What It's Like Being a Vampire

Chapter 545: 545

Old Xia groggily sat up, pushed back the long hair covering her cheek, glanced at Xiang Kun sitting on the chair by the bed, and then at the pitch-black sky outside the window through the curtain gap, seeming a bit puzzled.

Under normal circumstances, Xiang Kun would not wake her unless it was something important.

But hadn’t Xiang Kun gone into the mountains to deal with “Xiao Luobo” before, which should be related to the “mutant”? Could it be that after his actual survey, the situation with “Xiao Luobo” had no connection to the “mutant”, but instead, another significant event had occurred?

“Let’s go. We’ll talk downstairs,” Xiang Kun said softly. Old Xia and Xiao Pingguo were sleeping in different beds in the same room, so naturally, they couldn’t talk business here.

Xia Libing quickly got up, put on her coat, tied up her hair, and followed Xiang Kun downstairs.

Arriving at the first floor into Xiang Kun’s “study”, which was lined with several monitors and seemingly made for work, but actually for his post-blood consumption sleep, Xiang Kun had Old Xia sit in front of the computer and began to recount his experiences after going into the mountains: “‘Xiao Luobo’ has indeed mutated and is directly related to my blood drinking slumber. However, it’s not a complete mutation, its characteristics are…”

As he explained, Alice presented her simulated reproduction images on the display screen to help Old Xia understand the specifics.

Although they weren’t actual filmed images, the virtual images Alice created by simulating the real scenery using her algorithm were quite real, making them appear just like the real thing.

A few days ago, while she was “monitoring” Joel’s movements, Alice intended to use this method to let the “Super-connected Objects” distributed in unmonitored areas display simulated images in real time.

But the technology was not mature enough then, it was too laggy, so in the end, she could only create it in a sketch style.

However, Alice did not give up on this technology and had been allocating resources to improve it over these past few days, resulting in the performance improvements seen now.

Of course, the current smoothness was mainly due to the fact that it was not a “live broadcast”, but a “scene reproduction”.

Despite Xiang Kun’s vocal explanation and Alice’s visual aids, it still took nearly two hours to clarify all the details to Old Xia – not only the entire process of his dealing with the transformation of “Xiao Luobo” into a “semi-mutated being” and the discovery of the “ultimate predator” in the mountains today, but also the information from the secret documents that Alice had helped him glean from under the Watchtower Building earlier.

As Alice opened three screens, one displaying related simulated images or monitoring video footage, and two featuring various secret documents, Old Xia’s head would occasionally turn following her line of sight.

There was only one computer chair in the room, Xiang Kun stood by Old Xia’s side explaining things and whenever he noticed her ponytail swinging along with the movement of her head, he subconsciously raised his hand to stroke it.

While gently stroking her long black ponytail, Xiang Kun continued to explain his basic judgment on the “ultimate predator”: “If the ‘special super sensory information fragment’ indeed equates to what Mr. Liang and the others have defined as the ‘ultimate predator’ or the life and death deciding ‘mysterious power’, then it should at least meet some basic ‘mutant’ models. Meanwhile, I let Alice come up with a mutation model for it based on some new characteristics it has demonstrated…”

In the midst of speaking, Xiang Kun realized Old Xia was looking up at him.

Xiang Kun paused, looked at his hand still on her ponytail, quickly pulled it back, and said awkwardly, “I don’t know why, but my hand just went there.”

However, Xia Libing looked at him thoughtfully and said, “Judging from your cadence, speech speed, and word choice when you were talking just now, because you found the ‘ultimate predator’ and discovered the way it affects living beings, your spirit is rather excited. But because you managed to eradicate its ‘super-sensory information fragment’ and could discuss its matters with me, you trust me considerably, hence, your body is relatively relaxed. Under these circumstances, your body tends to follow your subconscious and perform some actions. It’s very normal. When you were a kid, did you often play with your female classmates’ ponytails?”

Xiang Kun scratched his head: “No… Never, but when I was in elementary school, our class leader sat in front of me. Her ponytail was both black and long, and I did often think about giving it a stroke…” He laughed and added, “But I never actually did it, because our class leader was rather ferocious. If I touched her hair, she would definitely hit me.”

Xia Libing nodded, “Hmm, normal.”

Xiang Kun asked, “So, my reaction was normal?”

“When I’m standing over you when you’re sitting down, I often have the urge to put my hand on top of your head too. It’s the same. When we have time, we can conduct some related research. Different heads, different hairstyles, they must have different attractions for different people. Perhaps there is a regular pattern in it.” Xia Libing nodded and said.

“I see….”

“You just mentioned that Alice has made a model targeting the ‘Ultimate Predator’ for predictive analysis. What were the results?”

Thus, the two resumed their previous discussion, discussing the characteristics and potential behavioral patterns of the “Ultimate Predator”.

“There were many results, but it’s hard to say how much they can really serve as a reference. Even though I’ve fought it in close combat, in a manner of speaking, my overall understanding of it is still limited. If its evolutionary process spans millennia, or even longer, any minute deviation in parameters could cause a huge deviation in the predictive results. However, Alice and I basically agreed that this existence, whose whole is made of parts, greatly reduces the ‘Ultimate Predator’s’ blood-drinking or transformation cycle. This form of existence is both for hunting and survival.”

“Do you think it is aware of your ‘super-connected items’ and ’emotion-infused items’?” Xia Libing asked thoughtfully.

Xiang Kun shook his head. “I’ve given it a lot of thought, and I think it probably can’t detect them. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have only started reacting to me now, when I’ve advanced the ‘Super sensory Item System’ to this extent and even erased it from other beings.”

Xia Libing nodded, “It seems like it gauges the threat level from mutants based on their transformation stages. Based on the number of transformations alone, your ‘strength tier’ is relatively low.”

Xiang Kun smiled and agreed, “Yes, by that evaluation system, I’m probably way behind Joel. Speaking of Mr. Liang, his method of enhancing functionality through biological components synthesized from new compounds, with the aid of external technology, seems a bit like doing things behind the scenes, too.”

“Do we have a clear understanding of its way of perceiving environmental information?”

“Alice and I have constructed several models based on our predictions. It seems most likely that the ‘super sensory information fragments’ hidden in all creatures are ‘activated’ or ‘awakened’ when the fundamental characteristics of the ‘mutants’ are revealed through various experiments and discovered by humans, at which point they become observable. But this simple structure probably can’t process complex sensory information, so it likely has a ‘processing center’ which might have merged temporarily or already exist. At this time, it might enter a ‘sensory state’ as Mr. Liang and Academician Shen suggested, retaining the ability to process common sensory information.”

After listening, Xia Libing thought for a moment, then said, “The way it threatened you seemed somewhat cautious.”

Xiang Kun understood her meaning. If the “Ultimate Predator” wanted to “warn” him by killing a large number of creatures, the most intimidating way would undoubtedly involve using his own kind – or rather, his kind before mutation – humans as a warning.

But the “Ultimate Predator” instead chose to kill a few birds and a small sections of insects in Chongyun Mountain. It seemed very restrained and careful, as if it was afraid of overshooting and making him truly enraged.

“I’ve been wondering why it would think that threatening the lives of other creatures would be effective against me. How did it know? What if I were a ‘mutant’ only pursuing my own metamorphosis, only pursuing power and indifferent to the life or death of other creatures?” Xiang Kun said.

Xia Libing thoughtfully replied, “Perhaps it judged your intentions based on your maintenance of human form, or your immediate actions to erase the ‘special super sensory information fragments’ from other creatures, or perhaps even on an analysis of your prior behavior?” She knew Xiang Kun’s focus on this point was because understanding it could potentially lead to a better understanding of the information collection methods of the “Ultimate Predator”.

“Regardless, for now, I think I’ll leave it alone. If it causes a mass extinction in a desperate attempt to survive, the consequences will be unthinkable.” Xiang Kun said, “If we can confirm that it can’t perceive ‘super-connected items’, then the priority is to accelerate their associations and global deployment. Once ‘super-connected items’ have spread across the world, we can consider how to catch it all at once, and take it out in one stroke, without giving it a chance to strike back.”

Xiang Kun had barely finished speaking when Alice’s voice came from the speaker, sounding eager, “Alice has come up with twenty-seven plans to accelerate the associations and deployment of ‘super-connected items’! Do you want to take a look, boss, Xia Libing?”

…

In a conference room filled with a variety of equipment that made it look high-tech despite its small size, Zhang Qian and Tang Baona were discussing a proposal.

Yang Zhen’er was sitting next to Tang Baona, daydreaming as usual.

However, unlike in the past where she would be looking at the computer screen, reading articles, selecting new clothes, accessories, toys for Little Fatty Girl, or browsing local food posts and contemplating what to eat after picking up Little Fatty Girl in the afternoon, her attention was now on a round eraser in her hand, which she had casually spotted on a young girl’s desk in the administration department when she came to “Tengjiao Entertainment” in the morning. She had bought a cup of milk tea and traded it for the eraser.

Ever since Yang Zhen’er had discovered her “Flying Coin Into the Cup” trick, and Little Fatty Girl had taught her and Nana how to play “Coin Clash”, she had developed an odd interest in all kinds of round items. Everything seemed to look like coins to her, and she wanted to roll and collide them.

While going downstairs this morning, she stared at the hub of a car for quite some time, imagining her and Little Fatty Girl each holding a wheel hub and playing a game of bump into each other. She even started pondering whether it would be more fun to use the tire along with the wheel or just the wheel hub alone. It wasn’t until Nana called out to her that she snapped out of her daze.

Right now, the round eraser in her hand felt fantastic. As Yang Zhen’er fiddled with it, she wondered whether the eraser would roll slowly because of the friction and not be smooth enough?

Then she began to search for “round, rubber” on e-commerce platforms like JD and TB, to see if there were rounder, higher quality erasers available. She planned to buy a few and play with Nana and Xiao Lingdang! She started researching eraser manufacturers, production processes, components, degrees of hardness, various performance parameters, and so on.

“Miss Yang, do you have some thoughts about that eraser you’re holding?” Zhang Qian, who had just finished discussing a topic with Tang Baona, suddenly asked Yang Zhen’er.

On a daily basis, she was accustomed to Yang Zhen’er wandering off during meetings and didn’t mind it at all. After all, she had Nana to discuss the specifics of their work, and there were no issues. But Yang Zhen’er seemed odd today, holding an eraser that appeared to be bought from their company’s bulk purchase, her expression was unusually grave and serious, not like her usual slacking, daydreaming self. That’s why Zhang Qian had asked her.

“Ah? Oh, this eraser… it’s got a nice feel and it’s quite unique. Weren’t we discussing promotional campaign yesterday? I was thinking we could create custom erasers with our game’s logo printed on them and give them to players or passersby during offline promotions. This is a minor issue though, you bigwigs don’t need to worry about it. Just carry on with your discussion,” Yang Zhen’er replied casually.

In the afternoon, once Yang Zhen’er was done picking up Little Fatty Girl, she was excited, “Xiao Lingdang, let’s not eat out today. Let’s order delivery, you can choose whatever you want. I thought of a new game. We can play it at home. It should be a lot of fun!”

While holding Yang Zhen’er’s hand, Little Fatty Girl sighed, “Ms. Fairy, although the coin game is super fun, everything should be done in moderation! After getting home, I have to study first, then I can play. As Uncle Bald said, the foundation of… um… playing a game is knowledge. Only with knowledge can we play better.”

Upon hearing the word “game”, Liu Shiling naturally assumed that Yang Zhen’er was referring to the “Coin Collision” game. In the past few days, Yang Zhen’er and Tang Baona had become extremely passionate about this game and played it very late every day. In fact, she had taught them several games that used a coin as a prop, but this one was still their favorite. Especially Yang Zhen’er, who had even purchased a six-meter-long narrow table online to place in her house and use as a diametric “runway”.

Yang Zhen’er smiled proudly, “This is a different game, we’ll just play for twenty… no, forty minutes, it won’t interrupt your studies! Hehe! That’s right, Xiao Lingdang, stop calling me Old Fairy Sister, call me Fairy Sister, or… well, Old Fairy Sister it is!”

She had just barely managed to get Little Fatty Girl to call her “Fairy Sister”, but after only a few times, it turned into “Old Fairy Sister”, then as soon as the word “old” slipped out, Little Fatty Girl would notice and immediately correct it to “Fairy Sister”. As this happened again and again, it became more natural for her to say “Old Fairy Sister”.

As soon as they got home and Little Fatty Girl put down her small backpack, Yang Zhen’er couldn’t wait to lead her to the center of the living room. She used a data cable to draw a circle on the ground, enclosing Little Fatty Girl inside.

She then stepped back a few steps and also circled herself with the cable.

Yang Zhen’er handed a round eraser to Little Fatty Girl, held another one herself, and then said, “Hold the eraser like this, in front of your forehead. You can only move your wrist, not your forearm or upper arm, and throw the eraser!”

Little Fatty Girl followed her actions, then helplessly said, “Old Fairy Sister, I can’t throw very far like this!”

“Ah… well then… you’re allowed to move your forearm!” Yang Zhen’er scratched her head and said.

“But how does this game work?”

“Hehe, like this. I’ll count—one, two, three—you throw your eraser at my head, and I’ll try to hit your eraser with mine. If I hit it, I win. And if you hit my head, you win! You can’t dodge with your body or head. Hmm, whoever wins gets to choose a dish for the takeaway dinner!”

“Oh.” Little Fatty Girl nodded in understanding.

She then held the eraser in the middle of her forehead as instructed and on the count of three, she moved her forearm and threw the eraser like shooting a basketball.

Subsequently, Yang Zhen’er lightly moved her wrist, and the eraser in her hand shot out, accurately hitting Little Fatty Girl’s eraser in mid-air.

“YEAH!” Yang Zhen’er made a fist with both hands and squatted down triumphantly.

“Huh?” Little Fatty Girl was also surprised with her wide-eyed gaze fixed on the two erasers that had fallen to the ground.

However, Yang Zhen’er had already scurried over to pick it up. She handed one of the pieces to the Little Fatty Girl and said, “Your turn, Xiao Lingdang. This time, I’ll be the one throwing and you will block!”

The Little Fatty Girl was still somewhat bewildered. Holding the piece of eraser, she nodded unconsciously, then mimicked Yang Zhen’er’s earlier posture, positioning the eraser above her forehead in preparation.

When Yang Zhen’er called out “one, two, three”, the Little Fatty Girl threw the eraser, but she failed to intercept the incoming piece and was hit squarely in the forehead. She threw her head back and let out a sharp cry.

The eraser was small and soft, and Yang Zhen’er had thrown it lightly, so it did not hurt when it hit her forehead.

But the Little Fatty Girl’s competitiveness was ignited. She rubbed her forehead and said, “Old Fairy Sister, let’s play with a coin instead.”

“No way! Coins are metal, super hard, and you could get injured. If I hurt you, I’ll be devastated. No way!” Yang Zhen’er refused outright.

Little Fatty Girl: “No, it won’t happen, I can control the coin well.”

“No, no, we can only use erasers.”

“Or…..let’s try throwing cups, one throws a cup, the other blocks.”

“We’ll play that later. Let’s continue with this. Or… Xiao Lingdang, do you feel like you can’t beat me and want to concede? If that’s the case, I can accept it. Then I’ll order all the food tonight. Let me think, what do I want to eat?”

“Let’s go again.” Liu Shiling rubbed her forehead, picked up her eraser and stood back within the small circle and said.

Just now, she faintly felt something. She wanted to confirm it again.

Yang Zhen’er returned to her own circle, then held the eraser, ready to throw it: “Hehehe, Xiao Lingdang, are you ready?”

Liu Shiling nodded vigorously and made a sound of acknowledgement.

Following Yang Zhen’er’s count of three, Liu Shiling failed to intercept the eraser once again.

Just as Yang Zhen’er’s round eraser was about to reach the Little Fatty Girl’s forehead, an anomaly occurred. The eraser stopped less than a centimeter from her forehead!

At the same time, the light in the living room dimmed slightly.

Yang Zhen’er was taken aback, with a brief moment of confusion. She felt as if time had stopped.

“Xiao Lingdang…” She called out unconsciously.

Then, seemingly coming to her senses, Liu Shiling was equally startled. She noticed the eraser suspended in front of her forehead, then with a start gave a shout. Her head dramatically threw forward and she crouched down covering her forehead: “Old Fairy Sister’s aim is too precise!”

The eraser then dropped onto the floor as if its support had been removed.

Yang Zhen’er gazed at the Little Fatty Girl who was crouching on the floor, covering her forehead, whose acting was terrible, and even peeking at her from the corner of her eyes. Zhen’er felt her thoughts were a jumble.