The Cause of the Mutation (Part 2)

At the airport, after replying to WeChat, Xia Libing put her phone in her pocket and continued looking at a black softcover notebook in her hand.

However, this notebook was neither the one she used to record her own situation and behavioral patterns, nor the two notebooks she later used to record Xiang Kun's mutation and observations during his dormant period with special symbols. Instead, it was a noticeably smaller A6-sized notebook.

The notebook contained records of Xiang Kun's perception of Lao Xia's "Napoleon cake" a few days ago in a "Hyper-Sensory State." Through his "compilation," he "described" the cognitive information that could not be perceived by traditional sensory abilities through "Black Circle Graffiti."

The "Black Circle Graffiti" that Xiang Kun created before was basically just a rough outline of the cognitive information he perceived. He recorded whatever came to mind, so it was very fragmented.

This time, however, he attempted to depict Lao Xia's "Napoleon cake" entirely through Black Circle Graffiti, focusing solely on this one object.

However, just like when he sensed the "Mutated Creature" holding the Rabbit Woodcarving in his "Hyper-Sensory State" last time, the "Napoleon cake" that Lao Xia had been sensing kept going, like a mille-feuille or a nesting doll, layer upon layer, endlessly, as if he could never sense it all.

So even after Xiang Kun finished drawing Black Circle Graffiti on all 74 single-sided pages of that A6 notebook, he still couldn't fully describe the cognitive information about "Napoleon cake"—or, in his judgment, it was simply impossible to describe it completely, possibly because it was an object manifested through "Super-Linked Object".

He drew this entire book of "Black Circle Graffiti" about the manifested Napoleon cake, mainly to help Lao Xia further understand the ability of "Fantasy Manifestation", analyze the essence of manifested objects, and thereby find the connection and essence between "Emotion-Infused Object" and "Super-Linked Object", and develop more methods to apply the "Super-Sensing Item System".

Although Xia Libing could tell that the various Black Circle Graffiti Xiang Kun before had some hidden pattern and weren't just random scribbles, she couldn't quite figure out what that pattern was.

Even after Xiang Kun explained the meaning of those arcs to her, she still couldn't make a connection. After all, the perception under "Hyper-Sensory State" is difficult for people without such perception abilities to understand, and even Xiang Kun himself had a very limited understanding of that cognitive information.

This 74-page notebook filled with "Black Circle Graffiti" is entirely dedicated to describing an object, an object that Lao Xia himself "manifested," making it easier for Lao Xia to understand and interpret related cognitive information.

However, after receiving the notebook filled with drawings, Lao Xia spent a long time looking at it, using various methods to analyze and summarize its characteristics, and constantly consulting Xiang Kun, who created the Black Circle Graffiti style of expression, but he still couldn't figure out how to understand these circles and curves.

The opportunity arose last night, or rather, early this morning.

While keeping watch over Xiang Kun during his coma, Xia Libing flipped through the Black Circle Graffiti notebook she had nicknamed "CAKE01" and was actually "manifesting" the "Napoleon cake" when she suddenly had a feeling.

She seemed to have established some kind of special connection with the 74 Black Circle Graffiti in the booklet in her hand, but she could never concretely and practically perceive the impact of this connection on herself.

Xia Libing kept trying and finally discovered that when she imagined the process of "manifesting" the Napoleon cake in her mind, and then imagined herself as the "Napoleon cake" she manifested, she could easily follow this connection and immerse herself in a very peculiar world of consciousness.

In that world of consciousness, she experienced a perception she had never felt before—but she was well aware that this was neither the "sixth sense" that Xiang Kun had described, nor was it entering a "Hyper-Sensory State," because this perception was still based on the cognition of the other five senses.

Recalling Xiang Kun's description of how "Little Apple" perceived the emotional projection of the "Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Wooden Carving" that she had never seen before and was even unaware of, through the "Emotion-Infused Object" in her hand, Xia Libing guessed that she might also be able to perceive other "Emotion-Infused Object" through this special sense and through this world of consciousness, and even perceive other people who could establish a connection with "Emotion-Infused Object" or be affected by the emotions of "Emotion-Infused Object" in this way.

Xia Libing earnestly experienced that sensation, like someone going into the water for the first time, not exploring the waters, but first learning to tread water and learn to swim.

This discovery made Xia Libing realize that the "Black Circle Graffiti" created by Xiang Kun expressed cognitive information under the "Hyper-Sensory State." Although it was "visible" on the surface, a kind of "symbol" and "code," in reality, due to the special nature of the information it expressed, the best way to "understand" it was still to establish connections and perception.

In other words, the 74 pages of Black Circle Graffiti in this "CAKE01" notebook are not for reading, but for "using".

She also knew that the reason she suddenly became connected with the Black Circle Graffiti at this time was probably related to the mutation that Xiang Kun underwent during his dormant period.

This notebook was Xiang Kun before he fell into a deep sleep. When Xia Libing got her hands on it, it had not yet been officially transformed into an "Emotional Injection item".

It wasn't until Xiang Kun's blood-drinking slumber that the transformation process was fully completed. It was also at this time that she established a deep connection with this "Emotion-Infused Object" through the "Napoleon cake" that she "described".

After Xiang Kun woke up and learned of this situation, he also thought that Lao Xia's perception of the "Emotion-Infused Object" connection was somewhat similar to that of "Little Apple," except that Lao Xia had not yet "explored" other "Emotion-Infused Object."

Of course, it's also possible that Lao Xia and "Little Apple" are not on the same "network," or that the "Emotion-Infused Object" they connect to are not on the same "port" or "protocol."

We'll have to wait and see how Lao Xia investigates further to find out the specifics.

Upon arriving at the airport, due to flight delays, Xia Libing spent several hours in the waiting room frequently entering that world of consciousness through "CAKE01," practicing controlling her senses within it and further exploring her abilities.

Xia Libing also discovered that when she was immersed in this state, her consciousness was not affected by physical fatigue. In other words, in that state, she was not disturbed by drowsiness, and her mind could remain highly active.

And during that process, the body seems to be in a semi-resting state, so it consumes less energy.

Therefore, during Xiang Kun's slumber this time, after guarding him for 25 hours, she felt much less tired and less sleepy than the previous two times.

Therefore, after Xia Libing entered the world of consciousness through "CAKE01", she not only engaged in perception and exploration, but also considered the questions that she would normally need to think about.

She even considered using this method to replace some of her sleep time in the future. Wouldn't that give her a lot more time for thinking and working?

This method is especially useful when "keeping watch" over Xiang Kun during his blood-drinking slumber. It should be able to keep watch for 48 hours, let alone 25. In the "world of consciousness," she can leave at any time and "awake" at any time without interfering with the monitoring of Xiang Kun's slumber data. The degree of freedom is extremely high.

In fact, when she was first able to have lucid dreams, Xia Libing had considered whether she could have lucid dreams every time she fell asleep, and use them for work, thinking, and learning.

However, she quickly rejected this idea because it would require binding Xiang Kun and simultaneously performing dream perception, which would essentially "hijack" Xiang Kun for a period of time. Considering the combined time efficiency of the two people, it wouldn't be worthwhile.

Furthermore, she discovered that simply having her dreams triggered by Xiang Kun's "Emotion-Infused Object" wouldn't significantly affect her sleep quality. However, if she introduced a "Super-Linked Object" projection and entered a "lucid dream" state, it would still have some impact on her sleep. This is one of the reasons why she had such heavy dark circles under her eyes and hadn't been getting enough sleep lately. Of course, the main reason was that she had kept watch over Xiang Kun during his three blood-drinking slumber periods.

But now, this method of entering the "world of consciousness" through "CAKE01" has allowed her to discover a way to achieve a better state of mind and more time for reflection.

In the past, Xia Libing's most frequent thoughts were about why she couldn't perceive most normal emotions, how to perceive normal emotions, and how to observe and summarize the behavioral patterns and emotional expressions of other people, and then think about how to imitate these expressions.

But now, Xia Libing's thoughts are mainly related to Xiang Kun's mutation, including the reasons for his mutation, the characteristics of his mutation, the related "Super-Sensing Item System", the characteristics of the various "developers" under this system, and so on.

As for matters related to her own emotions, she left them directly to Xiang Kun. In the short term, she could experience various emotions through Xiang Kun's "Emotional Assimilation." However, if she wanted to gain permanent emotional experiences in the long term, she would have to rely on understanding and applying Xiang Kun's various abilities.

Just like Xiang Kun's "Super-Sensing Item System," if she could obtain the emotions contained in all of Xiang Kun's "Emotional Injection items" and use them at any time, then in a sense, she would also possess the emotional perception ability of a normal person.

Therefore, Xia Libing knew that at this stage, her demands were basically the same as Xiang Kun's.

Now, sitting in the waiting hall, in the "world of consciousness," Xia Libing, having stopped perceiving and exploring, is pondering the reason for Xiang Kun's mutation.

Although in the past two weeks, she obtained information about Xiang Kun's experiences before and after the mutation on July 11, the memory fragments of other "Mutated Creature" that Xiang Kun had compiled, and even went with him to the habitat of the "Giant Owl" for on-site investigation.

But after two weeks, she became increasingly confused about the reason for Xiang Kun's mutation.

When we went to the habitat of the "Giant Owl" before, Xiang Kun carried all the food, water, supplies, tents, sleeping bags, and tools needed for wilderness survival. Xiang Kun Xia Libing carried lighter items in her bag, and even for most of the time when we were traveling in the mountains, Xiang Kun her backpack on his chest.

Because Xiang Kun's strength and stamina far exceed those of ordinary people, it is most efficient for him to carry the load. On the way, Xiang Kun even joked that he should have gotten a basket so that Xia Libing could sit in it, so that he could travel faster by himself than the two of them could walk.

Xia Libing also knew that when Xiang Kun came to explore this area last time, he basically didn't bring anything. This was because he didn't need to eat or rest, and he didn't need to sleep outside of his blood-drinking period. His physical fitness and sensory abilities far surpassed those of ordinary people. He had night vision and the ability to scare away wild beasts and insects, so he didn't need to bring anything or any tools.

He has evolved so many more times since the last time he came, and his various qualities are stronger. He has also gained many new abilities. In the wild, it's not just about adaptability and survival, but rather dominance. Apart from other "Mutated Creature," there should be no creature in the mountains and forests stronger than him. Theoretically, he can even use his "Mental Intimidation" ability to coerce and drive some animals to a certain extent.

With Xiang Kun's care, Xia Libing lived comfortably in the wild. Xiang Kun could prepare almost anything, and he would also keep watch over Xiang Kun at night, so she didn't have to worry about wild animals or mosquitoes bothering her.

Observing the differences Xiang Kun and herself, or rather, between herself and ordinary people, Xia Libing also had a question.

Given the vast difference in abilities between Xiang Kun and ordinary humans, why does Xiang Kun still appear no different from an ordinary human?

Other Mutated Creature, such as "Giant Owl," "mutated spiders," "mutated birds," "mutated ants," and "long-horned wolves," have undergone significant changes in appearance based on their habitat, survival needs, and the direction of their mutations.

However, both Xiang Kun and Guo Tianxiang, after their mutations, retained their human forms.

Guo Tianxiang can be said to have relatively few mutations, and the abilities he has evolved are rather mystical, mainly affecting people through sound and visual contact, and can be said to have little to do with human form.

However, Xiang Kun has evolved so many abilities that, in Xia Libing's opinion, it would be more reasonable for Xiang Kun to have grown a pair of antennae on his head now than for him to remain largely unchanged.

Xia Libing then speculated that, just as "Super-Sensory Link" and "Emotional Injection" are directly related to consciousness, the mutation factor X should also be linked to the consciousness of the "Mutated Creature".

Xiang Kun and Guo Tianxiang live in human society and have a need to integrate into it, so they are unwilling to change their form. No matter how big the mutation is, it must be based on the human appearance. However, creatures such as "owls", "spiders", "ants", and "big birds" do not have the psychological awareness to maintain their appearance. They mutate in whatever way can maximize the efficiency of their evolved abilities.

After discussing her hypothesis with Xiang Kun said that he had reached the same conclusion a long time ago, and his method of training to guide the direction of mutation and evolution had been adjusted accordingly.

However, after recalling the details of her discussion with Xiang Kun and the information about other "Mutated Creature," Xia Libing had another idea today.

Even if the mutation factor X is influenced by the consciousness or subconsciousness of the Mutated Creature, it would be very difficult to control the degree of mutation and evolution so precisely, and to prevent Xiang Kun's appearance from undergoing inhuman changes. This is an extremely complex project, a huge project full of too many variables.

Why is the mutation factor X so highly adaptable to a wide variety of organisms, and able to control mutations so precisely according to their needs and subconscious desires?

The various microscopic tissues that make up an organism are like countless different kinds of soldiers. If a commander is parachuted in, even if he has an appointment letter and command authority, when actually commanding a large-scale operation, there may still be situations where he does not have a sufficient understanding of the soldiers' capabilities or the soldiers do not execute orders properly.

If the mutation factor is external, how can it so precisely control the mutations of various organisms?

Xia Libing couldn't help but speculate that perhaps X itself existed within the "Mutated Creature," and that it wasn't a "parachuted" commander, but rather a commander "promoted" from among ordinary soldiers?

Furthermore, it's not just "Mutated Creature"; all living things possess X within them, but it hasn't been "activated" or become the driving force behind mutation.

This might also explain why, before each mutation and evolution, "Mutated Creature" experience hunger and need to devour the "blood" of other creatures—perhaps this is to replenish X?

In the waiting hall, Xia Libing, who was looking down at her "CAKE01" notebook, sat one seat away from a middle-aged, handsome man dressed in a fashionable and avant-garde style, who would occasionally glance at her out of the corner of his eye.

Clearly, the handsome man had developed a strong interest in the beautiful girl with a ponytail and a unique temperament—in fact, there were several other men secretly watching Xia Libing in the waiting area.

However, this handsome man was clearly a man of action. After observing for a while, he straightened his clothes, got up, and sat down quite naturally next to Xia Libing. Then, he casually glanced at the Black Circle Graffiti in Xia Libing's open notebook and said, "This painting looks like abstract expressionism? Beautiful lady, did you paint this? Ah, excuse me, I used to run an art gallery in New York, so I know a bit about art. I'm just curious..."

Xia Libing, who was looking down at her notebook, slowly raised her head and then slowly turned to look at him.

The handsome man, who was wearing what he thought was his most charming smile, was about to introduce himself to Xia Libing when he suddenly noticed that the ponytail beauty had blank, unfocused eyes. Her eyes were open, but she seemed not to see or think anything, as if she wasn't even there.

This feeling sent a chill down the handsome man's spine, and his smile froze on his face. Although the ponytail beauty's features were still exquisite and beautiful, her eyes and overall demeanor gave him a creepy feeling.

"Um... oh, sorry to bother you... I apologize for being so forward..." The handsome man didn't wait for Xia Libing's reply before returning to his original seat. After sitting for a few seconds, he picked up his bag and moved to the seat next to him.

Xia Libing slowly turned her head, continuing to look at the notebook in her hand, but her eyes gradually regained focus.

She had been in the "world of consciousness" for a while, but her body was actually in a semi-sleep state. Although her eyes were open, there was no visual input.

The handsome man had just spoken to her, and her subconscious knew he was talking to her, but before her mind had fully detached from her conscious world, her body reacted first, turning her head away.

She really didn't mean to scare people this time...

But this is good, it saves us the trouble of dealing with it.

Xia Libing yawned, continued to droop her head, and entered the "world of consciousness" to "catch up on sleep" in this way.