"Unity is strength… unity is strength…"
The loud, passionate song of the era blasted from the speakers outside the South Alley Lane Courtyard, its powerful tune shaking the early morning air. The song rolled through windows, echoed against walls, and finally stirred Leon Ford from his sleep.
He yawned, stretched, and glanced instinctively toward his desk—
And froze.
Dense layers of ants covered his entire tabletop.
They moved like a living carpet, crawling over papers, tea stains, and even the four wooden legs of the table. Each leg was stacked with ants as if coated in a wriggling black shell.
Leon inhaled sharply.
But he wasn't panicked—his brain instantly translated the floating pheromones in the room.
Destiny Ant Nest population: 2,826.
He raised an eyebrow.
"In just twelve hours?" he muttered.
The new Queen Terra had nearly tripled their population overnight. Her ability to reproduce was truly terrifying.
The gathered ants were all clustered around the little teacup in the center of the table, releasing pheromones to communicate with Ant Sage, the developing ant inside.
To Leon, their signals sounded like the bustling noise of a crowded marketplace.
After washing up, Leon looked at the living black mat covering the table again and sighed.
"At this point, I need a bigger table."
He stepped outside.
---
Human Pheromone Bubbles
The moment he emerged into the courtyard, Leon's nose tingled.
A storm of pheromones drifted on the morning breeze.
Except these weren't insect pheromones.
They were human.
For the first time, Leon realized he could sense the emotional and physical states of humans around him—within a two-meter radius—through faint pheromone bubbles that appeared over their bodies.
As people passed him in the courtyard, floating bubbles formed beside them, displaying their emotional states:
"Hunger."
"I'm full."
"Annoyed."
"Content."
"Die for your beliefs."
Leon blinked.
The world had changed again.
He could literally see people's emotions in real time.
He turned and noticed a young woman walking past—one the courtyard residents called Linda Greenwood, who had recently gotten married.
She looked pale and uncomfortable, her right hand pressing against her stomach. Large 'HUNGER' pheromone bubbles drifted around her.
"Sister Linda, you look unwell," Leon said kindly. "Did you eat last night?"
Linda sighed helplessly.
"Oh, Master Leon… The factory gave us extra assignments. We were told to weave red armbands last night—hundreds of them. I worked the whole evening and skipped dinner."
As she talked, the "HUNGER" bubble faded, replaced by "COMMUNICATION."
Leon nodded politely but didn't stay long—he didn't want unnecessary gossip.
The moment she walked out of his range, he frowned deeply.
"Red armbands… This means the political storm is coming even faster."
Red armbands were not a simple accessory—they symbolized a dangerous shift in the atmosphere of the era.
Leon felt a weight settle on his chest.
He hurried toward the steel mill.
---
Pheromones of Fanaticism
Upon reaching the entrance of the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill, Leon stopped in surprise.
Several young students, barely fifteen or sixteen, marched confidently toward him. Their expressions were full of pride and fire.
Even from four meters away, Leon felt the waves of pheromones bursting off them.
Huge, flaming bubbles: "FANATICISM," "BELIEF," "ABSOLUTE DEVOTION."
They radiated so much force that Leon instinctively felt his heartbeat speed up.
For a moment—just a moment—
he even felt like joining them.
The pheromones were that overpowering.
When the students disappeared from view, Leon staggered slightly and wiped cold sweat from his forehead.
"This is terrifying… I actually felt influenced by their pheromones."
It was the first time he realized—
Human pheromones could be contagious—and extremely dangerous.
He steadied his breathing, walked into the workshop, poured a drink of water, and sat down before his blueprints.
He needed to focus—today he planned to perform another civilization search.
---
The System Suddenly Changes
As Leon prepared mentally, a new system prompt popped up:
"Detected: 1 civilization search available.
You have previously searched two civilizations.
Would you like to consume a search chance to perform a designated civilization lottery?"
Leon froze.
Two new icons appeared:
Inception Civilization Lottery
Ace Agent Civilization Lottery
His eyes widened.
"So I can choose a specific civilization I've already found… and extract its technology?"
This changed everything.
Instead of relying on random searches, he could now target specific worlds and extract exact technologies he wanted.
"That means no more blind guessing," Leon said excitedly. "I can directly pull what I need."
Without hesitation, he selected:
"Use one civilization search to extract the Ace Agent civilization technology."
The system chimed:
"Designated civilization lottery in progress…
Extraction successful.
Congratulations: Smart Amnesia Watch acquired."
A moment later—
Something dropped into Leon's hand.
It was a sturdy, simple-looking SH-brand wristwatch—perfectly matching the style of this era.
Leon didn't hesitate. He strapped it onto his left wrist.
Beep.
Words appeared on the watch face:
"Holographic glasses detected.
Connect watch system to holographic glasses?"
Leon tapped both devices simultaneously.
At once, the holographic glasses linked with the amnesia watch. New visual menus materialized in front of Leon.
The amnesia watch had several powerful functions:
1. Memory Erasure Needle
Just like in detective fiction, the watch could fire a tiny needle containing a memory-erasing formula that made a person instantly forget a period of time.
2. Advanced Microchip Inside
A hidden super-microchip inside the watch allowed:
holographic projections
remote satellite connection
global data transmission
global holographic meetings
With this, Leon could contact scientists worldwide without ever leaving the country.
"This is insane…" he whispered.
This watch alone could jumpstart a global scientific network.
Just as Leon was examining the functions, a familiar envious voice came from behind him:
"Hey, Master Leon! I bought a new watch too. SH brand—a real famous one!"
Leon smiled faintly, hiding how powerful his own watch truly was.
The other workers had no idea—
He was holding a device capable of changing the course of human civilization.
---