6 posts tagged with "Distortion of Human Nature under the System"

Old Jack was a mechanic in the Air Force before he retired. In his lifetime, he had seen all kinds of fighter jets, and he was used to their deafening roar. But recently, something happened that made him feel a little strange.

A few days ago, the most advanced US military fighter jet crashed during a training mission. This wasn't anything new, because plane crashes happened from time to time. But the strange thing was that the Air Force headquarters had issued a ban, prohibiting all military personnel and their families from watching and spreading any videos about the crash.

　　The training ground was as serious as an international summit. Four German Shepherds stood in a neat line, heads held high, waiting for their trainer's reprimand. Their fur was shiny, their eyes firm, as if they were about to go to battle, rather than listen to a public criticism.

　　"Now, let's start roll call," trainer Lao Wang cleared his throat, his voice low, "Black Panther, your bomb detection training last week, you missed three, you need to seriously reflect on that. Did you hear me?"

Old Wang, a car mechanic on the edge of the city, had the greatest wish to let his son, Xiaobao, see a real fireworks display on the Spring Festival. This year’s Spring Festival was a little different from previous years. The news said that in order to protect the environment, many places had implemented a ban on setting off fireworks, but it had also loosened up a bit, allowing it in “specific areas and specific time periods.” This word "specific" was like a maze, making Old Wang completely confused.

Old Wang's home was located in the urban-rural fringe area. The tall buildings around them seemed like indifferent giants, and only the sound of firecrackers during the Spring Festival could bring a bit of liveliness. Xiaobao's eyes were always fixed on the fireworks that occasionally streaked across the night sky, his eyes full of longing. Old Wang knew that Xiaobao had a colorful fireworks world in his heart.

The "Concentration" training base is located in an inconspicuous gray building in the suburbs, with no sign at the entrance. Every morning at seven o'clock, students arrive one after another to begin their day of "concentration" training.

A-Qiang is a new student here. He used to be a senior executive at a company, but was demoted by his boss after spacing out during an important meeting. By chance, he saw a flyer for "Concentration," and with a try-it-out mentality, he paid a large tuition fee and joined this mysterious organization.

Old Li sat in front of the TV, a bag of peanuts in his hand, as the award ceremony for a Go competition played on the screen. He wasn't a Go enthusiast; he'd only been following it because everyone in the neighborhood had been talking about it these past few days, saying there was a "zero-win champion." It was a novelty, something he had to see.

On the screen, a young man received the trophy with a stiff expression, forcing a smile. The commentator’s voice was laced with a hint of awkward excitement: "Let's once again congratulate Mr. Bian Xiangyi, who won this year's LG Cup with a record of zero wins!"

Old Wang, wearing his somewhat dated baseball cap, squinted at the computer screen under the dim yellow lamp. In front of him, densely packed numbers filled the screen, lines of posts from online forums, arranged as if silently summoning something.

These past few days, a peculiar wave had swept through the internet—Chinese and American netizens were reconciling accounts online. It all started when someone accidentally discovered some "peculiar" differences in prices between the two countries. So someone proposed that everyone conduct an online reconciliation to see who was “fleecing” whom. At first, Old Wang was disdainful, finding it utterly boring, but when he saw the comparisons of “one jin of pork” and “one gallon of gasoline” in the posts, he suddenly felt like he should do something too.