I Really Don't Want to Scare People

Around 3 a. m., a white Audi Q7 slowly drove off the paved road of Riverside Road and onto the dimly lit muddy ground where there were no streetlights.

The woman in the passenger seat, dressed in a business suit, gripped the window handle nervously and asked, "Why are you driving here? Be careful not to get stuck in the mud."

The middle-aged man driving chuckled and said, "Don't worry, I've been here many times, I know this place very well."

The woman narrowed her eyes, glancing sideways at him, her tone slightly lowered. "Oh? You two seem to know each other well? It seems you often bring girls here, Mr. Wang?"

The middle-aged man's expression remained unchanged as he said naturally, "You've misunderstood. I just often work late at night and come here alone to quiet down, have a smoke, look at the moon, listen to the river, and calm my mind. This is my private place. Today... is the first time I've brought someone here, whether man or woman; you're the first."

The woman chuckled softly, her gaze returning to the distance, and said quietly, "Whether you mean it sincerely or made it up on the spot, I believe you."

The car stopped, and the middle-aged man opened the sunroof and said to the woman next to him, "Look at the sky."

The woman looked up. The weather was excellent tonight, the starry sky was brilliant and very clear. Such a scene is extremely rare to see in big cities with severe light pollution.

The man's voice rang out again. "My heart is like this night sky, don't you understand?"

The woman scoffed, "Are you saying you have a particularly black heart?"

"Naughty!" The middle-aged man chuckled, reached out, unbuckled the woman's seatbelt, and laid the passenger seat back.

Time passed slowly, and the middle-aged man and woman began to recline in their seats, holding hands and chatting softly, tenderly.

Then, at some point, they could no longer see the night sky through the skylight, because they were surrounded by fog.

"What's going on? Why is it suddenly foggy?" The middle-aged man frowned, turned on his headlights, but found that visibility was still very low.

The woman sat up abruptly and reached out to turn off the car lights.

"What are you doing?" the man asked, puzzled.

The woman raised her hand to cover his mouth, shushed him, and whispered, "I think I heard water... it's a bit strange."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man became a little nervous, immediately turned off the car, and listened carefully.

The car became quiet, and the sounds from outside, coming in through the open sunroof, became exceptionally clear.

This place is by the river, so it's normal to hear the sound of the river. But the sound the woman heard was clearly not the normal sound of flowing river water; it sounded like something was coming out of the water.

And now, they faintly heard something moving in the grass.

A light sweat broke out on the middle-aged man's forehead, and he subconsciously held his breath.

If he only hears something moving in the grass, he won't pay much attention to it, because it's most likely a small animal like a stray cat, dog, or mouse, which is quite normal.

They stayed in the car and were perfectly safe.

But this clear night, where one moment you can see the stars, is suddenly shrouded in thick fog; it's just too eerie and too strange.

For some reason, he thought of two movies he had watched with a girl many years ago: Silent Hill and The Mist.

Upon seeing fog seeping in through the sunroof, the middle-aged man's heart skipped a beat. He restarted the car, intending to close the sunroof and prepare to risk driving through the fog.

But unexpectedly, after pressing the STAR ENGINE button, the car didn't respond.

He began to feel uneasy, and a slight chill ran down his spine.

Seeing the man frantically pressing the start button, but the car didn't respond, the woman said in a trembling voice, "The car... the car is broken? Why now of all times..."

She glanced back at the white mist outside the window and whispered, "I've heard before that there are some things in this river..."

"Shut up! Don't spout those hearsay stories now!" the man snapped irritably, picking up his phone only to find the screen wouldn't light up, as if it had frozen.

So, the idea of using my phone as a light to get out of the car and check was immediately abandoned.

A surge of anger welled up within him, and he even considered smashing his phone against the center console.

The woman checked her phone as well, but couldn't turn it on either. She couldn't help but ask again, "Could it be... we're no longer in Star City?"

This time, the man didn't shout, because his mind was also filled with all sorts of guesses and corresponding images.

The rustling of the grass outside felt like the claws of a monster, scratching at his heart.

Just then, the phone rang, startling both people in the car.

The man discovered that his own phone was ringing, and the contact listed was his "wife."

In the past, if he had seen his "wife" calling, his first reaction would have been to mute the call and pretend he hadn't heard it.

But in that instant, the bright screen was like a "beacon of hope" shining from another world. Without any hesitation, he answered the phone in front of the woman in the passenger seat.

"Why aren't you back yet? Have you been drinking? If you have, don't drive. Remember to call a designated driver..." The woman's voice on the phone was a little groggy and clearly very sleepy.

"I didn't drink! I'm going back right away!"

Seemingly startled by her husband's suddenly louder voice and decisive reply, the woman across from him waited a while before saying, "Oh, well... then be careful on your way."

After hanging up the phone, the man looked up and found that the fog outside had completely dissipated, and the starry sky and the river in the distance were once again clearly visible in his field of vision.

The woman in the passenger seat was also staring blankly out the window, seemingly unconcerned about what he had just said on the phone.

The man pressed the start button, and the car engine started smoothly. Everything seemed to be back on track. The thick fog, the abnormalities of the car and the phone, and the rustling of the grass outside all seemed to have never happened.

But the two people in the car seemed to have realized something, and they did not have any further conversation until the car drove back onto the paved road and onto the Riverside Road.

Hundreds of meters away, Xiang Kun, already dressed and walking back to the hotel along the same route, shook his head helplessly as he watched the Q7 drive by, silently ranting and raving in his mind.

After the commotion caused by the previous rescue, Xiang Kun really wanted to quietly finish his experiments and research in the river and then quietly return to the hotel. He really didn't want to create any more frightening scenes.

But it's truly unexpected that someone would drive to such a remote place in the middle of the night to have a romantic date and do some exercise.

Unfortunately, the car was parked right next to where Xiang Kun had hidden his clothes.

Xiang Kun couldn't possibly have emerged from the water completely silently; if he were to reach for his clothes, there's a high probability he'd be discovered.

He couldn't just walk back to the hotel in his underwear; aside from everything else, his phone was still there.

At first, Xiang Kun patiently caught a few fish in the river to observe them carefully, passing the time, intending to wait for the couple to finish and leave before going ashore.

But what was unexpected was that after they finished, the couple actually started looking at the stars and chatting in the car!

Xiang Kun was internally agitated. Someone driving such a luxury car, if they wanted to exercise or have romantic moments, wouldn't it be better to just rent a hotel room?

Seeing that it was almost dawn if they delayed any longer, Xiang Kun had no choice but to use the new "trick" he had discovered that night: to spread the fog he had created on the river to the riverbank, and then get out of the water to retrieve his clothes while the fog was covering him.

Fortunately, it wasn't far from the river; otherwise, the fog wouldn't have been able to spread.

Then, taking advantage of the strong influence of the "Super-Linked Object" matrix, Xiang Kun temporarily disabled the electronic equipment on the Q7 without entering "Hyper-Sensory State," preventing the two people in the car from risking driving in the thick fog and ending up in the river.

Judging from the final result, although the two were slightly frightened by the sudden appearance of thick fog, they seemed to be in good condition overall.

In any case, whether he was rescuing people or leaving the river, he was not directly witnessed or photographed, so he didn't have to worry about being investigated.

Overall, tonight's river cruise was quite rewarding.

It can be said that this further clarified the specific abilities and evolutionary direction he gained from devouring "Mutated Parasite," and also uncovered many derivative abilities and ability development patterns.

Although his direct motor function would decrease to some extent when he entered "Oxygen-Saving Mode" in the water, the benefits he gained from the water far outweighed this decrease. In the water, he felt even more free and unrestrained than in the air during a thunderstorm.

Xiang Kun believes that the evolution brought about by the "Mutated Parasite" is far from over. As he masters his abilities and adapts to the environment, he will inevitably further integrate and enhance these abilities during the next few blood-drinking periods.

Furthermore, when combined with the "Super-Sensing Item System," the actual application effects of various related abilities can even increase exponentially.

In the future, as he controls more and more "Super-Linked Object" and the "Super-Sensing Item System" becomes more mature and its applications become more diverse, he may be able to control an entire body of water as flexibly and easily as he controls "Super-Linked Object".

Conversely, the adhesive effect of water can be used to enhance the influence of the "Super-Sensing Item System".

Back at the hotel, Xiang Kun stopped and lingered for a while as he passed the large fish tank in the lobby, which housed many ornamental fish.

He discovered that although the new abilities he gained were essentially derived from the help of water, not all water is the same.

A cup of water, a basin of water, a vat of water, a pool of water, or a river of water—in his perception, each has a different response; the more water there is, the stronger the assistance he receives.

Moreover, one must be physically present in the water, in "Oxygen-Saving Mode," to truly "integrate" with it and utilize its "potential" and "power."

Xiang Kun knew that if he entered a different river, or even the same river but a vastly different one with a drastically different environment and ecology, he would not be able to immediately regain the same "control" as he had the night before. He would still need a process of integration and adaptation.

After returning to his room, taking a shower, and changing his clothes, Xiang Kun received WeChat message from Lao Xia —a blank-minded emoji.