Though Homebound, Her Heart Soared (Part 2)
Upon hearing her father's words, "Little Apple" immediately recalled the conversation she had overheard with Officer Wang on the phone with someone last Sunday through "Gold Glitter".
The person who spoke with Officer Wang at the time was an officer surnamed Zhao who lived in Citong. They were talking about a "Many-Armed Monster" who appeared to Officer Zhao in a dream, telling him that he had found several corpses in the deep mountains.
Later, she confirmed with Uncle Xiang that the "Many-Armed Monster" that Officer Zhao dreamed of was the same "Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Monster" that she could "summon," and that Uncle Xiang had used some methods to "send a message to the police through a dream."
Judging from his father's words, Officer Wang's police officer friend in Haixi Province is most likely Officer Zhao, who was "reported to the police in a dream" by his uncle.
Officer Zhao happened to have a friend who worked at a school for the blind, and he also learned about the "guide bird" that Officer Wang kept from her, so he wanted to ask her for advice.
"Little Apple" instinctively felt that this was Officer Zhao's excuse. The focus of his investigation was likely the perceptual impact on the "bad guys" in the car that she had summoned the "Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Monster" by the lake to intimidate them.
When these people were arrested and gave their statements to the police, they should have described what they saw, so the police should also know the appearance of the so-called "Many-Armed Monster".
Officer Zhao from Citong City probably heard about the "guide bird" from Officer Wang, but rather about the "Many-Armed Monster." Connecting this to his experience of being visited in a dream, he wanted to investigate from her.
However, it's obvious that this kind of thing can't be investigated or questioned openly and legitimately, since Officer Wang and Officer Zhao are both police officers after all.
That's why they took a roundabout approach, using "schools for the blind" and "guide birds" as entry points, and tried to reach out through the uncle.
Little Apple thought her guess was pretty reliable, so she said to her father, "Dad, let me discuss it with Uncle Xiang first. After all, 'Gold Glitter' is his pet, and we need to ask him before showing it to others."
"Oh right, that's true," Li Yang nodded and said.
"Dad, Uncle Xiang and Sister Xiao Bing just boarded the plane not long ago, so we probably can't reach them by phone right now. I'll ask them later or tomorrow. You can tell Uncle Xiang first and give him an answer tomorrow, okay?" Little Apple said.
"Sure."
Just as Li Yang was about to leave the room, "Little Apple" asked again, "By the way, Dad, is that police officer from Haixi Province still in Haixi, or has he already arrived in our city?"
"We've arrived in our city... But that officer might not have come specifically for this matter. He probably just happened to be here and mentioned it to Officer Wang, which is why he contacted your uncle. Don't worry about others; you can see him if you want, or I'll help you refuse if you don't. It's nothing."
Upon hearing her father's words, "Little Apple" knew that he had misunderstood again, thinking that she was worried that the person had gone to great lengths to come and that she felt bad for letting them make a wasted trip.
However, if we remove the deeper factors that her father was unaware of, and if it really is just about the matter itself, she does seem to consider whether others have made a wasted trip, and her father's thoughts are not wrong.
After Li Yang left the room and closed the door, "Little Apple" thought for a while and decided to try to find out about Officer Wang and Officer Zhao on her own before contacting Uncle Xiang.
She wasn't worried about the two police officers finding anything suspicious. When she intimidated the "bad guys" in the car, although they could see the "Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Monster," she didn't leave any real evidence.
Besides, neither she nor the "Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Monster" had ever done anything "bad".
She was simply curious about the two police officers' motivations for investigating the matter and what information they had already gathered.
So she got up, opened the window, and let "Gold Glitter" out again.
She and "Gold Glitter" had already "traveled" through most of the city, and the city's structure existed in her mind as a very special combination of information.
This combination of information would likely leave anyone other than Xiang Kun and "Gold Glitter" completely baffled, even if they could read her consciousness.
In her mind, this city was entirely constructed from sounds, smells, and the "Gold Glitter" perception of directions.
Moreover, this information varies greatly depending on the time and climate.
Just like now, she wants "Gold Glitter" to go to the branch office where Officer Wang De'an works. She doesn't just input the address of the branch office into its head or think about the location in her mind. Instead, she activates the smell and sound information along the way. For example, at this time, the smell of a certain Sichuan restaurant on XX Road, the daily broadcast sound of a supermarket on XX Street, the smell that always exists in certain areas due to building materials and decoration paint, the distinctive sounds of certain people or creatures, and so on.
Using these methods, "Gold Glitter" was guided all the way, enabling it to accurately locate the exact position.
Although "Gold Glitter's" sense of smell and hearing are actually quite different from humans', and their perception range of smells and sounds is also different.
However, after being integrated into the "Super-Sensing Item System" and having been connected and cooperating with "Little Apple" for so long, "Gold Glitter's" perception and judgment of smells and sounds have changed significantly and have been largely assimilated. "Little Apple" has also adapted to the sensory information collected by "Gold Glitter" and can use it to make very accurate judgments.
"Gold Glitter" is now not only a competent "guide bird," but in some ways, it can even be said to be a sensory extension of "Little Apple."
"Little Apple" commands it with ease, just like using its own arm.
Perhaps because they established a connection through the "Super-Linked Object System," "Gold Glitter" was very clear about his and "Little Apple's " position within the system, so he was extremely obedient.
Of course, on the other hand, it could also be because it was tempted by the lavish "bird food" that "Little Apple" had carefully prepared for it.
When "Gold Glitter" arrived at the branch office, he lingered in the dormitory area for more than 30 minutes, stopping at almost every window and door for a while before "Little Apple" finally confirmed that Officer Wang was not in this dormitory.
Could it be that Officer Wang doesn't live in the dormitory, or hasn't returned yet?
"Little Apple" wasn't discouraged. She hadn't had high hopes this time; she was just giving it a try.
So she had "Gold Glitter" fly away from the police station and head to a nearby hotel.
She felt that if Officer Zhao from Citong hadn't stayed in Officer Wang's dormitory, he would most likely have chosen to stay in the hotel closest to the branch office.
Of course, it's also possible that Officer Wang has other accommodations, or is staying in other hotels or guesthouses.
It's just an attempt; it doesn't matter if I don't find it.
They still used the same method as before: having "Gold Glitter" search the building floor by floor and room by eavesdropping through the windows.
After wasting a lot of time and energy, and listening to a lot of junk information, "Little Apple"Gold Glitter still couldn't find Officer Wang and Officer Zhao.
Just as "Little Apple" was preparing to reconsider and have "Gold Glitter" return to the branch office to re-establish a search direction, "Gold Glitter" suddenly heard a voice that turned back in the air and stopped next to the sign on the second floor of the hotel.
Through "Gold Glitter's" hearing, "Little Apple" also heard a familiar voice, which was Officer Wang De'an.
At this moment, Officer Wang walked into the hotel while talking to someone, and judging from what he said, the person with him was Officer Zhao from Citong.
They just got back from dinner!
"I got it!"
In the bedroom, sitting in her computer chair, "Little Apple" threw a punch in the air, her pretty face full of excitement.
Although it wasn't anything particularly complicated, and there wasn't any specific purpose, the feeling of being able to find the people she wanted to find and do the things she wanted to do while at home gave her a strange sense of satisfaction and excitement.