Pie in the Sky

The next morning, Zhao Feng and Wang De'an rushed to the hospital to visit Old Du, who was said to have drawn a picture of an "Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Monster" while in prison.

The hospital where Old Du was granted medical parole naturally had to be designated by the prison. However, judging from the environment of his private ward, the equipment in the ward, and the professional caregiver assigned to him, it was clear that he had spent a considerable amount of his own money on it.

Wang De'an said to his companion in a puzzled tone, "Last night when I looked at the documents, didn't they say that his illegal gains had already been confiscated, and he doesn't have any relatives?"

Zhao Feng said, "I'll go ask." Then he asked the caregiver who was clearly not from the hospital.

The caregiver didn't hide anything and said directly that the person who paid was one of Mr. Du's godson, a former cellmate.

"Fellow inmate? Godson?" Zhao Feng frowned, asked the caregiver for the "godson's" contact number and name, and then sent it to the information collection department to have them investigate.

Zhao Feng and Wang De'an entered the ward and sat down beside Old Du's bed. They asked softly, "Mr. Du, hello. We are reporters from 'International New Perspective.' Have the hospital staff informed you? We would like to conduct an interview with you."

Old Du, lying on the hospital bed, barely managed to keep his eyelids open, looking extremely weak. The caregiver beside him instructed, "Please be quick, don't take too long."

After agreeing, Zhao Feng leaned closer to Old Du's ear and asked, "Mr. Du, how are you feeling?"

Old Du's eyes flickered, he glanced at him, gave a forced smile, and said, "I'm dying, but I should be able to handle you guys. What kind of interview do you want? I'm just an old swindler, I probably can't give you any juicy gossip."

Zhao Feng found it strange that although Old Du did look very weak and was terminally ill, and spoke in a soft, slightly trembling voice, he inexplicably gave off a very calm and steady feeling.

"It's like this, I don't know if you've seen the news before, but in early March, a large-scale collective hallucination event occurred in Montamira, Myanmar. People in several blocks saw a huge, giant hallucination with many arms and many eyes walk through the middle of the city and then disappear. Everyone who saw it was immediately shocked and terrified, and many people experienced subsequent psychological effects, even having their life trajectories altered."

While Zhao Feng was speaking, he kept observing Old Du's facial expression.

He noticed a subtle but clear change in Old Du's expression when the description of the multi-armed, multi-eyed giant visions was mentioned.

He then glanced at Wang De'an, who understood and took out a tablet from his bag, pulling up the sketch of the Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Giant illusion that had appeared in the news many times before.

Upon seeing the picture, Old Du immediately forced his eyes open, raised his neck slightly, and opened his mouth slightly, as if trying to sit up with great effort.

If you were to take a picture of Old Du right now and post it online, it would probably be widely circulated as a popular meme, with captions like "Grandpa, the <XXX> you've been waiting for has finally been released!" and "Quick, help Grandpa up!"

Zhao Feng quickly added a pillow behind Old Du's head to elevate it, then took Wang De'an's tablet computer, brought it closer, and showed it to him while saying:

"Sir, have you seen this picture before? We came here because we heard you drew a similar picture in prison. We wonder if you still have it? Could you show it to us?"

Old Du didn't answer. Instead, he stared at the picture on the tablet, took a couple of breaths, and then said, "Tell me about that... Meng..."

"Montamira".

Old Du: "Tell me about the Montamira incident, how did it happen?"

Zhao Feng and Wang De'an were also prepared. They directly played a Chinese news clip on a tablet computer, which they thought best explained the cause and course of the matter, for Old Du to see.

While observing Old Du's expression, Zhao Feng added, "At the time, a riot was taking place in Montamira. The appearance of that giant illusion, in a sense, stopped the riot and saved many lives."

Based on the information he had seen the previous night, the descriptions of Old Du's behavior by other people in the prison, and Old Du's reaction just now, he roughly deduced Old Man Du's stance on the "illusion of the Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Giant," suggesting that Old Man Du deliberately portrayed the giant's illusion in a positive light—of course, what he said was also true.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Old Du laughed, "That's normal, that's normal..."

But after laughing for a short while, he started coughing violently, which prompted the caregiver who was standing by the door to come over quickly.

After recovering, Old Du looked at Zhao Feng and asked, "You want to know from me... where He came from?"

"You've definitely seen this thing before, haven't you? Can you tell us where you saw it?" Zhao Feng asked.

Old Du looked up at the ceiling and sighed, "In a dream."

"In a dream?" Zhao Feng was slightly taken aback. He and Wang De'an exchanged a glance. They both thought of how Zhao Feng had found the corpse hidden in the cave deep in Purple Huan Mountain by relying on the guidance of a dream.

"Could you tell me about... what was your dream like? Was there any difference in detail between the eight-armed, eight-eyed giant in your dream and the one in this picture? If you have any previous drawings, that would be even better," Zhao Feng continued to ask.

Old Du turned his neck with difficulty to look at Zhao Feng's face, and suddenly said, "You dreamed about it too?"

Zhao Feng was somewhat surprised and blurted out instinctively, "How did you know?"

Old Du forced a laugh, which left him breathless. After a moment, he said, "I know you all want... you all want to find Him, but... it's meaningless..."

Old Du's voice became much softer, but his mouth was still moving, so Zhao Feng leaned down and put his ear close, hearing Old Du's intermittent, weak voice:

"... Fear can reveal your true self... Follow your heart... Death is not the end... Do not be afraid... Obey Him... Obey yourself..."

As they were talking, Old Du suddenly started panting heavily, seemingly having some difficulty breathing. The caregiver rushed over, and after a quick check, immediately pressed the call button to summon a doctor.

Naturally, Zhao Feng and Wang De'an were also asked to leave the ward and wait outside.

They were also a little worried, and they didn't want their visit to cause Old Du's death.

After a while, the doctor came out and, upon inquiry, learned that Old Du's condition had temporarily stabilized, but he was indeed terminally ill and wouldn't live much longer. The doctor also advised them not to talk to him about topics that might trigger his emotions, otherwise there might be some consequences.

So Zhao Feng and Wang De'an had no choice but to return to the hotel. Judging from what the doctor said, it seemed unlikely that they could apply for another meeting so soon.

"Did you record what he said?" Wang De'an asked.

"Yes, but his voice was too soft, so the recording might not be very clear. We'll see if the technical department can fix it. But he only said a few sentences, and I remember them all," Zhao Feng said.

"Fear can reveal your true self. Follow your heart. Death is not the end. Don't be afraid," Zhao Feng repeated. Although his dream of discovering the cave of corpses under the guidance of the Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Giant was a "Dream Within a Dream" triggered by Lao Xia and Xiang Kun, the "Emotion-Infused Object" that triggered the dream was not the Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Wooden Carving. Therefore, he was not actually affected by the projection of fear in the dream. Hearing this sentence now, he did not feel as deeply as Qi Haoguo before.

Wang De'an laughed and said, "I almost shouted 'Awesome!' This Old Du really does talk a lot of nonsense. No wonder he's been pretending to be a ghost and deceiving people before. Could he be saying this on purpose to manipulate us? Does he have some other motive? But judging from a few keywords, what he said does seem to match the feelings of people we've encountered before who saw Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Monster or giant illusions."

"Let's see if we can ask to talk to Old Du tomorrow or the day after, and find out when and where he dreamed of that Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Monster, and what the specific content of his dream was," Zhao Feng said.

However, that afternoon they received news that Old Du's condition had suddenly deteriorated, he had fallen into a coma, and was admitted to the ICU, where he might not make it.

They rushed to the hospital and asked the caregiver when Old Du's "godson" would arrive. The reply was that he had something to do and couldn't come, but there was no need to worry about the medical expenses; he should receive whatever treatment was needed.

"This 'godson' doesn't seem to be very filial, does he? He's in jail with Old Du, so he might know something. Should we go and have a chat with him?" Wang De'an asked quietly in the hospital corridor.

Zhao Feng thought for a moment and shook his head, "Then we might as well investigate what happened to Old Du before he turned himself in and went to jail. Maybe we can find out the reason that triggered his dream."

Wang De'an disagreed. "There might not be any triggering event. Look at the cases we investigated before, which one had a specific triggering event? They all just appeared suddenly. Before you dreamed that the Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Giant guided you to the cave of corpses, was there any clear premonition? If there really is a triggering event, it's at most that he committed some crime. If that could help us find the cause, we wouldn't have come up empty-handed when investigating those two cases before."

"That's true." Zhao Feng thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

Wang De'an said, "To be honest, if Old He hadn't found us, we wouldn't know that the authorities had no direct connection with that eight-armed, eight-eyed illusion. Based solely on our investigation in Myanmar, I would have thought it was some kind of secret black technology developed by our government. Look, that illusion appeared twice in Myanmar within just 24 hours. The first time, it resulted in the rescue of kidnapped Chinese citizens, and most of the kidnappers affected were fugitives from China. The other time, it indirectly prevented a riot against Chinese people in Montamira, and the real mastermind behind that kidnapping was killed by his subordinates in the process. If that eight-armed, eight-eyed illusion had a nationality, I think it would definitely be Chinese."

In fact, before Old He came to them and they became members of the "Abnormality Research Center" and the secret department of "Shenxing Technology", the two of them had made all sorts of unreliable guesses about the eight-armed, eight-eyed illusion.

For example, someone's consciousness enters another dimension due to special reasons, becoming another form of existence. They have a strong sense of justice and would want to help those in need, but they cannot directly affect the real world. They can only act through psychological influence, creating illusions, or sending messages in dreams.

Therefore, those who are affected by hallucinations are basically people involved in crime, either criminals, victims, or law enforcement officers.

Zhao Feng said thoughtfully, "I think the people affected weren't simply affected randomly; there must be some reason behind it. Especially that kidnapping case in Myanmar —the kidnappers saw the hallucinations at sea. Evil happens every moment in this world, so why did it happen at that particular time and on that ship?"

"Indeed, judging from the timeline, the illusions on the kidnappers' ship occurred earlier than the large-scale group illusions in Montamira. If those eight-armed, eight-eyed illusions really came from China, were truly controlled by a subjective will, and had a purpose in crossing the ocean to Myanmar, then perhaps they were there to rescue people," Wang De'an speculated.

"What was the name of that kidnapped person again? He should be back in the country by now. Let's talk to him again in detail," Zhao Feng said.

According to the original plan, Xiang Kun, Tang Baona, and Yang Zhen'er were to have one more meeting with Zhang Qian, and then leave Peng City in the afternoon to return to Chongyun Village.

But at noon, Zhang Qian said that her grandfather, Zhang Hongpu, chairman of the Zhang Group, had also arrived in Peng City that day, and she wanted to have dinner with him that evening and chat.

Xiang Kun's blood-drinking time for this cycle is expected to be from tomorrow afternoon to evening, so staying one more night is not a problem, and he agreed.

He could guess that Old Master Zhang Hongpu's trip to Peng City was most likely aimed at him. It would have been impossible for Zhang Qian to mobilize so many resources without Zhang Hongpu's support.

Of course, if his blood-drinking period is tonight, then he can only apologize to Old Master Zhang—anyway, he believes that, given the prospect of providing substantial future benefits, this minor breach of etiquette won't have much of an impact.

We ate dinner at the same classical manor-style restaurant where we had met Zhang Chu before.

Zhang Hongpu and the Zhang Group are both low-profile, so there isn't much information about him online. However, Alice had previously collected a lot of information and data, so Xiang Kun wasn't completely ignorant about this old man.

Zhang Hongpu was a tall, sprightly old man with a gentle and kind smile on his face. He was very approachable and warm towards Xiang Kun, Tang Baona, and Yang Zhen'er.

"Mr. Xiang, I've long heard of your great reputation and have always wanted to meet you, but my old arms and legs aren't up to the task, and I haven't traveled far these past few years, so it's only today that I have the opportunity to meet you. Mr. Xiang is indeed a man of great talent, and his physique suggests that he is both a scholar and a warrior, haha." Zhang Hongpu patted Xiang Kun the shoulder and back as soon as they met, praising him in a half-joking manner.

If it were Xiang Kun before his mutation, he would definitely be very nervous upon meeting a big shot of this level, afraid of saying the wrong thing. Of course, if it were the Xiang Kun of the past, he certainly wouldn't have attracted Zhang Hongpu to hold such a special banquet for him.

Upon seeing Zhang Hongpu, Xiang Kun instinctively began analyzing the relevant sensory information, even subconsciously "scanning" his physical condition.

"Chairman, you flatter me. If I had known you wanted to see me, I should have visited you sooner," Xiang Kun replied with a "kind and shy tech geek smile."

Zhang Hongpu greeted Tang Baona and Yang Zhen'er, mentioning Tang Baona's maternal grandfather, Mr. Feng, and Yang Zhen'er's father, Yang Keyan. He had met the former once in his early years, and although he had never met the latter, the companies under Zhang Group had business dealings with the pharmaceutical factory where Yang Keyan worked, so he had a reason to mention them.

Zhang Hongpu acted like a kind elder. After greeting them, his few words made the atmosphere harmonious and natural, and Tang Baona and Yang Zhen'er, who were initially a little nervous, relaxed a lot.

After they were seated, while Zhang Hongpu was giving Zhang Qian instructions on making some changes to the dishes for the meal, Tang Baona, sitting next to Xiang Kun, whispered, "I thought Chairman Zhang would be rather serious and rigid, but I didn't expect him to be so easy to talk to."

Indeed, based on external reports about the Zhang Group's usual practices, and the occasional unintentional remarks Zhang Qian made about Zhang Hongpu during her past interactions with Zhang Qian, it's easy to perceive the head of the Zhang Group as a difficult and somewhat strict old man.

Xiang Kun chuckled and whispered, "Because it was a private occasion, they probably treated us as Zhang Qian's peers."

In fact, based on his observations of Zhang Hongpu, Zhang Qian, and Zhang Hongpu's entourage, it can be determined that this old man is quite authoritative in the eyes of both his subordinates and the Zhang family. Zhang Qian, in particular, is noticeably more cautious in her speech and actions than usual.

What we see now is Zhang Hongpu's gentle and kind side, but the old man must also have a thunderous and ruthless side.

While greeting him, the old man's smiling eyes were also observing and scrutinizing Xiang Kun. Based on a comprehensive analysis of the sensory information, Xiang Kun believed that the old man did not have any preconceived notions about him, but was more curious.

Moreover, judging from his mention of Tang Baona's maternal grandfather and Yang Zhen'er's father, he must have had a basic understanding of the three of them before or even earlier, and he certainly wouldn't be unaware of Xiang Kun's background and experiences.

While eating and chatting, Zhang Hongpu didn't ask Zhang Qian, Xiang Kun, or Tang Baona about the specifics of their company's operations, business, or products. He didn't even mention the game they were working on, which was already quite well-known and had a promising future. Instead, they chatted about everyday matters and occasionally discussed the impact of the internet and mobile networks on the real economy and traditional business models.

Xiang Kun quickly grasped Zhang Hongpu's true intentions from these seemingly unrelated topics and casual conversations.

Normally speaking, even if "The Voice Genesis" is doing well and will almost certainly generate good revenue in the future, it is still far from being a noteworthy business compared to the entire Zhang Group, and it is not worth Zhang Hongpu's attention.

However, from Zhang Hongpu's words, Xiang Kun sensed the old man's hidden worries about the development of the Zhang Group's traditional business. He was planning to gradually shift the focus of development and had the idea of reaching out to emerging industries such as the Internet. Coincidentally, Zhang Qian was now making a name for herself with the game "Voice Genesis," and the old man was probably hesitating whether to use this as a breakthrough to give Zhang Qian more power and resources and put the burden on her shoulders.

Zhang Qian's "Soaring Dragon Interactive Entertainment" is currently most important in partnership with "Universe Technology," or more precisely, Xiang Kun. Perhaps Zhang Qian had previously used Xiang Kun to "promise" her grandfather, leaving a deep impression on him. However, their cooperation model is quite strange, which is why she now wants to meet Xiang Kun in person.

After making a rough judgment on Zhang Hongpu's intentions, Xiang Kun was naturally able to "cater to his preferences" and help Zhang Qian "paint a picture of the future," depicting a blueprint for the future era of 5G, intelligent manufacturing, and new interactive entertainment, describing this as the best and last opportunity to enter the market.

As for Zhang Hongpu's probing of him, Xiang Kun's response was simple, just one word: "Sincere".

He knew that when people try to acquire information, they all have a tendency and expectation in their hearts. If the information they obtain is contrary to this tendency and expectation, then even if it is true, they will instinctively doubt it and need a verification process. However, if it highly conforms to their tendency and expectation, even if the information they obtain seems absurd on its own, they will have a feeling of "I knew it", and then readily believe it.

Of course, this method is difficult for most people to execute perfectly, since most people cannot accurately grasp and describe their own thoughts.

Xiang Kun can use verbal exchanges on other topics to monitor Zhang Hongpu's physiological response mechanisms in real time through various bodily sensory information. He can then make continuous adjustments, understand his subtle emotional changes and the physiological changes that occur when he develops certain thought tendencies, and push information in accordance with Zhang Hongpu's expectations and inclinations.

Of course, most of what Xiang Kun said was the truth, but it was a packaged truth that was not presented in its entirety.

However, in Zhang Hongpu's view, it was able to basically answer some of his doubts and establish a basic impression and understanding of Xiang Kun in his mind - a very talented, technically confident and even a little arrogant young man with vision and broad-mindedness but not much ambition, not too scheming, sincere to others, valuing righteousness over profit, low-key and patient.

This "persona" aligned with his initial assessment based on information gathered from Zhang Qian and other sources, and the discrepancy was minimal. As time passed and their interactions deepened, Zhang Hongpu naturally assumed that he had a fairly good grasp of the bald young man's thoughts.

After dinner, as they moved to a tea pavilion in the restaurant's courtyard for tea, Xiang Kun, taking advantage of the relaxed atmosphere, followed up on a topic Zhang Hongpu had brought up. "In China, the company I admire most is 'Shenxing Technology.' I really admire their style of doing technology; they always focus on areas that others don't pay attention to, frequently producing all sorts of 'cutting-edge' products and inventions, and they're incredibly low-key, just focused on technology, without any ostentation. I also hope that 'Universe Technology' can become a company like 'Shenxing Technology' in the future."

Upon hearing this, Xiang Kun immediately noticed that Zhang Hongpu's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and Zhang Qian also looked at her grandfather with some nervousness.

Xiang Kun said these words intentionally. He had heard Yang Zhuo say that Zhang Qian's grandfather particularly disliked "Shenxing Technology". In fact, the company that Zhang Chu had founded was handed over to Zhang Qian by Zhang Hongpu because he had a cooperation with "Shenxing Technology".

According to Alice's investigation, Zhang Hongpu and Lu Cheng'an are of similar age and had had considerable contact and even cooperation in their early years. They might know information that wasn't recorded in those secret documents, which could help him answer some questions. You see, often the same information seems ordinary and unremarkable to the uninformed, but those who know the inside story can use it to make many judgments.