茶杯狐 -CUPFOX

Xiang Kun confirmed the situation in the next room with his hearing. Knowing that Old Xia had just finished washing and Tang Baona and Yang Zhen’er were still sound asleep, he texted back: “At the front door.”

As Xiang Kun stepped out of his room, Xia Libing also came out of her room—an occurrence within Xiang Kun’s expectations.

They looked at each other without uttering a word, and together, headed towards the elevator.

Once they got inside the elevator, Xia Libing looked over at him and sniffed slightly before asking, “You went out last night and just came back?”

Xiang Kun knew she was asking this because she had noticed that he had changed clothes and taken a bath.

“I went to the river last night.” After exiting the elevator, Xiang Kun shared as he walked towards the hotel entrance.

Xia Libing, who trailed behind, mused, “Did you find something in the river? No wonder you seemed absent-minded on the road last night.”

“Oh? You noticed that I seemed absent-minded?” Xiang Kun laughed. Although his attention was mostly on the river water, he believed that it should not have shown on his face.

“Your reaction to Nana’s song was too mild. It was not exactly normal,” noted Xia Libing. “However, back then I could only speculate and was uncertain.”

Xiang Kun nodded. Once they stepped out of the hotel, he turned right towards the adjacent walkway.

Xia Libing followed him without asking about their destination.

“It’s not that there’s something in the river, but the river water itself.” Only now did Xiang Kun start to recount the peculiar sensations he experienced with the river water last night, as well as his solo dive into the river, the results and summary of various experiments, including the rescue and the conditions when he created fog while surfacing.

Halfway through the conversation, Xiang Kun turned into a narrow alley. Seeing many people line up outside a dilapidated looking breakfast stall, they joined the queue.

Xiang Kun fell silent and she did not ask further, merely squinting her eyes as she pondered something.

After a while, Xiang Kun bought two large meat buns, a vegetable bun, a spring roll, three dumplings, and a cup of soy milk. He handed over the food to Old Xia and turned back to add sugar to the soy milk.

Xia Libing took the soy milk from Xiang Kun after he added the sugar, tasted it, and found the sweetness just right. She then began to savor the meat bun.

Though several tables were set up both inside and outside the breakfast stall, they were all occupied. Xiang Kun pulled over two small stools and they sat down by the road side, a few meters away from the others. Xiang Kun held the remaining food items functioning as a makeshift table.

The taste must have been satisfactory, given Xia Libing’s consumption of the bun in four or five bites amidst hot exhales of satisfaction.

This quaint food stall, as he discovered on his phone back at the hotel, was an old and popular establishment in Star City. The long queue from the early hours indicated its well-deserved fame, for even Internet-famous establishments couldn’t have lines forming this early.

Even through the hotel wall, he knew Old Xia was hungry and the hotel’s breakfast service still hadn’t opened. Therefore, he decided to bring her here directly.

After Xia Libing finished another meat bun, Xiang Kun handed over the bag of dumplings and continued, “That bug should initially have laived in water, hence it’s more adaptable to water than to land. But I think it should not have as much control over water as me. My strong control over the water should primarily be due to a combination of my other abilities, especially the use of the ‘Super Sensory Item System’. It’s a qualitative change resulting from quantitative changes.”

Xia Libing continued to eat as she listened to Xiang Kun speak, not wasting a second.

After finishing breakfast and the last sip of soy milk, Xiang Kun finished his explanation and handed over a napkin he brought from the hotel.

“Do you have to be in water to enter ‘Oxygen-saving Mode’, or can you do it at any time?” Xia Libing wiped her mouth and asked.

“I can do it any time.” Xiang Kun replied, paused for a moment, then continued, “Right now I’m in ‘Oxygen-saving Mode’, and to others, there should be no obvious difference. Of course, if you look closely, you can see that I’m not breathing at all.”

Old Xia’s question was something he’d considered before, and he had already run experiments on it. Even without dunking his face into the water, he could now find a way to enter ‘Oxygen-saving Mode’. It was far easier than entering a ‘Super Sensory State’, somewhat like switching visual modes.

“Then, can you try to simulate the act of breathing now?” Xia Libing asked while observing Xiang Kun’s state.

Xiang Kun took several deep breaths as per her request, then said, “I can mimic the act of breathing, but the air I take in doesn’t actually change. It seems I can’t carry out these two methods of oxygen intake at the same time.”

“It appears that the ‘Oxygen-saving Mode’ isn’t simply about absorbing dissolved oxygen from water, but indiscriminately absorbing oxygen molecules from the surrounding environment.” Xia Libing pondered and nodded, “Or maybe… what you are absorbing is not oxygen?”

“Not oxygen? Then what is it?”

“We can confirm it with further experiments after the lab is ready.” Xia Libing brushed past his question, then asked, “Can you consistently maintain ‘Oxygen-saving Mode’?”

“I have not tried to see how long I can maintain it, but from how it feels now, it should be no problem.” Xiang Kun replied.

“Do you sense anything from the surrounding water now?”

“I do feel a slight sensation, but the sensing is very weak, I guess it’s because the total amount of water is relatively small. I can sense the water flowing in the pipes, the water in the ditch, the water tanks behind the shops, and some bottled water, but all these are only vaguely determined by me after I first locate them through other sensory information, I feel this is still based on my original comprehensive perception, which is fundamentally different from my direct contact with water.” As Xiang Kun talked, he was also conducting sensing and thinking.

Xia Libing asked again, “Is it related to the purity of the water? Is there a difference in the degree of sensation between water with different impurities? Is your special feeling purely derived from H₂O molecules, or is it from the liquid form of the substance?”

“It should be directly related to the water molecule… but that’s just my intuition, the specifics still need to be confirmed by experiments.” Xiang Kun replied.

Saying that, Xiang Kun got up, went to the small store across the street and bought a bottle of mineral water, then he came back, washed the cup that Old Xia had drank soy milk from, and filled it three quarters full.

Xiang Kun put his coat on the plastic stool he was sitting on, then crouched in front of the stool, dipping his index finger into the water, stirring slowly.

After a while, Xiang Kun stopped stirring, leaving his finger in the water. He waited for the water in the cup to become calm again, then looked up at Old Xia, “Did you see that?”

Xia Libing nodded. During the whole process, she sat on the stool, propped up her chin, and watched carefully the water in the cup and Xiang Kun’s finger. She noticed that after his finger stopped stirring and the water gradually became still, a very slight ripple spread from Xiang Kun’s finger.

If it was someone else, even if they saw this scene, they certainly wouldn’t find it strange. A passing car, or tremors in his fingers, or other vibrations, might all cause such a ripple, which was completely normal.

They might even sneer at Xiang Kun and say, “So what?”

But Xia Libing was clear. Xiang Kun’s finger was very steady and didn’t tremble. There was no vibration nearby that could cause such a ripple — if the vibration came from the ground, the source of the ripple wouldn’t be at Xiang Kun’s finger.

She knew this was an effect of Xiang Kun’s ability.

After confirming that Old Xia had seen the effect, Xiang Kun took out a tungsten steel ball from his pocket and dropped it into the water, then put his finger back in the water.

Soon, the ball started to “move” in the water, looking like a baffled, tail-less little tadpole darting around in the water.

A moment later, the whole cup of water began to vibrate slightly, just as if Xiang Kun was shaking the cup of water, but in reality he did not touch the cup at all, and the finger inserted in the water remained still.

The vibration of the water began to become regular, as if countless forces converged together, and the water in the cup began to rotate in a clockwise direction, just as if Xiang Kun were stirring it with his finger.

Of course, his fingers remained entirely still.

Not far away, people eating at the entrance of the breakfast shop also cast their glances, inadvertently. After all, Xia Libing was unusually attractive, with a unique aura, and Xiang Kun’s bald head and physique were quite eye-catching.

Although they couldn’t see what was happening inside the cup, they could guess at first glance. Certainly, it was the bald guy who was using the cup to perform some small trick to impress the beautiful girl.

From the concentration on the beautiful girl’s face, they all came to the same conclusion – this bald guy must be very wealthy…

Xiang Kun was aware of everyone around him and knew that many people were secretly watching him and Old Xia, but he didn’t care. Apart from him and Old Xia, no one could see what was happening in the cup of water, and even if they did, they wouldn’t know what they were doing.

He took the ball out of the cup of water, exited the “Oxygen-saving Mode”, and looked up at Old Xia: “What do you think?”

Xia Libing said: “If you expand the cup to the size of the entire river, could you create the same impact?”

“I certainly can’t at present, but who knows about the future? Maybe it’s possible.” Xiang Kun said.

Xia Libing then asked: “Have you ever tried to establish ‘super sensory contact’ with water?”

“I’ve tried, but it doesn’t work.” Xiang Kun picked up the cup of water sat on the low stool in front of him and said: “The hardest part about establishing super sensory contact with gases and liquids is how to define their boundaries and specific forms. For example, if I want to establish super sensory contact with this cup of water, then its edges are determined by the cup, so my attention will be mostly allocated to the cup, unable to focus on the water itself. But if I define the water down to a single molecule or a few molecules, unless my microscopic vision evolves to the point that I can see the molecular structure clearly, I would not be able to do it. Even with the help of an electron microscope to see individual water molecules, this could only enhance my overall understanding of water, but without being able to distinctly see in real-time, it wouldn’t be possible to establish super sensory contact at the particle level.”

“What about ice?” Xia Libing immediately raised the question. Ice is the solid state of water, essentially still water, but it doesn’t need a container to determine its boundaries like water does.

Xiang Kun said: “I haven’t tried it, but I guess it might work. However, even if I successfully establish ‘super sensory contact’ with a piece of ice, this contact is limited to its entirety. If it melts into water, then the contact will greatly degenerate, weakening to the point of being insignificant. It’s like having established ‘super sensory contact’ with paper, the more you tear off, the more the contact and induction would weaken.”

After finishing speaking, seeing Xia Libing nod in thought, Xiang Kun let her sit for a while, then he himself got up and went back into the breakfast shop to get two more takeaway breakfasts, preparing to bring them back for Tang Baona and Yang Zhen Er.

Compared to the breakfast provided by the hotel, there’s no doubt that this old brand breakfast shop is much tastier. Judging from his understanding of Tang Baona and Yang Zhen Er’s tastes, he was quite sure that they would both like it.

On the way back, Xia Libing put forward her overall opinions based on the various information provided by Xiang Kun: “I think the situation you observed last night and the abilities you acquired essentially class with the electric mastery flight ability you’ve developed after devouring the ‘mutated spider’

“Both exploit the power brought by the environment and use the ‘super sensory item system’ to enhance and further utilize this power. It’s just that you now, compared to when you were in Qinling Uninhabited Area, are much stronger in controlling various abilities and yourself, with a better foundation. So a few hours of attempt last night led to good results.

“According to the ‘Parasite Everything’ model you proposed, selecting a not too large pond for deep experimentation and continuous transformation should be a good way to develop this ability. As for the pond, I’ll get Deputy Director Liu to help find one when we build the research base in Chongshan Village.”

Xiang Kun listened and nodded along. Old Xia’s judgement mostly agreed with his, and some perspectives he hadn’t thought of before which further helped perfect his theory and thought process. It turns out, having someone to discuss with is helpful.

Xia Libing pondered for a moment, and then said, “I will also try to explore whether I can find new directions for ability development after you’ve acquired a new field of abilities. For example, trying to co-manifest water and see if the co-manifested water could act as an effective aid for you in ‘Oxygen-saving Mode’.”

They further discussed the possible principles of new abilities, as well as the possible ways to develop them. Seeing that they were almost back to the hotel, Xiang Kun changed the subject and mentioned the idea he had when he was grocery shopping with everyone in the supermarket yesterday.

He mentioned his desire to control things around him, and the impulse to try to control various variables, as well as his idea of “Parasite Everything”. Could it be that his thoughts and mind had undergone some changes due to the continuous mutation evolution?

Although he seemed normal at the moment, this was merely his personal perception. He needed others to evaluate him from different angles to avoid generating any overly extreme thoughts inadvertently in the future.

He took his mental state as seriously as his physical state and was highly vigilant.

Undoubtedly, Old Xia, who knew his mutation secret and was a psychiatrist, was the best person to consult about this matter.

After hearing Xiang Kun’s description and concerns, Xia Libing responded directly, “These are all normal psychological changes, nothing to worry about. The greater the ability, the greater the desire. It’s human nature. You’re no exception being a human. I’ll watch out for you, don’t worry.”

As they continued speaking, they returned to the hotel and ceased discussing the topic.

It was already late, so Xiang Kun had Old Xia wake up the two lazy sleepers before the takeaway breakfast got cold and lost its taste.

After Tang Baona and Yang Zhen’er finished their breakfast, they checked out of the hotel and visited two tourist spots in Star City. They reunited with Shiling’s mom at noon and then picked up the little chubby girl from kindergarten.

They had lunch together and then they were to return to Haixi Province.

Knowing that they would be leaving in the afternoon, the little chubby girl was quite upset and even ate less at lunch.

These two days were possibly the happiest times she had in a while.

Learning to draw, sing, and dance with her sisters, playing games together, petting cats, going shopping, eating dishes cooked by “Uncle Bald”, and even practicing magic and eating with “Roast Chicken Wing Sister” and “Bald Uncle” in her dreams. These days were truly fantastic for her.

Little chubby girl now fully understands what “joy is always fleeting” means. Her little heart was filled with sorrow and melancholy and even her favorite ice cream, brought by “Old Fairy Sister”, didn’t taste as sweet after lunch.

When Xiang Kun and the others were planning to leave for the airport, and Shiling’s mom was planning to take Liu Shiling back to kindergarten, the little chubby girl finally couldn’t help her tears. She ran over to them, wrapped her left arm around Tang Baona’s thigh, and the right around Yang Zhen’er’s, crying out, “Pretty Sister, boo hoo, Old Fairy Sister, boo hoo …”

She knew that her sisters and “Uncle Bald” had important things to do and couldn’t always play with her, so she didn’t try to persuade them to stay and just cried.

Yang Zhen’er gently rubbed the top of the little chubby girl’s head, her heart also aching. Her nose felt choked up, but at the same time, she felt a tiny bit proud. Because the little chubby girl’s first instinct was to run to her and Baona, not to Xiang Kun and Old Xia, who she had known longer and presumably had a better relationship with. This showed that little chubby girl definitely liked her and Baona more!

In the past, she always felt that if she ever had a child, she would hope they would be like Old Xia when he was young – intelligent and worry-free, unlike other kids who sometimes are cute but mostly loud and unreasonable. But now, she felt that Xiao Lingdang was the perfect child – cute, fun, obedient, and a foodie. True, sometimes she was a bit naive and awkward but this was the innocence of a child!

Tang Baona next to her also comforted the little chubby girl in a soft voice, “Xiao Lingdang, ‘There’s no feast that doesn’t end.’ We are parting now only to make our next meeting even more exciting. When you’re having a vacation, you could ask your mom to take you to visit us. At that time, Sister will take you to eat lots of delicious foods and play with some fun things, okay?”

Liu Shiling snuffled and looked up at Tang Baona before she replied, “Okay.”

“Oh, Shiling, don’t wipe your nose on your sisters’ pants. Wipe it off. Say goodbye to your sisters and Uncle Xiang. They have to catch their flight.” Shiling’s mom quickly picked up her daughter and apologized to Tang Baona and Yang Zhen’er, “This kiddo is a bit too emotional…”

Tang Baona and Yang Zhen’er, of course, didn’t mind. They spent a good amount of time saying goodbye before finally getting into the car.

Watching the car disappear into the traffic, the little chubby girl, her face splotchy from tears, finally put down her arms that were already sore from waving. She took her mother’s hand and walked towards the kindergarten.

After walking a few steps, Liu Shiling suddenly looked up and asked, “Mom, why did ‘Pretty Sister’ say, ‘There are no mats that can’t be spread’? Why do mats spread out? The mats at our house never spread out.”

Shiling’s mom blinked, momentarily at a loss for words.