To be honest, the first use Huang Tian thought of for his superpower was gathering information.
For example, any individual or organization trying to investigate him or harm him would be exposed to him the moment they mentioned his name.
He could use the information he obtained to respond with ease and protect himself.
Or he could join an organization or serve his country.
That way, if one of their agents managed to infiltrate an enemy's secret base, all they would have to do was quietly say the two words "Huang Tian."
Then Huang Tian, a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand miles away, could clearly see everything happening at the base, without their agent having to risk his life to send information out.
But.
"The risk is too great. I won't consider it for now."
Huang Tian didn't think he needed to make a choice right away.
He had had his superpower for less than a month. It might change in the future. If it grew stronger, he would keep studying it and continue making himself stronger.
If it never changed, then he could consider cooperating with the authorities. Even if they studied him, so what?
There was no way he would let them cut him up for samples. A living specimen was worth countless times more than a dead one, and no researcher with a brain would let him die.
Huang Tian shook his head. "I'm getting ahead of myself. I should go eat first."
He picked up his keys from the table, opened the apartment door, then pulled it shut behind him and walked down from the third floor at an unhurried pace.
He pushed open the half-rusted building entrance, and a wave of scorching heat immediately rushed at him, wrapping around his entire body and making him frown.
Facing the apartment building's entrance was a freshly renovated street. The road was burning hot under the blazing sun, while a few camphor trees spread their dense shade, casting dappled patches of light across the sidewalk.
It was noon, and there weren't many cars on the street.
Only a few electric scooters occasionally glided by, stirring up gusts of hot air.
A white sedan drove along at an unhurried pace, seemingly searching for a shaded parking spot. Its tires made a soft shushing sound as they rolled over the road.
At the opposite street corner, a three-wheeled vehicle with "Shunfeng Express" written on it was parked. The deliveryman wiped away his sweat with one hand while carrying a package into another apartment building.
The air was filled with a medley of scents.
There was a faint smell of car exhaust, the aroma of fried rice and stir-fried dishes drifting from the restaurants, the fresh, slightly earthy scent of soil and plants in the greenbelt, and the dry heat of late summer giving way to early autumn.
In that moment, Huang Tian felt as if he had stepped into the real world. It was almost as though his superpower were fake, something he had imagined.
But when his thoughts stirred, the voices calling to him reached his ears, settling his mind.
He narrowed his eyes slightly to adjust to the glaring white sunlight, then briskly crossed the street and entered Shihui Restaurant.
"Boss, one pork-and-yuba bucket meal. I'll eat here."
Huang Tian placed his order and scanned the QR code with practiced ease, then found a corner where he could feel the wall-mounted fan and sat down.
Before long, the owner, a man in his thirties, brought over the bucket meal.
Huang Tian picked up a pair of disposable chopsticks and ate at a leisurely pace. With his refined, handsome appearance, he looked like a student who hadn't yet left campus.
As he ate, a short, thin old man with graying hair came in. The owner immediately invited him to sit down, and the two talked across a square table.
The old man had a strong accent, and Huang Tian couldn't quite understand him, but he could make out the owner's Mandarin.
It seemed the owner thought business was bad and wanted to transfer the restaurant. Since he couldn't find anyone to take it over, he was thinking of ending the lease.
The old man was clearly the landlord. He kept shaking his head and repeating the word "contract."
The owner sighed helplessly. "I barely make two or three hundred yuan a day. I can't keep this up."
The landlord still shook his head. "The sun's too strong right now, so it's normal for business to be slow. It'll pick up once this period passes. Besides, you signed a one-year contract. I can't give you your rent back."
The two argued back and forth.
Huang Tian thought of his own job and mused, These days, no business is easy. If you work for someone else, you can get laid off; if you start your own business, you can lose money.
Well, being a landlord is the only easy job. You can just lie back and collect rent.
After eating, Huang Tian left the restaurant and bought a cup of lemon tea at a nearby Mixue. He sipped it as he walked, and the cold, sweet-and-sour drink perked him right up.
Back at the apartment, Huang Tian skipped his afternoon nap and continued studying his superpower.
Following different voices, he saw scene after scene:
At the International Port of Wushi, Zhejiang Province, Huang Ba, who handled cargo loading and unloading, chatted with his coworkers during a break about how his son had graduated from a key university and was now working back home, earning seven or eight thousand yuan a month.
In Dayuan Village, Wushi, Huang Ma was turning over trousers at a relative's garment factory when her eyelid twitched. She frowned and muttered, "My right eyelid's twitching. That's a bad sign. I wonder if something's happened to Huang Tian."
At Beijing Foreign Studies University, a young man named Zhou Du lay on his dorm bed, staring up at the ceiling. "I wonder what's so great about that Huang Tian."
At Boyang County Experimental Middle School, a senior-class homeroom teacher in his forties stood with his hands on his hips and addressed the students. "A few years ago, I taught an arts-track class. There was a student named Huang Tian. His grades weren't among the best in his first year of high school.
"By his final year, he was working hard. How hard? Eight math papers a day! Fifteen or sixteen hours spent grinding through practice tests! He managed to raise his math score from just over a hundred to a hundred and forty!
"In the end, he got into a Project 211 university. You should learn from his determination! Give it your all for one year—at the very least, get into a first-tier university. Aim for Project 211, and fight for Project 985!"
Scene after scene connected to him flashed before Huang Tian.
After a long while, night fell. He rubbed his temples as wave after wave of exhaustion washed over him.
He poured himself a glass of water and drank it, then went downstairs and bought a serving of fried rice noodles. After he ate, the deep fatigue hit him again, and he drifted into a hazy sleep.
The next morning.
Bright light filtered through the curtains. Huang Tian opened his eyes and felt completely refreshed.
"I haven't slept this well in ages!"
He stretched, then leaned lazily against the headboard. A thought stirred, and the voices calling to him came again.
This time, though, there were hundreds, even thousands of times more voices than the day before!
Huang Tian exclaimed in surprise and followed a completely unfamiliar voice, "looking" through it.
The marble floor gleamed like a mirror. At the hotel front desk, an employee handed an ID card and room key to a middle-aged man.
"Mr. Huang Tian, your room is 627 on the sixth floor. We hope you enjoy your stay."
The middle-aged man named Huang Tian took the ID and key, nodded and thanked the employee, then went over to the elevator and pressed the button.
"He's Huang Tian. Then who am I?"
In the apartment, Huang Tian froze for a moment, but the next second, he understood.
"This man has the same surname and given name as me. We're both called Huang Tian.
"Wait, that means my superpower isn't limited to hearing and seeing scenes connected to me anymore.
"Every person in the world named Huang Tian has become one of my signal towers!
"No matter who brings up 'Huang Tian,' whether or not the person they're talking about is specifically me, I can see the scene around them while they're speaking!"
Huang Tian's heart surged with excitement. His superpower had evolved for the first time!
But if it had evolved once, could there be a second time?
Before you continue