"Handsome, excuse me for a minute, can I do a street interview?"
A pretty-looking internet celebrity shoved a microphone to Wang Cong's mouth.
Wang Cong was rushing to work, his brow furrowing in annoyance.
"Do you know you're an AI?"
What the hell?
This is ridiculous! They're trying to mess with me this early in the morning!
Wang Cong looked at her like she was crazy: "I'm in a hurry to get to work, interview someone else!"
Just then, the green light turned on.
Wang Cong ignored the inexplicable streamer and started walking across the street.
At that moment, a screeching sound of tires rang out.
A black sedan, like a runaway horse, veered out of control and crashed into the crosswalk!
Wang Cong's pupils constricted sharply; all he could see was the ever-growing front of the car.
"Bang!" A violent impact struck, and his body flew through the air like a kite with a broken string.
In his last second of consciousness, only one word flashed through his mind.
Damn it! "Huff!" Wang Cong sat bolt upright in bed, his chest heaving, his forehead covered in cold sweat.
He gasped for breath, looking around in shock.
The familiar bedroom, the familiar curtains, sunlight streaming in through the gaps. "What happened? Had a nightmare?"
The feeling of being hit by a car was so real, so real that he still felt pain in every bone.
Wang Cong pulled back the covers and checked his body; he was unharmed.
It really was a nightmare that was far too realistic.
Wang Cong glanced at his phone on the bedside table.
December 3rd, 7:00 AM.
He had to clock in at 8:30, and it would be an hour-long subway ride to the company; he couldn't afford to be late!
Wang Cong quickly dressed, washed up, grabbed his backpack, and prepared to leave.
Standing at the door, changing his shoes, Wang Cong suddenly paused.
Why… did it feel like he had experienced everything that happened this morning all over again? Wang Cong shook his head, probably a lingering effect of the nightmare. Without giving it much thought, he locked the door and rushed to the subway station.
The subway was packed like sardines during rush hour.
Wang Cong finally managed to grab a seat near the door and, as usual, pulled out his phone to browse the news.
[Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb reiterates his claim that the 3I/ATLAS object may be a probe from an extraterrestrial civilization, expected to arrive in near-Earth orbit on December 5th.] Huh?
Wang Cong frowned slightly. This news… it felt like he'd seen it yesterday?
Did the app repost old news?
This recommendation mechanism and algorithm are terrible!
Wang Cong didn't pay much attention.
At 8:10, Wang Cong got off the subway at the station near his company.He still had a ten-minute walk to go after exiting the station, so he quickened his pace.
Reaching the familiar intersection, the red light was on, and a number of commuters were already waiting on the crosswalk.
Just then, a familiar figure squeezed through the crowd, holding a familiar microphone.
Wang Cong's heart skipped a beat.
Wasn't this a scene from his dream?
The sweet-looking female news anchor precisely located Wang Cong in the crowd and shoved the microphone towards him.
"Handsome, excuse me for a minute..."
Wang Cong's scalp tingled instantly!
"Do you know you're an AI?"
Exactly the same!
Everything that happened in his dream, word for word!
This wasn't a dream!
I...I can foresee the future?
Wang Cong's mind went blank, and his blood seemed to freeze.
"Beep beep—" The green light came on, and the crowd around him began to surge, preparing to cross the street.
Wang Cong, however, stood rooted to the spot, motionless, staring intently at the female news anchor.
The female anchor felt a chill run down her spine under his gaze, but still managed a forced smile: "Handsome, why aren't you saying anything?"
Wang Cong took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil within him. Instead of crossing the street, he said to the anchor:
"I know I'm AI!"
The anchor laughed immediately; this was the effect she wanted for the show: "Then how will you prove it?"
Wang Cong's gaze passed over her, landing on a street corner in the distance. "Look, that car's going to crash into us!"
The anchor followed his gaze, but saw nothing.
She was about to say something, but before she could utter a sound—
"Screech—!" A black sedan, at an eerie angle, veered out of control from the corner!
Completely ignoring the red light, it crashed straight into the crowd who had just stepped onto the crosswalk!
"Ah—!" Screams, cries, and the sounds of impact mingled instantly!
The scene was incredibly bloody!
The anchor turned sharply, looking at Wang Cong.
And Wang Cong was truly dumbfounded!
What on earth had happened! Wang Cong rubbed his eyes, glanced at the screen again, and then quickly ran off!
Arriving at the company, after clocking in, Wang Cong sat at his workstation, motionless for a long time.
He needed time to process everything that had just happened.
Was he dreaming? Or was he foreseeing the future?
This was too eerie!
In the office, his colleagues were also chattering about the horrific car accident downstairs.
Only when the department manager walked in with a stern face did everyone instantly quiet down and take their places.
Wang Cong was an operations engineer, or, to put it more politely, a technician, but really just a network administrator running errands for the company.
One minute he'd be called by administration to lay network cables, the next by HR to fix the printer, and he even had to go ahead and test the projector before a meeting.Even a slight delay would get him yelled at by his supervisor.
"Wang Cong! What are you daydreaming about! The projector in the third-floor conference room isn't working, go check it out!" The supervisor's roar interrupted Wang Cong's thoughts.
Wang Cong sighed, thinking, if he really had a "golden touch," why would he need this lousy job?
But everything was still uncertain. He needed to go to bed early tonight and see how to trigger it.
Upon arriving at the third-floor conference room, the projector cover wasn't open…
After a busy day, it was almost time to leave work.
A hot female colleague swayed over, apologetic smile on her face.
"Xiao Wang, I'm so sorry, I think I accidentally deleted a report file I made this afternoon. Could you please work overtime and help me retrieve it?"
Wang Cong's gaze fell on the female colleague's name tag.
[Finance Department: Liu Xin]
He glanced up again.
He silently grumbled to himself, "You're so arrogant, you call the shots!"
"No problem, Sister Liu, I've got it covered."
"Oh, you're so kind! I have something to do, so I'll be going now! I ordered takeout for you, thanks!" Liu Xin winked, then sauntered away in her high heels, leaving Wang Cong alone at his computer.
This Liu Xin got in based on her looks, and I heard she's hooked up with the company manager. Wang Cong despises people like that!
Wang Cong opened the recycle bin, intending to finish the task in a minute. But the recycle bin was empty… Now he really had to work overtime!
Data recovery comes in many forms, and this was one of the more difficult ones, requiring specialized tools.
While cursing Liu Xin for being such a jerk in his mind, Wang Cong ate the pork knuckle rice she ordered and began recovering data at the company.
It was late at night.
The entire office building was quiet.
Suddenly, a series of urgent police sirens sounded downstairs.
"Huh? So late, did a thief break in?" Wang Cong curiously peeked out the window and saw a police car with flashing lights parked downstairs at the company.
He didn't pay much attention and continued working.
But not long after, a series of hurried footsteps approached.
Wang Cong was dumbfounded.
Several police officers in uniforms, their expressions serious, stood before him.
Wang Cong's heart skipped a beat: "I was just cursing someone in my mind, is that illegal?"
The lead officer flashed his badge.
"Wang Cong, we're from the Mingzhu City Public Security Bureau. You're suspected of involvement in a traffic accident case and need to come with us to cooperate with the investigation. Come on over!"
Wang Cong was completely stunned.
...In the interrogation room, a bright incandescent light shone blindingly.
Only now did Wang Cong understand why he had been arrested.
The police had initially determined that the car accident this morning was an accidental traffic incident.
But the problem lay with that livestreamer!Someone posted a clip of Wang Cong's livestream prediction of the car accident online!
In the video, Wang Cong accurately looked at the car before it showed any unusual movement and uttered his prediction.
The video instantly went viral!
Countless netizens commented that this wasn't a prediction, but rather a murderer showing off!
The victim's family, after seeing the video, became emotional and immediately reported it to the police, believing it to be a premeditated murder!
And Wang Cong was the prime suspect!
"Name."
"Wang Cong."
"Occupation."
"Systems maintenance."
"This morning, at the Xingguang Road intersection, why did you say that?"
Wang Cong was on the verge of tears; he couldn't very well say he had some kind of supernatural ability!
"Officer, I... I said I have a sixth sense, would you believe me?"