"Xiao Ai, take some selfies and send them to Xiaoyi," Lin Yu said.
"Okay."
A slender mechanical tentacle extended from Xiao Ai's back, followed by the emergence of a high-precision camera. With a soft whirr, it snapped several photos of herself and Xiao Yi, then transmitted them.
"I received them," said Xiaoyi.
"Alright. Xiao Shu will explain the specific functions to you herself." Lin Yu glanced at the two silicon-based lifeforms, then turned to Ye Xin. "I'm heading out for some activity later—what about you?"
Today, Lin Yu had spent the day dismantling a human trafficking operation. By the time he returned, it was already 5:30 in the evening. He and Ye Xin dined together at a nearby restaurant. By the time their meal ended, it was nearly six. They strolled leisurely through a nearby park, wandering about until 7:00. Afterwards, they returned to the apartment building. Lin Yu tried on some clothes Ye Xin had picked out, and activated Xiao Yi's fire source—now, it was 8:00.
It had been a full and productive day.
"I'm heading back first. I want to get familiar with Xiao Yi's features," Ye Xin said softly, lifting the tiny robot girl into her arms.
"Okay. See you tomorrow," Lin Yu replied, rising to escort her to the door with a smile.
"See you tomorrow," Ye Xin said, returning the smile with a nod.
"Xiao Yi, see you tomorrow!" Xiao Ai, perched on Lin Yu's shoulder, waved enthusiastically.
"See you tomorrow, Xiao Ai!" Xiao Yi, cradled in Ye Xin's arms, smiled sweetly and waved back.
Ye Xin gave Xiao Ai a gentle smile, then returned to her apartment.
"Alright, we've got some time—let's go enforce justice." After watching Ye Xin enter her unit, Lin Yu returned to the living room, locked the door, and once again transformed into a sharper, more focused version of himself.
"Xiao Ai, continue monitoring the network. Track real-time crime data. No filtering this time—report everything," Lin Yu instructed, now donning a new uniform and blindfold. His demeanor shifted completely—eyes intense, movements precise.
"Yes." Xiao Ai replied promptly, then added, "Detected criminal activity at eleven o'clock, distance: eight kilometers."
"Understood. Transform into bracelet mode," Lin Yu ordered.
"Yes." Xiao Ai's body shifted and recombined, reconfiguring into a sleek bracelet that hovered before him.
Lin Yu slid the transformed Xiao Ai onto his wrist—and vanished from the living room.
12:30 AM.
Tuesday, June 6, 2019.
It had been three days since Lin Yu awakened his abilities—the moment the system, Xiao Shu, had come online.
Now, Lin Yu stood atop a high-rise, gazing out over a city still ablaze with lights.
Since 7:00 PM, he had been combating crime non-stop for over five hours. But thanks to his undying body, fatigue hadn't touched him.
While leaping across rooftops and stopping wrongdoers, he recalled a scene from an old TV series, Magic Phone.
In it, whenever Lu Xiaoqian transformed into the heroic Flying Man, he would scatter notes saying: "If a crime is being committed nearby or someone is in danger, dial any number and the Flying Man will appear."
And when someone did as instructed, the futuristic smart robot-phone, Sha Niu, would instantly detect it and alert Lu Xiaoqian, who would then arrive in time to stop the crime.
Lin Yu drew inspiration from this concept.
But instead of tossing notes, he had Xiao Ai quietly broadcast similar messages on the main pages of major global websites and TV stations. The alerts didn't need to be persistent—just enough to catch attention and spread awareness. After a while, everyone would know. Then, the messages would no longer be necessary.
In terms of crime detection, Xiao Ai was far more sophisticated than Sha Niu.
Her quantum supercomputer-level processing allowed her to distinguish genuine reports from fakes in real time, prioritizing the most severe cases. After all, there were plenty of pranksters and malicious individuals who might try to bait Lin Yu. But with Xiao Ai's filtration, such manipulation could be avoided. For example, after a report was filed, Xiao Ai could instantly access a subject's phone, local cameras, or other recording devices to analyze the situation.
Moreover, Lin Yu, despite his speed, was just one man. Distinguishing between severity levels was critical—life-threatening crimes far outweighed petty theft.
"Maybe I should start an organization?" Lin Yu murmured. "Or perhaps, if I initiate mass evolution in the future, I should empower kind-hearted people first? That way, strength and justice can rise hand in hand... a kind of vaccination for society."
Indeed, nighttime brought a rise in crime.
With a global population of 70 billion, criminal acts occurred every minute.
Still, Lin Yu found solace in the fact that, in China, one of the countries with the lowest crime rates, there had been few cases tonight. That made him a little proud.
"No... other crimes are manageable, but many sexual assault cases occur too fast. By the time I arrive, it's already too late," he said, frowning.
Besides traffickers, there was nothing Lin Yu despised more than sexual assault. These attacks often happened in secluded corners, or when victims were unconscious—rendering them unable to call for help or trigger Xiao Ai's detection.
Even if the assailant could be captured later, the psychological scars left on the victim were often irreparable. Some survivors even took their own lives.
It's a difficult problem.
Perhaps the only solution... lay in the law of causality.
"Xiao Shu, do you think there's a way to solve this?" Lin Yu asked the omnipotent system silently.
[ The host can resolve this issue by manipulating probability events ] Xiao Shu responded calmly.
[ The host can directly adjust the probability of all sexual assault incidents among humans to zero ]
"Of course!" Lin Yu exclaimed inwardly, sparked by Xiao Shu's suggestion. "We can manipulate probability—reduce the chance of sexual assault to zero! Every time such an incident is about to happen, something unexpected will occur and stop it."
[ Correct. ] the system replied succinctly.
"Then let's do it," Lin Yu said firmly. "Xiao Shu, lock the human race and apply a probability adjustment event."
[ Understood. ] Xiao Shu needed no elaborate instruction—Lin Yu's thoughts alone were enough.
A sleek interface materialized before Lin Yu, presenting a singular data field:
[ Target: Human Race ]
[ Probability of Sexual Assault, Rape, Indecent Acts: 0% ]
From this moment forward, every would-be predator across the globe—faced with drugged, drunk, bound, or otherwise defenseless victims—would experience sudden misfortune at the critical moment. Some would trip and fall unconscious. Others would be tackled by mysteriously appearing officers. Some would suffer strokes or fatal heart attacks on the spot.
Using the law of causality to prevent sexual violence before it could occur—this was the optimal solution.
If Lin Yu intended to usher in a new era, he needed to lay the groundwork. Other crimes might be manageable, but this... this needed to be stopped at the source, permanently. Especially since some offenders would exploit their power over others—this couldn't be allowed.
Unlike other forms of bullying, which often involved recoverable physical harm, sexual assault inflicted deep emotional trauma. No compensation or punishment could reverse the damage. That was why Lin Yu would not allow such events to occur, not even once.
It wasn't that he couldn't turn humanity into a race of saints. Lin Yu had the power to do it. But a race without conflict would stagnate. Power, after all, was a tool—if everyone became morally inflexible, even well-intentioned systems could collapse in crisis. In such a scenario, Lin Yu would constantly have to intervene.
Thus, unless absolutely necessary, he would never rewrite the hearts and minds of all humanity.