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Infinite Restart: The Cycle of Overtime
墨書 Inktalez
The code on the screen flickered before my eyes, numbers and letters swirling like some demonic incantation. I rubbed my aching temples; the office was filled only with the sound of keyboard clacking and the occasional sigh.
“Lin Xi, has this code been tested?” The voice of Project Manager Liu Tao came from behind me, sounding utterly exhausted.
I opened the testing report and replied without turning around, “It’s been tested. No issues.”
“Good. Let’s not have any slip-ups. The boss said if this project gets delayed again, our entire team will be out on the street.”
After Liu Tao left, I glanced at the time in the bottom right corner of my computer—1:15 AM. This was the third consecutive week of late-night overtime; the 996 work schedule had long since morphed into a 007 nightmare. At twenty-eight years old, I felt like a prisoner in this office cage, tapping away at an endless stream of code day after day.
The coffee had lost its flavor, leaving only bitterness behind. I stood up and stretched my stiff back, feeling my bones creak. Outside the window at the end of the corridor, the city lights still shone brightly, as if this city never slept, just like us coders.
“Just this last part to go; hang in there,” I encouraged myself, though a dull ache settled in my chest.
After that sudden heart attack three years ago, the doctor had warned me to rest and avoid overexertion. But in this ruthless internet industry, who dared to say no? If you didn’t work late or put in extra hours, someone else would take your place.
I pounded on the keyboard with a forceful rhythm, as if venting some pent-up frustration. The lines of code on the screen multiplied while the glare became increasingly blinding.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my chest, as if someone had plunged a knife into my heart.
“Damn it, no way…” I muttered to myself, reaching for the fast-acting Rescue Heart Pill in my pocket only to find the bottle empty.
I accidentally knocked over my water cup, spilling it across the keyboard. I tried to stand but found my legs unresponsive. A wave of dizziness crashed over me; the screen began to twist and spin.
“Is anyone there… help me…” My voice was so faint I could barely hear it myself.
In my fading consciousness, I saw that the code on the screen had been successfully submitted; the green progress bar showed 100%. How ironic—code lived on while I was dying.
Then everything faded to darkness.
I don't know how long it has been, but I felt as if I were floating in a void. There was no pain, no pressure, only an endless tranquility.
Is this what death feels like? Compared to the torment of living, this is a kind of liberation.
Suddenly, a piercing alarm shattered the silence.
"Ring! Ring!"
I jolted awake, finding myself lying in bed with the alarm clock blaring beside me. The phone screen displayed: Monday, 7:30 AM.
"What the hell..." I was stunned, clearly remembering that I had collapsed while working overtime at the office.
I sat up and looked around; this was my studio apartment that I had rented for two years, everything felt so familiar. Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, and a few pieces of dirty laundry lay scattered on the floor, while takeout boxes piled up on the table.
Could it have all been just a nightmare? I touched my chest; my heartbeat was normal, and I felt no discomfort.
Picking up my phone, I saw the date: July 15th.
"Wait a minute, something's off." I jumped out of bed and rushed to my computer on the desk. Opening the calendar confirmed it—today was indeed July 15th, Monday, marking the beginning of the final push for our project!
I didn't even have time for breakfast. After a hurried wash-up, I dashed to the office. In the elevator, I ran into my colleague, Old Wang.
"Lin Xi, you don't look so good. Did you stay up late again?" Old Wang scrutinized me.
"What date is it today?"
"July 15th. Why?" Old Wang looked puzzled.
"Nothing, nothing." I forced a stiff smile.
When I arrived at my workstation, I found that the project progress on the computer screen was exactly the same as it had been a week ago. The project that had caused my demise was still in the testing phase!
"Have I gone back in time?" This absurd thought flashed through my mind.
Whether it was a dream or reality, I decided to seize this opportunity to prevent that disastrous project from going live. If this wasn't a dream, and I truly had died from exhaustion, then this time I would change my fate.
At nine in the morning, there was a meeting for all developers.
"Everyone, based on our current progress, our project is scheduled to go live this Friday," Project Manager Liu Tao announced at the front of the conference room. "This means we need to work overtime to ensure all features are tested and deployed on time."
After the meeting, I stopped Liu Tao.
"Brother Liu, I think there are many hidden risks with this project. I suggest we postpone the launch."
Liu Tao glanced at me and shook his head. "Lin Xi, it's already been decided from above. The boss personally promised the client delivery by this Friday. We have no choice but to push through."
"But there are still many issues with the backend interfaces, and there are quite a few bugs in the frontend. Launching it forcefully will lead to major problems!" I nearly shouted.
My colleagues in the conference room looked at me in surprise, while Liu Tao frowned. "Lin Xi, what's wrong with you today? You said everything was fine during yesterday's code review."
I realized I had been too emotional. Taking a deep breath, I changed my approach. "I want to conduct another comprehensive test. I'm worried that we haven't considered some edge cases."
"Alright, focus on testing today and give me a detailed report tomorrow," Liu Tao reluctantly agreed.
For the next day, I tested the system like a madman and indeed discovered several serious bugs. I compiled a risk report that spanned ten pages and waited confidently for the next day's meeting.
On Tuesday morning, I arrived at the office half an hour early, ready to present my findings at the meeting.
"Everyone, according to Lin Xi's testing report, we have indeed found several serious issues," Liu Tao said during the meeting. "However, the good news is that Old Wang has already fixed most of the bugs, and the remaining ones can be resolved today. The project launch time remains unchanged."
"What?" I stared in disbelief. "How could so many problems be resolved in just one day?"
Old Wang chuckled with satisfaction. "I worked overtime last night; it’s not a big deal."
Looking at my colleagues' relaxed expressions, a wave of despair washed over me. Was it really impossible to change my fate?
In the following days, I tried various methods: directly reporting the issues to my boss, "accidentally" deleting some code, even pretending to be sick to take a leave. But no matter what I did, the project continued to progress steadily, and the plan to launch on Friday remained unshaken.
On Thursday night, I was alone in the office working late. Tomorrow was the launch day for the project, and also the day I had died in my "previous life."
A familiar pain began to throb in my chest as I took out a Rescue Heart Pill from my drawer and placed it in my mouth.
"Is it possible that all of this is predestined?" I murmured to myself.
Just then, the computer screen suddenly went black, and a line of strange green text appeared:
"Welcome to Eden Survival Game, player Lin Xi. The First Round Test is about to end."
I jumped up from my chair in shock. "What the hell is this?"
The text on the screen continued: "Survival Rules: Complete tasks to break the cycle. Failure Penalty: Eternal Reincarnation."
"Is this some kind of prank?" I shouted angrily, banging on the keyboard in an attempt to close this bizarre interface, but the text on the screen continued to flicker quietly.
At that moment, the pain in my chest intensified suddenly, as if someone had tied a knot around my heart and was pulling it tight. I collapsed onto the floor, curling up in agony.
"No... it can't end like this..." I struggled to crawl toward my desk, desperate to reach the Rescue Heart Pill, but the bottle slipped from my trembling hands, and the tiny pills scattered across the floor.
Darkness descended once more as I heard a mechanical voice echoing in my ear: "First Round Test failed. Preparing to restart the cycle..."
When I opened my eyes again, the familiar sound of the alarm clock rang out once more.
"Ring ring! Ring ring!"
The phone screen displayed: Monday, 7:30 AM. Date: July 15.
I closed my eyes in despair. This was not rebirth; it was some kind of cruel reincarnation. I was trapped in this damned week, unable to escape the fate of the project launch, and unable to avoid the final death.
But what was that voice calling itself Eden? What did Survival Game mean?
I sat on the edge of the bed and took a deep breath. If this truly was some kind of game, then there must be rules and ways to break through. Perhaps I shouldn't try to stop the project launch; instead, I should seek deeper reasons and solutions.
"Alright, Eden, I accept your challenge," I murmured to myself. "This time, I will find a breakthrough."
The sunlight streamed in through the window, and a new week began once again. The cycle continued, but this time, I was no longer an ignorant pawn.
I decided to try a completely different strategy in this reincarnation—since I couldn't change the fate of the project launch, I would go with the flow and focus on finding clues about Eden, understanding the essence of this so-called Survival Game.
Perhaps the true path to escape did not lie in changing external events but in uncovering the hidden truths behind this game.
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