Both fortune and misfortune found Cyrus Greene through a single movie. Finally having a day off to relax at home, he browsed his computer and selected a blockbuster titled "Wasteland," planning to spend a lazy afternoon. The sci-fi film was set in New York, USA, circa 2030.
The screenwriter had created an audacious premise: one day, the U.S. government, military, police, and financial elite suddenly vanished. Nationwide power and fuel supplies were cut off, water and food sources became scarce, essential supplies grew desperately short, social morality crumbled, and thugs and criminals ran rampant. Society had descended into anarchic chaos.
Upon seeing this premise, Cyrus Greene's first thought was: "Where can I go scavenging for... no, treasure hunting!" His heart ached to watch priceless goods being carelessly discarded and beautiful women left helpless and alone.
"Just picking up a few things would be enough to live on forever," he thought. "Rescuing a few lovely ladies could solve my lifelong companionship issues."
Well... back to the plot. The story follows an ordinary family of three in a now-criminal-infested New York, showing how they overcame various challenges to survive. After persevering for three months, they witnessed the return of government institutions and order.
Thanks to their exemplary conduct during the chaos, the family was hailed as heroes by the American public. Their lives became smooth sailing from then on, filled with endless possibilities. The male protagonist even decided to enter politics, eventually becoming the President of the United States.
"Oh... so the government actually comes back? How boring!"
It was clearly a film promoting American culture and values, emphasizing positive elements like love, justice, family, and affection, with a heavy dose of individual heroism.
The male protagonist saved society with his extraordinary abilities, punished evil, and painted the American Dream of personal struggle and success in vibrant colors. It showcased how ordinary people could make outstanding contributions, elevating American prestige to new heights.
Well, the movie was decent up to this point. But the most infuriating part came after the perfect ending when a text appeared asking: "What if the government never returned?" The film then continued, showing the family of three persisting for three months but with no improvement in sight.
The male protagonist exhausted himself protecting his family, enduring injury after injury but never giving up. The female lead constantly comforted her family members, refusing to be discouraged no matter how difficult things got. Their daughter proved clever and brave, helping her parents face various crises.
But as winter approached, survivors lost all hope, and gathering supplies became increasingly difficult. Violent incidents in society escalated, the ugliness in human nature was magnified infinitely, and individual conscience became trivially small and laughable.
The most unbearable part was when the plot reached its lowest point - the world's nuclear arsenals suddenly activated, and all strategic nuclear missiles were launched, striking major cities worldwide within minutes.
The nuclear strikes weren't enough; chemical and biological weapons were released next, killing over ninety percent of the global population in this catastrophic event.
Yet even this wasn't the end. The Earth's biosphere mutated due to genetic weapons, creating aggressive mutant flora and fauna that made human civilization's reconstruction even more challenging.
The family of three, who had barely escaped New York, faced extreme hardship. The male protagonist was shot dead while scavenging for food in a small town, and the female lead was captured by slave traders while protecting her daughter. The film ended with the pitiful sight of the young girl crying alone in the wilderness.
"Holy crap, what a terrible movie, absolutely terrible!" Cyrus Greene felt his heart sink watching the young girl's tear-stained face.
Cyrus Greene thought both women in the film were beautiful - the wife and mother were mature and sensual, while the daughter was young and vibrant. He had been ready to enjoy himself after the perfect ending, but the hellish conclusion that followed dealt him a crushing blow.
What the hell? What happened to all the promised love and justice? What about family bonds and affection? What about the happy family starting their beautiful new life together? How did reality suddenly become so cruel? Who made this film? Come out... I promise I won't kill you!
Unusually, Cyrus Greene didn't immediately close the player after the movie ended, patiently waiting for the credits to roll. He wanted to know which bastard director made this garbage film.
To his surprise, he found that the producer, director, screenplay, writer, and even the costume and prop designers all shared the same name - God!
Who's God? Using such a pretentious name, aren't they afraid of being struck by lightning? The dissatisfied Cyrus Greene searched online, wanting to know who this supposed master was. Baidu told him that 'God' translated to Chinese meant 'Supreme Deity.'
"Damn it, are they messing with me? If this director is God, then I must be the Jade Emperor!"
Cyrus Greene searched for the movie "Wasteland" again, only to discover - there wasn't a single mention of it online. No information about which company produced it, no details about the cast, no production company, no distributor, no reviews, absolutely nothing.
"Hey... am I seeing ghosts? Wait... where did I even get this movie from?"
Cyrus Greene recalled absent-mindedly opening some website, clicking around until he started playing this movie. Though the family of three at the beginning lived modestly, they seemed happy together, creating a warm atmosphere that kept him watching for over five hours straight.
Five whole hours! He'd never heard of a movie this long. From finishing lunch until nightfall, Cyrus Greene had watched until he was fuming. Irritated, he found a comment section on the playback page and typed out his complaints without hesitation.
"Terrible movie, garbage film, it's simply anti-human and anti-social! I want to watch something with a happy ending, not discuss how miserably humans live in an apocalyptic world!"
He hit enter, and the comment was posted. Just as Cyrus Greene was about to close the webpage, the comment section suddenly refreshed. A reply appeared: "You think this movie isn't good? But this is the real world."
"Real world my ass! Do you think I'm an idiot?"
The commenter's ID was 'god', and seeing this ID made Cyrus Greene's blood boil. He replied: "You think you're God? You're just a director. Movies are meant to entertain the public and make money. With such a terrible ending, who would pay to watch this? It's intolerable; nobody would like this."
God replied quickly, "I don't care whether humans like this movie, nor do I care about money. This is merely a game to me."
"Damn... the world of pretentiousness sure has new players replacing the old ones! I haven't been in the game of showing off for years, and now someone's even better at it than me, playing God and spinning stories like they're real."
"You think the world would fall into chaos without government? That's ridiculous! Governments are made up of people—when the old ones disappear, new ones naturally take their place. Even if I went to the wasteland, I guarantee I'd do ten thousand times better than the male protagonist. I would survive."
Cyrus Greene spoke with absolute conviction, listing what he believed were the male protagonist's various mistakes in the film while offering his solutions. As he talked, he suddenly found this hypothetical scenario quite interesting!
This time, God remained silent for a moment before replying: "You think you could survive better in the wasteland? If I let you go there, would you be willing?"
"Uh... no." Cyrus Greene thought to himself: I'd have to be crazy to go to that doomed world. No food, no water, surrounded by savage humans. A world where people kill for a piece of bread—no way I'm going there. 'Talking big' and 'actually doing it' are two completely different things.
But you're not doing well in your current life either. Look at you—worked for so many years without saving any money, gone on countless blind dates without finding a girlfriend. Just the other day, you were scolded by your boss for a minor mistake that was his fault.
You don't have a house, don't have a car, don't have savings, don't have friends—you have nothing that you should have. Do you think there's any hope left in your life?
Holy crap... God's words hit Cyrus Greene like a thunderbolt. He sat there stunned for a long while before nervously typing in the comment section: "Who are you? How do you know about my life?"
But God didn't answer the question, continuing instead: "I'm giving you a chance to change your life, to venture into another world. You'll appear three days before the disaster strikes. For every ten days you spend in the wasteland, I'll let you return for three days of rest, and you can bring back some spoils as rewards.
I can also give you some special benefits for crossing over. As long as you can survive the three months before the world's end, I'll count it as your victory. Then I'll open a space-time portal for your free passage. If you're willing, just hit the enter key."
After reading God's message, Cyrus Greene was completely dumbfounded. Various chaotic thoughts swirled through his mind like tangled threads, finally condensing into a single question—Do I have a chance to change my life? Can I make a fresh start? Should I go save that beautiful mother and daughter?
Whatever, hitting the enter key won't kill me.