A Life Like Garbage

A Life Like Garbage

PS: This book unfolds its world bit by bit through the protagonist's perspective. If you don't like it, the exit is to the right. Thanks.

"I never thought I'd lived like a blade of grass in my last life, only to end up living like garbage in this one." Yang Bo, dressed in blue pajamas, stood behind the broad floor-to-ceiling window and gazed up at the stars.

Amid the densely scattered stars hung a gleaming ring. It shone brilliantly day and night alike—the Spaceport, more than thirty thousand kilometers above the planet. Beneath the ring stretched a long, glittering reflection: the Space Elevator connecting the ground to the spaceport.

Yang Bo had lived like grass in his previous life. In school, he'd been trampled by bullies. When he went out to work, he'd been trampled by workshop supervisors. Even when buying a house, he'd stepped right into an unfinished development—and hadn't dared make a fuss, or he would have been taught a harsh lesson. After a string of upheavals, Yang Bo had felt suffocated by life. After seeing his parents off, he'd given up as well.

He hadn't expected that, upon opening his eyes, he would arrive in a civilization with incredibly advanced technology. This world had already conquered star systems. Humanity possessed weapons capable of destroying planets and even stars, gigantic warships hundreds of kilometers long, and mechs on the ground that could exceed ten times the speed of sound. There was no need to study—just a single Biochip could grant a person mastery of all human knowledge.

But none of that had anything to do with Yang Bo. This new body of his didn't know who its parents were, because Yang Bo was a factory baby—a child conceived through technology after the father paid a sum of money. As for the mother, no one knew who she was.

Because... they said it was confidential.

Humanity itself had also undergone tremendous changes in this world. People had gradually been divided into two categories: citizens and residents. Citizens were those who had successfully received Gene Serum injections and could move freely throughout the Interstellar Federation.

Residents, on the other hand, were those whose gene injections had failed. Such people could never leave their own city for the rest of their lives. Because their genes had failed, they could not receive Biochips or master languages from multiple star systems.

Their bodies also could not withstand, for extended periods, underground vacuum high-speed tunnels traveling tens of thousands of kilometers per hour. They could not endure the high-speed operation of the Space Elevator, resist cosmic particles and space radiation encountered during interstellar travel, or withstand the immense Energy Shock caused when spacecraft jumped through space.

So, in the name of protection, they made residents live within a single city. They did not need to do any work, and they could collect unlimited amounts of sufficient food from food banks.

They could play games, wander anywhere within the city, and enjoy free housing and all kinds of free daily necessities.

But they had no right to reproduce. Even if you wanted to find a female companion to live with, they would recommend buying a robot to solve all your problems. If you insisted on having children, then they would take the necessary measures...

Of course, they wouldn't tell you how expensive a beautiful female robot was...

They would also give you plenty of advice. If you played games for two hours, they would suggest logging off for twenty minutes. If you stayed home for an entire day, they would suggest going out for a walk. Every month, they would suggest doing volunteer work several times, meeting other people, and making friends. They could monitor your weight, heartbeat, breathing, and pulse through your Smart Wristwatch, then provide you with recommendations.

When you refused to follow their recommendations, they would send a psychologist to assess you. If you failed the psychological assessment, they would take you to the appropriate institution for free recuperation.

At the end of the year, those politicians would produce a perfect report. Their care for disadvantaged groups—perfect data...

Didn't want a Smart Wristwatch? Sorry, then you couldn't enter any door, take any elevator, or use any form of transportation—not even the door to your so-called home...

As for factory babies, those were permitted. Professional factories had sufficient technology to ensure that your next generation was healthy. And if you chose not to raise them, the factory would send those babies to welfare institutions.

Yang Bo's predecessor had grown up in a welfare institution. A happy childhood, a happy adolescence, and then, after becoming an adult, he'd happily been assigned a house and gained a home of his own...

"Maybe being a pig isn't so bad. I just don't know what kind of person... no, pig, lived here before me." No matter how many thoughts Yang Bo had, there was ultimately nothing he could do.

In an age of high technology, an individual's power was minuscule. If Yang Bo wanted to jump off a building right now, the Drone Police would arrive within thirty seconds—and shoot him dead first, because his jumping might harm other people.

Any information you received was only what you were permitted to see, because your citizen status was F-Rank.

"Since I'm here, I might as well enjoy it." Yang Bo wanted to visit the spaceport too, but in the end, he could only accept reality, no matter how much anger and helplessness filled his heart.

"And the original owner's death was very strange..." With semiannual checkups, a Smart Wristwatch, and a daily routine arranged according to their recommendations, what were the odds that the original owner had suddenly dropped dead?

Plop! In the roughly twenty-five-square-meter living room were a sofa, a coffee table, simple yet tasteful furnishings, and a virtual image projector. A goldfish leaped out of its tank.

"Master, your goldfish has jumped out of its tank. According to Article 482 of the Federation Animal Protection Act, if a pet dies due to the owner's negligence, the owner's eligibility to adopt pets will be suspended." A coy voice sounded throughout the room.

Yang Bo immediately said, "Got it."

Yang Bo went to pick up his goldfish, but he had only recently taken over this body and failed to notice the carpet beneath his feet. He fell flat onto the floor and felt something cold against his hand.

Swimming +1! A message flowed through his mind, making Yang Bo, who had immediately scrambled to his feet, freeze in surprise. Was this a transmigrator's benefit? Or had the original owner's Gene Serum not actually failed, and his ability was simply very mysterious?

Powerful Gene Warriors possessed all sorts of abilities—controlling every kind of elemental particle, turning their entire bodies into metal, and so on.

"Master, according to the chip data within the pet's body, the goldfish has died. The video has been submitted to the court, which will determine whether you bear responsibility for the goldfish's death. Please use a Number 16 Eco-bag to collect the goldfish's corpse and await further instructions."

Yang Bo took a deep breath and stood up. His leg hurt, but the Intelligent System did not care. It only cared about the goldfish. That was the so-called priority of incident levels.

Even throwing away trash here followed strict standards. Without an intelligent Biochip or a Smart Wristwatch, a person would have no way of knowing which kind of garbage required which eco-bag. If they made a mistake, they would face all kinds of penalties...

"Master, you are holding a Number 18 Eco-bag, which is for discarded electronic waste. The Number 16 Eco-bag is in the third box to your left. It is recommended that you clean the room within the next sixteen hours. The bacterial population in the room is showing explosive growth. It is also recommended that you use Number 2 Cleaning Agent to inhibit bacterial growth and provide fresh air." The Smart Speaker in the room spoke again.

"Congratulations, Master. The video of the goldfish's death has been submitted. Based on the video, you bear no responsibility for this goldfish death incident. The court recommends that you undergo free psychological treatment before raising a new pet."

"Thank you." Yang Bo took a deep breath. He still had no choice but to say thank you.

"Master, the robot to retrieve the goldfish has arrived. It is recommended that..."

Yang Bo took a deep breath. Tomorrow, he would look for work. He would work. Even if it meant selling his life, he had to buy a house, because according to the law, a purchased house was private territory. His current home, however, belonged to the government and was therefore subject to all kinds of surveillance.

"I'll also have to find time to verify whether this transmigrator benefit is real." Yang Bo muttered to himself.

"Master, it is recommended that you wear gloves when cleaning up the goldfish's blood and use Number 5 Absorbent Cotton. Used absorbent cotton should be placed in a Number 8 Trash Bag. Used gloves should be placed in a Number 2 Trash Bag. It is also recommended that you wash your hands afterward..."