Xia Wenyuan, Lester, and Old Wolf all had contact with Ronald Cohen before the Parasitic Consciousness invasion occurred. Cohen is very likely the leader of those invaders, or at least an important figure, and the Dream Foundation may be their organization.
Could those paintings be an essential intermediary medium for parasitism?
Qingmu immediately called Xia Wenyuan, briefly explained the Wolf Family's situation and Old Wolf's illness, and then proposed his idea. His suggestion was to simply go to New York and meet with Ronald Cohen; then, they would know for sure whether he was a good person or a bad one.
Mei Yiqiu was far more cautious than Qingmu, believing that their current speculations were still immature and that going directly to Aoki's door would alert the enemy. Moreover, in Mei Yiqiu's mind, Qingmu was different from the other scientists; he was unique, one of humanity's hopes in defeating those Parasitic Consciousness, and he alone might be more effective than a hundred scientists. They didn't yet know the true strength of the invaders; what if they went rashly and encountered danger? Therefore, Mei Yiqiu advised Qingmu to conceal himself and not reveal too much of his strength.
Furthermore, Mei Yiqiu believes that those paintings could not have been the necessary intermediate medium for parasitism; Cohen must have tampered with them, perhaps specifically targeting certain individuals or serving a certain stimulating effect. Currently, the three people influenced by the paintings are all heavyweight figures: one is one of humanity's greatest scientists, one is one of the world's richest people, and the other controls the largest Chinese gang.
However, Mama Yao was an exception. She was just an ordinary person who didn't know Cohen, and might not even be able to distinguish between Picasso and Van Gogh. If painting was the only parasitic channel, it would be impossible to explain how Mama Yao was invaded.
Mei Yiqiu said that those who Lester Signature also formed an organization called the Third Space Foundation, mainly to raise funds for the research and development of the Space Box and the development of the " Dream Guide " game.
Qingmu found the name strange; why was it called the Third Space instead of the First or Second? Mei Yiqiu said he had recently found some ancient materials related to those two triangular symbols, and they would discuss it in detail when he had time.
Qingmu asked if he was also a member of the Foundation, and Mei Yiqiu said that for the sake of secrecy, he had not been added yet. Currently, apart from a few core members, no one else knew of Qingmu's existence.
Mei Yiqiu sent a message to the Foundation's members, instructing them not to contact anyone associated with the Dream Foundation. She also asked Xia Wenyuan to help investigate the list of people who had frequent contact with Ronald Cohen in the past year, or who had bought paintings from him or visited his private collection exhibitions.
Qingmu suddenly realized that this usually irritable and straightforward eccentric old scientist was surprisingly organized and had some leadership potential. Indeed, when a smart person gets serious, they can do anything well.
While Mei Yiqiu the phone, Qingmu was soaking in the hot spring. Having finally made it to the hot spring resort, he naturally wanted to enjoy himself. Huang Ziqiang even offered to arrange two massage girls for him, but Qingmu refused.
Just then, someone came to tell him that Mr. Wolf had woken up and wanted to see him.
Qingmu then got dressed and went to see Hong Zhenlong.
Hong Zhenlong lay on the bed, unrestrained, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. The tall Hong Kui stood beside him, and when Qingmu entered, he leaned down and whispered something in his father's ear.
Hong Zhenlong raised his hand to signal, and Hong Kui helped him up, placing two pillows behind him so he could lean against the headboard.
Hong Zhenlong pointed to the chair and said to Qingmu, "Please sit down."
Qingmu sat down as instructed and asked, "Mr. Hong, is there anything you'd like to say to me?"
Hong Zhenlong looked exhausted, and spoke weakly, "You are the first person outside our family to see the White Wolf. Our ancestral teachings say that anyone who sees the White Wolf is a member of our clan."
Qingmu was greatly surprised, thinking to himself, "I just entered your dream, how did I become one of your people? If that's the case, if Professor Mei and Hu Xing had come today, wouldn't they have become his people too?"
He thought this to himself, but didn't say it aloud; he just listened quietly.
Hong Zhenlong added, "Even among my clansmen, not everyone can see the white wolf. Only those with the Wolf King Bloodline can see the wolf king's true form. Our family has always used this standard to select successors. In the past hundred years, it has been rare for two people with the Wolf King Bloodline to appear in the same generation. If they do, according to the rules, they must inherit everything in the family at the same time. My father and my uncle were like that, but unfortunately, my uncle died of a mad attack before he was thirty years old."
"In my generation, I'm the only one left. As for my next generation—" he said, glancing at Hong Kui, " Hong Kui, although not my biological son, is the only one in his generation with the Wolf King Bloodline. So I adopted him as my son and designated him as my successor."
Qingmu was surprised to find that Hong Kui was not Old Wolf's biological son. He glanced over and saw Hong Kui with his head down, looking very docile, without any change in expression.
Hong Zhenlong continued, "Now that you've joined us, Mr. Qingmu, since you've met the White Wolf King, I should follow ancestral teachings and designate you as our family's successor as well."
Qingmu was greatly surprised and quickly said, "Mr. Hong, you're joking. Putting aside whether your ancestral precept is reasonable or not, even if I really did have the Wolf King Bloodline you mentioned, I would not become your family's successor. I have no interest in your business."
Hong Zhenlong was taken aback, then laughed and said, "Do you know how big our family business is?"
When these gangs' businesses were mentioned, Qingmu thought of Wu Suotun and Mu Ka, the women waving their arms on the streets of Masuba, and the ubiquitous drugs. They were all involved in underground business; was doing it in United States somehow more lucrative than doing it in Mianyue?
"No matter how big the drain is, it won't produce sweet spring water," Qingmu said dismissively.
Hong Zhenlong burst into laughter, but perhaps due to his health, he suddenly coughed as he laughed, "Cough cough... cough... Young people! It's really rare to see such righteous young people these days. I haven't been back for many years, and it seems that the education system in China is doing quite well!"
Hong Kui laughed along and said to Qingmu, "We're not like those bastards from the Big Circle Gang. We cut off the drug trade starting with my grandfather's generation. By my father's time, all our businesses, except for arms and casinos, were legalized. Last year, something happened within the gang because someone was secretly using the gang to do drug business. Those people have been severely punished by my father."
Hong Zhenlong added, "Actually, I stopped interfering in gang affairs a long time ago, otherwise this mess wouldn't have happened. I think that when you inherit the family business, you will no longer have anything to do with those dirty things. Our investments in marine resources, finance, computers, and new energy over the past few decades are enough to make our family a great family that will be praised by the world, just like the Rockefeller, Morgan, and Mellon Family."