Zhang Chenyang leaned back in his chair, deep in thought. In front of him was a clean and tidy desk; he wore fresh, comfortable clothes, and warm sunlight streamed through the window. Every item in the room, or rather everything in this place, was arranged in a way that made him feel at ease. It was as if someone had peered into his innermost thoughts, extracted all his desires for "beauty," and laid them out before him.
He exhaled deeply. If he were truly a selfish person, living solely for himself, he might have already succumbed to this.
But his conscience wouldn't allow him to make such an irresponsible decision.
Zhang Chenyang continued to think calmly. If he stayed at home all the time, he would be cutting off his connection to the outside world. According to the notes he had found earlier, he had encountered something unusual during his visit to the Aerospace Museum. Perhaps he had met someone like him there, or maybe more had happened, but time was limited, and the notes didn't provide all the details. His memory had also been altered.
However, it was clear that only by going out could he gather more information.
He couldn't rely on another voice entering his mind to tell him everything; Fanglong wouldn't allow that to happen again.
After some deliberation, Zhang Chenyang decided to go out in a normal way. He called Xie Han and told her that he was going out to buy a reference book, also giving her details of where he was going and how long it would take. He didn't sneak out; instead, he reported everything properly. The reason he chose to do this was that if his parents were tools for Fanglong to monitor him, then his behavior would show them that he was obedient and cooperative. He also had a bold guess: if that voice could enter his mind, could it mean that the person behind it had advanced hacking skills? If Fanglong could detect them, perhaps they could also monitor Fanglong?
Of course, this was just a gamble on Zhang Chenyang's part. He knew it might not be true, but it was better than doing nothing.
Zhang Chenyang mentioned going to buy a reference book because he had thought about it carefully—it was the farthest place he could think of within his known range, and he didn't plan on wandering aimlessly. This was just a trial run.
After listening to Xie Han's usual reminders, Zhang Chenyang hung up the phone, packed his things, and prepared to leave. He made sure to put a notebook and a pen in his bag this time. While this method might be clumsy and could be monitored, he figured the chances were lower compared to using electronic devices, which he saw as directly sending information to Fanglong.
After changing his shoes and putting on his backpack, Zhang Chenyang opened the door. This was the first time he walked out of the house without his parents by his side. The process of going downstairs was uneventful, and on the way to the bus stop, Zhang Chenyang carefully observed his surroundings.
Perhaps because he hadn't considered these things before, he now noticed something peculiar when he paid close attention.
"This is the year 2250. With the advent of the Eighth Industrial Revolution, as resources become increasingly scarce, we will set out for the stars to find a new home!"
"If the planet over there is more habitable, we could live there. Why not? It would be better than staying here and fighting over resources with so many people."
"You're wrong. Even if interstellar migration becomes possible, the so-called upper class will be the first to go. Where would people like us get a chance?"
"It's fine if they leave. The Earth will be less crowded, and our living conditions will improve."
These were all things Zhang Chenyang had heard at the Aerospace Museum, memories that Fanglong hadn't erased, so he remembered them clearly. At the time, they didn't seem significant, but when he analyzed the information in those statements—whether it was about scarce resources, fighting over them, or the idea that interstellar migration would ease living conditions—it all pointed to one thing: the current population must be very large.
If the population were smaller, there would be no need to fight over resources, and people wouldn't be hoping that interstellar migration would improve their situation.
However, as Zhang Chenyang looked around, he didn't see many people. Even at the bus stop, there were only a few scattered individuals.
Rather than being residents of this place, they seemed more like background props, appearing only to make the environment seem less empty.
Of course, if what Zhang Chenyang heard at the Aerospace Museum was true and the environment had deteriorated to such an extent... If Fanglong had recreated the situation accurately, Zhang Chenyang's experience of living here would be far less pleasant.
As Zhang Chenyang walked, he pondered. If this world was indeed fake, how had Fanglong created it, or rather, what template had it used to construct it?
If it were up to Zhang Chenyang, he would have chosen to find a real existing world and then modify it, polishing it according to his own ideas. This would be the simplest, most efficient way to achieve the best results.
If Zhang Chenyang's line of thinking was correct, then this world must have existed in reality before, though the real situation likely wasn't as beautiful as what Zhang Chenyang was experiencing now.
The same old question—do you want a beautiful lie or a harsh truth?
Zhang Chenyang wouldn't claim to be a brave person, but he had the courage to face reality. He had a deep feeling that there was still someone waiting for him in the real world, something or someone he couldn't afford to forget or leave behind.
Besides, now that he knew the truth, this world had become fake and uninteresting to him. He didn't want to spend the rest of his life verifying lies.
Zhang Chenyang stood at the bus stop, quietly waiting.
Before long, the bus he needed arrived. There weren't many people on the bus, so Zhang Chenyang chose a seat toward the back. He picked this spot because it was higher, making it easier to observe the behavior of others on the bus. It also offered a good view, allowing him to see both outside the window and inside the bus.
A girl, like Zhang Chenyang, was sitting at the back of the bus, but they were on opposite sides, with a moderate distance between them.
As the bus moved slowly, the people around him adopted various postures. Those who had companions would chat with them, while those who were alone passed the time playing games on their phones. Of course, there were also people like Zhang Chenyang, who were aimlessly looking around, such as the girl next to him.
Zhang Chenyang couldn't shake the feeling that the girl had been watching him since he got on the bus, as if she were particularly interested in him.
When the girl noticed Zhang Chenyang looking at her, she immediately started a conversation, "Are you alone too?"
The way she initiated the conversation made Zhang Chenyang smile wryly. "Isn't the answer to that question obvious?"
The girl smiled again. "I'm alone too."
"I can see that," Zhang Chenyang replied, somewhat awkwardly. Internally, he couldn't help but think, "Why does Fanglong's AI lack intelligence? Coming up with such awkward conversation starters?"
The girl seemed to realize her poor conversational skills but didn't give up. Her furrowed brow was surprisingly cute, as if she were seriously trying to think of the next awkward topic.
Zhang Chenyang wasn't in a hurry; he just waited quietly. The bookstore was still far away, and he had plenty of time to witness the girl's awkward conversation skills.
He was also curious about the AI designed by Fanglong.
"Don't you think there's something strange about all this?" the girl asked in a lowered voice.
Zhang Chenyang hadn't expected her to shift the conversation in this direction!
"What's strange?" Zhang Chenyang immediately became cautious.
Seeing this, the girl quickly explained, "Don't be nervous. I was just speaking off the cuff. And please don't push me away—I went through a lot to get here."
As Zhang Chenyang listened to her, he began to sense that something was off. However, given his current distrust of everything around him, he couldn't determine whether she was genuinely trying to reach out to him or if she was a trap set by Fanglong. So, he maintained a polite yet distant demeanor.
"Everything here feels a bit unreal to me," the girl continued cautiously.
"What's not real?" Zhang Chenyang asked, keeping his expression neutral.
"Sometimes, I forget things," the girl said, hinting at something more. "For example, I might meet someone or experience something, but after a while, I forget about it. It's like an invisible hand is altering my memories."
If it weren't for his recent experiences, Zhang Chenyang would have thought she was telling him some bizarre story. But now, what the girl described was exactly how he felt—his own experience.
"What are you trying to say?" Zhang Chenyang asked, then added as a test, "Last night, I had a dream where a black mist appeared. It told me I could make a wish, and it would grant it. Was that you?"
"A dream?" The girl looked surprised, clearly not understanding what Zhang Chenyang meant.
Zhang Chenyang nodded slightly. It seemed the girl had no connection to Fanglong, judging by her genuine expression.
After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Chenyang decided to take a risk—he spoke the two words: "Fanglong."
He understood that the girl might also be testing him, and those awkward attempts at conversation were part of that. While he didn't know why she had to go through such lengths, he guessed it might have something to do with the disappearance of the voice in his mind. The girl's cautious approach likely stemmed from a fear of triggering the same thing.
By saying those two words, Zhang Chenyang was signaling to the girl that she could speak more openly and boldly because he already had his suspicions and theories. They didn't need to waste time testing each other.
Sure enough, when the girl heard Zhang Chenyang say this, her expression turned from dumbfounded to delighted.
"You remembered?!" she whispered excitedly, trying to keep her voice down.
Zhang Chenyang slowly shook his head and replied honestly, "I didn't fully remember anything specific. I'm just guessing that there's something wrong with this place. There was a voice in my mind that told me some things. Although my memory was erased later, I left some clues for myself as hints."
"That voice was me," the girl said quietly. "But then my actions were detected by Fanglong, so I couldn't keep in contact with you."
Things were playing out just as Zhang Chenyang had suspected—his guess was right.
"Is it safe for us to talk like this without Fanglong detecting it?" Zhang Chenyang asked cautiously.
The girl shook her head. "Fanglong tries to maintain the realism of this world. If it were monitoring constantly, you'd feel uncomfortable. As long as we don't do anything drastic and keep things calm, we should be fine."
Hearing this, Zhang Chenyang didn't know what to say. He couldn't understand Fanglong or its motives for doing all this.
In fact, he didn't even know what kind of entity it was.
Maybe the real him knew, or maybe the girl in front of him did?
Zhang Chenyang then asked her about Fanglong, and she responded in detail.
It was only then that Zhang Chenyang fully understood the circumstances that had led him to this place.
"So, what about us? Did we know each other in the real world? What's our relationship?" Zhang Chenyang asked.
He was curious. If they were just ordinary colleagues or friends, would she have gone to such lengths? If he wasn't mistaken, the girl had probably made many attempts already. She mentioned his experience at the Aerospace Museum, and if it weren't for her persistence, he might have either gotten used to the lies here or ended up like that madman—going crazy after realizing the truth and then dying.
"We were very good partners," the girl replied cautiously. After saying that, she hesitated before adding, "But you were also a very important person to me."
The meaning behind her words was deep. Zhang Chenyang fell silent for a moment before replying, "Thank you for helping me all this time. Although I can't remember my real memories yet, I'm sure that in the real world, you were also someone very important to me."
Hearing Zhang Chenyang's words, the girl looked surprised, as if she hadn't expected him to say something like that.
Finally, Zhang Chenyang brought the conversation back to the main issue, "Do you know how to get out of here?"