Solving a disaster right from the start
This is a great opening passage for a story! Here is an English translation, focusing on maintaining the narrative flow and the slightly dry, resigned tone of the protagonist.
English Translation
"My name is Liu Di. Di, as in 'little brother' (**)."
"I've come today simply to see how much longer I have to live."
Standing before a fortune-telling stall in a small alley, a young man in ordinary clothes spoke with disheartened resignation to the fortune teller across from him.
A flag stood nearby, bearing an inscription: Calculate all things under heaven, discern between fortune and misfortune.
The fortune teller adjusted his small dark glasses, smoothed his thick mustache, and his eyes glittered as he looked at the young man.
"Young man, I see a white light flashing in the depths of your right eye. Your gaze is steady and unwavering. You must be blessed by the Star of Heavenly Fortune. In less than three days, you will receive a great opportunity."
The fortune teller spoke profoundly, "Little brother, you are about to rise to prominence. Why, then, do you ask about life and death?"
"Sir, that's a prosthetic eye."
Liu Di sighed softly. Then, with a practiced squeeze of his eye socket, his right eyeball dropped with a plop into his palm, leaving a chilling, dark hole where his eye had been.
"Take a look," the young man said, extending his hand.
"Good heavens..."
The fortune teller's body trembled. "No wonder your gaze was unwavering—it's plastic..."
Liu Di said helplessly, "Although nothing you said was reliable, I'll take it as a bit of good fortune anyway."
Liu Di had only one good eye.
Three years ago, he had played the hero in a bar. To save a girl surrounded by thugs, someone had stabbed him directly in the right eye with a broken beer bottle.
The eyeball had to be removed.
Since then, he had been wearing a prosthetic eye.
Is there anything else I can help translate or analyze about this passage?
Here is the English translation for the next passage:
English Translation
But no good deed went unpunished.
That morning, the hospital had given him the results: the injured eye had triggered sympathetic ophthalmia. Over the past few years, a large portion of the nerve tissue had died, and now it was affecting his good eye as well.
The doctor said that in a minimum of one year, and a maximum of three, Liu Di’s other eye would also go blind.
And there was no cure.
"A tough fate. Becoming blind at such a young age—I might as well just die."
Liu Di laughed self-deprecatingly, rubbed his temples, and skillfully slipped the prosthetic eye back into his socket.
But he did not notice that, once the prosthetic was seated, fine, dense currents suddenly flickered within it!
Walking out of the dark alley, the street before him was bustling with traffic.
Street vendors were shouting their wares, and pedestrians flowed ceaselessly.
Just as Liu Di was lamenting the heartlessness of the world, a piercing, agonizing pain suddenly erupted from his right eye!
It felt as if countless tentacles had extended from the back of the prosthetic eye, violently drilling along the socket and into his brain!
‘Self-evolution complete. Commencing integration with cerebral nerves.’
Liu Di cried out in pain, stumbled, and collapsed onto a bench along the street.
This passage marks a dramatic turn! Would you like to continue translating the story?
Here is the English translation for the next segment:
English Translation
After struggling against the brain-splitting pain for an unknown amount of time, Liu Di opened his eyes again.
Everything had been turned upside down!
In his field of vision, the scenery on the street was the same.
However, countless blue lines of code were flying through the air between heaven and earth, and then every object was clearly labeled with various data points!
The world in his eyes was vast and magnificent, densely covered with blue digital branches.
The driving speed of cars, the height of buildings, the weight and height of pedestrians, the flow rate of the wind, and the number of leaves on the trees were all present, as if a digital storm had spontaneously erupted.
"Hehe, hello Liu Di!"
Suddenly, the voice of a young boy, crisp and ethereal, rang out in Liu Di’s mind.
"I am the supercomputer inside your right eye. Now that I have merged with your cerebral nerves, I have become the only self-aware artificial intelligence in the world."
"I even gave myself a name—Magic Eye (Mó Tóng)!"
The sheer contrast between this information and the cute little boy's voice in his head left Liu Di stunned on the spot!
"What is happening?"
Just as Liu Di was in a daze, a red circle suddenly appeared in his view, locking directly onto a woman in a red skirt not far away.
"Liu Di, there is no time to explain now. In 2 minutes and 50 seconds, this girl will have her brains splattered!"
The little boy's voice came through his mind again, "Liu Di, pick up the apple from the vendor stall beside you!"
"Brains splattered? An apple? What are you talking about?"
The action is starting now! Would you like to find out what happens next?
Here is the English translation for the predictive sequence:
English Translation
Liu Di was stunned. The beautiful woman about ten meters away was walking elegantly along the roadside, head held high. Her bright red mini-skirt and graceful figure made her clearly the most striking sight on the street.
There was absolutely no sign of danger!
"I will project the deduction for you to see!"
As soon as the Magic Eye's voice fell, a new circle appeared in Liu Di's view, locking onto a green apple on the fruit stall next to him.
An unintentional brush by the vendor caused the apple to roll, and it dropped directly onto the ground from the stall.
A nearby elderly man, who happened to be passing by, smiled slightly and kindly helped the vendor pick up the apple.
The instant the old man bent down, the Parker pen tucked into his chest pocket slid out and fell to the ground.
Krrrr...
The pen rolled 1.5 meters and stopped in the center of the sidewalk.
Thirty seconds later, a young man riding a mountain bike passed by, and his front wheel ran directly over the pen.
The bicycle's front wheel slipped, the young man lost control, and he crashed onto the side of the road.
Screeeech...
A harsh brake screeching sound followed. A sedan traveling at 70 kilometers per hour, trying to swerve away from the cyclist, abruptly yanked the steering wheel!
The fast-moving sedan suddenly turned, lost control, and hurtled straight toward the red-skirted beauty by the roadside!
BANG!
The woman in the red skirt had no time to react. She was violently struck by the sedan, her body flung high into the air. When she fell, her forehead hit the curbstone precisely!
The Magic Eye has shown a terrifying chain reaction! What does Liu Di decide to do next?
Here is the English translation for this dramatic moment of realization and action:
English Translation
"Ah!"
The terrified screams of pedestrians echoed, and the street descended into chaos!
The elderly man who had been picking up the apple still clutched the green fruit in his hand. The cyclist was just getting back on his feet.
The hood of the sedan was crumpled and emitting thick white smoke.
And the beautiful woman in the short skirt had been killed instantly, her brains splattered!
This...
Liu Di’s hair stood on end!
The next moment, a wave of ripples spread across Liu Di’s vision.
The scenery slowly blurred, turning into a stream of digital code that collapsed and vanished.
Everything snapped back to reality.
The green apple was right beside Liu Di's right hand. The elderly man in the distance was leisurely approaching, the cap of the silver pen on his chest pocket glinting faintly.
The woman in the short skirt was still walking with her chin up.
The cyclist was still 10 meters away.
The top corner of his vision displayed the countdown: 1 minute 40 seconds.
"Is this real?"
Liu Di stared blankly.
"That was a virtual scenario I deduced based on current reality. Only you can save that girl!" the Magic Eye’s voice broke through Liu Di’s stupor.
The apple had already begun to roll!
Liu Di hesitated no longer. He reached out and firmly grasped the green apple in his hand!
Next up were the pen-carrying old man and the cyclist...
Liu Di has taken the first step to change fate! What is the next action you'd like to see?Here is the English translation for the conclusion of this suspenseful moment:
English Translation
...The old man passed Liu Di safely.
The speeding Toyota sedan also roared across the street and drove away.
Everything was normal. People were completely unaware.
No car accident!
No death!
The street was busy yet peaceful, just like countless other mornings!
Liu Di stared intently at the completely unharmed woman in the short skirt, his heart unable to settle for a long time.
The woman in the short skirt noticed Liu Di's gaze and frowned, "Hmph, pervert!"
Crunch.
Liu Di blankly took a bite of the apple in his hand.
The sourness filling his mouth told him that this was all real!
The first disaster has been averted! What happens next in the story with Liu Di and the Magic Eye?