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Chapter 614: Chapter 614: They All Fell Asleep
“Is Nana already here? Haha, just in time.” Xiang Kun’s voice came out through the phone’s speaker.
“Brother Xiang, where are you? When are you coming back?” Yang Zhen Er immediately leaned in and spoke into the phone.
Liu Shiling also knelt on the chair, with half of her body leaning on the table, her head stretching towards Old Xia’s phone direction: “Uncle Bald, have you had dinner, what did you eat for dinner?”
Tang Baona was also holding Little Fatty Girl to prevent her from falling, while asking: “Xiang Kun, you asked us to help, but what exactly do we need to do?”
Xiao Pingguo quietly said, “We are all ready.” Her voice was so soft that even Yang Zhen Er next to her didn’t hear it, but she knew that Xiang Kun on the other side of the phone could hear — even if Xiang Kun couldn’t hear, Alice would be able to help him hear.
Hearing the incessant questions from this side, Xiang Kun laughed happily before answering one by one:
“Old Three, I’m in the far northwest, on the border, in the mountains, and won’t be back until after the matter is settled. Xiao Lingdang, I didn’t eat, but I’m not hungry, did you have a full dinner? Nana, I’m calling to talk about this. I’ll need your help soon, but the way I need help is a bit special….”
Hearing this, Xiao Pingguo, who was originally the quietest and most composed, couldn’t help standing up, her fists clenched at her side, asked with some excitement, “Uncle…Uncle Xiang, are we going to start fighting? Do we start now?”
Xiang Kun smiled and said, “Xiao Pingguo, don’t be hurry, the enemy we are facing is a complex one. It doesn’t exist physically in the traditional sense and is omnipresent. I need your help to ‘catch it out’. You don’t need to go anywhere. After you fall asleep, you’ll naturally know what to do in your dreams. You don’t have to think about fighting, just bring out your usual state and do what you think is right.”
Upon hearing this, Yang Zhen Er, Tang Baona, and even Little Fatty Girl, entered a state of contemplation, apparently reflecting on some recent events, or words Xiang Kun had said to them, dreams he’d influenced, and Old Xia’s previous descriptions of the “enemy”.
Xiao Pingguo was somewhat confused: “But…in dreams, we can only dream according to our instincts, isn’t it possible to wake up in our dreams?”
During the various dreams influenced by Xiang Kun’s “Emotion Infused Objects”, she coud remember everything clearly each time after she woke up. She realized that these dreams were slightly different from her usual dreams, especially after meeting Alice in her dreams, she understood that her dreams could be used to communicate and establish contacts with Alice. But every time she realized it was a special dream, it was only after she woke up that she could make a subjective judgment, and in the dreams she was always instinctively reacting.
Xiang Kun responded, “Don’t worry, you’ll know when the time comes.”
Tang Baona immediately thought of the “Lucid dream” she had not long ago, and the words that Old Xia and Alice had said to her in the dream.
Xiang Kun continued, “Prepare yourselves and try to sleep within the next two hours. Rest assured, there will be no danger this time. In the dream, I and Alice will be with you all the time. I know your situation and will monitor it at all times. If you feel any discomfort, or do not want to stay in the dream, I will wake you up.”
Xiang Kun then explained a few precautions to Old Xia, answered a few questions from Yang Lao San, and then ended the call.
Xia Libing stood up, put away her phone, and said, “Everyone, please get ready to sleep. We combined beds, we all stay on one floor, sleep in two rooms. I will sleep with Xiao Lingdang and Xiao Pingguo, Nana and cousin will sleep in another room.”
“What about me? What about me?” Alice jumped in.
Xia Libing pressed her head to stop her jumping, then continued speaking to Tang Baona, “Nana, you can sing a sleep-inducing song later, to help Xiao Lingdang and Xiao Pingguo fall asleep first.”
She knew that Tang Baona’s songs, which were composed through “Emotional Melody”, could motivate emotions. Moreover, Tang Baona had previously created a “sleep inducing song” based on Yang Zhen Er’s dozing state. At present, it ranks in the top ten on global music APP charts in different countries and is a must-listen-to song before bed for many people.
She noticed that, although Little Fatty Girl and Xiao Pingguo seemed calm on the surface after Xiang Kun’s phone call, they were actually bursting with the impulse to “fight the monsters”. Their eyes, round and shining, were about to pop out of their sockets. In this state, it was not easy for them to fall asleep fast, even if they tried so hard.
However, with Tang Baona personally humming the “lullaby” here, she believed that making them have a good sleep would not be a big problem.
“Cousin, you and I clean up the dining table, no need to wash the dishes for now. Alice, adjust the security system of the house, take over all communication devices, and enter silent mode so as not to disturb our sleep. If someone is looking for us during this time, respond appropriately on your own, ensuring the mission execution is not compromised.”
After Xia Libing gave the instructions, Tang Baona first took Little Fatty Girl and Xiao Pingguo upstairs to wash and change into their pajamas, and then snuggled into bed.
The recent weather and temperature in Chongyun Village had been very comfortable, neither hot nor cold, and there was no need for air conditioning for sleeping.
When Xia Libing and Yang Zhen Er tidied up downstairs and quietly entered the room where Little Fatty Girl and Xiao Pingguo were sleeping, they found that the two girls, one big and one small, were already lying in bed, soundly asleep, while Tang Baona, sitting beside them singing the “lullaby”, was also dozing off with her chin propped up, it seemed that she, the one singing the “lullaby”, had made herself sleepy.
However, it must be said that Tang Baona’s “lullaby” was really effective. According to the time, it seemed that Little Fatty Girl and Xiao Pingguo had just finished washing and changing their pajamas after following her upstairs, and within less than five minutes of lying down, they had both fallen asleep.
Xia Libing gently called Tang Baona over, and then went back to her and Yang Zhen Er’s room, asking her to continue singing the “lullaby” to help Yang Zhen Er fall asleep.
After changing into pajamas, Yang Zhen Er saw Tang Baona humming softly beside her and Xia Libing sitting at the edge of the bed. She couldn’t help but laugh, ” I feel like I’ve gone back to my childhood. I feel like I’ve turned into a little kid, needing mom and dad to coo me to sleep.”
Xia Libing looked at Tang Baona, who had temporarily stopped humming because of a yawn, “Nana, just relax. When my cousin falls asleep, you can just sleep.”
Yang Zhen Er asked, “Huh? In that case, what about you, Old Xia? Can you sleep by yourself? Or you can sleep with us. Our bed is big enough to squeeze another one, no problem.”
“I can sleep.” Xia Libing responded simply.
Alice chose this time to appear next to her, sitting side by side on the edge of the bed with her feet dangling. She leaned towards Yang Zhen Er them and said, “Don’t worry, if Old Xia can’t sleep, I’ll play Nana’s song for her.”
“Alice, will I dream about you later? Sigh, I wonder what it’s like to stay ‘awake’ in a dream. I mean, my dreams are always so…”
Yang Zhen’er muttered, her voice dwindling until she unknowingly fell asleep.
Next to her, Tang Baona stopped her humming, shared a nod with Xia Libing, relaxed her already heavy eyelids, and allowed herself to drift off as well.
Xia Libing glanced at Alice beside her. Alice nodded, understanding. She knew that her cousin and Sister Nana were truly asleep — Alice could directly detect their physical states via their “super sensory information”, knowing how they were sleeping.
Xia Libing stood and slipped out of the room, gently shutting the door behind her. She returned to her room to tuck Little Fatty Girl and Xiao Pingguo in, inspecting a few “emotion infused objects” and “super-connected objects” on the bedside table. After washing up, she lied down on the other bed in the room.
Xia Libing glanced at the chopsticks on her bedside, felt the leather wristband on her left wrist, sensed the tiny metal pieces on the band, and said, “Inform Xiang Kun when I fall asleep.”
Alice, although she didn’t need to sleep, was lying beside Old Xia’s bed and giggled as she nodded. “Ok!” She agreed in a whisper, then asked, “Do you want me to play Sister Nana’s song?”
Xia Libing shook her head, closed her eyes, and adjusted her breathing gradually. In less than ten minutes, she was also fast asleep.
The whole building, the entire courtyard, were both enveloped in quietness.
Even the entire Chongyun Village followed suit, becoming quiet.
The wind seemed to thicken, no longer wailing, as birds and insects fell silent, and even the volume of televisions in neighboring houses automatically lowered subtly.
Atop the building, a cat and a bird perched on the rooftop railing, overlooking the courtyard below, like two loyal guards.
…
After ending his call with Old Xia, Xiang Kun held his mobile phone, his hands clasped behind his back, silently watching Mr. Liang drink blood.
That phone call made Xiang Kun feel like a commander, remotely giving commands to a “combat brigade” and deploying operations.
But the realization that his “combat brigade” was made up of three grown women, a teenage girl, a first-grade child, and an artificial intelligence girl who was only a year old felt rather comical.
Mr. Liang finished drinking blood quickly. Before slipping into deep sleep, he looked at Xiang Kun one last time and said, “The rest, I’m leaving it to you.” Strangely, the characteristic metallic grinding sound in his voice was far softer than before.
“Don’t worry.” Xiang Kun gave him a thumbs up.
Mr. Liang nodded, walked a little to the side, sat against a large tree, and relaxed into invisibility status.
The shattered “eggshells” and various remnants on the ground gradually collapsed and vanished. Mr. Liang’s transformation was beginning.
Xiang Kun stood nearby, squinting, appearing as though he was dozing, but he was actually at his most focused of all the times Mr. Liang had transformed.”
This was the critical moment where they would find out if their strategic planning could achieve the desired results. Not only was the plan itself at risk, but also Mr. Liang’s survival. Xiang Kun was naturally all in.
Since Mr. Liang trusted him, he would not let down that trust.
This “battle” wasn’t about physical punches, hand-to-hand combat. No, it was a test of one’s cognition level, of their operational skills, of their fundamental system construction.
Because of this, Xiang Kun was extremely confident. Not only did he excel in system construction far beyond the “ultimate predator”, his understanding of the “ultimate predator” was significantly higher than the “ultimate predator’s” understanding of him.
Before Xiang Kun could erase the specific factors and super sensory information of the “ultimate predator” from his body, the “ultimate predator” could know what specific changes had occurred in him. However, from the actual situation afterwards, the information that the “ultimate predator” could master was limited to physical changes, the stage of transformation and other similar factors. It had no idea about the “super-connected objects”, “emotion infused objects” and the various abilities derived from these that Xiang Kun was able to construct using his power. It was completely clueless, having no concept whatsoever.
In fact, this was quite normal, after all, Xiang Kun’s path could be considered a “road never thought of by mutants”. The “ultimate predator'”‘s fundamental need was to obtain a “blood source” capable of completing its next stage of extreme transformation. All it has done seems to be creating a suitable environment for this “blood source” to appear. Therefore, it only needs to pay attention to the stage of transformation of the “mutant”.
From the “ultimate predator’s” long-standing modus operandi, it has clearly pinned its hopes on the human species, believing that from the catalyst of human transformation, a “blood source” that conforms to the requirements of its stage of transformation is most likely to be born.
At the same time, humans are the species it considers most likely to threaten it, hence every time human researchers begin to study “mutants”, are about to unearth the secrets of “high-dimensional factors”, it would enter a state of stress sensitivity, causing massacres to prevent it.
However, from Xiang Kun’s emergence, it can be seen that the “ultimate predator’s” judgement was indeed correct. Humans can indeed produce the “blood source” it requires and humans can indeed pose a lethal threat, but it never anticipated that its “surveillance” method and control system would fail.
Xiang Kun was very clear that it was not that the “ultimate predator” had low intelligence, but was restricted by the way it obtains information, the type and magnitude of the information it has obtained. This has determined that it can only set up this kind of “stress trigger mode”, and does not have the ability to respond and deal more cleverly and flexibly.
Especially after knowing its entire operating mechanism and behavioral system, Xiang Kun even had a way to ensure that only specific information about him could be known to it. Information that it does not want it to know will certainly not know. He could even set “traps” against it, making it obediently climb in by itself.
Alice suddenly co-manifested next to Xiang Kun, mimicking his pose with her hands behind her back, looking in the direction of Mr. Liang’s deep sleep, and said: “Boss, they are all asleep.”