43 Results in the "As Usual" category
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The interview went smoothly. Including my final, somewhat deliberate and clumsy, hands-on demonstration. When the interview ended, the supervisor looked quite pleased. He chatted and laughed as he saw me to the elevator, and I managed to respond with ease. While we exchanged pleasantries, my eyes darted to the laptop tucked under his arm. Copying the project's source code was taking longer than I'd expected, probably because the system was still in its original version and the company network was…-
187.3 K • Completed
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First of all, I don't think this could possibly be so dramatic. A girl who had a crush on me back in school—why would she appear on the packaging of a can in the future, and an emergency ration can at that? The only possibility is that, without my knowledge, she went into show business and became the spokesperson for an emergency food brand. Is that… reasonable? I was shocked by my own ability to think so divergently and imaginatively at a time like this. But that's how the human brain…
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187.3 K • Completed
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Standing in the empty hallway, I heard an alarm clock ringing. At first, I thought it was coming from a nearby resident's apartment or maybe a delivery person passing through the corridor. Then I realized the sound was getting closer and closer, ringing directly in my ears. I woke up. I was still sitting in the office chair used for the simulation. It took me a moment to remember that I had moved from one company building to another. In comparison, the office facilities before me were…
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187.3 K • Completed
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I didn’t answer, and he just stayed squatting there, motionless. After a moment, he let out a long sigh, then stood up, bracing his hands on his knees. As he did, he smoothly took the phone from my hand. I could feel my brain racing, trying to invent a credible, logical reason for sitting on the toilet without my pants down. But the timing was wrong, the scene was wrong, and my mind was as blank as a newly scrubbed toilet bowl—spotless. But Liu Jiang didn't interrogate me. Instead, he just…
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187.3 K • Completed
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I knew that for the person he was now, this was just an offhand remark, but I couldn't shake the feeling that his words were hinting at something. To be honest, though, it wasn't a possibility I hadn't considered. Although I kept saying that the Liu Jiang in the "As Usual Plan" wasn't real—he was too perfect, making me feel like I could never measure up—compared to a reality that was gradually collapsing, the beauty and normalcy within the "As Usual Plan" seemed incredibly precious. Just like…
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187.3 K • Completed
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According to the scenario I concocted, that was indeed the case. My gaze flickered from side to side before I asked him back, "Yes, what about it?" He replied, "Your description reminds me of The Truman Show." The Truman Show is a classic dystopian film about a protagonist trapped inside a television show. Liu Jiang and I had seen it together. He loved it and had watched it many times on his own. The time we saw it was a theatrical re-release. Back then, I found it a bit comical and absurd, but…
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187.3 K • Completed
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The rumble of thunder began to roll outside. Liu Jiang stood where he was, his gaze toward me hesitant, but not distrustful. He asked me, "Run away—run away where?" To be honest, I hadn't thought it through either. It was just the first word that popped into my head. Sometimes, I feel I'm extremely rational. I could be getting an IV drip and still be working on practice questions with my other hand. By the time the drip was finished, I'd be at the end of the test paper. The nurse who came to…
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187.3 K • Completed
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After reconnecting the equipment, the server login was a bit slower than before. I put on the helmet, sat down in the office chair in the middle, and flipped the switch. I fell backward into darkness. Before opening my eyes, I first heard the familiar music of a gramophone. I'm in the Lobby. I could imagine the Attendant standing before me, his hands clasped behind his back, a meaningless, polite smile on his face. The moment I woke up, he would bow and greet me. So I deliberately waited a…
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187.3 K • Completed
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I returned to the company in the early morning of the next day. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this would be my last ride on the post-apocalyptic subway. When I boarded the train yesterday, the staff informed me that it would soon cease operations, and I made my decision—I would move all my belongings to the company and carve out a space to live in the office. I had to stay by the servers. I had to be able to enter the As Usual Project at any time. I had to be by Liu Jiang's side. No…
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187.3 K • Completed
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The last remaining subway line was shutting down soon. This was the news I received when I boarded the train again. Although the storm a few days ago hadn't affected the section of the line I was on, the circuits in the unmanned areas surrounding the capital had been cut. The cause was natural destruction; wind had swept damaged building debris into the underground tunnels. It took the workers a great deal of effort to clear it all out, but some of the generators were damaged. Given the current state…
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187.3 K • Completed
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