Collapse Simulator, why are we drifting apart?

When you take action, life is a game; when you watch from the sidelines, life is a TV series. The two attitudes are actually like two mirrors of life, reflecting different aspects of our inner world.

Life is actually a diverse stage. We can be active game players or calm TV viewers.

...

When people are free, they will think about many things, such as games, beauties, military affairs, philosophy...

Since Liuying went out on a mission, Fanmu returned to his previous life and no longer went out. He stayed in his dark wooden house all day, sleeping on the counter and waiting for business to come.

As the clock ticked, his thoughts gradually became clearer.

He used to treat life as a game, imagining himself as a character in the game. He could play when he wanted to and play badly when he wanted to. Not only could he not find the offline button, but the other playability aspects were also average. Until a rainy girl came and changed everything.

A few weeks after meeting the girl, he started playing games more and more frequently, until he logged in every day, just like going to work, but... he didn't hate it.

For Fan Mu now, playing this game called life is just for that girl, and this game becomes interesting only because of that girl.

Now that the girl has temporarily gone on a mission, there is no need for him to play the game.

"I don't know what Liuying is doing now?"

Fan Mu lay on the counter bored, his eyes wandering and his thoughts drifting far away.

"Is she in danger?"

He couldn't help feeling a little worried, because Liuying had told him before she left that this trip might be dangerous and he didn't know how serious the injuries would be.

The more he thought about it, the more confused he became. He lay on the counter for a long time, but he didn't feel sleepy at all. He closed his eyes and couldn't fall asleep.

After a long time, he sighed lightly, climbed up with difficulty, rubbed his messy hair, and felt a little troubled.

"Let's go out for a walk. It's a good opportunity to buy some oak cake rolls. Otherwise, when Liuying comes back, she'll see the cake rolls and start crying and making a fuss!"

Thinking of this, he went out without preparing anything. He didn't change into new clothes, didn't do his hair, and didn't call a few friends. The only things he took with him were a pair of sunglasses and some money.

The new day has just begun. At 7 o'clock in the morning, people are coming and going on the streets. The sun is hanging in the distance, and there is a little bit of morning sun in the corner that has not yet dispersed.

There were people coming and going, and it was very noisy, which made him feel a little irritated.

All around were children who were chattering and making a fuss about not wanting to go to school, eating buns and fried dough sticks.

It was obviously a very heartwarming scene that made people want to laugh, but Fan Mu didn't feel anything in his heart. Even though he had never seen his parents and had never felt the so-called paternal love, he didn't have even the slightest thought about these things.

Maybe it's because he was born precocious...

Walking further inside, both sides of the street were filled with elderly people, with various vegetables and fruits placed in front of them.

Some of the old people had faint smiles on their faces, some were still asleep, and most were smoking their pipes without saying a word, with numb looks on their faces.

They got up early in the morning on purpose, and the stall was filled with people in a hurry, but not many people stopped to buy their vegetables.

Compared to these vegetables whose age is unknown and whose quality is not guaranteed, most people prefer to buy them in large supermarkets.

Don’t the elderly know that not many people buy their vegetables?

Why do they have to get up so early?

Fan Mu squatted under a tree, watching the scene silently, watching the numbness on their faces, watching their bodies curled up because of the cold, watching their wrinkled and cracked skin.

Are these things highly profitable?

There is no doubt that it is definitely not high.

The quantity is small and the profit is small. Even if all the dishes in front of the old man are sold out, the overall profit may be less than 10 credit points.

However, these meager 10 credit points are a number that the old people may not be able to sell even if they sit there for a whole day. You should know that just one oak cake roll costs hundreds of credit points.

The old people get up early every day and go home very late at night, no matter if it is windy or snowing, or in the cold wind. Even if they sell for a year, they may not earn enough money to pay for their illness.

Many of these elderly people have no one to rely on at home and can only drag their aging bodies out to earn a meager income to survive.

How many of them come out because they can't sit idle and want to supplement the family income, but are looked down upon by their sons and grandsons as a burden?

When they are young, they go to school hard, or even fail to finish their studies because they are forced to do farm work. When they grow up, they earn money to marry a wife, buy a car, a house, and raise children. When they are finally older, they can retire and enjoy their lives, but they are despised by the children whom they raised with great difficulty.

Why does one live such a hard life?

Why do people come to this world?

To suffer?

Why does suffering always happen to people?

Isn't the only answer to a person's fate always death?

Fan Mu sat on the ground and thought silently. He had some answers in his mind, but he couldn't understand them. It was as if these answers were not his own, so he couldn't empathize.

...

Maybe it’s because suffering is life’s anti-addiction system! It’s not just a negative experience, but also a stepping stone to promote individual growth, awakening and transcendence, just like the anti-addiction system in the game, which is designed to prevent players from being overly addicted to the virtual world and ignoring real life.

The sufferings in life also remind us not to indulge in ease and comfort, but to have the courage to face reality and actively face challenges.

...

Is this a wrong idea? Is he... wrong in thinking this?

That’s right, but…

Fan Mu's gaze once again fell on the numb eyes of this group of old people. He could not see any hope for life, nor any glory in them. They just lived for the sake of living, and just sat here for the sake of living.

The sufferings in life remind us to face reality bravely, be positive and face challenges...

But…what’s good about this terrible reality? Isn’t the purpose of life to enjoy happiness? Why should we suffer? Why must we face the so-called challenge?

Since life is suffering, why should we live?

After all… wouldn’t it be better to never have to suffer, have no worries, no pain, if you had never lived?

When he figured out one question, countless more questions would arise along the branches of the previous question. Did he really figure out the previous question?

"call!"

Fan Mu let out a breath and didn’t want to think about it anymore. What’s the point of thinking so much?

It can neither be eaten nor can it save these people.

He shook his head and tried to stand up, but he felt dizzy and it took him a while to recover.

The noise around me had become much quieter, and the child's figure had disappeared without me noticing.

I glanced at the time and saw that an hour had passed.

Have I been thinking about this for so long without realizing it?