January 2025. The sky over the city is choked with drones and flying taxis. From below, it looks like a mechanical web. Akash sat in a data dumping yard, holding a cracked tablet. His job was to label 10,000 images per hour—distinguishing human emotions from synthetic ones. In return, he'd earn a few digital coins, barely enough to buy a single synthetic protein block.
Akash looked up. At the peak of 'Meghna View' Tower sat Maya's kingdom. In 2025, the wealthy no longer sweat; they have nano-cooling chips embedded in their skin. To them, poverty is just a "Virtual Reality" game. Maya stood by her window, looking down at the slums. To her, they were just moving ants. She wondered, "Why does everyone say life is hard? Everything is just a button press away."
Chapter 2 :--The Invisible Walls
In 2025, the ultimate luxury is 'privacy.' In Akash's slum, privacy is a myth. Six people share a ten-by-ten-foot room. Akash's mother coughs all day, but they cannot afford the 'Smart Medicine' she needs. At the pharmacy, a robot teller says in a cold, synthesized voice, "Insufficient digital credits. Please clear the line."
Akash looked at an old photo on his tablet—his father sitting on the floor, eating real rice. By 2025, 'real grain' is only found in museums or on the dinner tables of billionaires. For the poor, there are only lab-grown 'Nutrition Bars.'
Meanwhile, in her mansion, Maya was activating her 'Emotion Mode.' Her walls are digital screens that change color based on her mood. Her father, Mr. Rahman, a tech tycoon, told her, "Maya, tonight we launch 'Sympathy AI.' People won't have to bother feeling sad for others anymore; the app will express grief for them."
Maya smiled, but her smile was hollow. She thought, "Are we truly feeling others' pain, or are we just buying the performance of it?"