Price and Gift

The spaceship pierced through the clouds and landed on the long-abandoned site of the Sunshine Welfare Home. Du Siling and Han Beimo stepped out of the hatch, breathing in the air of Earth seventy years in the future. The air had an unfamiliar scent—too pure, lacking the warmth and life they remembered.

"The timing is wrong." Han Beimo frowned, touching the bio-scanner on his wrist. "According to stellar positioning, we've only been gone for seven years, but Earth time..."

Du Siling closed his eyes and tried to connect to the global harmonic network. In an instant, a massive amount of information flooded in—not the thousands of familiar consciousnesses, but millions of blurry connection points. The network expanded, but the signals were chaotic and disorganized, like a symphony orchestra without a conductor.

"Seventy years." Du Siling opened his eyes, data streams flashing in his golden pupils. "Seventy years have passed on Earth."

The ruins of the orphanage have been cleared, and a monument gleaming with metallic luster has been erected in its place. The inscription reads: "In memory of Du Siling and Han Beimo, pioneers of the Harmonic Era. They left Earth in 2045 AD to embark on an interstellar journey for the evolution of humanity."

Han Beimo lightly touched the inscription on the tombstone and sneered, "They think we're dead."

"In a sense, yes." Du Siling pointed into the distance—the once familiar city skyline had been replaced by vertical farms and sky bridges, with hovercars gliding silently across the sky. "Our era is over."

Through the remaining harmonic connections, they learned the basic situation: Huo Xue has become the guardian of the global harmonic network, now 87 years old; Zhao Mingxuan is the liaison between carriers and ordinary people, now 85 years old; Enoch disappeared again 20 years ago, leaving a warning that "a greater crisis is sleeping".

Most shockingly, ordinary humans can now briefly access harmonic networks via neural interfaces and experience a connection of consciousness. However, this technology is strictly regulated, limited to no more than one hour per day, otherwise it could lead to severe psychological dependence.

"Like digital drugs," Han Beimo commented, looking at the crowd queuing up in the square for the "connection experience."

Du Siling tried to contact Huo Xue, but the response was weak and indistinct—the old woman's consciousness was like a candle flickering in the wind. They decided to head to the Harmonic Network Center, located at the site of the former police headquarters.

Along the way, they witnessed the contradictory landscape of the new world: on the one hand, technology was highly advanced and poverty and disease had been largely eliminated; on the other hand, society was severely divided—the "connectionists" advocated for complete harmonicization, while the "independenceists" resolutely opposed the sharing of consciousness.

Two young people stood out on the street. In an era where the average life expectancy is 150 years, their appearance of being in their twenties should have been normal, but a scanner showed that their biometrics were a perfect match for "Du Siling and Han Beimo" in historical records.

"A living fossil..." a passerby exclaimed in a low voice, their identity information displayed on the smart glasses.

The news spread faster than they could walk. By the time they reached the network center, a group of reporters and onlookers had already gathered. An elderly woman with white hair, sitting in a wheelchair, was being pushed forward by medical staff—Huo Xue.

"You...you've really come back." Huo Xue's voice trembled as she reached out her wrinkled hands to them. "Seven years...it's been too long for us."

Through brief physical contact, Du Siling witnessed the history of the past seventy years: the expansion of harmonic networks, technological revolutions, social changes, and a hidden crisis—the envy and fear of "superhumans" among ordinary people.

Zhao Mingxuan walked over, leaning on his cane; the marks of time were still visible on his aging skin. "Time has been kind to you."

Inside the network center, they learned the full story. The emotional seeds did indeed drive the evolution of the harmonic network, but they also brought unintended consequences—overconnection led to a blurring of personal identity and an increase in suicide rates; while ordinary people, after experiencing connection through technology, often fell into depression because "returning to solitude is too painful."

"We created paradise, but humanity cannot sustain it," Horseh sighed. "As Enoch warned, some evolution may have come too soon."

Suddenly, all harmonic connections simultaneously failed. A red light flashed at the network center, and an alarm sounded: "Unknown spatial disturbance detected. Security level raised to highest."

Du Siling's eyes flashed with golden light—he sensed that presence. An ancient, hungry consciousness was approaching the solar system, drawn by the energy of the seed of emotion.

"The Void Devourer," Du Siling uttered the name, as if he had known of its existence for a long time. "It feeds on consciousness energy. The Harmonic Network became... an invitation to the feast."

Through the interstellar link, Du Siling witnessed an even more terrifying truth: the Starsong race had not been entirely truthful. The Emotion Seeds were not only a tool for reconstruction but also bait—used to divert the Devourers' attention from their home planet.

"We've been used," Han Beimo said coldly, a familiar silver pistol appearing in his hand at some point.

Huo Xue nodded, her eyes filled with sorrow: "Enoch foresaw this twenty years ago. He left behind a solution, but at a price..."

The solution is simple: Du Siling fully integrates into the harmonic network, becoming a permanent node, and uses his enhanced consciousness to guide all of humanity to form a defensive resonance field. But this means abandoning the last vestiges of humanity and becoming a purely conscious being.

Another option: Han Beimo could sever their blood symbiosis, which would temporarily restore Du Siling to a fully human state, but he might die from brain damage; and the harmonic network without Du Siling would not be able to form a sufficiently strong defense.

"The universe's equivalent exchange," Zhao Mingxuan said with a wry smile, "always requires sacrifice."

Du Siling answered almost without hesitation: "I will become the node."

"No!" Han Beimo grabbed his wrist. "We've been through so much, not to make you disappear!"

This was their first conflict since their return. Through their remaining blood ties, the two shared a painful choice—Du Siling believed it was his responsibility; Han Beimo, on the other hand, refused to lose someone important to him again.

The Void Devourer was approaching faster than expected. The lunar base had reported spatial anomalies, and the first evacuation ships began to launch. Global panic ensued, and the Connectionists and Independenceists united in an unusual move, but were unsure how to counter this cosmic-scale threat.

Du Siling attempted to connect with the Devourer individually, hoping to find a way to communicate. But that consciousness was consumed by pure hunger, like a predator on a cosmic scale. In the instant of connection, Du Siling witnessed a horrifying sight—the remnants of countless civilizations' consciousnesses, devoured, eternally wailing in the void.

"There's no room for negotiation," Du Siling concluded, as her nose started bleeding again—this time with unusually black blood. "It'll either be expelled or it'll be fed."

Han Beimo silently offered his wrist, but Du Siling shook his head: "This time, more is needed. It needs... complete fusion."

They arrived at the original underground sanctuary. Seventy years had passed, and it remained perfectly preserved, as if time had stood still. The star map carved on the walls still twinkled, and the central fusion platform was spotless.

"This is our last chance." Han Beimo looked at Du Siling. "We can leave and let humanity face it on its own."

Du Siling smiled, her eyes gleaming softly: "Do you remember that rainy night at the orphanage? We said we'd never be apart. Now, it's time to be together forever."

The fusion ceremony began. Unlike the blood exchange seven years ago, this was a true fusion of consciousness—the two would become a unified consciousness, possessing Du Siling's harmonic abilities and Han Beimo's stability.

When their consciousnesses finally merged, something strange happened: the global harmonic network suddenly became clear and orderly, and millions of consciousnesses resonated in sync as if under command. A golden energy field unfolded from Earth, heading towards the approaching Void Devourer.

In the moments before their consciousnesses completely merged, Du Siling and Han Beimo sensed each other's final thoughts:

"Thank you for making me a better person." — Du Siling

"Thank you for making me feel less lonely." — Han Beimo

Then, only one consciousness existed—neither Du Siling nor Han Beimo, but some greater being. It guided the Great Wall of Light, formed by human consciousness, to collide with the Void Devourer.

There was no explosion, no sound, only an absolute clash of consciousness. In a fleeting moment, the Devourer retreated, repelled by this unprecedented power of unity.

When the crisis subsided, the merged consciousnesses did not separate, but chose to remain united. It—they—became the permanent guardians of Earth, the core of the harmonic network.

In occasional moments of lucidity, Du Siling-Han Beimo descends into the consciousness of a lucky carrier, briefly experiencing human life. Some claim to have seen two men smiling amidst azaleas in their dreams; others say they have felt double the warmth in harmonic connections.

On the ground, Huo Xue and Zhao Mingxuan passed away peacefully, and their statues stand in front of the Network Center, alongside the monument to Du Siling and Han Beimo.

A new human civilization continues to develop, gradually learning to balance connection and independence. Meanwhile, in Earth's orbit, a golden consciousness eternally guards this world—the ultimate fusion of two souls, a living testament to human evolution.

Sometimes, on the night of a full moon, observers can see two golden beams intertwining on the lunar surface, like an inseparable dance.

The cost and the gift were eventually balanced.