茶杯狐 -CUPFOX

Chapter 106: The Lone Ranger How did you know I wanted…

Well, I really do want it.

Sometimes when studying physical mutations, having a model for reference can help him understand and make comparisons more intuitively.

Of course, he can now find various required medical teaching models of skeletons and organs on the internet, there are even 3D ones. He has apps like 3Dbody and Human Anatomy Atlas on his phone, which allow him to view 3D anatomical information of the human body, including Chinese medicine acupoints and meridians.

“Forget it, I might go back to my hometown and sell the house, moving all these things around would be a hassle.” Xiang Kun hesitated for a moment but still chose not to accept the models.

Hearing him say this, Xia Libing didn’t say much. She pulled a box from the side and said, “I didn’t pay for that bow, these were my original birthday gifts for you.”

Xiang Kun glanced at the opened box. It was neatly filled with books. Judging by the covers of the top few, they seemed to be reference books and textbooks related to psychology and psychiatry.

“I don’t need these now, take whatever you find useful.”

Xiang Kun bent down to look through the books. He couldn’t help but want to laugh. Who gives their used textbooks as birthday presents…?

That being said. he was indeed auite interested in this gift and wouldn’t mind it. Perhaps Xia Libing knew this, which is why she chose to give these as gifts.

Well, she is a psychology student after all.

Xiang Kun was not shy, he crouched in front of the box and checked each book. He only took one book and three notebooks that had many notes written inside. As for the other books, he only noted the titles. He preferred to find the digital versions and read them on his computer, phone, or tablet. This was a habit he formed over time.

“I’m not going to be polite about this gift!” Xiang Kun stuffed the book and notebooks into his bow bag.

Xia Libing nodded: “If you’re interested, I can also send you some digital versions of notes and books.”

After thanking Xia Libing, Xiang Kun didn’t stay for much longer and left with his gifts.

Once he stepped into the elevator, Xiang Kun pressed the button for the first floor, but he subconsciously played back the details he saw in Xia Libing’s house in his mind.

“Old Xia is quite a peculiar person…”

Reflecting on his experiences with Xia Libing, he found that this academic powerhouse hardly showed any significant emotional changes. Whether it was playing cards, archery, or eating together, her heartbeat, breathing, smell, and expression changed the least. She always seemed to be in a relatively calm state.

Whether out and about or at home, she always seemed to be an “observer”. She always viewed herself as an outsider. Even when participating, it felt as though she was not fully engaged.

This feeling was strange. It didn’t feel like deliberate alienation, but more like an inherent “barrier”. On the contrary, it seemed like Xia Libing was always trying to break this sense of incongruity.

The time she showed the greatest emotional fluctuation and most significant physical changes, was probably when their horse-riding trip failed, and they happened to run into human traffickers on the way home, and she took action against those two women.

Officer Chen later told him that those two women were severely injured, much worse than the two poor souls subdued by Xiang Kun.

Seems like this girl does have a tendency for violence?

When the elevator reached the ground floor, Xiang Kun stopped thinking so much. After all, judging by his intuition, Xia Libing definitely meant no harm to him.

After leaving Xia Libing’s apartment complex with his bow bag on his back, Xiang Kun suddenly heard a tune he was very familiar with coming from a beverage shop not far away. And then the singing started:

“Once dreamed of wandering the world with a sword, wondering through the bustling world…”

It was Xu Wei’s “The Once of You”, a song he used to love and would often listen to.

Although he was carrying a bow and not a sword, as Xiang Kun walked down the street, he couldn’t help but recall his obsession with martial arts novels and films in high school. He constantly imagined himself as a wandering swordsman in the city. That tragic feeling of justice and defiance, going on despite a world’s misunderstanding…

As he continued his stroll, Xiang Kun found himself humming Let Me Be Alone in the World. He couldn’t help but fantasize about the thrilling possibility of a sudden appearance of creatures like the “Giant Owl”. Panicked crowds scattering, himself rushing against the flow, bow and arrow in hand, rescuing innocent victims from the claws of the beasts. Eventually, he’d be surrounded and slowly overwhelmed…

“The vast horizon is my love!-— Below the endless green mountains, flowers bloom—!”

Suddenly, a bright singing voice jolted Xiang Kun out of his thoughts. He looked up at a group of middle-aged women dancing in a small open park. He paused, smiled wryly at the absurdity of the moment – he had once again wandered into some strange state of mind.

The last time that happened, was he cooking at home while listening to music?

Was he becoming overly sensitive to music?

Xiang Kun furrowed his brows and headed towards a nearby underground station.

Whilst being absorbed in his sudden flood of emotions, Xiang Kun had failed to noticed the bystanders he passed by. Many turned around for a second look after he walked by.

Even people on the opposite side of the street couldn’t help but cast an additional glance his way. Yet, it wasn’t his baldness or the bow case on his back that intrigued them.

One short-haired, androgynously dressed woman also noticed Xiang Kun. She was taken aback, quickly grabbed her phone, found the perfect angle, snapped a picture, and posted it to her social media:

“I saw a figure on the road that inexplicably caught my eye, so I took this snapshot.

I don’t know who he is, or what he does, but the vibe I get is of someone solitary amid the crowd, an outsider to the mundane. Kind of like a Lone Ranger with a heavy secret.

What’s your take?”

The photo she uploaded showed a tall, broad-shouldered, bald man dressed in a black T-shirt, walking in the crowd. He wore glasses and carried a peculiarly-shaped, long, black bag on his back. Even without a purposefully-angled shot or any special photo effects, anyone could spot him in the crowd and identify him as the subject of the post.

The woman had over 800,000 followers, a minor internet celebrity with a fair few admirers in her field.

This seemingly insignificant post spread quickly in just a short time.

“I totally get what you’re saying! Even his silhouette feels like it’s steeped in mystery!” Reads one comment from a young girl.

“I think the photo captured the essence of a wanderer perfectly. The man’s unique baldness and elongated bag… he might be a musician, likely a rock star. The aura fits.” Says a middle-aged man.

“Oh my god! Girl, go check him out! See if he has a barcode on the back of his head! Or wait, maybe a QR code! Could he be the brother of Agent 47, Agent 58? Maybe that bag holds a sniper rifle!” Some teenager’s comment was extra imaginative…

“Sniper rifle my ass! That’s clearly a bow case! But carrying a bow case… he does have that Lone Ranger look like you said.” A bow and arrow enthusiast joins the conversation.

“I bet this guy has lots of stories to tell. Maybe he’s a retired commando turned mercenary, who after many year of life and death fights overseas, came back wealthy, only to find the love of his life married to another man. This is him leaving silently in sorrow after watching her wedding from afar…” An imaginative female netizen adds.

“Damn! You all sure have wild imaginations! It’s just a picture! Maybe the guy is just a regular office worker rushing off to dinner after work.”

“I did some little modifications to the pic.” Someone has photoshopped the man’s silhouette onto a deserted cityscape, turning the passersby into zombies…

The photoshopped image was immediately reposted: “This got some vibes! It’s like Agent 47 meets I Am Legend!”

Unbeknownst to Xiang Kun, the picture taken of him had rapidly circulated online. At this point, he had already arrived back at his residence complex.

Once inside the elevator, as he was about to press the button for his floor, a woman’s voice echoed from outside: “Wait, wait a moment!”

Xiang Kun paused and held the closing elevator door open.

Without looking, he knew who it was – it was Miss Yang from his building, along with her new pet..