Han Jiang's eyes snapped open all at once.
Everything in front of him felt off.
He lay flat on his back. The ground beneath him stayed cold and hard, smooth like polished stone. A faint chill kept creeping through his clothes and into his skin. For a long moment he just stared straight up. No ceiling at all. Only endless hazy dimness that slowly turned into pure black way up there. No lights. No stars. Nothing like those ugly fluorescent tubes from the old factory. Just... empty darkness.
He tried to push himself up with his elbows.
His breath stuck in his throat.
Then his eyes landed on it.
Bodies everywhere.
So many of them.
Maybe fifty thousand. Or even more than that.
They pressed tight against each other, shoulder to shoulder. The floor under them went on and on, like it had no end.
Men still wore their office shirts. Women had on dresses or pajamas. Teenagers stayed in hoodies and school uniforms. Middle-aged uncles kept their empty hands out, like they were still reaching for their phones. Old couples curled up together, holding each other close.
Arms and legs twisted all over. Heads rested on strangers' legs. Some lay face down. Some on their sides. The whole place looked like one giant carpet made of people. Almost no space left anywhere.
Far away, the edges just melted into thick black shadow.
No walls.
No end.
Only void.
He was the first one awake.
Han Jiang pushed himself up slowly.
His legs stayed trapped between the sleeping strangers all around him.
His heart beat hard, thumping against his ribs like it wanted to break out.
"What the actual fuck is this..." he muttered. His voice came out low and rough.
"Did the Shift drop me into some giant coma room? Or did I finally go crazy and this is the worst nightmare ever?"
He pushed himself up from the ground.
Right at that moment, when his muscles first tensed, the change hit him hard.
His body felt completely new.
Every single movement flowed out smooth and packed with a kind of strength he never knew before.
The old ache from long shifts in the factory? Gone.
No more weak, tired sensation in his arms or legs.
His legs just straightened without any effort.
His core stayed firm and steady the whole time.
He lifted his hand and pushed his fingers into his hair.
The strands felt so soft now, much thicker than before.
He pulled one lock forward, trying to see it under the weak light. Golden-blonde. Not the dull black he used to have. This color looked bright, shiny, like polished metal.
"Golden-blonde? What the hell happened to my hair?"
He tugged harder, his eyes opening wide. "Did the system turn me into some pretty boy while I was sleeping? This makes no sense."
His eyes felt different too. Too sharp.
Everything around him appeared clear like crystal. He could spot the small stubble on a sleeping man's chin not far away. A loose thread hanging on a woman's sleeve three meters from him. Even the tiny dust particles drifting slowly in the air.
He did not notice that his pupils had changed to glowing gold. He only knew the world looked much better now. Sharper. As if someone had turned up the resolution on everything.
Han Jiang lowered his gaze to his own torso.
The white T-shirt clung tight to a body that looked like it was carved from stone. Broad shoulders. Clear chest muscles. Narrow waist. Perfect six-pack abs that shifted a little with every breath.
Not just fit. Impossibly perfect, like an old Greek statue but made even better. Every muscle line looked right for magazines or movies. Not for an eighteen-year-old who lived on microwave food and kept failing tests.
He pressed his fingers against his stomach and slowly traced those hard lines.
"Holy shit… -pack? I look like I lived in the gym instead of failing exams. This strength… it doesn't feel like mine. Feels new. Like borrowed. Someone upgraded the body and forgot to tell me."
Then he touched his face. The bones underneath felt sharper, more even. Higher cheekbones. Stronger jaw. Skin smooth now, no old acne marks left. Nothing like the plain face he used to see in the mirror every morning.
"Hmm… I feel taller too. Is it just me imagining?" He stood straight and checked against the bodies lying around him. "No way. I used to be only 172 cm on good days. Now I feel close to 185 cm.
He pinched his own cheek hard and twisted.
"Ahh—fuck!" Real pain shot through, bright and clear.
"It's actually real?"
Right at that moment, the sea of bodies started to move.
One by one, eyes opened around him. Groans, gasps, and confused voices spread out slow like a wave.
A young man in a messy blue T-shirt sat up a few meters away. He rubbed his eyes hard. "Ahh… where the hell am I?" he muttered to himself, voice still thick from sleep. "This isn't my room. Did I sleepwalk again? No… something's wrong."
Beside him, a woman around thirty with messy hair pushed herself up. She held her head. "God, did someone kidnap me? Was it that shady delivery guy yesterday? I knew I shouldn't open the door so late!"
A teenage boy scrambled up fast, eyes full of panic. "Mommy? Mommy, where are you? This isn't funny! I want to go home!"
An older man in a suit groaned loud and patted his pockets quick. "My phone! Where's my phone? I had a big client meeting at 9 AM. If this is a joke from my colleagues, I'll sue everyone!"
A middle-aged woman not far away started breathing too fast. "This must be a dream. Just a bad dream from eating too much spicy food last night. Wake up, Li Mei, wake up!"
Han Jiang stood still in the middle of all the rising confusion. His new golden-blonde hair caught the faint light. The chaos was just starting.
More voices kept joining in.
A young office worker with glasses sat up and bumped the person next to him. "Hey! Watch it! …Wait, who are all you people? Did we all pass out at the same party? This isn't the club I remember."
An old grandmother held her purse tight to her chest, voice shaking. "Oh dear, oh dear… did the bus crash? Are we in the hospital? Someone call my daughter!"
A big construction worker type pushed up with a grunt. "What the—? Last thing I remember is finishing night shift. Now I'm on the floor with all these strangers? This better not be some government test. I saw that movie before!"
A high-school girl in uniform started crying quiet. "I was studying for finals… how did I get here? Is this punishment for cheating on that math test? I'm sorry, okay? Just let me go home!"
The voices grew fast. People sat up, pushed neighbors for space, shouted questions no one could answer. Some laughed nervous. Some cursed. A few prayed soft. The quiet void turned into loud buzzing noise, like thousands of angry mosquitoes stuck in a jar.
"Anyone see an exit? There has to be a door!"
"I was just watching TV with my wife. Did she drug me for fun?"
"Kidnapped! Must be organ traffickers. They do this in places like here!"
"Calm down! This is probably a TV show experiment. Smile for the cameras!"
"My legs feel numb… how long were we lying here?"
"Somebody pinch me hard. I need to wake up from this nightmare."
"I left my dog home alone. He's gonna pee on the carpet if I don't go back soon!"
Han Jiang listened to all the noise. His better senses caught every voice clear. The panic around him felt far away, like watching a loud movie.
A man right under where Han Jiang had been lying groaned and sat up. He held his face. A clear shoe print was stamped on his chubby cheek. Han Jiang had stepped on him by accident when he stood up in the tight space.
The man was fat, maybe early twenties. Round belly pushing against a cheap black polo shirt too small for him. Greasy black hair stuck to his sweaty forehead. Small eyes buried in puffy red cheeks from the print. Double chin wobbled when he moved. He looked like the type who sat in front of computer all night eating snacks.
Han Jiang almost laughed at the shoe print but held it back. He bit the inside of his cheek.
He reached down to help the guy stand. His right hand went on the fat young man's shoulder. That's when he saw it clear for the first time. On the back of his own right hand, behind the knuckles, a new black tattoo. An intricate eye stared at him, surrounded by faint glowing runes that looked old and somehow moving. The mark pulsed once with dark energy, then settled into his skin.
The fat man's eyes finally looked up at Han Jiang.
He froze. Mouth open like a fish out of water.
The young man standing over him was too handsome. Golden-blonde hair parted in the middle, falling soft and shiny around his face. Eyebrows same golden color arched nice above piercing golden eyes that seemed to glow inside. Face perfectly even—sharp jaw, high cheekbones, straight nose, full lips that made him look almost unreal. The white T-shirt stretched over strong sculpted body. Broad shoulders to narrow waist. Clear chest. Those impossible six-pack abs moving with every breath. Body looked like it belonged to a pro athlete or a perfect statue.
The fat man just stared. This was the most handsome guy he ever saw in real life, not on any screen.
Han Jiang noticed the long stare and narrowed his golden eyes a bit. He waved his hand slow in front of the guy's face.
"Hey, sorry but I'm not interested in males. I'm straight."
The fat man woke up fast. His round cheeks turned even redder. He waved his hands quick in denial.
"No! No, ahem… it was just a misunderstanding! I wasn't… I mean, I wasn't staring like that!"
Han Jiang looked at him strange, one golden eyebrow up. He thought to himself, I didn't expect the fat man to be gay, but he kept quiet.
The fat man cleared his throat many times, trying to save face. He wiped sweat from his forehead.
"Hey man, what's your name?" He reached up his pudgy hand, still sitting among the bodies.
Han Jiang stood there a second, thinking how weird it was to chat like this in this nightmare. Then he took the hand with his right one—the one with the black eye tattoo—and shook it firm. His grip felt strong but careful. The new power showed even in that small move.
"Name's Han Jiang," he said calm, voice steady. "Nice to meet you."
The fat man's grip was sweaty and eager. He shook a couple times before letting go.
"Nice to meet you too! I'm Wang Bo—most people call me Wang Fatty. I'm 24, from Jiangnan City, District 5. I was playing games at home, eating instant noodles, then suddenly blacked out. One second yelling at teammates in voice chat, next second waking up here with a shoe print on my face. What is this place? Some escape room gone bad? Or did we all get hit by the same gas leak?"
Han Jiang opened his mouth to answer, but the noise around them got too loud. More voices rose up in waves.
A woman close by shouted, "My husband will kill me if I miss picking up the kids from school! Someone find an exit already!"
An angry middle-aged man stood up shaky, stepping on legs and getting curses. "This is illegal! I demand to talk to whoever is in charge! I know my rights!"
A young couple huddled together. The girl whispered loud, "Babe, you think this is the Rapture? Like in the Bible? Did we get left behind?"
Her boyfriend shook his head. "No way. I still have my phone—wait, no signal. Damn. Maybe aliens. I always knew they were real."
Another voice from farther back, a college student sounding almost excited. "Guys, this could be a simulation! Like that movie with Keanu Reeves. We're all plugged in, this is the Matrix. Anyone see red or blue pills?"
Laughter mixed with crying. Someone started singing an old song nervous, but three people told him to shut up at once.
The noise kept rising. The huge space turned into a roaring mess of fear and confusion.
Wang Bo looked around nervous, then back at Han Jiang. "Man, everyone's losing their mind. You look pretty calm though. Did you wake up first? Any idea what's happening? You look… different. Like you just came from a photoshoot or something."
Han Jiang glanced down at his changed body again. He flexed his fingers without thinking. The new strength hummed under his skin like electricity. "I wish I knew. One minute I was dealing with… other stuff. Next minute, this. Feels like I got an upgrade I never asked for."
Before Wang Bo could ask more, the chatter around them grew even louder.
"I left the stove on! My apartment is gonna burn!"
"Anyone have water? I'm so thirsty!"
"This must be government testing crowd control!"
"My boss will fire me if I miss morning shift. I can't lose this job!"
A child's voice cut through far away. "Daddy? I want my teddy bear…"
The buzzing turned into a deafening roar of questions, complaints, prayers, and wild guesses.
Just when the chaos hit its highest point, a huge sound exploded everywhere.
**BOOOOOOM—**
It hit like a punch to the ears. Thunder loud enough to ring inside every head. Thousands of people grabbed their heads. Some fell back down. Others froze mid-word. The loud buzzing stopped almost at once. Only ringing silence left, broken by a few soft whimpers and gasps.