Chapter 002: A Mutation Caused by a Mosquito

Although Li Heng appears to be quite free, this is limited to the largest city in the southern region. For instance, during his last visit to the agricultural area, he had to submit an application in advance and could only go with an accompanying person after receiving approval

With a loud bang, a thunderclap erupted in the sky above the city, a silvery flash of lightning streaked across the heavens, followed by countless raindrops striking against the window

The sound of pounding raindrops accompanied by the flashes of white light and the continuous rumble of thunder from the heavy clouds in the distance awakened Li Heng from his slumber

Li Heng chuckled lightly. Although he appeared very strong now, it would have been normal in ancient times for one man to take on a thousand. However, in modern society, the drones and conventional electromagnetic weapons available in this city alone could reduce him to nothing but dust.

I cannot avoid going. Although my physical capabilities are currently very strong, approaching that of exoskeleton armor, as someone associated with military secrets, my itinerary is already under close scrutiny. If I am discovered to be concealing this, I could even be taken to court, and at that time, the treatment I receive will not be as favorable as it is now

Since signing the agreement and coming to the Southern Region after graduation, Li Heng has gradually become disconnected from his past life, and he has slowly lost contact with his former friends

This information remains readily available as before, appearing merely akin to the photographic memory of an ordinary person, without many trivial sensations impacting his character

It seemed that he was dreaming all night last night, and in his dreams, he seemed to recall events from the past

In the video before him, a small black cat curled up into a black ball on the bed. After Li Heng liked it, he swiped right to open the next one

These are the researchers at the research center, who have not been in contact with Li Heng for several months since the completion of the new auxiliary intelligence.

Li Heng inherently possesses control abilities that exceed those of ordinary humans; however, in the past, his other physical manifestations were no different from those of the average person. He also experiences nearsightedness, can fall and sustain injuries, and when he exerts himself, he can only run 100 meters in 12 seconds.

Although he could not understand the principles behind hetushu.com, Li Heng was able to control his body as if it were an innate instinct, just as birds naturally fly with their wings and fish breathe with their gills

On the morning of the second day, the sky outside was overcast, with heavy lead-gray clouds pressing down on the horizon. The typhoon over the ocean brought a significant amount of moisture, and the summer in the south always alternates between blazing sunshine and torrential rain

In the process of human growth and progress, countless seldom-used memories are discarded by the brain, and what remains vividly in memory after many years are merely a few fleeting images

After finishing a late-night snack with Prince Yun in the central district, Li Heng returned home, took a shower, and comfortably lay down in his bed, while the little dog still ignored him

Without a moment's hesitation, his right hand came down with a slap, but when he raised his hand, he did not see the corpse of the mosquito. Li Heng was slightly taken aback, but then he dismissed it from his mind.

In contrast, Li Heng's mutations occur at a much slower pace, and are more evident in the changes to his body rather than his brain, or rather, he is completely unaware of any structures within his brain.

Once Li Heng, such a dangerous individual, is found fleeing in a city crowded with civilians, Hongmeng will not gamble on his personal moral standards; it would rather kill mistakenly than let him go. At that point, the consequences would be far worse than being discovered and concealed.

In the darkness, in a place unnoticed by anyone, the pure white mosquito quietly stood on Li Heng's hand

The images in memory are clear yet not comprehensive, and the comments from different audiences decades later can also assist him in contemplating from more diverse perspectives

At this moment, Li Heng was watching the 3D movie "Lucy" in its reboot version, comparing the characters in it with the differences between himself and them at this time

Those large unmanned aerial vehicles can exceed speeds of 400 kilometers per hour, and the large-caliber bullets they carry can penetrate steel plates several dozen millimeters thick from a distance of one kilometer. Coupled with the signal observation and positioning scattered throughout the city and the book market, those artificial intelligences can even achieve the precision of a sniper rifle with their cannons. No matter how much stronger he is, he cannot escape.

Moreover, he is no longer limited to perceiving only visible light. He can see the omnipresent electromagnetic waves of various frequencies in the air, receive the information contained within them, and transmit his own will as radio signals.

Although he can feel almost all of his memories as clearly as in "Lucy", the memories from his infancy remain as vague as before

It is a pity that one cannot possess a brain of Lucy's caliber

In the past, Li Heng's ability to control his body exceeded human limits, and now this control ability has not diminished but rather increased.

Although he gained abilities that surpassed those of ordinary people overnight, Li Heng would not rashly shout, "My fate is determined by me, not by heaven." It would be foolish to arrogantly attempt to break free from all constraints of rules, especially when one is weak, to confront the entire Hongmeng with personal strength alone.

He removed the virtual glasses and tossed them aside onto the bedside table. One, two, three, he extinguished all the lights in the room, and Li Heng turned around, sinking into a deep slumber

The characters in the film quickly gained control over their bodies from the outside in, yet at this moment, Li Heng was completely unable to perceive anything in his mind

My body has undergone significant changes from the skin to the muscle structure, and those researchers certainly cannot overlook this

One, two, three, turn off the lights and go to sleep

Summer always makes people feel fatigued, and the same goes for dogs. Now it spends more than half of its day sleeping. Li Heng plans to take it for a walk in the agricultural area outside the city in a few days to help it lose some weight

Good night, wishing you sweet dreams

It has been a long time since wars between great powers have erupted, and what is now well-known to people are the weapons exported to those small countries and warlords after the elimination of the Hongmeng and Business Alliances

He recalled the dim streetlight and the pounding of his heart during his first kiss with his girlfriend, when his heartbeat was 123 beats per minute. He remembered being late on the first day of first grade, when the female teacher in the classroom wore a slightly transparent white short-sleeved top and looked at him with a gentle smile.

At a certain moment, it suddenly shook and blurred like the snowy static of a television losing signal, dissipating and vanishing, while Li Heng furrowed his brow in his sleep

There are similarities, yet they are completely different. After a moment, as he once again attuned to his body, Li Heng reached some conclusions

University, high school, junior high school, elementary school, kindergarten, countless past scenes swirl and flash in dreams, as memories that become increasingly blurred with age are all recalled in a single sleep, making him feel as if he has relived over twenty years of life in just one night

The pure white mosquito is likely the cause, after all, it was seen last night and today an abnormal situation has occurred

"Pure white mosquitoes, or something related to myself." These are the two most likely reasons

Electromagnetic waves. Just like wearing smart glasses. His nearsightedness has completely vanished, and he can even freely adjust it to function as a telescope or magnifying glass

At this moment, Li Heng, staring blankly at the dazzling white light of the lightning before him, found memories flashing through his mind incessantly

Li Heng pondered how to respond. Although he did not transform from a human to a deity in a single day like Lucy in "Lucy," his cognitive abilities had indeed improved significantly compared to the past, allowing him to begin employing multi-threaded thinking to address problems

The thunderous roar once again jolted Li Heng from the endless memories in his mind, and a spark gradually returned to his dazed eyes

Precise control of strength to execute actions that meet expectations. Neural response time is less than 0.01 seconds, punch speed exceeds 50 m/s, single-arm strength exceeds one ton, physical strength and intelligence have significantly improved, and bone strength has surpassed that of ordinary steel.

At this moment, Li Heng was continuously connected to the network, and he was still incessantly receiving an endless stream of knowledge and information from the virtual world. The things he had learned over the past twenty years were hardly even a drop in the ocean compared to the entirety of human civilization. Moreover, judging by his current performance, the more he knew, the stronger his abilities became

For example, a flash of white light from the lightning outside flickered before his eyes. Li Heng's right hand shot forward as if in a virtual game, and the force of his punch created a gust of air that lifted his hair, accurately blowing the papers on the table into the nearby trash can

The characters in the film seem to be forcibly triggered into evolution, mastering their brains in an extremely short period of time. During this process, cells exhibit a phenomenon of autonomy, breaking free from control. Ultimately, the protagonist is even able to simultaneously perceive the past, present, and future from the particles of all things in the world, leaping from an ordinary person to a being that can be described as omnipotent.

As for escaping, hehe

As he spat out the straw and tossed the empty yogurt container towards the nearby trash can, Li Heng's peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of a pure white mosquito resting on the back of his left hand, yet his keen senses detected no sensation at all

For giants like Hongmeng and the Free Business Alliance, there is little they can do. The essence of the online world is fundamentally a competition of computing power, and currently, they can only access superficial knowledge and information from the network.

Unfortunately, after adjusting the surveillance footage, Li Heng was unable to find it; he could only see himself in a dream, disturbed by a flood of memories that prevented him from having a good night's sleep

Leaning against a soft pillow, with a straw in his mouth sipping plain yogurt, Li Heng is engaged in his nightly routine of watching videos before bed

Li Heng's mind flashed through a series of information; now his physical fitness has surpassed one-third of what was demonstrated in the game

Rather, it is exactly the opposite; at this moment, Li Heng's mind is like the deepest black hole in the endless starry sky, completely unaware of how he is thinking

Most of them have found jobs and are working hard for their respective lives, with a few having married early and started families, shouldering the heavy burden of earning money for baby formula, and being extremely busy every day

Moreover, as he continuously acquires more knowledge, his cognitive abilities are further enhanced, enabling him to grasp information more quickly than before. For instance, within just a few minutes of waking up, he has already mastered the fundamental knowledge of a language, reaching a level comparable to commonly used intelligent translation software, with no issues in daily listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

With sleepy eyes, in a state between dreams and wakefulness, Li Heng sat dazed on the bed, opening his eyes and staring intently at the white light streaming in through the gap in the curtains

During the day, maintaining one's professional social circle can be exhausting, and naturally, Li Heng, who is not part of their circle, has distanced himself from their lives

"Usually nothing happens, but all the major events occur within a very short span of days, just like the protagonist of a story," Li Heng said to himself with a smile. Regardless of whether he is the protagonist or not, he must first confront the challenges before him

Not only that, but it seems that my body is also changing. Endless memories, as Li Heng awakens, are effortlessly set aside by him; the information from the past twenty years no longer troubles him as if it were a dream.

Due to a prolonged existence in the virtual gaming world, Li Heng unconsciously directed his body towards this outcome during his sleep last night

Upon regaining his cognitive abilities, Li Heng immediately retrieved information about this film from the depths of his memory. After a brief comparison, Li Heng shook his head.

Now he is merely capable of directly observing and receiving transmitted electromagnetic waves, coupled with an eidetic memory; in simple terms, it is akin to possessing the ability of advanced smart glasses

Mr. Li Heng, please cooperate with the research at the XXX Biological Gene Research Center today at 1:00 PM