"I'm not sure about that, but we can't just stop the actual verification because you proposed a scary hypothesis. And no matter how much it costs, we have to fly to the stars, right?" Jiang Ling fiddled with the terminal, causing it to play a piece of music that sounded like waves crashing against rocks. Then, using the music as cover, he continued, "I've heard a saying before - we always start to regret after a while, because every choice has a price. So, don't overthink it. It's no good."

"Maybe." Liu Haiyang scooped another spoonful of food and stuffed it into his mouth.

Seeing that he didn't respond, Jiang Ling found a new direction as a breakthrough: "By the way, have you ever traveled before coming here? Don't tell me you've been staying in the experimental area for the past few years."

"Of course, I do go on peripheral missions occasionally. Otherwise, how do you think you ran into us in Jinling?"

"Well, I think you'll understand what I'm going to say next." Jiang Ling brushed aside the hair that was bathing in the soup bowl, pulled out a piece of napkin from the table and wrapped it around her, then said as she wiped the water, "Overall, traveling is a joy. Do you agree with that?"

"agree."

"Well, but this kind of happiness isn't based on mental relaxation or physical relief, but rather on a self-satisfied sense of accomplishment. In fact, the beginning, middle, and end of a trip are all filled with tormenting suffering, and that suffering is usually self-inflicted. At the beginning, you'll need to do a lot of research that you wouldn't normally do, spend your hard-earned money, meet all kinds of strangers, and endure misunderstandings and accusations from family and friends. But this is only the beginning of the suffering—of course, you can avoid this pain at the beginning, but it will come back to you doubled later."

"Is this the price of choice?" Liu Haiyang interrupted.

"No, if you want to trace it back to the source, the moment you think about traveling, you are already paying the price. The choices you make afterwards only change the type of price, not the amount of it." Jiang Ling said, throwing the used tissue into the trash can beside the table, and then returning to his previous sitting position.

"As for the journey, I've summarized the feelings along the way before—confusion, chaos, fear, fatigue, hunger, intoxication, danger, vigilance, stress, and shock—see how much of that you feel?"

Liu Haiyang replied, "Most of it happened, but your summary is too abstract. A lot of it can be applied mechanically. And there should have been some beautiful moments along the way. Why didn't you mention them?"

"Those are just ordinary things, why would I mention them?" Jiang Ling explained. "Isn't this what your beautiful moments are like? You're riding in a modified car, looking out at the ever-changing ruins, and occasionally you spot a touching breath of life, a touch of green in the gray world, or a small flower growing among the dead?"

"right!"

"Is it right?"

"Isn't that right?"

"Do you want to think again, is what you saw a beautiful moment or a terrible reality?"

Liu Haiyang thought for a moment after hearing this, and then suddenly spat out the food in his mouth. He stared at the mixed brown-red synthetic food on the plate in disbelief, and a strong feeling of nausea came from his stomach again.

Jiang Ling handed him a few tissues and said, "So you see, don't think too much. It's no good thinking too much."

Liu Haiyang took the tissue and covered his mouth with it. After a long pause, he said, "If I don't figure it out, I won't be able to sleep or eat. I feel like I'm being controlled by an invisible hand, and my thoughts are operating according to its will."

"Oh, now I know what you're talking about!" Jiang Ling finally grasped the point. "You're adapting to this world. Congratulations, you've evolved!"