The Omniscient

Chapter 11: Destiny

"Send him to school? No, no, he'll just get bullied there." Grandfather shook his head at the Village Head's family's suggestion.

Huang Ji had revealed a bit of his mechanical talent to Zheng Xuan.

For someone with Information Sense like him, restoring a television or a computer was almost laughably easy.

First, his memory was incredible. While he wasn't exactly photographic, it didn’t matter even if he forgot something—his own Information Sense faithfully recorded everything he had ever experienced. He could "query" himself to retrieve any scene he had witnessed, pulling forgotten memories back into focus.

However, restoring a computer didn’t even require that. Every component held vast amounts of information, such as its function and original placement, and this information was incredibly easy for him to grasp.

It was as if he spotted a coin on the ground and immediately knew whose pocket it fell from, when, and how.

He could disassemble and reassemble any machine as long as it wasn’t damaged during disassembly, and its reconstruction was within human capability. For Huang Ji, it was child's play.

In this way, Huang Ji maintained his persona as a "slow-witted" individual while adding a new layer to it: someone with an extraordinarily keen intuition for mechanical structures.

After learning of his talent, Zheng Xuan had several conversations with him, asking about his circumstances. Huang Ji took the opportunity to explain how he had given up on high school, idled at home, and spent his days wandering aimlessly.

Casually, he also revealed his desire to go to school, to learn skills that would allow him to earn money and take care of his grandfather in the future.

Zheng Xuan didn’t say much at the time but later mentioned this to Fan Lingli.

Fan Lingli, a warm-hearted person, was surprised to learn of Huang Ji's talent. Feeling that aimlessly wasting his days wasn’t ideal, she asked if he’d like to attend school in Shanghai. She could help him find a place to try out.

Huang Ji, of course, had no objections, but his grandfather’s consent was necessary.

After all, this school would require him to leave home and live there for five years.

When the Fan family brought up the idea, Grandfather immediately shook his head and refused.

Huang Ji felt disappointed but said nothing.

The Village Head couldn’t stand it anymore and said, “Old Huang, sending him to school is ultimately for the best. The child has talent!”

Grandfather shook his head and replied, “Oh, what talent? You all know his situation.”

Zheng Xuan thought to himself, Are you doubting my judgment? He immediately recounted what had just happened.

Grandfather didn’t believe him. He knew Huang Ji had never messed around at home taking things apart. In fact, he had never even touched anything like that. How could he have such talent?

Zheng Xuan said, “Talent is innate—it has nothing to do with whether he’s been exposed to it or not. Although Huang Ji… has a mild disability, people like him sometimes have exceptional gifts in unique areas. You can’t predict it. If you don’t believe me, let him try.”

This time, Zheng Xuan brought out a computer and dismantled it, scattering its parts all over the table.

In front of everyone, Huang Ji effortlessly reassembled it.

Zheng Xuan had taken it apart thoroughly, leaving it looking impossible to put back together.

Yet Huang Ji was not fazed at all.

After reassembling it, the Village Head marveled at the sight.

Though Grandfather didn’t fully understand the complexity, he could tell that Huang Ji was incredibly focused while working on the machine—his eyes were alive with energy! Ṟ𝐚𝐍𝘖βЁ𝙨

This was important since Huang Ji usually had trouble concentrating.

The only other times Grandfather had seen such focus were when Huang Ji was daydreaming on the fields or staring intently at someone talking by the roadside.

Now, seeing that same spark during a serious task made Grandfather beam with joy.

“Good, good, good!” Grandfather laughed heartily.

First, he was happy to see that glimmer of enthusiasm in Huang Ji's eyes.

Second, he felt proud that his grandson actually had a talent!

“Xu’er has such a knack for this! I wouldn’t dare touch that computer, but Xu’er has a real gift!” the Village Head praised.

Grandfather was pleased. Huang Ji rarely had anything to be praised for.

As someone perceived as "slow-witted," the best others could say about him was that he was obedient, well-behaved, and filial.

But now, he had a skill that not only earned praise but also astonished others.

For this, Grandfather was overjoyed.

But soon after, Grandfather frowned and said, "The child gave up on the high school entrance exam. Can he even get into a vocational school?"

Zheng Xuan explained, "I know of a school with a '3+2' program. It’s a five-year track that starts after junior high. The first two years cover high school coursework, and the next three focus on professional skills. Graduates earn a college diploma."

“No need for a junior high diploma or high school entrance exam scores.”

It was, without a doubt, not an elite school. Still, it wasn’t a bad option either, offering legitimate credentials and qualifications.

Hearing that the program resulted in a college diploma, Grandfather was both surprised and satisfied.

But then he added, "Given his situation… can he even earn that diploma?"

This was not a guarantee anyone could make. The room fell silent.

They were merely offering suggestions out of concern for Huang Ji, thinking it a shame for him to waste his talents. None of them had any obligation to ensure he went to school.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

In fact, if the suggestion were taken seriously, Fan Lingli, as a fellow villager, would likely have to take care of Huang Ji while he was in Shanghai. She was already volunteering to "trouble herself" to this extent, and that was no small gesture.

Seeing their hesitation, Huang Ji spoke up. “Grandpa, I’ll do my best.”

Grandfather sighed. “That’s not the issue... Ah, I know you try hard. Old Fan, this boy is very responsible at home. He can cook, do laundry, even plow the fields without a problem. People say I take care of him, but really, he’s the one taking care of me. Xu’er isn’t dumb at all.”

The Village Head rolled his eyes. “We all know that. Look, just enroll him in a mechanical repair program. If he really learns something, he could find decent work after graduation. And if he doesn’t graduate, he could still make a living fixing appliances.”

Grandfather nodded. “I know. But I just can’t stop worrying. Shanghai is such a big city. Can he adapt? He’s never even left the county!”

“Even if the school has dorms and a cafeteria, he’d still need time to adjust. And if people see he doesn’t know anything, wouldn’t they bully him?”

The truth was, Grandfather had raised Huang Ji his whole life. He couldn’t bear the thought of sending him far away to live alone in a strange place.

At this point, there was nothing more to be said. Grandfather wasn’t comfortable, and the others were just fellow villagers—they couldn’t push the matter.

The room fell silent, and it seemed like the idea of school was about to be dropped.

At that moment, Huang Ji spoke up.

He said just one sentence, but it was enough to decide everything.

“Grandpa, if you say no, I won’t go. I’ll stay by your side forever and take care of you. I won’t go anywhere…”

This one statement struck Grandfather’s heart, leaving him shaken.

Forever… stay by my side?

Grandfather let out a deep sigh, thinking to himself, How could that be?

He had raised Huang Ji for so many years, but what had come of it? Nothing.

Keeping the boy at his side meant he would simply exist without a future. There was nothing Grandfather could teach him. Even with their farmland and some savings, Huang Ji might live a lifetime without worry for survival, but it would likely be a lonely and desolate one.

Deep down, Grandfather always felt guilty about Huang Ji’s situation, believing it to be his fault.

For more than a decade, he had kept Huang Ji close, unwilling to let go or send him far away.

But hearing Huang Ji say he would stay with him forever both touched and alarmed him. “That’s not possible. How could you stay with me for a lifetime?”

Huang Ji was only sixteen, while Grandfather was already old and frail.

Now that Huang Ji’s talent had been discovered—offering hope for a decent livelihood—could he really hold the boy back any longer?

“You need to go out into the world. You have a gift, and you should use it to learn something valuable, do you understand?”

As Grandfather thought about how he had raised a boy who simply echoed his every word, and how others had mocked Huang Ji as a fool who had learned nothing under his care, he couldn’t stop himself from crying.

At that moment, Huang Ji also began to cry.

He wasn’t truly intellectually disabled, but he couldn’t reveal that to his grandfather.

That statement he had made earlier—it was a calculated strike at his grandfather’s psychological vulnerability. He knew his grandfather carried a deep sense of guilt, worrying constantly about what would happen to Huang Ji after his passing.

This had always been a source of anxiety for his grandfather.

With just one sentence, Huang Ji had swayed his grandfather’s decision. He could see into people's hearts and pinpoint their weaknesses.

Watching his grandfather so heartbroken by his words, Huang Ji couldn't help but feel an ache in his own heart.

He felt guilty for manipulating his grandfather’s emotions like this. Yet, he felt he had no other choice.

“Grandpa, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, but I have to go out into the world. There’s so much I need to do…” Huang Ji silently apologized in his heart as he hugged his grandfather.

The words he had used to wound his grandfather weren’t spoken for the sake of humanity, nor because he felt a pressing need to grow quickly and solve the Earth’s predicament.

Those lofty matters were, in his heart, secondary.

He was still young, and after all these years, hadn’t the Earth remained intact? Wasn’t humanity still living happily? The issue of aliens wasn’t urgent—it couldn’t be rushed even if he wanted to.

The real reason Huang Ji was willing to hurt his grandfather with such words was for his grandfather’s health.

He had to learn medicine. He had to find a way to cure his grandfather’s illness. This could not wait.

Though his grandfather seemed relatively healthy, Huang Ji’s Information Sense clearly indicated that he wouldn’t live beyond five years.

Every person’s life had a limit—a natural lifespan.

For most young people, the upper bound ranged from 100 to 130 years.

Yes! That was the near-limit of human life expectancy.

But Huang Ji had noticed something peculiar: as people aged, their overall lifespans continually shortened.

Typically, by the age of 18 or 19, a person’s life expectancy had already dropped to around 100 years.

He had observed many individuals in their twenties, whose lifespans often fell to 80 or 90 years, with some even destined to die at 60 or 70.

This "lifespan limit" was an ever-changing piece of information.

In other words, fate wasn’t fixed; it wasn’t set in stone.

Originally, a person might live to be 120, but poor habits or irregular eating could instantly chip away at their lifespan.

Someone who was supposed to live until 80 could face a serious illness, and if they indulged excessively during recovery, even if they got better, their life expectancy could drop from 80 to 60 years.

These changes were imperceptible to most people.

When that person died at 50 or 60 from subsequent illnesses, they might simply think they were born to live a short life.

Little did they know, that one illness in their youth, combined with their excesses, had already sealed their fate to die before 60.

Every habit, every life event, even shifts in mindset, caused the "lifespan limit" to fluctuate.

By observing and summarizing these patterns, Huang Ji could experiment to determine which behaviors promoted longevity and which shortened it.

In his grandfather’s case, it was largely due to illness. This illness couldn’t be cured—at least not yet. But if it could be, there was no doubt that his grandfather wouldn’t die within five years. His life expectancy might even increase significantly.

Lifespan wasn’t dictated by the heavens but by a web of countless intertwined causes and effects, constantly evolving.

In theory, if one could perceive enough of these cause-and-effect threads and had sufficient information, it was possible to predict the future.