Chapter 484: Chapter 484: Ordinary and Unremarkable

While Liu Caifu was exchanging courtesies with Xiang Kun, Zhou Rui, standing at the entrance, suddenly noticed Professor Li Yang fiddling with the tea set at the stone table in the yard. He paused, then took a few steps into the courtyard and blurted out:

“Professor Li?”

Li Yang was taken aback, then turned to Zhou Rui with a smile, “Are you one of our students, did you take my class? I’m sorry my memory might not be very good due to my age.”

“It really is you!” Zhou Rui’s face lit up with joy, and he took another couple of steps forward, saying: “I’m not a student of your specialty, but I frequently audit your lectures, er… mostly I watch the online course videos. I am a big fan of your two books, read them several times, and I even thought about changing my major when I was a freshman… Oh, my undergraduate major was…”

Zhou Rui, like a little fan meeting his idol, began to pour out his admiration, then he introduced himself, including his time of enrollment, field of study, his collegiate experience, research topics during his postgraduate years, his publications, co-authored books, and so on. without a break.

Unconsciously, Zhou Rui now sat down next to Li Yang at the stone table, and Professor Li had even prepared a cup of tea for him with the tea set that Xiang Kun had just brought.

At this point, there was no need for Liu Caifu to introduce anything else. Xiang Kun invited Li Shibao and Ye Chong, who were standing at the door with puzzled looks, to come in and sit down.

Xiang Kun could judge Zhou Rui’s true feelings from his body language and various sensory cues, he and Old Xia were thoroughly familiar with this man’s character and style.

So Xiang Kun knew that Zhou Rui’s performance wasn’t disingenuous or deliberate. It was genuinely heartfelt.

Zhou Rui knew Professor Li Yang; Xiang Kun had conjectured this when he first searched for Li Yang’s information through the small clues he found in his dreams. The college that Zhou Rui attended for his undergraduate studies was the same place where Professor Li worked, and they were in the same school.

Later, when Alice gained control of the secret department of Divine Technology’s special line network, along with the electronic devices of all the members of Fang Pingfang’s investigative team, he learned that Zhou Rui had stored videos of Li Yang’s online courses on his computer. Zhou Rui’s JD purchase records included Professor Li Yang’s books. There was a chance that he could recognize Li Yang.

After speaking continuously for more than ten minutes and drinking three cups of tea, Zhou Rui finally brought the topic back to the research base under construction: “Professor Li, did you come here because of the aqua farm research base there? Is our school involved in this?”

“Oh, actually no. I came to Chongyun Village to bring my daughter to play with her friends. As for the research base you mentioned, it’s something this Brother Xiang here is working on…” Li Yang introduced Xiang Kun to Zhou Rui with a smile.

Xiang Kun chatted warmly with Zhou Rui, then assumed a knowledgeable posture, answering any questions Zhou Rui posed very “sincerely” and “meticulously.”

Xiang Kun would be making lots of “major moves” later in Chongyun Village, and since Fang Pingfang’s investigation team would be focusing on Chongyun Mountain and Wushu Mountain, it’s impossible that they’d overlook these “actions”. He needed them, Mr. Liang, and other people within Divine Technology who would notice his actions, to think as he wanted them to. Thus, he simply guided them to make “discoveries.”

In his conversation with Zhou Rui, Xiang Kun attributed the idea of the “aquaculture research base” to the Youlong Restaurant he and You Meng had partnered to open in Tongshi Town. Originally, it was just simply an aqua farm intended to supply the restaurant with high-quality, affordable rabbit meat; but then with his experience as an internet industry practitioner, some new concepts were integrated and new ideas sprang up. Upon encouragement from some friends, including Liu Caifu, the “research base” was born inadvertently.

When narrating these events, Xiang Kun intentionally limited his “knowledge database” to fit the range of a 30-year-old internet industry practitioner, programmer, cooking enthusiast, and “foodie”. When it came to concepts related to genetic engineering and molecular biology, he deliberately stated opinionated and biased viewpoints in a confident tone. With occasional corrections or endorsements from Liu Caifu and Li Yang on the side, his words seemed more believable.

Nevermind Zhou Rui, even Li Yang, Liu Caifu, and Xia Tianhuo, who were listening nearby, all felt that these were Xiang Kun’s real thoughts.

Zhou Rui had not had contact with Xiang Kun, unlike Liu Caifu and Li Yang, who naturally perceived him as reliable, steady, and capable. No matter what he did, they would view it through a lens of “reliability”.

So merely from this brief casual chat, Zhou Rui felt that Xiang Kun was an idealist with enthusiasm, ideas, and creativity, but lacked sufficient understanding and knowledge reserves for the tasks he intended to undertake.

However, Xiang Kun seemed not to lack money, and could hire professionals to do the work when the time came. Such a research base would definitely collaborate with relevant academic institutions for its approval. Moreover, Xiang Kun was a friend of Li Yang, so they had these connections, and there was no need to worry. Of course, in case they could not continue their work in the future and were acquired by “Divine Technology,” becoming their backup lab for related tasks in the Chongyun Mountain region, that would be pretty good too.

After learning that the “Youlong Restaurant” was also run by Xiang Kun and his team, Zhou Rui’s fondness for them had increased significantly. He only hoped that this aquaculture research base would not consume too much of their finances and not affect the operation of the restaurant. He was too fond of the rabbit meat there, and whenever he had the time, he would entice Dr. Fang to hold team meals at the “Youlong Restaurant” using public funds.

As they had to continue into the mountain, Zhou Rui and the others did not stay there too long. They stayed for about an hour and then excused themselves. But before leaving, Zhou Rui added Professor Li Yang and Xiang Kun on WeChat.

While Xiang Kun was chatting with Zhou Rui, Li Yang, and Liu Caifu over tea, Yang Zhen Er, Tang Baona, and Xiao Pingguo were playing cards on the other side of the courtyard. The courtyard was large, and they were far enough apart not to disturb each other.

The deck of playing cards they were using was specially made with touch-sensitive markers on one corner of the face of the cards, allowing the visually impaired to join in. Tang Baona had bought this on Taobao after learning that Xiao Pingguo was coming, and it had just arrived yesterday morning.

When taking turns to play cards, they would also verbalize the card information to facilitate Xiao Pingguo’s decision-making – even though Xiao Pingguo could now “see the cards” with the help of Alice through the courtyard’s camera.

Upon seeing Zhou Rui and the others leave the courtyard, Yang Zhen Er murmured, “I suspect those three people are hiding something.”

Tang Baona found this strange, asking, “What’s wrong? Isn’t that one person Professor Li’s student? He doesn’t seem problematic, does he?”

“Haven’t you noticed? The way Brother Xiang talks to them so seriously, isn’t it exactly the same as when he’s trying to fool me?” Yang Zhen Er said in a whisper, squinting her eyes.

Tang Baona chuckled, “I didn’t notice.”

“Nana, you’re still too young, too naive~!” Yang Zhen Er shook her head, looked at Xia Libing sitting at the door of the living room, and said, “Not just Brother Xiang, didn’t you notice? When those three guys walked in, Old Xia was looking at her tablet and didn’t even lift her head!”

“So what? Even if it wasn’t Old Xia, I also don’t usually greet strangers …” Tang Baona laughed, “haven’t we also been playing cards?”

“It’s not the same. In the past when we took Old Xia out, although she didn’t talk much, she would definitely observe anyone new quietly. So when I want to know about someone, I just ask Old Xia. But these three, Old Xia didn’t even bother to look at them. Either she’s already familiar with these three and has them figured out, or these three are problematic! Old Xia definitely couldn’t know these three, so it can only mean these three are problematic!” Yang Zhen Er’s brow was furrowed as she spoke in a tone that suggested she had seen through everything.

“Your logic is flawed. If she felt those three were problematic, wouldn’t Old Xia observe them more carefully?” Tang Baona countered.

“Because… because Old Xia thinks they’re putting on a show, it doesn’t feel real! Observing them is pointless!” Yang Zhen Er explained, “Think about it, who in their right mind would come to Chongyun Village for research? Plus, these three are trying to enter Chongyun Mountain, making them super suspicious! And that guy…the moment he entered the yard, he couldn’t wait to cozy up to Professor Li. Clearly he came prepared and definitely has an ulterior motive! My guess is, they found out Brother Xiang is rich from our successful game, and they’re trying to connect with him through the Research Base to scam him out of his money! Brother Xiang has already seen through their plot and is stringing them along, waiting to gather enough evidence to put them in jail! Old Xia doesn’t observe them because he knows Brother Xiang has already figured them out. There’s no need…”

Upon hearing this, Tang Baona couldn’t help but laugh: “So, Yang Lao San, you’ve been coming up with all these wild theories, no wonder you keep messing up the game!”

Xia Tianhuo, who had just walked over to watch their card game, could hear the conversation. He chuckled and turned back to Xiang Kun, who was chatting with Li Yang, “Xiang Kun, according to Yang Lao San, you’ve deduced that Mr.Zhou and his gang are con artists.”

“Con artists? What con artists?” Xiang Kun was confused, though he had heard every word Yang Zhen Er had just said.

Although Yang Zhen Er’s final judgment was skewed, her method of deduction couldn’t really be faulted. However, the reason Old Xia didn’t lift her head to look at them wasn’t laziness, but because she had already received a heads up from Alice and was now going through secret internal files from “Divine Technology” on her tablet.

Zhou Rui and his crew couldn’t have imagined that the pretty girl with the ponytail, who was just a few meters away from them, had been studying their detailed information and recent data uploads as they chatted with Xiang Kun in the yard.

Hearing this, although Xiang Kun was just playing along, Li Yang said earnestly: “How could Zhou Rui possibly be a con artist? He just showed me their graduation photo, proving he was indeed our student. That can’t be faked. I could easily confirm that by checking and asking around.”

Yang Zhen Er felt vaguely embarrassed, shot a glare at her cousin, and hastily denied the previous statements to Xiang Kun and Li Yang: “I didn’t! I didn’t say that! It wasn’t me! I was just playing cards, Tianhuo is slandering me! Right, Xiao Pingguo?”

Xiao Pingguo laughed, “All I heard was Sister Zhen’er complimenting Uncle Xiang on his fishing skills. She must be in the mood for some fish. Uncle Xiang, didn’t you say there’s a pond here where we could fish?”

Actually, she agreed with parts of Yang Zhen Er’s judgment. With the information from Alice, she knew the three strangers were no ordinary villagers. The moment they set foot in the village, they had dispatched a drone to scan from above. Additionally, from Xiang Kun’s conversation with them, she could tell he was deliberately playing the fool; he might actually be baiting them.

“There is indeed a fishing spot. Come on, let’s go. Brother Chu and I are considering setting up a rural resort. We’ve identified a few potential sites; you can help us decide. Regardless of whether we catch any fish, we’ll have fish for lunch. Of course, if Brother Xiang is willing to cook, we’ll all be in for a treat!” Liu Caifu took over the conversation and said with a laugh.

“Cooking isn’t a problem at all. Do you like your fish grilled, souped, or spicy boiled?” Xiang Kun chuckled.

Of course, no one objected to the fishing trip. They had come to Chongyun Village to relax, so they began to prepare their fishing gear. Liu Caifu took care of the fishing rods, while they gathered the rest of the supplies needed for the trip.

Xia Tianhuo was watching Old Xia, who had stored her tablet away and was now speaking to Xiao Pingguo. Reflecting on Yang Zhen Er’s theories, he realized while they were just her excessive speculations, they were insightful.

Compared to before, Old Xia’s interest in his kidnapping incident in Burma seemed less than normal?

Normally, she should have taken the initiative to investigate such a mysterious, radiation-filled event. Shouldn’t she have more questions for him as a survivor?

Maybe, Old Xia had already made a rather firm judgment about the incident but was temporarily unwilling to share it with him?

She hadn’t answered his final question this morning before being cut off by Yang Zhen Er’s sudden appearance. It seemed that he needed to find another opportunity to ask again.

He still felt that Old Xia must know something about how he had mysteriously escaped the kidnapping.

The rumors of the sea monster illusion and the eight-armed, eight-eyed giant illusion gave him a vague sense of anticipation.

…

After bidding Xiang Kun and Li Yang farewell, Zhou Rui and his group set off for Chongyun Mountain as planned.

“I didn’t expect to meet a former school professor here. Hey, Old Li, did I say anything that violated the confidentiality agreement just now?” Zhou Rui asked Li Shibao, who was leading the way, with a hint of worry.

“No,” Li Shibao responded simply.

Zhou Rui nodded in relief and turned towards Ye Chong and asked, “Xiao Ye, you were researching something on your tablet the moment we left the courtyard. Did you find out anything?”

Ye Chong shook his head, “No, of the people in that courtyard, there were a few whose identities were uncertain and I couldn’t find any relevant data. However, everyone else, including Xiang Kun, Li Yang, Li Jun, and Liu Caifu, had normal profiles.”

“I thought as much,” Zhou Rui said. Ye Chong was just conducting a routine check, they didn’t expect Xiang Kun, Li Yang and others, or the “Breeding Research Base” to have any problems. Their investigation had never been focused on the individual.

The bald spectacled guy left a good impression on him, not only because of his great respect for Professor Li, but also due to his mannerisms.

In that courtyard, however, there were many people who caught his attention. Regardless of the greatly respected Professor Li, the tall Mr. Xia, the pretty girl with a ponytail constantly checking her tablet and not glancing at them, or the two beautiful girls playing cards with Li Yang’s daughter, none of them seemed to belong in the rural village. Compared to them, Xiang Kun was quite ordinary, his bald head being his only striking feature.

Zhou Rui was not aware that the information Ye Chong had found on Xiang Kun had been filtered and revised by Alice.

Although Xiang Kun’s original profile didn’t have any obvious issues, to be on the safe side, Xiang Kun had Alice make some alterations. For example, his photographs prior to his mutation last year, his travel record for some time after the mutation, his online purchase records for various books and equipment, to ensure that there were no points that would draw their attention.

Of course, even if there were suspicious points, even if they were to develop any doubts, Xiang Kun wasn’t worried because he could use Old Xia’s “Dream in A Dream” to subconsciously influence and hypnotize them, helping to forcefully “smooth over” their suspicions.

Even if something were to happen later, “Divine Technology” wouldn’t focus much on him because of their initial contact with him and their current assessment.

With a plan built on the “Super Sensory Item System” framework- Alice controlling the digital world and Old Xia controlling the dream world- Xiang Kun confidently conducted a “clinical trial” on the operation mechanism of “Divine Technology” in Chongyun Village under the watchful eye of Wushu Mountain.