Part 2/11:
In Liu's depiction, a billionaire hoards 99% of the planet's land, water, and air, leaving billions of impoverished people trapped in desperate conditions, struggling to survive on their own waste. Such a world is marked by brutal enforcement mechanisms, including robots and drones, that quell rebellion and maintain order in service to the wealthy elite. This portrayal starkly contrasts with the more humanistic interpretations often found in Western science fiction, where robots are often designed with ethical guidelines to protect humans. In Liu's work, however, the robots prioritize the sanctity of private property above human life, fully capable of exterminating the poor to safeguard elitist interests.