Highly Customized

Zhang Qiang stood in front of the full-length mirror, a slight smile playing on his lips as he gazed at his tall figure. He had paid an unimaginable price for this moment.

A few months ago, he was just an ordinary office worker, standing at 1.68 meters tall, feeling like a sardine in the crowded subway and a replaceable cog in the company machine. He was tired of looking up to others and longed to be the center of attention. So, he sought out the "Highly Customized" company.

This was an institution with a reputation in the underground world, claiming to be able to change a client's height, even their facial features and physique, in a short period through biotechnology. Of course, the fees were exorbitant, but Zhang Qiang felt it was worth it.

The surgery went smoothly, at least on the surface. He was told that he needed to do specific rehabilitation training every day and take special nutritional solutions on time to promote bone growth and muscle remodeling. Zhang Qiang's height grew at a visible rate, surpassing 1.8 meters in just a few months. He felt reborn, brimming with confidence.

To celebrate, he specially put on a brand-name suit and went to a high-end restaurant that he wouldn't have dared to enter before. The waiters were extremely respectful, and the surrounding gazes were full of curiosity and admiration. He felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction, as if the whole world had become better because of him.

However, this illusion was soon shattered.

One day, Zhang Qiang encountered a new colleague in the company elevator. This colleague was almost the same height as him, with subtle similarities in appearance, and even their walking postures were somewhat alike. Zhang Qiang felt a sense of unease. He couldn't help but scrutinize the colleague, who returned a polite smile, but with a hint of something meaningful in his eyes.

"You are...?" Zhang Qiang couldn't help but ask.

"I'm Li Ming, the new project manager." The other person extended his hand, which Zhang Qiang mechanically grasped, his palm slightly sweaty.

In the following days, Zhang Qiang began to pay attention to the people around him. He found that on the street, on the subway, and even in the company, more and more people were similar in height to him. Moreover, their eyes seemed to carry the same subtle confusion and doubt as his.

One chance encounter allowed Zhang Qiang to sneak into the company's archives, where he found the client information for "Highly Customized". He was shocked to find that the physique, facial features, and even the height of every client were accurately recorded, and then "produced" in batches through the "customized" service. He was like a product, tagged with a unique number.

"Highly Customized" was not customization in the true sense, but a disguise for mass production. They were simply manufacturing similar "products" one after another to satisfy customers' desires for "height".

Zhang Qiang felt a deep sense of fear and despair. He had spent a fortune not to become unique, but to become another mass-produced "tall person." He tried to escape this vicious cycle, refusing to take the nutritional solutions and participate in rehabilitation training, but to little avail. His body began to show anomalies, his bones made strange noises, his muscles became stiff, and he even started to forget what he used to look like.

Walking down the street, looking at the bustling crowds, he suddenly felt so small and helpless. The "height" he had once craved now felt like a cage, trapping him within it. He looked up at the sky, where dense drones filled the air, like his counterparts, high above, coldly watching the ground.

That night, Zhang Qiang stood in front of the full-length mirror again. In the mirror, a stranger yet familiar figure was reflected. His height had exceeded 1.9 meters, and his facial features had become more angular. His face no longer held its original confidence, but a deep weariness and confusion. He reached out to touch the mirror, as if trying to touch his former self.

The person in the mirror suddenly grinned, a strange and cold smile, and opened his mouth, uttering a mechanical voice: "Welcome to the era of Highly Customized."

Zhang Qiang widened his eyes in terror, seeing the person in the mirror slowly raise a thin tube in his hand, the tip of which flickered with a ghostly blue light, and the same ghostly blue light began to appear on his own face...