Earth Metaverse Year 10, January 15, 2031 AD.

In recent days, strange rumors had begun circulating around campus—something was wrong with the library's book retrieval system.

When students checked the catalog, they found that the numbering no longer matched the books' actual placement. A request for Advanced Mathematics directed them to self-help guides on success, and those searching for World History ended up with titles like Leadership Thinking.

The administrator attempted multiple reboots, but the issue remained unresolved.

"Is there a bug in the system?" a girl muttered as she borrowed a book.

"A bug? How could it be such a convenient one?" a young teacher beside her whispered. His voice dropped even lower. "Don't you think these 'recommended' books feel eerily similar to... a certain Program?"

But the most unsettling part was what Shawn Wen had witnessed with his own eyes. William had borrowed a copy of World History, and in it, a key battle's description was different from what they had learned before—the original account had been altered, rewritten in a way that aligned suspiciously with a certain ideological stance.

Even stranger, when he cross-checked the material on his phone, he found that the online version had been changed in exactly the same way as the printed book.

“How is this... possible?” William murmured, his fingers trembling over the pages, as if he had just stumbled upon some forbidden knowledge that shouldn't exist in this era.

As Shawn Wen listened to their whispers and observed their unease, his mind drifted back to that eerie night just days ago.

It was a Monday, and Shawn Wen's group was on cleaning duty. By the time he packed up his schoolbag and left the classroom, night had already fallen.

The French sycamores lining the campus path cast dappled shadows under the streetlights. The dim yellow glow filtered through the golden leaves, illuminating the quiet campus like a silent guardian.

The night air was cool. Shawn instinctively pulled his jacket tighter as he walked toward the bike shed, ready to head home.

That was when he noticed it.

A black commercial van was parked in the shadows near the library. Its door was slightly ajar. Moments later, several men in black emerged from the building, walking briskly, their movements urgent.

What's going on this late at night? Stealing books? Shawn narrowed his eyes and slowed his steps, watching them carefully.

"Finally, the installation is complete," one of them muttered.

Installation? Shawn frowned. What exactly were they installing?

They didn't have backpacks or tools, and their hands were empty. They didn't look like thieves.

He hesitated, then crept a little closer, trying to catch their conversation.

"That thing isn't plugged in, and it doesn't have its own power supply... so how is it supposed to pick up energy?" a younger man asked, his voice tinged with doubt.

"Doesn't matter." A deeper voice, belonging to a mature man, dismissed the concern. "The AGI-ST Program team told us to install it. We install it. As long as they're paying, that's all that matters."

AGI-ST Program? A chill ran down Shawn's spine. He held his breath.

"Tonight, we install twelve points, and then... well, let's just say we're making a pretty penny." The younger man snickered.

"Keep your voice down!" A woman's sharp whisper cut through the night. "Did you forget their warning? If word gets out, we're all screwed!"

Just then, the man who had been silent up until now raised a small device. A faint blue light glowed from his palm, resembling a scanner.

He lowered his head, tapped a few commands, and the blue light flickered briefly before vanishing.

For a moment, everyone stood still, holding their breath. Then, the man nodded—a silent confirmation. It was done.

Without another word, they hurried into the van. The engine roared to life, and within seconds, the vehicle sped away, disappearing into the night.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Shawn stood frozen, heart pounding.

What exactly had they installed?

And why had they mentioned the AGI-ST Program?

The next day, Shawn reported everything he had seen to the school administration.

They conducted a full investigation of the library but found no evidence of any newly installed devices.

Yet, the strange malfunctions over the past few days were no coincidence.

Just because the school hadn't found anything didn't mean there wasn't something there.

Shawn's frown deepened as the memory of the men in black—and the flickering blue light—played over and over in his mind.

The last class of the afternoon was physical education, but due to the rain, the teacher allowed everyone to move around freely.

The playground below was dotted with shallow puddles, the sky remained overcast, and occasional rumbles of distant thunder echoed across the campus.

Inside the classroom, most students were either doing homework or reading, while a small group from Shawn Wen's circle gathered to chat about the unusual weather.

"Does anyone else feel like this winter has been... strange?" Joe gazed out the window at the gray sky, deep in thought. "It's already the ninth day of the third month. This should be peak cold wave season, but instead, it's been raining nonstop. And the thunder—it comes out of nowhere at the weirdest times."

"Yeah!" Lila nodded. "This morning, my grandma shook her head and said, 'I've lived a long time, but I've never seen thunder and rain in winter before.'"

William adjusted his glasses out of habit. "I saw a news report yesterday. Experts said it's due to disturbances in atmospheric circulation—closely linked to global warming."

"Global warming?" Arthur struck a scholarly pose, lowering his voice dramatically. "I think the real issue is the sun. Recently, sunspot activity has been through the roof! This kind of extreme weather definitely has something to do with it."

"Not necessarily!" Ethan countered. "Sunspots do affect climate, but this feels more like a disturbance in the Earth's magnetic field." He hesitated before lowering his voice further. "And think about it—not only has the weather been weird, but even phone signals and GPS have been acting up."

His words struck a chord.

"Now that you mention it—yeah! My phone keeps losing connection for no reason, and even my home's WiFi, which is usually rock-solid, has been lagging like crazy."

"Yesterday, my mom took me to visit a friend, and the GPS nearly led us into a dead-end. Later, we found out the entire route was off by several kilometers!"

"But you know what's even crazier?" Arthur suddenly leaned in, his voice hushed, eyes flickering with unease. "Last night, when I woke up, I swear I saw an aurora in the northern sky."

"Aurora?!" The group exchanged skeptical glances.

"I'm serious! At first, I thought it was just some wedding light show, but the colors were way too strange. Then it hit me—I've seen pictures of the aurora borealis before. This was exactly like that."

"But auroras are supposed to appear near the poles," William interjected, his expression tense. "We're in the Central Plains—how is that even possible?"

A heavy silence settled over the group. Unusual weather, magnetic disturbances, electronic interference… Could all of this really be just a coincidence?

Just then, Ethan's phone buzzed. He instinctively checked it—and his brows furrowed.

"What's wrong?" Joe noticed his expression shift.

Ethan hesitated before turning his screen toward them. "Take a look at this message."

A bold, striking text filled the screen:

"You can either rise among the elite or fall into the servitude of those who rule."

"What the hell does that mean?" Ada muttered, a trace of unease creeping into his voice.

A few others beside him tensed—because they had received the exact same message.

"I've been getting weird texts too!" Lila blurted out. Her voice quickened. "And not just one! Things like, 'Your future is already planned—choose wisely,' 'Thoughts shape reality—you are changing,' and 'Unlock your destiny: the shortcuts'…"

"Same here." Cynthia frowned, scrolling through her messages. "They all sound like self-help content—'Turn your life around with five key habits,' 'How to attract success and powerful allies,' stuff like that. But…" She hesitated.

William exhaled sharply, deep in thought. "Has anyone noticed something odd about these messages?" His voice dropped lower. "They don't have sender IDs. It's like they've been deliberately anonymized."

His words hit like a rock thrown into a still lake.

The group quickly checked their phones, flipping through their messages. The more they looked, the more unsettling it became.

"Yeah, I actually went to my telecom provider to ask about this." Lila took a nervous step forward. "They said these messages weren't sent through their system. They're investigating it, but…"

"Not from the telecom company?"

A murmur of uncertainty spread among them. While it was easy to assume the telecom provider was simply dodging responsibility, there was no denying that something about this situation felt… off.

William's face darkened. "These messages all push a certain mindset—power, wealth, control over destiny. It's like they're planting subconscious suggestions, slowly shaping how we think."

Before he could say more, Joe suddenly stiffened as if struck by a realization. He turned sharply toward Shawn Wen, his voice low and urgent.

"Wait… Shawn didn't you say you saw men in black installing something in the school library a few days ago?"

For a moment, the air grew thick, heavy with unspoken tension.

All eyes turned to Shawn Wen.

His chest tightened—he opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, a low voice cut in.

"The school already investigated that," the class monitor announced, stepping forward. His expression was unreadable. "They found no suspicious equipment." He glanced around the room. "Don't spread rumors. School's over."

The conversation came to an abrupt halt. One by one, the students dispersed, their expressions uneasy, their thoughts clouded with uncertainty.

Shawn Wen hesitated. He wanted to recount what he had seen that night, to tell them everything. But the class monitor's tone… something about it made him hold back.

Instead, he glanced down at his phone, heart pounding with unanswered questions.

Was all of this really just a coincidence?

At that moment, a deep rumble of thunder echoed through the sky. Dark clouds thickened outside the window, their shifting forms mirroring the unsettling thoughts swirling in Shawn Wen's mind.

Could it be possible?

Had the people behind the AGI-ST Program really installed some kind of device in the school?