Extremely, Extremely, Extremely Cunning

Xiang Kun found the basic layout map of the community online and was able to determine the area of the underground parking lot where the Q7 was located. The nearest elevators were in buildings 8, 9, 16, and 17.

During the meal, the person in charge of the company's hospitality mentioned that the room arranged for "Ms. Chen" was perfect for enjoying the river view, especially the breathtaking views at sunrise and sunset.

Of these four buildings, the ones with unobstructed views of the river are the upper floors of buildings 8 and 16.

Xiang Kun checked the sales and rental information of these houses through real estate agencies over the past three months and now, and found that two houses had already been rented out.

Based on the comparison, Xiang Kun is inclined to believe that apartment 1203 in building 16 is the apartment where Mi Qiao lives.

Of course, we need to verify whether it's true or not. If it's not, we can change it. Anyway, we have a whole night.

Xiang Kun dodged the surveillance cameras in the residential area and approached the building below number 16.

He naturally wouldn't go straight in through the main gate; he would still need to swipe his access card at the bottom of the building, and there were security cameras.

After scanning the area for a while and establishing several cognitive models in his mind, Xiang Kun walked to the side of Building 16.

After observing the building's structure and then looking back at the windows and balconies of nearby residences that might see this location, Xiang Kun, after confirming that no one was watching, suddenly exerted his strength, took a few running steps, pushed off the ground, stepped on the wall, and leaped up to cling to the edge of the second-floor stairwell. He continued to use the momentum to climb up, reaching the outer edge of the third-floor stairwell, where he flipped over and climbed up. His movements were fluid and extremely fast.

One of the windows on the third-floor stairwell was half-open. Xiang Kun didn't immediately climb in, but quickly switched his vision mode to observe. Unfortunately, although there was no one in the stairwell, there was a stairwell surveillance camera. If he climbed in, he would likely be within the camera's range.

However, after determining the angle of the surveillance, Xiang Kun quickly observed and found the blind spot at the end of the corridor. He quickly crouched down and moved along the narrow platform below the window sill like a gecko.

Unfortunately, the window at the end of the third-floor corridor was locked, so he continued upwards, using his arms to propel himself up like a jumping spider.

Having conquered all sorts of rugged cliffs and precipices with his bare hands, climbing stairs is now a piece of cake for Xiang Kun, like doing calisthenics. His attention is actually focused on his surroundings, wary of being seen by residents in the distance or nearby.

Unfortunately, the "Electric Flight" ability cannot be used at any time, and it makes too much noise when used.

Fortunately, it was already quite late, and the streetlights on the side Xiang Kun had chosen couldn't reach him, leaving it in complete darkness. He was also dressed in all black, wearing a black knitted hat, so even if people in distant buildings occasionally glanced at him, they would hardly notice him.

Xiang Kun dared not linger on the exterior wall of the building for too long. He quickly climbed up and reached the ninth floor. Finally, he found an unlocked window at the end of the corridor and successfully climbed in.

He quickly entered the stairwell, hugging the wall. After confirming that there were no surveillance cameras in the stairwell, Xiang Kun began to walk up the stairs.

In the stairwell on the 12th floor, Xiang Kun carefully sniffed the air. He could faintly smell a scent he had previously detected around the Q7 and inside the "Treasure Restaurant," which clearly belonged to Mi Qiao and that "Assistant Gao."

It's almost certain that his previous guess was correct; Mi Qiao lives on this floor, and most likely in room 1203.

Xiang Kun pressed his body against the wall, his ear against it, focusing his attention on listening to the sounds coming from the entire floor.

By eliminating various sounds one by one, Xiang Kun finally pinpointed a source—the sound of frequent mouse clicks and occasional keyboard taps.

From the building structure diagrams he found online and in his mind, Xiang Kun knew that the sound was coming from the location of apartment 1203.

Based on the apartment layout, the sound is likely coming from the master bedroom of apartment 1203, which offers an unobstructed view of the entire river from its balcony.

By simply listening to the keyboard clicks blindly, it's impossible to deduce what she's doing.

Xiang Kun took out his phone and sent the location to Alice.

After discovering that Alice's ability to mine information online had exceeded his expectations, and that she had a natural advantage and first-mover advantage in data transmission and security on the internet, Xiang Kun began to try communicating with Alice via mobile phone when he was out, asking her to help with some online operations.

The verification methods remain the same: fingerprint and facial recognition on the phone, along with a later-installed voice recognition system. Strictly speaking, the security isn't absolutely robust, but it's sufficient given that no one knows Alice exists yet. More importantly, Alice possesses stronger "sensory abilities" online and in real life than others, allowing her to detect problems and threats early and cut off any data that might be traced. Like a fledgling bird with newly formed wings and claws, she can be released for now.

Xiang Kun knew that Mi Qiao was a very skilled hacker, adept at using the internet to mine various kinds of information through different methods. She possessed strong technical skills, rich experience, and a wealth of tools. Hacking into her computer would certainly not be easy. But this difficulty was only relative to the average user.

The mystery and power of hackers online lies in their secrecy, in their layers of disguise and barriers that keep them in the shadows, in their use of various tools and their exploitation of various bugs, and in their strategic thinking and accumulated knowledge.

Now, Xiang Kun and Alice are the ones in the shadows, while Mi Qiao is the prey, and a prey who is unaware that he is being watched.

Knowing the physical address, is it possible to find the network IP address and then locate the specific device connecting to the internet through that IP? The answer is, of course, yes. If it's a mobile internet service provider (ISP), it's as easy as clicking a button. In this case, as long as the target is indeed accessing the internet through that network cable, it's very difficult to impersonate someone else.

Ordinary users certainly don't have this permission, but Xiang Kun doesn't need to go through all that trouble or perform any complicated operations, because he's right here, and Alice has control over his phone, able to directly scan for nearby wireless network signals through it.

Ideally, Mi Qiao would use a Wi-Fi network, but even if her apartment didn't have a Wi-Fi router and was connected via a wired connection, Alice could still use other Wi-Fi signals in the building as entry points. The surrounding home Wi-Fi signals likely all share the same broadband connection; once one point is compromised, it becomes a springboard for obtaining information from other points.

Of course, this method won't work if Mi Qiao's computer uses an external SIM card to access the internet.

Just as he was pondering this, he heard a woman's voice coming from the Xiang Kun had pinpointed. He immediately pressed his body and ears back against the wall—if anyone had seen this, they would probably have been terrified, thinking he was a lunatic imitating a gecko.

"Yes, I had a preliminary tour of the four laboratories today. Deputy Director Xiao was very responsible and provided a very detailed explanation."

Mi Qiao wasn't talking to "Assistant Gao," who also lived in 1203, but rather on the phone. Her voice was slightly different from the fragments of Guo Tianxiang's memories that Xiang Kun had obtained; she seemed more composed now.

Xiang Kun could make a preliminary judgment based on her tone of voice, intonation, and content that she was talking to someone of higher status or someone she respected.

Xiang Kun guessed that it might be Lu Cheng'an, the big boss of "Shenxing Technology".

Unfortunately, there were still too many obstacles, and Xiang Kun had difficulty hearing what the other person was saying on the phone. It would have been better if Mi Qiao had just put it on speakerphone.

Alternatively, once Xiang Kun finds more ways to interpret the information perceived under the "Hyper-Sensory State," there will be fewer restrictions if he can peer through the "Hyper-Sensory State." Within the range of perception, all information feedback can be directly examined without loss.

"Yes, I've reviewed those studies in their preliminary stages. I'll be observing the experiments tomorrow, but Deputy Director Xiao told me not to get my hopes up; the failure rate is 99.9%."

"I heard from Deputy Director Xiao that Dr. Fang is in charge of several laboratories here. I've looked up her information, and she's truly a very accomplished scientist. It's just a pity that she's currently on a business trip with her team. I wonder if I'll be able to meet her before I leave."

"Is that so? That's good. I have a lot of things I'd like to ask her. You know, I'm actually completely clueless in this area, and I've been cramming on it all lately."

Although he couldn't hear the voice on the other end of the phone, Xiang Kun could deduce a great deal of information just from what Mi Qiao said.

The "Dr. Fang" that Mi Qiao mentioned is very likely Fang Pingfang, Alice found and who is suspected to be Zhou Rui's superior.

If it was her, then it proves that the researchers from "Shenxing Technology" who entered the Qinling Uninhabited Zone this time included not only Zhou Rui, but also his superior Fang Pingfang.

Inside the master bedroom of 1203, Mi Qiao's voice continued:

"Mr. Liang, I actually have some questions. What is the purpose of them synthesizing these compounds? And what is the connection between them and what I want to investigate now? Today, I chatted with Deputy Director Xiao and other researchers in the lab, and it seemed that they didn't know the reason or purpose behind what they were doing?"

Her voice sounded somewhat apprehensive and hesitant, as if she wasn't sure if what she was saying was appropriate.

Xiang Kun also extracted several keywords:

"Mr. Liang"—this is the person talking to Mi Qiao. He shouldn't be Lu Cheng'an, but he must hold a very high position in "Shenxing Technology." It seems that Mi Qiao's arrival here was at his behest. What was Lu Cheng'an's previously paralyzed son's name again?

"Synthetic compounds"—this is one of the experimental directions being conducted in this lab. Combining this with Zhou Rui and Fang Pingfang's specialties, we can roughly guess some things.

"What I want to investigate now"—does it refer to Guo Tianxiang and matters related to vampires? That Mr. Liang from "Shenxing Technology" recruited Mi Qiao to do these things? But why her and not someone else from "Shenxing Technology"?

Furthermore, judging from Mi Qiao's words, it seems that the researchers at "Shenxing Technology" in Qicheng City are unaware of vampires and mutated creatures?

Connecting this to the conversation they overheard outside a hotel in that small town before entering the Qinling Uninhabited Zone, it's clear that the two field agents also didn't know the purpose of their arduous journey to find and transport the wild boar carcass.

It seems that the people behind "Shenxing Technology" are also secretly conducting related research, and even researchers in secret departments don't know the full details. What are they afraid of?

"Actually... I don't think it's very useful for me to learn all this here. I'd rather continue investigating Guo Tianxiang. You remember I said before that I went to that city with him to meet another vampire... um, Blood-feeding Creature? I think his disappearance is related to that Blood-feeding Creature."

"Unable to find the real IP address from back then? That's normal. I already tried. He used many stepping stones and was extremely cautious. That Blood-feeding Creature is incredibly cunning. You must warn the investigators to be careful. I think Guo Tianxiang might have already been killed by that Blood-feeding Creature, otherwise there's no reason he hasn't shown up yet. These Blood-feeding Creature seem to treat their own kind as food; it's disgusting! Guo Tianxiang's eyes turned red with excitement after confirming that the person I contacted through Zhihu was also Blood-feeding Creature."

Xiang Kun frowned as he listened. "Extremely, extremely, extremely cunning?" Was it really necessary to say "extremely" three times? It's as if you guys aren't cunning at all. Who stole someone else's account and posted the phishing ad first?

Furthermore, in the fragments of Guo Tianxiang's memories that Xiang Kun obtained, Mi Qiao was extremely obsessed with and worshipped vampires and Bloodline, yearning to become one of them and receive the first embrace of Guo Tianxiang, this esteemed "Bloodline master." How come now "vampires" have become "Blood-feeding Creature," and even "extremely disgusting"?

Clearly, the influence of "Mr. Liang" is evident in everything from the "Blood-feeding Creature" to the attitudes towards vampires and Guo Tianxiang.

Moreover, Xiang Kun could tell from her tone and attitude that this attitude was not one of her yielding to the situation, but rather one of genuine approval from the bottom of her heart.

What could be the reason for this?

As for the other piece of information, "Mr. Liang" is investigating him, and has not yet obtained any useful information, which was also within his expectations.

When he contacted Mi Qiao's "August's Kasumi" online, he was very well prepared. Finding him online was only possible at that time; so much time has passed, it's almost impossible to find him now. And even if he did find him, he could only find the coffee shop where he used the Wi-Fi, but he actually went online in a nearby dumpling restaurant without surveillance cameras.

However, we still need to be wary of this. It's not the theft itself that's worrisome, but the fact that someone has their eye on us. A vampire who's obsessed with women versus a large, well-organized secret department of a large corporation focused on cutting-edge technology—the latter is clearly a much greater threat, with far too many unforeseen variables.

Inside 1203, Mi Qiao's call with Mr. Liang had ended. She was going to stay in Qicheng City for about a month, but not only Xiang Kun didn't understand, she herself seemed unclear about what she was going to do here, and what Mr. Liang's purpose was.

Room 1203 gradually quieted down, with only two soft breaths remaining. Mi Qiao and her Assistant Gao, had both fallen asleep.

Xiang Kun thought for a moment, then continued up the stairs until he reached the rooftop.