Title: "Whispers of Betrayal"

Egon had just wrapped up his grueling shift at work, the clock ticking long past his official quitting time. The boss, a relentless taskmaster, approached him with a sinister grin. "Slacking off already, Egon? Here you go, some extra work for you to get done."

Egon tried to protest, stuttering in frustration. "But boss," he managed to mumble, "My shift was done 4 hours ago."

The boss's face reddened with anger, his voice growing louder. "So you dare talk back to me? No one else would accept a useless, lazy person like you into their company. You should be grateful I didn't kick you out when I had the chance. Now work!"

As the boss's tirade faded into the background, Egon's thoughts turned to the towering stack of paperwork before him. He couldn't help but wonder how long it would take to finish it all. Among the papers was a request from a client, a website project. Egon immersed himself in the world of programming, the hours stretching like an eternity. Yet, he was determined to finish the task at hand.

Finally, Egon completed the paper work, the clock reminding him of the time. He rushed home, heart pounding, as he remembered that it was his anniversary with Maddie, his beloved girlfriend. Clutching chocolates and a carefully crafted gift he had spent a year making, he arrived at her house, his hands knotted in nervous anticipation.

Egon knocked on her door, but there was no response. He continued knocking, growing more anxious with each passing moment. At last, he turned the doorknob, and to his surprise, the door swung open. It was slightly ajar, and he couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that washed over him.

Taking a deep breath, he entered, only to find Maddie together with his boss. "Boss! What are you doing here?" Egon exclaimed, unable to hide the shock in his voice.

The boss's voice oozed with a sickening satisfaction. "Ohhh, darling, our little secret's been exposed," he whispered with a wicked grin. "Can't believe you finally found out after 3 years," he added, keeping his gaze fixed on Maddie.

Maddie, once the embodiment of an angel in Egon's eyes, laughed cruelly and kissed his boss right in front of him. Licking her lips afterwards. The sight shattered Egon's heart, and he felt his grip weaken. The gifts he had brought for Maddie nearly fell from his trembling hands.

Unable to bear any more of the painful spectacle, Egon turned and left the room,  accidentally leaving the gift behind he spent a year making. He returned to his apartment only to find his landlord evicting him, his belongings being unceremoniously thrown onto the street.

Desperation filled his voice as Egon pleaded with the landlord. "Landlord, what's the meaning of all this? I promised to pay you next month."

The landlord's response was cold and unforgiving. "Pay me now, and I'll stop."

Egon's voice quivered as he tried to reason with the landlord. "Landlord, I just haven't received payment yet. Please spare me some time."

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But the landlord's patience had run its course. He locked the door and walked away, ignoring Egon's pleas. Left with no options, Egon had to spend the night in the cold, with only his jackets as a makeshift bed.

"Why me? Why me?" Egon whispered to himself as he lay there, pondering the chain of events that had led him to this point. "I just wish that programming could grant me power in this world. Then, maybe, I could be something in this world."

He closed his eyes, tears staining his cheeks, and drifted off into a troubled sleep.

The next morning, Egon was abruptly awakened by the security guard. "Wake up, you can't sleep here," the guard gruffly informed him. As Egon struggled to open his eyes against the piercing light, he realized that someone had complained about his makeshift bed near the stairs.

Stumbling to his feet, Egon was led to the exit by the security guard. As he left, he felt a vibration in his pocket, a notification on his phone. "Hmm, a notification," he muttered to himself, debating whether to check it. Eventually, curiosity got the better of him, and he pressed the message and it was from his boss.

The message redirected him to a video, one that would change everything. In the video, his boss reaped 15 million dollars from selling the very gift Egon had left behind for Maddie. It was a personal assistant he had meticulously crafted for her, now mass-produced, and his boss was praised as its creator. The ultimate betrayal, he realized, was that Maddie had lied to him.

Egon's tears streamed down his face, a river of despair carved by the betrayal that had pierced his heart. The gift he had lovingly crafted for Maddie had been sold for millions, and Maddie herself had betrayed him with his tormentor, the ruthless boss. It felt like the universe had conspired against him, and he couldn't bear the weight of it any longer.

"Can it get any worse?" he wondered, his gaze rising to the sky. As if in cruel response to his thoughts, a bird flew overhead and left an unpleasant surprise on his shoulder. At this point, Egon felt like a complete loser, overwhelmed by life's hardships.

Driven to the brink, he went to the top of a skyscraper, his heart heavy with despair. He stood on the edge, ready to end it all, believing that death would bring an end to his suffering. A faint smile played on his lips as he contemplated his desperate decision.

But just as he prepared to leap into the abyss, the city around him plunged into darkness. Electricity and lights flickered and vanished. He heard the distant cries of people realizing that the internet had gone offline, but Egon couldn't bring himself to care. He was about to jump, to escape it all.

However, in that very moment, he saw a strange blue screen materialize in front of him, almost like a hologram. It demanded, "What's your programming language?" The options sprawled before him, including Python, C++, Java, Scratch, C, C#, and JavaScript, among others. Egon chose Python, Java, C++, and Scratch, his primary languages, reasoning that the others would be useless if he didn't already know them.

As he was about to press "continue," he noticed something astonishing. An unlisted programming language called lost that he had created himself was on the screen. He pressed it without hesitation, and a warning appeared, stating that all knowledge of the other programming languages on the internet had vanished, and the only way to learn them was to find someone who knew them. It also ominously suggested that he could acquire new languages by taking them from others through a rather dark means—by killing them.

Baffled, Egon pressed "next," still believing that this was a bizarre dream. Time reversed, and he found himself plummeting from the skyscraper once more, the wind rushing past him. Panic consumed him as he spotted a child below him, an innocent soul who would also perish if he landed on them. Desperation coursed through him as he tried to scream, but his voice was stolen by the wind.

Then, a glimmer of hope. The screen materialized on his palm again, prompting him to choose a programming language. He hesitated for a moment, questioning the reality of it all. But he couldn't risk another fatal fall. He selected Scratch and quickly assembled blocks to alter his trajectory, safely touching down on the ground.

Staring at his trembling hands, Egon realized that this was no dream—it was real. A billboard with breaking news confirmed it, declaring that programming had become tangible and integral to this world.

Egon pinched himself in disbelief, feeling the pain and reality sinking in. The news explained that programmers were highly valued, almost nobility. They were protected and cherished but at a steep cost—they were tasked with defending their nation if it came under attack by other countries.

The broadcast also encouraged programmers to teach ordinary people how to code, reducing the risk of bullying and conflict. The billboard then displayed an urgent message, calling all pedestrians to participate in a test that would determine if they possessed the skills of a programmer.

Egon watched the lines of people forming and pondered the news. He wondered if he should take the test, to prove himself and find his place in this strange new world.