Chapter 1: The Changing of the World

In the year 2049, in Shu City, Xia Kingdom, a boy dressed in a light green hooded sweatshirt walked slowly down the street. His figure was slightly thin, giving off an impression of frailty, as if he might be blown over by a gust of wind. At the moment, he was carrying a large bag of snacks and a small stack of cash, rewards he had earned from volunteering at the orphanage. The boy was an orphan himself. Ever since leaving the welfare home, he had endured many hardships due to lack of money, so he tried every possible way to find work, desperately earning a living. Now, with his bag of earnings in hand, a faint smile played on his lips as he headed towards his rented apartment.

Suddenly, his waistband buzzed. He pulled out a domestically-made cell phone for which he had saved up for a long time and finally bought with much reluctance. The caller ID showed it was his childhood friend and girlfriend, Wang Jinjun.

“Zijin, where the hell are you? You promised to make me a big meal today! I’ve been waiting in your apartment for two hours already, and you’re still not back?!” Wang Jinjun scolded coquettishly on the other end.

The boy, whose name was Zijin, replied with a wry smile, “My dear lady, I just finished my work at the welfare home. You know how clingy those kids can be.”

“I’m giving you thirty minutes to get home, or I’ll show you what it means to tear a place apart until there’s not a stick of furniture left!” Wang Jinjun threatened again.

“All right, all right, don’t worry. Your faithful servant Zijin will be home soon. No way the Empress Dowager will go hungry,” Zijin joked before hanging up. He put his phone away and quickened his pace toward home.

On the way, Zijin passed Dongxi Road, a bustling commercial pedestrian street. At the intersection, a massive 3D LED screen was broadcasting the news: “In the early hours of yesterday, another animal attack occurred in the capital’s urban district. The animal responsible was identified as a member of the feline family. According to police investigations, no animals were reported missing from nearby zoos, and the nearest mountain area is over 500 kilometers away, making the likelihood of wild animals low. Furthermore, barefoot human footprints were found at the scene, and the mud from both the human and animal prints was confirmed to originate from the same location...”

By the mid-21st century, Xia Kingdom’s technology had made a qualitative leap. Various new inventions made everyday life and travel far more convenient, and security was no exception. However, this animal attack marked the fourteenth incident just this month, and the origins of these animals remained a mystery. The internet was awash with fear and speculation. Xia hadn’t seen such a string of severe incidents in nearly fifty years, so the authorities were taking the matter very seriously.

“The fourteenth case already...” Zijin glanced up at the screen, murmuring to himself. Still, he didn’t dwell on it, simply quickening his steps toward home. Yet, as he walked, the news he’d just seen lingered at the back of his mind, stirring a faint, almost imperceptible unease. Was the world truly on the verge of some great change?

What Zijin could not have known was that soon, he himself would be caught up in a sweeping upheaval that would change the world.

When he reached his door, Zijin pulled out the key hidden behind the milk box and unlocked the entrance. Immediately, a flying slipper came hurtling toward him. He dodged it and caught it midair, the soft pink cotton still faintly scented with a girl’s perfume. This scene had played out countless times at his doorway, so Zijin was utterly unfazed. Carrying the slipper, he walked inside, just in time to see Wang Jinjun sprawled in all directions across his bed, a well-thumbed comic book in her hands.