Do You Want No Ads? [VERIFIED]

Arthur sat in his living room, but he didn't see the peeling wallpaper or the dusty floorboards. Through his "Ocular+ Retinal Implants," he saw a gleaming marble palace. However, the palace was currently obscured by a hovering, translucent cheeseburger that pulsed with a neon rhythm.

"I’m fine," Arthur lied. As he spoke, a small disclaimer appeared under his chin in Silas’s view: User’s opinions may be influenced by lack of sleep. Buy 'Snooze-Max' today! Do you want no ads?

The ads hadn't just been selling him things; they had been filling the gaps in his soul. They were the constant, buzzing proof that he existed in a world that wanted something from him. Arthur sat in his living room, but he

He opened the door to find his neighbor, Silas. Silas was an "Ultra-Premium" subscriber. In Arthur's eyes, Silas was surrounded by a faint, golden aura—the universal symbol of someone who hadn't seen a commercial since the Great Bandwidth Wars of ’35. "I’m fine," Arthur lied

"You look tired, Artie," Silas said, his voice crisp and unfiltered by the low-bitrate audio compression that Arthur’s free account forced on him.

Arthur’s doorbell rang. Or rather, a jingle for a popular insurance firm played.