Afterglow at a Thousand Meters

After the world is destroyed, the surface is no longer fit for human life. The survivors live in towering survival spires, each a thousand meters high and home to nearly a million people. Solar panels on the outer walls provide electricity, while wastewater treatment systems keep water circulating. Supplies are not endless here: every liter of water, every kilowatt-hour of electricity, even every breath comes at a clear cost. Modern maintenance worker Lin Yan wakes after an accident to find himself lying in the wasteland outside a survival spire. The exterior-wall crew used twelve liters of purified water to save him. From his very first day inside the tower, he is saddled with a “water debt” he must repay. He has no System, no supernatural abilities, and no knowledge beyond his time. Knowing how to fix a water pump does not mean he can repair a giant tower housing a million people, one that could fail at any moment. Water shortages, blackouts, aging equipment, cracked foundations... As different towers begin fighting over groundwater, sunlight, and the last remaining spare parts, even a repair that seems like the right choice might bring disaster down on another group of people. No one can save the world. All Lin Yan can do is note what was lost after each choice, and, before the next machine grinds to a halt, join those still alive in keeping it running a little longer.