for twenty-three years, but the world has not given him any room for error. He is as ordinary as a speck of dust and can be blown away by the wind at any time.
The anchor's voice continued to broadcast, and the man who used to be so graceful and charming made his heart beat wildly, now he actually looked hateful.
If you have lost your job, what man do you still want?
Xiao Ming held the phone tightly and glanced at the shared bicycle outside the building. He suddenly felt a great courage in his heart and strode over.
He is like a warrior who has never returned. After recognizing the true meaning of life, he only wants to destroy it. He clicks on the APP, scans the code, unlocks it, steps on the seat, and does it all in one go.
five minutes later.
"Hey, do you want to ride? If you don't want to ride, leave it to me. There is only one car here!" A breathless office worker passed by and tortured Xiao Ming's soul.
He saw this man riding on the car from a distance, but he didn't see anyone for a long time. He was sick, wasn't he? If you don't want to ride, give it to him.
The office worker muttered in his heart, and was about to say a few more words, when he suddenly saw the person in the car turning his head, with red eyes under his black-rimmed glasses. Before he could say anything, tears started to flow down his face.
"What the hell are you doing? I'm just asking you if you want to ride. Why are you crying!" The office worker took three steps back.
"I, don't, ride." It's not that Xiao Ming doesn't want to ride, it's because he can't ride. The year of his birth ends in an even number, and the ride is restricted today. He cried, not just because he finally chose to bow to the world, but because when he discovered that he could not be a bicycle destroyer, he did not even have the ability to curse the world.
His vocabulary of swear words is so lacking.
His good character seemed to have gone away from him the moment he was expelled, but he looked at him with despicable and evil eyes, leaving only four words: I don't like him, get out.
"I'll give it to you." Xiao Ming wiped his tears and let the car out.
"Then, thank you...thank you?" The office worker repeatedly confirmed that he was not trying to get into trouble, and then he boldly came forward. He couldn't help but look at Xiao Ming curiously, and saw him nodding towards him, "You're welcome."
Quite polite.
Xiao Ming, who was quite polite, turned around and left. He returned to the door of the building, picked up the cardboard box he had just discarded on the ground, and turned around and left like an ordinary unemployed person.
But in fact, he did not go far. Instead, he sat in a small park nearby, went online, filled out forms, and made an appointment. About twenty minutes later, a small green car stopped in front of him with a dragon wagging its tail.
I saw a line of large white characters spray-painted on the body of the car:
[Rescue Station No. 49--Quick Rescue Vehicle--No. 10]
As a government agency, the rescue station's duty is to help all those affected by "violations" return to their daily lives. There are a total of 49 rescue stations in this upper city. This number is constant, because if it reaches 50, something will happen. This is a bloody lesson.
"Creak, creak." The windows on the side of the car were opened, and the awning and counter were set up. It looked small and exquisite like an ice cream truck.
Two heads popped out of the car, a man and a woman. The man had long hair tied back in a bun, and the woman had braids. They both looked young and beautiful, and they were all wearing dark green uniforms, with their chests Wear a wisteria flower badge.
"Yan Yueming?" The long-haired man confirmed with Xiao Ming with his mobile phone.
"It's me." Yan Yueming stood up and stepped forward, showing his ID. The man looked at it, then signaled to his companion and handed him a piece of cardboard.
"Hello, Rescue Station No. 49 is at your service. Please tell me first, what color is the pattern on this paper?" Braid asked.
The pattern on the paper is a different-looking animal with no facial features. It is just a blur and cannot be distinguished at all. It is called "Xiang", which comes from the formless and non-appearing "image".
This is the nickname that humans give to world consciousness, and they also name the corresponding organization "Qi Phase Bureau".
When it comes to homophonic memes, humans never admit defeat.
Yan Yueming paused and replied: "Green."
This is a common graph test, made of special materials, which can be used to test whether your mental state has been affected by world consciousness due to violations, thereby affecting your cognition. If it's serious, Wuduwudu will take you to the Third Hospital immediately.
Oh, the third hospital is a mental hospital.
The long-haired man nodded and then handed over a form, "I'm still in a good mental state. Okay, it's okay. Let's fill out the form."
"Yes." Xiao Ming picked up the pen and wrote quickly, then quickly pushed the form back.
Ma Huazai glanced at him and read out his name, "Yan Yueming?"
I saw that the personal information on the form said:
Name: Yan Yueming
Sex: Male
Age: 23
marital status: Single
Education: Bachelor
Place of Birth: 1-3 Xiazi Lane, Shangfangchengpu
Yan Yueming nodded honestly.
The braid couldn't help but look at him again curiously. Yan Yueming sounds very much like the name of a handsome boy, but it turns out that in real life he is just Xiao Ming. His bangs cover his forehead, and black-rimmed glasses cover his eyebrows. He lowers his head slightly and looks a little sad, making it difficult for people to have any impression of his facial features. What a clear impression. Looking at his clothes, he is wearing a plaid shirt and canvas shoes, which is ordinary.
But a lovely lady never judges a book by its cover.
The braided man blinked and smiled at him, "Then I'll register it for you now. The unemployment benefits will be applied very quickly. You don't have to go to the aid station again. This will save you the trouble. We'll get it done later. We will send you a text message directly to notify you. If you do not find a new job within a month, the subsidy will be credited to your account on time."
Yan Yueming: "Thank you."
Perhaps Yan Yueming's speaking posture was too cooperative and obedient, so both of them couldn't help but smile, and then said in unison: "You're welcome. I wish you a happy life and everything goes as usual."
After finishing speaking, the two people put away the awning and counter and drove away. The green car merged into the traffic flow as it came, as nimble as a fish.
Yan Yueming looked at it, feeling suddenly relieved.
Maybe it was the attitudes of the two people that infected him, or maybe it was the words "Happy life, everything as usual" that they said in unison moved him. He felt that he was okay again, and unemployment was not a big deal.
Human beings are so adaptable. From awakening to the Big Bang to today, there is no obstacle that cannot be overcome.
With such a mood, Yan Yueming decided to go home. His home is in Puxiazi Lane in Dongcheng District. There are many people living in this lane, all of whom are locals from Shangfangcheng. Yan Yueming's family entered the first small residential building at the entrance of the lane.
There is no one at home now. My aunt left yesterday to see strippers in the outer city.
She is always so chic.
Thinking of this, Yan Yueming couldn't help but feel more open-minded. He felt that if his aunt knew about his dismissal, she wouldn't take it seriously. However, when he took a rare luxury taxi home and saw the rain falling from a distance, his heart suddenly skipped a beat.
It’s raining in Dongcheng District.
Are all the doors and windows at home closed? Although he forgot to check the gas phase forecast, Yan Yueming would close the doors and windows every time he went out, so this would not happen suddenly.
But is it going to rain today?
Oops.
Yan Yueming immediately took out his mobile phone and opened "Gas Phase Forecast" again. His focus had been on the first item, and he did not read the following rules in detail. Let's look at it now——
"Article 4: It will rain in parts of Dongcheng District today. Please make sure there are no containers placed on your windowsill. When it rains, do not order any takeout containing fish."
Yan Yueming didn't care about it for the time being. There was no one at home anyway, but there was still his Changcao doll on his window sill.
Yan Yueming couldn't help but secretly pray that this weird world could kick the glass flowerpots out of the queue. But when the driver parked the car at the entrance of the alley, through the car window, he saw the window in his bedroom open from a distance, and he was welcoming the guests. When the rain came, he knew his hope was gone.
He searched his guts and finally thought of a curse word to describe his mood at the moment - garbage world, you eat shit.
