3 The Nightmare

Pushing open the gate, he traversed a labyrinthine courtyard, dilapidated and deserted. The ancient locust tree in the villa's backyard stood tall under the moonlight, its gnarled trunk etched with deep grooves, resembling a mass of intertwined arms. The tree's shadow twisted and contorted on the ground, forming eerie patterns like a group of ghosts dancing in the night.

Weary and hungry, he indulged himself in the villa's kitchen before finally collapsing into a deep sleep on the soft bed in the bedroom. However, nightmares soon followed. The scattered locust tree seeds on the bed seemed to come alive, silently adhering to the five-inch-square pieces of the blanket, gradually enveloping Mo Wen's body.

At first, they covered his legs, feeling like an extra layer of bedding. But as more seeds crept upwards, slowly and steadily, they seemed to have a life of their own, winding along his torso. Mo Wen felt an invisible pressure increasing, the accumulating seeds piling higher until only his neck remained uncovered.

He struggled in his dream, his breathing becoming rapid, every inch of his skin sensing the suffocating sensation. The seeds' slow ascent created a mounting pressure, making the sleeper feel as if he were being gradually buried alive. His dreams were dominated by the shadow of these seeds, as though the entire world was shrinking, the sense of oppression growing stronger until he could barely breathe.

At this moment, Mo Wen's heart was gripped by deep fear, as if trapped in an endless nightmare. His consciousness began to awaken, recognizing his peril. Yet, despite trying to move his fingers or lift his head, it was futile, as if bound by some malevolent force. His breathing grew more labored with fear, as though the earth itself was burying his throat.

His mind was exceptionally clear, like a prisoner trapped in a cage. With his eyes tightly shut, it seemed as if he could see the surroundings quivering through his eyelids. The dilapidated house continuously overlapped with a highly advanced, intelligent room.

"Have I entered another world? Could this be a parallel universe?"

The walls, embedded with smart chips, automatically adjusted the room's temperature and humidity to ensure the occupant's comfort. In the kitchen, robotic arms busily prepared food to meet the most discerning tastes. The bathroom's smart devices processed wastewater impeccably clean and kept the indoor air fresh. Appliances and furniture could sense the resident's emotional state through voice, facial expressions, and physiological indicators, adjusting the environment's color, temperature, and scent to enhance comfort.

He saw a comatose blonde middle-aged woman lying on the bed, with the room's smart devices continually siphoning off oxygen and replacing it with carbon dioxide. The woman was too weak to struggle; perhaps in another minute or two, she would sleep forever.

In shock, Mo Wen traced the smart lines on the wall to the community center's control room nearby. A young man was watching the sleeping blonde woman through a monitor. The young man, named David, was a community service worker in this futuristic world. His job was to ensure that the impoverished could live in the latest smart houses for free, enjoying the most advanced and comfortable technological wonders.

But now, David's face was twisted with anger as he typed furiously. "You demons, parasites, selfish, greedy, cowardly trash. All you do is complain, blaming everything on others, never reflecting on your own stupidity!

Since no one else will punish you, I will be your judge and executioner! Just a few more minutes, and this world will be a better place! "

On the screen before him, more rooms were visible, mostly occupied by young people experiencing similar fates.

The sleeping blonde woman, named Daisy, was in her thirties. She had grown up in a noisy family, with a drug-addict mother and an alcoholic father. After dropping out of middle school, she entered the workforce and soon encountered alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. She had a child but didn't know who the father was and lost visitation rights due to child abuse.

"Life is always like this. I never got a real chance ", Daisy often muttered, her eyes vacant.

After a lucky draw, she moved out of her cardboard house in the underground passage and into the smart home project. She only needed to purchase food for the smart house and perform some maintenance within her capacity. However, even such an intelligent home couldn't withstand its new tenant. She had hoped her life would turn around, get married, and bring her child back. But reality did not align with her wishes. Frequent job losses and constant arguments with her boyfriend made her life worse. She wasn't used to the tidy community and room, lazily piling up clutter until the pristine house turned into a mess.

One day, David came to inspect her home. David, one of the community workers, often handled Daisy's case. He knew her background, her struggles, but also witnessed her repeated self-destructive indulgences.

"These smart devices can't help me," Daisy complained to David."They just remind me of how much I've failed."

David shook his head helplessly." You need to change your habits, not just rely on technology."

Soon after, Daisy's home fell into disarray, becoming chaotic. She knew that community workers feared complaints, so during her sober moments, she would go to the service area to seek fun, at least getting David's apologetic gestures, free coffee, and sometimes free food. She constantly complained about the smart home's flaws, blaming the devices for not better meeting her needs, asserting that a smart home should take better care of her.

Despite initial apologies and softer care, things did not improve. Instead, her neighbors began complaining about the foul smell from her house, her frequent dangerous boyfriend visits, decreasing community safety, and the mess affecting their mood.

Recently, the community workers' patience reached its limit, applying for an eviction order against Daisy, fearing she would end up back on the streets.

Daisy cried publicly, sharing her tragic story online, garnering sympathy and support, even provoking some to aggressive actions, attempting to help her re-enter the smart home. The workers faced significant online abuse, and the management was held accountable.

Planetary higher-ups instructed community workers not to take drastic actions, emphasizing giving these people a second chance. Within months, more complaints surfaced. Despite regaining her home, Daisy made no efforts to improve. Her frequent complaints now included accusations of gender discrimination and rude behavior by the community workers, claiming harm.

"Why do you keep doing this?" David finally lost his temper during an inspection.

"I just want a fair chance," Daisy retorted, "instead of being judged by hypocrites like you."

Seeing Daisy's behavior, David was filled with frustration and anger. He couldn't understand why such advanced technology couldn't change Daisy's life. He began to question whether everyone could learn from their mistakes and if they truly deserved second chances. Realizing that some people might never learn from their mistakes, David questioned the higher-ups.

The higher-ups' response was evasive, subtly hinting that they needed these people's votes for the next election.

With complaint after complaint, David's stress grew. His colleagues constantly left their positions, but David had reasons he couldn't leave. Gradually, David's anger reached its peak. After an unexpected power outage, the smart community suffered extensive human-inflicted damage, with the smart supermarket looted. David had to face an investigation as a consequence.

Drinking a bottle of whiskey, David entered the monitoring room, watching the familiar community members. Despite their masked faces, David knew who they were."I know there's no way to prosecute you even with video evidence," David muttered." Alright then, I'll judge you in my way!"