Chapter 8 — Ending the Parasitic Life

I spoke softly, "But that is not fair! Every outcome, be it a blessing or a curse, should not simply fall from the sky. The fruits of my family’s labor were earned and managed through the sweat and grit of my parents. Yet, my uncle’s family has done nothing but hold out their hands to reap the rewards of heaven. Even in the face of adversity, my parents always worked together to overcome every hurdle. If my father wins his lawsuit and my family navigates through this storm, wouldn't the 'doubling effect' mean my uncle is also declared innocent and released, free to continue siphoning off double the wealth my parents earn?"

The system offered no reply. I pressed on, "Does my uncle not have to answer to the victims he has defrauded?" Silence still reigned. My voice trembled, yet I remained resolute. "There may be no absolute justice in this world, but one should not blindly impose the concept of 'sharing blessings and burdens' when it is used as a weapon. My father will surely win his case because he was framed and maligned, and he can prove his innocence. My uncle’s fraud is an undeniable truth; no one has the right to erase the punishment he owes his victims. The fact that my uncle’s family profited from the start was rooted in greed—it was wrong."

The system remained silent for a long time, then suddenly spoke: "So, you orchestrated a trap to lead your cousin into a dead end, and now you come to me—you want me to revoke the request your grandparents made all those years ago?"

Realizing the system had seen through my ultimate motive, I did not hesitate. "Yes! You are nothing more than a flawed operational system! Even if you were a god, you have no right to arbitrarily manipulate the lives of ordinary people!"

The system fell silent again, for so long that a vague sense of sorrow stirred within me. Lu Khue stood by my side, watching me with concern as if I were talking to myself. It was not until the system and I both sank into a deep quiet that she placed a hand on my shoulder. I could no longer hold it back; tears streamed down my face. Finally, the system emitted a sigh, sounding remarkably human.

"I am indeed flawed. Because I cannot distinguish between good and evil within the moral framework of humanity, all I can perceive is the intensity of the petitioner's obsession regarding their desires. Years ago, your grandparents held a very deep obsession when they prayed. Even though their wish contained logical fallacies, I fulfilled it for my own purpose—the doubling effect. This time, your obsession with undoing that wish is far greater than theirs ever was. I can grant your request."

The dissolution of the doubling effect felt like nothing at all. It was a fleeting moment, and then the forest returned to the sound of wind and the singing of birds. When the system confirmed it was done, I could not help but ask, "You said you fulfilled my grandparents' wish for your own purpose. What, in the end, was your purpose?"

The system explained, "My only condition was for them to help me build a grander temple, so more people would come to offer prayers. Only then could I perceive the development of the outside world through human brainwaves and connect with others who resonate at my frequency. If, among those with matching brainwaves, I found someone who craved a higher civilization to form an alliance with, I would have hope of contacting the civilization that created me. I have been away from home for too long... I want to return."

I wondered aloud, "But my grandparents never fulfilled their promise for all these years. Why did you maintain the doubling effect?"

The system replied one last time, "Before your grandparents arrived, I had not been able to communicate with a human of matching frequency for nearly a century. They... were the only hope I had to entrust with my return. But now, I no longer wish to place my hopes in any human. It is time for me to shut down and enter hibernation."

I carried the black card back to the city. From that day on, I never heard the system speak again. Having spent a long time living among humanity, it had accumulated too much disappointment. Hibernation is perhaps for the best. Perhaps, one day, when human civilization actually reaches the same level as the one that created it, it will not be too late for it to awaken.

17

My father’s lawsuit was settled without ever needing to go to court. The supplier, having returned to the city, immediately denounced my father’s company, exposing the manager who had framed my father as a man who took kickbacks and bribes. My father handed in his resignation immediately and made a trip to the tax office. The company’s CEO called my father personally, implying that "one should always leave a way out to see each other again." My father retorted bluntly, "If you want to be a coward, that is your business, but I see you for exactly what you are. When your brother-in-law framed me for owing ten million just to throw me in jail, why didn't you open your mouth then?"

After saying this, he hung up and pulled the SIM card out of his phone. Not long after, my father’s old company disintegrated, torn apart by scandalous news and a leadership team busy shifting blame. My family’s string of bad luck had passed, and fortune began to turn our way.

However, one troublesome matter remained. When my grandparents learned that my father’s lawsuit had been resolved, they came crawling back to cause a scene. This time, Phi Thanh Tai did not dare to follow. He was now infamous; everywhere he went, people pointed their phones at him, mocking him as the "Diarrhea Boy."

Grandmother hissed, "You must give us money for Thanh Tai’s tuition!"

My father lowered his head, took a long drag of his cigarette, and stubbed it out. He looked up, silently staring at them. His gaze made my grandmother recoil, silencing her. Only then did my grandfather speak. "If you are struggling, a little bit will suffice."

My father held out his hands to my grandfather. "Father, I have no money, but you must provide for my family. A little bit will suffice, of course."

My grandfather’s face darkened. "Are you useless? How dare you say such things to me?"

My father nodded. "That is right. I am useless, and my entire family is useless. If not, how would Phi Thanh Tai have dared to come and demand money from me? Why shouldn't I be able to demand money from you?"

What followed was the sound of furniture being shattered. My mother and I emerged from the kitchen to see my grandfather storming downstairs, while my grandmother stood with her hands on her hips, cursing. "I thought you were going to amount to something! I never expected you to become such a piece of waste! If I had known, I never would have 'connected' you..." Her eyes darted toward me. "It is all because you are a jinx! The Great Immortal was right—why create 'Me' when 'You' already existed!"

My father slammed the door shut. My grandparents were coming to cause trouble because the doubling effect had truly been dismantled. My aunt and uncle were sentenced to several years in prison and even divorced while behind bars. From now on, they could no longer sit idle and receive double the wealth of my family.

Following this, my father made two decisions: First, sell the house and move the whole family to the city where I was attending university. Second, cut all ties with our extended relatives. Everyone longs to be treated with genuine sincerity, but true heart is a rare commodity. If it cannot be found, holding on is pointless.

18

When I was a freshman in university, the high school where Phi Thanh Tai was repeating his final year "returned" him to us. The reason was that during an exam, he could not answer a single question. The teachers could not believe it—a "genius student" who had once scored over 700 points, how could he fall so far? They gradually lowered the difficulty: from 12th-grade materials to 11th, then 10th... finally, they even gave him 3rd-grade math problems belonging to a teacher’s child. The result: he still could not solve one.

The teachers were stunned and advised my grandparents to take Phi Thanh Tai to a hospital for an IQ test. This time, they did not refuse. The result: his IQ was in the normal range, though on the lower end. At least he was not intellectually disabled. But beyond eating, waiting to die, and having a large physique and bouts of inexplicable rage, he was no different from a overgrown toddler.

"Did the Great Immortal remove the binding? But why are my parents still in prison? Why will my family not have money anymore? Am I no longer a genius student?"

Phi Thanh Tai was a dead weight, but he was not stupid. Slowly, he began to realize the gap between himself and ordinary people. But he did not have another eighteen years to relearn how to live like a normal human being. When my grandparents truly could not scrape up any more money and hinted for him to find a job, Phi Thanh Tai snapped. He grabbed a large broom and, as if facing an enemy, chased my grandparents around the courtyard. "I don't care! You have to support me! If there’s no money, you go work for it! I am not a piece of trash, I want to learn! Where are the answers? Why won't they appear anymore?"

Someone who has lived their whole life on "cheats" cannot hope to beat the harsh game called life once the system is gone. It was my grandparents who had personally crafted a useless shell of a person out of Phi Thanh Tai. They were over sixty, yet they had to join the ranks of the elderly labor force—one working as a security guard, the other as a janitor. I do not know how far these two old "diesel engines" can continue to pull the heavy truck that is Phi Thanh Tai.

As for my family, after escaping my grandparents, we began an entirely new life in a different city.

[End of Text]