I'm trapped in a block

Chapter 1199 Labor Pains
While the joy of being enclosed in the abyss may lessen the pain, the pain itself will not disappear; it will remain buried beneath the joy and fester in people's hearts.

Humanity's connection with the abyss is too close. Eighty years can completely change the mindset of several generations and can also change the course of human society. Once it changes course, it is not so easy to turn back.

During the eighty years that the Abyss existed, almost all technology companies became associated with it. Only by acquiring technology from the Abyss could companies survive in the ever-increasing competition. Technology companies had to hire independent hunters, establish dedicated departments, and allocate a portion of their costs to blocks related to the Abyss.

These costs have created countless jobs. Some people become hunters who risk their lives for money, while others learn a great deal about the Abyss from childhood to university, study Abyss-related majors after graduation, and work in Abyss-related fields. Some people have studied the Abyss their whole lives, while others have devoted decades of their lives to a single relic.

Once the abyss was sealed off, beneath the celebratory ribbons lay retreating capital. While people were still cheering, the "abyss economy" had already begun to contract. Various technology companies cut off their tails, quickly freeing themselves from the abyss's constraints and investing their funds in more "realistic" areas.

What followed was the collapse of employment. The original beneficiaries of the Abyss became unemployed, and the Abyss knowledge they had acquired throughout their lives became useless scraps of paper. The economic shock dealt a heavy blow to everyone who was in the midst of joy.

When large companies break the chains that connect them to the abyss, smaller companies below them are also stunned by the sudden shift in trends. They don't have the same resilience as large companies, and all their resources are concentrated on a single track. The collapse of that track will directly lead to the demise of the entire company.

While people were marching and celebrating in the streets, some small companies quietly declared bankruptcy, and people went home to find themselves told "no need to go to work tomorrow."

No matter how advanced human society becomes, it cannot escape the flow of resources. When the world changes and resources flow in other directions, the once fertile soil quickly dries up, and people standing still can only look at the cracked earth and lament.

Scholars who have spent their lives studying the abyss have become useless. Although the government still needs many talents, there are far more monks than porridge. Only the most outstanding people can keep their jobs, while the rest will be eliminated by the tide of the times and become dust in the new era.

Elementary school, middle school, and university are all about learning about the abyss. But after graduation, the abyss disappears. Graduates look at the rapidly changing era, watch the ribbons falling from the high-rise buildings, and see their predecessors falling with the ribbons. The anxiety in their hearts completely outweighs their joy.

Neon lights flashed, and 3D projections repeatedly announced the news of "victory," but the defeated lay beneath the high-rise buildings, hiding themselves in the shadows of the overpass. Light and shadow echoed each other in the night sky, and the streets were brightly lit, yet some people silently turned into dust and disappeared into the darkness.

Why is everyone else in the world so happy, but I'm not?

Many people share the same thought: the joy of victory does not bring material satisfaction. Without the abyss, life is worse than when it was there. There are no jobs, no money, all the shops on the street are closed, and the extravagant lifestyle has turned into a life of frugality. Everyone on the street wears a smile, but their eyes are full of emptiness.

What exactly did the "victory" bring?
Most people don't consider things from the perspective of humanity as a whole; they only think about what they did wrong, which leads them into endless internal conflict...

This society doesn't let people starve; the unemployed can receive unemployment benefits from the government, and industries in need of rebuilding require manpower. But people just can't escape the disparity in their social status.

Removing the abyss, this malignant tumor, will inevitably damage normal flesh and blood as well...

The city still has blue skies and white clouds, and the nights are still filled with neon lights. The world hasn't changed much, but people who have become accustomed to the abyss have fallen into confusion after their initial joy.

While the war was raging, people longed for it to end quickly. But once it was over, they were at a loss for what to do. All the hatred and bloodshed vanished like smoke. The sacrifices of the past seemed like fireworks on Victory Day. After the petals fell, the world fell silent. People scattered and returned to their own corners. Without the abyss, who became the enemy?

There has to be an enemy, right?

Are they capitalists who disregard people's lives? Or small business owners who run away with their last penny? Are they high-rise buildings still indulging in nightly revelry? Or are they the equally filthy and numb people lurking in the darkness?

A society without enemies will begin to fracture, with people starting to hate each other and seek out each other's faults.

The ugliness that no one cared about when it existed in the abyss began to be exposed under the scrutinizing gaze of each other.

Before the abyss was sealed, the media mostly reported news from within it: the heroic deeds of a certain hunter, the new discoveries of a certain monitoring station, the new achievements of a certain research institute. Every piece of news was so inspiring, and every piece of news filled people with anger at the approaching "enemy".

Having survived the baptism of the abyss, the media outlets that have survived know how to attract attention and stir emotions. They will describe a relic in a mysterious way, write about certain events in the abyss in a way that is outrageous, and use all sorts of stories to immerse people in them.

The word "abyss" is also filled in people's minds. Even those who have never been to the abyss have various clear images in their minds and their own worldview about that unknown world. This is all thanks to the media.

But after the abyss was sealed off, the media’s attention turned elsewhere.

News of victory becomes desensitizing; continuing to broadcast it is meaningless and no longer attracts attention.

The abyss is a thing of the past; media outlets that want to survive can only point their cameras at this flawed reality.

Under the camera's gaze, those holes appeared so large and so dark, as if the whole world was on the verge of collapse...

They just won, so why do they seem hopeless again?

The contradictory propaganda has made people even more confused. People who were already doubtful have become unusually sensitive under this propaganda. They also look into the distance in the direction of the camera, eager to find an answer to soothe their increasingly anxious hearts. But outside the lens, there is an even more confusing society.

What did the victory actually bring?

When the joy fades, people begin to examine their own hearts...

(End of this chapter)