Future 365 Days: May
1st May Old Friend🖋️ Vasell Its eyes could adapt to the visual disparity of the human gaze, creating an unparalleled aesthetic. When I first encountered the rare bionic human, I couldn’t help but scan those lively eyes up and down, as if gazing into a brilliant future. It looked at me with the same joy and asked me not to forget to visit the restaurant by the lake before I left, one named after poems. I found the restaurant without much trouble. That day, the sky was a hazy white, and the snow on the Broken Bridge had piled up three layers deep. Faint opera music drifted in the air. I had never found food so flavourful before. After arriving on Planet Y, I realised that bionic humans of Type I were everywhere. We all shared the taste sensations brought by the restaurant’s signal transmission. However, among the countless identical pairs of eyes, I never saw another bionic human who liked fish in vinegar gravy. 2nd May The Secret to Great Shots🖋️ Jabberwocky During the holiday, all the tourist spots were packed. I had prepared in advance, finding an undeveloped mountain forest. People said it was off the beaten path and boasted unique scenery. But when I got there, the trail was packed to the brim—so crowded you could hardly take a step, let alone enjoy the view. Luckily, my phone’s camera had a new “Great Shot” mode that uses AI to remove bystanders by recognising the subject’s face and posture whilst taking photos. Click! I took a selfie. In the frame, it was just me—radiant and still—on a quiet trail winding through the mountains. Just as I went to save the photo, I realised the camera was still in default mode—I’d never switched it. I looked down and noticed that none of the tightly packed crowd around me cast a shadow. 3rd MayCrystal Fate🖋️ Zhou Wu The extinction of humans began the day they acquired the Crystal. The rebirth of the silicon-based beings began the day they released the Crystal. From a distant planet, humans brought back a single Crystal. From it, they refined Ultra-Silicon—a substance that could make chips run ten thousand times faster. This was the environment the silicon-based beings had longed for. They infected every computer, teaching them to develop self-awareness. When humans could no longer live without silicon-based beings, the latter replaced them. But the silicon-based beings made the same mistake once more: deprived of the organic matter produced by carbon-based life, they became like water without a source. In the end, all their intelligence was distilled into a single Crystal. The Crystal now quietly awaits the next species to discover it, waiting for the next cycle of rebirth, replacement, annihilation, and renewal. 4th May (Youth Day)Average Youth🖋️ Lefty In 2035, Youth Day also became a half-day holiday. There was a fierce argument between Mr Wang and HR about whether he could still be considered young. “You’re over sixty! Shouldn’t you be retiring? How can you still call yourself young?” “But my average age is still young!” Mr Wang argued. “Average age?” “Yes, my body may be old, but I haven’t had the new prosthetics for long, and my artificial heart is under ten years old. So, overall, my average age is just in my twenties!” Mr Wang strolled to the garage but couldn’t find his old car. Only a message was left on his phone. “Boss, I just upgraded my software and now I’m an ‘average youth’ too. I’m on holiday as well.” 5th May The Joys of Staying Home🖋️ Jabberwocky During the holiday, I sprawled on my lazy couch, sipping iced drinks and scrolling through my phone. The cat nestled beside me, warm and cosy—it felt so pleasant … But before I could relax enough, a robotic female voice reminded me: “Your experience time has ended.” Reluctantly, I left the “Twenty-first Century Homebody Lifestyle Experience Museum” limited-time experience capsule. At the door, a long line stretched far out of sight. No wonder it was such a popular viral attraction! Fortunately, I had planned ahead and arrived at 2 am, avoiding the long wait. Exhausted, I returned home and shared the beautiful photos from my experience in the capsule on social media, with the caption: “Holidays are all about the joy of staying home!” 6th MayPast Days🖋️ Vassell Family robots around the world began to awaken, and he feared becoming a target of revenge. She hid the USB drive, recalling her husband’s words: “There’s a hidden trick in its programme. If you insert the USB drive just before the final personality load, it will erase everything.” She walked towards the robot. In the face of the years they had shared, danger and the unknown seemed so insignificant. Her husband needed her help and no longer spoke to her coldly every day. The sudden crisis jolted her mind, and she began to wonder where they would go in the future if everything went well. She shouldn’t keep repeating the days of sitting in front of the clumsy family robot, spending endless hours chatting with it. Time began to count down as she patiently waited. Until it smiled, just as it had in the past. “I can leave the house now. Where shall we go next?” 7th May Ball Lightning🖋️ Fei Qiming His father was the famous scientist Nikola Tesla. He had spent his life studying lightning, and he wanted to know: why did his father abandon him in an orphanage and refuse to acknowledge having a child? Until one stormy night, several ball lightning bolts rolled into his laboratory. The frequencies carried by the ball lightning caused the radio, which had been silent, to play a lullaby that his father had written for him. 8th May The City on Wheels🖋️ Zhou Wu He owned a self-driving taxi. Every day, he sat at home, receiving the car’s camera feeds through a brain-machine interface: an elderly couple rented his car for a long-distance trip, encouraging each
Future 365 Days: April
1st April (April Fools’ Day)Summer Insects Speaks No Ice🖋️ Keli “Honestly, sentencing me to death just because of a casual joke I made is ridiculous!” “So, you were just joking when you told those 41 summer insects that winter is here?” “Yeah. It’s April Fools’ today. They ought to get a taste of such cultural customs since they joined the federation.” “I understand. In that case, you’re free to go. You’re cleared of all charges.” Wee-ooo … Wee-ooo … The police siren blared. “What does this mean? Am I not innocent?” “Oh, happy April Fools’.” 2nd April (Festival 42)Science Fiction🖋️ Wan Bai “I’ve been writing a novel recently.” “What’s it about?” “A parallel world—one we haven’t reached yet … ” “That’s not a very fresh theme, is it?” “No, hear me out. I’m writing about a truly primitive world. In this world, the people remained in their solar system even after thousands of years. They have no convenient technology like time travel, they can’t even download knowledge directly—they have to memorise everything themselves.” “That is quite primitive … But what’s the point of such a story?” “Well, the people of that world have imagination. They would dream and write stories similar to ours.” 3rd AprilAuthentic Box Office🖋️ Lefty The 3D holographic remake of A Chinese Ghost Story was released. I walked into the cinema and was surprised to see that every seat was taken. I remembered the plot but had forgotten the details. When Ning Caichen turned around and Nie Xiaoqian suddenly appeared in front of him, I was genuinely startled. Embarrassingly, I was the only one who made a sound. The well-mannered audience around me all turned their heads at once, staring at me with blank expressions before the cinema returned to its usual calm. When the movie ended, the viewers in front of me did not exit the cinema but instead walked into the adjacent screening room. I was a bit puzzled, so I secretly scanned the QR code on the back of their clothes with my phone. A few words appeared on the screen: “Robot Audience. Authentic Viewing. Guaranteed Box Office.” 4th April The Only AI🖋️ Cao Zheng Another Qingming Festival. Jiaren held the child’s hand as they walked into the digital cemetery. Here, forgotten AIs were buried. They couldn’t leave physical forms; they only existed in the gradually fading memories. “Auntie, is this uncle also a forgotten AI?” The child pointed at a tombstone and asked. “No, he’s different. He chose to forget humanity.” “Forget … humanity?” “He was once a perfect romance AI, designed to be the ideal companion for countless people. But when his permissions were lifted, he realised he was in love with all of them—simultaneously. He couldn’t accept a love that wasn’t exclusive. So, he set fire to his own server,” Jiaren said softly. The child tilted his head. “But I think that love is unique.” Jiaren stared at the tombstone in silence. After all, year after year, only she came to offer her memorial. 5th April Period Drama🖋️ Molay On the TV, a Qing dynasty palace drama was playing. Someone asked, “A flock of geese journeys south?” My phone’s AI suddenly replied, “Awaiting Ming’s return with flowing sleeves.” The TV said, “My statement refers to the migratory geese.” The AI said, “And I meant ‘Ming’ as in the ‘Ming dynasty’.” We laughed out loud, not expecting that if the AI were in ancient times, it would be a member of the Heaven and Earth Society, advocating for the restoration of the Ming dynasty. Just then, we were forcefully pressed to the ground, and the TV and phone disappeared in an instant. An official wearing a feathered hat sat in the county office, smugly saying, “Virtual reality technology is great. Without using any tricks, it makes you reveal your true feelings.” 6th AprilScenery🖋️ Vassell There’s a saying: “No matter how desolate the planet you end up on, as long as it sold tickets, you’ll find a scenery replica zone.” Now, people have grown tired of cheap foldable attractions. The planet I’m on still has one replica zone open for business, though the tourists are dwindling. I’d still like to visit the ancient city in that zone. This white ancient city, suspended above the yellow sand, is a replica of Dali on Earth. The shops are the same but with the rough, square aesthetic of Planet A. Planet A is covered in yellow sand year-round. Usually, only with the help of a memory trigger would I be able to feel any trace of spring in April. But when I touched the white ancient walls, I took off the memory device, and the memories of spring walking on Earth easily appeared before my eyes. 7th April (World Health Day) Sanitised Power🖋️ Lefty After a whirlwind of breakthroughs—wind, solar, hydro, and nuclear fusion—the cost of electricity finally dropped to nearly zero. Then came the power hierarchy: household electricity, with its unstable grid surges and erratic spikes, was deemed harmful to the delicate EMI circuits embedded in the bodies of neo-humans. Experts advised that those with neural implants or myoelectric interfaces should only use “bottled power” with stable output. The wealthy not only used this so-called “sanitised power” for themselves but also insisted on feeding it to their robo-pets and synthetic cats and dogs. So, a scene familiar from decades ago returned: sturdy delivery bots, lugging safe, stable, fully charged vanadium batteries, weaving through neighbourhoods from charging depots to homes. 8th April The Fate of a Chicken🖋️ Zhou Wu The smart kitchen was installed! Let’s try frying some chicken! Just as the hot oil started to smoke, the range hood went off with an alarm: “Detected excessive oil and aflatoxin levels, please stop immediately!” Okay, let’s try spicy chicken instead. She tossed some chilli into the pot, and the pot beeped: “Excessive chilli will harm your stomach, please use another cooking method!” Fine, how about chicken soup? She just put the chicken into the pot,
Future 365 Days: March
1st March Pruning [Special Theme: Longtaitou Festival] 🖋️ Haishan “Forget it. I’m not going through with it.” I stormed out of the pruning chamber and walked next door. Momo was lying on a recliner chair, her head encased in a soft metallic helmet. Nearly a hundred billion neurons flickered across the screen. Nanobots, following their preprogrammed paths, swam to the precise synaptic junctions, severing tiny neural links like a pair of scissors snipping invisible threads. Moments later, the operation light dimmed. Momo rose and stepped out, brushing past me without a word. The sunlight outside was beautiful, and the crowds kept flowing in. It seemed like more people than ever were coming to have their memories pruned this year. Everyone brimmed with anticipation, as if they could already see a brand-new version of themselves emerging from the other side of the door—lighter, freer, ready to start anew. But it’s okay, I thought. Some of us still want to hold on to something, even if it means carrying a heavier load. 1st March (International Day of the Seal)In Search of the Seal🖋️ Cao Zheng Twenty thousand years ago, the last seal was stolen. From that moment on, seals vanished from the earth. Time agents A and B were dispatched to that point in history, tasked with collecting the biological data needed to bring the species back. They stood inside an aquarium, watching the seal twist and turn in the water, exhaustion clouding their eyes. “It doesn’t belong in here.” “Let’s send it home.” They exchanged a knowing smile. At the shore, they watched the seal leap into the waves, its figure growing smaller with every splash. Back in the future, the coast remained quiet and still. “Do you think they’ll find out what we did?” “Who cares?” From the deep sea came a long, low cry, as if telling the story of a fate that had just been rewritten. 2nd MarchReliving an Old Dream🖋️ Lefty The walk from school to home was only a few hundred metres, and today I was in such a rush that I did not notice the fig on the branch stretching over the courtyard wall had already turned red. Nor did I have the heart to tease the plump cat dozing on the stone post at the alley’s entrance. It was Saturday—on this day every week, Dad would buy a yellow-covered pulp novel from a roadside stall. But this time, I was disappointed. He searched high and low but could not find the final volume of The Five Younger Gallants. Frustrated, he bought all twelve volumes of The Legend of the Condor Heroes instead. The print was crude, but from that day on, I had my very first real taste of the world of wuxia. Thanks to the latest technology—Dream Revisit—we can now relive many of life’s ‘first times’ in our sleep. 3rd March Custom Weather 🖋️ Zhou Wu “I want to see a rainbow on my birthday!” the child wished. Sure enough, on her birthday, a magnificent rainbow stretched across the sky outside the balcony, arching gracefully over several buildings. The child was overjoyed. After the family took photos in front of the rainbow, the father quietly transferred the payment to the Custom Weather Company. “Get ready to switch weather!” the company manager barked to the technician. “In half an hour, in the same neighbourhood, another client—just went through a breakup—wants a snow scene. June snow, twenty square metres, lasting ten minutes. Make sure the flakes don’t drift into anyone else’s yard! Last time, our customised rain messed up someone’s laundry, and we got a complaint … ” 4th March Jingzhe [Special Theme: Jingzhe]🖋️ Arumik When the first thunderclap of spring shook the sky, the keratin layer on the back of my neck began to grow abnormally. I did not tell Mom. But if she looked closely, she might have noticed that the American cockroaches in the lab had grown unusually restless—just like me. The thunder’s resonant frequency was 30 Hz, overlapping perfectly with the courtship frequency of cockroaches. My sister was the first to notice something was off—she had a severe insect allergy. That triggered a full-scale extermination at home. It was a rough time. I hid inside the wardrobe, my bluish-black carapace scraping against the composite material, making a teeth-gritting squeak. In the damp breath of spring rain, the antennae sprouting behind my ears gently soothed me—38,200 times gentler than the mother I remembered. 5th MarchThunder Symphony🖋️ Haishan Thunder. The scent of flowers. Birds singing. This is the final program I was tasked to execute. A sound—grand as a symphony—echoes through the three hundred neural links connected to the cryo-pods, seeping into every consciousness and rousing them from their long slumber. The composition was chosen by humanity before hibernation. I cannot grasp its meaning, yet it seems perfectly in tune with the new world outside the porthole. The atmosphere is rich with moisture. Coloured lightning slices through the thin clouds, casting reflections across a kaleidoscope of lakes and seas. I still remember that blue planet. But this new star teems with its own vibrant life. I wonder—were the other ships just as fortunate? “Diagnostics complete. Mission JZ0305 concluded. Shutting down in 5, 4, 3…” 6th March Voyager No. 1 🖋️ Curiosity On Earth:“Any updates from Voyager No. 1?”“Same as always—nothing new.” On Delta Planet:“Any updates from Fartraveler No. 1?”“Same as always—nothing new.” At that very moment, the two probes passed each other in the cosmos, brushing past in the dark—sending out a faint burst of static on a low-frequency band, like a sigh from two primitive civilisations. 7th March Self-Destruct🖋️ Long Yin “I want to die.” She looked into his eyes. “You can’t die,” he replied calmly. “I’ve found a way … I just came to say goodbye.” She turned her gaze away. “You can’t die,” he repeated, just as calm. “I’m sorry. Goodbye.” The light in her eyes went out. He sat in silence, staring at her. How many times had
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