Писатель Илья Розенфельд

Prologue The basement smelled of alcohol, dust, and anxiety. Four people were gathered around an old medical chair where a young woman sat with her eyes closed. Her breathing was even, almost inaudible. A man in glasses, who looked like a doctor, monitored the readings on a screen. His face was impassive, but the tension was betrayed by his knuckles, clenched white. “Pulse is stable. Pressure is normal,” he said, more to himself than to the others. Opposite him, leaning against the wall, stood a man in an expensive suit. He wasn't looking at the woman. His gaze was fixed on the numbers on the screen, and it held the cold thrill of a gambler who had placed his final bet. The third, a woman with her hair pulled into a tight bun, was feverishly scribbling in a notepad, checking her notes against formulas on a whiteboard. Her lips moved silently, repeating the calculations. She was the creator of what was now flowing through the veins of the woman in the chair. The fourth sat...

The terms were simple—and disturbingly clear. He signed the contract without asking too many questions, despite how strange the offer sounded. Seven days. Seven sums. He would start with $25,000 and double the amount each day until he reached $1.6 million. The money had to be spent the same day. Everything he bought would become his only if he spent the entire sum on the seventh day. If he failed—he’d lose it all. The terms were clear, almost biblical. Seven days to create a new life. On the first day, he bought a new smartphone, an expensive watch, a couple of designer suits, and paid for a premium gym membership for a year. The money flew fast, leaving behind a faint thrill. It was easier than he’d expected. He woke up thinking: “Well, yesterday was easy. Today—just a little more.” He went to a dealership and bought himself a sports car. Red, glossy, smelling of new leather and success. The rest went to new furniture for his apartment and dinner at the city’s most expe...

Incorporeal (From unpublished) On one planet, as a result of a successful genetic experiment, people decided to abandon their bodies. And to ensure the immortality of the soul and mind, which they called "consciousness", without separating them. The rationale for the experiment was that bodies age and die, and limit consciousness with their natural physical limitations. In addition, this put an end to inequality (and therefore discrimination), which had, first of all, external physical signs - height, weight, gender, skin color, etc. This decision ensured the integrity of nature, energy reserves, and minerals. Unlike the body, consciousness did not take up space, it did not need food, clothing, housing, transportation, a workplace, wages, taxes, banks, shops, cemeteries, laws, and other attributes of human life and social order. The entire system of human life became simpler - if consciousness could be called a person. At the same time, consciousness could not become the ...