I'll Never Dare Again

Xiang Kun lay on the ground for more than ten minutes, and only after his body had basically recovered did he reluctantly get up.

Rain and snow began to fall gently from the sky, and the temperature dropped considerably. But compared to the raging lightning and storm just moments before, the rain and snow now strangely had a comforting quality.

Xiang Kun's lips still held a smile that hadn't quite faded.

The minute or so of "flying" in the air just now was arguably the most exhilarating and enjoyable experience he had ever had since his mutation... no, since he became an adult... no, it should be said that it was the most enjoyable and enjoyable experience he had ever had in his life.

The process of traversing through lightning storms, flying high in the sky on the verge of losing control, maintaining intense focus, and reacting in the blink of an eye, gave him an ultimate thrill amidst the extreme danger of life-or-death situations and the sense of accomplishment of conquering the sky and lightning.

Whether man or woman, old or young, Xiang Kun believes that the yearning for flight is etched into their genes.

Even before the mutation, Xiang Kun, who suffered from acrophobia, had fantasized about having the ability to fly.

Xiang Kun had never imagined that being able to fly directly in the air without relying on external objects would be so exhilarating.

Besides flying, the past minute or so also allowed him to regrow his long-lost "hair." Of course, Xiang Kun knew that, strictly speaking, it was no longer the same as ordinary hair.

Compared to "hair," they are more like a functional tissue that helps him gather and control the electrical charge around his body, thereby controlling his flight direction and speed.

However, it is obvious that they can only appear in a specific electric field environment with sufficient electrical energy. When they appear, Xiang Kun can clearly sense them and use them to control the charge around him to a certain extent, and slightly control the direction.

However, once the large-scale discharge from the clouds ended and the "electrical energy" around them was exhausted, the hair simply disappeared.

Xiang Kun can no longer sense their existence; they haven't "shrunk" back into his head, but have simply vanished.

During the last "test flight," the cluster of light surrounding him was like his shadow, completely uncontrollable and imperceptible. However, the faint halo around him just now could be influenced and controlled to some extent through his "hair." This should be a functional tissue that his body has evolved to achieve the ability of "Electric Flight" after the recent blood-drinking mutation, combined with the "demands" proposed by the training guidance.

Xiang Kun touched his still bald head, feeling a little regretful. He hadn't had time to think about it while in the air, nor did he have the time or energy to think about it. Now, however, he couldn't help but fantasize about whether there was any way to keep his hair. It didn't need to be more than a meter long, just 2 or 3 centimeters would be fine.

In the snow and rain, barefoot, Xiang Kun walked back, lost in thought.

Now that we have achieved the objectives of this experiment, there is naturally no need to stay any longer.

Walking through the forest, watching the distant firelight slowly die out in the rain and snow, and recalling the devastating lightning storm that had just struck, Xiang Kun frowned slightly.

It is clear that this sudden lightning storm and the massive explosive discharge between the clouds and the ground were caused by him.

But to be honest, he still doesn't understand how he did it.

The only operation he knew was to sense the changes in the atmospheric electric field and the movement trend of charges between the clouds and the ground, then seize the opportunity and throw himself into the air with all his might.

The subsequent "charging" process is somewhat like a phone that has just been thrown onto a wireless charging pad; it passively receives and accumulates electrical charge, but how it accumulates the charge is unclear.

A naked surfer was riding the waves when he suddenly realized that the waves had turned into a tsunami.

He was totally confused too!

In conclusion, Xiang Kun believes that this is due to his insufficient understanding and control of his abilities.

When I get back, I need to read more related articles and materials to understand why this short-term, high-intensity thunderstorm phenomenon occurs. Then, based on the underlying principles, I can deduce the role I might have played and the impact I might have had.

He was also somewhat relieved that the experiment was conducted in this uninhabited mountainous area; otherwise, not to mention the city center, even in the suburbs, innocent people might have been affected.

Without figuring out how such a massive lightning storm was triggered, Xiang Kun dared not fly over populated areas for the time being.

He wasn't worried about anyone noticing the anomaly coming to find him. In this deep mountain forest, especially at night, his advantages were too great. His super vision, combined with switching between night vision and infrared thermal imaging modes, as well as other powerful senses, allowed him to maintain a "fully open map" effect, always able to spot other creatures first, and even machines couldn't escape his senses.

For example, he noticed a passenger plane flying by in the distance, even though it was very far away, and quickly assessed in his mind the possibility that the people on the plane had spotted him.

Judging from the angle and the visibility at the time, although Xiang Kun was surrounded by a faint halo while in the air, and it was sometimes bright and sometimes dim, because the distance was too far and the altitude was different, the cumulonimbus clouds blocked most of the view in that direction, and there was lightning everywhere at the time, it was difficult to notice him with the naked eye while he was flying.

Even if you notice it, you can't tell what it is at all.

Unless someone happens to take a picture with the right equipment and then observes it closely and zooms in, it's unlikely to be discovered.

But at most, it would have been just a strangely shaped "flying object." After all, his "long hair" was taut and spread out at the back of his head. If it had actually been photographed and discovered, it would probably have been more likely to be guessed as a "flying squid" than a person.

While traveling at night, Xiang Kun also sensed the location of the bone with which he had established Super-Sensory Link. It was still in the Qinling Uninhabited Zone, and compared to its previous direction of movement, it was still heading outwards, but at a very slow speed. He speculated that it was because it had brought too much stuff into the mountains, which slowed its pace. After all, many places there were extremely difficult to traverse, and not everyone could ignore the terrain like Xiang Kun, clearing paths faster than a wild boar and climbing trees faster than a monkey.

I sensed the Rabbit Woodcarving again, but there was still no response. Clearly, those people were still firmly implementing their strategy of staying away from the wood carving while sleeping.

Xiang Kun wasn't worried that they would be able to study anything after the wood carving was taken back.

Even if there are vampires with similar abilities within Shenxing Technology, based on Xiang Kun's research into these items that establish various connections, the possibility of them trying to use these items to sense him in reverse is very small—in fact, he actually hopes they will do so, because according to his understanding, he has absolute authority in the sensory system he has established through various "Super-Sensory Link" and "Emotional Injection" items. If the other party possesses similar sensory abilities and tries to probe through his items, it would actually give Xiang Kun the opportunity to investigate in reverse, and the other party would definitely be exposed first.

Compared to wood carvings and bones, Xiang Kun was more worried about the people behind "Shenxing Technology" who knew the truth about Mutated Creature and vampires. After determining that the Mutated Creature in the Qinling Mountains had been killed by vampires from another human society, they would use other social means to find relevant information.

So he recalled and reviewed his journey to and from the Qinling Uninhabited Zone.

The ride to the town was a private car found near the station, and payment was in cash, so it's unlikely that any clues were left behind.

Upon arriving in that town, we did not stay overnight, so we did not leave any identification records.

He entered a hotel in the small town, pretending to go to the restroom, and then used his enhanced senses to gather various information, all while keeping his face out of the surveillance cameras.

He walked directly into the mountains, without passing through any scenic area entrances, and was not seen by anyone.

Because of his physical characteristics, he will not leave any body tissue for people to obtain;

The clothes damaged in the mountains were brought back, and the footprints and traces of the fight with the mutated spider were probably mostly destroyed by the heavy rains that followed.

Of course, it's possible that some slipped through the net, since he didn't handle each case one by one, which is simply impossible.

Damaged clothing might have tiny fragments or fibers left behind, but the chances of finding them are extremely small.

Moreover, even if these are found, it is still difficult to pinpoint him, unless one already has doubts about him and can verify them through the supporting evidence.

However, based on his observations of Shenxing Technology's modus operandi during this period, he still couldn't be careless.

They might have other unconventional methods to investigate "suspects." Without knowing their methods, even with Xiang Kun's meticulous thinking, it's impossible for him to guess what they would do or to what extent.

So after the "bone" leaves the Qinling Uninhabited Zone and arrives at its final destination, and confirms its location, Xiang Kun will try to investigate to see if there is any way to "infiltrate" it. Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory.

Of course, this must be done while ensuring one's own safety.

Xiang Kun, who was speeding along the mountain road at night, suddenly stopped, as if sensing something, and looked up at the night sky.

Star City.

Liu Shiling was drawing in her room. It was homework assigned by her kindergarten teacher today, asking them to draw their ideal winter.

Liu Shiling started drawing right after finishing her meal. She had already drawn five pictures, but she was not satisfied with any of them. In the end, she scribbled them all together, tore them up, and threw them in the trash can.

She simply couldn't concentrate on the drawing. It wasn't that she was playful or didn't want to finish her homework properly; rather, her father, whom she hadn't seen for almost a month, had just returned home and was arguing with her mother, and the argument was getting increasingly heated and louder.

Although her mother told her to stay in her room and draw, and not to leave until she finished, she just couldn't concentrate. Even with the door closed, the sounds of arguing outside could still be clearly heard.

In the other hand, where the paintbrush wasn't being held, the Coin twirled rapidly between the fingers, but it lacked its usual stability, looking as if it might slip from the fingers and fall to the ground at any moment.

"You stupid woman!!" A furious curse rang out, followed by the sound of a glass shattering in the living room.

Startled by the sound, Liu Shiling finally couldn't hold back any longer. She grabbed the Coin, opened the door, rushed out, stood in front of her father who was still furious and about to yell, opened her arms, and shouted, "You're not allowed to yell at Mom!"

The dark-skinned, grimacing middle-aged man, who was about to utter a string of profanities, ultimately swallowed them back upon seeing his daughter.

Shiling's Mother rebuked her angrily, "Who told you to come out? Go back inside! This is an adult matter, none of your business! Don't meddle!" Her voice was choked with emotion.

Liu Shiling looked up at her mother, whose face was flushed and filled with anger, bit her lower lip, and finally lowered her head and walked back to her room.

The argument outside continued, but it was a little quieter. Liu Shiling knew that it wasn't that her parents' argument had subsided, but rather that they had gone to the balcony.

She sat in the room for a while, still unable to do anything, her fingers unconsciously flipping through Coin rapidly.

Then, seemingly having made a decision, she grasped the Coin, began packing her little red backpack, stuffing in a few clothes, some origami, a small red flashlight, and a small box containing her special chopsticks, before leaving the room with her backpack on.

Her parents were arguing on the balcony and didn't see her. She stood at the door for a while, then lowered her head, picked up her schoolbag, opened the door, and left the house.

After taking the elevator downstairs and leaving the residential area, Liu Shiling walked a few hundred meters and stood on the deserted sidewalk in the dead of night, where there was hardly anyone around. She slowly stopped.

Her first thought was to leave home temporarily and avoid her parents' argument. The only place she could think of was to go to Uncle Baldy.

But once she got here, she suddenly realized she had forgotten to bring any money. How could she take a taxi without money, and how could she get to the city where the bald uncle lived without a ride?

Moreover, she didn't have a cell phone and couldn't contact the bald uncle.

At this time of year, the temperature in Star City is already close to zero. A cold wind blows at night, making people want to hunch their shoulders and stomp their feet. Liu Shiling is only wearing a thin red sweater and red khaki pants, and she has even forgotten to wear a coat.

I went downstairs in a bad mood, but I didn't feel anything until now. Now that I'm standing still, I can't help but shiver from the cold, and my nose is running.

Sniffing, the Little Chubby Girl looked back at the distant neighborhood, hesitating whether to go home. If she sneaked back now, her parents might still be arguing on the balcony, unaware that she had just "run away from home." She could quietly return to her room and pretend nothing had happened.

Huh? I think I locked the door when I came out? And the access control downstairs requires a card to open.

The Little Chubby Girl scratched her head, feeling a momentary internal struggle.

Just as she was hesitating, she suddenly noticed a homeless man with a thick beard and wearing a tattered cotton-padded coat staring intently at her from the bus stop diagonally opposite.

Liu Shiling's heart pounded. She remembered the stories her mother used to tell her about children being kidnapped by bad guys to keep her from running around. Her legs went weak.

Just as she was about to move, she suddenly heard a faint rumble of thunder. She looked up in surprise, but the night sky above her hadn't changed at all; she could even see the moon. Was it going to rain?

Liu Shiling used to be afraid of thunder; she wasn't exactly a brave child to begin with.

But when she heard the thunder today, she didn't feel scared at all. Instead, she felt a strange curiosity and wanted to hear it more clearly.

The thunder rumbled, seemingly both near and far, one wave after another, and strangely, it brought her a sense of peace. When she looked at the homeless man across the street, she was no longer afraid.

And for some reason, she noticed that the man's gaze wasn't malicious, but rather filled with fear?

What is the uncle afraid of?

As the rumbling thunder subsided, Liu Shiling suddenly looked down at the Coin she had been holding in her hand. She loosely clenched her fist, knuckles facing upwards, placed her thumb under the Coin, and then flicked the Coin up with a clink.

She often does this: flicking Coin up twenty or thirty centimeters before letting it fall and slapping it on the back of her hand, letting other children guess heads or tails. It's a game she often plays with others in kindergarten, and she always wins.

But this time, the Coin bounced up and soared into the air, flying higher and higher.

Liu Shiling raised her head, squinted, and watched the Coin fly higher and higher until it was almost out of sight before hovering. A happy smile appeared on her face.

She looked away from the street and towards the homeless man across the street, pointing upwards and shouting, "Uncle! Uncle! Look!"

"Ah!?... Ah!!!" To Liu Shiling's surprise, the man screamed and ran away the moment her gaze fell upon him, stumbling and staggering as if he had witnessed something terrifying.

Liu Shiling, whose attention had been focused on the Coin, didn't notice that the streetlights around her were constantly changing their brightness the moment she flicked the Coin, with the closer the streetlights were to her, the greater the change.

The homeless man, who had drunk quite a bit, couldn't see the Coin in her hand from that distance. He only saw the little girl in red clothes with a red backpack, giving him a strange thumbs-up gesture amidst the flickering streetlights, then looking up at the sky and giving him a chilling smile.

Recalling the "true stories" he had heard in his youth, the homeless man could no longer suppress his fear and ran away frantically.

Liu Shiling stared in confusion at the figure that disappeared around the corner at the end of the street. Just as she was about to look up at the Coin hovering in the air, Coin had already fallen right in front of her.

As Liu Shiling bent down to pick up the Coin, she heard a shrill, distorted shout behind her, "Liu Shiling!!!"

Liu Shiling subconsciously shrank her neck, stood up, turned around, lowered her head, and put her legs together, like a quail just pulled out of the water, thinking about how to apologize in order to ease her mother's thunderous rage.

But Shiling's Mother, who burst forth with the speed of an athlete running a 100-meter dash, immediately knelt on one knee, hugged her tightly, and cried as she said, "Baby, I'm sorry, Mommy was wrong. Don't leave Mommy, Mommy won't be mean to you anymore..."

Liu Shiling, who was racking her brains for a solution, suddenly burst into tears, wailing, "Mommy, I'm sorry, I'll never do it again... Slurp... Ah! I ate some snot, Mommy, I'm so cold..."