In Shenzhen in 2073, Metaverse Dynamics' nanomechanical ant colonies have become the most sought-after "cognitive rental products." The technology giant headquartered in the Qianhai Artificial Intelligence Industrial Park weaves a network through quantum communication base stations - the elite can afford to rent an "ideal life", the middle class can rent a "survival filter" to buffer the pressure, and the "malfunctioners" who cannot afford the rent can only live in chaotic perception. Lu Chen is an engineer at Yuanjie, and he "rents out" his brain on time every day: turning crowded subways into empty seats, and turning the boss's insults into neutral instructions. He relies on this "rental service" to live in the illusion that his wife is smiling and his work is going smoothly. Until a solar storm tore apart this lie: the perfect smile of my colleague was covered with tears of collapse, the sweetness of the wedding anniversary was forged by the system, and even my own fatigue was forcibly shielded by the ants. Anonymous information came with the location of Dongguan's malfunctioning area, revealing the shocking truth - they were not "optimizing life", but renting their brains to capital and becoming sensory puppets. As the Department of Security's pursuit approaches, and as the layers of tampered memories collapse, Lu Chen finally wakes up: to regain the rented brain, he must overturn this monopoly scam that manipulates cognition.
