Different Intentions

Tongshi Town.

Food street (pedestrian area).

Youlong Restaurant - Flagship Store.

Xia Tianhuo was You Meng Zhao Feng and Wang De'an, who had come from afar, in the "VIP" private room that You Meng had reserved for Xiang Kun, Tang Baona, and Chu Xiuwen.

Zhao and Wang had originally arranged with Xia Tianhuo in June to come to Tongshi Town for a "second interview" with him.

However, it was later learned that Ye Zijun, a Chinese tourist who had experienced a large-scale mass hallucination event in Montamira, had started contacting other Chinese tourists who had seen the "Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Giant hallucination" in Montamira that night, in order to interview them and produce a documentary. She had already completed interviews with several eyewitnesses.

Zhao Feng and Wang De'an intuitively felt that Ye Zijun's interview could help them obtain some information that they could not get through their own interviews. After all, she, like other Chinese tourists, was a witness and a survivor of that terrifying riot and eerie night.

So the two approached Ye Zijun, posing as journalists, hoping to follow and interview her as she made her documentary and interviewed others, and offering assistance, professional advice, and equipment.

Ye Zijun was initially quite excited about this and welcomed it very much. After returning to China and taking a break for a while, she finally decided to resign and become a self-media creator. This was because several videos she made during this period about the "Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Giant" Montamira had received a lot of views on various video platforms and had also amassed a considerable number of fans for her.

With her attractive appearance, fluent speaking skills, and logical thinking ability, coupled with her initial exposure as a survivor of the Montamira incident, Ye Zijun has garnered considerable attention and thrived as a content creator and video producer.

The self-made documentary, titled "That Night in Montamira," attracted tremendous attention as soon as it was announced. Every day, just the behind-the-scenes footage and vlogs from the roadside garnered a large number of views.

But after Zhao and Wang accompanied her to several cities and interviewed several people who had experienced the Montamira mass hallucination incident, she felt something was off. She had met some media people before and knew their style of doing things. She had done a lot of research for this program, but Zhao and Wang didn't seem to have the demeanor of media professionals at all.

Then she secretly checked the information on the two people and found that although the media outlet had information on the two reporters and confirmed their identities through phone calls and emails, she could not find even a single article or report about them in that media outlet.

Ye Zijun began to have doubts, and she paid more attention to the two's behavior. The more she paid attention, the stranger it seemed.

Zhao Feng and Wang De'an, both former police officers, were keenly aware of her change in attitude. Before she could give any concrete response, they took the initiative to say goodbye, explaining that they had other interviews to attend to. They also arranged for someone from their company to contact her and offered to sponsor her, provided that a product placement could be made in an appropriate place when the episode was released later—of course, the advertising fee would be settled separately.

After saying goodbye to Ye Zijun, Zhao and Wang originally planned to go to Tongshi Town, but they received another piece of news - Old Du, who had been admitted to the ICU twice and whom they thought had little time left, was actually getting better day by day. Now he can even walk around the ward corridor by himself with the help of a walker.

So the two of them rushed to the hospital where Old Du was, and saw Old Du mental state was completely different from when they last met.

They truly couldn't understand why, before they left last time, Old Du was on the verge of death, even admitted to the ICU and given a critical condition notice, yet in such a short time, he seemed perfectly fine, and could even walk on his own with a walking aid.

But this time, no matter how they spoke to Old Du, he ignored them, only glancing at them before revealing a "profound" smile.

They asked the doctor, who was equally baffled. Before they left last time, the doctor's assessment was that the patient was basically beyond saving, and even if he were saved, his days would be numbered. They could only do their best—after all, someone else would cover the medical expenses, and they would do everything they could to save him.

Unexpectedly, after several relapses, including his heartbeat stopping and teetering on the brink of death, the situation suddenly took a turn for the better, and Old Du's physical condition began to reverse dramatically.

According to the doctor, Old Du's lesions were still there, and his body was essentially still "riddled with holes." It was like a car with serious problems in its engine, transmission, and chassis suspension. Theoretically, it could break down at any time, but inexplicably, it was still in a driving state, continuing to drive without stopping.

Old Du's body was in a strange balance, seemingly on the verge of death, but on the surface, he appeared perfectly fine, able to eat, drink, sleep, and even stand up and walk around.

As for the specific reason, the doctors were also curious, and they even formed an expert team to study it. This was not requested by Old Du's godson. After the attending physician consulted his teacher, the latter took the initiative to conduct a remote consultation, and then other experts in the hospital also participated.

However, the specific results won't be available for a while, and whether Old Du has a problem with his brain or is doing it on purpose, he basically doesn't talk to anyone. Whether it's Zhao Feng, Wang De'an, or the doctors and nurses at the hospital, he cooperates well with the treatment or medication, but he just doesn't speak. He just smiles mysteriously from time to time. If you don't know his background, he really does have a bit of an otherworldly air about him.

With a huge question mark in their minds, Zhao Feng and Wang De'an left the hospital and headed to Tongshi Town.

They arrived in Tongshi Town around 5 p. m. Xia Tianhuo immediately arranged to meet them at the "Youlong Restaurant" and took them to try some of the most representative "internet-famous dishes" of Copperstone.

"This restaurant seems pretty famous. I've seen its name on various social media platforms lately. They must spend a lot on marketing..." Wang De'an said with a smile, looking out the window at the queue that had already started forming downstairs. Most of the people in line didn't seem to be in a hurry; many were even taking selfies with cameras or phones, or perhaps even doing live streams. It was practically a popular spot for internet celebrities to take photos.

Zhao Feng was also surprised and said, "I've been to Tongshi Town before, and I've never heard of any 'famous Copperstone dishes' or 'legacy flavors.' Is this so-called 'Copperstone meat' just a marketing ploy?"

Xia Tianhuo smiled and shook his head, saying, "You'll see after you've eaten. If it weren't for my two younger sisters, I wouldn't have been able to get this private room."

Zhao Feng then changed the subject, saying, "Mr. Xia, didn't you say you came to Tongshi Town to relax? We thought you'd only stay for ten days or half a month before leaving. We didn't expect you to stay this long!"

Xia Tianhuo said, "I'm now planning to settle down in Tongshi Town. I've partnered with some local friends to open some restaurants. There's a milk tea shop on this pedestrian street that I own. I'll take you there to try it after we eat, and see what you think."

Wang De'an asked curiously, "Mr. Xia, is your family's company's business... because of that incident in Myanmar?"

Xia Tianhuo shook his head and said, "Not entirely. It's mainly because it's very comfortable here—the food, the climate, and the friends. Haha, I'm happy here. Hey, you guys should stay a few more days this time; you'll understand after a few days."

Wang De'an and Zhao Feng exchanged a glance, both showing some confusion.

Xia Tianhuo observed their expressions but remained calm. He naturally brought up his kidnapping in Myanmar and then moved on to their subsequent interview with the only remaining kidnapper in Myanmar, as well as the group hallucination incident in Montamira.

Zhao and Wang readily admitted that they also suspected a connection between the "sea monster" seen by the kidnappers and the "Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Giant illusion" that appeared in Montamira —information they had proactively revealed when they contacted Xia Tianhuo earlier.

They also shared some information from their interviews in Montamira, and then, using this as a pretext, asked Xia Tianhuo further questions, emphasizing his emotional changes while he was in the cabin.

Their questions seemed natural, but Xia Tianhuo instantly realized that these two people definitely knew something deeper. At the very least, they were very clear about the core and crucial impact of the eight-armed, eight-eyed illusion. These two people were definitely not just trying to create a news story.

When Xia Tianhuo was in business, he was used to judging whether a customer was an expert, how deep their understanding of the industry was, and how sincere they were by the questions they asked and the way they asked them.

This method, when applied to the present situation, can also provide a rough assessment of Zhao and Wang's intentions and the information they possess.

In fact, when Xia Tianhuo was interviewed in Myanmar before, he suspected that the two men were not legitimate journalists or media professionals, but rather people working for the government.

The reason he agreed to come to Tongshi Town to interview him again was actually because he wanted to get information from them instead.

In hindsight, his earlier assessment was correct, and these two individuals did indeed possess some merit.

So he calmed himself down and began to carefully recall and describe his kidnapping, his time in the cabin, and the changes in his emotions.

Of course, this time he didn't just spill all the information like he did in front of Lao Xia, Yang the Third, and Xiang Kun. Instead, he deliberately picked out parts to talk about, intentionally describing them in a way that conveyed fear and apprehension, while observing the expressions of the two men.

Zhao Feng and Wang De'an were quite experienced in outwitting and exposing lies when interrogating prisoners, so they were quick to notice that Xia Tianhuo's description seemed to have some problems and his attitude was strange. He seemed to be very cooperative, but in fact, he was playing hard to get.

Fortunately, the food arrived at that moment, allowing Zhao and Wang to use the meal as an opportunity to reassess the current situation.

"Huh? This taste... it's really good!" Zhao Feng exclaimed after tasting a piece of braised rabbit meat, his eyes wide with surprise. This wasn't an acting performance; it was a genuine reaction.

After trying it, Wang De'an was also somewhat surprised. Now he could understand why this restaurant was so popular; the taste was indeed good.

"Am I right? Come and eat here a few more times, and I guarantee you'll love it more and more. Come on, try this broth, it's delicious too. By the way, how spicy is it? If it's not spicy enough, I can have them adjust it. The spiciness here is mainly to suit the local tastes of Copperstone," Xia Tianhuo said with a sense of ownership.

Zhao Feng laughed and said, "Mr. Xia, you really think you're Copperstone."

"Haha, if you stay here for a while, you'll start to think of yourself as a Copperstone too," Xia Tianhuo laughed.

So, using food as a pretext to change the subject, both sides readjusted their strategies and returned to their previous conversation.

"By the way, I saw some news articles on social media in Myanmar today that were getting a lot of attention. They were also related to the 'Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Giant illusion.' Oh, some Myanmar now call it the 'Eight-Eyed Eight-Armed Heavenly God,' saying it's a deity who controls fear and life and death, and that it descended to earth to punish evil. They say that the night before last, the 'Eight-Eyed Eight-Armed Heavenly God' appeared on the southern coast of Myanmar and directly 'punished' a smuggling, human trafficking, and drug trafficking gang, including a bunch of high-ranking Myanmar officials who were protecting them. They were all taken down in one fell swoop." Zhao Feng said, showing Xia Tianhuo the news articles on his phone.

"Really? Could it be that someone is using this as an excuse to start a fight?" Xia Tianhuo said casually.

"It's said that the 'Eight-Eyed Eight-Armed Heavenly God' first sent his vanguard general, the 'Sea God,' to investigate. After collecting numerous grievances and uncovering many crimes, the God himself descended, instilling fear in the hearts of those sinners, causing them to kill each other and atone for their sins. Two of the high-ranking officials who protected the criminal gangs were dragged into the street and 'sentenced to death' by the gang's young members. The highest-ranking one was so frightened that he voluntarily surrendered to the provincial government. The Sea King is also legendary. It's said that he first transformed into a human to test the criminals, giving them a chance to reflect. But instead of reflecting, they killed him, so he was reborn in the sea and returned to seek revenge." Zhao Feng introduced one of the most widely circulated versions of the story with a smile, while observing Xia Tianhuo's expression, and asked, "Mr. Xia, do you think these stories about gods and Sea King are just nonsense, like the stories about sea monsters?"

Xia Tianhuo narrowed his eyes, thought for a moment, and said with a serious expression, "It's hard to say."

"So, Mr. Xia believes that explanation?"

"Feudal superstition is unacceptable..."

"Haha, Mr. Xia, you really love to joke. So, Mr. Xia, do you think that on the ship, the kidnappers went into chaos and killed each other, or, as one of the kidnappers said, there was a sea monster?"

Xia Tianhuo, however, said, "Even if there were sea monsters, they killed each other. The traces on the ship, all the evidence, speaks for itself, doesn't it? Apart from the people on the ship, no one else was involved."

"What if it's not a 'human'? What if the way of participation... isn't physical?" Wang De'an followed up with the question.