Arriving in Star City
"Going to Star City?" Xia Libing asked after seeing Xiang Kun finish sending the voice message.
"Yes, that cat might be connected to the 'Super-Sensing Item System' like 'Gold Glitter.' Of course, there are big differences in the specific form. I need to contact that cat directly to check it out," Xiang Kun said.
Currently, although Little Chubby Girl, Little Apple, and Lao Xia are all within his "Super-Sensing Item System," they all use "Super-Linked Object" and "Emotion-Infused Object" to call upon Xiang Kun's abilities and have "developed" various ways to do so, which in turn helps Xiang Kun improve his understanding and application of his abilities.
However, fundamentally, the three of them have different connections to the "Super-Sensing Item System" and use their abilities in completely different ways.
If the three of them are operating three different clients to connect to Xiang Kun, then their operating systems are completely different.
But without a doubt, the way the Little Chubby Girl connects is closest to the underlying application of "Super-Linked Object" and is also the most self-contained system—although she herself may not fully understand what her system is.
"Am I going too?" Xia Libing asked again.
"Yes, you should go too. You can also learn about how Little Bell applies the 'Super-Sensing Item System', which might help you better develop 'Fantasy Manifestation'," Xiang Kun said. "I'll book the train ticket. You should go catch up on your sleep first, and I'll wake you up when it's time to leave."
Xiang Kun and Xia Libing arrived in Star City at 2:30 pm.
After exiting the station, seeing that there were many people at the taxi stand, the two of them boarded a bus directly.
After a few stops, Xiang Kun took Lao Xia off the bus to transfer.
While waiting for another bus at the bus stop, Xia Libing suddenly turned her head and glanced at Xiang Kun next to her.
Xiang Kun, who was always well aware of all the information around her, naturally knew what Lao Xia meant by the questioning look she gave him—she had just seen a thin young man quickly snatch a cell phone from the pocket of a middle-aged man boarding the bus in front of him with a clip, at the door of a bus that was stopped not far away and was picking up passengers. The speed was extremely fast, and it was done in the blink of an eye.
After getting the phone, the thin young man and his companion, who had been pushing the middle-aged man onto the bus, immediately left the flow of people boarding and turned to the side.
Nowadays, people rarely carry large amounts of cash, and payments are mostly made via mobile phones. Since mobile phones are held in hand most of the time, even if a phone is stolen, various system lock-up methods mean that it can only be sold for parts. With real-name registration and various surveillance cameras everywhere, the space for pickpockets to survive is getting smaller and smaller. It is truly rare to witness a live pickpocketing.
Xiang Kun understood that if Lao Xia knew what she could notice, he, with his much stronger perception, could certainly notice it too.
So that look he gave was an inquiry, asking if he was going to do something.
Xiang Kun gently shook his head at Lao Xia, meaning he would do nothing.
Lao Xia didn't say much. Although she judged that Xiang Kun would at least call the police if he encountered such a situation, she also knew that Xiang Kun's choices must have their reasons, and he probably already had a pre-determined plan.
Lao Xia's judgment was indeed correct. Under normal circumstances, if he encountered such a situation, he would definitely try to stop it, secretly record a video and call the police, or at least shout "You're stealing my phone!" and run away to warn the owner.
But he did nothing now, because he not only discovered the pickpocket, but also several plainclothes officers hiding near the station.
Yes, the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. This was not only a rare pickpocketing scene, but also an even rarer police operation.
Just a second after Xiang Kun gently shook his head at Lao Xia, several plainclothes officers who had been watching for a long time immediately took action. With shouts of "Police! Don't move!", three pickpockets, including the two who had just succeeded in their theft, who were roaming the station, were all pinned to the ground.
Another plainclothes policewoman stopped the bus that had just closed its doors and told the middle-aged victim that his phone had been stolen.
After their initial shock and disbelief, the people waiting at the bus stop and the passengers on the bus next to them spontaneously applauded and cheered.
The middle-aged man whose phone had been stolen was particularly excited. He wanted to shake the female plainclothes officer's hand, but then hesitated and seemed a little embarrassed. Instead, he turned around and gave a big hug to a chubby male plainclothes officer next to him to express his gratitude. If the phone had really been lost, it wouldn't just be the phone itself that was at risk; the data stored on it, as well as the time and security costs of replacing it, would have been far greater than the phone itself.
Seeing this, Xia Libing immediately understood what Xiang Kun meant by shaking his head.
However, at this moment, Xiang Kun gently tugged at her sleeve, then took a few steps back and sat on the empty waiting bench that had been vacated because everyone had stood up to watch the excitement.
Seeing Xiang Kun sitting on the bench with his eyes closed, looking as if he were in deep meditation, Xia Libing immediately understood that he was about to enter a "Hyper-Sensory State".
But why enter "Hyper-Sensory State" at this time?
A few seconds later, a flurry of cell phone ringtones suddenly broke out from the crowd of onlookers.
It sounded like five or six phones were ringing at the same time, but the sound was all focused on one person.
Suddenly, everyone's eyes turned to the source of the sound, which was a man with a backpack and a flustered expression. The ringtone of his cell phone was coming from his bag.
Several plainclothes officers also noticed the man. When they saw him turn to run, they immediately surrounded him and, with the help of bystanders, successfully pinned him to the ground.
Upon opening their backpacks, the group found several cell phones of various colors and shapes. Strangely, all of these phones were switched off, yet they were all emitting the loudest ringtones.
After the man was pinned down, all the phones stopped ringing.
After just one inspection of the backpack, the plainclothes officer confirmed that this was the guy who was an accomplice of the three pickpockets; they had simply overlooked him before.
However, before he could sneak away, all the phones in his backpack rang.
Xia Libing turned around and saw that Xiang Kun had opened his eyes, stood up from the waiting bench, and looked at a bus that was about to pull into the station, saying, "The bus is here, let's go."
Xia Libing looked down and noticed that Xiang Kun had just clenched his fist. A few tungsten steel beads had floated up from the ground, entered his hand, and then he casually put them into his pocket.
There's no doubt that the simultaneous ringing of the phones in the backpacks of the escaped suspects was Xiang Kun's doing.
Xia Libing had previously witnessed Xiang Kun using "Super-Linked Object" to affect cell phone signals, interfere with cell phone usage, and perform some very basic operations, such as adjusting the volume to make the ringtone sound.
Moreover, judging from the situation, Xiang Kun may have realized that the suspect with the backpack would be missed even before the plainclothes officers started or even before they took action, and had already secretly arranged for the "Super-Linked Object" bead used for operation to be sent out in advance.
However, Xia Libing was still puzzled. "Can a phone that's turned off still make a sound?"
"Yes, as long as the battery isn't removed. Of course, removing the battery isn't entirely impossible, it's just a bit more complicated. The specific steps are..." Xiang Kun then quietly explained the underlying principles to Lao Xia, and how his abilities utilized these principles to achieve this.
After roughly understanding, Xia Libing said thoughtfully, "Is this a practical application of the concept of 'parasitic environment'?"
Xiang Kun shook his head slightly. "No, this is still a relatively direct operation, not the concept of 'parasitism'. If it were a 'parasitic' method, then I would have influenced the police beforehand, making them notice the overlooked suspect, or directly influencing the suspect to turn himself in. Moreover, this influence would be continuous; if I wanted to influence other things in the future, I would use them again."
"Aren't there too many 'parameters' involved?"
"For me right now, of course there are too many, so I have to make choices."
There were no seats on the bus, so the two stood near the back door, whispering and discussing something.
It's very close to the Little Chubby Girl's house; it's only a few stops away.
Before booking the tickets, Xiang Kun had already called Shiling's Mother to tell her that he was going to Star City with friends and would visit her there. He then asked where Shi Little Chubby Girl were staying and arranged their approximate arrival time.
Early this morning, after sending a voice message to Xiang Kun, the Little Chubby Girl still couldn't fall asleep and kept rolling around in bed until her mother woke her up for dinner around 6 a. m.
She couldn't sleep because she was worried about "Egg Pie's" condition, but after learning that Xiang Kun and Xia Libing were coming to Star City, the Little Chubby Girl was excited and looking forward to it, so she couldn't sleep.
Although "Egg Pie" was still listless on the sofa cushion and wouldn't move, the Little Chubby Girl was no longer worried, because she was sure that "Uncle Bald" would be able to solve the problem when he arrived.
And "Uncle Bald" said he would treat her to something delicious!
She also gets to meet the "Roast Chicken Wing Sister," who is also very powerful and has "magic"!
This kept her in a state of high spirits and excitement all morning, as if she was about to jump for joy. When she greeted the other children at kindergarten, her voice was slightly shaky, carrying an unusual cheerfulness. Almost everyone could feel her happy mood.
However, this mood didn't last long. After all, she hadn't slept much last night, so she fell asleep several times during class this morning. She even fell asleep standing up while leaning against the back of the little girl in front of her while the teacher was teaching dance.
The little girl she was leaning against seemed quite happy and pleased with herself.
After a good nap during lunch break and another short nap in the afternoon, Liu Shiling was full of energy again by the time school ended.
Upon seeing the three men standing at the door, arranged in a staggered formation of height, Liu Shiling took off running, called out "Uncle Bald!" and then burst into laughter.
The Little Chubby Girl rushed over, Xiang Kun caught her, lifted her high, and then gently put her down. He pinched her cheeks lightly and laughed, "You seem to have lost weight?"
The Little Chubby Girl nodded earnestly. "Because the 'Egg Pie' always shares the snacks with it, it's gotten so fat, and I've gotten so thin from starving."
"Haha." Xiang Kun laughed and patted her head.
Shiling's Mother, standing nearby, ruthlessly exposed. "'Egg Pie' snacks were all bought separately, okay? Have you forgotten how much heavier you were when you weighed yourself at the beginning of the semester compared to last semester?"
Liu Shiling pretended not to hear her mother's words and reached out to take Xia Libing's hand. "Roast Chicken Wing Sister, you're so tall! Your hair is so pretty! Your eyes are pretty too! Your nose is pretty too..."