Castoffs

Beep, beep, beep.

The communicator sounded inside the house.

Qin Yiguan turned around.

The interior decor was bizarre. Everything inside was pure, absolute black, without a trace of any other color.

Fortunately, the communicator flashed red, making it easy to spot.

It was a call request from within the Metaverse.

He went inside and pressed the physical button.

A floating screen lit up, showing a chubby boy with rosy cheeks.

He grinned, his plump cheeks bunching up on either side. "Hello, Yiguan!"

Qin Yiguan was eighteen.

Being a "pervert detective" was his part-time job.

He also had another identity that sent chills down people's spines at the very thought.

A student.

A perfectly ordinary high school senior.

And this chubby boy was one of his few close friends at school in the Metaverse.

Three years ago, when Qin Yiguan first learned his name, he had been quite shocked.

His surname was exceptionally unusual: Taotie.

That was the first time Qin Yiguan learned such a surname even existed.

The boy's father was named Taotie Mitian, and his older sister was Taotie Wanlu.

He himself was Taotie Clam.

The word for "clam" was even pronounced in the northern dialect-gala.

Utterly baffled at the time, Qin Yiguan had asked, "Everyone in your family has such a badass name because of that surname. But why are you called Clam?"

Taotie Clam had replied sullenly, "I'm already pretty grateful. I got seriously ill as a kid and almost died. The village shaman said I needed an awful name. Two negatives make a positive, so that was the only way to guarantee I'd stay safe all my life."

"So my dad got the whole family brainstorming, determined to give me the worst name in the world."

"Taotie Spittoon."

"Taotie Socks."

"Taotie No Dick..."

"Taotie Shit..."

Qin Yiguan had struggled to keep his composure. "Taotie No Dick... Taotie Shit? What the hell..."

But Taotie Clam had simply spread his hands. "Luckily, my dad hadn't lost every last shred of humanity. Now, doesn't Taotie Clam sound pretty good to you?"

Still shocked, Qin Yiguan had slowly nodded. "It really does. Compared to those names, Taotie Clam sounds downright lovely!"

Now.

The chubby boy on the virtual screen kept turning his head, peering through the screen at Qin Yiguan's room with eyes full of curiosity.

"You went back to reality again?"

"Though, honestly, reality doesn't look much worse than the Metaverse. Just a little darker."

Qin Yiguan smiled bitterly.

In the age of the Metaverse, ninety-seven percent of humanity had completed the great migration.

The remaining three percent were called "Castoffs."

Suspect No. 6 was one, as was the girl in the white dress.

So was Qin Yiguan.

Because of brain disorders, mental illnesses, physical ailments, and other conditions, they could not endure prolonged neural connections.

Out of concern for their welfare, the government issued them special helmets that restricted how long they could stay logged into the Metaverse.

After seeing Qin Yiguan's dizzying array of medical records, the application reviewer had exclaimed from the heart, "I never knew anyone could be this unlucky."

So he had only five hours of login time.

It was something like the welfare assistance of the old days.

"Going back to reality" was a polite way of putting it. In truth, his daily time allowance had run out, and he had been kicked off.

In this era, schools, banks, government offices... all such institutions had gone virtual and moved into the Metaverse.

It felt like living deep in the wilderness, with the world's prosperity having nothing to do with you.

"The three percent of Castoffs..."

"Three percent used to be an impressive figure. Back in the old days, the truly successful made up three percent of society. Three percent of people controlled over ninety percent of the wealth..."

"Now it's a cruel joke-the three percent with something wrong in their heads."

Qin Yiguan shook his head.

Sometimes, when you were different from the entire world, it didn't matter whether you were right or wrong. You were still the outsider.

Meanwhile, healthy, wealthy residents like Taotie Clam already lived in the Metaverse twenty-four hours a day.

This way of life was an entirely new concept.

Half-digital humans.

That meant partially digital people made up of human brain consciousness plus virtual reality.

They had complete digital lives. To them, "logging off" was a distant, unfamiliar concept, utterly meaningless and entirely unnecessary.

Taotie Clam suddenly offered encouragement. "Bro, don't give up. You've got to keep applying for a nutrient pod."

Qin Yiguan silently glanced at the virtual helmet on the sofa. That, too, marked him as a Castoff.

Compared to a nutrient pod, it was an inferior product.

Not only did it have a time lock, but its sensory data amounted to only ten percent of what a nutrient pod provided.

Using it.

Was like being a prisoner wearing an electronic monitor in the old days.

The young man slowly shook his head. "I've applied a hundred times. Because of a few incredibly minor, insignificant, completely harmless brain disorders, I don't qualify."

"You have to keep trying before a miracle can happen."

Taotie Clam's voice brimmed with encouragement. "Once you have a nutrient pod, you'll become a normal resident like me. You can stay in the Metaverse for your whole life and go wherever you want. One day, we can team up and explore the far reaches of the Metaverse!"

The far reaches...

Qin Yiguan longed for them.

The center of the Metaverse was a harmonious society, a safe home, an affordable substitute for the real world, with terrain that replicated the physical Earth one-to-one.

Travel far enough within the Metaverse, and you would reach a new world. That was why the region was called the Experimental Zone.

Supposedly.

It lay far beyond the authorities' reach.

The Experimental Zone operated on its own logic.

Once you entered, you arrived in a mind-blowing world that overturned everything you knew... a world determined by the potential of your brain.

Every spirited young person yearned to go there.

Unfortunately.

With only "five hours of life," Qin Yiguan could not make such a long journey.

Then Taotie Clam suddenly lowered his voice conspiratorially. "I heard a rumor that the Metaverse is getting an update today. Maybe the rules will change. Who knows... you might get a chance to qualify for a nutrient pod."

Qin Yiguan paused, then finally sighed. "I've stopped hoping."

Then.

He glanced again at the nutrient pod application paperwork on the nearby table, a stack a full thirty centimeters thick.

Result of application No. 99.

Logging into the Metaverse through a nutrient pod requires a high degree of cooperation from the brain.

In view of the applicant's brain disorders, granting authorization without due caution could lead to unforeseen consequences.

For your safety, your application has been rejected.

Your daily encouragement: we will never overlook a single Metaverse genius.