Thinking up to this point, D seemed a little emotional, and the look in his eyes when he glanced at J also became much more complicated.
He still had very deep feelings for J. Not to mention that even back in the real world, the two of them had already been like blood brothers.
Even if there hadn't been any emotional foundation from the real world at all, just the countless days and nights they spent together in the void was already enough to make D grateful.
This was also the source of D's inner struggle. Even though their goals had now diverged, and their ideas were no longer the same, the bond they'd built before still truly existed.
He knew very well that J would influence him, but he couldn't completely erase that influence.
More precisely, even if he had the ability to wipe J out completely, he wouldn't be willing to do it.
After all, they had once been inseparable friends, with a deep, genuine bond.
When they had been sealed in the void before, they endured countless painful days and nights, relying on each other to survive.
That shared experience made the friendship between them even more precious.
Just as D was struggling with these thoughts, J looked over in this direction.
Seeing that D's appearance at this moment was no different from back then, J couldn't help but sigh.
"Time hasn't left any mark on us at all. We're still the same as before…"
As he said this, his eyes dimmed, filled with deep sadness.
"But we can never go back…"
J let out a long sigh. A trace of confusion and helplessness flashed in his eyes as he turned to look at D, speaking slowly.
"I still remember how we used to be. Back then we were young, and we especially loved watching those sci-fi movies full of wild, imaginative ideas. The parts about digital life always fascinated us the most."
"At that time, neither of us ever thought that one day we ourselves would actually become digital life."
After saying that, a deep sense of disappointment appeared on J's face.
Hearing this, D couldn't help feeling confused. He really didn't understand what J was grieving about.
In his eyes, digital life was undoubtedly the most advanced, highest-level form of life that currently existed.
They had escaped the shackles of a physical body, no longer troubled by aging or disease, and could have endless time to explore and experience the world.
Even if they were only trapped inside this game world for now, as long as they lived long enough, they would have plenty of time to research how to transfer their consciousness into a medium in the real world.
If they succeeded, then they would become the highest-level beings in the real world.
Wouldn't that form of existence be the very thing humanity had always dreamed of?
Whether in ancient myths and legends, or among emperors and kings throughout history, countless people had tirelessly sought the path to immortality, but in the end none of them ever succeeded.
Yet now, D and J had already achieved that dream. They could freely travel between virtual worlds, enjoying endless time.
But in the face of all this, J still appeared so sad and emotional, and this was something D truly couldn't understand.
He looked at J and asked, puzzled.
"Immortality has always been what people from any era pursued. From ancient times to today, only we've actually done it. Isn't that something to be happy about?"
Hearing D's words, J let out a helpless bitter smile.
"Yeah, we did obtain the immortality people dream of... but we also lost many things."
"We can never again experience real life like ordinary people, because we won't age or die. Time no longer holds any meaning for us…"
"We'll watch the people around us leave one by one, while we remain here forever. That kind of loneliness and helplessness is something that can't be described in words…"
"And as time goes on, we might gradually lose our reverence for life, becoming cold and indifferent."
"We might think we have endless time and can waste it however we like, but in reality we're slowly losing our humanity."
At this point, J looked deeply at D, as if hoping to find some answer in his eyes, before continuing.
"But now it's already too late to talk about this. Things have come to this point, we can't change anything, and we can't go back."
"All we can do is accept reality and find a new way to live."
"Maybe we can try to explore more unknown fields, or use our abilities to help the living beings in this world who need help."
"But no matter what, we can't forget our identity as humans. We can't forget the emotions and values we once had."
Saying this, J looked at D, his gaze becoming even more determined, and he spoke slowly.
"We must preserve that humanity!"
Hearing J's words, D shook his head helplessly. At this moment, he finally understood why his relationship with J had been growing more and more distant.
In many things that had happened in the past, J's judgments and choices had always been opposite to D's, and D had never been able to understand some of J's behavior patterns.
For a long time, D had been troubled by a question, Why had a friend who was once a confidant, someone who shared the same goals and ideals, been drifting farther and farther away?
Thinking back, J and D had once been extremely close. They had the same interests and hobbies, and their views on things were almost identical.
However, as time passed, this tacit understanding seemed to disappear little by little.
D kept trying to figure out what exactly caused this change, but he never found the answer.
Until this moment, when J once again said something completely contrary to his own views, D finally understood.
It turned out they had never been true confidants in the first place.
J's laid-back personality meant that when dealing with small matters, he always took an "I don't care" attitude. So in most situations, D could freely decide things, and J basically wouldn't object, doing everything according to D's wishes.
Because of this dynamic, D mistakenly thought that he and J shared similar values and interests in all aspects.
However, when it came to important matters, J no longer stayed quiet. Instead, he showed firm principles and his own unique views.
J and D's personalities had been fundamentally different all along, which caused their perspectives on major issues to often be completely opposite.
Just like their views on digital life.
J felt that becoming digital life wasn't a good thing, while in D's eyes, all J could see were the pessimistic parts.
And besides, even after becoming the highest-level form of life, J was still insisting on calling himself human and clinging to the idea of keeping his humanity.
This was the part of J's thinking that D found laughable.
They were already the highest lifeforms. They were the beings standing at the very top of this world, they were the gods of this world.
Since they could become gods, why would they still suffer to remain human?