Lu Yunfei stood on the beach, taking a deep breath as the sea breeze brushed against his face, carrying a faint salty scent. He pulled the keycard from his pocket, his emotions complex and thoughts running wild. Although he had already learned the truth, in this moment, that sense of helplessness and oppression still lingered, refusing to dissipate.
As he stepped out through the door, he suddenly felt a familiar sense of pressure, as if the whole world were watching him. He carefully walked forward, his fingers brushing against a damp rock. His feet slipped, and in an instant, he fell into the sea. The seawater rushed into his ears, and everything around him turned pitch black. But Lu Yunfei didn't panic, because he knew he wouldn't die just like that.
Slowly, he floated on the surface of the water, feeling his body's weight gradually disappear, as if everything was drifting away. His consciousness seemed to be pulled into another dimension. Just as he was about to lose consciousness, the darkness before him was suddenly torn apart by a gap. He saw Li Yechen standing on the distant beach, walking toward him.
"Thank you for waiting for me," Lu Yunfei's voice was hoarse and low, tinged with a bit of helplessness.
Li Yechen's eyes flickered with complex emotions, the corners of his mouth curling slightly. "I've been waiting for you for a week," he said with a slightly indifferent tone, but also a trace of exhaustion. "Every day, I come to the beach and wait for you for four hours. Today, I just started waiting, and then I saw the sky open a door, and you fell out."
Lu Yunfei slowly stood up, shaking off the seawater from his body as he walked toward Li Yechen. His face bore no smile, his gaze deep. "Let's stop with the small talk. I know the truth now."
Li Yechen raised an eyebrow. Seeing Lu Yunfei's serious expression, his face changed slightly. He wanted to ask, but he had a bad feeling in his heart.
Lu Yunfei looked at Li Yechen and said in a low voice, "What I have to tell you is, you're dead, and I'm dead too. We are both test subjects now. They took our heads and placed them in the laboratory, and through some kind of equipment, they uploaded our consciousness, or data souls, into this world." He paused, seemingly trying to find a clearer way to explain. "This world is like a game, where everything is carefully arranged and controlled. We've been in a 'test' this whole time."
Li Yechen's expression didn't change at first. He quietly listened to Lu Yunfei's words, his eyes narrowing slightly as if processing the information. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke softly, "So, this is really all part of an experiment?"
Lu Yunfei nodded solemnly. "Yes. We're not alive. We are data souls, uploaded here to be test subjects. Our so-called 'life' is nothing more than part of a controlled program."
Li Yechen fell silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed, though there was no lightness in his smile. "You're right. It looks like we're really trapped in this game." He paused and sighed. "But if this is truly an experiment, then there's no way out."
Li Yechen's gaze drifted to the distant sea, his eyes clouded, as though having a silent conversation with himself. His brow furrowed, and his lips trembled slightly, as if an unseen knot in his heart had been touched. Slowly, he spoke, his voice low and filled with pain, "So, I'm dead. Everything from my previous world is gone. What does it matter what I do now? My existence here has no meaning."
Lu Yunfei didn't answer immediately but fell into silence for a while, as if searching for the right words to comfort him. Looking up at Li Yechen, he spoke calmly, "As long as you're conscious, your existence has meaning."
Li Yechen's eyes dimmed slightly, as if those words hadn't touched the deeper pain inside him, but he still listened.
Lu Yunfei continued, "This platform seems controlled, with everyone being manipulated like pieces on a chessboard. But that doesn't mean our feelings are meaningless. Our joy, satisfaction, hope, and pursuits all have meaning. Even if everything here is designed, at least in this virtual world, our senses are real, and our experiences are real."
Li Yechen squinted slightly, looking at Lu Yunfei. His heart felt torn in two—one part was filled with deep confusion, while the other part clung to the faint hope in Lu Yunfei's words. He spoke quietly, "But even so, it doesn't change the fact that I've already died."
Lu Yunfei sighed, walking closer to Li Yechen, and gently patted his shoulder. "We can't change the fact that we've died, but we can decide how we live in this world. Our existence can be free. We can choose to find a way out."
Li Yechen looked at Lu Yunfei deeply, a flicker of realization in his eyes. His mood seemed to gradually calm, but the confusion and helplessness inside him were still hard to erase.
Lu Yunfei paused for a moment, his tone becoming more resolute. "First, we need to figure out how this system operates and find the platform's input point. If possible, I can access their system, even manipulate the laboratory systems in the real world. If we can break this limitation, we might be able to find a way to escape."
Li Yechen's eyes glimmered with a hint of light, and he nodded. "If there's a way to break free from this system or find a loophole in this world, I'm willing to go with you."
Lu Yunfei's eyes flashed with determination. He knew this wasn't just for himself but for all the other test subjects trapped in this same dilemma. He turned and gazed at the distant sea. "This adventure is just beginning. Li, come with me. Let's uncover the truth."
The two of them walked side by side toward the distant beach, the vast ocean seeming to stretch endlessly with unknowns and possibilities. In their eyes, the future was clouded with fog, but they knew the only way forward was to keep moving toward the truth.
Li Yechen's gaze gradually became vacant. He stood there, softly murmuring, "So, I'm dead. Everything from my previous world is gone. What does it matter what I do now? My existence here has no meaning." His voice was filled with pain and confusion, as though he were falling into an endless abyss.
Lu Yunfei looked at him with a sharp pang in his heart, but he knew he couldn't let Li Yechen sink too deep. He walked over and gently patted Li Yechen on the shoulder, his voice low but firm. "As long as you're conscious, your existence has meaning."
Li Yechen looked up at him, his eyes devoid of response, as though he no longer believed in the existence of anything. His words sounded like a soliloquy, "But we're just manipulated test subjects. Isn't everything here set up by someone else? Our choices, our feelings—aren't they all fake?"
Lu Yunfei took a deep breath, trying his best to remain calm. "This platform seems controlled, and it looks like we're all manipulated. But that doesn't mean our feelings are meaningless." He paused, his gaze steady. "Our joy, satisfaction, hope, and pursuits all have meaning. Even if this world is fake, the feelings are real. We can choose how to face things, how to act—that has meaning."
Li Yechen looked at Lu Yunfei, a trace of struggle in his eyes. He wanted to argue but found no words. After all, Lu Yunfei's words had touched something deep inside him, and the faint hope that had long been buried began to quietly resurface in this dark world.
"So, what do we do?" Li Yechen's voice was low, as if uncertain, but with a hint of anticipation.
Lu Yunfei stepped forward, pointing to the distant sea. His voice was filled with resolve. "First, we need to figure out how the system operates. This world is controlled by a system, and we must understand how it works. We need to find the system's loopholes, its valid input points. If possible, I can access their system, maybe even manipulate the real-world laboratory systems."
Li Yechen looked at him, a flicker of doubt in his eyes, but more so a deep sense of resolve. He nodded. "Do you really believe we can enter the system? We're just test subjects who've been uploaded here. Would the system even allow us?"
Lu Yunfei smiled calmly. "If we've been treated as test subjects all along, it means our every action, every choice has some kind of significance. I don't believe the system can completely bind us here. Once we find the entrance, we might be able to change our situation."
Li Yechen's mood gradually settled. He looked at Lu Yunfei and said slowly, "Alright. Since you believe this, let's start here. Let's find the system's flaws and see if we can find a way out."
The two exchanged a look, seemingly reaching a silent understanding. The sea breeze continued to blow against their faces, and deep footprints were left behind on the sand. They had begun a new adventure—not just to escape, but to uncover the truth behind this mysterious world and solve its many puzzles.