The idea started at one of those half-empty evening gatherings near the central square. Kai stood on an overturned crate, not because he needed the height but because it felt right for the announcement.
"Look," he said, "we've got all this freedom now. What if we test the other side? One week. Optional. You sign up, you go to a Null Zone, and you do nothing productive. No goals. No deep thoughts required. Just sit there."
Jessa nodded next to him. "Null Zones are just some rope and wobbly fences around empty patches. Pick your spot. Clock in if you want. Clock out whenever. The rest of the Zone keeps running like normal."
People laughed at first. Then a few hands went up. The younger ones especially liked the joke of it—pushing past that 97% everyone talked about without forcing anything big. Word spread fast.
