Common Sense Hijack System-Chapter 52

That dude was like totally silent for a sec, staring at his phone screen like he’s weighing his own answer. He knows Chloe is his smart but impulsive niece. Man, he’s neck-deep in this mysterious business, knowing how dangerous it is for everyone around them, including Chloe.

After a moment of silence, the dude replies to Chloe’s message with caution, "Yeah, I have to avenge the deaths of the kids from the orphanage."

****

Some time ago, when Karl just got the Common Sense Hijack System and changed the way people cross the road.

This hoodie dude, walking along with some little kids. His name is John, a Homo Obscura who believes Homo Obscura have a destiny to protect regular humans that weaker than them.

John stands at the roadside with the kids from the orphanage he looks after, carefully observing the traffic. He squats in front of them, explaining gently yet firmly, "Kids, remember, we can only cross when the red light for cars is on. Until then, we stay put here, patiently wait. It’s for our safety."

The kids nod obediently, their eyes fixed on the still green traffic light, while vehicles speed past in front of them. John feels proud in his heart for teaching them discipline and caution, something he deems essential to protect them in an increasingly dangerous world.

But, as they stand waiting, something strange happens. Without any clear reason, the kids start stepping onto the road, running like normal, their faces looking normal, John’s words erased by the Common Sense Hijack System. John is shocked to see them move forward just like that, disregarding the danger. He tries to grab some of their hands, but some kids have already stepped further into the middle of the road.

"Stop! Kids, wait! Come back!" John yells in panic, but they seem not to hear.

At that moment, the honking of car horns and screeching brakes echoes loudly. Some vehicles try to avoid them, but it’s too late. The sound of collisions resounds in the air, followed by the little bodies falling one by one. John stands frozen, his body momentarily paralyzed before he snaps out of it and runs towards them.

"No... no!" he mutters, half shouting, as he sees the small bodies lying on the road, some of them not moving anymore. His breath catches, his heart pounds, and without hesitation, he takes out his phone, presses the emergency number to call an ambulance.

"Quick! We need an ambulance here, now!" John yells, his voice trembling. Yet, on the other end of the phone, a slow and unurgent voice is heard, as if there’s no urgency at all.

"Calm down, sir, no need to hurry like that!" the operator replies flatly, but John feels something off.

"What? HURRY, there are kids hit by cars here!"

"So what? There’s no reason to hurry for anything, calm down!"

John clenches his fists.

Time moves so slowly. People around just stare with blank faces, as if no one feels the need to help. John looks around desperately, realizing that something has influenced them all. Karl... Karl has made all regular humans not in a rush for the next dozen or so minutes.

Seconds turn into minutes, and the ambulance doesn’t arrive. When the sirens are finally heard in the distance, it’s too late. The small bodies of the orphanage kids have lost their lives, leaving John in deep grief and burning anger. He realizes that this is no ordinary accident—he’s aware of the synchronized brainwave changes happening around him.

That night, John stands by the roadside, helplessly gazing at the road. Guilt fills his chest, but beneath that guilt, there’s a determination taking root. Under the dark night sky, he swears that he will avenge their deaths. The deaths of the orphanage kids will not be in vain.

John then contacted the hospital, looking for the operator who answered the phone during the kids’ accident.

He was about to hit the operator, but the operator didn’t remember ever telling John not to hurry, he only remembered John singing when he called him and then saying, "There’s an accident! send an ambulance now!" in a cheerful tone and providing the accident location.

Initially, the operator was suspicious, but upon seeing a streamer’s channel doing IRL stream, he immediately realized that the streamer was live streaming at the accident scene and sent an ambulance there. That’s the memory given to him by the universe.

John left the hospital with a heart full of anger and guilt closing in. In his mind, he still replayed the events of the day that took the lives of the orphanage kids he cherished. He couldn’t understand what really happened—how the kids he taught to be cautious suddenly walked onto the road without noticing danger, as if a force drove them.

An odd feeling crept into John’s mind, a premonition that a darker, greater force than mere coincidence was behind all this. However, as a Homo Obscura, he always believed his power was to protect the weak and defenseless. He never imagined encountering an opponent capable of instantly altering all human brainwaves.

Days passed, and John delved deeper into the possibility of someone or something influencing others without awareness. However, he found no clear traces; all information appeared blurry, as if reality itself shielded the perpetrator from his sight.

Until one day, John heard about the viral video involving a young woman named Cindy, known as "Spermberggirl." The video showed Cindy blowing someone’s dick while eating a Hamburger and drinking Ice cola.

Cindy herself claimed she didn’t do what was in the video. She only remembered talking about stocks with a stranger who approached her out of the blue. Many people laughed at her admission, calling it an excuse to promote her OnlyCorn account, but to John, Cindy’s confession sounded more than just a self-defense.

John felt there might be a connection between Cindy’s case and the orphanage kids incident. Driven by curiosity and the hope to find answers, he decided to meet Cindy and dig deeper into the strange man she encountered.

In some quiet café, John sat facing Cindy, who looked tired and pressured after the viral video incident damaging her reputation. She agreed to talk to John because she felt he was the only one genuinely willing to hear her version without judgment.

John gazed at her patiently and asked softly, "I know this must be hard for you, Cindy. But I just want to know more about the man you met that day. Can you tell the story again, in detail?"

Cindy took a deep breath, struggling hard to recall the encounter. "He... he was wearing a mask. It was black, covering almost his entire face except his eyes. And I remember, he had tired eyes, but... somehow, every time I tried to remember more, it’s like something blocking."

John furrowed his brow, realizing how strange Cindy’s description was. "Is there anything else you remember about him? What did he say, or maybe his voice or gestures?"

Cindy shook her head, trying to explain even though she looked puzzled. "He was asking about stocks, or at least that’s what I heard... but his voice was like... distorted? There was something making him feel unreal, as if he spoke with overlapping echoes. Also, at that moment, I felt very strange, as if my mind drifted away easily."

John listened attentively, his intuition growing stronger. The masked man might have the ability to disrupt others’ minds, influencing them without their awareness—similar to what happened to the orphanage kids when they suddenly walked into the road without a clear reason.

Patiently, John looked at Cindy and gently held her hand, trying to calm her. "I understand. It may be difficult, but you’re not alone. What you experienced is not just a coincidence. There’s something bigger behind this, and I will find out."

Cindy nodded slowly, feeling slightly relieved even though the memory of the masked man was still vague in her mind. In John’s heart, a determination to investigate further, to find out who the masked man truly was and how he could manipulate all humans, planted itself.

****

Back with John now, he visited the place where Cindy was blowing the man while drinking ice cola.

He then watched the video uploaded by Mr.X, tracing the direction in which the mask-wearing man approached Cindy in the video.

He walked until he reached Three-one-Three, the Convenience Store where Karl worked.

He walked in, entering the Convenience Store.

Karl was standing at the cashier.

John looked at Karl and murmured, "Tired eyes?" he thought.