Investigation

The taxi stopped, and Zhao Feng had the female translator pay the starting fare to the driver. Then they got out of the car together and walked back to Mao Qiang's side.

Wang De'an knew his old brother and roommate well and knew he must have a reason for doing this, so he kept quiet and followed silently.

Although the female translator was puzzled, her job and main task was to assist Zhao and Wang, so she naturally did not raise any objections. She quickly paid the money and continued to perform her translation work, helping Zhao Feng and Mao Qiang communicate.

Back with Mao Qiang, after speaking with the Myanmar boy for a while longer, the female translator frowned and said to Zhao Feng, "Mao Qiang said that when we came out just now, he saw a white man wearing sunglasses across the street... over there. He had asked the boy about the hallucination yesterday, and he felt uneasy about the man. So you decided to ask him a few questions, and we crossed the street together and stopped the white man to talk. After chatting with him for a while, we hailed a taxi on the side of the road to leave. The white man had already hailed a taxi and left before we could."

Wang De'an suddenly said, "Now that I think back, after we finished eating and paid the bill, my memory jumps straight to calling a taxi and Mao Qiang to Mao Qiang. I can't remember how we left the restaurant or how we crossed the street to get here."

Hearing him say that, the female translator seemed to understand, and said thoughtfully, "It does seem to be true..."

Zhao Feng asked the female translator, "Does his father remember anything?"

After asking the father of the man Mao Qiang, the female translator said, "He doesn't remember either. He remembers that after we finished eating, we were about to leave, but he doesn't remember any white people."

Seeing their conversation and the translator's questions to his father, Mao Qiang clearly realized something and quickly said a few words to the translator.

After listening, the translator said to Zhao Feng, "He said there was something wrong with that person's voice. When he was communicating with us, it didn't sound like he was speaking English, but we didn't react at all; it seemed like we all understood him. That person might be able to hypnotize us; he might have hypnotized us all."

Zhao Feng then asked about the location where they had stopped the white man to talk, and then walked over and looked around, trying to see if there were any cameras or anything like that nearby.

However, unlike in China where almost every shop has a security camera, there aren't many security cameras in Myanmar that can capture footage of the street near the shop entrance.

However, after observing for a while, they found a store with a security camera that could capture footage of the area. They then had the female translator use her financial resources to communicate with the store staff and obtain permission to view the recordings.

They moved the time forward a bit and saw a group of five people passing by the door. Then they moved the time forward again, and with Mao Qiang's pointing, they saw the "white man."

However, due to the video angle, only the lower half of the body could be seen, revealing a pair of dark trousers and expensive-looking leather shoes.

Although the footage didn't capture the specific moments of the five of them catching up with the man and exchanging words, the movement patterns of the five of them in the surveillance video clearly show that they were chasing after the white man, and they had no recollection of this incident.

"Were we really hypnotized by that person?" Wang De'an turned around and whispered to Zhao Feng.

Zhao Feng nodded slightly. "I'm afraid it really is." As he spoke, he asked the female translator to inquire why Mao Qiang had said that English phrase by the car—because that phrase gave him a strange feeling, as if it wasn't the first time he had heard Mao Qiang say it.

After learning that the English phrase was spoken by Mao Qiang and Mao Qiang during their brief conversation at the restaurant entrance, they returned to the restaurant and retrieved the lobby's security camera footage. The video showed Zhao Feng and Mao Qiang standing at the entrance, talking, while the female translator was paying the bill.

Zhao Feng then inquired about the details of their conversation, and then walked to the restaurant entrance with Mao Qiang, where they reenacted the previous conversation.

When Zhao Feng heard Mao Qiang say in a very strong accent, "I feel he is not good," and then point vaguely across the street, some images and a very strong sense of familiarity flashed through his mind.

"I remember something. That white man is suspicious," Zhao Feng said definitively.

It was already illogical for that white man to possess such a completely illogical hypnotic ability, and it was even more illogical for him to use it on so many people in the street. In addition, he had asked Mao Qiang about the "Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Giant illusion" yesterday. Naturally, Zhao Feng and his group could not let go of this clue that had come to their doorstep—they had come to Montamira specifically to investigate this kind of thing.

The female translator immediately took out her phone and said, "I'll contact Lao Fan." Despite this unusual and strange situation, she remained very calm. The fact that Fan Peng trusted her to lead Zhao and Wang in their investigation in Montamira clearly meant that she was also a member of the secret department of "Shenxing Technology," and not just a translator or guide.

Zhao Feng continued chatting with Mao Qiang in broken English: "Are you okay?"

However, as soon as he said this, Wang De'an, who was standing next to him, burst out laughing.

"What's wrong?" Zhao Feng asked. "Is my grammar wrong?"

"No, no, my English is terrible too. You guys continue chatting. I just remembered a video I watched before," Wang De'an quickly said, his smile fading.

So Zhao Feng continued, "Why do you remember him?"

He knew that Mao Qiang understood what he meant; he was asking why he hadn't been hypnotized and hadn't lost his memory.

Mao Qiang shook his head. "I don't know why."

After observing his expression, Zhao Feng asked again, "Are you scared?"

Logically speaking, even seasoned former police officers like him and Wang De'an, who had seen all sorts of things, felt a little uneasy when faced with such bizarre events and strange people. This Myanmar boy shouldn't have been so calm; he showed no fear or apprehension whatsoever. On the contrary, after they confirmed that he had spoken with the white man and had been briefly hypnotized, he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

Mao Qiang replied firmly, "NO."

Then he opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but perhaps due to his limited English vocabulary, he couldn't speak. He frowned and hesitated for a moment, then saw the female translator who had finished her call coming over, so he spoke a long string of words to her in Burmese.

The female translator paused for a moment after hearing this, but still relayed it to Zhao Feng: "He said he knows what he's truly afraid of, so he's fearless about other fears. As long as he knows what to do and what not to do, these things won't change whether he's afraid or not."

After the female translator finished speaking, she paused slightly, frowned, and said, "I'm not entirely sure what he meant, but it's roughly that he has something he's more afraid of, so he doesn't feel there's much else to be afraid of?"

In fact, Zhao Feng and Wang De'an immediately understood what Mao Qiang meant, because they had heard similar things from the suspects when they were investigating the two cases in China where the suspects had hallucinations of "Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Monster".

So, is the fact that Mao Qiang wasn't affected related to the illusion he saw?

In that case, considering that the white man had asked Mao Qiang about the hallucinations yesterday, the white man probably wasn't directly related to the widespread hallucinations in Montamira on the night of the 8th, but rather, like them, he was there to investigate the matter.

But why did he hypnotize them? Was it because they had revealed something?

After receiving the female translator's call, Fan Peng drove over with two people shortly afterward.

After talking with them for a while and observing the situation on the street, Fan Peng said with certainty, "We will find that person."

Zhao Feng had no doubts about this. The female translator had told him before that "Shenxing Technology" had a strong influence in several Southeast Asia countries and had enough local resources to help them conduct some investigations.

Zhao Feng glanced at the Mao Qiang father and son not far away and expressed to the female translator that he was worried about their safety, fearing that the white man might realize the reason for the failed hypnosis and come back to cause trouble for them.

The female translator said, "We will arrange for someone to keep an eye on their safety, don't worry."

Just as they were driving Mao Qiang home with the axe, preparing to track down the white man, Fan Peng received a phone call and said to Zhao Feng, "'Mr. Liang' is looking for you."

When Zhao Feng took the communicator, which looked significantly heavier than a regular cell phone, and heard the deep, hoarse voice—as if metallic particles were rubbing against each other—he was stunned for a long time. The image that came to mind when he heard that voice was Bane wearing a mask from the movie The Dark Knight.

Mr. Liang first inquired about the white man's appearance. This information was actually obtained from Mao Qiang. Although Zhao Feng later recalled some of the memories, most of the scenes in those memories were still rather blurry and chaotic.

Then "Mr. Liang" asked about his feelings after being hypnotized, and his subjective judgment of the white man.

Zhao Feng answered all the questions one by one, and mentioned that Mao Qiang's "suspected immunity" to hypnosis by white people was likely related to the "illusion of the Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Giant".

Mr. Liang then naturally brought up their investigation into the "Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Monster illusion" in China, praising their quick thinking and asking about their assessment of whether there was a connection between the widespread "eight-armed giant illusion" that appeared in Montamira on the night of the 8th and the similar illusion in China.

Zhao Feng chatted with "Mr. Liang" for more than 20 minutes. At first, he was startled by the voice, but after getting used to it, he found that "Mr. Liang" was a very easy person to communicate with. He didn't have the typical leader's airs and was more like a technical person. They mainly discussed and elaborated on problems and issues, which left a good impression on him.

However, in the end, "Mr. Liang" told him not to investigate the white man, and not to contact him directly if they encountered him again, but just to report to him.

Not only him and Wang De'an, but also Fan Peng and the female translator should not be investigated.

But Mr. Liang also told them not to worry. The reason the white man hypnotized them on the street was because he had discovered their identities and was afraid of them. So, under normal circumstances, he wouldn't provoke them.

This explanation made Zhao Feng realize that "Mr. Liang" might know the white man's background and how he managed to make all four of them temporarily lose their memories, but "Mr. Liang" did not answer any of these questions.

No longer pursuing the white man's whereabouts, Zhao Feng and his team continued their investigation of the "Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Giant illusion" according to plan.

They went to a hotel in Montamira, where a Chinese tourist who had experienced the riots and mass hallucinations on the night of the 8th was staying.

However, this middle-aged man named Jiang Chun has been missing for more than 48 hours. Moreover, he did not go missing on the night of the 8th. He returned to the hotel on the 9th, but left at noon on the 9th and has not returned since. The hotel has been unable to contact him through the phone number he provided, and the emergency contact number is not in service.

Zhao Feng and his group came to investigate, hoping to find out if the disappearance of this middle-aged man named Jiang Chun was related to the illusion.

However, when they checked some surveillance footage, tried to reconstruct Jiang Chun's whereabouts, and attempted to contact his relatives and friends without success, a medical record sent by Fan Peng made them stop their investigation.

According to his medical records, Jiang Chun is terminally ill and doesn't have much time left to live. Moreover, he hasn't received any treatment, has sold all his assets in China, and started traveling around six months ago. Now he has almost no money left in his account, and he clearly has suicidal intentions. It's very likely that he has already found a secluded place to end his life.

So Zhao Feng and his group continued to visit other Myanmar who had experienced the mass hallucinations on the night of the 8th, or Chinese tourists who were still in Montamira. Two days later, they left Montamira and went to another port city in southern Myanmar to question another Chinese person—but that person was a criminal suspect.

The suspect and his fellow fugitives from China kidnapped a Chinese businessman. A fight broke out, and all the kidnappers except the suspect and the kidnapped businessman died. Ironically, the kidnapped man himself sailed the boat that had taken him back to port and brought the surviving kidnapper to the hospital.

The reason Zhao Feng and his team went to question the suspect was that the people from "Shenxing Technology" learned through some channels that the surviving suspect confessed to the Myanmar police that before the infighting among the kidnappers on the ship, he had seen a humanoid sea monster with many arms and many eyes climb onto the ship.

His description bears many similarities to the "illusion of the Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Giant" seen by the people of Montamira.

A few days later, when Zhao Feng and his team saw the suspect lying in the hospital bed, the blond white man who had briefly met with them had already entered the country.

Willow City, next to a botanical garden far from the city center.

In a deserted clearing around the corner of the mountain, a white man with blond curly hair, wearing sunglasses, and of medium to thin build squatted on the ground, gently stroking the overgrown ground with his left hand.

A moment later, he took off his sunglasses and put them in his pocket, took out a small white porcelain knife and held it in his hand, then slowly strolled around.

If Xiang Kun were to witness this scene, he would certainly be extremely alert.

Because this was the place where he and Guo Tianxiang their last fight, and the small white porcelain knife in the white man's hand looked very similar to the one Guo Tianxiang.