Hair-Raising

In his "Hyper-Sensory State," all the information Xiang Kun perceived came from his "sixth sense," a sense that ordinary people do not possess.

Therefore, the information perceived in this state needs to Xiang Kun with the five senses of the real world.

He can now distinguish the surrounding terrain and environment information in a "Hyper-Sensory State," at least distinguishing whether the surroundings are buildings or natural terrain obstacles, and whether they are reinforced concrete or wooden structures. He can tell roughly what kind of electronic devices are nearby, identify various creatures, and even recognize the characteristics and identities of some people he has sensed multiple times.

Just like now, after his senses descended to the "Black Circle Graffiti" that Mi Qiao was carrying, he quickly determined that the building was a two-story building with a total of six living people.

Moreover, he quickly identified the sensory information representing Mi Qiao's body.

At this moment, Mi Qiao was probably talking to someone else.

Sensing the sensory information of another person, Xiang Kun realized that this was also a "familiar face"—wasn't this the person he had sensed the night before last, the one near the Rabbit Woodcarving?

Xiang Kun had sensed this person before in the same group transporting Rabbit Woodcarving in the Qinling Uninhabited Zone, and he should have even entered her dream.

Xiang Kun immediately suspected that this person was a "researcher" who usually worked in a laboratory.

However, based on the previous location, the Rabbit Woodcarving was not sent to Qicheng City after leaving the Qinling Uninhabited Zone, but in another direction.

Their current location was clearly not where the Rabbit Woodcarving had been sent, and neither the Rabbit Woodcarving nor the bird skeleton that had established a "Super-Sensory Link" were nearby.

After making some "small" impacts and experiments with the Rabbit Woodcarving and bird skeleton the night before last, Xiang Kun used the gaps to sense the Rabbit Woodcarving and perceive its surroundings multiple times yesterday and today.

Xiang Kun noticed that no one had appeared around the Rabbit Woodcarving since yesterday morning.

It's obvious that after what happened the night before last, the other party "cleared out" the area.

In his opinion, the other party's reaction seemed a bit excessive, but judging from the effect, it should increase the chances of the person behind "Shenxing Technology," whether it be "Mr. Liang," Lu Cheng'an, or the possible "vampire," arriving.

However, he hadn't sensed any other people or Mutated Creature around the Rabbit Woodcarving yet. The "researcher" had met up with Mi Qiao, not in Qicheng City, but in a location that seemed not far from Xiang Kun, which puzzled him.

Xiang Kun couldn't help but think of the traces of Mutated Creature he had discovered in the Wushu Mountain Scenic Area. Could it be that Mi Qiao and the others were heading towards Wushu Mountain? Or were they currently not far from the Wushu Mountain Scenic Area?

In addition to comparing information from the five senses with information from a "Hyper-Sensory State" to find a solution for "decoding" information, Xiang Kun also discovered another method of "decoding" a few days ago: using understanding of the individual to act as an intermediary and translator.

This individual is Mi Qiao.

The night before last, Xiang Kun triggered Mi Qiao's dream through that "Black Circle Graffiti," and in the dream, by summarizing the extrasensory information markers, he entered a "quasi -Hyper-Sensory State" in Mi Qiao's dream. Xiang Kun successfully summarized a method to change other people's dream sensory experience by modifying their dream information.

The significance of that method lies not only in its ability to influence other people's dreams and alter their perceptions within those dreams through subtle changes, but more importantly, in its ability to provide in-depth analysis and understanding of the dreamer's various sensory information and their correspondence to the markings of Xiang Kun's sixth sense.

Once the sensory information of Mi Qiao's "quasi -Hyper-Sensory State" is interpreted to a certain extent, it will be possible to "borrow" Mi Qiao's senses to observe the surrounding environment in a non-dream state.

Imagine Xiaoming, who doesn't speak English, living in a purely English-speaking environment. He can't find Chinese English textbooks, and there's no one around who speaks Mandarin. But Xiaoming also speaks Cantonese. So, besides adapting to the environment and slowly learning and summarizing on his own, he also finds someone who knows a little Cantonese to act as a translator. Through the limited translations, he can first understand the surrounding environment and obtain information to a certain extent, and based on this, accelerate his English learning.

Now, Xiang Kun analyzes Mi Qiao's current emotions and physical state by sensing some of her sensory feedback:

At this moment, she was listening attentively and quite focused, but her body was not tense. She seemed to have a good impression of and trust the person she was talking to. Her visual feedback was limited, and she could only decipher a small part of the scene. It was certain that she was in a small room, sitting on a bed, and the person sitting opposite her was also a woman, with a female voice. This was basically consistent with Xiang Kun's previous speculation about the "researcher".

Unfortunately, his ability to perceive and decode Mi Qiao was not yet sufficient; he couldn't recognize the sounds and therefore couldn't understand what they were saying.

This piqued his curiosity, because his intuition told him that what they were talking about was probably related to Mutated Creature.

Xiang Kun then examined the sensory information of the other four people inside the building and found that, in addition to the "researcher" and Mi Qiao who had appeared next to the Rabbit Woodcarving earlier, there were three other "acquaintances".

Two of them, like the "researcher," were transporters who appeared on the side of the road while transporting the Rabbit Woodcarving out of the Qinling Uninhabited Zone. Perhaps they too had been influenced by the dream of the Rabbit Woodcarving.

The other one is "Assistant Gao," who drives for Mi Qiao in Qicheng City.

Xiang Kun didn't stay in his "Hyper-Sensory State" for too long. After all, everyone in the room was waiting for him to play games together. If he stayed in that state for more than fifteen minutes, they would probably come knocking on the door to check if he had passed out in the bathroom.

After Tang Baona, Yang Zhen'er, and Xia Libing briefly familiarized themselves with the heroes they would be playing and the basic mechanics, Xiang Kun sent a message in their newly created group of 11 people to indicate that they were ready. Then, in the game, Zhang Qian began to pull them into the game room.

Unlike Tang Baona and her friends who were just cramming for fun, in another hotel room, Zhang Qian, Yang Jie, Yang Zhuo, Zi Cheng, and Xiao Min were holding their phones, discussing tactics with focused and serious expressions, as if they were about to engage in a crucial battle.

The stakes didn't really matter, but Zhang Qian and Yang Jie were quite obsessed with beating Xiang Kun once, while Yang Zhuo and Xiao Min were equally eager to defeat Xiang Kun.

Of course, logically speaking, Xiang Kun's side has three novices, and You Meng's level isn't particularly strong either, so they should have been able to win no matter what.

The only thing to be careful about is Xiang Kun, the X factor.

Regarding Xiang Kun's tactical plan, Zi Cheng, his roommate and best friend for four years of university, naturally had the authority to speak, "I know Xiang Kun's gaming habits too well. Whether it's MOBA, RTS, or ARPG, he always prioritizes stability and focuses on farming. He won't make a move unless he has a significant advantage. So, in the early game, we can target their weaknesses, see which lane Ms. Tang and Ms. Xia are playing, and then focus our attack on that lane. Hmm, judging from their lineup, Xiang Kun will probably play jungle..."

When he saw that Xiang Kun's ID on the game loading screen was Tachibana Ukyo and had the "Punishment" buff, Zi Cheng glanced at Yang Jie and the others with a smug look—his deduction seemed to have been correct.

Moreover, Xiang Kun's team has two mages, Zhen Ji and Wang Zhaojun, a marksman named Lu Ban, and only one warrior, Arthur. Obviously, they have too many squishy characters, so his A Ke is going to wreak havoc!

But once the game started, just as he was about to take the blue buff with his character A Ke, Yang Zhuo, who was controlling Alistar wandering in the river, immediately shouted, "Brother Liu, run! Get out of here!"

Before Zicheng could react, he saw four enemy heroes swarming towards him, which startled him. He quickly called for help from Xiao Min in the mid lane and Zhang Qian in the top lane.

But when they came over despite having cleared half of the minion wave, Xiang Kun and his three companions suddenly retreated, only taking a small jungle monster and not the blue buff.

After Xiang Kun and his team feinted into invading their jungle at the beginning, Zicheng's rhythm was clearly disrupted, and they were quickly forced into their first team fight in front of the Tyrant.

To Zicheng's surprise, they were utterly crushed in this four-on-four team fight, suffering a 3-0 defeat and losing the Tyrant.

Xiang Kun and his team's fighting style was nothing like the cautious approach Zi Cheng had described; instead, it was extremely brutal and aggressive.

Moreover, no matter when, they always seem to appear as a group, always managing to outnumber their opponents and repeatedly invade the jungle, making it extremely difficult for Zicheng, the jungler, to play.

Next, the advantage gradually shifted towards Xiang Kun's team. In any team battle with more than three members, as long as Xiang Kun was involved, they never won.

Whenever Zicheng's A Ke tries to gank, the enemy seems to know in advance, always retreating back into their tower beforehand. If Akali stands brazenly on the minion wave, needless to say, there's a large group of people hiding in the bushes nearby, A Ke will be controlled to death the moment she shows her face.

After being wiped out in another team fight, Xiao Min couldn't help but wail, "This isn't right! Are Sister Nana and Zhen'er lying? They call this inexperienced? They call this complete newbies? This doesn't make sense!"

Yang Zhuo also looked puzzled. "It really doesn't make sense! Both of their mages have built Frostbite, but Lu Ban built Thornmail first? No wonder he didn't die after being focused down for so long... What kind of bizarre strategy is this?"

After the first game ended, Zicheng and his team were completely outmatched, but they were also very unwilling to accept defeat, so they decided to play another game, aiming for a best-of-three series.

However, if they heard Xiang Kun's instructions, they wouldn't have any questions about Tang Baona and the others' actions.

Inside Xiang Kun's room.

At the start of the second game, while they were still selecting characters, Xiang Kun said directly, "Lao Xia, you're playing jungle this game, pick Hou Yi."

"Huh?" Yang Zhen'er subconsciously looked up, surprised, "This is only Lao Xia's second game!" Although she and Tang Baona were also considered beginners, they had at least played a few games a few years ago, but this was Lao Xia's first time playing today. And he chose Hou Yi as the jungler? How is he supposed to gank and control the game?

Tang Baona laughed and said, "Lao Xia just played his first game, and he's already better than you."

Xiang Kun continued, "Nana will play Arthur in the top lane. Zhen'er will play Zhen Ji in the mid lane. You Meng Lu Bu in the bottom lane. I'll play Zhang Fei and roam as support."

Because they won the first game easily by following Xiang Kun's instructions, everyone naturally had no reason to question his orders and simply followed suit.

After entering the game, Xiang Kun's voice was almost non-stop:

"Nana went back down to the tower, while Zicheng and Yang Zhuo went over there."

"Lao Xia, follow me, overlap with me, crouch in the bushes, use your second skill in three seconds, then press the basic attack button. Zhen'er, get ready too, come help, use your second skill and go back to clear the minions, don't worry about anything else. Okay, Lao Xia, go in, focus fire, nice."

Zicheng, who had just appeared in the river, was slowed down by Lao Xia's Hou Yi's second skill. After a barrage of basic attacks, he was left with only half a health bar. He tried to run away but was knocked back by Xiang Kun's Zhang Fei's first skill, thus giving up First Blood in frustration.

"Zhen'er, place your first skill in the upper left corner against the wall. Yang Zhuo is there."

As expected, Yang Zhuo was forced out of the bushes by a skill and left dejectedly.

"You Meng, listen up! Zhang Qian, head to the bottom lane. You move a little closer to the tower and lure them over. Yes, don't clear the minions; save your second skill for the shield. We'll be there in about 9 seconds; hold them off."

With only half a health bar remaining, You Meng's Lu Bu did as instructed, twisting and turning on the minion wave.

"Zhen'er, use the third skill first, no need to drag the direction, just press 3, 2, 1! Nice! Lao Xia, use your ultimate skill over here, above my head, yes, in this direction! Beautiful!"

Lao Xia's Hou Yi's ultimate move successfully stunned Zhang Qian, and then Xiang Kun and the others rushed in.

"You Meng, jump directly to Xiao Min, she used Flash. Nana, follow up, use your ultimate first, then follow up with skills 1 and 2. Lao Xia, stick with me, whoever I attack, you attack. Don't be afraid of Zi Cheng, he'll die as soon as he comes out."

The pace of the team battle was completely "directed" by Xiang Kun.

"Nana, buy equipment. Click on the golden money bag, and select the Crimson Cloak in the defense section."

Xiang Kun knew everyone's finances inside and out.

"A team fight will start in about 20 seconds. Zhen'er, listen to my command and use your ultimate. Pull the arrow towards my direction at the top diagonal. When I say 'use,' you use it. Nana, after you see Zhen'er use her ultimate, press skills 1 and 2 to charge in, hit anyone you see, and then follow up with your ultimate. Lao Xia, stick with me, whoever I attack, you attack. You Meng, don't come out yet, I'll use my ultimate, then you follow up with your ultimate and jump in. OK, they're coming, Zhen'er, get ready, 3, 2, 1..."

Xiang Kun's voice was very steady. Although his speaking speed was not slow, it did not make people feel any urgency or anxiety. Moreover, he always gave orders in advance, allowing Tang Baona and others to be prepared and not to be flustered.

Although there were three newbies, the game wasn't too difficult. Many skills were self-locking, and following Xiang Kun's instructions, they played very easily.

The others remained mostly silent, and in fact, they didn't need to, because Xiang Kun had considered all the possible scenarios and arranged everything meticulously and comprehensively.

Only Yang Zhen'er occasionally called out in a low voice, "My kill!", "Triple kill!", "Triple Kill!~~~", "Here comes my bouncy ball!", "Hey Lao You, you stole my kill!", "Xiang Kun, get out of the way, I want to fight him one-on-one!"

Of course, although Yang Zhen'er shouted arrogantly, she was quite obedient to Xiang Kun's commands and didn't dare to actually step forward and fight someone one-on-one, because she knew that if she did, Xiang Kun would definitely betray her...

Although Lao Xia had only started playing the game today, in terms of mental fortitude, reaction time, finger dexterity, and learning ability, she was definitely the strongest besides Xiang Kun. So, even though she was playing Hou Yi as a jungler, under Xiang Kun's protection and command, she perfectly avoided the hero's weaknesses and maintained extremely high and stable output efficiency, achieving 35% damage share throughout the entire game. For Zi Cheng and his teammates, this squishy Hou Yi always seemed to appear out of nowhere, impossible to catch. And in team fights, every time they felt within reach, they were always perfectly controlled and could never be killed instantly.

For Xiang Kun, this kind of game is an ideal "sandbox" for him to experiment with cognitive models, make predictions, and further influence others and the overall situation.

Of course, his main reason for playing this game was to entertain his friends.

After two rounds, less than forty minutes had passed, and the kill difference in each round was over 20, which was basically a complete stomp.

After it was over, Zicheng and Yang Zhuo immediately ran over and knocked on the door, expressing strong doubts about Tang Baona and Yang Zhen'er's status as novices.

After chatting and laughing for a while, it was already past 2 a. m., so everyone went back to their rooms to sleep.

At 2:30, after Zicheng fell asleep, Xiang Kun left the room, went downstairs to the parking lot, drove the Sagitar, and determined the direction by sensing the small piece of paper in the notebook next to Mi Qiao that had established a "Super-Sensory Link".

Although he hadn't been to the place where Mi Qiao and the others were before, so he couldn't immediately pinpoint their exact location using his senses, he intuitively determined that they weren't far away. Driving in that direction for a while, if they got close enough, he could pinpoint their location directly.

Xiang Kun's original plan was to drive for an hour following the direction he sensed, and if he still couldn't pinpoint the location, he would go back.

Surprisingly, after only half an hour of driving, he was already able to determine the other party's location.

He could basically conclude that Mi Qiao and his group were most likely after the Mutated Creature at the Wushu Mountain Scenic Area. Their location was in a villa Wushu Mountain Scenic Area that touted its proximity to the scenic area, and it was indeed very close.

Instead of driving directly towards the villa area, Xiang Kun turned off the headlights, drove onto a side road, parked the car, and walked over.

There aren't many buildings around here, and the streetlights are only on in a small section near the villa.

The occupancy rate of this villa area was obviously not good; in Xiang Kun's perception, most of the buildings were deathly quiet.

In the villa area, only one security guard was dozing off in the gatehouse. Although many surveillance cameras were installed, very few were actually in operation. Such security measures were obviously useless to Xiang Kun.

After he entered the villa area, he quickly found his target location by relying on his sense of the piece of paper—a villa with an MPV parked in front of it, where Mi Qiao and the piece of paper were in a room on the second floor.

Xiang Kun didn't approach immediately because he detected multiple cameras operating outside the villa using infrared thermal imaging. Clearly, these were installed by Mi Qiao and his group. It was conceivable that besides surveillance, there were other security devices as well. Furthermore, he sensed that of the six people inside the building, one was still awake.

Xiang Kun could find blind spots in the surveillance cameras, slowly sneak in, and then observe and search for the security devices set up by the other party, trying to crack or bypass them. It wasn't that there was no way to get close without alerting them.

But his original purpose was simply to confirm Mi Qiao and his group's location; he didn't have any need to infiltrate or get close.

So after observing for a while, Xiang Kun prepared to leave.

However, before leaving, he had a sudden inspiration and decided to give it a try. He went to a secluded corner to sit down and sensed the "Black Circle Graffiti" in Mi Qiao's bag that had been used to "Emotional Injection," successfully triggering her dream.

In a room on the second floor of the villa, Mi Qiao opened her eyes in bed, glanced at her phone beside the bed, saw that it was only a little past three in the morning, yawned, turned over, and prepared to go back to sleep.

But as soon as she closed her eyes, she remembered the dream she had just had, so she suddenly sat up in bed, her brows furrowed.

She just had a dream in which she was discussing with Dr. Fang the unusual phenomena that occurred a couple of days ago at the "Shenxing Technology" secret research center in Ironpeace Town.

This is perfectly normal; as the saying goes, what you think about during the day, you dream about at night. After all, she had just discussed those topics with Dr. Fang before going to bed, and they were information that she was very interested in and had been thinking about.

Strangely, in the dream, Dr. Fang, who explained the possible problems with the Rabbit Woodcarving, gradually changed his appearance and became a man with slicked-back hair.

Although the person in her dream had somewhat blurry features, she recognized him instantly as Guo Tianxiang, the "vampire" she had once "followed."

Even more bizarrely, after Dr. Fang transformed into Guo Tianxiang, he said something to her:

"Help me... Be careful, Mr. Liang..."

The voice was neither Dr. Fang's nor Guo Tianxiang's; it was hoarse and unpleasant, and surprisingly, it sounded somewhat like Mr. Liang's voice.

This gave her a chilling feeling.