Chapter 279 - Chapter 279: Chapter 279: Ant Enthusiast

Chapter 279: Chapter 279: Ant Enthusiast

Translator: 549690339

Looking at the middle-aged man with average build, rugged appearance, and a small beard who had just walked out of the scenic area’s entrance, Ji Hang wondered:

What was he doing here?

This middle-aged man, named Li Shibao, was formerly in the same unit as Ji Hang, and could be considered a comrade in arms.

When Ji Hang started his own security company, he naturally kept in touch with his old comrades. He was quite clear about their business acumen and technical expertise. And this Li Shibao, was one of the first people he contacted. Because he knew very well, Li Shibao had extensive leadership and command experience in small teams.

In their line of work, there wasn’t an extremely high demand for physical fitness or combat capabilities. With the passage of time and advancing age, they couldn’t compete with the younger generation. Instead, experience and other professional abilities were the real priceless treasures, the kind of things that no amount of money or time can buy.

However, not only did Li Shibao turn him down at the time, he actually tried to recruit him, saying there was a large corporation hiring with a very generous salary, possibly reaching seven figures annually, plus the best insurance and benefits.

Indeed, the comrade who found the “suitable job” with a seven-figure annual income that he mentioned to President Chu and Liu last night was referring to Li Shibao.

Honestly, he was quite interested at the time and asked a few questions, but Li Shibao mentioned if he needed more detailed information, a specialist would need to discuss it with him, and he would feel obliged to sign confidentiality agreements.

After considering it, Ji Hang decided to continue on his entrepreneurial path.

Firstly, because he had rallied some of his old comrades already, and the funding was almost ready. He couldn’t just abandon everything. Secondly, according to what Li Shibao described, the tasks this corporation would have them engaged in wouldn’t be easy. Big money certainly isn’t earned without a sweat. It might not necessarily involve illegal activities, but he may either be spending a long time travelling, or be on 24-hour standby duty. Coupled with complex confidentiality agreements, it will probably be similar to their previous assignments. He’s not getting any younger, and he still hoped for a somewhat normal life.

Upon seeing his former comrade, Ji Hang didn’t call out to him. He noticed that there were five other people with Li Shibao, two females and three males. It seemed they were currently working.

Exiting the scenic area, Li Shibao still maintained excellent observation habits, and soon noticed the burly man leaning on a GL8 in the parking lot. He didn’t let his gaze linger. He just gave a discreet nod as a greeting.

Similarly, Ji Hang responded with a slight nod.

It seemed he was indeed in work-mode.

Ji Hang couldn’t help but wonder about Li Shibao’s job. From the people accompanying him, in terms of their attire, style, things they carried, and their group dynamics, they didn’t look like rich people going on a leisurely mountain tour.

If it’s not for tourism, why would they come to Wushu Mountain?

From Li Shibao’s position when he was walking, and the state of the other people, it was obvious that the two women held the highest positions or were the most important in the group.

Their expressions were quite serious at the moment, and they were in a low-voiced discussion as if facing some problem.

However, as curious as Ji Hang was, he knew that without engaging his own interests, if he recklessly investigates, it would be tantamount to provoking Li Shibao and interfering with his work.

Half a minute later, looking at Xiang Kun and his group who were closely following behind from the scenic area, a thought suddenly flashed through Ji Hang’s mind:

Did Xiang Kun’s visit to Wushu Mountain today have anything to do with Li Shibao’s group?

But he quickly dismissed that thought. It couldn’t be such a coincidence.

Of course, he didn’t know that when he and Li Shibao were non-verbally, subtly greeting each other from afar, Xiang Kun, who was also exiting the scenic area not far from Li Shibao’s group, had already caught onto their “exchange” and linked them together in an instant.

Xiang Kun didn’t think Ji Hang was from “Divine Technology” because he could visibly perceive that, the man from “Divine Technology” who responded to Ji Hang’s nod, expressed a moment of surprise or astonishment when he saw Ji Hang. Also, based on the conversation between Ji Hang and Xu Kai right after they entered the scenic area, it could be concluded that they came here to drive mainly because of Liu Feibao, and it had nothing to do with “Divine Technology”.

As for why that person from “Divine Technology” knew Ji Hang, it was actually quite easy to understand — they might have served in the same unit before.

A few hours ago, while they were still in the car and had not yet arrived at the scenic area, Xiang Kun had already sensed through a piece of paper that established “super sensory contact” beside Mijoe, knowing that she and the people from “Divine Technology” were already at Wushu Mountain Scenic Area.

So Xiang Kun didn’t find it surprising to run into Mijoe, Fang Pingfang, and others at Wushu Mountain. He even looked forward to it.

Though he had previously speculated about their purpose near Wushu Mountain, it wasn’t clear until now. They indeed came due to the possible appearance of mutants on Wushu Mountain.

Xiang Kun was also curious about how they would conduct the investigation and the roles Mijoe and Dr. Fang would play in it.

Compared to the whereabouts of the “mutated ant” or “mutated big bird,” he was more concerned about “Divine Technology’s” investigation pattern in such matters.

When Xiang Kun and his friends started climbing the mountain, Mijoe, and others had already been on the mountain. They were stationed at the site of the accident two days ago. The area was sealed and isolated by the staff of the scenic area, who didn’t allow ordinary tourists to enter.

When tourists were climbing the mountain, they could see Mijoe and the rest from a distance, busying themselves. Some tourists wanted to go over, but were stopped by the staff. When asked why others could go over, the staff replied, “They are not tourists.”

Xiang Kun estimated that the staff of the scenic area probably only knew they weren’t tourists. As for what they were specifically doing, he wasn’t sure those coordinating from above had informed them.

Despite the distance, the items establishing “super sensory contact” in Mijoe’s bag could help Xiang Kun pinpoint their location and allow his enhanced hearing to accurately collect sound information.

Hence, while Xiang Kun was climbing the mountain with others, including Tang Baona, he was also paying attention to the information from Mijoe, Dr. Fang, and the conversation between Ji Hang and Xu Kai in the parking lot.

Although his brain could now process various kinds of information at the same time, it was mostly due to his subconscious instincts formed after extensive training following his mutation. For example, when he entered a building or a specific area, his brain would automatically collect various sounds and smells and process them preliminarily. He would be alerted only if there were details needing his attention.

However, consciously focusing his hearing to collect sound information from two distant locations, as he’d been doing now, was still quite difficult for him. As a result, he seemed a bit absent-minded while climbing.

“Xiang Kun, are you feeling unwell?” Noticing his unusual behavior, Tang Baona, who was walking in front of him, stepped back to offer him support, asking with concern.

Xiang Kun then withdrew his attention from the conversation between Ji Hang and Xu Kai in the parking lot. For one, they had stopped talking. Also, the distance was too great, and maintaining a dual focus, he found it extremely challenging to hear the conversation.

“I guess it’s due to lack of sleep. I’m feeling a bit drowsy,” explained Xiang Kun, with a smile.

“Lack of sleep? Wait, you went running early in the morning despite the lack of sleep?” Zi Cheng, who was walking further ahead, turned around and asked, widening his eyes, “I didn’t even know when you left! You went running first thing yesterday morning too in such cold weather… What is the point? Is your bed not comfortable?”

Yang Zhuo laughed and said, “Brother Liu, check out Brother Xiang’s physique. There’s no way to achieve this in a few months without strong willpower.” Having previously seen pictures on social media of Xiang Kun at work, Yang Zhuo was familiar with the transformation of Xiang Kun’s physique from his fitness routines.

Zi Cheng nodded, sighing, “Looks like there’s no way I can lose weight in this lifetime. I can’t let down my love for snoozing and for food!”

Unable to resist commenting, Yang Jie retorted, “Seriously, why do you make your laziness sound like you’re enjoying life?”

Xiang Kun signaled to Tang Baona that he was fine and pointed at the small pavilion halfway up the mountain, “I’ll rest there for a while. You guys can carry on.”

“Xiao Jie and I are a bit tired too. Let’s all rest together for a while,” Zhang Qian also suggested, leading Yang Jie and Xiao Min to the pavilion.

So all eleven of them crammed into the small pavilion, filling it to capacity.

Everyone was eating, drinking, taking pictures, and chatting. It was quite a lively scene.

Meanwhile, Xiang Kun was sitting in a corner of the pavilion, pretending to rest while keenly eavesdropping on Mijoe and Dr. Fang’s conversations.

Based on what he heard, although Mijoe and company had numerous avenues for investigation, various sources of information, and had collected some related videos taken nearby at that time. In addition to numerous eyewitness accounts of the incident, they were still not clear about the specific direction of the investigation. The truth they uncovered was even less than what Xiang Kun knew.

Hearing their analysis and conjecture about the situation of the accident that occurred in the morning on the 18th, Xiang Kun couldn’t help but feel anxious for them. He wanted to guide them on the right path, to make them realize what they were actually investigating.

He wanted to see how the people from “Divine Technology” would handle the situation after confirming the existence of the mutant creatures, how they would proceed in their subsequent actions, how they would mobilize resources.

Although they may eventually get on the right track of investigation, merely consuming more time, Xiang Kun couldn’t stay too long in Tongshi Town. As he had already booked a flight back tomorrow, he hoped that Mijoe’s investigations could proceed faster, and ideally make some breakthroughs by today.

However, he couldn’t just walk up to them and say, “You’re investigating two mutants! One might be a mutated ant! The other could be a large bird! They probably fought with each other, which hurt the ordinary tourists! They are no longer near the several peaks of Wushu Mountain, you can try searching deeper into the mountains!”

But when Xiang Kun discovered that Zhou Rui, a researcher from “Divine Technology” who he had earlier identified with Alice’s help, was with Mijoe and Dr. Fang, he came up with an idea to try to guide them.

Sitting next to a pillar in the pavilion, Xiang Kun closed his eyes, pretending to nap, and thus entered the “Super Sensory State”.

Through the “Black Circle Graffiti” in Mijoe’s backpack, Xiang Kun’s perceptions manifested around them.

In the “Super Sensory State”, Xiang Kun was already very familiar with the body perception information of Mijoe, Dr. Fang, and the others, knowing very clearly which pieces of information represented whom.

Previously, Xiao Pingguo relied on the control of numerous “Emotional Infusion” items given by Xiang Kun to “develop” a collection of emotion manifestations that could call upon the “Emotion Infusion”. This emotional manifestation could cause an emotional influence on the target while creating a corresponding illusionary projection.

Through Xiang Kun’s trials and attempts, using this method in the “Super Sensory State” could similarly make people experience corresponding emotional projection illusions, operating on the same principles as dreams.

This gave Xiang Kun an idea. Could he create a similar illusion in reality by using the methods of editing dreams?

According to his deduction, this method was feasible to a certain degree, especially since he had the opportunity to experiment right now. The “Black Circle Graffiti” was in the bag that Mijoe was carrying, and Zhou Rui was within the range of influence.

Therefore, after Xiang Kun manifested the emotion of the “Black Circle Graffiti” into Zhou Rui’s perception information, he started to manifest certain images into Zhou Rui’s sensory information.

Creating illusions in a conscious state was naturally far more difficult than in dreams, especially over distances in the “Super Sensory State”.

Previously, when Xiang Kun influenced Dr. Fang and made her see “cut rabbit meat” in her lab, he used the emotional manifestation of the rabbit woodcarving. Now, however, he had to intentionally “edit” an illusion.

He couldn’t just edit whatever he wanted because he lacked the corresponding “codes”. Fortunately, he had previously perceived Zhou Rui’s dreams, so he could try to edit elements that had previously appeared in those dreams, simultaneously manifesting them in Zhou Rui’s vision.

It’s like a rudimentary “drawing editor”, with no paintbrush, only preset patterns he could “arrange”.

The pattern that Xiang Kun chose to place was — an ant.

This was the most striking element he had seen in Zhou Rui’s dream. He and Alice confirmed Zhou Rui’s exact identity based on the ant box they saw in his dream.

And now, the ant is the best hint for them.

Thus, under Xiang Kun’s influence, Zhou Rui, who was taking photographs as instructed by Dr. Fang Pingfang, suddenly saw an ant the size of a small fingernail cap rapidly burrow into the ground.

Zhou Rui froze.

If it were anyone else who saw this ant, it wouldn’t be peculiar. After all, ants are the most common insects and it’s very normal to see them in the mountains.

But Zhou Rui was an expert and could even be called an obsessed ant enthusiast, well acquainted with many ants’ characteristics. He knew that during this season, ants should not be seen outside. They would mostly be huddled in their nests for the winter.

Moreover, the large worker ant he just saw was exactly the type he was currently raising, and this type of ant was not distributed in Haixi Province.

Driven by strong curiosity, he crouched on the ground, carefully looking at the spot where the large worker ant had disappeared. After a moment, he began to dig into the ground with a tool.

His strange behavior soon attracted the attention of Fang Pingfang, Mijoe, and others, who came over to ask questions.

But Zhou Rui didn’t say anything,he just continued to dig. After excavating a spot, he examined it before starting his search elsewhere.

At a distance, in the small pavilion on the mountainside, Xiang Kun had already left the “Super Sensory State”.

He had only created a short-lived illusion of an ant for Zhou Rui, and the realism of the illusion itself was very limited. Luckily, it was taken from Zhou Rui’s own dream. Otherwise, Zhou Rui might not have recognized it.

Regardless, the desired effect had been achieved.

Xiang Kun believed that with Zhou Rui’s familiarity with ants, he would soon notice the absence of the ant colony on the mountain. This would then trigger more targeted investigations and actions by Mijoe, Dr. Fang, and others.

“Xiang Kun, let’s go back a bit earlier. You really need to make up for some sleep and rest well.” Seeing Xiang Kun “wake up”, Tang Baona, who was sitting next to him, expressed her concern.

Xiang Kun quickly jumped up, stretching his arms widely, and said energetically, “I’m okay! I just took a short nap. Now I’ve turned back into a lively dragon. Let’s climb the mountain!” As he spoke, he started climbing up the mountain first.

Seeing him like this, Tang Baona, You Meng, and others also put their worries aside and returned to the mountain path.

After walking a few steps in front, Xiang Kun felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He took it out and saw a WeChat message from Xia Libing: “Are you worried about those two drivers?”

Xiang Kun paused, looking back at Xia Libing who was walking in the middle of the group with her phone. He was a little surprised. Had Old Xia also spotted problems with Ji Hang and Xu Kai? Ji and Xu’s performance didn’t seem to have any loopholes. Old Xia didn’t have as many channels of perception information as he did.

“What problems do they have?” Xiang Kun quickly replied via WeChat.

After a while, Xia Libing responded: “Although their driving skills are very skilled, they don’t seem like professional drivers. You’re talking too much to Ji Hang, and your response is too deliberate. You’re sounding him out.”

Xiang Kun then realized that Old Xia had reached her conclusion by observing him.

“Don’t worry, they mean no harm. I’m just thinking about other things,” Xiang Kun quickly replied.

Old Xia sent an OK emoji.

When going down the mountain, Xiang Kun didn’t intentionally want to stick with Mijoe, Dr. Fang and the others, it was simply a coincidence.

However, Mijoe and the rest were rushing ahead and didn’t notice Xiang Kun and others behind them.

According to the information Xiang Kun overheard, they were still confirming the ant situation. Suddenly, they received news that traces of the big bird had been found elsewhere, so they needed to rush over immediately.

After returning to the car with his friends, Xiang Kun built a “map” in his mind of the surroundings, trying to determine the possible movement trajectory of the large bird.

——

I recommend a fun light novel about infinity flow titled “What’s It Like Being Summoned as a Giant”. It’s very interesting.