Blast announced its shutdown—if you still have funds in there, make sure to withdraw them! Blast was once the shining star when it launched its L2: Back then, my community buddies and I put in over 20,000 ETH! At the time, everyone thought this was the next big thing: native yield, points, airdrops, L2—a full combo that pushed TVL past $2 billion even before the mainnet launch. It was hailed as the fastest-growing project, leading the Restaking trend for hundreds of days. But now, the reason for shutting down is pretty straightforward: the cost of maintaining the chain has surpassed the revenue it generates. Honestly, reading this makes me feel a bit emotional. Every so often, Crypto gives birth to a new narrative that we think will change the world: ICOs, GameFi, DeFi, L2, modularity, Restaking, Appchains, stablecoins, perpetual DEXs, prediction markets, RWA... During bull markets, funding, points, tokens, and subsidies can temporarily cover up all the problems. But when the tide recedes, every project ultimately has to answer a few age-old questions: Who truly needs you? Who is willing to keep using you? What value are you creating? And most importantly: Can the money you make cover the cost of staying alive? In a way, I think Blast's shutdown serves as a valuable lesson for this wave of Crypto infrastructure hype: AI is advancing rapidly, so yes, technology can be cutting-edge, narratives can be grand, and valuations can be sky-high—but for a system to survive long-term, it must be able to sustain itself financially. This isn’t just a rule for Crypto. It applies to companies, projects, and even our personal lives: prosperity that relies on external support is rarely sustainable. True freedom often comes from a system that can operate independently.