Unavoidable Circumstances
Every half hour, Xia Libing would get up to check on Xiang Kun's physical condition and record the relevant data with paper and pen, using special symbols she had created.
Compared to when he was awake, Xiang Kun's breathing rate is now much faster, and his body temperature is also rising.
However, there is still a lot of relevant data that cannot be observed and measured under the current conditions, and more equipment is needed.
While observing Xiang Kun's sleeping state, Xia Libing wrote down the equipment and tools she needed to purchase in her black softcover notebook—not the one she always used, but a new one she had bought when she went out before.
Before turning back to her computer chair, Xia Libing suddenly noticed that the webcam indicator light on the computer desk was on, but it went out as soon as she took two steps toward the desk.
This made her even more confused. She walked to the computer desk, turned on a monitor, and tapped the keyboard to wake up the system. Instead of the Windows login screen, she saw a normal Windows 10 desktop with no icons except for the Recycle Bin and This PC. The wallpaper was also the system default.
She checked the camera's connection and confirmed that it was connected to the same computer she was currently using. After all, there were three computer mainframes, two monitors, and a laptop in Xiang Kun's bedroom. However, given Xiang Kun's current status as an independent developer and what he had done before, it was normal for him to have so many computers.
After disabling the camera in Device Manager, Xia Libing turned the monitor off again. But after thinking for a moment, she turned the camera around to face the wall.
Her first thought was that Xiang Kun's computer had been hacked and someone was remotely controlling the webcam, so her first instinct was to unplug the network cable. But then she thought that given Xiang Kun's knowledge of computers and network security, and his personality, it was unlikely that such a situation would occur. Moreover, Xiang Kun had specifically instructed her not to disconnect the power to the computer in the corner and not to operate it, so perhaps the webcam had "started" on its own because of Xiang Kun's settings.
Just to be on the safe side, Xia Libing decided to point the camera at the wall first. After all, she already had a camera she bought to record Xiang Kun's sleeping state, so there was no need for other equipment to record.
Xia Libing glanced again at the main unit connected to the UPS in the corner, thinking of the small generator in the living room that she didn't have before she went to Citong City, and recalling Xiang Kun's instruction that "the power must not be cut off," she seemed to be deep in thought.
It seems Xiang Kun put a lot of thought into ensuring the power supply to that main unit.
She knew Xiang Kun wouldn't do anything meaningless, so there might be some program running on that computer, and this process might be very important to Xiang Kun and couldn't be interrupted. Although Xiang Kun had only told her not to cut off the power, not the internet, she wasn't sure if the program needed the internet to run, so she hadn't rashly unplugged the network cable.
Xia Libing sat back down in her computer chair, picked up her notebook, and started writing and drawing, jotting down her thoughts, things she needed to do next, and things she needed to buy, so she could discuss them with Xiang Kun when he woke up.
Time ticked by, and Xia Libing showed no impatience. When she wasn't writing in her notebook, she would flip the Coin with the back of her hand, feeling the connection between herself and the "Super-Linked Object," wondering if that "control" had changed because of Xiang Kun's blood-drinking slumber.
She would occasionally pick up the chopsticks and the Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Wooden Carving to play with, and look at the lyrics written with a brush and the two Black Circle Graffiti that Xiang Kun had given her before, trying to see if she could observe or perceive the characteristics of these "Emotional Injection items" in a non-dreamlike state.
Around 12:00, feeling a bit hungry, Xia Libing took the bread and milk she had bought that morning to Xiang Kun's bedroom and ate them while sitting in the computer chair.
Taking a bite of toast, a bite of the crispy pork knuckle that appeared in the image, a sip of milk, and another bite of the roasted chicken wing that appeared in the image—this not only improved the taste of the afternoon meal but also allowed them to verify whether Xiang Kun's slumber affected his "Fantasy Manifestation" ability.
Around 2 p. m., Xiang Kun was only wearing a pair of baggy basketball shorts on the bed, still looked unchanged. However, after Xia Libing checked him, she found that Xiang Kun's body temperature had begun to drop. It was not only lower than when he first fell asleep, but also lower than before he drank blood and under normal circumstances. His heart rate and pulse rate also dropped sharply, almost to zero.
If someone unaware of Xiang Kun's condition were to suddenly touch Xiang Kun body, they would likely be terrified, thinking he had become a corpse.
After recording his observation data, Xia Libing sat back down in his computer chair and began to think about the reasons for this situation.
The phone on the computer desk vibrated. Xia Libing turned around and glanced at it. It wasn't her phone; it was Xiang Kun's.
Before falling asleep, Xiang Kun handed his phone to her for safekeeping, instructing her to reply on his behalf in certain unavoidable situations, but in most cases, whether it was a message or a call, she didn't need to worry about it.
Xia Libing thought for a moment, took Xiang Kun's phone, unlocked it, and looked at the newly sent QQ message. It was a voice message from someone nicknamed "Great Mage Little Bell," asking some very simple questions about electromagnetism.
Under normal circumstances, Xia Libing would not reply on behalf of Xiang Kun for such a question—clearly this is not a "last resort."
But upon seeing the nickname, the portrait of a round-faced little girl with a cat-ear hood that was clearly drawn by herself with watercolors, and the little girl's familiar voice, Xia Libing realized that this was Liu Shiling, the little girl who had lived next door to Xiang Kun, had a special connection with Xiang Kun's "Super-Linked Object," and had "dined" with her in her Liu Shiling.
Xiang Kun had told her about the little girl's "developed" abilities and knew about her special qualities. So, after thinking for a moment, Xia Libing replied to Liu Shiling in what she thought was the simplest and easiest-to-understand way, answering her question.
But a dozen seconds later, a voice message came from the other end:
"Aren't you Uncle Baldy?"
Before Xia Libing could ask her how she figured it out, another voice message came through:
"I don't understand what you're saying, so you're definitely not Uncle Baldy."
Then came another voice message: "Ah! Right! Baldy Uncle should be at home, so... are you Baldy Uncle's parents?"
Another audio message: "Hello, bald grandpa, bald grandma... no, wait!"
The voice message was retracted.
A few seconds later, a new voice message came through. "Hello Grandpa, hello Grandma! This is Liu Shiling! Happy New Year!"
Xia Libing looked at the voice messages coming in one after another with some helplessness. After thinking for a moment, she searched for pictures of "roasted chicken wings" on her phone, selected one, and sent it over.
A few seconds later, Liu Shiling sent a voice message: "Ah! It's Roast Chicken Wing Sister! It's Roast Chicken Wing Sister from my dream? Is it you?"
Xia Libing sent a nodding emoji, understanding in her heart. It seemed that although Liu Shiling was not in a lucid dream state during the previous "dinner party," she still remembered it after waking up, and seemed to take it for granted that Xia Libing also remembered it.
Liu Shiling's voice message continued, "Roast Chicken Wing Sister, are you hiding in Uncle Baldy's phone right now?"
The voice message was retracted.
Liu Shiling sent a new voice message: "Roast Chicken Wing Sister, do you have Uncle Baldy's phone now?"
Xia Libing thought for a moment, then sent a bald head emoji, followed by a sleeping Zzz emoji, then a girl's profile picture, and then a phone emoji.
Liu Shiling instantly understood the meaning of the emojis and sent a cheerful voice message: "Roast Chicken Wing Sister, do you mean Uncle Bald is sleeping? Roast Chicken Wing Sister, can you come to my dreams again tonight? Those chicken wings were so delicious, as were the pork knuckle and the cake... They were all so good... I'll treat you to some glutinous rice balls! Mom made me some really delicious glutinous rice balls today!"