That was quite ominous and the fear was so palpable even though it was written in just a few words. Seeing MC trying to hold it together while Jay is just, grounded by the present and not caring about anything as though he has to remove himself from the situation to function is so sobering. And the little world building makes it more terrifying because it feels real, it feels real in the way that the rich, when banded together, can fully exploit over anyone when science has reached to a point, and that point can be bought with money. How people, ordinary people, have been affected so much you can't even imagine how those at the lowest tier are, how are they even surviving when those that have some resources barely are able to pull themselves together, are they even alive at that point?
Reading through MC's struggles with just the tomatos is heartbreaking because imagine what their struggles are towards actual important things, that small little thing just helps encapsulate how powerless people are, especially when the most vital thing is being controlled so heartlessly for a select people.