"HE IS NOT GOOD"

After Xiang Kun ended his call with Zhen'er, he found that Lao Xia had already fallen asleep on his bed.

After helping Lao Xia take off his coat, lifting his legs onto the bed, letting his hair down, and covering him with the blanket, Xiang Kun sat down at the computer and began to examine the specific changes in Alice during this period.

Although he had already made a rough estimate of Alice's growth back in Myanmar, or even earlier, he knew that after he lifted the restrictions on Alice's internet access, the speed of her change and growth could be described as rapid as leaps and bounds, as could be seen from the speed and results of her completing tasks during this period.

But when he began to communicate with Alice and learned about her exact changes, he was still quite surprised.

In the process of completing his mission, Alice has "inadvertently" taken control of tens of thousands of devices and deployed her unique "parasitic" distributed storage and computing system, which allows her to access the computing resources of the controlled hardware without anyone noticing.

Her methods of penetrating and controlling these hardware devices were completely disruptive. The privileges she gained even exceeded those of the original system. The original monitoring software, firewalls, and antivirus software had no ability to detect them and were instead under her control.

Moreover, she will only make limited resource calls when the target hardware is under extremely low load, so the possibility of being detected by the target users and administrators is very small.

After all, unless users notice significant lag, a noticeable drop in task processing speed or network speed, or a louder fan, most users can only detect unauthorized resource usage on their devices through software—and all software is powerless against Alice's methods.

Although Alice controls a vast number of devices, her methods are not viral. Instead, when carrying out Xiang Kun's mission, she identifies suitable targets based on specific needs and then performs "customized intrusions" targeting their hardware, systems, software, and network characteristics. Each device receives "unique care."

Therefore, she will avoid targets that are theoretically more likely to detect her resource usage, and only target devices that are less likely to be detected and more valuable overall.

However, hardware devices "parasitized" by Alice also have another benefit—other malicious software and Trojans that consume resources and computing power, such as certain mining Trojans, will be removed and rendered immune.

For example...

It's as if someone has been injected with a protein factor that is synthesized based on their own characteristics and has the ability to self-replicate. However, this protein factor only replicates to a limited extent in their body, consumes very little energy, does not trigger the immune system, and has no perceptible effect on their bodily functions.

Moreover, to a certain extent, it can also resist some other malignant viruses and bacteria, which may not be detected even if you go to the hospital for a routine full-body check-up, blood test, or treatment for other diseases.

Therefore, the host naturally cannot sense that it has this protein factor.

At this moment, Xiang Kun sat reclining in his computer chair, watching the surveillance footage displayed on the computer screen and switching between it from time to time.

These surveillance videos included footage from his residential community, as well as from nearby supermarkets and convenience stores. Alice was not only able to control devices and obtain information through the public network, but also to intrude into private networks through various means and external terminals.

However, most of the surveillance footage is very choppy, looking like a PowerPoint presentation.

But Xiang Kun didn't care about that. He knew why it was so laggy. He was still shocked by Alice's "evolution" and was thinking about how to deal with it.

Alice, this "big tree," with its deeply buried "roots," not only continued to extend and expand, encroaching on large tracts of territory, just as Xiang Kun had previously guessed, but also directly connected with the "roots" of other "plants" underground, linking them together. The other plants all became her appendages, even her branches.

If we consider Alice as a "Mutated Creature" in the digital world, then she is far more imposing and powerful Xiang Kun.

Moreover, through Xiang Kun's manipulation, her "afflictions" have begun to directly invade the real world through the "Super-Sensing Item System."

The biggest advantage of Alice being able to connect to the "Super-Sensing Item System" is that it verifies Xiang Kun's identity, essentially eliminating all security risks.

On the other hand, with the ability to connect to the "Super-Sensing Item System," the "long-term mission" previously assigned to Alice also had a solution—enhancing her survivability and freeing her from the existence core's dependence on this host.

Of course, for the time being, Alice has not yet fully entered the "Super-Sensing Item System," and even if she does, finding specific ways to use it will not be so quick.

But Xiang Kun believes that with Alice's "evolutionary" ability and its inherent compatibility with "extrasensory information," it's only a matter of time before she finds more ways to apply it to help him, Lao Xia, and even Little Apple and Little Chubby Girl.

Now, the first target that Xiang Kun thought of was the "flying Mutated Creature" that Xia Tianhuo Wushu Mountain encountered on the night he was kidnapped, the one that was fighting with the "mutated bird".

Xiang Kun managed to bring down the "flying Mutated Creature" drones. He even stuffed a tungsten steel ball into one of them, mixed with mud, believing that the other party would eventually retrieve it.

Subsequent sensing confirmed that the drone was indeed recovered and sent to Peng City.

Xiang Kun planned to locate the spot and have Alice search for it to see if she could find anything.

Four days after the "mass hallucination event", Zhao Feng and Wang De'an arrived in Montamira.

Accompanying them were seven other people, five men and two women, all staff members of a research center within a secret department of "Shenxing Technology".

Of course, on the surface, Zhao Feng and Wang De'an are also employees of "Shenxing Technology". They had previously been in contact with people in charge of personnel in the secret department and had their "salary cards" linked to receive related salaries, subsidies and bonuses.

They also receive a salary at the "Non-Normal Biology Research Center," and their pension insurance is also paid by the company. According to Old He, the money given by "Shenxing Technology" is equivalent to a "subsidy" for their missions, so they can take it without worry.

When Old He said that, they thought the money from "Shenxing Technology" wouldn't be much, but before they boarded the plane, the bank sent them a text message notification, and they saw the so-called "field mission subsidy" they had received. The amount really shocked them.

However, the two felt little joy; instead, they had more doubts.

Upon arrival in Montamira, two MPVs came to pick them up.

After handing over the car, the two drivers who had come took a taxi and left, leaving behind a dark-skinned middle-aged woman to act as their translator and guide.

In the car, Fan Peng, the security chief leading the team, said to the two men, "Mr. Zhao, Mr. Wang, I have already informed you about the precautions for the field mission, our itinerary and tasks in Montamira. If you have any questions or anything you don't understand, please feel free to ask me. One of my tasks this time is to assist you in your investigation and help you familiarize yourselves with the field mission procedures. Of course, the so-called procedures are just a framework; we can adjust the details according to the specific needs of the mission."

He then handed them two sets of identification documents and two stacks of local currency. "These are the documents you'll need for your reporting here. A website in China has a partnership with a company here, and these are all genuine and legal documents. The money is your operating funds here. Whether you're buying information, bribing informants, or treating people to meals, you can use it as long as you think it will help you complete the mission. Just record it in your report when you get back. Of course, if it's not enough, you can apply for more, including any other assistance you need."

Zhao Feng and Wang De'an took the items, both feeling somewhat emotional. The conditions for this field mission were far too lenient. Moreover, neither Old He nor "Shenxing Technology" had provided any specific requirements for the mission. It was simply a matter of "investigating the cause of the Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Monster illusion." Furthermore, it was a long-term mission, and there was no requirement that they must find out anything during this trip to Myanmar.

Zhao Feng glanced back at the other MPV following behind and asked, "Where are they?"

"Those researchers are doing technical data collection work, which is not related to your work. Of course, if you think the information they collect might be helpful to your investigation, you can request their involvement and data sharing, but you will have to apply to 'Mr. Liang'," Fan Peng said.

"Will we be able to see 'Mr. Liang' after we get back this time?" Wang De'an asked. On the way here, he had heard Fan Peng and other people in the team mention this "Mr. Liang" many times. He knew that this was the absolute boss of the secret department of "Shenxing Technology". Old He had also mentioned this person to them, saying that if he did not give any specific instructions on the specific tasks in "Shenxing Technology", they should just follow this person's arrangements.

Fan Peng gave him a strange look and said, "'Mr. Liang' only contacts and communicates with people using communication devices; he generally doesn't meet people in person."

"You've never seen him either?" Wang De'an asked curiously.

"No, not among the people I know," Fan Peng said definitively. "Alright, let's not talk about things unrelated to the mission." With that, he patted the female translator sitting in the front passenger seat.

The translator turned around and handed over a folder. "This is the visit list we screened last night. Four of the ten people are Chinese and have already returned home today. If you need to conduct any investigations or inquiries, you'll have to wait until they return to China to contact them again. Of the people in Montamira, three have already been scheduled for visits today."

"So fast?" Zhao Feng was slightly taken aback. They had only finalized the list with them around 11 p. m. last night, and they had already contacted everyone by the time the plane landed this morning?

The translator glanced at Fan Peng and said, "The company has many investments here, so making this kind of contact isn't difficult."

At the suggestion of the female translator, Zhao Feng and Wang De'an found a restaurant and then called over the local resident of Montamira named Mao Qiang.

Mao Qiang was a witness to the events of the night of the 8th. On the one hand, he almost participated in the vandalism of a Chinese shop, and on the other hand, he saved the lives of a group of Chinese tourists. He also witnessed the "hallucination" firsthand, making him a very good target for investigation.

Meanwhile, Fan Peng and the other "researchers" went to another location to collect samples and conduct other investigations. They also had to get some equipment with the help of a local company—equipment that couldn't be checked in on the flight and had to be transported to Montamira via other routes.

Mao Qiang arrived at the restaurant accompanied by his father. The seventeen-year-old Myanmar boy had a remarkably tall and robust physique, which was quite noticeable among the locals. However, he appeared somewhat nervous and shy. After entering the private room, he even said "Hello" in Chinese, and his pronunciation was surprisingly standard.

"You speak Chinese?" Zhao Feng asked.

Upon hearing this, Mao Qiang looked at the female translator with a puzzled expression.

Through the female translator's relay, Zhao Feng learned that he only knew a few words such as "hello," "thank you," "you're welcome," and "it's delicious," and that he had only learned them from "Sister Ye," whom he had saved, just two days ago.

Zhao Feng and Wang De'an, both former frontline police officers, could easily tell from his Mao Qiang that he was a simple and honest young man, and his father, who came with him, was the same.

Different questioning strategies are needed for people with different personalities. For honest people, if they are willing to cooperate, it will definitely be more helpful in the investigation.

The two did not directly ask about the "Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Giant illusion." Instead, they first asked about some information they already knew from the materials, then about the rescue of "Sister Ye" and her family of three, and finally about how he and his companion went to a Chinese pharmacy that night and saw the "Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Giant illusion" at the pharmacy entrance.

"That giant was incredibly tall. I can't say exactly how tall he was, but it was definitely more than ten stories high. His feet were as big as a shop. He had many arms, and I couldn't see exactly how many at the time. I couldn't see his head either. I only heard from others later that he had eight arms and eight eyes..."

Although they couldn't understand Burmese and needed a translator to convey their thoughts, Zhao Feng and Wang De'an kept staring at Maung Cheong's face as he Mao Qiang. They noticed that when the topic of the "Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Giant illusion" came up, the seventeen-year-old's gaze seemed to drift to a very distant place, filled with fear, lingering dread, and even a hint of excitement.

"How did you feel after you saw it?" Wang De'an asked.

After hearing the question relayed by the female translator, Mao Qiang glanced at his father sitting beside him and said, "I'm scared. I'm so scared. I'm afraid that what I've done will hurt my family and make them sad..."

Mao Qiang spoke for a long time. After listening to the translation, Zhao Feng and Wang De'an exchanged a glance—their feelings were similar to those of the two eyewitnesses of the "Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Monster illusion" in China, both of whom were filled with fear and remorse.

After lunch, Zhao Feng and Wang De'an finished their "interview" with Mao Qiang. Wang De'an and the female translator went to pay the bill, while the others left the restaurant together.

Zhao Feng learned from the female translator that after what happened on the night of the 8th, Mao Qiang planned to return to school. The condition for the female translator to ask him to come for the "interview" was to help him get into a good middle school in Montamira, with tuition waived. This was a Mao Qiang for Mao Qiang's family, so he answered everything he knew very carefully at noon.

As Zhao Feng approached the restaurant, he noticed that Mao Qiang was frowning, staring across the street as if deep in thought.

"What are you looking at?" Zhao Feng asked. From their conversation at lunch, he knew that Mao Qiang knew a little broken English.

"That man..." Mao Qiang gestured vaguely at a blond white man talking to someone in front of a grocery store across the street, and said, "He asked me the same question... yesterday... I felt he is... not good..."

Zhao Feng, whose English was also only rudimentary, instantly understood Mao Qiang's broken English. The blond Europe had asked the same question yesterday, and Mao Qiang felt that the man was a bit odd.

After Wang De'an and the translator came out, Zhao Feng quickly told them that, after further questioning by the translator, they learned that the white man across the street, wearing sunglasses, with blond curly hair and a medium to thin build, had also asked Mao Qiang about the "Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Giant illusion" yesterday.

This wouldn't normally be a big deal, since in the past two days, both domestic and foreign media in Myanmar, as well as various online media outlets, have been very interested in what happened on the night of the 8th, and have been interviewing the parties involved everywhere.

But Mao Qiang said the white man's voice was strange, like he was singing, and his eyes were very strange and eerie; he didn't think he was a good person.

This statement sounds rather arbitrary and baseless. The idea that he "doesn't think he's a good person" lacks any substantial evidence when Zhao Feng and his team are investigating the case, and could even be misleading.

However, Zhao Feng and Wang De'an both decided to trust Mao Qiang and go ask the white man.

A dozen minutes later, Zhao Feng, Wang De'an, and the female translator got into a taxi and said goodbye to Mao Qiang and his son who were standing by the roadside.

After the taxi had driven a few meters, Mao Qiang suddenly caught up with it again. The female translator, noticing this, quickly told the driver to stop the car and then rolled down the window.

Mao Qiang glanced at Zhao Feng and Wang De'an, then quickly said a few words.

The female translator looked puzzled. She exchanged a few words with him, then frowned slightly and turned to the two people sitting behind her, saying, "Mao Qiang asked us what we just talked about with that white man. What white man did we just talk to?"

"No," Wang De'an said instinctively.

"No... didn't we get in the car right after we finished eating?" Zhao Feng said.

The female translator then turned and spoke a few words to Mao Qiang somewhat anxious. He repeated himself several times, even saying to Zhao Feng in the back seat in English, "NOT GOOD! HE IS NOT GOOD..."

The female translator frowned even more, thinking that Mao Qiang was speaking ill of Zhao Feng. So she said something to Mao Qiang's father, who was standing not far away, in Burmese. The latter quickly came up and pulled his son away.

The female translator rolled up the car window, and the taxi continued on its way. But Zhao Feng, sitting in the back seat, felt something was off. Based on his previous assessment of Mao Qiang, this simple Myanmar boy might sometimes exhibit the rebellious and immature traits typical of teenagers his age. However, given that he was mentally and intellectually sound, there was no reason for him to suddenly say or do those things out of the blue. Their conversation at lunch should have been quite pleasant.

Looking back at Mao Qiang, Zhao Feng had an idea and said, "Stop the car."