Cong Lin feels like everyone around him has been standing him up lately:
His boss says he has to go home to be with his kids, so the paperwork will have to wait until tomorrow;
His friend says he ran into someone about to jump off a building and has to talk him down, so they'll meet for dinner another time;
An old classmate says he's signed up for a civil service exam prep course, so the long weekend is off. He'll come hang out another time.
And it isn't just the people around him. Even the big names he follows online are flaking.
His favorite web-fiction author: There's been a huge sunspot eruption, and the research team has to work overtime. No updates for a while.
The tech mogul he follows: I'm going on a business trip to space, so there won't be any science videos for now.
The game streamer he watches: I'm not ranking up for three months. I'm going to Area 51 to do research.
Area 51, the famous unofficially acknowledged alien research base.
Cong Lin: I don't believe a word of it!
Then one day, he discovers that the people around him are standing him up because they've been bound to Systems and forced to complete missions:
His boss is bound to the Good Husband System.
His friend is bound to the Good Deeds System.
His old classmate is bound to the Civil Service Exam System.
And he's been bound to the Pigeon Me on All Sides System.
Cong Lin: ...?
System: As the name suggests, this is a System where people stand you up.
Cong Lin: So the big names have been bound to Systems too?
System: No, they're off researching my boss.
*
In 2034, ordinary people across Earth are being parasitized by alien Systems and forced to complete missions.
As the experts investigate, everyone soon discovers that these Systems are AI researchers sent by a higher-dimensional civilization.
Earth is a vast observation and experimental site set up by that civilization in the Solar System.
[Reader's Guide]
1. Welcome to this restaurant, but please don't give me cooking advice. No ginseng or roosters from outside, please. A bow to everyone!
2. I intend to publish this story. Before publication, updates will follow the rankings, or be every other day when there are no rankings. Daily updates after publication, with bonus chapters dropping from time to time~
The blurb was first drafted on July 25, 2023, and revised on February 26, 2025. This story begins in December 2025.
Theme: Never give up hope
Good health is the most important thing!