The bright moon…
This is a very touching name, just like the smile of the woman in the photo.
Lao Tian looked up at the smiling Mingyue in the photo and spoke slowly, with a touch of tenderness in his voice that was not usually heard: "I remember very clearly that when I first met her, I was already over three hundred years old. And she was only seventeen years old. We went to the West Lake to drink together in the misty spring, and we chased the deer together on the vast white snow fields..." When talking about this, Lao Tian's eyes seemed to be shining, But then, that trace of vitality gradually faded away.
"... I remember it very clearly. I remember every day I met her very clearly. Those days were the happiest years of my life."
Lao Tian's voice was very emotional, and then he whispered: "I remember once, on my birthday, she told me that she would wish me birthday every year in the future. Unfortunately... I live too long!"
The last sentence, "Live too long," is full of sorrow and vicissitudes that Chen Xiao cannot understand.
Chen Xiao looked at Lao Tian's face silently, and suddenly asked in a low voice: "You... love her?"
"I love you very much." Lao Tian nodded.
Then he seemed to smile: "I have been married several times in my life, but each time it didn't last long... Oh, I mean compared to my life span, it didn't last long enough. Every time I fell in love with a woman, I would stare blankly. Watching them grow old and die. Even watching my children and grandchildren grow old and die step by step... I don't think you will understand this feeling."
At this moment, Lao Tian's voice was very astringent and bitter.
"She was the last woman I fell in love with, and also the one I loved most. I have lived for more than four hundred years, and it is not that I have never had other women, but... Mingyue is a special woman. She is beautiful and has things that others cannot achieve. Her charm, she is a unique woman, and there is no other unique woman in this world." When Lao Tian said this, he smiled bitterly: "Probably, there is another reason: I have never received her love. .”
What you can’t get is always the best.
Lao Tian walked to the innermost window, took out an old and dilapidated wooden box, and took out a pocket watch from inside.
This is a copper pocket watch. The chain is covered with green patina and the case is covered with scratches.
"This is mine... It's the first birthday gift Mingyue gave me." Lao Tian gently rubbed the scratches on the watch case with his fingers, and said softly: "She said that every year on my birthday in the future, she will Give me a watch. Unfortunately, she died very young... But she let her descendants do this. Until the last owner of this watch shop left, I would get a latest model every year on my birthday. watch. However, this is still the one I cherish the most.”
Lao Tian put the old-fashioned pocket watch back, shook his head and said: "This thing is too precious. I have never been willing to keep it by my side, and I dare not keep it by my side, so I can only hide it here quietly."
"Ming Yue... She is from Phoenix..." Chen Xiao asked in a low voice.
But Lao Tian waved his hand and did not answer immediately.
"The story of Mingyue is the beginning of the whole incident." Lao Tian shook his head: "Even... service societies, clubs, and many, many more... are all related to this strange woman! If it hadn't been for her back then... I'm afraid... the current situation would not be the same. …”
Later, Lao Tian pointed to two old chairs in the shop: "Sit down, I will tell you slowly."
He sat down first, holding the cigarette in his hand, and then skillfully pulled out a lighter from the side of the coffee table. He looked at Chen Xiao and smiled: "I often come here secretly. When I'm having a bad time, I sit here smoking two cigarettes and talking to myself, and I feel as if the bright moon is still here with me. So, I hid a lighter here, haha."
He lit the cigarette, took a deep breath, blue smoke curled up, and Lao Tian began to talk.
…
"Ming Yue was born in a wealthy family in the late Qing Dynasty. At that time, the Westernization Movement was going on. When Mingyue was young, she had the temperament of a boy. She could never learn things that a lady should learn, such as piano, chess, calligraphy and painting. Later, the family My two brothers were sent to study abroad by their father, and this charming young lady actually packed up her little baggage, quietly ran away from home, and got on a ship." Lao Tian smoked a cigarette and sighed: "I met you at that time. She, I was doing something for the service agency at the time, and I happened to be on that cruise ship, so I met her... "
Chen Xiao suddenly smiled: "You are talking like the Titanic."
Lao Tian smiled: "She was a tomboy. In order to go out secretly, she deliberately cut her hair. She also imitated others by wearing a dress and a pair of round glasses. However, her body was too slender, and she could still be seen at a glance. Fortunately, she also has a unique skill, which is makeup." Lao Tian said, and couldn't help but think for a moment. The cigarette ashes remained for a long time between his fingers, and he didn't even notice when it fell on his clothes.
Chen Xiao didn't interrupt his memories and just waited quietly.
After a while, Lao Tian sighed and shook his head: "Let's not talk about this. In fact... I was not the protagonist in that incident. Because the person who met her on the boat... In other words, the protagonist in her heart was not me. .”
After a pause, Lao Tian's expression became serious: "There was another man from the service club who was on the boat with me at the time. That man had a higher level than me in the service club. I was only responsible for what happened that time. Just help him."
assist
For an old monster like Lao Tian who has lived for four hundred years, his own strength is already unfathomable! Make him an assistant? The identity of that man...
"He is K." Lao Tian whispered: "At that time, he was K. Moreover, he was the youngest K in the service club committee!"
His voice became bitter: "Speaking of it, that encounter on the boat led to a very clichéd love story. A rich girl who ran away from home met a man with a strange identity. And I... I'm just a Just a bystander.”
"We took Mingyue to Europe together. After we finished our work in Europe, K accompanied her to travel around Europe, to Paris, London, Berlin, Antwerp... The three of us were very happy together at that time, It's like three good friends. But I know very well that in their hearts, I am a 'friend', but the relationship between them is not a 'friend'."
"K is a very special man. He is a staunch organizer, loyal and extremely responsible, and has an innate sense of mission. He believes that the existence of the service society is to be responsible for watching the world and grasping our direction. ... Haha, I believed these words when I was in the service club."
"I believe that the love between them was pure at the beginning. Although I... But I am willing to bless them. Mingyue is a beautiful woman, she is very kind at heart, I think she understands my feelings for her, But she never embarrasses me. She is very smart and knows how to handle things harmoniously. Even when the three of us are together, she always has a charm that makes us get along happily. Although... At that time, K and I could only be regarded as colleagues, but not friends."
"But things changed more than two years later. They got married in Paris. After they got married, K almost temporarily abandoned all his work in the service agency and lived in seclusion on the banks of the Seine with her. In those days, I often looked for I had the opportunity to go on missions in Europe and see them often. They have always been happy and living a very good life. I remember that that year, I went to Paris, it happened to be my birthday, and she gave me a pocket watch, which is this But one day two years after we met, when I went to Paris to visit them again, things changed. When I went that time, they already had a child, but when I went, I didn’t see them. When K arrived, she was the only one left at home in Paris. Although she still smiled brightly at me, I could tell that she was not happy, not at all."
"Why?" Chen Xiao asked.
"Because... Mingyue, she is not an ordinary person." Lao Tian's voice was a little bitter.
"She is also a person with superpowers?" Chen Xiao frowned.
"No, she is not a superpower." Lao Tian frowned, thought for a while, and said: "I am not an expert in this field, but maybe you can understand my understanding. There is a certain substance hidden in the genetic genes of Mingyue's body. This kind of Material, if the partner she met was also an ordinary person, or someone with other powers, it would not produce any special results. But it happened that K she met."
Lao Tian smiled: "For a chemical example, the composition of water is H2O. When two different substances collided, a chemical reaction occurred and turned into a new substance. And what happened that time was completely It was a coincidence. I learned something later: the genetic component in Mingyue's body happened to have a strange mutation with K's genetic component. The chance of this coincidence was very, very small. But in the vast world, with the vast sea of people, it happened that Mingyue met K, fell in love at the same time, got married, and had offspring. And the offspring who inherited the genes of the two people at the same time, the children who combined the genetic genes of the two people, had a 'chemical reaction', that is to say, they The descendants of K are superpowers, and the superpowers are not simply inherited from K. Instead, there have been some new changes that were incomprehensible at the time!"
"K's power is to control time!" Lao Tian's voice was very serious: "This is a very powerful power with almost no obvious weaknesses. K with this power has a very high status in the service club . But it turns out. Their child is not an ordinary person like Mingyue, nor does he have time powers like K, but has a brand-new, very powerful new ability! This discovery made the original addicted to love , K, who had been willing to live in seclusion, once again inspired the fanatical sense of mission and responsibility in his heart. Facing this brand-new discovery, he seemed to have found a 'new path for mankind to the future' - well, yes , these are K’s original words, that’s what he said at the time, and that’s how he answered my question.”
"What on earth... happened?" Chen Xiao heard the deep sadness in Lao Tian's voice.
Lao Tian put out his cigarette, sighed, and then raised his head and looked at Chen Xiao: "What do you think is the biggest weakness in life for human beings today?"
Chen Xiao frowned. Although he didn't understand Lao Tian's intention, he still thought about it seriously: "Well... the individual is too fragile? The life span is too short? Or..."
"I mean, all humans, including superpowers!" Lao Tian said lightly: "For superpowers, individuals are not fragile. Some superpowers, like me, also have a long life span. However, Even those with extraordinary abilities have one biggest weakness that cannot be circumvented, and this weakness is shared by all humans."
"what exactly is it?"
"Inheritance!" Lao Tian said these two words decisively.
He began to speak faster: "Inheritance! The inheritance of knowledge, the inheritance of abilities... Wait, wait, everything! The inheritance of everything!"
Chen Xiao frowned: "I don't quite understand what you mean."
Lao Tian looked into Chen Xiao's eyes, with a hint of weirdness in his eyes: "Okay, let's say, a person. No matter how talented he is, when a person comes into this world from birth, from the time he is a baby, he has been To grow up and learn all kinds of external knowledge... it takes a long time."
He smiled and continued: "Let's just say that in our modern society, a normal person needs more than ten years of school education to learn a basic set of civilized knowledge, whether it is mathematics, physics, chemistry or other things. And just now After studying in school for more than ten years, what I have learned is only some of the most basic and popular things. Those advanced and cutting-edge knowledge are only fields that only a few elites have the energy to delve into. For example, an ordinary college student will learn mathematics. You have learned advanced mathematics, but what about continuing to advance? For example, if a college student studies physics and chemistry, he only has some relatively low theories, which is far from being comparable to professional experts!"
Chen Xiao frowned: "That's natural. After all, manpower is sometimes exhausted. It takes a lot of energy and a long time to delve into a field to a high level."
"However, this knowledge is all knowledge that has been discovered by human predecessors! It is already existing! But just to master the knowledge and civilization left by our predecessors, humans are no longer capable." Lao Tian smiled: "For example, Einstein's The theory of relativity is also a legacy of knowledge set by our ancestors, but for the vast majority of people in the world, it is impossible to learn it... Why? Because there is simply no time or energy to learn these profound things. —Even if it is just to simply inherit the knowledge legacy left by our ancestors." Lao Tian shook his head: "I said, a person who has studied in school for more than ten years from childhood to adulthood can only master a few of the most basic and most basic parts. Ordinary knowledge simply cannot learn all the cultural knowledge heritage left by our ancestors. There may even be some terrible situations, that is: professionals who have mastered profound knowledge in a certain field die, but Much of the knowledge in this field was subsequently lost.”
He smiled bitterly: "My children, for example, will not be able to learn all the martial arts I have learned. There are many things that will be lost after my death. Even if I pass them down in writing, no one can learn them all. Just keeping it in writing is equivalent to being lost!"
Chen Xiao gradually guessed something: "So, what do you mean..."
"Inheritance is a very troublesome thing. Nowadays, human civilization and knowledge inheritance can only rely on 'learning', spending energy and time, and it also depends on talent. Those with good talent can learn more, and those with poor talent can learn less. Some. And it takes more than ten years to learn some of the most basic and common things... For most people, how many more than ten years can last in a lifetime? This kind of inheritance through learning is too slow and inefficient. Lao Tian shook his head: "Especially in the era when K and Mingyue met, there were no computers or massive storage tools in the world. Even the inheritance of knowledge could only rely on writing and printing... So, when K suddenly discovered such a When he set out on a new path, all the enthusiasm in his heart was aroused!"
Chen Xiao swallowed and said, "So, what are the abilities of Mingyue and K's children..."
"Copy!" Lao Tian uttered these two short words.
He glanced at Chen Xiao again: "Complete copy! Complete copy!! Copy all the abilities, all knowledge, and all the wisdom that your parents have! Direct copy! From the moment he was born, he has strong knowledge and abilities!”
Lao Tian whispered: "That child is a girl. I saw her later. She was only two years old at the time. She could recite many Tang poems - she had never learned these poems before, but she knew them when she was born, because she was born in the Mingyue Year. She recited it when she was young! She almost didn't need to study, and she naturally inherited most of Mingyue and K's knowledge!! She also inherited K's ability without reservation... Manipulating time! It can be said that she was like a toddler in disguise at that time Just like a physical adult, except emotionally and emotionally naive, but in terms of IQ, it has reached the level of an adult." He said, and smiled bitterly: "It's like reading from a computer , just like copying the content to another computer!"
Chen Xiao's eyes widened!
magic! This is simply amazing!
But…
Why…
Chen Xiao then started to frown.
Such a magical thing sounds good, but why do I feel a "terrible" feeling in my heart
Lao Tian closed his eyes.
He couldn't help but think back to that day a hundred years ago, when he ran back to his home island angrily, found K in the laboratory, and accused him angrily...
At that time, that man had a cold and resolute face. Faced with his own accusation, he said coldly to himself:
"This is a great discovery! If I succeed, it will completely change the future path of mankind! Human beings will no longer have to spend more than ten years or even decades to learn the culture and knowledge left by their ancestors! Instead, they can Direct inheritance! You can use more time and energy in your life to develop! To explore and pursue those unknown new things! It will greatly speed up the process of human civilization!!"
"What about Ming Yue? Where are your feelings! Where are her feelings?"
"I don't have time!" K replied coldly at that time: "For the mission, I am willing to give up a woman. I am even willing to give up everything about me! Feelings, life, everything!!"
At that time, Lao Tian pointed to the young girl in the laboratory: "Where is she? She is your daughter! Not a test subject!"
"I am no longer my own! Not to mention my daughter!"
…
Sighing, Lao Tian began to search his pocket again, as if he wanted to find another cigarette, but unfortunately he couldn't find it. He could only scratch his hair irritably, then raised his eyelids and glanced at Chen Xiao: "You know , what happened to that K?"
"I think he must have failed." Chen Xiao frowned: "After all, his so-called inheritance has not been realized even after a hundred years."
"Huh." Lao Tian smiled noncommittally: "So, do you know what happened to that K himself?"
"?" Chen Xiao looked at Lao Tian.
"He... is still alive now." Lao Tian sighed.
Chen Xiao frowned: "Same as you...or the same as Zhu Rong and the others?"
"He is still alive, and... his current identity is..." Lao Tian's smile was bitter: "The identity in the service club is - the... king of poker!!"