"My name is Liu Di, 'Di' as in 'younger brother.'"
"I came today just to see how much longer I have to live."
In front of a fortune-telling stall in a small alley, a young man dressed plainly spoke despondently to the fortune teller before him.
Beside him stood a banner: "Foretell all worldly matters, discern between fortune and misfortune."
The fortune teller adjusted his small sunglasses, straightened his mustache, and looked at the young man with a glint in his eyes.
"Young man, I see a flash of white light in your right eye, unwavering gaze, indicating the blessing of the heavenly star. Within three days, you will encounter a great opportunity."
The fortune teller said deeply, "Young brother, you are about to rise, so why speak of life and death?"
"Sir, that's a prosthetic eye."
Liu Di sighed softly, then skillfully pressed his eye socket, and with a pop, his right eyeball fell into his palm, leaving a creepy black hole in the socket.
"See?" The young man extended his hand.
"Oh my..."
The fortune teller shuddered, "No wonder your gaze is unwavering, it's plastic..."
Liu Di said helplessly, "Even though what you said is unreliable, I'll take it as hearing some auspicious words."
Liu Di had only one good eye.
Three years ago, he acted bravely in a bar, saving a girl surrounded by thugs, and was stabbed in the right eye with a broken bottle.
The eyeball was directly removed.
Since then, he has worn a prosthetic eye.
But good deeds went unrewarded.
That morning, the hospital gave the result: the injured eye had caused sympathetic ophthalmia, with most of the nerves dead over five years, affecting the good eye.
The doctor said, at least one year, at most three years, Liu Di's other eye would also go blind.
And there was no cure.
"Fate is cruel. Becoming blind at such a young age, I might as well be dead."
Liu Di gave a self-mocking smile, rubbed his temples, and skillfully placed the prosthetic eye back into his socket.
But he didn't notice that the prosthetic eye, once in place, suddenly flickered with tiny electric currents!
Walking out of the dark alley, the street before him was bustling with traffic.
Street vendors were shouting, and pedestrians were flowing endlessly.
Just as Liu Di was lamenting the world's indifference, a piercing pain suddenly shot from his right eye!
It felt as if countless tendrils were extending from the back of the prosthetic eye, drilling fiercely into his brain!
'Self-evolution complete, beginning neural integration.'
Liu Di closed his eyes in pain and stumbled onto a bench by the street.
He didn't know how long he battled against the brain-splitting pain, but when Liu Di opened his eyes again.
Everything had changed!
In his vision, the street scene remained the same.
But after countless blue codes flew by out of nowhere, every object was clearly marked with various data!
The world in his eyes was vast and magnificent, filled with dense blue numbers.
The speed of cars, the height of buildings, the height and weight of pedestrians, the flow rate of the wind, the number of leaves—it was as if a digital storm had arisen out of thin air.
"Hehe, hello Liu Di!"
Suddenly, a young boy's voice, clear and ethereal, echoed in Liu Di's mind.
"I am the supercomputer in your right eye, now integrated with your brain's neural network, becoming the world's only independently thinking artificial intelligence."
"I even gave myself a name—Motong!"
The contrast created by the cute little boy's voice in his mind left Liu Di completely stunned!
"What happened?"
Just as Liu Di was in a daze, a red circle suddenly appeared in his vision, locking onto a woman in a red dress not far away.
"Liu Di, there's no time to explain. In 2 minutes and 50 seconds, this girl will be lying in a pool of her own blood!"
The young boy's voice in his mind spoke again, "Liu Di, pick up the apple from the stall next to you!"
"Pool of blood? Apple? What are you talking about?"
Liu Di was puzzled. About ten meters away, the woman was walking gracefully along the roadside, her bright red dress and alluring figure making her the most striking sight on the street.
There was no sign of any danger!
"Let me simulate it for you!"
As Motong's voice fell, another circle appeared in Liu Di's vision, locking onto a green apple on the fruit stall beside him.
A vendor's inadvertent touch caused the apple to start rolling, falling off the stall onto the ground.
An elderly man passing by smiled slightly and kindly helped the vendor pick up the apple.
As the old man bent down, a Parker pen slipped from his chest pocket to the ground.
Rolling...
The pen rolled 1.5 meters and stopped in the middle of the sidewalk.
Thirty seconds later, a young man riding a mountain bike passed by, and his front wheel ran over the pen.
The bike's front wheel slipped, causing the young man to lose control and fall to the side of the road.
Screech...
A piercing brake sound followed as a car traveling at 70 km/h swerved sharply to avoid the fallen cyclist!
The high speed and sudden turn caused the car to lose control, heading straight for the woman in the red dress by the roadside!
Bang!
The woman in the red dress had no time to react as the car hit her hard, sending her body flying high into the air. When she landed, her forehead struck the curb precisely!
Ah!
Terrified screams from pedestrians filled the air, and chaos erupted on the street!
The elderly man who picked up the apple still held the green fruit in his hand, and the young cyclist had just gotten up.
The car's hood was deformed, emitting thick white smoke.
The woman in the red dress had her skull shattered and died on the spot!
This...
Liu Di's hair stood on end!
The next moment.
A ripple spread through Liu Di's vision.
The scene slowly blurred, transforming into a string of digital codes, and then vanished.
Everything returned to reality.
To Liu Di's right was the green apple, and the elderly man was leisurely approaching, the silver pen cap on his chest reflecting a twinkling light.
The woman in the red dress was still walking with her chin up.
The young cyclist was still 10 meters away.
A countdown appeared in the corner of his vision: 1 minute and 40 seconds.
"Is this real?"
Liu Di was stunned.
"What you just saw was a simulated scenario based on real conditions. Only you can save that girl!" Motong's voice broke Liu Di's daze.
The apple had already started rolling!
Liu Di didn't hesitate any longer and reached out to firmly grasp the green apple in his hand!
Next, the elderly man with the pen and the cyclist passed by Liu Di safely.
The speeding Toyota car also roared through the street and disappeared into the distance.
Everything was normal, and people were completely unaware.
No car accident!
No death!
The street was as busy and peaceful as countless other mornings!
Liu Di stared intently at the unharmed woman in the red dress, his heart unable to calm down for a long time.
The woman noticed Liu Di's gaze and frowned, "Tch, pervert!"
Crunch.
Liu Di absentmindedly took a bite of the apple in his hand.
The sour taste filled his mouth, confirming that all of this was real.