时间回到十年前。。。
老黄坐在监工的办公室里，监工脸带歉意，谨慎地组织言语，开口说到：“老黄，你已经为莱戴公司（Lai Dai Corporation）服务了多年，你在生产车间的表现有目共睹。只是，最近经济不景气卷席了整个新伊甸（New Eden），四大帝国的经济陷入衰退期，我们的公司也一样陷入了困境。公司为了生存，有必要做出艰难的决定。老黄你看？”
听到这里，老黄的脸色绿了，监工的潜台词他听得非常明白，就是他要失业了！
老黄为了确定他最终的命运，还是颤抖地开口问道：“头儿，你的意思是。。。我得卷铺走人了？”
监工为老黄的直白震住了一下，他轻声咳嗽一下，才说到：“很抱歉，的确如此，公司做这个决定非常艰难，只是为了公司的生存，不得不这么做。。。”
老黄伸出手掌，阻止监工继续说下去，问道：“我明白你要说什么了。现在我要被解聘了，应该会有什么失业赔偿金吧？”
监工见老黄接受了现实，松了一口气。他就怕底层的员工揭竿而起，现代人可不同古人，无法敷衍地糊弄，一弄不好就会引起社会动荡。
监工这才回答：“有的，3个月的月薪，再加上你自20岁就为莱戴公司服务了15年，15减掉1，再加上3个月，你会得到17个月的月薪补偿。”
最后，监工搓了搓双手，说到：“咳！本来公司是要你即刻走人的，只是作为最后的香火之情，你就帮公司服务到最后时刻吧，做人要有始有终。”
几个小时候，生产车间的放工时间到了，老黄不知道是如何走出生产车间的，他神色灰败地拖着疲惫的身体、在人来人往的走道上像丧尸那样走路。
很快，老黄来到了小仓库区域的一道钢门的面前，他伸出手掌在门禁旁边的掌纹扫描器上按下去，钢门应声向旁边滑开。
老黄走了进去之后，钢门便自动关了。这个空间相比一般空间站的民居来说大了一些，里面摆满了一柜又一柜、总共六柜原木书橱，书橱里塞满了看起来历史久远、年代不可考察的纸质书籍。
除了书橱之外，空间里就只有一个淋浴间、一个厕所、一张单人床、一个衣橱、一个小钢桌以及两张钢椅而已。整个空间的布置看起来其主人就像过得清贫的清教徒那样。
老黄来到床边，无力地扑了下去，喊道：“老子完犊子也！”
原来这个空间可不是空间站的一般民居，而是空间站出租给有需要的人的公共小仓库。一般上打工人都有其公司替他们缴付房租，而由于他带着一大堆不知年代的古董书籍，一般的民居根本塞不下这么多的书籍，只能租小仓库来改造成民居、容纳这些书籍。
小仓库的租金可是比民居贵了数倍，没有失业的时候以老黄的收入还可以支撑，最多是无法去空间站的民营餐馆奢侈一下。
现在老黄失业了，即使有17个月的薪水补偿，也架不住小仓库的租金消耗！
“惨咯！这回老子该何去何从呢？祖传的古董书籍要找什么地方来收藏呢？”老黄在床上翻了翻身体，鬼叫着。
的确，很占空间的原木书橱和一大堆古代的书籍，除了运输很麻烦之外，持有成本也很高。难怪有人说只有艾玛（Amarr）帝国的贵族们才有能力持有纸质书籍，听说艾玛贵族们所收藏的纸质书本的数量就可以抵得上盖伦特（Gallente）、加达里（Caldari）、米玛塔尔（Minmatar）等国家博物馆的纸质书本的总和！
“幸好老子有空的时候都将书本扫描起来了，真的保不住这些书本的时候至少还有扫描版的。”老黄叹了一口气地喃昵。
这时，老黄的智能手表响起了提示音，躺在床上的他举起戴着智能手表的手，智能手表感觉到他的目光，便自动投射出全息投影，表示有一封来自损友老廖的电子邮件进来了。
老黄举起另一只手在投影上按了一下，投影显示了电子邮件的内容：“老黄，老子失业了，出来喝酒！”
见此，老黄不禁心里惊呼：“诶？怎么老廖也失业了？？？”
不是吧？新伊甸的经济状况真的恶化到如此境地？
不就是新伊甸的高安区（High-Sec Zone）的矿带被滥采到只剩下凡晶石（Veldspar）、斜长岩（Plagioclase）和干焦岩（Pyroxeres）等天然资源而已吗？
失去了奥贝尔石（Omber）、水硼砂（Kernite）、希莫非特（Hemorphite）等原矿真的会导致四大帝国的经济大衰退？
翻译： Chapter 1: Wong's is unemployed Go back Ten Years ago. . . Wong's was sitting in the Supervisor's Office. The Supervisor looked apologetic, carefully organized his Words, and said: "Wong's, you have served Lai Dai Corporation for many years, and your performance in the Production Workshop is obvious to all. However, the recent Economic Downturn has swept across New Eden, and the Economies of the Four Empires have fallen into Recession, and our Company has also been in trouble. In order for the Company to survive, it is necessary to make Difficult Decisions. Wong's, look?" Hearing this, Wong's face turned Green. He understood the Supervisor's Subtext very clearly, that is, he was going to lose his Job! In order to determine his Final Destiny, Wong's asked tremblingly: "Boss, what do you mean... I have to pack up and leave?" The Supervisor was Shocked by Wong's frankness. He coughed softly and then said: "I'm sorry, it's true. It's a very Difficult Decision for the Company to make. It's just for the Company's survival that it has to be done..." Wong's stretched out his palm to stop the Supervisor from continuing and asked: "I understand what you are going to say. Now that I am going to be fired, there should be some Unemployment Compensation, right?" The Supervisor breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Wong's accepted the Reality. He is afraid that the Employees at the bottom will Rise Up to Insurgency. Modern people are different from the Ancients and cannot Fool around. If they don't do it Right, it will cause Social Unrest. The Supervisor then replied: "Yes, 3 Months' Monthly Salary, plus the 15 Years you have served Lai Dai Corporation since you were 20 Years Old, 15 minus 1, plus 3 Months, you will get 17 Month's Monthly Salary Compensation.” Finally, the supervisor rubbed his hands and said: "Ahem! Originally, the Company wanted you to leave immediately, but as a last bond, you should help the Company serve until the End. A man must have a Beginning and an End." --- A few Hours Later, it was time to get out of the Production Workshop. Wong's didn't know how he walked out of the Production Workshop. He dragged his tired body with a Gloomy Look and walked like a Zombie on the Crowded Aisles. Soon, Wong's came to a Steel Door in the Small Warehouse Area. He stretched out his Palm and pressed it on the Palm Print Scanner next to the Access Control. The Steel Door slid aside with a sound. After Wong's walked in, the Steel Door closed automatically. This Space is larger than ordinary Residences on the Space Station. It is filled with Cabinet after Cabinet, a total of six Wooden Bookcases. The Bookcases are filled with Paper Book's that seem to have a long History and cannot be Traced. Apart from the Bookcase, there is only a Shower Room, a Toilet, a Single bed, a Wardrobe, a small Steel Table and two Steel Chairs. The whole space is arranged to look like its owner lives a poor Puritan Life. Wong's came to the Bedside, threw himself down feebly, and shouted: "I'm Doomed!" It turns out that this Space is not an Ordinary Residential space on the Space Station, but a small Public Warehouse rented out by the Space Station to People in need. Generally, Migrant Workers have their Companies pay the Rent for them. However, since he brings with him a large number of Antique Books of unknown age, Ordinary Residential space cannot accommodate so many Book's, so they can only Rent Small Warehouses and transform them into Residential buildings. Accommodate these Book's. The Rent of a small Warehouse is several times more expensive than that of a Private Residence. When he is not unemployed, Wong's income can still support him. At most, he cannot go to the Private Restaurant on the Space Station for Luxury. Now that Wong's is unemployed, even with 17 Months of Salary Compensation, he can't stand the Rent consumption of a small Warehouse! "It's Miserable! Where should I go this time? Where can I find a place to store the Antique Book's handed down from my Ancestors?" Wong's turned over on the bed and screamed. Indeed, the Bookcases and a large number of Ancient Book's that take up a lot of space are not only troublesome to transport, but also have high holding costs. No wonder some people say that only the Noble's of the Amarr Empire can hold Paper Book's. It is said that the number of Paper Book's collected by the Amarr Noble's can be equal to that the total number of Paper Book's in National Museums such as Gallente, Caldari and Minmatar! "Fortunately, I scanned the Book's when I had time. If I really can no longer save these Book's, at least I still have scanned versions." Wong's muttered with a sigh. At this time, Wong's smart watch sounded a beep. Lying on the bed, he raised the hand wearing the Smart Watch. The Smart Watch sensed his face and automatically projected a Holographic Projection, indicating that there was a message from his bad friend Liao's. The e-mail came in. Wong's raised his other hand and pressed it on the Projector. The Projector displayed the content of the e-mail: "Wong's, I'm unemployed. Let's go out for a drink!" Seeing this, Wong's couldn't help but exclaimed: "Huh? Why is Liao's also unemployed???" Isn't it? Has New Eden's Economic situation really Deteriorated to this point? Isn't it just that the Mining belt in the High-Sec Zone of New Eden has been mined so indiscriminately that only Natural Resources such as Veldspar, Plagioclase and Pyroxeres are left? Will the loss of Omber, Kernite, Hemorphite and other Raw Minerals really lead to a Major Economic Recession in the Four Empire's?