Wait, This Huang Tian Counts Too?

To be honest, the best application of his superpower that immediately came to Huang Tian's mind was intelligence gathering. For instance, any individual or organization attempting to investigate him or act against him would instantly expose themselves the moment they uttered his name. He could use the gathered intelligence to react effortlessly and protect himself. Or, he could join an organization or serve his country. That way, if our operatives managed to infiltrate an enemy classified facility, all they had to do was whisper the two words "Huang Tian." Huang Tian, hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of li away, could clearly see everything unfolding in that classified facility, sparing our operatives the enormous risk of transmitting information outward. Except... "The risk is too high. I won't consider it for now." Huang Tian didn't believe he needed to make a choice right away. He had possessed this superpower for less than a month. It might evolve over time. If it grew stronger, he would keep studying it and continuously improve himself. If it remained unchanged, he could consider cooperating with official agencies. Even if he were studied, what would it matter? Being sliced open on a dissection table was completely out of the question anyway. A living specimen was worth infinitely more than a dead one; no researcher with half a brain would ever let him die. Huang Tian shook his head. "I'm thinking too far ahead. Better get some lunch first." He grabbed his keys from the table, opened the apartment door, pulled it shut behind him, and walked down from the third floor at an unhurried pace. Pushing open the half-rusted entrance door of the residential unit, a scorching wave of heat instantly washed over him, enveloping his entire body and making him frown. Directly facing the apartment building was a newly renovated street. The asphalt baked under the blazing sun, while a few camphor trees cast thick shade, scattering dappled patches of light across the sidewalk. It was noon, and traffic was sparse. Only a few electric scooters occasionally whizzed past, stirring up brief gusts of warm air. A white sedan cruised slowly along, seemingly looking for a shaded parking spot, its tires rustling faintly over the pavement. Across the street corner, a tricycle bearing the Shunfeng Express logo sat parked. The courier wiped his brow with one hand while clutching a parcel with the other as he hurried into another stairwell. The air was laden with a complex mix of scents: the faint smell of exhaust fumes, the appetizing aroma of stir-fried rice and dishes drifting from eateries, the fresh yet slightly earthy scent of soil and greenery from the roadside planters, and the sultry dry heat of late summer giving way to early autumn. Immersed in such surroundings, Huang Tian felt for a fleeting moment as though he had stepped back into reality—as if that superpower were an illusion, a figment of his imagination. Yet with a slight stir of his will, the calls echoing in his ears anchored him back to reality. Squinting slightly to adjust to the glaring white sunlight, he briskly crossed the street to the Affordable Eatery. "Boss, an order of stir-fried pork with yuba over wooden bucket rice. For dine-in." Huang Tian deftly placed his order and scanned the payment code, then found a seat in a corner where the wall-mounted fan could reach him. Before long, the proprietor in his thirties brought over the wooden bucket of rice. Huang Tian picked up a pair of disposable chopsticks and ate methodically. With his refined, handsome features, he looked just like a student who had yet to graduate from university. While he was eating, a thin, gray-haired old man walked in. Seeing him, the proprietor immediately offered him a seat, and the two spoke across a square table. The old man had a heavy accent that Huang Tian couldn't quite follow, but the proprietor spoke Mandarin, which was perfectly intelligible. The proprietor seemed to feel that business was poor. He wanted to transfer the lease, and failing to find a taker, he now wished to break the lease. The old man was clearly the landlord. He shook his head repeatedly, constantly uttering the word "contract." The proprietor said helplessly, "How much do I even bring in a day? Not even two or three hundred yuan. I just can't keep this going." The landlord still shook his head. "The sun is too strong right now; slow business is completely normal. Things will pick up once this stretch passes. Besides, you signed a one-year contract. There's no way I can give you a refund." The two argued back and forth. Huang Tian thought of his own employment situation and mused inwardly, *Nothing is easy these days. Work for someone else and you risk getting laid off; run your own business and you risk losing money. Mm, only landlords have it good—they just lie back and collect rent.* After finishing his meal, Huang Tian stood up and left the shop. He bought a cup of lemon tea at a nearby Mixue, sipping through the straw as he walked. The icy, sweet-and-sour tea revitalized his spirits. Back in his apartment, Huang Tian skipped his midday nap and continued studying his superpower. Tracing different vocal threads, he peered into scene after scene: At the Wu City International Port in Zhe Province, Father Huang, responsible for loading and unloading cargo, chatted with his coworkers during a break. He proudly told them his son had graduated from a prestigious university and was now working back in their home region, earning seven or eight thousand yuan a month. In Dayuan Village of Wu City, Mother Huang, who was turning trousers right side out at a relative's garment factory, felt her eyelid twitch. Frowning, she muttered to herself, "My right eyelid twitched—that's never good. Nothing happened with Huang Tian, did it?" At Jingcheng Foreign Studies University, a young man named Zhou Du lay on his dorm bed, staring up at the ceiling. "Just what is so great about that guy named Huang Tian anyway?" At Boyang County Experimental High School, a senior-year homeroom teacher in his early forties stood with hands on his hips, addressing his students: "A few years ago, in the humanities cohort I taught, there was a student named Huang Tian. In tenth grade, his grades weren't near the top. "By twelfth grade, he threw himself into his studies. To what extent? Eight math test papers a day! He spent fifteen or sixteen hours just churning through papers! He literally dragged his math score from just over a hundred all the way up to one hundred and forty! "In the end, he made it into a 211 university. All of you need to learn from his desperate drive! Fight hard for one year: lock down tier-one as your baseline, set your sights on a 211, and fight tooth and nail for a 985!" Scene after scene connected to him flashed before Huang Tian's eyes. After a long time, darkness settled outside. He rubbed his temples as wave after wave of exhaustion washed over him. He poured himself a glass of water and drank it down, then went downstairs to pick up a simple box of fried rice noodles. After eating, a profound sense of weariness engulfed him once more, and he drifted into a deep sleep. The following morning. Bright light filtered through the curtains. Huang Tian opened his eyes, feeling exceptionally refreshed. "I haven't slept this comfortably in so long!" He stretched his arms and leaned lazily against the headboard. With a shift of his mind, the calls flooded in once more. Only this time, the calling voices were hundreds, perhaps thousands of times more numerous than yesterday! Huang Tian let out a soft gasp of surprise and followed a completely unfamiliar voice to "look." The marble floor gleamed brightly. The hotel receptionist handed an identification card and room key to a middle-aged man. "Mr. Huang Tian, your room is Room 627 on the sixth floor. We wish you a pleasant stay." The middle-aged man named Huang Tian took his ID and keycard, nodded with a polite thank-you, and walked over to the elevator, pressing the call button. *He's Huang Tian? Then who am I?* Back in his apartment, Huang Tian froze for a second, but the realization struck him in the very next instant. *This man shares my exact first and last name—we're both named Huang Tian.* *Wait, which means my superpower is no longer limited to hearing and seeing scenes directly related to me.* *Every person named Huang Tian in the entire world has become my signal base station!* *No matter who mentions 'Huang Tian,' and whether they're referring to me or not, I can see the scene where they speak that name!* Huang Tian's heart surged with excitement. His superpower had evolved for the first time! Yet, now that there had been a first time, would there be a second?