The last class of the afternoon for Class 3 of the second year at Biyang High School was physical education. As usual, Qin Yan briskly walked around the soccer field, making an effort to exercise. From time to time, he would stop and look at the players on the soccer field who, like the wind, were sprinting and fiercely competing for the ball. A look of envy appeared on Qin Yan's face.

With a dull "thud," a player kicked the ball askew, and it flew far into the air, landing on the ground and rolling towards Qin Yan. A tall and sturdy boy chased after the ball and shouted towards Qin Yan, "Kick it, buddy."

Qin Yan was startled, his expression turning unusually serious as if facing a formidable enemy. He ran towards the ball with a wobbly gait, lifted his right foot, clenched his teeth, and kicked at the ball with all his might.

As if to play a trick on the boy with the fierce look, the ball veered to the side. Qin Yan's full-force kick missed, and he couldn't stop his momentum, falling heavily to the ground face-up. The intense pain made Qin Yan almost cry.

A huge burst of laughter erupted from the soccer field.

"Ha ha, what is that guy trying to fly?"

"He's so silly, I've never seen anyone so dumb!"

Indeed, Qin Yan's actions were as funny as they were foolish. Anyone who saw it couldn't help but laugh nonstop, except for Qin Yan himself. His face turned red, and he shakily got up from the ground, looking as if he was a seventy or eighty-year-old man.

"Are you okay, buddy?" The sturdy boy who had chased after the ball, barely holding back his laughter, approached Qin Yan. When he saw Qin Yan's face clearly, he froze for a moment, then a look of indifference and disdain appeared on his face.

"You are... Qin Yan from Class 3 of the second year, right? How are you feeling? Do you need to go to the infirmary?" The sturdy boy's voice was very cold, as if he didn't want to have anything to do with Qin Yan.

"I'm fine, it's nothing," Qin Yan said with a stiff face. He didn't look at the sturdy boy, just waved his hand to indicate he was okay.

The sturdy boy snorted with laughter, said no more, picked up the soccer ball, and returned to the field, cheerfully saying, "Let's continue."

"Tie Niu, is that guy okay?" someone on the field asked the sturdy boy.

"He's fine, he's that weirdo from Class 3 of the second year," Tie Niu, the sturdy boy, smiled.

"Is that the one with both a messed-up brain and body? Heh, no wonder..." The questioning boy showed a knowing smile, then shouted loudly, "All's good, let's keep playing."

The field was once again filled with laughter and joy, everyone was having a great time, and no one dwelled on the incident.

"What bad luck." Qin Yan's face was gloomy. He felt staying there any longer would be an insult, so he asked the teacher for leave and went back to the classroom to rest.

Back in the classroom, Qin Yan still felt depressed. He opened a book, hoping to relieve his mood by reading.

"The Earth's magnetic field goes through periodic reversals, happening every few hundred thousand years. During these reversals, the Earth's magnetic field strength will significantly weaken, allowing harmful cosmic rays and solar storms to penetrate the Earth's magnetic field and enter the atmosphere, posing a threat to life on Earth. This terrifying event of geomagnetic reversal occurred around us over forty years ago..."

Upon reading this passage, Qin Yan's pupils contracted sharply, his breathing became rapid, and his body uncontrollably trembled. His eyes turned vacant as if he had returned to ten years ago...

It was a sunny afternoon, and seven-year-old Qin Yan was playing alone in the park, utterly happy and oblivious to the outside world. The park's loudspeakers kept repeating a message—

"Warning! Warning! A solar storm will reach Earth in ten minutes. All citizens are urged to immediately seek shelter in nearby refuges. If it's too late to reach a shelter, please stay inside a closed room, lock all doors and windows, and absolutely do not stay outdoors. Repeat, for your own safety, do not stay outdoors!"

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Qin Yan continued to play joyfully, lost in his blissful ignorance as if he was in heaven. Ten minutes later, heaven turned into hell.

The sky emitted an unusual white light, and the air seemed to become murky. Qin Yan's eyes widened in fear as he felt as though millions of needles were piercing his body, causing unbearable pain. Every nerve seemed to be pulled by something, making life a torment with every passing moment.

Am I going to die? Qin Yan thought as he lay on the ground, curled up, feeling despair for the first time in his life. Can someone save me? I don't want to die! Qin Yan wanted to speak, but no sound came out, and even if it did, probably no one would hear it. Maybe it's better to die, to no longer endure this torment. Eventually, Qin Yan gave up struggling and passed out.

How Qin Yan was eventually rescued, he didn't know. He only heard that someone had taken his unconscious body to the hospital, where the medical staff thought he was beyond saving. Yet, he miraculously survived, a medical marvel.

However, even though Qin Yan miraculously survived, the prolonged radiation exposure caused many of his organs to mutate. According to the doctors who treated him, Qin Yan wouldn't live more than a year, and even if he did, he would lose the ability to work normally, practically becoming a disabled person...

The doctors were right. Although Qin Yan barely survived, his body suffered severe aftereffects. In the first few years, he was almost entirely dependent on others, his muscles weak, organs failing, and nerves malfunctioning. Qin Yan was like a terminally ill patient, lying in bed all day, barely able to move.

Those years were a struggle for Qin Yan, who didn't want to die so young. By sheer willpower, he persisted in getting out of bed to exercise and undergo rehabilitation. His efforts paid off, not only did he not die, but he also gradually regained some mobility, enough to care for himself.

Despite this, Qin Yan's physical condition was still far from normal. He often fell and tripped for no reason, and hallucinations frequently plagued his mind, making him feel as if there was something around and within him, as if he could control these things.

When the hallucinations were severe, he would stare blankly and mutter to himself, looking like a madman, lost in his own world, trying to use the power of his mind to control his body and restore his health. But it was all in vain, his body remained as frail as ever.

People around him thought he was mentally ill, often mocking and laughing at him. During his school years, almost no one wanted to be his friend. After all, in the eyes of others, Qin Yan was a mentally disturbed, physically impaired weirdo. People might pity or sympathize with such a person, but no one would want to be friends with them.

"Ding-ling-ling..." The bell signaling the end of the school day rang, pulling Qin Yan back from his painful memories. He picked up his school bag and walked out of the classroom in a daze, leaving the campus.

"Young man, please wait." On his way home from school, a disheveled man with messy hair followed Qin Yan, calling out to him.

Qin Yan recognized him. This man was a homeless person who hung around the school, appearing in the area at some unknown time. More strangely, this homeless man would chase after Qin Yan every time they met, saying some inexplicable things.

"Young man, I see that you have an extraordinary physical talent, a glimmer of spiritual light between your brows, truly a once-in-a-million-years genius. However, you are still in an incomplete awakening state, so you cannot freely control your power..." Despite his ragged appearance, the homeless man spoke with a solemn tone, a dignified aura subtly emanating from him, "I have something very important to give you. It can help you fully awaken your abilities. Here, take this!"

Qin Yan glanced at the homeless man, who was holding a palm-sized, shiny black jade. Qin Yan frowned.

"Stop following me!" Qin Yan was already in a bad mood, and being followed by the homeless man only made him angrier, "I'm not an idiot. Go bother someone else!"

A glint of light flashed in the homeless man's eyes.

"Young man, I know you don't believe me, and that's normal. But... are you content with being a disabled person forever?"

"Disabled?" Qin Yan was startled. The homeless man's words struck a nerve, touching on his innermost pain. For ten years, Qin Yan had lived a miserable life, both physically and mentally tormented. He dreamt of escaping this situation but didn't know where to start. After a moment of hesitation, Qin Yan stopped and stared at the homeless man, "Who are you? How do you know about me?"

"That's not important." The homeless man slowly extended the black jade towards Qin Yan, "Take it."

"If I take this, will you leave me alone?" Qin Yan asked.

"Yes, this is all I can do to help you. The rest of the journey is yours to walk," the homeless man said meaningfully. Despite his dirty appearance, his eyes were deep, as if he understood the secrets of the world.

Qin Yan snatched the black jade from the homeless man's hand and said gruffly, "Fine, are you happy now?"

The homeless man nodded, smiled at Qin Yan, and said, "Live well. You are humanity's last hope."

For some reason, Qin Yan felt uneasy. He turned and walked away without another word.

Who was this homeless man? Why did he say those things to me? Was he truly insane, or just pretending? Could I really recover and no longer be a disabled person?

Qin Yan pondered these questions as he walked home.

The homeless man's words gave Qin Yan hope, but he also feared it was just the ramblings of a madman, leading to disappointment in the end. With these troubling thoughts, Qin Yan returned home.