The streets were beautiful, shaded by lush trees, with few private cars flying through the air. Even the river running through the city was a lovely azure blue.
The air carried a faint floral fragrance. High-tech holographic interactive billboards stood on the spacious lawns by the roadside. The woman in the advertisements gently wished passersby good health while conveniently promoting her company's philosophy.
There were not many pedestrians, but everyone was dressed impeccably, with satisfied smiles on their faces, as if they were high as kites.
If one did not already know this era was a dystopia, they might have thought it was some wonderful place.
The reason the environment was like this was actually simple: competition between corporations, which could also be seen as a form of rat race.
For example, there were two adjacent plots of land. One belonged to Company A, the other to Company B. The two companies operated in the same industry and were competitors.
If the former built a magnificent tower on its land, could the latter's Board of Directors stand living in the other's shadow?
Of course not. Everyone was rich—who could not build a skyscraper? They would only build one taller and grander.
Then, if Company A not only built a tower on its land but also created an artificial lake, landscaped the grounds, and imitated beautiful historical scenery to draw everyone's attention—
What would Company B do? Naturally, it would keep up and do even better.
Competition was always all-encompassing. What rich people could not stand most was not seeing poor people unable to afford food, but seeing others possess something they did not have.
Of course, no matter how they competed, their exploitation of workers remained the same. At most, they compared who paid out less in wages each month