The Observed Me: Bringing Down the Breeding Farm

Thirty thousand light-years away, there is no light, and no stars.

Not that they aren't there: something is blocking them.

It was the 892nd year of humanity's unification, the most peaceful, fairest, and greatest era in history. People called it the 892nd Year of the Lowest Ratings.

A 327-year-old corpse. A fragment of metal engraved with “The Keeper Is Watching Us.” An inspector who had fought his way up from the bottom.

Lin Yan thought he was investigating a thousand-year-old capitalist family. He didn't know that those families were merely tools. His parents were “necessary for the plot.” His life was the 37th “Awakener experiment.”

Thirty thousand light-years away, someone was discussing him: “How much high-quality soul matter can this Awakener produce?”

The Law of the Farm

The universe is not a dark forest. It is a tiered farm. Cages enclose the farm, and the farm raises the dark forest. The hunters in the dark forest are all soul matter in cages, waiting to be harvested.

The Trisolarans are feed. The Singers are feed. The Returners are feed, too.

You think you're awakening? That's when you produce the most.

When Lin Yan looked up at the stars, was he seeing the ceiling of a cage, or the glow of a surveillance camera?

You can't sleep, not because you're afraid. It's because you suddenly wonder: Is someone watching you tonight? Are all your efforts in this life for yourself, or are you... just getting fat?