Is This Reaction of Mine Normal?

Lao Xia sat up groggily, brushed aside the long hair that was covering his face, glanced at Xiang Kun sitting on the chair by the bed, and then at the dark sky outside the window through the gap in the curtains, seemingly puzzled.

Normally, Xiang Kun wouldn't wake her up unless it was something important.

But didn't Xiang Kun go into the mountains to deal with "Little Radish's" matter before? And it should have been related to the "Mutated Creature." Could it be that after his actual investigation, "Little Radish's" situation wasn't related to the "Mutated Creature," but rather that something else important had happened?

"Come on, let's go downstairs and talk," Xiang Kun said softly. Little Apple and Lao Xia slept in the same room but on different beds, so they naturally couldn't talk here.

Xia Libing quickly got up, put on her coat, tied her hair up, and Xiang Kun downstairs.

Upon arriving at the "study" on the first floor, where Xiang Kun had set up several monitors—ostensibly for work but actually for his blood-drinking slumber— Xiang Kun had Lao Xia sit in front of the computer and began recounting his experiences after entering the mountains. "'Little Radish' has indeed mutated, and it's directly related to my blood-drinking slumber, though it's an incomplete mutation. Its characteristics are..."

As he spoke, Alice displayed a simulated scene on the screen to help Lao Xia understand the specific situation.

Although it's not actual footage, the virtual scenes that Alice recreates using algorithms that simulate real-world locations are already quite realistic and look almost real.

A few days ago, while "monitoring" Joel's movements, Alice wanted to use this method to display simulated images in real time in areas where "Super-Linked Object" were distributed but not monitored.

However, the technology wasn't mature enough back then, and it was too laggy, so in the end, we could only make it into a simple line drawing style.

Alice didn't give up on the technology. She's been allocating resources to improve it over the past few days, and that's how it turned out.

Of course, the reason it's so smooth now is mainly because it's not a "live broadcast" but a "live reenactment".

Even with Xiang Kun's audio explanation and Alice's visual aids, it still took nearly two hours to explain everything to Lao Xia —not only the entire process of him going into the mountains today to deal with "Little Radish" turning into a "semi- Mutated Creature," and the process of discovering the "Ultimate Predator," but also the information from the secret documents that Alice had helped him obtain from under the Watchtower Building earlier.

Because Alice had three screens open—one displaying relevant simulations or surveillance video, and two displaying the contents of various secret documents— Lao Xia's head kept turning to follow her gaze.

There was only a computer chair in the room. Xiang Kun stood next to Lao Xia and gave an explanation. He glanced at the ponytail that swayed with Lao Xia's head and subconsciously reached out and stroked it.

While gently stroking the long, straight black ponytail, Xiang Kun continued explaining his basic assessment of the "Ultimate Predator": "If the 'special extrasensory information fragment' is indeed backed by the 'Ultimate Predator' defined by Mr. Liang and the others, a 'mysterious power' capable of deciding life and death, then it should at least conform to some basic models of 'Mutated Creature.' Furthermore, based on some of the new characteristics it exhibited, I had Alice create a mutation model specifically for it..."

As they were talking, Xiang Kun noticed that Lao Xia looked up at him.

Xiang Kun paused for a moment, glanced at his hand still resting on his ponytail, and quickly withdrew it, saying awkwardly, "I don't know why I just touched it."

Xia Libing looked at him thoughtfully. "Judging from your tone, speed, and word choice just now, because you discovered the 'Ultimate Predator' and found out how it affects living beings, your mind is in a rather excited state. However, because you cleared its 'extrasensory information fragments,' you were able to tell me those things and trust me quite a bit, so your body is in a relatively relaxed state. In this situation, your body will follow its subconscious to do some things, which is normal. Did you often play with your female classmates' ponytails when you were a child?"

Xiang Kun scratched his head. "No... I've never played it, but when I was in elementary school, our class monitor sat in front of me. She had a really long, black ponytail, and I did often think about trying to stroke it..." He laughed as he spoke, "But I never actually did it, because our class monitor was pretty fierce. If I tried to stroke her hair, she would definitely beat me up."

Xia Libing nodded. "Yes, that's normal."

Xiang Kun said, "So my reaction is normal?"

"When you're sitting and I'm standing next to you, I often have the urge to put my hand on your head, just like before. When we have time later, we can do some research on this. Different heads and different hairstyles definitely have different appeals to different people. Perhaps there are patterns we can summarize." Xia Libing nodded and said.

"I see..."

"You just said that Alice created a model for the 'Ultimate Predator' and used it for deductions? What were the results?"

The two then continued their previous conversation, discussing the characteristics and possible behavioral patterns of the "Ultimate Predator," as well as its behavioral choices.

"There are many possible outcomes from the deductions, but their reference value is hard to say. Although I have, in a sense, 'engaged' with it, my overall understanding and knowledge of it is still very limited. If its evolutionary process is calculated in units of thousands, tens of thousands, or even longer, then any slight difference in parameters will cause huge deviations in the deduction results. However, Alice and I are basically certain that this form of existence, this state of being, can significantly reduce the cycle of the 'Ultimate Predator' drinking blood or transforming. This form of existence is for both hunting and survival."

"Do you think it can sense the existence of your 'Super-Linked Object' or 'Emotion-Infused Object'?" Xia Libing asked thoughtfully.

Xiang Kun shook his head. "I've thought about it carefully. It shouldn't be able to sense me. Otherwise, it wouldn't have only started to react to me and notice me now, after I've developed the 'Super-Sensing Item System' to this extent, actively touched it, and even erased it from other creatures."

Xia Libing nodded and said, "It seems that it evaluates the threat level of 'Mutated Creature' based on the transformation stages. Judging from the number of transformation stages alone, your 'strength level' is still very low."

Xiang Kun also laughed and said, "Well, judging by that evaluation system, I estimate he's far inferior to Joel. By the way, Mr. Liang's method of relying on external technological assistance to synthesize Biological Component from new compounds for functional enhancement also has a bit of a 'secret operation' feel to it."

Do we have a clear understanding of how it perceives environmental information?

"Based on the multiple models that Alice and I have developed, the most likely way is that the 'extrasensory information fragments' hidden in all living organisms are 'activated' and 'awakened' when the fundamental characteristics of 'Mutated Creature' are manifested through various experiments and discovered by humans, becoming observable by human senses. However, this simple structure should not be able to perform complex sensory information perception and processing, so it should have a 'processing center,' which may be temporarily 'merged' or exist in other ways. In this case, it will be in what Mr. Liang and Academician Shen call a 'sensitive state,' and will also have the ability to process general sensory information."

After listening, Xia Libing thought for a moment and said, "The way it uses to 'deter' you seems a bit cautious."

Xiang Kun understood what she meant. If the "Ultimate Predator" wanted to kill a large number of creatures to "warn" him, the most deterrent would undoubtedly be to use his own kind—or, strictly speaking, his own kind before the mutation, namely humans—to warn him.

However, the "Ultimate Predator" chose only a few scattered birds and insects in a small area of Chongyun Mountain, showing great restraint and caution, as if afraid of "overdoing it" and provoking its true anger.

"I'm wondering why it thinks this way of coercing other creatures will work on me. How does it know? What if I'm a 'Mutated Creature' that only pursues its own mutation and evolution, only pursues its own strength, and doesn't care about the life or death of other creatures?" Xiang Kun said.

Xia Libing said thoughtfully, "Does it judge based on the degree to which you maintain your human form, your immediate action of erasing 'special extrasensory information fragments' for other creatures, or its ability to trace your past behavior?" She knew that Xiang Kun was concerned about this because understanding this might reveal the information gathering methods of the "Ultimate Predator."

"However, for the time being, I'll refrain from directly attacking it. Otherwise, if it really goes for a suicidal attack, causing widespread extinction, the consequences would be unimaginable," Xiang Kun said. "If we confirm that it cannot sense 'Super-Linked Object,' then accelerating the association and global deployment of 'Super-Linked Object' is the top priority. Once 'Super-Linked Object' are spread throughout the world, we can then see how to wipe it out in one fell swoop, preventing it from having a chance to retaliate."

Xiang Kun finished speaking, Alice's voice came from the speaker, as if she had been holding it in for a long time. "Alice already has twenty-seven plans to speed up the connection and deployment of 'Super-Linked Object'! Boss, Lao Xia, would you like to take a look?"

In a small but well-equipped conference room that looked quite high-tech, Zhang Qian and Tang Baona were discussing a topic.

Yang Zhen'er sat next to Tang Baona, lost in thought as always.

However, when she used to get distracted, she was mostly looking at the computer, reading various articles, choosing new clothes, accessories, and toys for her Little Chubby Girl, or browsing local food posts and thinking about where to eat after picking her up from school in the afternoon.

But at this moment, her attention was on a round eraser she was holding in her hand—she had seen it on the desk of an administrative staff member when she was chatting with Shiling's Mother at "Soaring Dragon Interactive Entertainment" that morning, so she went to buy a cup of milk tea and traded it with her.

Ever since Yang Zhen'er discovered her "Coin into Cup" skill, and the Little Chubby Girl taught her and Nana to play "Coin Clash," she has inexplicably become interested in all kinds of round objects. It's as if everything looks like Coin to her, and she wants to roll it around and let it collide with her.

This morning when she went downstairs, she even stared at the wheel rim of a car on the side of the road for a while, imagining herself and the Little Chubby Girl each holding a wheel rim and playing a game of tag. She was even wondering whether it would be more fun to play with the wheel rim on the tire or just the rim itself. She didn't come back to her senses until Nana called her.

Right now, the round eraser in her hand feels really nice. Yang Zhen'er was kneading and playing with it when she thought about whether it would have too much friction, making it too slow and not smooth when rolled around.

Then she started searching for "round eraser" on e-commerce platforms like JD. com and Taobao, hoping to find rounder, higher-quality erasers to buy so she could play with Nana and Little Bell! She then began researching eraser manufacturers, manufacturing processes, ingredients, the reasons for their softness and hardness, and various performance parameters.

"Ms. Yang, did you have something in mind when you took that eraser?" Zhang Qian, who had just finished discussing a topic with Tang Baona, suddenly asked Yang Zhen'er.

Normally, she was used to Yang Zhen'er slacking off during meetings and didn't mind. After all, Nana would discuss the specific matters with her, and there wouldn't be any problems. But today, Yang Zhen'er was acting strangely. She was holding an eraser that looked like one of the company's standard purchases, and her expression was more serious and focused than ever before. It was nothing like her usual slacking off or daydreaming, which is why she asked her about it.

"Ah? Oh, this eraser... it feels nice and is quite unique. Weren't we talking about promotion and operations yesterday? I was thinking that when we do offline promotions, we could make some custom erasers with the game logo printed on them to give to players or passersby. Sigh, it's a small matter, you big shots don't need to worry about it, you guys keep talking." Yang Zhen'er waved her hand casually and said.

In the afternoon, as soon as Yang Zhen'er picked up the Little Chubby Girl, she chuckled and said, "Little Bell, we're not going out to eat today. We'll order food later. You can order whatever you want. I thought of a new game. Let's go home and play it. It should be a lot of fun!"

The Little Chubby Girl holding Yang Zhen'er's hand sighed, "Old fairy sister, the Coin game is super fun, but you have to do it in moderation! I need to study when I get home, and then I can play. Uncle Baldy said that... well... the foundation of the game is knowledge. You can only play well if you have knowledge."

When the word "game" was mentioned, Liu Shiling naturally assumed Yang Zhen'er was referring to the "Coin Clash" game. These past few days, Yang Zhen'er and Tang Baona had been quite enthusiastic about the game, playing until very late every day. In fact, she had taught them several other games using Coin as the base, but after playing them all, they still thought this game was the most fun. Yang Zhen'er, in particular, had even gone online to order a six-meter-long, narrow table to set up at home as a coin toss "track."

Yang Zhen'er said smugly, "It's a different game. We'll play for twenty... no, forty minutes, that won't interfere with your studies! Hehe! By the way, Little Bell, don't call me 'Old Fairy Sister' anymore, just call me 'Fairy Sister'! Or... how about 'Old Fairy Sister'?"

She had finally gotten the Little Chubby Girl to call her "Fairy Sister," but after a few times, it always turned into "Old Fairy Sister." Then, as soon as the "Old" part came out, the Little Chubby Girl realized and immediately changed it back to "Fairy Sister." After a while, "Old Fairy Sister" became a natural way of saying it.

As soon as the Little Chubby Girl put down her little schoolbag, Yang Zhen'er couldn't wait to come over, lead her to stand in the middle of the living room, and then make a circle around her feet with data cables, trapping her inside.

She stepped back a few paces, creating a circle around herself.

Yang Zhen'er took out a round eraser and gave it to the Little Chubby Girl. She took one for herself and stood in her circle. Then she said, "We'll hold the eraser in front of our foreheads like this, and then only move our wrists, without moving our forearms or upper arms, to throw the eraser!"

The Little Chubby Girl mimicked the movements, then said helplessly, "Old Fairy Sister, I can't throw very far like this!"

"Ah... then... you can move your forearm!" Yang Zhen'er said, scratching her head.

"But how can we play like this?"

"Hehe, here's the deal: I'll count to three, and you throw your eraser at my head. I'll try to hit your eraser with mine. If I hit it, I win. If you hit my head, you win! You can't dodge with your body, and you can't dodge with your head either! Hmm, if you win once, you get to order one dish for dinner takeout!"

"Oh." The Little Chubby Girl nodded to indicate that she understood.

Then, as instructed, she placed the eraser in the middle of her forehead, and then, with a three-stroke motion of her forearm, threw the eraser like a basketball shot.

Then Yang Zhen'er gently flicked her wrist, and the eraser in her hand shot out, accurately hitting the Little Chubby Girl's eraser.

"YEAH!" Yang Zhen'er clenched her fists and did a deep squat.

"Huh?" The Little Chubby Girl's eyes widened as she looked at the two erasers that had fallen to the ground in surprise.

However, Yang Zhen'er quickly went over and picked it up, stuffing one of the pieces into the Little Chubby Girl, saying, "It's your turn, Little Bell. This time I'll throw it at you, and you have to intercept it!"

The Little Chubby Girl was still a little confused. Holding the eraser, she nodded subconsciously and then followed Yang Zhen'er's posture, holding the eraser to her forehead in preparation.

After Yang Zhen'er shouted "One, two, three," the Little Chubby Girl threw the eraser, but failed to intercept it. It hit her forehead accurately, and she tilted her head back, letting out a crisp cry.

The eraser was small and soft, and Yang Zhen'er threw it very lightly, so it didn't hurt much when it hit her forehead.

But the Little Chubby Girl's competitive spirit was ignited, and she rubbed her forehead, saying, "Old Fairy Sister, let's play with Coin!"

"No way! Coin are metal, super hard, they'll hurt you. I'll be heartbroken if I hurt you, hehe, no way!" Yang Zhen'er refused decisively.

Little Chubby Girl: "No, no, I'll control the Coin."

"No, no, we can only use an eraser."

"How about... we throw the cups? One of us throws the cup, and the other intercepts it."

"We can play that later. Let's play this first, or... Little Bell, do you think you can't beat me and want to admit defeat? If that's the case, your fairy sister wouldn't mind. Then I'll order all the takeout tonight, okay? Let me think, what do I want to eat?"

"Again," Liu Shiling said, rubbing her forehead, picking up her eraser, and standing back in the small circle.

She had just vaguely sensed something, and she wanted to confirm it again.

Yang Zhen'er returned to her little circle, then picked up the eraser and got into a throwing stance. "Hehehe, Little Bell, are you ready to take this?"

Liu Shiling nodded vigorously and hummed in agreement.

As Yang Zhen'er shouted "One, two, three," Liu Shiling's attempt to intercept the eraser still missed.

Just as Yang Zhen'er's small round eraser was about to touch the Little Chubby Girl's forehead, a strange thing happened: the eraser actually stopped less than a centimeter away from the Little Chubby Girl's forehead!

At the same time, the lights in the living room were dimmed.

Yang Zhen'er froze, her consciousness momentarily lapsed, and she had the illusion that time had stopped?

"Little Bell..." she uttered instinctively.

Then, seemingly just realizing what was happening, Liu Shiling also paused for a moment, noticed the eraser floating in front of her forehead, then her eyes darted around, she exclaimed "Yay!", tilted her head back exaggeratedly, and squatted down, clutching her forehead. "Old Fairy Sister is so accurate!"

The eraser then fell to the ground as if it had lost its support.

Yang Zhen'er stared blankly at the Little Chubby Girl who was squatting on the ground, covering her forehead, with terrible acting skills, and still secretly glancing at her. She felt a little confused.