Hong Kong variety show: From being bitten by a cockroach to becoming a legend

Chapter 2: Infinite Evolution

There's a saying that if cockroaches were as big as humans, it would be hard to say who would rule the Earth.

Everyone has a superhero dream in their heart.

Song Zhaowen was no exception.

The annoyance of being bitten by a cockroach—no!—vanished instantly.

With a thought, Song Zhaowen's vision instantly zoomed in, revealing the patterns in his pupils and the fine blood vessels in the whites of his eyes in the mirror with crystal clarity, as if he were looking at them with a magnifying glass. With another thought, his vision returned to panoramic mode, taking in everything happening inside and outside the bathroom.

There was no dizziness or discomfort. The brain seemed to be naturally able to process this massive amount of visual information, and could even automatically mark moving objects in the field of vision. The trajectory of an ant that quickly crawled past the corner of the wall was clearly presented in his mind.

(You might not believe it, but cockroaches have radar-like vision, capable of tracking and capturing targets simultaneously~)

He turned off the bathroom light, plunging the room into darkness. An ordinary person's vision would immediately vanish, leaving them blind, but not him. Even in the extremely dim light, he could still make out most of the outlines in the bathroom; details were blurry, but the shapes and positions of objects were clearly discernible. He had inherited the cockroach's ability to see in low light.

Song Zhaowen walked out of the bathroom to the window and looked out at the housing estate in the night.

Countless windows were lit, and pedestrians and vehicles bustled through the streets. In his newfound vision, this was no longer a flat scene, but a three-dimensional world brimming with detail and information. He could simultaneously notice a few hooligans smoking together on the street corner diagonally below, clothes drying on a balcony of an apartment to his right fluttering in the wind, a family eating and watching TV in the building directly opposite, and even the license plate of a red minibus driving by in the distance… If he wanted, he could capture and process all this information instantly.

There was no information overload or chaos. The brain functioned like a desktop computer with a top-of-the-line graphics card and processor, smoothly running a completely new visual system.

He raised his hand and waved it rapidly in front of him. The afterimage of his hand, its trajectory, and even the slight disturbance in the airflow it created were all captured and analyzed with a slow-motion precision in his field of vision.

"Dynamic vision has also been enhanced..." Song Zhaowen realized. Combined with this wide-angle view, any sneak attack from the side or behind would likely appear as clear as slow motion to him; no one could stab him in the back.

The changes in vision are just the beginning.

He began to feel his body again. His heart pounded steadily and powerfully, pumping oxygen-rich blood and unknown energy to every corner. Muscle fibers lay dormant beneath the surface, ready to unleash their power at any moment. His bones and joints felt a combination of stability and flexibility unlike anything he had ever experienced before. The sensitivity of his skin was still increasing; the movement of air and subtle changes in temperature were stimulating the newly formed nerve endings.

Hearing, smell, touch... all senses are simultaneously enhanced, intertwined with this 270-degree wide-angle view, constructing a world model that is countless times richer, more three-dimensional, and more detailed than that of ordinary people.

Song Zhaowen even had a slight realization that this was only the beginning of the change, and that with the intake of nutrients and the passage of time...

Superhuman senses, superhuman survival abilities, superhuman strength, superhuman sense of smell, and stress resistance that far exceeds 90 times their own weight, such as those possessed by cockroaches, will gradually evolve and transform.

My eyes instantly caught sight of a familiar figure, and the roar of a motorcycle grew louder as it approached.

"Ah-Xiao?"

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Xiao Zhuoxiao parked his motorcycle, his face grave, and was about to walk towards the public housing estate.

"Ah-Xiao!"

A cigarette was tossed precisely in front of him.

Looking up, he saw his childhood friend, Wen, who had grown up with him and worked alongside him in the Zhengxing Society.

"Damn, Wen, how did you know I was here?"

I saw you from a long way off.

"I heard you got bitten by a cockroach and had a high fever that almost drove you crazy. Now you're so energetic, could you have mutated?"

"You guessed it all right. Should I kill you to silence you?"

The two joked and bantered as they returned to Song Zhaowen's dilapidated house.

"Damn, this is a mess. No wonder your house has cockroaches. Please, find a girlfriend, okay? You're so handsome, just beckon those gossipy women downstairs and they'll all be eager to clean up after you."

"I have very high standards; all I need is Twin Cloud Peaks and a peerless jade maiden."

"Then you deserve to be single."

Song Zhaowen took two cans of Suntory from the refrigerator, threw one to Xiao Zhuoxiao, and the two of them bumped into each other.

"With that long face, I bet you didn't come to see me just to look at me. Let's make it clear first, I don't have a single penny on me to borrow money."

Xiao Zhuoxiao's face stiffened and he forced a smile, "Don't overthink it. I just came to see if you're dead or not, so that no one will collect your body if you die a miserable death."

"Damn it, I'd rather die than you!" Song Zhaowen grabbed Xiao Zhuoxiao by the neck. "We grew up together, you've got a story written all over your face. Tell me, what's going on? Should I use some torture to extract a confession?"

Xiao Zhuoxiao asked for another cigarette and remained silent for a few seconds.

"I came to see you because I really wanted to, but today I also want to say goodbye..."

"Can't you just finish what you're saying in one go? You're really asking for a beating if you only say half of it." Song Zhaowen punched Xiao Zhuoxiao's shoulder in annoyance, but his eyes became serious.

Strictly speaking, Song Zhaowen's situation is not one of possession and rebirth, but rather the awakening of his innate wisdom. His memories and emotions from before the age of twenty in this life have not disappeared.

The feelings I have for my childhood friend are real and genuine.

Xiao Zhuoxiao took a deep drag of his cigarette, the smoke swirling in the dim light bulb.

"Don't guess, it's nothing. It's just... I might be leaving Tsz Wan Shan for a while to do some work elsewhere. I was thinking of coming to see you before I leave."

As he spoke, he pulled a small bag wrapped in old newspapers from his pocket and stuffed it into Song Zhaowen's hand: "Take this."

Song Zhaowen weighed the bill in his hand; it had some weight to it—it was money. He opened a corner, revealing a crumpled stack of Hong Kong dollars. The denominations weren't large, but it was thick, probably worth seven or eight thousand. In those days, it wasn't easy for a low-level 49er to save up that much money.

"What do you mean? Settlement fee?" Song Zhaowen didn't take it, pushed the bag back, and stared into Xiao Zhuoxiao's eyes: "Xiao, do you think I'm new to this? Did you get into trouble? Owe some money? Or did you offend some big shot? Besides, what are you giving me money for? Why don't you give it to Karen?"

It was as if he suddenly thought of something.

He grabbed Xiao Zhuoxiao by the collar: "You bastard! Did something happen to Karen?"

Xiao Kailun is Xiao Zhuoxiao's younger sister, and also Song Zhaowen's good sister who grew up and played with her.

Xiao Zhuoxiao visibly trembled, and the forced smile on his face instantly crumbled. His lips moved, as if he wanted to deny it, but under Song Zhaowen's gaze, which seemed to see right through people, he ultimately gave in and lowered his head in dejection.

"Yes... Hongtai's heir." He squeezed out the name through gritted teeth, his voice hoarse.

(PS: Siu Cheuk-hau, the fiercely protective Zato-ge from the movie "Laughing Gor: Turning Point". Prince, from the movie "Dragon in the Jianghu".)