This type of life is even worth living?

Arvish lived in a bleak and monotonous part of the town, surrounded by concrete buildings that all looked the same.

His apartment building stood tall and gray, with no trace of decoration or embellishment. Each level was identical, with rows of featureless doors stretching down the long, dimly-lit hallways. The lack of adornment gave the building an eerie, almost oppressive feeling, as if it were designed to be as nondescript as possible.

For the residents of the building, it was a daily reminder of the monotony of their lives. They trudged up the stairs or took the creaky elevator to their floors, pausing only to glance at the peeling paint and scuffed floors. They knew that, regardless of which door they chose to open, the world inside would be just as gray and uniform as the exterior.

Arvish reached for the doorknob of his apartment, he couldn't help but notice the young girl who emerged from the flat next to his.

Their eyes met, and Arvish felt a flicker of recognition. He'd seen her around before, but they had never spoken. He decided to take a chance and offer a friendly greeting.

"Hi there," he said with a warm smile.

To his surprise, the girl's expression quickly turned from neutral to one of disgust and muttered something under her breath. She made a face as if she had just smelled something terrible and walked away without saying a word.

Arvish was taken aback by her reaction, wondering what he had done wrong. He couldn't help but feel a little hurt by her response.

'Aww man!'

He walked into his flat, a small and poorly furnished place with just the bare essentials.

Arvish sat down on the couch, feeling a sense of loneliness and disappointment wash over him. He always thought that he was a friendly person, but it seemed like no matter where he went, he struggled to connect with those around him. He couldn't help but wonder if it was something about him that put people off.

His family died a long time ago, and he lived alone without connection to anyone other than Rick. He couldn't find his place in today's society, where everybody lived like a sheep that only connections were through their mobile phone.

'I hope that Rick is doing ok.'

He turned on his TV. An advertisement came up for MIND+ with flashy colors and happy characters who enjoy the use of the new tech product.

He sighed, then flipped onto another channel. Another ad for MIND+.

He flipped.

Another ad.

He got frustrated and flipped again.

Another ad.

He started to push the button rapidly.

Ad, ad, ad...

He finally landed on a channel where the news was going.

'Eh, it's not much better, but this should do.'

The announcer said, "Channel 333 brings you the newest exclusive story. Tonight, the police raided successfully a terrorist's house. He was planning to do a suicide bombing at a MIND+ store because he thought that this new technology is the devil's doing. The suspect has a history of mental illness that the experts say could have been led to-"

Arvish turned off the TV in disgust and smashed the remote control against the wall, the fragments of plastic and metal scattered across the floor.

'They just lie and push their sh*t down your throat. You don't have a choice nowadays of what you do. There is no opposition left to challenge the rulers.'

As he knelt down to pick up the debris, he noticed one piece of the remote had broken into a piece with razor-sharp edges. He picked it up and held it to his eye level, the dim light of the flat shining on it.

'This type of life is even worth living?'

****

The next morning, Arvish rushes through the crowded streets towards the subway, as people push and jostle each other in their hurry to get to their destinations. The fight for space on the packed subway car is intense, Arvish feels himself being squeezed and pushed by the tightly stuffed bodies around him.

"These f*cking brainless NPCs, don't even care what's happening around them. STUPID IDIOTS!" he muttered through gritted teeth. Arvish got frustrated and shoved at the people around him, but it didn't yield great results. The tight quarters made it impossible for anyone to move.

He finally reached his stop and fought his way out of the car. He then stormed up to the entrance of a large building.

Holding his ID chip to the entrance, Arvish tried to enter, but the door flashed red instead of its usual green. He tried again and again, but to no avail. Suddenly, a camera zoomed in on Arvish and the boss voice boomed through the intercom.

"Can I help you, Mr. Smith?"

"There seems to be a problem." Arvish says, while his anger mounting.

"I don't see any issue at all." the voice replies, cold and unfeeling.

Arvish thought to himself, 'You little c*cksucker, you enjoy this, don't you?'

"I can't enter the building to do my work," Arvish said, trying to keep his anger in check.

"You think you can enter the building after what happened yesterday?" the voice sneered. "Until you fix your legal issue, you are on leave. Be glad you weren't fired immediately."

Arvish opened his mouth to lash out, but he knew that if he does, he'll be fired immediately. In today's society, if you're fired for aggression on the workplace, it's almost impossible to find another job.

"Are we clear, Mr. Smith?" the voice asked, taunting.

Arvish bit his tongue, 'You piece of sh*t.'

****

Arvish stood in line at a MIND+ store, surrounded by people who were all staring at their phones with excitement. Arvish was the only one who looked out of place, with his hunched back and baggy eyes. He felt miserable.

When it was finally his turn, a perky clerk with a rainbow color of hair greeted him. "Welcome to MIND+ where your freedom starts. How can I help you?" she said with a honey like sweet voice. Arvish's stomach turned.

"I'm in an urgent need of one of your devices, but I don't have the money for it… So I need a store loan or something." Arvish explained. The clerk gave him a long, pitiful look. "I see... we only have one option for it," she said.

"Okay, just hurry up, I want to be done with it today," Arvish said. But the clerk quickly replied, "Sir, we don't sell MIND+ on loan. You can only get one if you sign an overwork agreement. What sector are you working in?" The clerk's pupils dilated as she asked the question.

"Shipment analysis," Arvish answered. The clerk continued, "Then you have to sign it for six months." Arvish asked, "What am I signing?" The clerk rolled her eyes, "The overwork agreement." Arvish asked for clarification, "Yeah, I know, but what exact-?" The clerk was impatient, "Sir, there's a long line behind you. Maybe come back later when there's no crowd."

Arvish was furious. It seemed like everyone was trying to get on his nerves today. He gritted his teeth and said, "Just give me the document." The clerk fumbled behind her desk. Arvish was getting more and more agitated, "Hurry up!"

The clerk finally placed a tablet on the counter, it had an ID chip reader for signing legal contracts. Arvish quickly flipped through the document and was disgusted by what he saw. Instead of a loan, he was required to work on the weekends, seven days a week, for six months. He felt like that deal was worse than death.

The clerk asked, "So, are you ready to receive your freedom?"

****

Arvish was lying in a hospital bed, surrounded by a colorful and shiny room. The operating robot was decorated with giddy and vibrant images, which only added to Arvish's feeling of unease. A doctor entered the room, clutching Arvish's device that was still in its box.

"The procedure will be done in five minutes," the doctor informed him. "Is there anyone who came with you or can pick you up?"

Arvish shook his head. "No, but why?"

The doctor opened the box and placed the MIND+ chip into some type of liquid.

"After the procedure, we need to keep an eye on you for a couple of hours, just to make sure everything went well," the doctor explained.

Arvish was taken aback by this information. "This was not in the advertisement."

"It wouldn't be good for business, would it?" The doctor replied with a smirk. "I'll be back in a couple of minutes. Make yourself comfortable in the meantime."

The doctor left the room, leaving Arvish alone with his thoughts. He pulled out his phone and searched for Rick's contract. He dialed Rick's number but was met with an automated voice telling him that, "At the subscriber's request this phone is currently unavailable please try your call again later."

Arvish sighed and called the police, hoping to find out what had happened to his friend.

"Yeah, I'm looking for my friend who was arrested yesterday. His name is Rick Matthews," Arvish said into the phone. "…What do you mean you have no information about him? ...Now wait a minute-"

But before Arvish could get any answers, the connection was lost. He sat on the bed, feeling defeated. He remembered Rick's last words as he was being taken away by the police: "You were right, Arvish! Don't get the chip!"

'I agree with Rick, but what could I do? If I don't get it I can't work, if I don't work then I can't live in this city… The whole thing is a scam to keep you scared and dependent on the institution, if you don't want to end up on the streets. I loathe living like this.'

Arvish touched the scar on his hand where the ID chip was implanted.

'If this thing was never invented, we wouldn't be slave to this system.'

He looks at the MIND+ floating in the liquid.

'And now the situation gets even worse.'

As a result, that the rage of this day built in him, he started to feel a spark of defiance in his chest.

'I have had enough of THIS life!'

With a sense of determination, Arvish smashed his phone on the ground and began searching the cabinets in the operating room. He took a few items and put them in his pockets. Just as he was about to leave, the doctor came back into the room.

"What the hell happened here?" the doctor asked, looking around in confusion.

"Thanks for everything doc, but I have to leave... It's a family emergency," Arvish said, trying to slip past the doctor.

But the doctor grabbed onto Arvish, refusing to let him go. "Whoa there. You can't leave right now. Do you know the consequences of this?"

Arvish struggled against the doctor's grip, but he wouldn't let go. In a moment of desperation, Arvish shoved the doctor to the floor. The doctor's pupils dilated as he called for security.

"I don't care anymore what the consequences will be," Arvish declared. "I can't exist like this anymore."

Arvish burst out of the operating room and ran down the hallway, leaving the doctor lying on the floor behind him.

****

Rick was in a moving car with a bag on his head. There were other bagged and bound people on the car. It stopped and guards brought him out of the vehicle.

Rick's head was pounding as the bag was yanked off his head. He squinted in the bright light, taking in his surroundings. He was at the entrance of a massive building surrounded by armed guards. On the building there was a sign: Vita Research Center.

He tried to move his arms, but they were still bound tightly behind his back. He was herded forward, along with the other bound individuals who had been in the car with him.

They were all brought into a large room, the guards barking orders and pushing them to form a line.

Rick tried to calm his racing heart. He had an idea that why he had ended up here, but in his opinion it was a little too much just for a racist thought.

He glanced around the room, trying to get a better look at his fellow captives. They were all had a MIND+ chip too, just like he had.

Suddenly, the lights in the room flickered, and a loud buzzing noise filled the air. Rick could feel the hair on the back of his neck standing up as a figure appeared at the front of the room. It was a scientist, dressed in a white lab coat, with glasses on and a tablet in his hand.

"Welcome to the research center. I am Dr. Huang," the scientist said, his voice echoing through the room. "You have all been selected for a special experiment. We are studying the key to eternal life on human subjects, and you have been so lucky to be chosen to participate. Congratulations."

The scientist started to clap, which made the other staff follow his lead. But during this act he had a smile on his face that was not convincing at all, it rather indicated that they should feel themselves very unlucky.