Cherries Immortal

Old Wang has worked at "Fresh Express" for five years, his daily job is to stare at piles of cherries in a daze. He is responsible for "preservation," a position that sounds grand but is actually extremely tedious. His daily task is to unload batches of freshly arrived cherries from refrigerated trucks, place them in special cold storage, and then mechanically record their preservation data.

Initially, he was curious about how these little red fruits, which had traveled so far, could maintain such a vibrant color in the icy environment and not rot for a month? Later, he got used to it, just like he got used to the 7:30 am alarm clock, the same old braised pork with potatoes in the cafeteria, and his supervisor's perpetually stern face.

"Old Wang, how is this batch of 'Immortal' series?" the supervisor stood behind him, his voice as cold as the air in the cold storage.

"Everything is normal, supervisor," Old Wang replied without looking up, skillfully checking the data.

"Well, this 'Immortal' series is very important to the higher-ups, we must ensure that everything is foolproof."

"Understood," Old Wang responded. He knew that the "Immortal" series was the company's new high-end cherries, which were said to use the latest preservation technology, allowing the cherries to remain unchanged for a year at room temperature. Old Wang once stole one and ate it, and the taste was sweet, almost unreal.

One day, Old Wang noticed a new camera installed in the cold storage, pointing directly at his workplace. He felt uncomfortable, as if there were a pair of eyes staring at him. He secretly asked other colleagues, and everyone said it was new, probably because the boss was worried they were slacking off.

That day, Old Wang was making preservation records for the "Immortal" series as usual. Suddenly, he noticed that the color of one basket of cherries was a little off, lacking the usual bright red and instead having a strange paleness. He frowned, inspected closely, and found that the surface of these cherries was actually slightly, as if breathing, quivering.

He picked one out, peeled the skin, and found that inside was not flesh, but a dense mass of white threads, like the larvae of some kind of insect. Old Wang was so frightened that he threw the cherry on the ground, feeling nauseous.

He quickly reported the situation to the supervisor, who just frowned and said lightly, "It's a technical adjustment, no need to be alarmed. The requirement from above is, 'Immortal', must be truly 'Immortal'."

Old Wang felt that things were not simple, but he dared not ask more. He returned to his post, continued to work, but his heart was filled with unease.

In the following days, Old Wang noticed that the changes in the cold storage were becoming more significant. The color of the cherries changed from bright red to pale, and then to a strange green. They not only quivered on the surface but also began to emit a faint humming sound. Old Wang felt that he was not preserving fruit but breeding some unknown creature.

He started having insomnia, had nightmares every night, dreaming of dense white threads wrapping around his body, making him unable to breathe. He wanted to quit, but when he thought about his upcoming retirement age, he dared not take the risk.

One day, Old Wang received an email from the head office, requiring all employees to attend a market promotion meeting about the "Immortal" series.

At the promotion meeting, Old Wang saw a scene he had never witnessed before. The entire venue was decorated like a huge cold storage, and the cherries were placed on glass display stands, the lights making them crystal clear, as if they were truly symbols of immortality. On the stage, the company boss spoke passionately about the advantages of the "Immortal" series, and everyone below applauded and cheered.

Old Wang saw that the cherries were still quivering slightly, emitting a faint humming sound, but he found that only he could hear it. Everyone was immersed in the joy of "immortality," and no one noticed these details.

After the boss finished speaking, he suddenly turned his attention to Old Wang and asked, "Old Wang, what do you think of our company's 'Immortal' series?"

All eyes turned to Old Wang. Looking at the fanatical expressions of his boss and colleagues, Old Wang understood that they didn't care about the authenticity of the cherries; they only cared about the value brought by the concept of "immortality."

Old Wang hesitated for a moment, and finally, he slowly uttered a few words: "It… is… very… fresh."

More enthusiastic applause erupted from below. Old Wang saw a satisfied smile on the boss's face. Only Old Wang knew that this "freshness" was a complete subversion of life, and he was just an alienated, soulless "preservationist." He began to look forward to the day when he too, like the cherries, could achieve another kind of "immortality" in the cold storage.

After the promotion meeting, Old Wang returned to the cold storage to continue his "preservation" work. He picked up an "Immortal" cherry, and facing the camera, he smiled at the dense white threads inside. He saw on the screen that his own face had also begun to quiver slightly, emitting a subtle hum. He, too, had become a part of "immortality."