A Grand Show (Part 2)

Xiang Kun noticed that Mr. Liang's already round, eyelidless eyes seemed to widen even more, and smiled, "Just kidding."

In fact, Xiang Kun has countless ways to control Mr. Liang, and he doesn't even need to show his face or appear in public.

With Alice around, not only can she paralyze Mr. Liang's "Biological Component" with microelectronic structures at any time, and block the functional modules he uses to contact other "Shenxing Technology" devices and "Tai'e", but she can also, to some extent, directly deprive these components, modules, and devices of control, and use them against Mr. Liang.

Using remote emotion projection, we can temporarily lower Mr. Liang's guard when he is unprepared, and with the assistance of other methods, we can easily control him as well.

If Xiang Kun could even summon lightning to strike Mr. Liang directly. No matter how much lightning protection Mr. Liang's "Biological Component" had, they wouldn't be able to withstand the repeated bombardment of the lightning storm. Moreover, his lightning protection measures would be ineffective against the dismantling of his systems by Xiang Kun and Alice's extrasensory information.

Mr. Liang's "Biological Component" type, which leans towards the properties of metal and relies on the functional modules of microelectronic components, is destined to be at a disadvantage when dealing with this kind of attack.

Of course, if it weren't for Xiang Kun's guidance, Mr. Liang would never have been able to discover him or track him here.

The investigation by "Shenxing Technology" and Mr. Liang, their path in finding clues, their reactions and subsequent actions after obtaining various information, were basically within the deductions of Xiang Kun, Alice, and Xia Libing. Even when there were some unexpected reactions, they had prepared contingency plans to deal with them.

In the end, it was clear that Mr. Liang's information, arrival time at the designated location, and reaction were all remarkably accurate.

The reason Mr. Liang was brought here wasn't just because it was deserted and he could safely make some noise. In fact, Xiang Kun had turned this place into a "treasure trove," and he had spent a lot of time and effort preparing it.

The brief encounter with Mr. Liang was actually a spur-of-the-moment decision by Xiang Kun, an unplanned experiment.

His purpose was actually similar to Mr. Liang's to some extent. Although he knew what Mr. Liang's "Biological Component" were and what their functions were through the secret documents that Alice had helped him obtain, as well as the real-time control of "Tai'e" and the technical documents of various Research Base, those records were relatively general and vague. Therefore, he also wanted to fight Mr. Liang to gain a more detailed understanding of how some of the "Biological Component" actually operated.

At the same time, he could also take the opportunity to test the extent to which he could achieve the "rapid wound healing" ability he gained from this area.

Furthermore, without using his "Electric Flight" ability or the "Super-Sensing Item System," what kind of performance can he deliver based solely on his physical strength and athletic ability? Normally, he doesn't have such a suitable "training partner."

He knew very well that Mr. Liang was also holding back, not using his most lethal abilities, such as the drone laser mesh array that could instantly kill John, or any other abilities he knew of. Mr. Liang wasn't equipped with any guns or cannons, but he did have abilities and equipment capable of causing the same damage and destruction.

As for later using "Super-Linked Object" to sever some of Mr. Liang's "Biological Component," it was Xiang Kun knew that continuing the fight was pointless. Without using the "Super-Sensing Item System" or "electricity control ability," and without any tools or weapons, simply relying on physical strength to fight would not be enough to defeat Mr. Liang.

Using the emotional projection of the Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Wooden Carving to influence Mr. Liang was not an extension of the fight, nor was it intended to intimidate or suppress Mr. Liang. Rather, it stemmed from the fact that when Xiang Kun and Lao Xia were researching Mr. Liang's dream memory fragments and secret documents to build his personality and cognitive model, they noticed that Mr. Liang's psychology seemed to be trapped in some kind of emotional rut, not fully free of it. Therefore, his outward behavior might be a bit stubborn, a bit paranoid, or even insane.

Based on Xiang Kun's past experience, the fear projection of the Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Wooden Carving actually has a psychological counseling effect on most people.

Let Mr. Liang calm down first, then we can discuss the next steps. This will benefit both Mr. Liang and Xiang Kun.

It's like receiving a bowl of tonic upon meeting someone; it treats illness if you're sick, strengthens the body if you're healthy, and quenches thirst if you're already strong.

Furthermore, using the Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Wooden Carving to project emotions could also be an opportunity to draw Mr. Liang into the corresponding "Emotion-Infused Object Level-2 Network," establishing a basic connection to facilitate subsequent plans.

"Xiang Kun, I basically know everything about you." Mr. Liang ignored Xiang Kun's silly jokes and said directly, "I have a question for you: what is the purpose of everything you've done?"

He didn't specify what he knew, nor did he say what Xiang Kun meant by "everything he did," deliberately using this tone to try to make Xiang Kun believe that he had all the information.

Xiang Kun didn't hesitate and replied directly, "I just want to live like a human being and protect the people around me."

This answer surprised Mr. Liang somewhat. He had thought that Xiang Kun's rigorous and dedicated work in conducting various experiments and recordings, his rare and restrained guidance and training of abilities, and his investment of a lot of money and energy in building Research Base from scratch in a remote mountain village were all because he was interested in the origin of "Blood-feeding Creature" and the reasons for all these changes. He had originally planned to start from this direction to guide Xiang Kun.

Unexpectedly, Xiang Kun's answer was this. At first glance, it sounded a bit naive and a bit childish.

However, Mr. Liang did not refute him, but continued to ask, "You said you have studied 'Shenxing Technology,' so how much do you know about what we are doing? How much do you know about 'Blood-feeding Creature'... that is, beings like you and me?"

Xiang Kun replied calmly, "I think I know quite a lot."

Mr. Liang shook his head with a laugh, but the sound of his laughter, mixed with the grinding of metal particles, was unsettling.

"If you truly understood everything, you wouldn't have set up those labs or Research Base, and you wouldn't have let your girlfriend be in charge and involved in the research. If you really want to protect the people around you, don't let them get involved in these things, and you shouldn't let any ordinary people know about them; it would bring them utter destruction."

"I can guarantee their safety," Xiang Kun said confidently.

Mr. Liang scoffed, "Guarantee their safety? You think I'm talking about others harming them? Haven't you ever wondered why there's no information about 'Blood-feeding Creature' in normal information channels? Why do most ordinary people, media outlets, organizations, and official institutions in this world seem unaware of their existence? Why hasn't any 'Blood-feeding Creature -Blood-feeding Creature' suddenly appeared and demonstrated its abilities to everyone?"

"I've had that question too," Xiang Kun said honestly.

"Because there exists something that controls the lifeblood of all 'Blood-feeding Creature,' and even the vast majority of ordinary creatures..." Mr. Liang described the existence of the "Ultimate Predator" to Xiang Kun in relatively simple terms.

He knew that Xiang Kun was a very special, thoughtful, and practical human "Blood-feeding Creature," who might even have developed his own cognitive system regarding "Blood-feeding Creature" and his own mutations. Therefore, to completely convince Xiang Kun to accept his cause and devote himself to it wholeheartedly, he had to let him know that there was an existence that he could not defeat, resist, or understand on his own, and that that existence had the ability to take away his life and the lives of the ordinary people he wanted to protect at any time.

That was the "ultimate demon" waiting to reap everything.

He wanted Xiang Kun to work with him to perfect the way to fight this "ultimate demon." If he inevitably perished in the process, he hoped that Xiang Kun could continue and finish the journey.

Academician Shen discovered that the "Ultimate Predator" exerts a complex influence based on carbon compounds, thereby controlling the "lifeline" of various carbon-based organisms. He has found a path to gradually break away from the carbon-based biological foundation and develop towards a new life structure. He believes that even if he ultimately fails to complete this path, he can demonstrate a possible path for those who come after him, providing inspiration whether they continue along his path or explore new directions.

Xiang Kun listened patiently the whole time, and only spoke after Mr. Liang finished speaking, "I think I should have a way to deal with the 'Ultimate Predator' you mentioned."

"You?" Mr. Liang shook his head with a smile again, "I know your illusion hypnosis ability is very powerful, even capable of affecting thousands of people simultaneously, but that only works on humans, or 'Blood-feeding Creature' transformed from humans. As for the 'Ultimate Predator,' even if it has consciousness, its form of consciousness is vastly different from that of humans, and it has no sensory pathways that can be affected. You simply cannot influence it. We know too little about it... yet it can silently affect our bodies and directly take our lives."

After a slight pause, Mr. Liang's tone became low and solemn, and the way he spoke in his distinctive voice added an air of mystery, "It can even influence the entire natural world, summoning clouds and rain, and unleashing lightning. If you've ever experienced that power, you'll know that, in a sense... it is what humans perceive as 'god'... something that ordinary individuals and lives cannot contend with."

"Mr. Liang," Xiang Kun said, slowly opening his arms, "The lightning you're talking about... is it like this?"

Mr. Liang was taken aback when he heard this. He noticed that Xiang Kun was suddenly enveloped in a faint halo.

A strange wind swept through the mountains and forests, and his unusual skin began to tighten involuntarily—a stress response of vigilance and defense.

And at some point, the moon and stars disappeared from the night sky overhead; instead, dark clouds gathered and rolled, resembling giant waves in the eye of a storm.

Several streaks of lightning flashed through the thick clouds, followed by a deafening clap of thunder.

Mr. Liang discovered that his communication with the distant drone was being disrupted again. This scene, this spectacle, did it not seem to be an illusion?

His gaze returned to Xiang Kun's previously bald head and then ran towards the ground along the faint halo around him.

The electric arcs multiplied rapidly, converging into bright white cables that crackled and swayed behind Xiang Kun's head, like his growing hair or twitching electric snakes.

With a loud crack, a bolt of lightning struck not far from Mr. Liang, startling him so much that he instinctively dodged to the side. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that as the lightning struck, Xiang Kun, with his long, electric hair, suddenly flew up.

Bolts of lightning struck all around him, blue arcs of electricity crisscrossing the area. A burnt smell filled the air, and the air sent shivers down his spine, even though his scalp structure was completely different from that of an ordinary person—this was the first time he had felt this way since becoming Blood-feeding Creature.

In the terrifying storm of lightning, Mr. Liang instinctively tried to escape like a headless fly, but he soon discovered that he was also covered by a faint halo like Xiang Kun's. The lightning bolts around him seemed to be deliberately avoiding him, even though from the outside he appeared to be at the very center of the storm.

Looking up at Xiang Kun his head and his arms outstretched, Mr. Liang stared wide-eyed, his mouth agape and his ears bulging. After the initial shock and horror, he suddenly realized that the strange, sudden lightning strikes and the terrifying, instantaneous lightning storms that he had witnessed while chasing the "giant raptor" in Wushu Mountain that day were not warnings from the "Ultimate Predator"—they were the work of Xiang Kun.

Xiang Kun was also in Wushu Mountain at the time!

He thought of the thunderstorm at Purple Huan Mountain, the news that two fugitives had been struck dead at Chongyun Mountain, and the traces he had found in the Qinling Uninhabited Zone.

He had never before associated this thunderstorm with any other "Blood-feeding Creature" other than the "Ultimate Predator," because he instinctively felt it was impossible.

So Xiang Kun really can manipulate the weather?

So the one who could summon clouds and rain, unleash thunder and lightning like a god, was... Xiang Kun?

Mr. Liang suddenly noticed that the surrounding mountains and forests were also undergoing drastic changes. The trees that had been struck by lightning were now swaying their branches and growing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Not only the trees struck by lightning, but the entire surrounding forest seemed to come alive. Branches and vines swayed and waved incessantly, as if they had grown out of thin air, paying homage to Xiang Kun in the sky and welcoming the baptism of the lightning storm.

The various plants grew increasingly bizarre and grotesque, and then he felt as if even the ground itself began to writhe, as if it were breathing, cheering, and dancing in response.

The sky, the mountains and forests, the earth, the thunder and the gale—all seemed to have come to life, all obeying the command of a single will.

Mr. Liang was in the middle of it all, even at its very center. His experience was quite surreal. Reason kept eroding his perception, and his senses told him that everything was real. Yet, logic, reason, and experience made him constantly doubt whether this was yet another illusion orchestrated by Xiang Kun.

If all of this is true, then what exactly is Xiang Kun?

Can a "Blood-feeding Creature" transformed from a human, a Blood-feeding Creature that has undergone this transformation in just over a year, truly manipulate the power of nature?

Is he... even human?

At this moment, Mr. Liang inexplicably recalled Xiang Kun's earlier words:

"I just want to live like a human being..."