The Train Heading Home

"Dear passengers, welcome aboard this smart train provided by Voyah Chasing Light. The final destination of this train is: Hometown.”

The sweet female voice in the broadcast was like honey, making people feel warm inside. Li Ming took off his headphones, rubbed his tired eyes. Outside the train window, the scenery was receding rapidly, as if someone had pressed the fast-forward button. He glanced at his phone, the signal was full, but there were no new messages.

Li Ming was going home this time for his cousin's wedding. He hadn't been home for three years. Since the company moved to this so-called “Future Tech City”, he had been like a machine wound up tightly, repeating his 996 work schedule every day. This so-called "Chasing Light" train was a first for him.

The train car was very spacious, the seats were very comfortable, and there was a touch screen in front of each seat, where you could watch movies, play games, and even do online work. Li Ming opened a news app, and the screen was filled with reports about the "artificial sun," it seemed that technological progress had reached the point where it could be “created” at will. He smiled, feeling that this news had nothing to do with him.

"Sir, your 'Hometown Memories' service has been activated, please enjoy your trip." A mechanical voice interrupted his thoughts. Before he could react, the screen in front of him suddenly went black, and then some old photos appeared, showing him playing with his grandmother in the yard of his old home when he was a child. The photos were in color, but the clarity was exceptionally high, as if it had just happened yesterday.

Li Ming was a little stunned, the train even had this kind of function? He was a little moved, after all, these memories were almost forgotten in the corner of his mind. Then, some familiar local folk songs popped up on the screen, familiar tastes surged into his heart, he felt his nose tingle, and he suddenly missed home very much.

"Hello, dear passenger, according to your 'Hometown Memories' data, the system analysis shows that your longing for your hometown has reached 90%. Would you like to experience 'Hometown Simulation'?" The mechanical voice sounded again.

"Hometown Simulation?" Li Ming asked curiously.

"Yes, this service can simulate real-time scenes of your hometown for you, including the weather, the smell, and even simulate real-time conversations with your hometown relatives, making you feel as if you were there."

Li Ming felt a little creepy, this technology was too scary, wasn’t it? He hesitated for a moment, but still chose to experience it. “Then let’s try it.”

The screen went black again, and this time, a three-dimensional virtual scene appeared, which was the courtyard of his old house. He saw his grandmother sunbathing in the yard, and his grandfather repairing old objects in the yard. He could even smell the fragrance of the osmanthus tree in the yard, this feeling was too real, so real that it made him feel a trace of fear.

"Ming'er, you’re back?" His grandmother's voice came, with a hint of tremor. Li Ming was stunned. The voice was exactly the same as his grandmother's. He couldn't help but say, "Grandma."

"Hey!" The virtual grandmother responded, turned her head, and looked at him with a kind gaze. She smiled slightly, and the wrinkles on her face seemed real to the touch. Li Ming stared blankly at everything, this was more than just a simulation, it was simply bringing reality right in front of his eyes.

He wanted to say something, when suddenly the virtual grandfather said: "Ming'er, you haven't been home for the past few years, the yard is all overgrown, look, the grass has grown so high.”

Li Ming was a little embarrassed, after all, these years, he had done nothing but send money home during the Chinese New Year.

"I'm just busy, you know?" Just as he was about to explain, a dialog box suddenly popped up on the screen, with a line of text displayed: "'Hometown Simulation' experience time is up, if you need to continue, please recharge 'Nostalgia Value'.”

Li Ming was instantly dumbfounded, what? Nostalgia Value? And it needs to be recharged? He looked at the bottom right corner of the screen, where his Nostalgia Value balance was displayed: 0.

He opened the recharge interface and found that recharging ‘Nostalgia Value’ required purchasing an ‘Emotion Package’. Depending on the package, different simulation durations could be experienced. The lowest package was "Mild Homesickness", which only allowed for 5 minutes of experience, and cost 99 yuan. The highest was "Deep Homesickness", which allowed for one hour of experience, and cost 999 yuan.

Li Ming was both laughing and crying, he thought this was simply too absurd, going home and having to pay to buy "Nostalgia Value"? He gave up recharging and closed the “Hometown Simulation” interface.

At this moment, a uniformed train attendant came over, she had a smile on her face, but her eyes were cold: "Sir, would you like to purchase the ‘Family Package’? After purchasing it, you can get free ‘Hometown Simulation’ experience time, and you can have in-depth interactions with your ‘virtual family’."

Li Ming finally understood, this was not a smart train at all, it was simply a large-scale emotional kidnapping game. He looked at the scenery receding rapidly outside the window, and suddenly felt a deep sense of sorrow. He picked up his phone, wanting to call home, but found that the phone signal had turned to no signal again.

The train continued to move forward, the scenery outside the window was still a blur. Li Ming leaned back in his chair and stared silently at the window. He saw in the reflection of the window, the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned, with a trace of helpless irony. He knew that this trip home was destined not to be so simple.

Outside the window, a faint glimmer of dawn appeared at some point, as if mocking this world filled with technology and absurdity. He thought, perhaps, what truly illuminates the way home is not some "Chasing Light," but his heart that will never be quantified or recharged with nostalgia.