Chinese Shrinking

Coiled Fist

1

Doctor, are you sure about this? We haven't done all the required tests. Said a young scientist to a middle-aged man. They were Zhang Deshi and Jiang Chen. Dr. Chen was the leader of the latest and most advanced project of the Chinese government.

"Deshi you worry too much, even if something goes wrong at worst we will need to start again, but if we succeed this new location technology will change the world just think using the genetic code to be able to find someone the applications would be a lot more than you or I can imagine"

There was a moment of silence. "Vey well doctor," said the tall man called Deshi.
"Start the process, upload the genetic the genetic data of all Chinese population, show me the map, and good luck gentlemen," said Dr. Jiang.

All the men in the lab started to calibrate the machines especially a big antenna that resembled a radio telescope. In a moment this started to shine along with other tools around the lab, then on a big screen that showed all the continents, small dots of light started to appear.

"It is a success. We are able to find people no matter where in the world with this, the data match the information we had! it is an absolute success," said Doctor Chen with a euphoric voice, but when something can go wrong, it will go wrong.

The machine started to hum and emit a weird light that blinded all the presents then it exploded with a thunderous sound, fortunately, all scientists were at a safe distance from the machine.

Dr. Chen and Deshi ran to the machine and found it as broken as it could be. "I think we need to start again doctor," said Deshi with irony in his voice he knew it was dangerous to start without enough tests.

"At least we know we are not that far away" They along with others started to verify the data but the more Deshi read the more he frowned. "This doesn't look good, the frequency should just detect the DNA data uploaded why is it showing more?" Deshi asked himself.


"So yeah, the machine was able to locate all the people whose DNA we uploaded. but the ones who didn't have their DNA should not be registered then why are they here? what is this number?" Deshi started to check all the data line by line. "Height? why Height? This shouldn't be possible" said with fear

Dr. Chen saw the scared expression in his pupil. "What is wrong Deshi?" asked with worry in his voice
"The machine, it just didn't find all our country people it did something else"
"What did it do?"
"If you had your DNA data uploaded it found you, but if not it counted you like an interference and tried to reduce the interference"
"What are you trying to tell me?" asked Dr. Chen with a heavy gaze
"The machine reduced the interference in a literal way. According to my data, the non-Chinese population has been reduced in size in all the world"
"Are you joking with me? that is not possible"
"I am afraid I am not joking, and that is all not all the population around the world were affected in the same grade"

"For people from Asia, but who are not Chinese they should be by now around 2 cm tall, but I am afraid the rest of the world should not be bigger than 1 mm tall," Said with a heavy tone

Dr. Chen walked to his desk and started to check Deshi's data, the more he looked at it the more serious he was. "Destroy all the data, destroy everything the project was a failure and didn't do anything." Said doctor Chen with a cold gaze.
"Doctor, why?" asked a perplexed Deshi
"There are some prices that we can't afford to pay, Deshi, you will understand in the future," said the doctor while was deleting all the data in his computer
"What about the rest of the world?"
"There is nothing that can be done to reverse it. It's fine, mankind is strong, we will adapt"
"But shouldn't we say something in the news? what about the Chinese who are in other countries? They don't know!"
"They will find out, but we can't say anything, for now, Go home Deshi."

After that Deshi had a great fight with his mentor, however, in the end, he didn't go to the news.

---

Zhen was a Chinese student undertaking his final year in an American college. He was a member of the track team, normally he was first to go to the lockers, but that day he felt like running more, so he was the only one left. When he finished he was dripping sweat.

He left the track and went to the lockers, During the walk to the lockers he found something weird, normally there would be people sitting on the benches, couples who didn't go to classes, cleaning staff, or someone just looking at them run, but that day was empty, even if the day was really bright, there would still be some people around, but that was not the case that day.

After arriving Zhen was expecting to see some of his teammates like Noah the blonde guy who was in Chemistry with him or Tyler the cheerful guy who was as dumb as a rock, but with a good heart, or maybe Resse the number one star of the team, but like outside the lockers were empty.

"Did they leave so fast?" asked a curious Zhen as he sat on one beach and start to unfasted his trainers. "I should buy new ones, these are a little tight," he said. It has been 8 months since he bought that pair, a number eleven and a half trainers, but it seemed like he has grown a little since then.

Unbeknown to him he was not alone. Noah, Tayler, and Resse were talking cheerfully when they felt something go through their bodies, they heard a weird sound and then blacked out for one minute. When they woke up they couldn't believe what their eyes were showing them. The locker room looked like an alien world, the benches, lockers, towels everything was now beyond gigantic.

"Holy fuck dude. What the hell happened?" asked Tyler with awe in his voice.
Noah and Resse felt their head dizzy they couldn't believe what their eyes were showing them. "I think we shrank dude, and to a very small size," said a scared Noah
"How is that even possible? people don't shrink much less to this size" said an angry Resse
"Then how do you explain it?" said Noah "I have no idea how this happened, but It seems like the truth"
Resse looked around at every gigantic thing in the room "What the fuck are we supposed to do this size? and how can we revert to our sizes?" said a still mad, but now also afraid Resse
"How am I supposed to know that?" said an exasperated Noah
"Guys don't fight it's not so bad, we just need to wait for someone to help us," said Tyler although scared, he was not mad like Reese.

"How are we supposed to do that? look at us we are like ants Tyler" yelled Rese to his innocent friend.
"Actually, I think we are smaller than that," said Noah trying to correct his friend, even shrank he was still a nerd when it comes to facts.
"Great, not even ants"
"Listen guys I think we" but before Noah was able to continue the door of the locker room opened letting the trio see something beyond their comprehension.

A guy with dark hair, and eyes as black as obsidian wearing the clothes of the track team went through the frame of the door. Zhen was 6'0 tall, but to the three guys now he was something from another world.

"Zhen..." said Noah with a shaking voice as he couldn't take his eyes off his gigantic teammate

They observed how Zhen took off his shoes, now each trainer was bigger than any stadium to them. "Holy shit," said Reese with fear while looking at the feet of Zhen who were planted on the floor

"We need to get his help guys. Who knows how much it would take us to leave this place or if someone else is going to come," said Noah even if he hated that plan it was their best shot at the moment.
Resee looked at Noah and then at Zhen and he wanted to scream.

"No, let's go to another place. it's too risky we don't know how to get his help we better think in something better"

"Resse, He is Zhen he will surely help us the moment he sees us. I will go, if you want to stay it's your problem" said Tayler and then run off in direction to Zhen

Noah just doubted a little and then followed Tyler leaving Resse behind. "Assholes," said and instead decided to run to where his sports bag was located, he will climb it and wait for someone to come to look for his belongings when he doesn't appear at home.

Tyler was confident in his plan he just needed to wave his arms, and then Zhen will help them, it will also show that cocky Resse was the true idiot of the team instead of him.

Zhen was distracted on his phone browsing his social media, but there were a lot fewer posts than usual like if people had decided to take a day off. "Maybe I should call Trent, maybe he knows something," said as he put his phone on the bench and took off his socks.

Tyler and Noah saw with marvel how the giant removed the huge pieces of clothing that covered his feet. Even in the distance, they could see the thin layer of sweat on the soles of the giant. Zhen looked like a godly being to them and that impression didn't decrease the more they run to him.

Zhen got up. "Better take a shower a go home," said as he moved in the direction of the showers. When he stood up Tyler and Noah opened their mouths in awe, now standing at his full height the size of Zhen was overwhelming. The tiny guys saw the Chinese guy move in his direction. Each time Zhen's barefoot made contact with the floor they felt a vibration as if an earthquake was happening, and whenever the feet landed a huge footprint of sweat remained on the floor.
"He is coming to us!" yelled Noah when he realized they were on the path of Zhen. He could already imagine what will happen to them if they were so unfortunate to be on the spot those feet landed

Noah started to run in parallel trying to get out the reach, but Tyler was mesmerized and also was confident. "Zhen! hey, were are here, we don't know what happened" Tyler started to yell as he waved his arms. "Noah and Resse too" he wanted to say more, to explain the situation and all, and how of an idiot he thinks Resse was, but a huge shadow covered km around him as if an eclipse was happening. When he looked up the sky was filled with the sole of Zhen or maybe it was better to say his sky was now Zhen's foot. He could see some pieces of dirt as big as him stuck to the sole. Now that he had the huge sole hovering over him he could also smell the overpowering odor coming from it. It was a mix the sour and vinegar making his eyes tear. Now he finally understood Resse. The terror filled his body like poison corroding his mind. "No, please Zhen, No, I am here," he said sobbing while the foot started to descend on him. When the foot landed his body was destroyed in just a second exploiting under the immense weight of the Chinese guy, it didn't put the slightest resistance.

When the foot moved again all that was remained of Tyler was a light stain on the floor. Noah was ashen stricken he just avoided the impact for the length of a hair, yet like his friend he could smell the potent odor coming from the foot making him choke. When Zhen continues his walk and Noah feel was safe he ran to where the foot landed waiting for a miracle, but what he saw made him vomit. A red stain as big as him was where his friend used to be the muscles, tendons, bones all were pulverized under the foot of Zhen. The sight was something from nightmares and Noah was sure if he ever returned to his normal size he would never be able to see Zhen after knowing what he did.

Zhen was about to enter the showers, but then he saw Resse's sports bag. He was sure it was from him because it had a lightning image on the front. He always thought that was something childish. "Why is this here?" he asked a little bit perplexed "Is he in the showers? but I don't hear anything," said while putting the bag on a bench.

Resse was running in the direction of his bag, but he stopped to saw the fate of Tyler he was sure the guy was dead, even if he thought the guy was an idiot he still felt his eyes tear at Tyler's fate. Tyler was always the one who supported the team the most always encouraging everyone and looking at the good side, even with his temperament he was always the one who dispersed the sour mood after a defeat and now he was gone just like that crushed under the foot of a guy who was not even aware of it.

Resse was not on the path of the giant, but he realized that something was wrong when he stopped walking. He saw with horror how the giant lifted his bag from the floor and put it on the bench. "Fucker! what are you doing?!" he yelled at the giant in frustration. To climb his bag was his ticket to be found out, but now he will never be able to do that.

Zhen finds this situation weird. "Whatever, maybe something came up and he will come in a while," said he was about to go to the shower when his phone started to ring. "Dad?" he said recognizing the ringtone. He stopped worrying about Resse and went to answer his phone.

Resse was still in his fit of rage when he saw Zhen moving, but if the first time he was not on Zhen's path now it was different. "No, wait! this is not fair! Please" he yelled as he started to run, but he was not as sharp as Noah, instead of running parallel, he moved in a straight line.

Soon the same shadow that covered Tyler was over Resse who was now running like a madman. He looked up and Zhen's sole was everything he could see. "No, please I don't want to die, Mom, Dad please help," said sobbing. The terror was immense in his 20 years of life he was never that scared. "Mom help! No, please!" screamed in desperation, and then the foot landed, his body exploited like a grape his last moments were full of dread and sorrow.

Zhen answered his phone. "News? What are you talking about? Dad I don't get you, wait I will go to the house right now, fine, fine. I'll watch where I step" Zhen hung up his father and put on his trainers and some clean clothes. "Shrinking?" said Zhen "I'll ask him at home what he meant" Zhen put his sports bag on his shoulder and left the locker room.

Now on his knees crying his soul out was Noah who just witnessed two of his friends die under the foot of Zhen. The locker felt now like a nightmare and like Noah around the world many were feeling the same many suffered the same fate of Resse and Tyler it was not until many hours later that some affected got help, but by then the number of deaths was unknown.

---

When he arrived home, he drank a bottle of liquor and turn on the news. The first hour there was nothing abnormal, but by 8:00 p.m all the news channels and social media were talking about the disappearance of most people around the world. The truth was found first in Korea when a Chinese guy found a little man on the streets he was 2 cm tall and absolute afraid, that news went viral and in just five minutes the Chinese in other countries started looking for tiny people around. In the Asian countries, it was easy, but in the other continents, the Chinses were looking for 3 cm tall people, not 1 mm tall, there it took more time and much more casualties. That night Deshi couldn't sleep in his mind he just could imagine the fear that people were feeling at that very moment. He knew the world would never be the same.

2

Haoyu came back from School. He was attending a nearby college. As a freshman, the first months were interesting and kind of stressful. Moving to another city was a big step for someone like him who was used to the familiar faces of his hometown.

Haoyu was renting a little apartment ten minutes away from School. A little bit expensive in his opinion, but it was worth it if he could avoid taking the bus. He put the keys in the lock and entered his apartment, took off his shoes, and put on his slippers. He put his gaze on the floor, looking for his friend and pet. The new trend among the Chinese youth was owning tiny people. After the incident with the experiment that shrank most of the world. The government quickly started implementing plans for the tiny population. The idea was to integrate them into society by creating jobs for them, but of course, it was impossible to give a job to a population in the billions in short months. The ones who couldn't get a job had the choice to live in a shelter created for them, but the conditions were not good and days were dull. It was not that much different from prison so for the ones who did not want that fate there was the choice to cohabit with someone normal size, but if they go with that option it is made clear they are aware of the risk of such living conditions and if something were to happen his taker is not holding responsible of anything. This rule was made to avoid filling the police stations with complaints and cases, after all, accidents are bound to happen sooner or later.

Eun-Woo was around the same age that Haoyu. He was born in South Korea in a rural town. When the accident happened saw his family perish or get lost in months. When he was found by the Chinese military was about to be attacked by a spider. After that in a couple of days, he was shipped along with thousand to China and was relocated to a shelter. Living there was not easy, in some ways not much better than living in the wild. Seeking a bit of hope he decided to bet and inscribe to cohabit with a Chinese citizen.

Today was the second day since he was assigned to live with Haoyu. The Chinese guy was around 6 feet tall by normal standards, but of course, to him, the guy was a colossus brought straight from ancient myths. He almost fainted when he was held by the hands of the giant. The Korean heard the sound of the door being opened and quickly the sound of footsteps reached his ears.

Haoyu had accepted to foster a guy from Korea in part because he was a little lonely and in part, cause curiosity was itching in him. How often can you see someone smaller than a lego? maybe for the soldiers and countrymen living outside mainland china that was not something out of ordinary but for him it was quite the opposite. He was lucky only two days after signing off for the program someone was assigned to him. It was unfortunate he could not hear his tiny roommate or pet as he liked to think even if he did not dare to voice those thoughts at least not in front of the guy as he was still sympathetic of his plight as it was his government the reason he was stuck at that ridiculous size.
Haoyu had built a little room for Eun-Woo using an old shoebox. He removed the front of it and filled it up with torn pieces of cloth. Before leaving that morning he had told Eun-Woo he was free to roam the apartment as he liked, but he should be in the shoebox before three as that is the hour he usually arrives.

Eun-Woo was not someone stupid. The days in the wild had taught him the dangers of his size. He has not wandered too far from the box. The tiny guy saw the giant walking in his direction. He gulped at the sight of the feet of Haoyu. He could imagine what would happen to him if he was unlucky enough to be where they landed.

Haoyu bend down and smiled at the sight of the tiny guy sitting in a corner of the box. "How was your day Eun-Woo?" asked with a soft voice as he knew his voice was a little strong for the guy. He learned that the first day. "Hope you like the apartment we will be living here the next two years"

Eun-Woo nodded. It was not like he could object to this arrangement. "You should be hungry. Let me change and we can eat something" said as he stood up and went to his room. The Korean saw the giant leave him again. His muscles relaxed once the Chinese guy was out of sight. He knew he needed to get used to interacting with Haoyu, but it was not so simple. Even after months of being stuck at the size of two cm tall. There was a part of him that refused to accept this reality, but of course, he knew this was his life now. The spiders and cockroaches the sizes of cars had made it clear.

Haoyu appeared again five minutes later, but now wearing short shorts and nothing on top, his feet were not exposed bare. He went to the kitchen opened the refrigerator and took out some leftovers from the previous day. Each movement was being observed by the tiny man in the hall. For Eun-Woo it was a little hypnotic to observe something so big moving with agility. In his mind, he knew not even a hundred of him would have a chance to rival the strength in one of the hands of Haoyu.
Haoyu put the food in the microwave and after it was ready he put the plate onto his kitchen table, then he went for Eun-Woo.
A bending Haoyu extended his open palm. "Climb," he said and waited for the Korean to move.
Haoyu looked at the palm for several seconds, then moved to climb it. The skin was warm and there was a very slight smell of herbs.
The Chinese guy moved to the kitchen and sat on one of the chairs, then he gently let Eun-Woo step down of his palm. It was a little funny as he did not even register the weight of the tiny guy.
In front of Eun-Woo stood a huge plate with pork, chicken, and noodles so big that they may very well be thick ropes. The smell was making him drool but he was reluctant to move towards it.

"You can eat as much as you want," said Haoyu while he was holding chopsticks in his right hand and started to dig in the food. Eun-Woo looked with marvel at the huge portions of food that disappeared in the maw of the Chinese. He heard how the meat was being pulverized under the powerful teeth of the Haoyu and shuddered thinking most of those pieces of meat were at least three times his size. At least he could comfort himself knowing Haoyu was paying attention to him so no funny accident could happen.

Eun-Woo went for a piece of pork and try to tear a piece. It was difficult but he manage to do it after many tries. Haoyu wanted to laugh but he manage to hold it. It remained him of a bug crawling for food. While eating Haoyu started to speak about his day at college and the most recent news so the tiny guy felt more comfortable.

When both finished eating Haoyu decided to watch some T.V and brought his tiny companion with him. "I'll watch some news, that may be boring so feel free to roam as you like while I watch," said while placing the tiny guy near his feet.

Eun-Woo looked up and noticed Haoyu immersed in the T.V. Being on the floor was not something weird, but being near feet as big as buildings was another thing. The air smelled a little of sweat but it was not an overpowering smell given Haoyu has been barefoot for at least one hour.

Eun-Woo looked at the toes. Each one was longer than he was tall. How different his life was now compared to months ago. Not wanting to keep breathing the sweat impregned air he decided to sit near one of the legs of the coffee table located near the sofa Haoyu was sitting on.

Haoyu was totally focused on the latest events being reported by the channel news. Currently, they were talking about the difficulty of saving and collecting no Asian people. People like Eun-Woo were more or less easy to see as long as someone was paying attention but for westerners, it was much more difficult. To put it in simple terms someone like Eun-Woo was a giant to them. "Poor people," said Haoyu.
Haoyu decided to stretch his legs to be more comfortable and by doing that his feet were again a couple of centimeters from where Eun-Woo was resting.

Eun-Woo complained for almost a minute, but he knew he could only look for another place. The Chinese guy then moved his eyes from the T.V to the tiny Korean guy. He smiled at him and again found it a little bit funny how small looked Eun-Woo next to his feet. The tiny guy could fit under his toe if he wanted. "Better go to sleep," said Eun-Woo as he stood up from the sofa and bend to hold Eun-Woo. He knew he should have asked for him to climb but it was also necessary for him to get used to being held.

Eun-Woo screamed when he felt himself being trapped between the fingers of Haoyu. The Chinese guy walked to where the "room" of Eun-Woo was located and once there he carefully deposited the tiny guy there. "Tomorrow is a holiday. We will spend all day together" said Haoyu while gently caressing Eun-Woo with his finger.
The Chinese guy went to his room after a couple of minutes and while walking the eyes of Eun-Woo followed him after he disappeared after the frame of the door.

3

Asahi was laying on the cot assigned to him. After the great shrinking as it was known by most people, he was saved from a couple of Chinese soldiers. He had been trapped in his apartment for days living on crumbs and leftovers he had not noticed when he was regular-sized.

Life in the shelter was dull most of the time. There was almost no entertainment and many spent their time looking for lost family members or friends. Each day many people were added to the list of names living in the shelter, Asahi was sure the number was in the thousands of course they were not too crowded. Their diminutive size has that advantage.

Asahi has been contemplating what his life is going to become in the future. Before losing his size he was a manager in an important Japanese company in the building sector. He was sure in five years he was going to be able to secure a directive position, but now all those ambitions faded as smoke in the air.

The Japanese man was startled when the sound of an alarm started to sound. He was now familiar with that sound. It was used to indicate the door of the shelter was going to open in five minutes and they should make space to avoid any accident. That was the routine once a week. Chinese soldiers would inspect to make sure everything was in order.
Asahi hated and loved when they needed to do those inspections. It was good because it helped to break the dull life in the shelter, but the soldiers sent were always young and even if he did not understand what they were telling he knew they were laughing at them he could feel it in their gazes and light smirks on the corners of their lips.

As expected a few minutes later the huge doors opened and the frame of two Chinese soldiers appeared. They seemed to be around 19 or 20 years. Both were wearing the standard uniform. The moment they stepped in Asahi felt a little tremor and the sounds of the boots hitting the floor were like a small explosion, but soon he and everyone else got accustomed to it.

The two soldiers observed the population with fathomless eyes, but after some time they started to talk between them, and from time to time they would chuckle.
The attitude those soldiers were showing was exactly why he preferred to live in the shelter than cohabit with some random Chinese guy. He was sure at most he would be treated as a pet. He was too proud to allow himself to fall in such a category.

The soldiers spent at least twenty minutes inspecting them, then moved to a zone designated to recollection for the ones who had decided to cohabit or in his opinion to become a pet. There were at least one hundred who were looking with fear and hope at the soldiers hoping the person they would be assigned would treat them well.

One soldier took a transparent box located near his feet and with some care started to put the people inside it. It was incredible to observe how dozens fit and still was some space left, and Asahi was not that different, but besides marvel, there was resentment in his eyes he hated what they had done to him. He did not care if most Chinese were not responsible for the accident but it was their technology that caused it so they were guilty, but what was the use of it? it was not like he could fight them by any means or should he bite the toes of the Chinese till they surrender? it was pointless. Asahi saw the soldier storing the box in his front pocket and then the soldiers walked to the entrance again ready to leave, but then he notices the pair started to say something else and one of them started to walk around like looking for something, then the piercing gaze of the giant fell onto him or it was better to say to the zone he was. He gulped nervously and hoped maybe there were just joking, after all, it would not be the first time they do something like that, but it was not the case the young soldier took out another container but this one was blue and was half size the transparent one and then the soldier started to pick people around him and store them in the container, but unlike before the people were struggling against the giant fingers and then it was his turn. Asahi struggled to try to break free and cursed the soldier, but a moment later he was in the container. The soldier sealed the container and put it in his back pocket.

—Did you get everyone?— asked his partner with a small smirk on his lips

—Yes, no problem. They struggled a little but all in— said the soldier petting his pocket —So these guys are the guys spreading rumors about us?—

The other soldier nodded —Yes, they are claiming we did the accident on purpose—

Donghai shook his head. He did not understand how they could think of something like that. If that was the case why would they spend time-saving them from wild insects and animals? also, the impact Chinna suffered after losing all his economic partners was catastrophic the first months were hard for them too even now they were struggling in some fields. —What should we do to them? Should I send them to cohabit with someone?— asked a doubtful Donghai, after all, his instructions were to collect them but nothing after that
—Yeah, that is the plan. The superiors are hoping his bad feeling will disappear after a good and friendly cohabitation with us. I don’t think it is that easy, but we only follow orders. Take them to that zone, I have some matters to attend— said the soldier before departing in another direction

Donghai started to walk to the bonding zone that is how it was called the administrate area in charge of organizing new homes for the tiny people. On his way there he was in deep thought. He also agree with the idea it could not be that easy to change the mentality of these people, but it was true they could not allow them to poison the mind of the rest so they needed to be removed from the shelter.

In the bonding zone, he handed the transparent container to another soldier and then took out the blue one. —Don’t you want one? It is fine if you keep one or two— said the soldier while putting the transparent one on top of his desk where another five or six ones were located.

Donghai looked surprised by the words of his companion. The rules were clear the soldiers were not allowed to keep anyone and that confusion was clear on his face. —The blue ones are special, we were told soldiers should take priority in case they want to keep a couple, after all, what could be better to change minds that living with us?—

—Oh I get it— said a relieved Donghai —He looked at the tiny people and decided to choose one, after all, he was curious about living with one of them— he picked up a random guy and put him in his front pocket

After a little bit of chit-chat, he leave the bonding zone and went back to his room, after the day was over, and also he was curious about the tiny guy in his pocket.

He entered his room and noticed he was alone which was good, after all, he wanted some time alone after a tiring day. Donghai lay on his bed and take the guy out of his pocket. He was really minuscule between his fingers almost like a toy but smaller. The tiny person felt so fragile that it was a little comical and he noticed there was some struggle but the poor man could not move an mm under the strength of his fingers, funny he was not using any strength then he heard some very faint sounds coming from the tiny guy but it only sounded like a faint squeal and that because he had the guy near his face otherwise he doubted he would hear something so faint.

—From now on you are staying with me— said Donghai with a small smirk. He was feeling great at that moment he now understood why it was popular among men to have tiny people. It was a boost in confidence just holding that tiny man making him feel powerful but in an interesting way.
Asahi could not understand the foreign language of the Chinese man but he did not like the smile on the lips of the giant and hated to be so close to his face, whenever the giant opened his mouth he was enveloped in the warm breath of the guy, besides, being held for giant pair of fingers was terrifying.

—I’d love to chat with you, but you are too tiny maybe I can get one of those devices to hear you in the future, but for now I will be the one doing the talking— said while still holding Asahi with care

—I know you think we are to blame for your current size, but it was all an accident I know you don’t believe but I’ll show you we are only saying the truth. Think if we wanted this why save you? would not be it better to crush you? Look— said Donghai getting up from bed and planting his feet on the floor, then putting Asahi between his military boots. —Look at my boots and look at you. why spend time-saving you if we shrank you? I bet most of us have crushed bugs bigger than you, but instead, we are helping as much as we can— said Donghai with bright eyes

Asahi could not understand a word, but the sight of the giant black boots on both sides of him was everything he needed to understand. He has never been that close to the boots of the soldiers, he knew better than that, after all, one wrong step and he would be only a red stain on the rubber sole, so now that he was so close he could not help but tremble in fear and the voice of the giant was not helping he was starting to speak louder and in the process hurting his ears with his thundering voice.

Donghai did not notice the pain he was causing Asahi with his voice after all he was too excited about conveying his speech. —You get it? and don’t think about my boots even a small insect would be a challenge for you guys and you are the big ones. You are lucky you are from Asia, if you were a western guy, oh man, they are really unlucky I have not seen them but you would be massive next to one, so see you are lucky. We are taking good care of you guys and it will be the same for you with me here you will be safe— by this point, his voice was really loud and the poor Asahi was on his knees covering his ears with red eyes. He was sure that if this kept going his eardrums would shatter sooner than later.
Once Donghai stopped talking he saw the tiny man in a weird position —You should be tired— said bending to hold his tiny man again —Tomorrow you can go with me while I work. I don’t want to leave you here all by yourself also my roommate is a slob so you better come with me— said. He put Asahi on his bed while he took off his pants and shirt, then he laid down on the bed and in the process made Asahi run trying to avoid the colossal body.

Donghai held his tiny pal once he found a comfortable position and put him on his chest. —You can sleep on my chest. I don’t move while asleep, so you are safe— said while stretched a little. —Good night pal— the Chinese guy said and a couple of minutes later he fell into a deep sleep.
Asahi was sitting hugging his legs he wanted to flee, but he was afraid the giant would feel him moving, and even if that was not the case he could not jump from the bed to the floor. The height was dozens of meters tall he for sure would break something and if for some miracle he did not then what? he was a bug-sized man in a building with titanic men walking everywhere. He had in his mind the image of those boots he knew he was powerless and finally, his rage turned into sadness and hopelessness and tears flow his eyes a moment later. He was a man he should not cry, but he could not help it. He felt like a pet of some kind totally at the mercy of a guy younger than him. He cried for hours until his eyes were dry and the tiredness forced him to sleep, as he fell into a deep sleep he heard the thunderous sound from Donghai's heart under him and in some weird way, he found comfort in it.

4

Haitao was laying on his bed while looking at the news. It was scary how the world can change in a moment. One moment he was a normal businessman working as a manager for a microchip company and now he was in the United States as a member of the army of rescue deployed by the Chinese government.

After the accident happened all around the world people were facing dangers and risks beyond comprehension. —Kou, do you think tomorrow we are going to be sent to the office buildings?— asked Haitao to a tiny man who was sitting near his ear.

—I am not sure, New York is really big. Do you want to go to the business zone? I think it would be better to go to the residential buildings— said Kou Yamamoto. Kou was a Japanese man who was rescued by the Chinese army and then sent to one of the shelters. After living for some days in a shelter and experiencing that life he knew he could not bear to live all his life in one of them as a caged animal, and at the first chance he accepted to be put in “adoption”. Kou was lucky he was paired with someone like Haitao.

Haitao had a clean look, was 5 '10 tall, and lean appearance, and he was already 28 which was much better than ending up in the hands of some irresponsible teenager or college student. At least Haitao fed him well, and even if sometimes was a bit rude to him at least he made the attempt to try to listen to his opinions. They were able to communicate as long he was near Haitao’s ears.

—The suburbs sound like a good place to rescue families, but if they used to have pets, it is already too late for them. The business district is a much better place to rescue people. I’ll need your help, Kou, if they are as small as the government is saying they are then it would be hard for me to handle and spot them— said Haitao while thinking about those poor people.

Given the number of people affected the Chinese army was unable to help and rescue the world by themselves. An initiative was put in motion to recruit members of the civil population and Haitao was one of the many that stepped in to help. In his eyes, Kou was already tiny standing only two centimeters tall. He has crushed bigger bugs in the past, but in the western world, even someone like Kou may be a giant for the tiny westerners.

—I guess you are right. You can count on me. If I do a good job. Do you think I can get some of your food as a reward? only If I do a good job— Kou’s voice carries a hint of hope. To feed the shrunken people the government has distributed a special kind of food, however, in Kou’s opinion it tasted bitter, and could only drool at the sight of Haitao’s food. In the past, he has tried to sneak some crumbs of the giant’s food but when it was found out by Haitao’s the punishment he applied to him was not something he wanted to experience again.

—No Kou. The food I give you is already good enough for you.— said Haitao in a bored tone of voice. That question has been a constant in the last few days. He was aware the food provided by the government for the diminished population was not the most appetizing one but it has all the nutrients required for them.

—Kou wanted to argue but he knew better than to provoke Haitao. —Fine, but can I explore the room a little? I am not really interested in watching the news— he said with a pleading face. The last thing he wanted to watch was the current news. In his opinion, they were too depressing.

—Sure, but remember, don't leave the room. No one will notice if they step on you if you leave— said Haitao while putting Kou on the floor and giving him one last look before returning his attention to the T.V

Kou nodded. He may be adventurous but he did not have a death wish. At the moment he only wanted to stretch his legs after being trapped in Haitao’s pocket. Kou looked around him and was thankful the floor was not too dirty, which was interesting given it has been abandoned for some weeks, but he guessed someone should have made sure it was cleaned before the soldiers and other personnel arrived.

At his fight, some dozens of yards from him, the black boots of his master lay like two enormous beasts. It was hard to think of another guy as his master or owner but Haitao had made sure he knew his place the very first days he started to live with him. As contradictory as it sounded, Kou was thankful to be in Haitao’s care. The time he spent in the shelter was short but made him aware there were much worse and overbearing owners than Haitao, besides his living conditions were much better than staying in a cramped shelter.

He still remembered the first days living with the giant Chinese man and the dangers of those days, after all, both were trying to get used to the presence of the other. —Let’s see if I can find something here— the Japanese guy was aware there would probably not be anything worth paying attention to, but thinking there may be something unexpected motivated him.

Kou started to walk, leaving the shadow of the bed and moving towards a trash bin near the door of the room. He was not planning to explore the inside of it but the other option was going to the desk in the corner of the room and he was sure that route would take at least one hour, so it was much better to go to the trash bin, at the very least he could recreate the scene from the kid’s movie ants.

The journey was an uneventful one and when he stood in front of the clean trash bin he looked at it as if it was a magnificent building. which in some way for him it was. It was good it was empty after all he would have not dared to go closer to it if that was not the case, after all, if some bug was hiding in the trash and decided to attack him he would be in some serious danger given Haitao was not paying attention to him.

He was immersed in his thoughts when he heard a noise or it was more precise to say he heard a void. A high-pitched voice belonging to a really tiny man. The tiny guy was running toward him. Through his eyes, the man could not be taller than four inches tall and had a very haggard appearance. Kou crunched down to have a better look at the man who was now standing in front of him with an awed look.

—You should be a westerner.— said Kou while he observed the red hair of the young man. His clothes were torn but it was clear he was wearing a uniform so maybe he used to be a member of the staff in the hotel.

Seth was looking at the giant guy in front of him, even if he was not as big as the other giants that came early that day or the one in the bed he was still enormous in his eyes. The giant had a thick accent that could recognize belonged to someone from Japan. —I am Seth, please help me, please— said Seth almost begging.

Seth did not know how or why but when he was shrunk to this size and have been forced to fend for himself for days. Days have been like hell; he was forced to look for crumbs of food or flee from bugs the size of cars. For the first hours, he had hoped someone would enter the room or maybe they would start looking for him, but none came, until that morning when some giants did a quick cleaning of the room. Those giants were talking in a foreign language and were wearing a military uniform, but it was definitely not the American one.

Kou knew he should not try to hold the little man, after all, he seems to be under a great amount of stress so he decided to sit on the floor and looked gently at him. —We have come to help you and your people—

Seth did not if it was because he really could not hold back his emotions anymore or because those words lift a fire of hope in him but he started to weep like a child. Kou looked at the tiny man and sighed. He understood how he felt, he still had nightmares of the first days after he shrank. The terror of living in a world much bigger than him, the feeling of loneliness and despair. —You will be fine. You really are strong. What is your name? I’m Kou and I am from Japan.—

Seth tried to control his weeping and cleaned his eyes while he looked up at the gentle black eyes that were looking at him —Seth, call me Seth.— said the red-haired guy who decided to sit next to the hand of Kou. —What happened? why are we small?— inquired Seth. That question has been consuming his mind since the moment he shrank.
Kou was a little surprised the little men knew nothing about the accident, but after some thought, it was natural, after all not everyone was near TVs or another source of information when it happened. —It came from China. A group of scientists was doing an experiment and this went terribly wrong. All human population who does not have the specific genetic code of the Chinese population has lost their size. I am from Asia so for people like it was not so bad but for people like you, well you guys suffered the worst effects. As you can notice I am not as small as you. The Chinese government is taking full responsibility for the accident and has deployed its army to dozens of countries, but even mobilizing all their soldiers is an extremely hard task to cover the whole world so some civilians are being recruited, like Haitao the guy who is in the bed. I have been living with him and he came here to help.—

—Seth, there are some things that you should know. When someone is rescued they are sent to shelters where they can live with people their size. Once there try to follow the rules.— Kou knew that he should slowly release the information to Seth but he was aware that the sooner he was clear about the general situation was also for the best.

Seth was paying total attention to what Kou was saying but he could notice there was something wrong with the last thing he said. It seemed to be a hidden meaning in his words implying there was some shady stuff happening in those shelters. He was scared but he also was becoming aware that he may not have another option. If what Kou was saying was true the American government should have collapsed and no weapon could be used to retaliate, they were powerless in the face of those giants. Seth nodded expressing that he was understanding.

Kou felt relief when he noticed it. —Good, I can tell you more on our way to the bad. Haitao is going to be watching the TV for a while but after that, I need to introduce you to him. He is a good guy but he can be a little bit bossy so try to bear with it. I will be by your side every moment so don’t be too scared. Now want to walk or want me to hold you?— asked Kou to the tiny American.

—I…I rather walk— said Seth who was not feeling ready to be held by Kou, at least not yet—

—No problem. Then let’s go, Seth. I’ll tell more during the journey— said Kou giving the tiny red-haired a smile and that was reciprocated by the tiny American. Both men tiny and big started their walk. one feeling happy for providing hope and help and the other with a feeling of safety or as safe as one could feel when you are one millimeter tall

Seth struggled to keep up with Kou's pace. The difference in their sizes was too drastic, so to avoid leaving Seth behind, Kou was forced to take very slow steps and give Seth a few seconds to cover the distance he covered in one step. Although it wasn't practical, Kou was aware that he had to respect Seth's wishes, as he understood how he felt perfectly. The idea of losing independence was terrifying, so everyone clung to the little situations that could help them feel in control. For Seth, that situation was the ability to choose, to walk on his own.

"Do we have any hope?" Seth asked, looking downcast. Before the great shrinkage happened, he had friends, family, and even a girlfriend, but now, who knew where they could be or if they were still alive. He wanted to believe that he could reunite with them and that he could soon regain his size. Seth wanted to dream of that future.

"Well, I don't know," Kou replied with a forced smile that revealed the hardships of time. Although not much time had passed since they had shrunk, Kou had seen and heard things he would rather never have known. "Not all is lost. Hundreds of thousands of people are rescued every day, and although the shelters aren't the best place, they at least provide a much safer place than the outside world, and we have food and water. I'm sure they are looking for a way to reverse this event."

Seth appreciated Kou's honesty. Somehow, hearing the ugly truth was better than being told that everything would be fine. "Can I ask you, if you choose to live with someone, what should I expect?" Seth inquired. Based on what Kou had told him, living in shelters didn't seem like the best idea, and although it sounded terrifying, perhaps living with someone of normal size was the best option until they had more information about whether the process could be reversed.

Kou let out a sigh upon hearing that question. "I'm not sure if you have that option. You were affected extremely by the experiment. From what I've heard from Haitao, all Westerners are being sent to shelters. Maybe you'll have that option in the future, but for now, you'll have to stay in the shelters," Kou clarified. The Japanese man knew it was difficult to accept, but Westerners had far fewer options than people like him. To put it in perspective, Kou was approximately twenty times larger than Seth. The American could easily fit under Kou's foot, with space for another person.

Seth couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed with that response, but he understood. Although they had both been shrunk, the extent of their impact was very different. If someone like Kou was gigantic to Seth, how would it be to live with a Chinese citizen?

"Where are the shelters?" Seth asked. "Are they going to take us out of the country?" the American inquired.

Kou shook his head. "That won't be necessary, at least for now. Haitao told me that the construction of shelters has already begun, but they will be temporary for a couple of weeks until a definite plan is in place for all of you," the Japanese man clarified with a look of sorrow. If he and his people were already struggling, measuring just two centimeters tall, he couldn't imagine how difficult it would be for Westerners.

Seth fell silent upon hearing Kou's response. His future looked very uncertain. For the next ten minutes, the pair didn't utter a word and focused on making their way to the bed in the center of the room.

It took them both almost twenty minutes to cross the room until they reached the bed area. Kou instructed Seth to sit beside him, next to Haitao's gigantic military boots. "He won't pay attention to us while he's watching television, but once he's done, the first thing he'll do is look for me, and then I'll introduce you to him," Kou explained while sitting down, leaning his back against the hard surface of the wide boot sole.

Seth felt insignificant standing near the enormous black boot. During the days he had been surviving on his own, the largest beings he had seen were a couple of ants and termites. At his new size, those insects were the size of houses or buildings, and the most fearsome ones were even slightly larger than Kou. But none of them compared to the immensity of the boot. The width of the boot sole towered over his head by tens of meters. Seth could discern even the smallest detail and imperfection with absolute clarity. He even noticed pieces of adhered dirt that were at least ten times his size.

"I know it's terrifying. I was scared the first time I saw a person of normal size. Haitao isn't so bad, although I wish he was more flexible with the food he gives me," Kou said, giving a bitter smile to the small American.

Seth decided to sit to the right of Kou's hand. With his eyes, he traced the long and slender fingers of the Japanese man. Seth sadly noted that they were barely larger than Kou's fingers. "Where did you get your clothes?" the American asked as he looked at Kou's outfit. The Japanese man was wearing loose pants and a garment that reminded him of a tunic.

"They gave it to me when I was transferred to a shelter. I think someone's daughter sees us as dolls and came up with this idea. The only downside is that there are no matching shoes," Kou said as he looked at his bare feet. "Maybe you can have some clean clothes once they take you to the shelter. We can ask Haitao for it once he pays attention to us."

"I don't speak Chinese, although I knew I should have taken that language instead of Romani," Seth said with a hint of regret. When he was in college, he chose to study Romani instead of a more widely spoken language because there was a girl in that class whom he liked a lot.

"I will speak for you, don't worry," Kou said, calming Seth's concerns. "That's one of the reasons why I wanted to live with someone like Haitao. I'm fluent in the language, so when I get close to his ear, I can communicate with him."

"What happened in Japan? How was everything in your country? Here, at least in my case, I was cleaning this room, and the next second I was this size," Seth said as he recalled the terrifying moment when he shrank.

"It was very similar. I was at home, about to have dinner. I suppose I was lucky that I ended up near my plate. I managed to sustain myself with that until they arrived," Kou said as he looked ahead, his gaze carrying a melancholic air, as if his eyes were penetrating the sands of time. "I remember it vividly. A soldier dressed in the uniform of the Chinese Republic burst into my house. I heard him moving through the rooms, probably searching for more people. It's good that I live alone, or who knows if I would have gone crazy with worry," Kou said with relief. The truth was, he was fortunate that his parents had passed away a couple of years ago. In his opinion, those who didn't know if their families were still alive were going through worse. "The soldier entered the kitchen, and he was horribly large. There's an old legend. It is said that Urashima Tar? visited an underwater world, where everyone were giants compared to humans. When I saw the soldier, I couldn't help but think of that old legend, although I doubt the inhabitants of the underwater world were as big as that Chinese soldier."

"He approached the table, and the first thing he did was look at the food, and then his eyes landed on me. I won't lie, I almost passed out at that moment. Being under that gaze was terrifying, even now there are times when Haitao looks at me, and I can't help but be a little scared."

"The soldier was quick. A few seconds after he observed me, he held me between his fingers and deposited me in his pocket, where there were others like me who had been rescued. That was the last time I was in my house; what follows is ancient history. I was transferred to a shelter. I spent a few weeks there until I was assigned to Haitao. And now I'm in America, helping to find Westerners like you," the Japanese man smiled at Seth. Life, when shrunken, was tough, but at least he felt that his life had a purpose in being able to help people like Seth.

Lying on the bed, Haitao had grown bored by watching TV and felt it was best to sleep, but before that, he needed to take a shower. Haitao searched the floor for Kou. Given the Japanese man's tiny size, he had to be careful while walking, but Haitao also believed that Kou should be responsible for not being in his way. The Chinese man understood that he also had to do his part.

"There you are, Kou. Let's take a shower. Tomorrow we have a long day ahead," Haitao said upon finding Kou. Haitao got up from the bed and planted his bare feet on the floor, very close to where Kou was sitting. The Chinese man crouched down to hold the little Japanese man between his fingers. "Let's see how good this hotel is," he said as he walked toward the bathroom with Kou in his fingers.

Kou felt his ears vibrate when Haitao's enormous feet struck the floor, but it was Seth who suffered the most. For the small American, the sound of the feet hitting the floor was equivalent to a bomb exploding near him. It also generated a gust of air that sent him flying for nearly three meters from Kou’s perspective.


Kou wanted to alert Haitao that they had found Seth and that he was very close to him, but before he could make any gestures, he found himself being held by Haitao's enormous fingers, each one as big as a tree and stronger than Kou's entire body combined.

The Japanese man wanted to indicate to Haitao to stop and help Seth, but the strength of the fingers prevented him from moving a single muscle in his body. As he was being carried to the bathroom by the gigantic Chinese man, he couldn't help but look at the floor with concern, praying that Seth was okay.

Upon reaching the bathroom, Haitao placed Kou on the sink. "You know the routine, take off your clothes while I prepare your bath," Haitao said as he turned on the faucet and placed a stopper in the sink's drain. The giant Chinese man expected Kou to follow his instructions as usual, but instead, he saw him jumping around in an animated and almost frantic manner, which made Haitao furrow his brow. "What's wrong with you?" Haitao inquired as he held Kou between his fingers and brought them to his right ear.

"Seth was with me! Haitao, help Seth," Kou said, relieved that Haitao noticed his strange behavior and decided to ask him about it.

"Who is Seth?" Haitao asked with great curiosity in his voice because when he saw Kou on the floor, he didn't notice anyone else with him. But then he had an idea of what the little Japanese man could be referring to. "Are there Americans in the hotel? But this hotel should be safe, or so it was believed."

"Yes! Seth was near the trash bin. He has been surviving as best as he can these days. He was close to me, but he is much smaller than me. I think he got blown away by the gust of air," Kou said, happy that Haitao understood the situation so quickly.

"What gust of air? There are no open windows in the room."

"When you stepped on the floor, when you're our size, your footsteps have certain effects on the environment. Seth was nearby, and I saw him getting blown away, but you must be close to where he was. We have to help him," explained Kou, who deep down wanted to tell Haitao to stop asking questions and instead go help the American, but he knew better than anyone that giving orders to Haitao was not a good idea. As good as he was, the Chinese man could be somewhat temperamental.

"Really? Well, that's pathetic. But of course, let's go help him. Who would've thought we'd rescue someone just as we arrived in America," Haitao said as he left the bathroom and returned to the room. "Let's see if I can spot him," he said as he walked to his bed and approached the spot where the little Japanese man had been sitting. Haitao scanned the floor with his eyes, and for several seconds, he saw nothing. "Are you sure he was around here?" the Chinese man asked, still looking at the ground.

Then Haitao noticed something extremely small a few centimeters from his boot. It almost looked like a grain of sand, but it was moving. "You must be Seth," Haitao said with a somewhat mocking smile. Haitao had been informed of the size to which the Westerners had been shrunk, but seeing it in person was very different from hearing about it. "So tiny, I don't think I can grab him without crushing him. Kou, take care of him," he said as he placed the Japanese man on the floor and watched him move toward the tiny American.

Kou ran to where Seth was. Upon reaching the American, the first thing he did was examine him, and although it was clear that Seth was in pain from the expression on his face, it seemed that he hadn't broken any bones. "Let me help you up," Kou said as he carefully extended his hand to support Seth. Although Seth had indicated that he didn't want to be grabbed, the circumstances of the moment forced Kou to do it, hoping that Seth wouldn't take it the wrong way.

Seth felt the warm touch of Kou's palms against his sides and saw his huge black eyes looking at him with concern. "I'll recover," he said nervously. Although Kou's presence brought him some comfort, he couldn't be calm after the experience he had just gone through, and because a colossal being beyond comprehension was standing behind Kou at that moment.


Seth had seen Haitao lying on the bed when he was walking alongside Kou, but now that he was close to the Chinese man, Seth felt overwhelmed by the enormous size difference. Kou, who was already a giant to Seth, was nothing more than an insect compared to Haitao.

"Everything will be okay, Haitao will help you," the Japanese man said. When Haitao noticed that Kou was holding the American, he moved his hand and held Kou between his fingers, then brought him up to eye level. Haitao was trying to distinguish specific features in the American, but it was impossible; the size of the American was too small for Haitao's eyes. "You guys really had bad luck," Haitao said with a half-smile.

As soon as Haitao spoke, the sound waves of his voice made Seth scream in pain. The Chinese man's voice was like a million thunderclaps exploding in his ears, and then he felt Haitao's breath enveloping him like a mist, raising the surrounding temperature.

"Where should we put you? I can't leave you on the floor, or maybe they gave us containers for you. I can put you in there, and later I'll hand you over to be taken to a temporary shelter," Haitao said as he lifted Seth and walked to a small cabinet near the bed, opening a drawer. Haitao took out a transparent container about five centimeters long and three centimeters wide, with holes on the top. "Kou, place him inside," Haitao instructed Kou as he brought the small container closer.
Kou tried to protect Seth from Haitao's voice, but it was impossible. He could only repeat that everything would be okay despite Seth's screams of pain. Kou used to complain that Haitao's voice hurt his ears, and the Chinese man had practiced lowering the volume to a level acceptable for Kou. However, it was clear that the volume acceptable for Kou was torturous for Seth.

Kou carefully placed Seth inside the container. The Japanese man wanted to say a few things to Haitao, but he knew that if he did, he would be the next one crying out in pain. So he had to swallow his anger.

"Not bad, our first rescue, but heavens, he's so tiny. And here I thought you were tiny, Kou. At least I believe I would feel you crunch under my foot, but this American, not in my wildest dreams. He could probably drown in a drop of sweat," Haitao said mockingly as he closed the lid of the container.

"I wonder how many more we'll find tomorrow. Well, we'll discover that soon enough," Haitao said as he made his way back to the bathroom in the room, still holding Kou between his fingers. Kou cast worried glances at the container, but he knew there wasn't much he could do. This was the reality of the world, and both he and Seth had to accept it.

5

In a military base that once flew the flag of another nation, the five-star flag now waved. Chinese soldiers had arrived in the country five days ago to assist with the rescue of the shrunken populations. The event that had changed the world, as everyone referred to it, had reduced all those who did not belong to the nation of the dragon to a fraction of their size.

The soldiers were dressed in typical military uniforms and thick coats to protect themselves from the intense cold. Feng Sheng was sitting in the cafeteria of the military complex, while Zhang Zheng looked at him with a challenging gaze. Both men appeared to be no older than twenty years old, and at other times, they would have been pursuing a university education. However, instead, they had been recruited to be deployed abroad and assist with the rescue operations.

"This doesn't feel right. Do I really have to do it?" Sheng asked uncertainly, his voice filled with doubt, as he looked at the small transparent container placed in the center of the table between him and Zheng.

"Hey, you're the one who said they never back down from any bet. You can choose not to do it, but then you have to admit that you're a coward, and you'll have to take my place cleaning the bathrooms this week," Zheng confidently replied. He and Sheng had bonded as soon as they met, since they shared similar personalities, although their appearances couldn't be more different. Zheng had a robust build, short hair, and rugged features, and he was about fifteen centimeters shorter than Sheng, who stood at 185 cm tall with a slender frame. Sheng carried an air of a scholar around him, and his facial features were more delicate.

Sheng grimaced as he thought about cleaning the bathrooms for a week. Although he was sure that the task would eventually be assigned to him, it didn't mean he was willing to move up his turn. "Where did you get them? I thought you weren't supposed to monitor the shelters for another two days," Sheng asked, finding it incredible that Zheng could have abducted two people without anyone noticing.

"There's not as much surveillance as you think," Zheng clarified, flashing a wide, arrogant smile at his friend. "Will you do it or not? If you want, you can use them as toppings, I don't mind. It'll also help you avoid strange looks."

"You seem like an expert. Don't tell me you've done it before," Sheng asked with doubt in his voice, scanning his friend.

"No, but I've heard rumors, so I thought it would be a good challenge. Come on, if you can't do it alone, just admit it, and let's get this over with," Zheng said as he started eating the plate of fried rice in front of him.

Sheng looked at the transparent container with the two tiny specks trapped inside. He couldn't even distinguish their features, but he knew there were two people in there. Would he really dare to eat them? "It's either this or cleaning the bathrooms," he thought for a moment and then made his decision.

Sheng grabbed the container and removed the lid that covered its top, just barely glancing at the people inside. He proceeded to turn the container, causing its contents to fall onto his plate of fried rice. "Try to think that there's nothing out of the ordinary," Sheng mentally repeated to himself.

Zheng laughed as he saw his friend seriously considering going through with the challenge. "Looks like you're not as chicken as I thought," Zheng said as he looked at his friend's plate of rice. It took him a moment, but he finally spotted the two people on top of the rice mountain.

"Shut up. After this, it'll be your turn to clean the bathrooms when my shift comes," Sheng responded with annoyance in his voice. The young soldier then took his chopsticks and started devouring large portions of rice.

Zheng chuckled to himself, ignoring his friend's annoyance. "Hey, don't be mad at me. You were the one who started this game of bets and challenges between the two of us," Zheng defended himself against his friend's judgmental gaze.

"I hope no one notices that you took those two, or we'll be in trouble," Sheng told him, ignoring the two tiny specks in his rice that were currently trying to seek refuge against the enormous chopsticks that, with each descent, took tons of rice to Sheng's hungry jaws.

"They won't. Do you know how many people there are in the shelters? Tens of thousands, and every day, thousands more are rescued by us. Trust me, at this point, I doubt they know the exact number. You could make twenty of them disappear, and they wouldn't notice," Zheng said in an attempt to reassure his friend.

"Do you think they'll ever be able to return to their normal size?" Sheng asked him. Having been involved in the rescue operations lately had helped him better understand the terrible situation that Westerners were in. If it weren't for the assistance from other Asian people that didn't suffer such a drastic size reduction, it would be impossible to locate and save them.

"I doubt it. Even if they find a way, the damage is done. Do you think that if they return to their original height, they won't seek revenge? Even if we say in a thousand languages that it was an accident, they won't believe it. Honestly, I think the government's plans involve coexistence between us and them. That's why civilian adoptions have been promoted. I think it's for the best, too," Zheng said as he glanced at his friend's rice.

"You have to admit that we've been especially dedicated to helping all those affected. I'm sure any other nation would have used this opportunity to take control of everything, but we're focusing on saving as many as possible. I'm confident that in a couple of decades, we'll all have adapted to this reality, don't you think?" Zheng asked as he took a sip from his juice bottle.

"I guess there won't be any other choice. Still, I can't help but feel somewhat guilty about their situation," Sheng said, ignoring that in the next portion of rice, he was about to eat, a pair of siblings were pleading for mercy.

"You shouldn't feel that way. The size reduction event was an accident in which none of us were involved. Besides, this might be for the best for the world," Zheng reassured him.

Sheng swallowed his rice, sending it and the pair of siblings directly to his stomach. "I'm not so sure about that. Only time will tell if this accident was a blessing for the world or not," Sheng replied as they continued eating.

The pair of friends continued talking for twenty minutes until their break time was over, and they got up from the table. "Wow, you really ate it all. Well, I lost the bet. Next time, I'll think of something more challenging," Zheng said, lamenting his bleak future as he would now have to clean the bathrooms when it was Sheng's turn.

"Forget about it. Now it's my turn to think of a challenge. You better get ready," Sheng said, showing a triumphant smile on his face. "But that will be later. Let's get back to work before we attract attention," Sheng said as he got up from the table, with his friend following behind.

Inside Sheng's stomach, a pair of blond-haired brothers were fighting for their lives. Mark was twenty years old and at the time was hugging his younger brother Ryan. Both had been fortunate enough not to be crushed under Sheng's teeth when he threw them into his mouth along with other portions of food.

The trip down the stomach had been extremely traumatic for both of them and had it not been for the fact that they were both clutching each other madly, they would most likely have been separated as they fell to their stomachs.

Mark and Ryan were dressed in torn clothes. Both Ryan and Mark were covered in Sheng's saliva from when they were in the Chinese guy's mouth. Mark was hugging his younger brother who at that moment was crying, even though Ryan was only a year younger, at that moment Mark felt like he was seeing the five-year-old boy who always looked for him when he got hurt.

Inside the stomach reminded Mark of some of the circles of hell that Dante described, even though he and Ryan were in total darkness, they could both hear the terrifying sounds of the stomach walls relaxing and contracting. Breathing was extremely difficult for both of them, as there was almost no air and what air there was was mostly composed of the gases produced inside as the digestion process began. Breathing was painful for both of them, each mouthful of air traveling through their noses felt like it was tearing their air passages

"We are going to be rescued, we are going to be saved and they are going to pay for this," said Mark trying to give his brother hope, but also to give himself hope. At the moment they were both using a large piece of what they thought was some kind of vegetable as a raft to keep their bodies away from the stomach acid, but Mark knew that their little boat would not last forever and they were running againts time. Mark wanted to believe that someone would notice that they had been kidnapped, and somehow get them out of the stomach of the Chinese guy who had eaten them.

Ryan for his part, though he listened to his brother's words of comfort, was unable to believe them. They were inside another man's stomach, trapped like any other piece of food, in fact several chewed pieces of food were bigger than they were, how could they escape? The only way they could get out was to follow the natural flow of the body "We will never get out, no one will rescue us" said Ryan between sobs and grabbed his brother's arm tightly "He will digest us!" he shouted while his voice was full of desperation.

"They're going to save us! We're going to get our size back and then I'm going to beat the shit out of this asshole who ate us. I promise you Ryan, we're going to live," said Mark while he used his right hand to remove the saliva that covered his younger brother's face.

Ryan looked at his brother's determined eyes and for a second he wanted to believe that what he was saying was true, for a second he forgot about the horrible sounds coming from inside Sheng's body, about the toxic and unpleasant air he was breathing that felt like razors in his nostrils, however, the illusion was broken as soon as Sheng's stomach increased the intensity of the muscle contractions, besides starting to secrete more acids and enzymes. The brothers were unable to hold on to the chewed piece of vegetable, and both fell into the sea of acid.

Mark heard his brother screaming like a man possessed, his screams were full of pain, between screams Ryan was letting out pleas for mercy, in addition to his brother's screams he also heard other screams that accompanied his brother's, his own.

The acid in Sheng's stomach was dissolving his skin with frightening efficiency, the protective layers of Mark's skin were unable to put up the slightest resistance to the enzymes that sought to break through as if it were just another piece of rice. Sheng's stomach was indifferent to the suffering it was causing the pair of brothers, it had only one job, and that was to break down all food to its smallest form so that Sheng could absorb the nutrients from it.

Mark felt each and every one of his nerve endings on fire, the pain he was experiencing at that moment was unlike anything he had ever felt in his life before. "Help! Somebody save us, please! It hurts, please, somebody saves us," Mark cried out in desperation.

"I don't want to die, I don't want to be digested!" exclaimed Ryan in a cacophony of pain and misery, the pain he felt clouding all rational thought from his head, forgetting that his own brother was suffering the same fate as he was.

For a couple of minutes, the pair of brothers suffered pain beyond compression, they could feel their limbs being disintegrated, their skin and hair melting, their muscles dissolving. When the acid reached the skull of both and filtered through the empty beads where the sibling pair's eyes used to be, their suffering finally came to an end. The remains of the sibling pair would be carried to Sheng's small intestine, where even more enzymes and substances would be released for Sheng's complete absorption of the nutrients.

By the time the digestion process was finished only a few fragmented bones would remain of the sibling pair, Sheng's relentless body would have done its work destroying all essence of the brothers.

By nightfall, Sheng went straight to bed. In the afternoon, after his meal, he and other soldiers had been assigned to search for more survivors. That day, Sheng managed to save approximately one hundred Westerners with the help of helpers from Japan and Korea.

Sheng took off most of his clothes until he was dressed only in black boxer briefs that perfectly hugged his buttocks, leaving little to the imagination in the front. He sat on his bed and thought that it would probably be months before he could return to China.

As he lay down on his bed, he thought about how the world would be different in the coming years. It would be a more empty world, a world where there were now three types of humans, each with a different size. Sheng ran his hand over his flat stomach, his long, slender fingers resting on his abs. The young Chinese soldier then remembered the two poor souls he had placed in his food. He felt a bit guilty about what he had done, but he consoled himself by knowing that he had won the bet with Zheng. "I hope they didn't suffer too much," he said as he caressed his stomach and proceeded to close his eyes. After all, tomorrow would surely bring more rescue missions.

6

Captain Xu Ming was sitting at his small desk, where a pile of documents formed a small mountain. He had been promoted just a week ago, but he was already lamenting the workload. "Being a soldier was easier," Ming said as he carefully reviewed the documents. He, along with five hundred other soldiers, was in a South American country engaged in rescue and recovery operations. Since the rescue efforts began, the military had shouldered the majority of the workload.

"We have managed to restore energy to a sufficient extent to support our operations, but the drainage systems are still under review. According to exploration teams, only a portion of the food rations has spoiled, so at least the food supplies are secured. We should be able to start tomorrow, but we need the other teams to arrive. Once we reach three thousand units, we should be able to cover the majority of the city. However, we have only completed one shelter, and this city had a population of one million. Even if we consider a fifty percent loss, we still have to rescue and accommodate half a million people," Xu said as he rubbed his temples, feeling a headache looming in his mind.

The door to Xu's office opened, and a young soldier with almond-shaped eyes entered, placing a cup of coffee on Ming's desk. "These are the reports from the soldiers, sir. The school zones and the financial center were where the majority of the population was concentrated at the time of the event," said Chen Rui, a young soldier who had earned Xu's trust due to his efficiency in carrying out any assigned task.

"What about the residential areas? Hospitals? Government buildings?" Xu asked without even lifting his gaze from the papers in front of him.

"The event occurred in the morning, at least on this side of the world. Most residents were not at home. As for government buildings, they are located within what was known as the financial district. I don't think we should have high hopes of finding many survivors in hospitals. We should consider leaving them for last," Rui said with a hint of sadness in his voice. Those who were sick or had health problems that limited their mobility were likely among those who succumbed in the early days.

"We'll do it that way. How are the soldiers? Have there been any issues?"

Rui shook his head. "The weather is humid, but nothing most soldiers aren't accustomed to. We're luckier than those in the northern part of the continent. Power and drainage are functioning within the base, and the kitchens are already operational. We should be able to manage for weeks without any problems."

"What about the assistants? Any incidents involving them?" Ming asked, taking a sip of his coffee. The bitter taste of the coffee traveling down his throat brought him some comfort.

Rui's face showed some hesitation. "There have been a few incidents, especially with the recently recruited soldiers, but the majority of them are in good condition," Rui explained, pointing to a document he had placed on Ming's desk. "I've detailed the latest incidents there. What kind of punishment should we apply?"

Ming took the document in his hands and began reading aloud. There was no change in Ming's expression as he read.


"Twenty assistants missing, of which we found crushed remains under the soldiers' boots, Sun, Ma, Cao, Yu, He, and..." Ming read the soldiers' surnames aloud, but when he reached the last one, he raised his eyebrows slightly and looked at Chen Rui with a curious gaze. "Care to explain yourself, Chen Rui?"

Rui coughed a bit to hide his embarrassment. "I was careless. I was patrolling outside the base, but I tripped. I had my assistant in my pocket, and he fell to the ground because of it. It was clear he had several broken bones, so I thought it best to give him a quick end."

Xu Ming carefully observed Chen Rui for about ten seconds, not averting his gaze from the soldier. This made Rui start to break out in a cold sweat. "All the soldiers on the list will have to do fifty laps around the perimeter every day for two weeks, and they will have kitchen duties for five days," Ming said calmly, although internally he couldn't help but sigh. The assistants were individuals from Asian countries who had been sent to be paired with Chinese soldiers to help locate and rescue Westerners. Although they served a purpose, the truth was that they were not part of the army, and even though they were people, was he supposed to punish his soldiers for them? Unfortunately, the circumstances forced him to take lenient measures.

"I will relay your orders, sir," said a relieved Chen Rui. "Sir, may I ask you a question?" Rui said with some hesitation.

"Go ahead," Xu Ming replied, setting aside the incident report and starting to review other documents.

"What will happen once we complete the mission? What will be done with the Westerners and members of other nations that we rescue?" It was a thought that had been lingering in Rui's mind for several days, but he wasn't the only one thinking about it. Whether they were soldiers, government members, or ordinary citizens, everyone wondered what would happen. Rui was aware that someone like Ming probably didn't have the answer to that, but there was something about his supervisor that gave him confidence that maybe he might know the answer to such a question.

Xu Ming lifted his gaze from the papers in front of him and looked into Chen Rui's eyes. "I don't think anyone can answer that question at this moment, but if you ask for my opinion, I believe that if we implement an adoption program similar to what has been established for those rescued in Asia, we will find a way to integrate them. It's the least we can do," said Ming, whose eyes carried a melancholic air at that moment. "You can rest after you finish your tasks. Remember to go for another assistant and be more careful."

Chen Rui nodded and left his superior's office. Xu Ming opened a drawer in his desk, and there, seated in a corner, was a small figure. Twenty-three-year-old Charoon Prasert had been part of the Thai army before the event that shrank the world population occurred. He had been rescued and sent to a shelter in northern China, but he couldn't bear the monotony in the shelters and volunteered to join the Chinese army in rescue operations. He knew it was a decision with risks, but it was better than doing nothing.

Xu smiled at the little man. "I hope you've been able to rest," said Ming as he moved his hand and used his index finger and thumb to hold the tiny Thai man and bring him close to his ear. Charoon saw the ear canal and used his hands to hold onto Xu's earlobe.

Ming smiled when he felt Charoon's small hands. It was fortunate that the ear was a sensitive area of the body. When Charoon was handed over to him, Ming was aware that communication would be difficult. The small size of the Thai man made it impossible for his voice to reach Ming's ears unless he was extremely close. They had to improvise, so they devised a way for Charoon to settle on the outer area of his ear. This way, they could communicate without Ming having to hold him and hinder his work.

"I heard you talking to someone, was it one of your subordinates, Ming?" asked the little Thai man as he settled into Ming's ear.

Ming couldn't help but sigh. "Charoon, call me Xu. I've told you that like five hundred times," said the corporal, his voice tinged with weariness. "Yes, it was Chen Rui. He brought me the latest reports and some coffee. He didn't take long."

"Come on, don't be so uptight. It doesn't matter if I call you by your first name or last name. We're both soldiers," said Charoon, not giving it much importance. Charoon had always been a free spirit, except when he was on a mission. He usually had a relaxed attitude, which caused him a lot of trouble with his superiors in the army. "What's new in the reports?"

"The usual stuff, but at least as far as the base is concerned, it's fully functional, so we'll be able to send more soldiers on rescue missions," explained Ming. It was strange, but somehow, despite Charoon's impertinence, there was something about him that helped Ming relax, something that was becoming increasingly difficult to do as his duties seemed to only increase.

"So, the operations in the West are finally starting. I can't wait to finally go out into the field. Being in your office is so boring. Do you think you can join the operations in the coming days?" asked Charoon excitedly. While he appreciated the peace and tranquility of being able to rest while Ming did office work, being cooped up wasn't something he loved.

"Probably, I can join in two days. For now, I have a mountain of papers to finish. I'll count on you to help me find many people. I don't think it will be easy to spot them. If their size surprised me during the missions in Asia, I can't imagine what it must be like to measure one millimeter," said Ming with a hint of pity in his voice.

"Well, I can imagine it. You have to flee from insects and animals, protect yourself from the rain, find food that's not too hard so you don't break your teeth, and of course, watch out for not being crushed under the foot of a Chinese soldier. You know, the usual," said Charoon in a mocking tone.

"It's typical of someone like you, and for the umpteenth time, most of the time when soldiers crush someone, it's an accident," Ming defended his subordinates.

"What soothes your conscience, but you should know that it's not good for many assistants to end up dead due to soldiers' carelessness. It will be difficult to build a bond of trust," Charoon emphasized.

"I'm aware of that, but all adaptation processes have their challenges. You and I, for example, work very well together, but that's not the case for everyone. Honestly, it's because we're using soldiers who have barely had a few weeks of training. At the moment, it's a necessary evil, but as the rescues increase and fewer soldiers are needed, accidents will decrease. It's just that for now, we have no choice but to apply preventive measures and corporal punishment when necessary," Ming explained.

Charoon rolled his eyes. "You protect your soldiers too much. We assistants also have an important job."

"I know, I know. You do a valuable job, and I truly appreciate that you're with us. But Charoon, you're not one of my soldiers, and neither are any of yours," Ming said with a calm tone of voice.

Charoon pursed his lips. He hated it when Ming spoke to him like that. He knew he wasn't a soldier. He was aware that he was little more than a servant, but that didn't mean he liked his position. He just had to accept it while measuring two centimeters. "Yeah, I know. You don't have to remind me. We're just a couple of insects with a duty, and if that duty can't be fulfilled, then our duty is to be squashed by you and your people, right?" Charoon said, somewhat annoyed.

"No, calm down. I never said that. You're not an insect, and none of you are," Ming said, trying to calm the little Thai.

Charoon hesitated for a moment. "I know, I think I'm a bit irritable today," he said in a tone of voice that made it clear he was trying to apologize.

"How about I give you a couple of exercises? You told me you used to do that to vent your emotions," Ming suggested. "I have to finish these documents, but it should only take me an hour. You can use that time to release your emotions. What do you say?"

Ming didn't hear the Thai respond, but he knew that sometimes silence should be taken as an affirmation. So he took the little human out of his ear and placed him on his desk. "Let's see what you can use," Ming said as he scanned his desk. "You can use these as weights," he said, taking a pencil from his desk and tearing off a small piece of the eraser.

Charoon saw the enormous piece of eraser in front of him. The eraser chunk was as big as his head, and when he tried to lift it, he had to use all his strength. But that's exactly what he needed.

Ming smiled as he saw the little one doing his exercise, and he focused on his work. The pair of men concentrated on their respective tasks, but Charoon would occasionally glance at Ming. Watching the giant work had a certain charm. It was strange to think that despite Ming being younger than him, the young Chinese man exuded a sense of competitiveness and seriousness that contrasted with his age.

When Charoon felt the muscles in his arms burning, he decided to stop and sit for a moment. The little Thai started thinking about his future. Once the global rescue operations came to an end, he would like to stay with Ming as an assistant. Although they were assigned to soldiers, it didn't mean they would be formally adopted once the operations were over. The plan was for them to return to the shelters, and from there, they would formally enter the coexistence and adoption program. Charoon hoped that Ming would offer to adopt him before he had to return to the shelters, but if not, he needed to prepare himself.

Charoon got up and walked until he stood on top of the paper that Ming was reading, capturing the Chinese man's attention. When Ming's big black eyes landed on him, Charoon started moving his arms to indicate that he was ready for the survival practice.

When Charoon had been delivered to Ming and started living with him, he began to realize how precarious his situation was. When he had been rescued, of course, he noticed the difference in size and power between him and the Chinese soldiers, but it wasn't until he lived with Ming that the gravity of his situation truly sank in.

Ming smiled at the little Thai. "I understand, all right. I'm done for today, so before I leave, we can have that practice." Xu Ming picked up Charoon between his fingers and then stood up from his seat.

"As always, I'll count to three, and you know what to do," the Chinese man said as he placed Charoon on the floor in front of his size 43 black boots. The Thai looked tiny compared to his boots.

Xu Ming still didn't quite understand why Charoon asked for these types of training, but it didn't cost him anything, so he was happy to please his little assistant. The practice involved Ming attempting to crush Charoon, who had to run and use evasive tactics to avoid being squashed, although it was clear that Ming never actually stepped on Charoon. He simply suspended his foot a few inches above where the Thai was standing.

The first few times they had these practices, they were a complete failure, and as the days went by, the results remained the same. Ming noticed how downcast Charoon became when he didn't see any improvement, so he decided to play a little trick to make Charoon believe that he was getting better and that it was becoming harder to step on him. Of course, it was all a charade, and Ming wasn't going to break Charoon's illusion.

Standing in front of Ming's enormous boots, the Thai observed them closely. There were bits of mud embedded near the sole, but aside from that, the boots looked to be in good condition. The first time facing the boots, he felt as if they were a beast ready to attack him, but now that he was able to escape with some success, his fear had almost disappeared.

Charoon heard Ming's voice counting, and when he reached three, he ran towards the office door while making zigzag movements.

Xu Ming watched as Charoon ran. Although his face had a neutral expression, inside he was smiling. While he was sure that Charoon was running with all his might, in the eyes of the Chinese soldier, the Thai moved slowly. In fact, Xu Ming was certain that an ant would be twice as fast as Charoon, but that wasn't something he would tell him. Ming lifted his foot off the ground and began to move it towards where Charoon was moving. Although it didn't seem like it, it was challenging for Ming to do it in a way that seemed like he wasn't pretending.

Charoon heard the thunderous sound of the boot lifting off the ground, and his heart started pumping hard. The Thai noticed that he was about to be under the shadow of Ming's enormous boot, so he lunged to the side, managing to escape the boot's shadow.

Charoon was aware that he wasn't in real danger, yet all his senses were screaming at him that he was in danger. That's why he appreciated these practices with Ming. They helped him keep his senses sharp and prevent him from freezing if he ever faced real danger. Thanks to his constant practice, he was confident that he had a 50% chance of escaping from a soldier.

Ming continued to chase Charoon for what seemed like twenty minutes. By the end of that time, he noticed that the small former soldier was exhausted, as his movements were much slower. "You did very well, Charoon. Let's go to the cafeteria, and then we can rest," Ming said as he crouched down and then held the little human between his fingers, placing him in the front pocket of his shirt.

7

The assistants, this was how they were called all those who were rescued from Asian countries who volunteered to join the work of the Chinese army in the rescue of those affected in the West, to be an assistant was to be under the care of a Chinese soldier, being an assistant had several advantages for one could provide the opportunity to live with people of normal size without the need to go through the formal process of adoption was a permanent process, Once you were "adopted" there was no turning back, on the other hand, being an assistant was temporary, once the rescue work was over they could decide to return to the shelters, besides that when they registered they were assured of safety and food, the deal sounded good, although not everyone could be assistants only those who had knowledge of Chinese could register in the assistant program, after all, how could they communicate if they did not speak the language of the soldiers? Even with that filter, there were hundreds of people offering to be assistants.

Chen Rui walked to the assistant assignment office which was actually a small office where there were reserve assistants, after all, it had been considered that soldiers could lose their designated assistants for some reason if that were the case there should be enough reserve assistants to replace those who were lost or died.

Chen Rui stood in front of Jie Li's desk. -What do you have for me?" asked Rui in a courteous tone.

Li Jie was the same age as Chen Rui with the difference that if Rui was an imposing 1.88 meters tall, he, on the other hand, was 1.7 m something that had bothered him growing up, but after the incident, Jie had come to have a new appreciation of his height. -You're the seventh one coming today, it's good that we have many in reserve," said Jie with a curious tone, being in charge of attendant assignments was somewhat easy and allowed him to become familiar with many soldiers.

Jie got up from his seat and walked to a cabinet, there were small transparent plastic boxes with holes in the top to allow air. Inside each small box was a person trapped, it was clear that they all looked upset at being locked up, as they did not think that in case they were not assigned to some soldier they would be treated as mere merchandise. Jie's black eyes roamed over each of the small boxes until her gaze stopped on one specific one. Jie opened the cabinet and grabbed the small box.

The young soldier sat back down at his desk and typed in the serial numbers that were engraved on the side of the box. -Patel Arjun, twenty years old, good physical condition, he speaks Chinese, English, and French, what do you think," asked Jie to Rui who nodded at the information he heard.

-Sounds good - said Rui, taking the small box and putting it in his pocket. -I hope it does a good job in tomorrow's missions.

Rui made small talk with Jie for a few minutes and then said goodbye, now that he had a new assistant, the first thing was to train him. When he reached his room, he took off his heavy military boots. With every step, Rui took, he left a few marked traces of sweat on the floor. The young soldier took the transparent box out of his pocket and removed the lid that covered the top of the box, for a few seconds he observed the small trapped human being. -You are going to be my new assistant during the missions, and we'd better clarify a few things," said Rui with a smile on his lips. The soldier held Arjun between his fingers.

Arjun was scared when he decided to sign up as a soldier's assistant, he thought he would have a life, if not as privileged as when he was normal size, he would enjoy important benefits; however, during all the time he and others like him had been treated more like merchandise or cattle than important collaborators.

He had been trapped in that box for days, and although he received food and water being locked up was going to drive him mad, so at first when Jie had selected him he had been relieved and was ready to voice his concerns and doubts to the soldier he was assigned to, but now that he was with Rui he felt something was wrong, to begin with, he was holding him with no small amount of force which made it difficult for Arjun to breathe, Rui's huge fingers created a painful pressure on his rib cage.

-Rule number one, you do everything I say without asking, no matter how ridiculous it sounds," Rui told him while showing a candid smile, which contrasted with the words he said. Chen Rui was one of the best soldiers in Ming's eyes. He was efficient, organized and knew when to advance and when to retreat, but unlike Ming, who genuinely cared about all those affected by the reduction, Rui thought that the new size of all those who were shrunk only reflected the true order of the world.

Rui was aware that his thoughts were somewhat extreme, but what if they were? Was having different thoughts going to change anything? Of course, he knew he had to be careful, maybe there would come a day when almost everyone would think like him, but that day was not in the near future, it would probably be years before Chinese society would begin to take the steps that Rui considered necessary, but until then, he would have to start alone, Rui knew that he would have to be the vanguard and the example that would make clear to everyone the new role that China was taking in the world.

Arjun was terrified, Rui's harsh words chilled his blood, the pressure of the huge fingers on his rib cage did nothing to calm his terror.


Arjun knew that at that moment it mattered little how hard he fought, it was impossible to break the grip of the fingers holding him, and even if he could, all that awaited him was a free fall of hundreds of feet to the ground.

Rui, although he could not see it clearly, knew that Arjun must be terrified, something that pleased him in his opinion, that was the attitude that all those who had been reduced should have, Rui knew that if their ideas were known many would label them as crazy, sadistic, or insane, but what was their crime? Why should they treat those foreigners with respect when they were smaller than his little toe? As a boy, he learned the history of his nation, a history that spanned five thousand years. How much glory and honor there was in his nation's history, from the emperor of Qin, the dynasties that came, to the present era, so much had happened, for much of that history his nation had stood strong, but in the last century, a century of humiliation. How was he supposed to show mercy?

Rui bent down and dropped Arjun on the ground in front of his feet. - This is how it should be," said Rui almost in a whisper. -This is how it will be in the future, each and every one of you must look up with fear and respect.

Arjun on the ground, in front of the gigantic feet, felt his body screaming to run, to flee as far as possible from the giant, but the rational part of his mind told him that this was an impossible mission, the only thing he could do was to listen to the giant speak and pray that he would not hurt him. Among the words of the giant there was a word that stood out among all that he said "yang guizi" Arjun heard the giant mention it while he looked at him with eyes full of condescension, a shadow of terror appeared in his eyes. When Arjun had decided to learn Chinese many years ago, he had heard an exchange student use it, when he researched the meaning it became clear to him why that student had used it, this was the second time he had heard it.

-Now everything is confusing, but in a few years, each and every one of you will have the same status as the dirt under my fingernails. Your women will be toys for our pleasure, your children will grow up worshiping the ground we walk on, they will be toys, insects, or even condiments," said Rui who had a calm smile on his face at all times. -With time everyone will forget what once was, even you will forget what you were, you will grow up with the idea of worshiping us and praying our names, your heroes will be forgotten and if not we will create new stories where they only have the duty to serve us. From the north to the south of the planet, everything will belong to us. The history of the last century will never repeat itself.

The words that Arjun heard hammered his brain as if they were a curse, those words were the ones he feared the most, like everyone else, although he was worried about his survival, he was also worried about the future, what if the effects of the reduction could not be reversed? Or what if China did not want to reverse them? What future awaited all those who had been downsized? Rui was now telling him what his future was, it was a future where he along with the billions of shrinking people in the world are just insects, dirt under the feet of the men of China.

Rui noticed how his words penetrated Arjun's mind and was pleased. The Chinese soldier then walked over to a piece of furniture next to his bed and opened the drawer, from which he pulled out a bruised and terrified Lee Joon-ho.

Joon-ho was Rui's former assistant, the same one who had reported to Ming that he had had to step on him to give him a merciful death. Joon-ho's body showed huge bruises on his arms and legs, had a bruised eye, and showed a thin build.

Chen Rui smiled arrogantly. -"Meet my former assistant, unfortunately, he is no longer in a good state after a couple of days, so I hope you will last much longer and meet my expectations," said Rui as he bent down and placed Joon-ho next to where Arjun was.

Arjun looked at Joon-ho and noticed the terrible state he was in, but worse than his physical state was his mental state, it seemed that his spirit was totally broken, it was clear by how he was trembling in front of Rui. What happened next was something he felt Arjun would never be able to forget. Both Arjun and Joon-ho were what seemed to them like a couple of meters away from the Chinese soldier's huge foot, yet Arjun could breathe in the pungent and strong smell of sweat from Rui's feet. Arjun's eyes stung a little and with every breath he took he had to hold back the nausea he was feeling at the moment, yet Joon-ho seemed to ignore the smell and with a fervent look he walked up to Rui's big toe. Arjun couldn't help but notice how fragile Joon-ho looked in front of the toe.

Joon-ho started kissing the toe like a mistress, Joon-ho's delicate face was drenched with sweat from Rui's foot. Arjun couldn't help but be disgusted and terrified as he watched such a bizarre spectacle.

Rui smiled in satisfaction at Joon-ho's act of servitude, it had been really easy to break the little human's fighting spirit. -You, what are you waiting for to follow his example," said Rui looking at Arjun with an air of arrogance.

Arjun wanted to oppose the order, but as he looked at Rui's huge toes, each the size of a truck, he thought better of his actions and with fear and disgust approached the other Chinese soldier's foot. Now that he was only inches away from Rui's sweaty foot, the smell hit him like a brick wall. Arjun could feel the overwhelming and powerful odor traveling up his nostrils like poison. Arjun had to use all his willpower not to vomit at that instant. Being so close to the huge foot of the Chinese soldier added a new meaning to his insignificance.

Rui was pleased with Arjun's attitude, unlike him, with Joon-ho he had needed almost an hour before breaking his spirit. Joon-ho had been useful to him, however, he had gotten carried away and had hurt this one too much, so he would have decided that he had to start over and that's when Arjun's place comes, unfortunately for Joon-ho, Rui had decided that his time had come, and the Chinese soldier intended to enjoy every second of it, besides, that way the lie he had told before Ming would become a reality.

Rui pushed Joon-ho with his toe, making the little attendant roll on the ground. Rui moved his foot on top of Joon-ho so that only Joon-ho's head remained in the space between his toes.

Arjun watched Rui's actions with extreme terror, besides, he could hear Joon-ho's pleading.

Rui had an immutable look on his face as he began to apply pressure on Joon-ho's body, although he started lightly, it was enough for Joon-ho to let out a cry of absolute pain and despair.

-Master, don't crush me! I'll be good, I'll be better. I beg you," Joon-ho exclaimed in desperation as he felt his bones being compacted under Rui's enormous weight.

Arjun listened as Joon-ho begged for his life, but on top of that he could hear the tiny body begin to be crushed. Arjun could hear with total clarity how the bones of Joon-ho's body were being fragmented under Rui's foot. For a couple of seconds Arjun listened to Joon-ho pleading for his life in utter anguish, the cries of pain exclaimed by Joon-ho chilled his blood and he felt he could never forget them.

Arjun then heard a sound that reminded him of fruit being crushed, and the screams subsided. The little attendant looked down at the giant foot a few feet away from him in horror.



Rui lifted his foot and observed that Joon-ho's entire body had been compressed into a bloody pulp under his foot, the only recognizable thing was the head that had been positioned between his toes. -This will happen to you sooner or later, but the more useful you are, the later this fate will come to you," said Rui looking at Arjun with empty eyes that seemed to want to devour Arjun's soul.

Arjun began to kiss Rui's toe with more fervor than a few minutes ago, his face was soaked with sweat from Rui's foot, but at that moment he did not care about the strong masculine smell that exuded from the soldier's foot, Arjun had seen a man being crushed like a fruit. Arjun did not want to die, warm tears slid down Arjun's brown face. -I will obey, I will obey," repeated Arjun who at that moment buried the last glimmer of hope in his soul.


Rui smiled with satisfaction when he noticed the fervent act of adoration that Arjun was showing -One day, each one of you will be treated as you deserve, I will see to it- he said while he looked with pleasure at the small human kissing his foot. -One day you will all end up under our feet," he said almost in a whisper, but in that last sentence, there was a steely determination.

8

After months in which the Chinese army had been deployed worldwide for rescue operations, it seemed that the relief efforts were finally coming to an end. Although it was not possible to save everyone, as there were many cases where the affected individuals had been devoured by insects or simply succumbed to the forces of nature by the time the soldiers arrived, it could not be denied that the rescue operations, when placed on a balance, were successful. The human spirit of survival had been a fire that had kept burning for over ten thousand years, ever since humans stopped walking on all fours and instead stood upright, gazing at the stars.

Approximately 81.75% of the population had been shrunk, and according to the latest results, the army's efforts had managed to rescue and collect 70% of all potential victims. From north to south, the soldiers did not stop in their rescue operations. However, everything has an end, and the high-ranking officials of the government decided that it was time for the army to return home. During the months that the rescue mission lasted, rescue centers were built to accommodate Westerners, but when these centers began to be overwhelmed, it was decided that the Western population would be relocated to China.

By the time the order to return home was sent to all units overseas, it was estimated that over four billion people had been transported to mainland China and distributed among different shelter and protection centers under the command of the army and security forces.

Li Zhi was a young bureaucrat and a valued figure within the party for his quick thinking and strong charisma. For this reason, he had been assigned a crucial task. He, along with a team of ten people, had to come up with a solution regarding the shrunken populations. Currently, the majority of them were in shelters, but it was impossible to keep them there indefinitely.

The young bureaucrat looked at the stack of papers in front of him. Although several ideas had been presented so far, he did not consider any of them good enough to be presented as a final proposal.

"I see there's still no plan," said another young man named Wang Jun. Like Zhi, he was considered a young talent, but Jun pursued different branches of work than Zhi, so there was no direct competition between them, and in fact, they had a small friendship.

Zhi lifted his gaze from the papers in front of him and looked into the eyes of his friend, who had a relaxed expression as his day had ended. "No, not at the moment. There's no plan that convinces me enough. Many in the team suggest implementing an adoption process similar to what we do with the affected individuals from Asia, but I don't think it's feasible. The size difference between Westerners and the affected individuals from Asia is drastic. We already receive reports of accidents involving the adopted individuals, and if we apply the same approach to Westerners, the number of reports will skyrocket to thousands per day," he said while rubbing his temple. The adoption plan had yielded mixed results. While there were cases where integration was successful, it was not uncommon to receive reports of having to remove the remains of the adopted individuals from the adopters' shoe soles. Most of these incidents were reported as accidents, but Zhi knew it was difficult to be certain.

"These are isolated reports. The program is yielding good results, and honestly, I believe it's the only viable option. We can't send them back to their countries. Their size limits the tasks they can perform, and they have to depend on us. Fortunately, due to their size, they don't consume many resources, or we would be in big trouble," Jun said as he sat in an empty chair next to Zhi.

"You know as well as I do that these are not isolated reports. We must increase the requirements for anyone wishing to enroll in the adoption program," said Zhi as he mentally reviewed the recent accident reports that had occurred.

"That would be catastrophic. Just in the Asian population alone, we're talking about over a billion people. The shelters are already overwhelmed. If we increase the requirements on top of that, we will never be able to place them all in homes. I understand your concern, but we also need to be realistic, Zhi," said Jun, giving his friend a slight reproachful look.

"I know," Zhi said with a sigh. He knew that his proposal was not realistic given the circumstances. Although it seemed like the shrunken individuals were experiencing the worst consequences, the truth was that China was also facing difficulties. Now that it was the only nation in the world with a normal-sized population, it had affected their access to resources they didn't have before. Many changes were coming for the future, whether they would be good or bad was hard to say at this moment. "How is Jargal?" Zhi asked. Jargal was a boy from Mongolia who had been adopted by Jun a month ago. Zhi had been able to talk to him whenever Jun brought him to the office, which happened frequently.

"Oh, he's grounded. In the morning, the idiot moved from his bed, and I almost squashed him early. Seriously, it gave me a scare," Jun said, furrowing his brow.

"Grounded? Did you leave him in your apartment?" Zhi inquired.

"Not at all, he's right here," Jun said as he opened his mouth, revealing Jargal's tiny figure on his tongue. Zhi didn't get to see the expression on the boy's face before Jun closed his mouth and started moving Jargal around in his mouth as if he were a piece of candy.

"Don't you think that's too much of a punishment? The poor boy must be terrified," Zhi said with a sigh. From the times he had interacted with Jargal, he had gained the impression that he was a calm person. It really seemed to him that his friend was being a little cruel.

"Not at all, he knows he has to stay where I tell him. Plus, I only keep him in my mouth for about fifteen minutes before putting him back in my pocket," Jun said with a smile. Zhi had noticed as soon as his friend approached to talk to him that he seemed to have a candy in his mouth, except he didn't expect that candy to be Jargal.

"Aren't you afraid he might choke? I remind you that I'm planning a proposal for the proper physical and mental care of the adopted ones," Zhi told him as he looked with some concern at the little bulge moving between Jun's cheeks.

"And I'll do everything possible to ensure that proposal is never approved," Jun said with a confident smile. "Come on, I'm being careful. I make sure to feel him move and give him a few seconds of calm. Besides, since we're talking, enough air enters my mouth. He'll be fine, and it will teach him not to get out of bed at night," Jun said confidently.

"Sometimes I feel like you see him as a pet that needs to be trained. I knew you didn't have good intentions when you enrolled in the adoption program."

"They're not pets, and I don't see them that way, but he needs to learn to obey what I tell him. It's not a joke, he came very close to being squashed this morning," Jun said with seriousness.

"Okay, I understand, or at least I think I do, but do you think you could take him out of your mouth for a moment? It's a bit distracting to think that he's in there," Zhi said in a conciliatory tone.

"Well, it's almost been fifteen minutes. Fine," Jun said as he opened his mouth and used his fingers to take Jargal out, who was soaked in saliva and had messy hair, as if someone had put him in a washing machine. Jun placed Jargal on Zhi's desk. "Thank Zhi, who has a very soft heart," Jun said with a tone of voice that made it clear it was a command, not a suggestion.

The little Jargal got up as best as he could and ran towards Zhi's hand. Jargal approached Zhi's long, slender index finger and bowed to him in reverence.

"You don't have to do that," Zhi said with a tone that made it clear he felt somewhat embarrassed by the attitude Jargal was showing towards him. Jargal must have been terrified to display such submissive behavior.

"Let me clean you up," Zhi said as he took out a handkerchief from his pocket and used it to wipe Jun's saliva off Jargal's body. "Now you're much better," Zhi said, seeing that he had removed all the saliva from the little human's body.

The young Chinese bureaucrat moved his hand to hold Jargal between two fingers and then brought him to the level of his ear, all in order to communicate with him.

Jun observed his friend treating Jargal with utmost care and could only roll his eyes at his friend's gentle attitude. "I'll leave him in your care for a moment; my afternoon meal wants to make an exit," Jun said, patting his stomach, and proceeded to leave Zhi's office to go to the bathrooms located on the floor.

"I know it's silly to ask, but how are you, Jargal?" Zhi asked the young man from Mongolia when he saw that his friend had left.

"Now that I'm out of Wang's mouth, I'm fine. Heavens, there were moments when I thought I was a dead man. Thank you, Li!" Jargal said with a tone of voice that showed absolute relief and gratitude towards Li Zhi. Jargal was accustomed to Jun's harsh treatment, but he had rarely been as terrified as when he was inside Jun's mouth. The heat was suffocating, and the saliva threatened to drown him at times. He had to open his mouth to breathe, but every time he did, he couldn't help but swallow liters of Jun's saliva.

Li Zhi couldn't help but feel some sympathy for Jargal, although he had to admit that his friend had kept Jargal in one piece, so his methods had merit. "Why did you disobey him? Was there any particular reason?" Zhi inquired, as he believed that Jargal wouldn't go against Jun without a good reason.

Jargal sat beside Zhi's index finger, finding comfort in being close to him. Whenever Jun brought him to the office, he hoped to have a few minutes with Zhi. It's not that he didn't appreciate Jun, after all, he was the one he lived with and who had never failed to feed him or protect him from the outside world. But Jun was like a general who expected total obedience to his desires, while Zhi was like a generous monarch. Jargal would never say it out loud, but if he could choose, he would prefer to live with Zhi.

"Wang makes me sleep in his socks. Whenever he finishes work, he leaves one of the socks he wore for me to use as a bed. I think he finds it amusing, and it could be worse, so I don't complain. But yesterday, the smell was just too strong. Usually, I can bear it, but yesterday it was simply too much. I couldn't sleep, so I left the sock to look for something else, but there was nothing, so I ended up falling asleep on the floor. I really intended to go back to the sock before Jun woke up in the morning, but I guess I was too tired and fell asleep," Jargal said, and Zhi could hear the genuine remorse in his voice.

"I'll talk to Jun to get you a proper bed. Sleeping in his dirty socks is almost torture. He decided to adopt you to give you a good life," Zhi said, annoyed by the makeshift bedding arrangements Jun had prepared for Jargal.

"No, no, please, don't say anything. Like I said, I've gotten used to it. His socks are comfortable once you get used to the smell. It's really not necessary," Jargal said, a little scared of how Jun might react if Zhi confronted him.

"Jargal, are you listening to yourself?" Zhi asked the young human with bewilderment. "You're a person, and you deserve to be treated with dignity."

Jargal hesitated for a moment, feeling a couple of tears welling up in his eyes. His life had changed so much in a couple of months. Memories of being in a crib, having a warm and comfortable bed to sleep in instead of Jun's sweaty socks flashed through his mind. "It's not necessary, Li. I'm really fine," Jargal said, as his happy memories were replaced by the image of the inside of Jun's mouth.

Zhi could only sigh. He had to respect Jargal's wishes. After all, wouldn't he be no different from what he condemns if he disregarded the small human's desires? "Alright, but I hope the next time we meet, I won't see you as sad as you are today," Zhi said, trying to convey his feelings of concern to Jargal. "By the way, I've asked several people, but I haven't asked you. Jargal, have you ever seen a Westerner? I mean, after the event. Have you seen their size?"

Jargal was puzzled by the question but nodded. "Yes, Wang showed me a container with a couple of them. They were indeed small even compared to my scale, and they looked very frightened."

"Do you have any ideas on how we should handle their situation? Jun and others suggest applying the same adoption policy as with you, but honestly, I'm not confident about it. What do you think? Do you think it could work?"

Jargal pondered for a few seconds. He didn't expect someone like Zhi to consider his opinion on something so important, but since he wanted to hear what he thought, he had to give a well-thought-out response. "I don't think it would work. If it were someone like me who had to take care of them, it might be feasible. But if it's someone the size of Wang, then it's much more complicated and dangerous. I've seen them; they could be swept away by your breath. I don't think it's possible for you to adopt them."

Zhi sighed. It was the answer he was expecting. "That's what I thought, but what can be done? It's not like we can leave them in your care." A strange gleam appeared in Zhi's eyes. "But what if we did? What if you were responsible? And what if we created a true home for both you and them? Of course, they would still be under our care, but you would be our representatives." A plan started to take shape in the young bureaucrat's mind.

Jargal didn't exactly understand what Zhi was thinking, but he didn't want to interrupt. "What if we create a civilization?" Zhi said as he observed the little Jargal between his fingers. "Perhaps this event is an opportunity to do things right. Jargal, it's true that leaving the Westerners under our care is risky due to the massive difference in size, but you and they are within a more acceptable range. Let's create settlements, cities where the Westerners can thrive, and they will be under your care. That way, you will have more options and won't be bound to adoption. You can choose what suits you best. That's the path we should take," Zhi said with excitement in his voice as a vision of the future appeared in his mind.

Jun had returned from the bathroom and found his friend speaking to Jargal with great excitement. "What did I miss?" Jun asked with uncertainty in his voice as he sat in front of his friend.

"Nothing, I just came up with a way to fix the world," Zhi said, displaying a brilliant and radiant smile.

9

Twenty years had passed since the integration program proposed by the Chinese government's leadership had been enacted. Since the terrible accident that had resulted in the reduction of the entire population except for China, the new world was beginning to take shape, although it was still in its early stages, it was growing. The vast territories of the nations that once housed hundreds of peoples and cultures were now empty, and the government's plans included the expansion of these territories, especially those with significant natural resources. The blow that China received from losing its trade partners and nations that provided supplies would have been catastrophic if it weren't for the unwavering hand of the government; tough times require strong wills, and five thousand years of history were not in vain.

Once most of the Western population was relocated to mainland China, the government announced the integration plan. The idea had come from a young government official and consisted of the following:

Groups that would be part of the adoption program from the reduced Eastern population.
Groups that would be part of the "Building a Future" program.
Groups that would be part of the New Societies project.

The adoption project would involve members of this group being integrated into households as pets or companions. This program was the first option and comprised 50% of the Eastern population. It had been the de facto option before the formal implementation of the integration program. When included in the integration program, a series of regulations were implemented. For example, citizens who wanted to adopt had to attend a sensitization course to learn how to live with their pets. The course included the following classes:

Learning to communicate with your pet or companion.
Foods your pet can eat.
Learning to be careful when walking.
What to do if I accidentally step on my pet?

The last class was usually the most popular among the boys. In this class, it was explained that if an owner had three instances in which their pet perished, they would be banned from the adoption program for three months and would have to attend two months of courses to learn how to take better care of their pets.

Those who were part of the "Building a Future" group could be considered among the very fortunate. These groups were integrated into the "A Path to the West" project, where they held leadership positions and enjoyed a certain degree of autonomy. Those who were part of the "New Societies" project could be seen as blessed by the goddess of fortune. The New Societies project involved creating miniature cities where the downsized individuals could develop and live in almost isolation, preserving their native traditions and cultures. The cities were self-governed, although leaders worked in agreement with Chinese supervisors. Those in the New Societies often led more peaceful lives. For example, there were cities made up entirely of former Koreans or Malays. These cities were built in semi-remote areas away from major cities but still had surveillance to prevent any major issues.


In the case of Westerners, due to their even smaller size, the integration plan had some key differences, even though the overall goal was similar. The Western integration plan, known as "A Path to the West," consisted of two options:


Cities of the Future: This involved building cities for the Western population. However, these cities were divided into two types:

- Public-nature cities, which would be constructed near neighborhoods. The residents of these cities would integrate by providing services to the local citizens.

- Private-nature cities, where members of the upper class would have the option to have their own private cities. Like the public cities, the private cities would also provide services to their owners.

"Supplements for the Future," on the other hand, was a much more controversial idea with deeply divided opinions. Those who were part of "Supplements for the Future" were, as the name suggests, considered supplements. When this part of the plan became public, it caused a huge uproar. Nevertheless, dozens of debates were held to explain the reasoning behind this plan. The justification was to maintain population control because, in the future, there would be hundreds of cities, and a significant population increase could be expected. There needed to be a way to control this overpopulation since, despite abundant resources, everything had its limits. Of course, most of those who would become part of the supplements program would be selected from individuals considered dangerous, such as criminals, although another part would be chosen at random.


Now, twenty years after the implementation of the plans for both Eastern and Western populations, Chinese society has begun to normalize its interactions with the downsized individuals. It was common to see teenagers with their pets on their shoulders in shopping malls, or citizens visiting cities to request services. The new generations had started to internalize their roles.

In a Western city built on the site of a small building in the Minhang district, Freddy nervously looked at an envelope he held in his hands. Freddy's parents also appeared anxious. Freddy's family lived in a middle-class, British-style home.

"Come on, Fred, open the envelope; everything will be fine. I'm sure you got accepted," John reassured his son. Fred had just graduated from college and had gone to the job office to register. He had applied for a job as a wax cleaner, which was a relatively safe occupation and offered good pay. However, it was highly competitive, and getting accepted was tough. Most had to settle for less-paying or riskier jobs.


Fred looked at his father with doubts. His father had worked for years as a nasal cleaner, a job that paid better than a wax cleaner but was much better paid. However, due to the high danger rate, Fred knew that his father didn't want him to pursue the same profession. As a child, he remembered days when his father returned from work with a vacant look. Every time he came back, his father would remove the uniform that was usually covered in nasal fluids and take a shower. After that, he would always hug Fred tightly, as if he were afraid his son would disappear.


Fred mustered the courage and opened the envelope from the job office. His heart started to beat fast as he read the letter.



"Dear Frederick Kelly,


On behalf of the job office, we are pleased to inform you that your application has been accepted, and you are now part of the wax cleaner team. We expect you to report for training next Monday. All the equipment will be provided to you on Monday. Please bring the following documents:

- Identification
- University diploma
- Proof of residence
We look forward to your arrival."

After finishing the letter, Fred was almost jumping for joy, and within a second, his mother and father were hugging him.

"I told you they would accept you. Your grades were among the best, there was no way they could reject you," Fred heard his mother say.

"We're very proud of you, Freddy. This deserves a celebration. We'll go out for dinner tonight," Fred's father said, and at that moment, Fred couldn't contain his happiness.

Fred's father took them to a restaurant that was a few blocks from their home, and the owners of the restaurant were friends of John. The owner was his former supervisor, who had retired three years ago. Typically, the laws allowed a nasal worker to retire after fifteen years of service, so it could be said that his supervisor was among the first retirees in the city. After all, the city was only twenty years old since its construction. John had heard stories from his parents about how they used to have a height similar to that of the Chinese, but John barely had memories of that.

"John, welcome. Please, have a seat. What can I offer you?" said Carl, a man of sturdy build and a genial smile.

"Give us your special, Carl. Today, we're celebrating," John said with a tone that revealed his immense joy.

"A special coming right up. What are you celebrating?" Carl asked as he handed them a couple of complimentary drinks.

"Freddy was accepted as a wax cleaner. He's to report next week. Isn't that a reason to celebrate?" John said, laughing with pride.

"Wax cleaner? That's a highly sought-after job. It's not easy to get accepted," Carl remarked with astonishment and a touch of envy in his voice. "Congratulations, Freddy. I wish my son were as diligent as you."

"Being a mud digger isn't a bad job either. It's much better than being a nasal cleaner. Don't be so hard on Travis," John said with genuine sincerity.

"I know, but it has its risks too. I can't help but worry. Now, the one who gives me headaches is Robert. He doesn't listen and just does what he wants. Next year, it'll be the university entrance exams, and I'm really concerned he won't get in," Carl said, sighing wearily.

"I'm sure he'll start making an effort soon. I remember that at his age, I wasn't the ideal student either," John said, trying to comfort his friend.

"I hope so. But well, I don't want to spoil your good mood. I'll bring your special in a moment," Carl said with a smile as he headed to the kitchen to prepare the dish for John and his family.



Far from where John and his family were celebrating, a couple of students were looking stressed as they helped each other study outside the university. They were Thomas and Kevin, in their first year of college and preparing for tomorrow's exam in the Foot Care and Maintenance class.
"I don't understand why we have to take this subject. I'm not planning to become a podiatry specialist. They should let us choose the classes we want," complained Kevin, who had his gaze fixed on his notebook.

"Because you never know what position you'll be assigned, so you need to have general knowledge. Besides, you know that it's only in your last year that you can choose your subjects. Come on, don't complain. This class isn't that bad," said Thomas with a half-smile.

"What do you mean, 'not that bad'? Just look at these questions. 'What should you do if your suit tears while performing maintenance work on the heel area?' Or this one, 'What are the three most dangerous areas of a foot?' Or even this, 'How should dirt under the nails be removed?' " Kevin said with exasperation in his voice.

"They're not that difficult. The first one is to move away from the heel and run as far as possible while holding your breath. The three areas are between the toes, the edge of the nails, and the edge of the toes. And the third one is even easier; it's using the Russell method to remove dirt. It's not that hard, Kev. Come on, I'm sure you don't want to fail the class," Thomas said in a motivating tone.

"I don't want to, but I don't like this subject. Besides, it's clear that the professor hates me."
"She doesn't hate you; she's an expert in her field. I'm sure she just wants you to show more interest in her class. Remember, if you don't pass the subject, you risk being selected in the supplements lottery."


Kevin turned pale at the mention of being selected as a supplement. Since they were children, all parents told their kids about the supplements lottery, and many even used the idea of being a supplement to scare children into going to bed early if they didn't want to be chosen. "Can you repeat how the Russell method works?" Kevin asked, still nervous about the idea of being a supplement.


Thomas smiled. "Of course, let me explain how it works again."


Far from where Thomas and Kevin were, another young man of about the same age as them was walking with a relaxed attitude toward the entrance of the service area. Western cities were built on vast lands; however, the cities themselves occupied only thirty percent of the land. The rest of the space was used for the construction of service offices that were used by Chinese citizens to request services. Yun lived in an apartment complex with his mother and father. Yun attended Jiao Tong University, and like every college student, he had a somewhat stressful life, so when he had the opportunity, he liked to request services provided by Westerners.

In Yun's generation, the integration of East and West with China had made significant progress. For example, it was common for every Chinese home to have a pair of Eastern pets, and typically, each city had at least two adoption centers. Yun fondly remembered the pets he had as a child. His father always used to scold him about being more careful with them, since there were several occasions where he almost crushed them.

The young college student entered a one-story building and approached the receptionist. "Good afternoon, I'd like a dental treatment," Yun said with a friendly smile.
The receptionist nodded. "You're in luck; it's been quiet today. For both treatments, it will be fifty yuan."
Yun slid his phone over the terminal, and the sound of a completed payment rang out. "You may proceed to examination room number three," the receptionist instructed. Yun thanked her and entered the room as directed.

The interior of the room had a sterile appearance. In the center of the room, there was an attendant next to a machine that looked similar to those used in eye examinations. "Welcome, please move your face closer to the machine," said the attendant, who didn't seem much older than Yun.

The Chinese young man did exactly as instructed, and then he proceeded to open his mouth, to which the worker nodded in approval. "The cleaning team will enter in a moment. The process takes about twenty minutes. Please try to avoid swallowing saliva as much as possible, and you can press a button on the right if you experience any discomfort."

This wasn't the first time Yun had undergone a dental treatment. The process was quite simple. While he did practically nothing, a team of a thousand Westerners would enter his mouth and begin searching for tartar and food residues trapped between his teeth. Although it didn't replace a dentist, dental treatment was used for cosmetic purposes.

The worker pressed a button, and ten gates, each only a few millimeters long and wide, opened from the machine. Through these gates, the dental cleaning team began to emerge. At the base of the device was where the workers would rest and clean their equipment while waiting for a customer. When it was time to work, they would put on their uniforms, pick up their tools, and take an elevator that would transport them to the top of the device.

Yun felt the machine start to provide a gentle facial massage, and he knew the process was about to begin. The young Chinese boy felt some strange sensations on his lower lip, and he knew that those must be the workers scaling his lower lip. The first time he had a dental treatment, he couldn't help but feel a bit ticklish on his lip, but after a while, he got used to it.

Liam was a new worker on the dental cleaning team. Unfortunately, he hadn't studied
enough during college, so he was only accepted for a position as a dental worker. It wasn't a well-paid job and carried significant risks, making it the second-highest job in terms of personnel turnover.

"Relax, rookie, just do what we do," Mike, who was in charge of training him, told him. "The easiest part is scaling the lips once we're inside. Follow me, have your tools ready."

Liam was trembling like a newborn lamb. All his years living in the city had trained him to be aware of the size differences between him and the Chinese, but it wasn't until the gate opened that he realized just how minuscule he was. When the gate opened, the protective goggles he was wearing fogged up from Yun's warm breath. In addition to that, the force of the wind was so strong that he had to make an effort not to be blown away.

"Frightening?" Mike chuckled. "I know, it's surprising the first time you see them. Don't worry, everything will be fine. Your boots and gloves are coated with a material that won't allow us to climb his lips all the way to his mouth. Don't stray from me."


Mike then ran up to Yun's lips, and Liam followed behind him. Liam watched as Mike easily scaled the lips and tried to imitate him, but it wasn't as easy as it seemed. The surface of the lips was spongy, but there were areas where the skin was broken, forcing Liam to maneuver. On top of that, he felt the powerful winds from Yun's nose exhale above him. Clearly, by the time the winds reached him, they had already lost most of their strength. Nevertheless, they made his climbing task much more complicated. In addition, he couldn't shake off the fear that he was climbing a giant's lips. He was so tiny that the skin fractures on the lips, which weren't as visible to Yun, represented a significant challenge for him. It was at that moment that he realized how dangerous his situation was and regretted not studying more during college.

Climbing the lower lip took Liam and the others nearly ten minutes. Once they reached the top, Liam saw what looked like a scene from a horror movie. The interior of the mouth had gigantic structures that appeared to be made of limestone, towering as high as the tallest buildings he had seen in his city. Additionally, there were powerful rivers, which Liam knew to be saliva.

"Not a pretty sight, is it? Now, rookie, listen carefully: stay away from the saliva rivers and lakes that form. They're entirely unpredictable. The giant will be swallowing saliva, and we ask that you do it as little as possible. At least once, he will do it, and if you're caught in a current, you'll definitely be swept to the gateway to hell, which is the giant's throat. So, beware of saliva rivers."

Once he said that, Mike began to descend the lip, but now towards the inside, heading for Yun's gums. Given his size, Mike had to be very agile. Liam watched in amazement as Mike leaped from the lip to a gum and clung to the surface. "Don't be a coward!" Mike shouted at Liam, who wasn't moving.

Liam bit his lips, gathered his courage, and leaped just as Mike had done. Clinging to the gum as if he were Spider-Man, he couldn't help but look down where a powerful current of saliva was forming.


"Not bad," Mike said with satisfaction. "Let's go; I see some tartar on his canine." Mike began moving towards the area where Yun's canine tooth started.

It took Liam almost a minute to catch up to Mike, and when he did, he couldn't help but make a disgusted expression on his face. Even though the environment he was in was already unpleasant, when he came face to face with a tartar spot his size, it almost made him vomit.

"What did you expect? That it would look like flowers? Get your tools out; let's start working." Mike took a couple of tools from his coveralls that looked like a chisel and began chipping away at the tartar. Liam mimicked Mike's movements and started chipping away at the tartar, causing fragments of it to come loose from the tooth. "This is easy. The worst is when there's leftover food; for those cases, we need about ten of us to unclog the piece of food," Mike said, laughing at the disgusted expression on Liam's face.

It took Mike and Liam ten minutes to remove the tartar spot, and by the time they were done, Liam's arms were aching. "How are we supposed to clean the entire mouth?" Liam complained, wanting to get out of that awful environment and go back home to sleep all day.

"Why do you think there are so many of us? Hundreds of us are working right now as fast as possible, all with the goal of finishing in an hour. Come on, rookie, we need to find more places to clean." Mike started moving along the gum walls towards the area of the lateral teeth.


Liam could only sigh as he watched Mike move swiftly and agilely. He wiped the saliva covering his protective goggles, though it didn't help much. At that moment, he was covered from head to toe in Yun's saliva. "I should have studied more," Liam complained once again as he set off to follow Mike.

An hour later, Yun left the service building with a pleasant feeling of a clean and fresh mouth. "Next week, I should request a dead skin removal treatment," Yun said cheerfully as he headed home.

Every day, customers like Yun would turn to services offered by the citizens of the West, and none of them felt it was strange that they took care of such work. For years, the idea had been promoted that everything was for the purpose of integration, and the proposal had borne fruit; Chinese society had successfully integrated them. The wheel of time never stops, and humanity always adapts to new circumstances that arise. The Westerners had been integrated and were adapting to their new roles, even though it was a path not without danger, but it's not like there had been many options at the time. The history book is still being written, and who knows what kind of new chapters will be written in the book of the world.

10

At midday, the college canteen is full of hungry students, that includes two Chinese guy sitting at a corner. The taller one is Liu Sheng, he’s a typical college jock who stands at 6’2, that’s an outstanding height among his schoolmates. And the shorter one is Xu Zhiyuan, he doesn’t have his friend’s physical build, but he is always the top one in class.

The two just sat down with their lunch, and then a third guy joined them. His name is Huang Hui, he’s a fancy naughty student. Usually he likes to draw people’s attention, but this time he just held his plate and lowered his head: “Hey fellas, do me a favor, I need the seat inside.”

Zhiyuan made space for him, and he squeezed to the place next to the wall. Sheng watched hilariously and asks: “What the hell is wrong with you today, Hui? You’ve not been your own style this whole morning, you didn’t even try to piss our mentor off.”

“Well, about that.” Hui said with a mysterious look, “You must keep this from everybody.” He then reached inside his schoolbag, took out something and placed it on the table. At first Sheng thought it is some other special snack from Hui’s chef father, but then it swirled and squirmed, then he realized that it’s a small Asian.

“Holy shit, how dare you Hui?” As soon as Zhiyuan recognized what is it, he looked around nervously to check if anybody else noticed them, “You know tinies are forbidden in the campus! You can’t bring one here, especially not in a canteen! There are so many people around, they will find out!”

“Relax, Zhiyuan. He’s sitting at the corner, nobody can see it unless he pass us first.” Sheng said, he’s observing the tiny Asian with curiosity, “Besides, it won’t be the first rule he breaks.”

“Just 2 minutes ago I was thinking that maybe you really decide to be a good student, but this is really gonna irritate our mentor.” Zhiyuan shook his head, “Anyway, how did you get it? I thought your family doesn’t keep any Asian pet.”

“This is from my uncle, he’s on a business trip, so he ask my parents to take care of him. Mitra is from Pakistan, he’s been living with my uncle for almost 14 years, so he’s well trained.” Hui explained with excitement, “Hey Mitra, meet my friends here, this is Sheng, and that is Zhiyuan.”

The little guy just managed to stand on his feet, but after hearing Hui’s voice, he began moving immediately. The tiny Pakistani ran towards Sheng’s hand on the table, then hugged his index finger with his arms. Sheng found this scene quite funny, because the Asian is not even big enough to embrace his whole finger. Then he did the same to Zhiyuan, the latter seemed a bit surprised.

“It’s the first time I see an Asian this close.” Zhiyuan reached his hand to touch it, but before he did, he glanced at Hui for permission. Hui nodded at him, so he picked up the little guy in his hand: “He looks well taken care of, your uncle must treat him good. Hello, Mitra, nice to meet you.”

The tiny seemed a bit scared, after all it’s his first time being in a public canteen at lunchtime, all these noises are challenging his nerves. Zhiyuan noticed that and put him down, then he turned to Hui: “Fine, now you’ve done your showoff, maybe you can put him back before someone sees it?”

“Oh why do you think I bring him here? Little guy needs to eat too!” said Hui, he placed Mitra on his plate. “Go ahead, I’ll eat after you finish.” The tiny Pakistani heard his words, then turned to face what must be a mountain of food for him that is Hui’s lunch.

Seeing the tiny eating, Hui smiled warmly. He then turned to his friends again: “Oh and another thing, my dad said that his work unit just received a batch of Westerners, so don’t get surprised if I take one next time.”

“Your dad’s work unit? But I thought he’s a chef at a top restaurant downtown.” Zhiyuan suspected.

“Exactly, because they are ingredient.” Hui explained, “You two do know about our government’s project about supplements, right? My dad said they are the first batch to be used at public restaurants, and if it become popular, the government may promote this mode nationwide.”

“But it... it feels wrong, don’t you think so?” Zhiyuan queried, “According to our professor in History, Asians and Westerners are once human like us, but they shrunk to their current size because of our difference in DNA. I get that their population are outgrowing, and the government needs to control it, but isn’t this a bit extreme, using them for consumption?”

“Oh come on Zhiyuan, you must be the only one who actually listens to history class.” Sheng rolled his eyes, “Asians and Westerners were big once upon a time, so what? They’ve been this small since we were born! If you ask my opinion, it’s all the same. Doesn’t matter if they used to be human, they live upon us now, that’s all that matters.”

“Whatever you say.” Zhiyuan said with compliance, he knew he can’t change his friend’s stubborn mind. “Anyway, please don’t bring him here again, Hui, or any other Westerner. It’s really dangerous, I don’t want you to get into trouble.”

Hui seemed a bit upset. “Hey, it’s not fair, you are the one who told us you want to learn more about tinies at a close distance!” Then he glanced at Sheng, “If only Sheng could invite us to his house, we can save a lot of troubles. He is the one who owns a Western city!”

“I told you already, guys. It belongs to my father, not me, and he’s an old-fashion.” Sheng shrugged his shoulders, “He doesn’t even like it when I come to visit it, let alone my classmates.”

“Still, it’s a shame that a private-nature city can’t be used properly.” Hui sighed, “Are you sure you can’t persuade him? We are always willing to pay you a visit.”

“I’ll try, but don’t put too much hope in that.” Sheng said, “Hey buddy, your little Asian, he’s finished.”

“Already?” Hui looked down at his plate surprisingly. The food didn’t seem to decrease, but the tiny Pakistani already sat aside the plate, patting his stomach and waving at him, so Hui picked him up in his hand and put him back in his bag. “Wow, he eats really fast, guess my uncle really taught him well. And you see that? The good thing about tinies, they don’t eat much, just enough for me to enjoy my lunch.”

Hui began eating on his own, then Zhiyuan turned to Sheng: “There’s no need to push your father for us, Sheng, so don’t take it to your heart. And I remember that you have a practice at school team this afternoon, right?”

“Yeah, you know me, it takes efforts to keep a sports-type body.” Sheng said with pride, “Don’t wait for me after school, I’ll go home myself.”

----------------

Liu Qiang was reading his secretary’s report, he is a successful businessman. He is so absorbed in his work that he doesn’t even notice it when his office door is opened by a visitor. Tao Yijun, a colleague and a friend of Qiang, entered the room and flopped down in the office chair across his desk: “How are you doing, Qiang? Getting your job done anytime?”

Qiang didn’t even raise his eyes from the files: “Help yourself, Yijun, but I’m busy today, I don’t think I can get off work on time. My department just get a new order, I have to finish these documents.”

“OK then, where is Rion? I can have him for a chat when I’m waiting, and I do remember to bring my special earphone this time.” Yijun said excitedly. Rion is a teenager from Singapore, he was adopted by Qiang a few months ago.

“I’m not sure, I put him on the floor before I started working. He haven’t bothered me the whole day...” Qiang finally realized that it’s very uncommon he haven’t been interrupted this whole time, so he searched the floor. He soon found Rion on the floor, right at the place where he put him hours ago.

Qiang bent down on the chair to pick the boy up, the tiny Asian remained the same posture when he is held up within the palm of the businessman. He put Rion on his desk, looked down on him and put on his earphone: “Rion, what’s wrong? I told you to watch out people’s step, but you can still explore my office.”

The tiny looked up at the two towering giant, he shook his head but didn’t answer. Seeing that action, Yijun said to Qiang: “Looks like he doesn’t know what to do. Maybe you should be more specific about your orders, Qiang, I heard that the tiny’s comprehensive ability is degenerating. Maybe you said it tough, and it made him believe that you don’t want him to move around.”

Qiang shook his head: “No, it’s not like that. I’ve spent enough time with Rion, he’s a clever boy, there must be something wrong.” He then turned to Rion, and said in a comforting tone: “It’s OK Rion, tell me what happened, I won’t blame you, no matter what is it.”

Rion trembled a bit, he still didn’t get used to this. When he first signed up the adoption project, he just wanted to see the world outside his city, but he regretted it once the excitement faded away. In the neighbourhood Rion grew up, there are some men who have been sent back by their foster families, one of them even lost his own legs. Rion never believed their horrible stories about Chinese, he thought they were just exaggerating. But after realizing their size difference in a forthright way, Rion started to take them for truth.

To be honest, Qiang is a gentleman. Regardless of his huge form, this Chinese businessman actually has a warm heart under his stern personality. He shares his own food with Rion, buys all necessary equipment for his accommodation, he is even willing to put on his earphone at work, just to ask him what is wrong. According to those stories he has ever heard from his childhood, Rion knew that the situation could be way worse, so he better trust Qiang. He opened his mouth and told the truth: “It’s just... it’s Sheng.”

“Sheng? Does he mean Liu Sheng, your own son?” Yijun was a bit surprised, he asked Qiang. His colleague frowned at Rion’s answer, and asked further: “What about him? Did Sheng tease you again?”

“It’s nothing important really. It’s just... This morning, I want to use the bathroom, but you are checking emails. I don’t want to disturb you, so I went out of the study on my own, but Sheng just woke up, and he walked into the corridor too...” Rion chocked, his narration brought him back to the terrifying moment. “I was walking along the wall like you told me to, so that you won’t step on me by accident. But Sheng glanced at the floor, I think he saw me, because he just stepped in front of me, and I just... I can even touch his feet! They crunched like buildings right at my face, and their smell, I... I just don’t dare walking around after that...”

Rion sounded at the edge of crying out, so Qiang comforted him: “It’s alright, Rion, think of the bright side. At least you didn’t get hurt, isn’t it? I’ll punish Sheng about this, he is supposed to watch his steps when you become part of our family.”

“But what if he didn’t mean it? You can’t punish your son for something unintentional.” Yijun suggested. Qiang shot a glare at him, but he just continued. “It is not impossible, Qiang, don’t pretend like it is. I mean, take a look at Rion and us, we are literally 100 times bigger than Asians, if I put him on the floor, he won’t even stand higher than our shoe soles. In that case, you can’t blame someone for not seeing him clearly. After all, accident happens.”

“I know, but it’s been months since Rion moved into my house, but it’s not the first time Sheng did something like this to him.” Qiang said indignantly, “Either way he has to be more careful, I don’t believe in accident.”

----------------

After his practice, Sheng went back home, all drenched in sweat. He kicked off his sneakers, stuffed his dirty socks inside, and went straight to the service room. He sat down on the specially-designed chair, and placed his size 14 feet in a glass box at the bottom of this high-tech instrument, leaving only a small gap between his soles and the glass. He clicked a bottom and said to the microphone: “OK runts, it’s your master Sheng here, just back from exercise. I could really use a foot massage.”

Under the service room, there lies a Western city in the basement. As Sheng’s classmates said, it’s one of the private-nature city owned by Liu Qiang, a wealthy businessman. About the size of a big swimming pool, there’s approximately 200,000 tiny Westerners living here in a single room, providing different kind of services to Sir Liu and his family.

Inside the city, Peter was just resting and chatting with his friends from team 8. Public-nature cities are always busy, but unlike them, private ones only have to deal with a certain number of Chinese people, so they can take duty turns. That means, if they are lucky enough, they might not need to work the whole day.

Just when Peter thought about calling it a nice day, he heard the citywide broadcast. What’s worse, it is Liu Sheng’s voice, Liu QIang’s athletic son. Unlike the typical gentleman Qiang is, Sheng is a typical college jock. The whole city dislike to serve him, yet they don’t have a choice.

Peter sighed and went out of his apartment with his teammates, everyone looked low-spirited, as if they don’t believe this happens on their duty day. Peter put on the protective suit and boarded the conveyor, waiting until it delivered them to the service room. And when they arrived, Peter saw their destination through the ground glass: “No way! I can’t believe it’s his feet again.”

“Just relax, at least it’s not his mouth.” His teammate comforted him, “Did you forget the time team 5 was sent there? Half of them was swallowed in a single gulp, and master Sheng just chuckled at it. Compared to that, feet cleaning has a lower death rate.”

“I know, but...” Peter was just about to argue, but then the entrance opened, leaving only a single suit between them and the enormous feet. There’s no need to emphasize his point anymore, ‘cause they are already facing it themselves. The size 14 feet towered upon every Westerner like 2 skyscrapers, each one of them covered in grimes, sweats and lints. Besides that, the rotten smell of jock feet surrounded the whole glass box, penetrating their protective suit and stimulated their nostrils.

“Fine, let’s get to work.” Peter sighed, then headed to the stocky feet. He can’t imagine what that smells like without his suit, fortunately it never broke.

Up in the chair, Sheng was more than content to see those tiny dots marching towards his huge feet. The micro Westerners surrounded his size 14 quickly, but then he found something strange: “Hey, why the hell is there no one between my toes? That’s where grimes accumulate most, you need to clean that too.”

After his command, some dots finally moved between his sturdy toes. Sheng lay in the chair with satisfaction, and began scrolling his social media. His rank feet never bothered him, in his opinion, it’s just a regular stench that a normal jock must have. He read those interesting news and laughed lightly, enjoying those tiny bodies spread under his huge feet.

Peter was one of the “lucky dogs” who got to work between those giant toes, which is the most dangerous, most disgusting place to be. Yes, at first most people think that the place under giant’s soles is awful, but soon they find out that it costs less effort to clean. As long as the giant keeps a proper gap in between, all they have to do is to squirm under it and tear those filth down. But between the toes Peter have to climb up high to reach higher grimes, and he’s also under the surveillance of the giant, it would cause some serious mental stress.

But with all these complains, it’s not like he had a choice. Peter continued his work, revering their master Sheng in his heart.

----------------

Finally off from work, Liu Qiang arrived at his house. As soon as he opened the door, he noticed a pungent odor in the foyer. He grimaced at the smell, then walked to the corridor. He soon noticed that the door to service room is closed, so he knocked on it: “Son, are you there? We need to talk now.”

“Just a moment.” Sheng said lazily. He’s in a middle of a service process, and he doesn’t want to cut it off.

Somehow the passive attitude in Sheng’s voice tipped Qiang’s mind, making his pressures from a tired working day burst out all at once: “I said now, and I fucking mean it! Get the hell ou of there right now, or you’ll have to pay your tuition on you own!”

That’s enough for Sheng to take his father seriously, he got on his feet immediately, put on his flip-flops and rushed out of the room. But things are way different under his feet. Within an instant, thousands of workers who crawled underneath Sheng’s virile feet were squeezed by his immense weight. Their vulnerable bodies stand no chance against such a mighty presence, they ended up meat sauce under the Chinese jock’s bare soles.

Staying between toes, Peter was lucky enough to avoid being smashed. Standing on the blood-stained glass floor, he looked at the corpses strewn around him and felt the smell of stench feet mixed with rust blood. It’s not the first time he lost teammates, but experiencing such a massacre with his own eyes, he just felt sick. Peter knelt on the floor, retched desperately. Although he’s still alive, he got a feeling that his fate is as sealed as those corpses around him.

Outside the room, Sheng almost rushed into his father when he opened the door. He stopped in time, his body still sweating and giving away heat. Qiang looked disapprovingly at him: “For Heaven’s sake, Sheng, I told you a million times you should at least take a shower before you use the service, it would be easier for them to do their job!”

“And for a million times I have to say that I don’t see why.” Sheng felt wronged, “The Westerners are meant to serve us, so I just let them! Why bother to help them with what they are supposed to do?”

“Where did all those classes you took go? The Westerners are all humans like us, they just don’t have our genes to prevent themselves from shrinking!” Qiang felt a headache while explaining to his child. Being part of a whole new generation, Sheng was born after the Shrinking Event, young people like him never experienced the days during which non-Chinese populations are still normal-size humans. As a consequence, they tend to see Asians and Westerners more like something inferior than Chinese.

“And you just said it, Dad, we have different genes! Doesn’t that suggest we are born superior? I can’t even see those Westerners clearly, how am I suppose to take them seriously? Even Asians are bigger than them!” Sheng argued back, he completely disagreed with his father.

“Oh right, speaking of Asian, what did you do to Rion this morning?” Qiang remembered what the Singaporean told him earlier, he queried Sheng.

“Eh...” Sheng almost forgot about the small incident in the morning, after all it’s not a big deal for him. Yes, he did step by the tiny Asian for fun, so what? It’s just a prank! But noticing his father’s fury, he decided to lie about that. “I don’t know, what happened to him? Did he get hurt?”

Qiang searched for sign of guilty on his son, but he found nothing. The father still wants to believe his son, so he sighed and simply warned him: “Rion said you step near him on purpose, but he didn’t get hurt, so you are lucky for now. You need to watch where you are going in the house, remember? I won’t buy it next time, there can’t be that much ‘accidents’ to happen.”

“Got it, Dad.” Sheng answered with fake genuineness. Qiang took another look at his son, and patted his shoulder: “Now go clean yourself, you are making the whole house stink.”

After that, Qiang went upstairs to his own room. He took off his clothes, leaving only an underwear on his fit body, and got ready for a refreshing shower. Before he went to the bathroom, he took his Asian pet out of his briefcase, and placed him on the ground: “It’s fine now Rion, Sheng didn’t mean to do it. Just suit yourself in my room, he won’t hurt you again. Oh and don’t forget to walk along the wall.”

Rion heard the whole dispute inside the briefcase, so he realized that his owner wasn’t going to punish his son. He hunched inside the case and sobbed silently, he knew that it would only make Sheng’s behavior worse. And then the case was held up, a warm solid hand reached in and took him out as usual. Down on the floor, Rion was put between two giant feet. Up in the sky, he could see Qiang’s huge manhood hidden in the underwear, it made him feel smaller.

And of course, it wasn’t the first time Rion saw his Chinese master half-naked, but he felt more depressed than ever. Liu Qiang has a fit body, a kind heart, a smell-free feet, and enough money for everything that a tiny might need. He is a perfect foster giant, he just couldn’t care enough to really share his sympathy with a tiny. However, Rion can’t blame him. After all, they were born this small, naturally inferior like Sheng said. Every single one of them must live upon Chinese now, so there’s nothing to complain, ‘cause that’s what they deserve. Slowly he crawled to the nearest corner, mourning for his fate.

For sure, Liu Qiang didn’t know about his tiny pet’s thought, he just walked inside the bathroom, enjoying a warm shower.

----------------

There can’t be that much 'accidents'? How dare him! Sheng flushed his body fleetly, washing away thousands of tiny Westerner’s remains into the dark, deserted drain. He felt a rush of wrath when he recalled what his father just told him. That little runt is always a blabber, that’s just a joke after all. But now he’s warned by his father, who seems to care more about that tiny pet than his own son! Sheng’s never gonna swallow it down, he must make Rion pay for that.

Rolling his eyes, a wonderful idea came up to Sheng at once. He finished his cleaning, wiped his body dry, grabbed a glue from the cabinet, and waited for a proper timing. When he heard the sound of running water from another bathroom, he opened the door and sneaked into his father’s bedroom. It didn’t take him long to find the tiny Asian on floor, he picked him up with a swift grab.

After catching his little foe, Sheng tiptoed to the bathroom door, in which his father was showering, the running water made a perfect cover for him. He held Rion to his face and whispered: “I’m thinking that you need to learn the real meaning of ‘prank’, moron. And since you’ve been playing up to my dad, I guess it would be better for him to do it himself.”

While saying so, Sheng picked an ideal place at the doorway and put a little glue there, enough to trap an Asian but not enough to be found out. Then he laid the tiny man there, and put a finger on him to make sure he won’t move. The more weak struggles he felt from pathetic Rion, the more determination he grew on the inferiority of non-Chinese people. After the glue went dry, he let out a cruel smile, and went back to his bathroom, pretending that he never left there this whole time.

On the floor, Rion already drained all his energy, he even tried to tear his clothes apart, but the glue touched his skin too, so there’s nothing he can do but to wait in horror. He did know that Sheng would come back for him, but he never thought it would be this quick. Now all he can do is to pray that Qiang would walk past him without stepping on the spot, he just accepted his foster life, but he’s not ready for death.

Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on his side this time. After what felt like eternity, Rion finally heard a different noise from the bathroom. Soon the door was opened, his foster master’s solemn body towered up in the sky. Fresh out of bath, Qiang’s body was clean and warm, he was barefoot, and the only thing on him was a bath towel around his waist. When he leaned his colossal body slight forward, the white fabric swung as well, exposing his grand organ all to little Rion. It is such a thick, remarkable manhood that slightly erected because of the shower, it outsized his whole body, showing the utter masculinity of his Chinese master.

Completely focused on the view, it was the lower part of Qiang’s body that brought his mind back. He stretched out a manly foot, it loomed above his tiny existence. Rion can see his gorgeous sole, it’s slightly wrinkled because of the bath, he can feel it’s warmth even from a distance. Unlike Sheng’s size 14 jock feet, it’s smaller, cleaner, and didn’t stink at all. But none of that matters now, ‘cause the next moment, it fell upon on him. Rion was smashed under Qiang’s robust heel, it doomed his life as deadly as it should be. The entire weight of Liu Qiang crushed all over the tiny Asian, making his death simple and quick.

“Shit!” Qiang felt something broken under his sole, he lifted his foot to check it immediately. But it’s already too late for little Rion, his delicate body didn’t even last a single second under the Chinese businessman’s massive foot. “Oh hell Rion, I told you to walk along the wall.”

Of course, Qiang didn’t find out his son’s trick. He just went back into the bathroom for some wet tissues, and cleaned the damaged body of the poor Asian from his sole and the floor. “Maybe Yijun is right.” Qiang sighed with pity, “Accident happens.”

11

The sound of the alarm clock woke Yan Wei . It was six in the morning, and the sun was just starting to rise, its warm light filtering through the curtains of the young Chinese man's bedroom. Wei stretched in bed and let out a big yawn. Slowly, he got out of bed, placing his bare feet on the wooden floor.

Wei glanced to his right, at his sports shoes, where a worn sock that had clearly seen better days was wedged inside. "Good morning, Bao. How did my favorite companion sleep?" Wei asked as he removed the smelly sock from his sneaker.

Trapped inside the stinky sock was Bao, who had been adopted by Wei two weeks ago. The young man was terrified, for some strange reason, Wei forced him to sleep inside the odorous sock every night. Despite Bao's pleas to be left out, the Chinese man ignored all his requests with a smile.

Wei held the tiny human between his fingers and brought him close to his lips. "Today we need to go to the supermarket, and then we'll head to the gym. Are you excited?" Wei asked, even though his questions were purely rhetorical since even if Bao replied, his voice wouldn’t reach Wei's ears unless he was placed directly inside his ear, a practice that Wei didn’t usually follow.

Bao was hit by Wei's morning breath, making him cough from the nausea he felt at that moment. The air he breathed was tainted with Wei's breath. Poor Bao tried to filter the air by placing his hands over his face.

The Chinese young man went to the bathroom and placed Bao on the toilet seat's edge. "It's time to go to the bathroom, Bao," the Chinese guy said with a smile. Since entering university, he had felt a bit lonely. His family was from a distant town, so despite having friends in the capital, he couldn't help but feel a bit lonely. To address this situation, he decided to adopt Bao. The adoption process was straightforward, and over the years, it had become easier.

Adoption centers offered a wide variety of options, but he was captivated by Bao the moment he saw him. He didn't hesitate for a second to complete the adoption process. Adoption centers used to provide audio tools if adopters wanted to communicate with their adoptees. However, two years ago, they started charging two thousand yuan for the package. Wei wasn't poor, but he also didn’t have money to spare, so he chose not to buy the package. Besides, he was confident that he could keep Bao happy without it.

Bao walked to the edge of the toilet seat, but looking down at the water pool dozens of meters below, he couldn’t help but feel dizzy. No matter how many times Wei placed him there, he could never get used to it. Bao, feeling unsteady, proceeded to relieve himself; the little man was only wearing a robe, which was the standard attire for companions.

Wei nodded as soon as he saw Bao began to urinate and then he pulled out his flaccid member and from the tip of his penis a torrent of yellow urine began to flow. The sound of the urine hitting the water below was like a waterfall to Bao, who at that moment felt vulnerable. It wasn't the first time Wei had urinated along with him, but that didn't make the experience any less traumatic for him. The torrent of urine flowing from the tip of the Chinese man's penis was as rushing as the Amazon River, the sour smell stung Bao's nose and eyes who could only pray to heaven that Wei would finish quickly.
For Bao it was emasculating to have to see the huge flaccid member of the Chinese, even though the penis was resting it was several times its width and length in fact Bao was sure that he could be crushed under Wei's glans if he wanted it to be.

Bao had been raised in an adoption center and was among the first generations taught that they were under Chinese dominion, that they were companions, and that being a companion was an honor. However, Bao couldn't help but question that. Was this his fate? If so, why did the elders tell stories of a world where they were free, a world where they weren't as small as insects? Where had that world gone? Why did he have to be a companion? Why did he have to sleep in the foul-smelling sock of a Chinese boy? He couldn't help but ask himself all these questions.

As Wei finished urinating, he shook his flaccid member, causing droplets of urine the size of melons to fall on Bao. "I really needed that," Wei said, relieved that the pressure in his bladder had disappeared. "Give me a few minutes, Bao, and then we can go to the supermarket," Wei said as he approached the sink to wash his face and brush his teeth.

As soon as Wei finished brushing his teeth he proceeded to hold Bao between his fingers. The boy returned to his room and placed Bao on the floor, "I'll change, if you want you can play on the floor for a while".

Bao on the floor looked up at his giant owner, being on the floor always increased his sense of insignificance. The little man couldn't take his eyes off the giant boy, Wei's feet were as big as small buildings, his legs, though slender, let you see the powerful muscles he had, Wei's flat stomach that for many was a gateway to hell. Wei's whole body was an expression of power.

As soon as Wei finished dressing, he grabbed Bao again between his fingers and placed it in the pocket of his T-shirt.

As he left the building Wei felt the cool morning breeze on his skin, even though it was early there was already traffic on the streets, fortunately the supermarket he was going to was close to his apartment.

Upon entering Vanguard, Wei was greeted by the sound of shopping carts moving through the aisles. The college student grabbed a basket and headed towards the meat area. He planned to buy steak for the week.

As he stood in line, an employee approached him. "Good morning, would you like a pound cake? It has supplements, and we offer it for free to customers as long as they come before ten in the morning," the employee said with a smile.

"Sure, I haven't had breakfast, so it won't hurt," Wei said as he grabbed a pound cake from the tray the employee was holding. "What flavors are they?"

"They're flavored banana and strawberry, enhanced with supplements for good digestion," the employee said with a smile.

"Do they have supplements?" Wei asked as he focused his gaze on the top of the pound cake. There, squinting, he saw very tiny things moving on the top of his pound cake. "Since when do you offer free supplements? I remember they are only provided for free in schools."

"We have a good deal with the supplier. Whenever there are surpluses, we prefer to offer them to our customers. These come from tropical areas, so they should be festive," the employee said.

"Festive? Well, I hope they don't throw a party in my stomach," Wei said with a half-smile before taking a bite of the pound cake.

The supplementation program had been highly controversial since its inception. However, over time, it has achieved a significant level of acceptance among Chinese society. Although there were cities designated as homes for all reduced Westerners, the truth is there is no perfect society. Even in controlled environments, there are always members of society who are not particularly useful and rather represent a danger. All those who were not considered suitable were selected to be part of the supplementation program. They were called "supplements" because they were meant to supplement the Chinese people's diet. Despite the controversy, recent studies had shown that a diet high in supplements contributed to height. A teenager who consumed supplements could potentially be four or five centimeters taller than one who did not.

Originally, the number of members eligible to receive supplements was limited mostly due to the supply. However, as time passed and Western populations began to increase, the supply grew to the point where they could be bought in a couple of supermarkets. Of course, they were not exactly cheap, but many mothers made an effort to provide at least one packet of supplements per week to their children, just like Wei's mother had done. During his teenage years, his mother had insisted he swallow one packet per week, which eventually paid off. By the age of 22, Wei measured 1.85 meters tall and wore a size 45 shoe.

Juan found himself on a peculiar surface—soft yet somehow hard at the same time. The strong smell of bananas pervaded the entire environment. Nineteen years old, Juan had lived his whole life in a city for Westerners built in the Chaoyang district. His father was a dental cleaner, and his mother worked in nasal labor. Despite leading an acceptable lifestyle, he had refused to study and intended to make his parents work. He rejected the idea of engaging in that kind of work and believed that something better would come his way. However, one night, a group of men entered his house and kidnapped him. Juan didn't know where they were holding him, but after a few days, they threw him into what seemed like a gigantic bag.

He was trapped in that bag for hours until he saw light again, but as he did, he fell onto the strange surface where he stood. Poor Juan was disoriented but knew there was only one explanation for what had happened to him. However, he didn't want to accept it, but unwillingness to accept it wasn't going to stop the wheel of destiny.

As soon as Wei grabbed the pound cake, Juan fell onto his backside as an earthquake shook the surface they were on. Then Juan saw Wei's gigantic lips, the pair of lips parted and revealed to Juan and the thousands on the pound cake a nightmarish sight. Juan saw Wei's enormous teeth, and beyond the teeth, the black hole that was his throat reflected in his pupils.

Juan began trembling in absolute terror upon realizing the fate that awaited him. "No! No! I am not a supplement, I made a mistake, I'll accept any job, but I won't be a supplement," Juan said, his voice inundated with utter despair.

In an attempt to escape his cruel fate, Juan began to run. Where? It didn't matter; he just wanted to get away from the giant Chinese man's huge mouth. However, he was confined to the area of the pound cake's surface—escape was impossible.

As soon as Wei took the first bite of the pound cake, Juan heard the sound of teeth breaking into the cake's surface, accompanied by the screams of desperation from the thousands of men and women trying to escape Wei's teeth.

"I don't want to be a supplement! I have a child at home! Please, I didn't mean to steal, give me another chance!" the poor man shouted in terror. Yet, his voice was silenced with Wei's next bite.

Tears streamed from Juan's eyes as he imagined ending up in the mouth of the colossal Chinese man. Like everyone else, he had been educated that his duty was to contribute and respect the world's status, but until that moment, he had never realized how colossal the Chinese people were. It was only at that moment that he understood his status in the world. Unfortunately for him, it was already too late. Juan, along with hundreds of others, was pulled into Wei's mouth with the next bite.

The inside of the mouth was warm like an oven, the air extremely humid. Juan was tossed from side to side as Wei chewed. His entire body was covered in the disgusting substance that was the crushed bread covered in saliva. Juan was fortunate not to end up crushed under Wei's giant teeth.

The sound produced as the teeth crushed the bread was deafening to the hundreds trapped inside the mouth, yet the torture did not last long as at least half of them were pulverized under Wei's relentless teeth.

Juan, to his good or bad fortune was saved from dying under the molars of the Chinese university student and instead was dragged into the black hole that was Wei's throat. In utter desperation Juan tried to fight against the suction force, but his effort was futile and in the end he and the cud were sent into the depths of Wei's stomach.

The fall down Wei's esophagus felt eternal, but in reality it only lasted two seconds. The moment the Cardias opened, John was welcomed into the hellish world that was the Chinese man's stomach. The inside of the stomach was totally dark, horrifying sounds echoed in the horrible cavern of the stomach. The air inside smelled of bile making Juan vomit on the spot. Poor Juan had landed on a huge chunk of cud which had momentarily saved him from meeting stomach acids and enzymes.

Every breath Juan took he felt his lungs burst into flames, close to him, though he couldn't see them Juan could hear dozens of people begging for mercy, for a shred of clemency. Juan knew he was in hell, only hell could create such a horrifying place.

-Please, please get me out of here, I don't want to die, I don't want to die," Juan said pleadingly, as he remained fixed in his position. -I am not a supplement, I am a person, don't do this to me," he said disconsolately. Juan's pleas joined those of the hundreds of others who like him begged the stomach to spare their lives, but Wei's stomach they were just a food like any other.

The stomach acid began to rise in level due to the pancake Wei had eaten so it began to act on the food boluses inside. John could hear the stomach acid acting on the surface he was standing on. -God, please don't! I don't want to die! - he began to scream. To make matters worse, after a few minutes Wei finished lining up so the Chinese boy started walking again, causing the situation in his stomach to become chaotic.

The Chinese boy walked through the supermarket aisles, observing the products with a peaceful gaze. He was oblivious to the hell unfolding behind his flat stomach. Even if he had known, perhaps it wouldn't have mattered to him. After all, those selected to be supplements were social outcasts. The supplements weren't like the kind Western workers who cleaned his nose or ears; no, they were supplements, nothing more, nothing less.

Due to the movement Juan was thrown off the top of the cud he was standing on and fell into the sea of stomach acid. The moment his skin made contact with the acid the most piercing of screams came from Juan, the acid began to eat away at his skin. Juan tried to climb back up the cud, but it too was being dissolved by the stomach acid making that mission somewhat impossible. Juan's screams ceased as soon as the acid entered his mouth and began to dissolve him from the inside, he was suffering the fate that thousands before him had suffered and thousands after him would continue to suffer.

Juan and thousands of others would be processed by the young Chinese man's stomach, everything valuable would be taken from their bodies and what was left would be disposed of the way Wei's body knew how, the few bones that remained would end up embedded in Wei's waste and would end up as part of the city's sewage system.

As he left the supermarket, now with a small bag carrying his purchases, on his way back to his apartment, the first thing he did upon arrival was to place the meat in the refrigerator. He then prepared a cup of coffee and a simple breakfast. The Chinese boy took Bao out of his pocket and placed it beside his plate. On the edge of Wei's plate was a brown substance the size of a pumpkin; that was the special food for Bao. Due to Bao's small size, the government had created a specific type of food. Although the taste wasn't very pleasant, it provided all the necessary nutrients. Bao approached his food and began devouring the brown substance. He couldn't help but glance at Wei, as watching tons of food disappear through the Chinese boy's mouth was a hypnotic yet terrifying spectacle.

After finishing breakfast, Wei waited an hour for the food to digest. Once he felt enough time had passed, he changed into sportswear. The Chinese boy grabbed Bao and placed it in the pocket of his pants.

Wei had access to the gym in the building, so he only had to take the elevator to get there. He entered his PIN, and the gym doors opened. Inside, a couple of men were using the machines. Wei took Bao out of his pocket.

"Don't move from here; it will only be about ten minutes," Wei said as he placed Bao on the floor. From the floor, Bao saw Wei get on the treadmill, and the machine began to move. The speed, although not too much in Wei's eyes, felt unreal to Bao. Watching Wei, Bao felt like crying; he felt inferior, and the thunderous sound of Wei's steps was a constant reminder of his inferiority. He couldn't escape; he would never be faster than Wei. He couldn't fight; in a single finger, Wei had more strength than Bao in his entire body. He was doomed to live in constant inferiority to Wei; he was an insect in a world of gods. Bao could see it, not just with Wei, but also by observing the other men exercising. Each one of them wielded more power than Bao or a thousand Baos combined could muster. Each of them could erase his existence with the simplest of steps. Bao was inferior to the ground beneath the feet of the Chinese men. He didn't want that reality, but that was the truth.

Bao's little one sat on the floor, embracing his legs and began to cry. The sound of his weeping was drowned out by the sound of Wei's footsteps on the treadmill, acting as a constant reminder of his inferiority.

Bao's fate was very similar to that of billions of others who could do nothing but accept their insignificance. Even so, it was a more merciful fate than that of the thousands digested every day in the stomachs of the Chinese men. Was the world fair? Very unlikely, but even before the fateful accident, the world was not fair either.

12

Yuze sat in his office with a furrowed brow; he was part of the government's development and planning team. He was one of those responsible for monitoring the implementation of the plan presented by Zhi. The idea of creating settlements for both native Asians and the rest of the world was excellent. However, as Yuze looked at the population numbers outside Asia, the young Chinese politician couldn't help but feel a headache.

The fact that populations outside China had decreased in size did not seem to be a hindrance to their growing numbers. The government kept track of the number of new births, and the numbers he observed were astonishing. With the current trend, even if settlements or "cities," as they would be officially called, were established, the numbers would grow exponentially every three years according to their graphs. Although the resources consumed were not significant due to their size, a drop of water can create a hole in a stone if given enough time. Yuze vehemently opposed the government allocating such resources if there was no return benefit. While it was true that China was responsible for the current world predicament, it didn't mean they should become martyrs.

Two months ago, Yuze and his faction members had managed to get approval from several party members to lower adoption requirements. This was crucial, as the current requirements made it impossible to assign homes to everyone in the adoption program. That had been a significant victory, and now he had to claim another one as he had to add details to the plan presented by Zhi.

"The cities of public nature are to serve the well-being and development of the Chinese people. Citizens of these cities must provide a variety of services for which they will be remunerated. However, each and every one must contribute to the sustainable development of the cities," Yuze said as he began drafting the document to be presented in a couple of days.

"The cities of private nature are to be acquired by any citizen with the economic capacity to pay for the relocation and provide long-term support. Those belonging to a city of private nature are the exclusive property of the owner or owners. This means that all rights, responsibilities, or privileges are at the discretion of the official owner of the settlement," he continued writing, anticipating objections from various party members.

"While China acknowledges the need to assist all those affected by the effects of that experiment, it must be recognized that, due to its size, there are countless challenges. Ensuring their total safety is an exercise lacking in success and will only serve to create internal divisions. Therefore, I recommend that in terms of criminal penalties, situations arising from both the adoption program and the settlement program should not be pursued. However, I suggest that the government conducts awareness campaigns. This last part was sure to stir emotions in many who read the document, but Yuze was only showing the truth. It was futile to think that there would be no fatal situations; wanting to criminally pursue those accidents was ridiculous. In Yuze's opinion, it was best to accept that it was inevitable.

With these additions to Zhi's original plan, he believed the situation improved. Population control would be achieved through these situations, at least to some extent. However, that was not all. For the past couple of days, Yuze had a plan in mind, but he needed evidence to support his idea. Two weeks ago, he, along with a small group of faction members and a couple of researchers, initiated an investigation into supplements. Yuze knew that no matter how generous people were, there would be those who resisted contributing. So, he came up with the "supplements" program. Those who resisted, didn't contribute, or were considered criminals would be included in the supplements program.

The supplements program was a radical change, so he needed evidence that it posed no harm to health. His small investigation had started two weeks ago. He still remembered how astonished everyone had been when he mentioned that he wanted to investigate.

Yuxuan watched his friend Yuze with amazement. "Man, you're a bit crazy. Are you serious, Yuze? Do you know what you're proposing?" Yuxuan said with a marked tone of skepticism in his voice.

"I know, but Yuxuan, in the long run, allows us to solve many problems. While there is an ethical issue, consider that the benefit we gain allows us to manage everything better. Believe me, the numbers are bad. At this rate, non-Chinese populations will be out of control in a couple of years," Yuze said with a bitter smile.

Yuxuan struggled to assimilate what Yuze was saying. Yuxuan carefully pondered his words, "Even if it's implemented, I highly doubt it will really help. But leaving that aside, Yuze, we're talking about people, not shrimp," Yuxuan said, looking into his friend's eyes.

"I know, but Yuxuan, initially, it will only apply to those who do more harm than good to society. Also, think about it, if we succeed, we will be the pioneers of this plan. In the future, this will bring many benefits to our careers. And think, are we really the same as them?" said Yuze.

Yuxuan remained silent for a minute. He personally felt that Yuze's arguments were weak, but in his last question, there was a well of truth. "Let's say I agree to help you. How do we start?" Yuxuan asked.

Yuze smiled. "Well, first, we need to get a couple of test subjects. You and I can be the first, and we need a couple of 'supplements.' I believe you could help with that, right?"

"I already knew you wouldn't tell me your plan without having something in mind. If I can get them, when do you want to start?"

"Come to my apartment this afternoon," Yuze said, grateful that Yuxuan accepted his plan. Yuxuan had access to distribution groups, making it easier to start their experiment with his help.

That same afternoon, Yuxuan rang the doorbell of Yuze's apartment. Yuze greeted him, now dressed in more casual clothes. They had been friends for years, so there was a high level of trust between them. That was another reason why Yuze confided in Yuxuan about his plan.

Yuxuan entered his friend's apartment, holding a container with two thousand Westerners in his hand. The container was barely 20 cm long and wide. Yuxuan noticed that his friend was wearing gray sportswear, a T-shirt with white sleeves. Physically, both Yuxuan and Yuze shared the same black hair color, except Yuxuan's was slightly longer. Yuze stood at 183 cm tall, with a slim build. His friend had an attractive face with a pronounced jawline, sword-like eyebrows, and large black eyes that gleamed with ambition. Yuxuan, on the other hand, was shorter at 177 cm, with a slightly muscular build due to exercise. Though his face wasn't as attractive as Yuze's, he was still considered good-looking.

"You got here quickly," Yuze said, motioning for his friend to sit on the sofa in his apartment's living room. In front of the sofa, there was a small table where Yuze had placed two plates of Ma Po Tofu.

"How are we supposed to do this?" Yuxuan asked, sitting on the sofa and placing the container on the table.

—It's simple. In my plan, I intend to promote the use of them in food dishes. That should be the typical way to consume a supplement. As a first step, we need to add them to the food, then we eat, and throughout the day, we should be attentive to any adverse effects from consuming them. Also, the next day when our bodies have to dispose of what's left, we should notice if anything feels different," Yuze said with a smile as he explained to his friend.

"So, you want me to check when I go to the bathroom?" Yuxuan said with a joking tone.

"Not exactly, just if you notice anything different," Yuze told him. "By the way, was it difficult to get them?" Yuze asked as he looked at the container.

"No, it wasn't, but I admit I feel a bit guilty for them. It's not like I could choose who's good or bad. They think I'm taking them to a city for settlement," Yuxuan said with a slight tone of remorse in his voice.

"In the future, this won't happen. There are always sacrifices in the beginning. Come on, if you want, I'll start it," Yuze said as he grabbed the container and tilted it slightly, letting about three hundred fall onto his plate. He then proceeded to do the same with Yuxuan's plate.

Gregory was only twenty-one years old, and for the past two years, his world had changed for the worse. The terrible accident had robbed him of his size, reducing him to a mere height of one millimeter. Two years had passed since that fateful day. It wasn't until he was rescued by soldiers and his fellow Asians that he had a moment of relief. Life in a shelter had been monotonous, and like everyone else, he hoped that the Chinese government would find a way to reverse the size reduction process. However, the latest news was that it still wasn't possible. In the meantime, the government was going to create settlements for them, cities where they could live until everything was resolved. That's why, when he was selected by Yuxuan, he initially felt excited to finally leave behind the monotonous shelter. It might have been two years, but he never got used to the size of the Chinese. Given his height, every Chinese man he saw was over three kilometers tall. They didn't seem like people but rather mythological beings. Every time he saw one up close, a sense of fear emerged. Although, like everyone else, he cursed them because they were responsible for his current situation, the truth was that in front of one of them, he didn't dare to even breathe heavily.

The wait in the container was tedious as he sought to arrive quickly at his new home. However, much to his dismay, that giant had taken him to the apartment of another gigantic Chinese man. It was at that moment that he and all the others began to feel that something was not right. As soon as the container was placed on the table, a feeling of discomfort and fear arose in the hearts of each and every Westerner who looked with doubt at the two gigantic Chinese men talking. Since none of them spoke the language, they were unaware of what the two men were discussing.

Gregory watched as the other giant approached the container and grabbed it with his enormous hand. "What do you think you're doing?" Gregory said nervously, not knowing the giant's intentions. However, it didn't take ten seconds for that uncertainty to be resolved. Gregory felt his body in free fall. Terrified screams echoed around him. Looking down, he saw that he was about to fall onto the enormous plate of food that the giant had on the table. He closed his eyes and expected the worst. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, the fall did not kill him. He landed on a gigantic piece of tofu, and the spicy sauce made his body adhere to it. Gregory was not the only one who fell onto that piece of tofu; hundreds like him found themselves stuck to the gigantic piece of food. Cries for help and terror echoed from all the Westerners who still did not understand what the giant wanted to do. Maybe it was obvious to someone else, but for them, it wasn't. The idea that someone would consume them was ridiculous, and many thought the giant wanted to humiliate them. It wasn't until many saw the giant Chinese tongues ready to welcome them that they realized the terrible fate that awaited them.

Yuze grabbed the plate with one hand and a pair of chopsticks with the other. He scanned the food with his eyes, and he could barely make out the Westerners adhered to the tofu squares on the surface. It was challenging to see them given their size. After all, even one of the chopped green onion pieces was much larger than them.

Yuxuan watched as his friend brought a piece of tofu to his mouth. At first glance, there seemed to be nothing unusual with the dish. If he hadn't seen Yuze causing the Westerners to fall onto the food, he would never have thought that his friend was orchestrating a massacre at that moment.

Gregory tried to move, but the sauce made it impossible to escape. The young boy watched as the gigantic Chinese man devoured the food they were on. He couldn't understand how someone could do this; they were people! They were supposed to help them; they were supposed to be transferred to a city for them. So why was he stuck there like just another seasoning? Why had that man done this? "Help! Save me!" Gregory screamed, like the others, as soon as he saw those gigantic Chinese chopsticks positioning themselves right over the piece of tofu to which he was adhered. "No, no, please don't!" he screamed in terror as he saw the chopsticks grab the tofu square. Gregory felt a rush of air as the tofu square was lifted hundreds of meters into the air until he saw the face of the giant Chinese man. With terror, he saw how the huge lips parted to give him a perfect view of Yuze's mouth cave. Gregory saw the enormous teeth, each as large as a building. He saw the huge and long strands of saliva forming inside the mouth. He saw the gigantic pink tongue, so large that a hundred blue whales could easily fit. The massive uvula hanging at the back of the mouth seemed to indicate that anyone who ventured beyond could only fall into that black pit, the entrance to the throat.

Yuze's warm breath, smelling of soda and his previous food, hit Gregory like a brick wall. At that moment, tears flowed copiously from Gregory's eyes. The young boy was a mess of screams and tears as he noticed how the Chinese man moved the piece of tofu towards his mouth. "No, no. Don't eat me! Please don't eat me!" Gregory pleaded, crying out.

Upon entering Yuze's mouth, the light was snatched away, and he found himself in a world of darkness. Gregory felt Yuze pushing the piece of tofu towards the molar area, Yuze's teeth ready to crush the tofu and everyone else adhered to it. The sounds of saliva moving inside the mouth were like those of a rushing river for everyone inside. Gregory then heard the sound of molars falling onto the piece of tofu. Screams of pain and terror echoed powerfully but were drowned out by the sound of Yuze chewing the piece of tofu. Gregory managed to escape being crushed, as the enormous molar fell just a millimeter from where he was. Now, with saliva flowing inside the mouth, although he no longer adhered to the piece of tofu, he was trapped among the streams of saliva moving within yuze's mouth.

Gregory felt himself being pulled to the back of the mouth. He looked at the black hole that was the entrance to the throat. He was covered in saliva and chewed food, his body bruised from being dragged by the saliva from one side of the mouth to the other. He was sure one of his arms was dislocated, and he tasted a metallic flavor in his mouth. Despite all the pain, he tried to resist the current that carried him towards the throat entrance. He could imagine what would happen once he reached the giant's stomach. "No, No, No, Not like this!" he screamed in desperation.

In the end, Yuze did what he always did and pushed the bolus of food to the back, initiating the journey to his stomach. While eating, Yuze didn't think about whether everyone in his food had been chewed or if any would arrive whole in his stomach. What mattered to him was if they somehow altered the taste of the food or caused any discomfort while eating. To his satisfaction, everything was positive. "Come on, don't let it get cold," Yuze said, pointing to his friend's plate.

Yuxuan sighed as he grabbed the plate of food. He looked at the pieces of tofu, and like his friend, he could observe with some difficulty the tiny Westerners adhered due to the sauce covering the tofu pieces. He picked up the chopsticks, and like his friend, started to eat. He hoped to feel something different, like the Westerners trying to escape from his mouth, but to his surprise, it didn't feel different from any other piece of tofu. After thinking about it, that was natural given the size of the Westerners.

"Do you notice anything different?" asked Yuze, wanting to confirm his experience.

"Not really. I thought I would feel something, but the truth is, I don't. When you think about their size, it makes sense," said Yuxuan as he took another bite of food, condemning dozens of people to perish under his molars or within the depths of his stomach.

"That's exactly what we want—not to be a different experience, which indicates a higher likelihood of success for my idea," said Yuze with a broad smile.

"I guess it's still hard to get used to the idea that we're not doing something wrong," said Yuxuan, giving a glance to his food.

"Come on, we eat meat that comes from other living beings. This isn't so different if you think that they and we are part of different branches of nature. We're at the top, and they're not, that simple. Before the experiment happened, the world, albeit more subtly, operated under the rule of the fittest," said Yuze, bringing another piece of tofu to his mouth.

Yuxuan could only sigh. "Let's put that aside for now. After this, do I just need to pay attention if I notice anything strange in my body?"

"That's correct," said Yuze, nodding. "If you feel unwell or anything, you have to record your symptoms, see how it evolves. We need all that data. Of course, with just the two of us, it's not enough. In the following days, if there are no issues with us, we need to recruit more people to get more results and compare them," said Yuze in a calm tone. He knew he needed a substantial sample of results to convince everyone that his plan was feasible.

"Alright, by the way, what happened to Kabir?" asked Yuxuan as he continued eating from the plate of food. For the moment, he wanted to ignore the fact that there were possibly hundreds of people begging for their lives. Kabir was Yuze's adoptee, whom he had acquired two weeks ago. According to Yuze, this was to see what the deficiencies in the adoption program were. Yuze was determined to perfect all programs involving those who were not his fellow countrymen.

"He has already learned how to behave around me. These past few days, I've been trying to see if there's a way to cut down on the food expenses for them," said Yuze with a proud expression, which would have been more convincing if he didn't have a piece of green onion between his teeth.

"What do you mean by cutting expenses? Can't you just give him some of your food? Besides, I thought the government created a special meal for them. As far as I remember, it wasn't expensive," said Yuxuan with a doubtful tone, as he couldn't see where his friend wanted to cut costs.

"It's not expensive, but wouldn't it be better if we didn't have to buy special food? As for giving them our food, it's an option, but due to their size, they have trouble chewing food designed for someone of our size. So, I've been thinking about how to solve that problem, and I came up with an idea," said Yuze confidently. "Imagine coming home after a long day of work, tired and hungry. In those circumstances, you most likely finish everything you had planned to eat that day. Besides, you no longer have special food. What do you do in that situation? You can go to a store to buy food, but do you really want to go after an exhausting day? Then it occurred to me, what if we could provide for them? Wouldn't that be ideal?" explained Yuze, sharing his idea with his friend.

"I'm not following your logic; be clearer. What do you mean by the last thing you said?" said Yuxuan with confusion in his voice, a bit exasperated as his friend seemed to want to explain slowly, indicating that Yuze had another terrible idea.

"You'll see," said Yuze, snapping his fingers. "Hey, Kabir, it's mealtime," said Yuze with a firm tone. "There he is, coming already," said Yuze, pointing with his finger to a figure moving on the floor. Kabir's tiny size of two centimeters stood out compared to the vastness of the room and the two Chinese men in it.

The Chinese government had taken charge of generating powerful propaganda regarding the adoption program for Asians, leading many of them to voluntarily enroll. Kabir was among them. Compared to living in one of the government shelters, it was better to get out and enroll in the program. Kabir had been assigned to Yuze. Initially, Kabir had high spirits, imagining that he and Yuze could form some kind of friendship, perhaps even become like family. However, the reality was quite the opposite. Yuze was negligent, treating him as if he were a pet, denying him the recognition of being a person with the same capabilities. Moreover, Yuze forced him to do impossible tasks like cleaning his enormous shoes, removing wax from his ears, and cleaning his nasal cavities. Kabir's life was torture, and when he signed up, he never thought it would end up like this. Unfortunately, there was no turning back. Initially, he considered refusing, but when he did, Yuze made it clear what would happen if he resisted. The image of the giant barefoot of the Chinese man looming over him, ready to crush him like an insect, left him with a profound lesson.

Kabir walked towards the two giants. His brown hair was disheveled, and he wore only a small tunic that Yuze had given him the first day they met. The tunic did nothing to hide the frailty of his body. He was so thin that it seemed he hadn't eaten in days. His lips were dry, and it was evident that walking was a challenge due to his weakness. He stood right in front of the slipper containing Yuze's enormous foot. Even though Yuze had been wearing slippers for hours, Kabir could still smell the strong, masculine odor emanating from the giant's feet—an odor that had become familiar to him in recent days, despite his eyes burning slightly from the scent. Little Kabir began to tremble in front of those massive feet.

"Now, you'll see what I was talking about," said Yuze confidently as he removed his foot from the slipper and placed it right in front of Kabir. The small Kabir looked minuscule in front of his size 46 feet. The Chinese man's toe fingers overshadowed Kabir, each toe being as large as a bus, and the nails on each toe were harder than steel, at least in Kabir's perception. He was certain they could easily cut him in half. "You know what to do, Kabir," said Yuze.

Yŭxuān observed little Kabir with curiosity. The small Asian looked incredibly tiny in front of his friend's foot, and then the little Asian did something that made Yŭxuān express a look of amazement. He watched as the small Asian walked until he nestled himself between his friend's toes. "What is he doing?" asked Yŭxuān with disbelief in his voice.

"Looking for his food. A couple of days ago, I started this experiment, as I told you. Wouldn't it be great if we didn't have to buy special food or give them ours? Ideally, they should find their own food. And it occurred to me, isn't it normal to have dead skin or dirt between the toes? Dirt under the nails? Well, what we see as something disgusting is actually food for them," said Yuze with excitement. It was clear that he felt his idea was brilliant, but Yŭxuān looked at his friend with astonishment.

"Are you serious, Yuze? They shrunk; it's not like their biology has changed beyond being able to breathe more optimally. All research shows they still need water and nutrients like any human. The dirt from your toes can't provide them anything," explained Yŭxuān without taking his eyes off the little Asian.

"I know, that's why I'm still experimenting. So far, it's been four days where he's been feeding on what I managed to find between my toes. For now, although he still seems to be able to follow my commands, I admit he's become slower in his actions," said Yuze with a slightly disappointed tone, as if it were Kabir's fault that he couldn't get nutrients from the dirt on his feet.

"Do you at least give him water?" questioned Yŭxuān.
"No, it's been hot, so I make him drink sweat. It seems to have worked for now," said Yuze.

"Yuze, you really don't have a normal mind," said Yŭxuān with a voice full of amazement and conflict. "Well, how long do you plan to keep this up? I tell you, if you continue like this, I don't think it will last two more days."

"At least a couple of days more. If it really doesn't work, then I'll go back to giving him a normal diet. Although I admit that I want this experiment to be a success. Imagine how much we could save. In any case, I have learned that they are useful for such tasks. I'm thinking of presenting a document in a few weeks where I'll present the idea of supplements if we succeed and also ways to make both Asians and Westerners useful. Hygiene and cleaning tasks seem to be the niche they should dedicate themselves to," explained Yuze.

"I don't know what kind of expression everyone will have when they hear your ideas," said Yŭxuān with uncertainty in his voice. "By the way, what will you do with the ones that are left? You didn't use all of them," Yŭxuān said, pointing to the container that still had about 400 Westerners.

"Oh, right, I almost forgot. Well, we can't eat them directly; that will be another phase of this experiment. Let me take care of them. Do you mind feeding Kabir for a moment?" Yuze asked.

"Feed? Do you want me to let him eat the dirt from my foot? I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with that," Yŭxuān said, slightly nervous.

"It's nothing to be nervous about; come on, you might find it interesting," Yuze said as he got up from the couch and made Kabir come out from between his toes.

"I don't know why I let myself be convinced by everything you say," Yŭxuān said as he removed his black socks from his feet. Unlike Yuze, Yŭxuān wore a size 45, and there was a slight layer of sweat on his feet.

"Kabir, go eat with Yŭxuān; I'll be back in a moment," Yuze said as he grabbed the container and disappeared down a hallway in his apartment.

Yŭxuān watched as Kabir began to walk toward his left foot. The size of the Asian really stood out when facing his foot. Yŭxuān had crushed a larger insect than Kabir in his apartment a few days ago. Kabir started crying being in front of Yŭxuān's foot; the smell of sweat was more potent than on Yuze's foot. He had endured the smell of Yuze's foot with great difficulty, but he didn't think he could bear the smell of Yŭxuān's foot. However, he had no choice; he knew that if he refused, Yuze would crush him without hesitation.

Yŭxuān watched the little Asian walk to the area between the second and third toes of his left foot. He saw how the little Asian entered the middle area. Yŭxuān could barely feel Kabir's movements. "I can't believe he's really doing this," Yŭxuān said with disbelief.

Between Yŭxuān's toes, Kabir was a bundle of tears. He cried not only from the humiliation but, above all, from the intense smell between Yŭxuān's toes. It was a much more potent odor, and one he was not familiar with. Kabir felt his eyes burning, each breath was difficult, and his body was soaked with the giant's foot sweat. Kabir saw a small clump of toe jam the size of a soccer ball stuck to the skin of the toe. Kabir approached and grabbed the dirt ball between his hands. The dirt ball was soft to the touch, but it emitted a horrible smell that almost made him vomit. Kabir took the dirt ball from Yŭxuān's foot to his mouth and took a bite. As soon as the horrible substance touched his tongue, he almost contorted with horror. The taste was abominable; his body begged him to stop, but the consequences of what would happen if he stopped forced him to continue consuming that dirt ball.

Kabir found it difficult to remember a time when he could eat delicious food, a time when he wasn't afraid of being crushed under the foot of a Chinese man. Those years seemed so distant, almost as if they had only been a dream, a dream from which he had awakened. But if only this reality to which he was subjected were the ground, oh, how much he would give for it all to be just a nightmare. But it wasn't so; the horrible taste invading his mouth was proof of that. Kabir took another bite of the dirt ball; his body pleaded for no more.

Yŭxuān watched as his friend returned after a few minutes. "I can't believe he's really looking for food between my toes," said Yŭxuān upon seeing his friend back. "How did you convince him to be part of this experiment?" Yŭxuān asked because he found it hard to believe that Kabir had agreed without some kind of incentive.

"Oh, it's not hard to convince them if you know how to talk to them," said Yuze with a half-smile. "What do you think? Wouldn't it be great if they really manage to feed on whatever they find on our feet?"

"It's intriguing; I'll give you that, although I still think what you're doing is unfair. But if you succeed, you could certainly cause significant changes," said Yŭxuān with a defeated smile.

"I know I'm drastic, but we live in interesting times that require interesting measures," said Yuzen with a proud smile.

Kabir continued feeding on what he found between Yŭxuān's toes for at least an hour until Yuzen signaled that he had had enough and could leave. Kabir emerged from between Yŭxuān's toes with a broken soul, fearfully distancing himself from the giants sitting on the sofa. Kabir saw them as two demons, especially Yuze, who was responsible for his current torture. He hated them, but even though he hated them, there was nothing he could do, nothing he could do to help them escape the hell that was their new life. He had to accept his new life, but how could he? He had to accept that he was now nothing more than a parasite feeding on the dirt from the feet of those giants. No, he didn't want that, but the horrible taste still lingering in his mouth made it clear that, even if he didn't want to accept it, he already was just a creature living off the filth of those Chinese giants' feet.

Yŭxuān and Yuze talked for a couple of hours, well into the night. Yuze began sharing all the ideas he had for the future, especially how they could take advantage of the situation in which all foreigners found themselves. Of course, among his various ideas, there were some that made Yŭxuān look at his friend as if he were seeing a madman, although there were a couple of ideas that seemed perfectly reasonable and easy to implement.

"Oh, darn, it's late," said Yŭxuān, noticing that the night had fallen over the city. Yŭxuān took out his cell phone to check the time, and as soon as he saw that it was almost eleven, an expression of annoyance appeared on his face.

"What's wrong? Didn't you bring your car?" Yuze asked, seeing that his friend seemed somewhat conflicted.
"No, it's been giving me problems, so I took it to the dealership for a check-up. Do you think I can still catch the subway?" Yŭxuān asked.

"I doubt it, but tomorrow, do you start late? If so, you can stay overnight here, or you can call a taxi, but I doubt they're cheap," his friend said.

"Is it okay if I stay? I'll leave in the morning," Yŭxuān said with a embarrassed expression.

"We've known each other for years; it's not a problem for you to stay one night. You can sleep in the guest room," Yuze said as he led his friend to the guest room in his apartment.

Yŭxuān thanked his friend a couple more times and took a pajama offered by Yuze. The pair of friends went to bed; after all, it was already night. Yŭxuān sighed as he lay down. It had been a curious day, and he hoped there would be more days like this during Yuze's little experiment.

Of course, not everything is fun, or it wasn't for the poor Westerners who had the misfortune of serving as food for the two men. Gregory had landed inside Yuze's stomach, the interior of the Chinese man's stomach was a hellish world. He landed on a mound of chewed tofu; Gregory was covered in Yuze's food bolus, as well as saliva and the slime that coated the esophagus. Inside the stomach, he could barely breathe; the oxygen levels inside the stomach were low, making him feel dizzy. Despite his weakness, he could hear that he was not the only one who had survived the journey into Yuze's stomach. It seemed that a few dozen had made it intact into the stomach.

Yuze was not the only one with passengers inside him; Yŭxuān was no exception. Inside Yŭxuān's stomach, Connor was sitting on a mountain of food bolus. The young man, originally from a region in the eastern United States, never imagined his life would end inside someone else's stomach. Connor was among the first to arrive inside Yŭxuān's stomach. The stomach's interior was as dark as a moonless night, and horrific splashing and hissing sounds echoed in Connor's ears. He witnessed with horror as more people began arriving inside the stomach shortly after he did.

Sounds of crying, screams of terror, and pleas for mercy mixed with the organic sounds produced by the stomach. For almost an hour, the cardia continued to eject chewed food lumps, and among these lumps, more people joined Connor. As they fell into the stomach, the more intelligent ones started moving towards the mountains of food bolus in an attempt to escape the giant's stomach acids. Connor knew how potent these acids were; as soon as he arrived, he had to do the same. Although he couldn't see his body in that darkness, he could imagine that he was red, especially his legs, which still burned from the few minutes he had been directly exposed to the stomach acid.

Connor couldn't hold back the tears that welled up in his eyes at that moment; it was impossible because he knew his fate was sealed. The mountain of food bolus on which he stood would only last a couple of hours before it was dissolved, and then his turn would come. He would suffer the same fate as any piece of food – he would be digested, his remains would travel through the giant's small and large intestines. If any bone fragments of him remained, those few bones would be buried deep in the giant's excrement. There would be no one to know what had happened to him; all evidence of him would end up in the city's drain.

For another half-hour, chewed food continued to enter that hellish pit that was the stomach. For half an hour, cries of supplication filled the stomach's interior. When the giant finally stopped eating, Connor felt relieved, but it's not like that would represent a change in his situation. He was trapped. The screams of terror and pain intensified as the mountains of food bolus that served as lifebuoys gradually dissolved. Connor heard screams that sounded particularly intense, truly heart-wrenching. He didn't have to guess that those who were screaming were in direct contact with the stomach acids. Those screams lasted a couple of minutes before stopping. Connor didn't know if it was because all the nerves of those people had been destroyed by the stomach acid or if they had simply succumbed to those acids.

Connor felt everything shift, and the mountain of food bolus he was on began to disintegrate. The giant had probably changed position. The movement had triggered an apocalypse for the Westerners inside the stomach. Connor fell back into the sea of acid. The moment his body made contact with the stomach acid, a hissing sound reached Connor's ears. Overwhelming pain flooded every nerve in his body. Connor heard intense screams that he soon realized were coming from him. He screamed heartbreakingly due to the pain he was experiencing at that moment. The acid was working on his body; his skin was entirely red, and his muscles were softening. In desperation, he searched for a mountain of food bolus to use as a lifebuoy, but he couldn't see anything. "I don't want to die! Please get me out of here. I don't want to die; I don't want to end like this," he said in his despair as he imagined what would happen in a couple of hours.

After a few minutes, Connor's struggles ceased, and he succumbed, just like others, to Yŭxuān's stomach acid. Connor's lifeless body now lay inert in the sea of acid. It was hard to imagine that he would end up that way. In another life, he might have gone to university, graduated, and probably gotten a job. Perhaps he would have had a girlfriend and formed a family. But in the end, he finished his life inside Yŭxuān's stomach, and there would be no one who would ever know what happened to him.

During the hours Yŭxuān slept, Connor's semi-digested body was absorbed through the pylorus. What remained of Connor's body was a gruesome sight, bearing no resemblance to the handsome young man from a few hours ago. Connor's remains traveled to the duodenum, where they would soon embark on the next stage of Yŭxuān's digestive process.

Yŭxuān woke up at seven in the morning to the sound of the alarm clock. Seeing the time, he knew his friend was probably still asleep. Yŭxuān stretched his muscles and yawned, getting out of bed. His bare feet touched the cold floor of the room, sending a slight shiver through his body. He was about to change his clothes when he felt a slight discomfort in the lower part of his stomach. Yŭxuān opened the bedroom door and walked to the bathroom. Once inside, he locked the door and pulled down the pajama pants he was wearing, removing his boxers and sitting on the toilet. He grimaced as the cold edge of the seat touched his bare ass.

Travis was one of the westerners who had been brought by Yŭxuān. The day before, he had witnessed those giants devouring hundreds of them as if they were just another seasoning for their food. The horror Travis felt at that moment couldn't be easily described. Nevertheless, he was grateful when he was saved from that terrible fate—or so he had thought until one of the giants had thrown them into the toilet bowl after he had decided to use it. Four hundred of them crashed into the icy waters of the toilet bowl. The waters were freezing, surrounded by screams. In the first few hours, many drowned, but a glimmer of hope arose when they saw a small piece of toilet paper floating in the distance. This became hope for the stronger individuals in the group who still had energy. They helped everyone swim to that small piece of paper, which was no more than about 3 cm long and wide. It gave them something to hold onto as they thought about how to escape. However, as the hours passed, more of them succumbed to the water and the cold. By the next day, only half of them were still alive, and desperation began to take hold in many hearts.

They all felt when Yŭxuān entered the bathroom as soon as they saw him look into the bowl they all recognized him as the giant who had brought them to be eaten, they cursed him and still hoped that he would take pity on them and save them, but that hope was crushed when Yŭxuān's face was replaced by Yŭxuān's huge naked butt. They all began to scream hysterically at that sight.

Travis watched as the light was blocked by Yŭxuān's ass, they had a perfect view of the giant's huge testicles and the giant's huge flaccid penis. Travis watched in terror as from the urethra of the penis a huge torrent of urine shot out, although it did not directly hit them the waters turned yellow and the strong smell of urine caused the eyes of many to burn. The only positive thing was that at least the water was not as cold now that it had been contaminated with the giant's urine. Travis looked at the yellow ocean on which he floated with utter revulsion. He cursed from the depths of his soul at the giant, he hated it, hated his situation, hated the horrible day when all had been lost. -Fuck you, may you rot in hell!" shouted Travis full of spite.

Maybe some deity heard his prayer but not in the sense he would have wanted as a few seconds later some strange sounds were heard coming from Yŭxuān's anus, as if mocking Travis, the anus opened slightly and expelled a mass of hot gas towards them, a horrible smell flooded the whole toilet, Travis screamed with the most absolute horror in his voice. The abominable odor made his eyes and throat burn, he let go of his grip on the small piece of toilet paper and tried to protect his nose from the smell of death that stalked them,

Yŭxuān was humming a song he had heard a few days ago as his body was busy releasing a couple of farts, Yŭxuān then began to grunt slightly as from his rectum the product of a night's work began to peek out. Travis watched as from the anus a brown mass began to peek out, the brown mass was as big as a small mountain, moreover this one emitted an odor that could only come from the depths of hell. Travis had tears in his eyes not only because of the smell but because of the fear he had at that moment. The huge chunk of excrement then fell into the bowl and caused a wave that threw the survivors across different areas of the toilet bowl.

Everything was chaotic for Travis, they could not fight the waves generated, he heard the cries of fear and pleading from those who were still alive, and Travis was no exception at that moment he was as scared as a child, he looked up at the giant piece of shit that now occupied the center of the waters, this was gigantic, the piece of shit had a smooth to rough appearance and gave off a putrid smell. Travis then heard again how the giant growled slightly and as he looked up he saw how the anus expanded again and another huge piece of brown shit was sticking out.

The piece of shit landed close to where Travis was so this time instead of being pushed away by the waters he was pulled towards the huge piece of feces, Travis' body slammed into the giant piece of excrement. Travis' body stuck to the mucous surface of the piece of excrement, Travis screamed in desperation trying to free his body, but it was impossible, then he saw a few meters away from him something white, when he focused his sight better he distinguished a skull. The most absolute horror showed on Travis' face. That skull somehow was able to transmit the horrors he had gone through, it was as if he horror had been impregnated in that skull, but it was not only that, elsewhere there were other small bones and more skulls those that was not destroyed in the totality inside the body of Yŭxuān , Connor's remains were also there, buried almost in the center of the huge piece of brown shit was a skull that conveyed a deep sadness, it belonged to no one else but Connor, of that 18 year old boy the only thing that remained was buried in a piece of shit of the giant.

Yŭxuān then grunted again and one last piece of shit slid out of his anus already landed right on top of the piece Travis was attached to, the once welded,he was crushed under tons of shit.

When Yŭxuān felt that his body had emptied he got up from the toilet and looked down into the toilet, -Well it doesn't look any different- he said remembering that Yuze had asked him to notice if his body did anything unusual. He looked in disgust at the toilet and then pulled the lever causing the toilet to flush.
Yŭxuān came out of the bathroom feeling better, he went back to his room, he planned to change and take the subway home, and when he saw Yuze in the afternoon he would tell her that so far he had not had any problems.

The result of the experiment would turn out to be successful, so weeks later, Yuze would draft a document to present to the government. As expected, it caused a scandal, but by proving that there were no adverse effects in consuming the "supplements," it quickly gained traction within the government. The only downside was that in the end, Yŭxuān was right, and it was impossible to feed Kabir solely with the dirt from his feet. Just as Yŭxuān had predicted, two days later, Kabir fainted, so Yuze had to revert to giving Kabir a regular diet again.