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When he had just become mutated and was exploring how to guide the mutation process through repeated training to enhance sensory abilities such as smell and hearing, Xiang Kun would often wander around the streets and alleyways until late into the night, using the time to train his senses since the disturbances were relatively minimal in the tranquility of night.

Latterly, Xiang Kun got involved in a robbery case due to his call to the police. When Officer Chen and his team were investigating and reviewing the surrounding surveillance footage, they accidentally found out that he was staying up all night, wandering around the streets. Fortunately, the suspect had been identified and apprehended by that time, and Xiang Kun had already left an impression of being justice-oriented on Officer Chen, so after receiving a warning, he didn’t encounter any further trouble.

However, since then, Xiang Kun has paid special attention to surveillance matters.

In the beginning, he could only spot surveillance cameras by observing and looking carefully, especially before he did something that could potentially reveal his identity. He would have to scout the area first, making sure he knew the locations of all the cameras. Even if he couldn’t avoid them completely, he tried not to get his face captured, or he’d disguise himself with other people, vehicles, or objects.

To better locate and avoid surveillance cameras, Xiang Kun studied a lot of material. He became very familiar with different models, features, and data on various surveillance cameras as well as associated security equipment.

Now, thanks to his advanced sensory abilities and high-level analytical skills, especially the infrared thermographic vision mode, he can spot even the most concealed cameras from a distance.

This is true not only in the cities full of electronic devices, but also in the dense forest.

At this moment, Xiang Kun could clearly see multiple recording devices scattered throughout the distant woods, all of them operational.

Xiang Kun knew that a lot of forests rarely visited by humans, or conservation areas with specially protected animals, often had infrared-triggered cameras installed by the forestry department for recording wildlife. Just like before when he was in the Qinling Uninhabited Area, he had seen cameras installed in trees before he ventured into the territory of the mutated spider.

However, judging from the operational indications he noticed, the recording devices he saw now were not infrared-triggered cameras of the forestry department or other common types.

According to Xiang Kun’s judgment, these devices were likely set up recently, perhaps even just then. After all, these areas were close to Wushu Mountain Scenic Area, where there were often tourists. Leaving the devices unattended for a long time ran the risk of losses or damage.

Could those devices have been installed by Mijoe or others from Divine Technology?

After all, this region is not far from where the “big bird” was known to have been photographed by tourists.

In Xiang Kun’s infrared thermographic vision mode, there were no surveillance devices being distributed near that tiny object composed of blue points in the distance, which appeared to be a mutant.

But if these surveillance devices feature infrared detection, judging by their distribution, the mutant could have been captured on camera whether it arrived at that location by air or on the ground.

Considering these devices remain operational even at night, having an infrared detection function is pretty normal.

Xiang Kun knew that the reason he could clearly see mutants in the infrared thermographic vision mode wasn’t solely due to temperature. His body temperature, Guo Tianxiang’s body temperature, the Giant Owl’s body temperature, and the mutated spider’s body temperature were all different, not concentrated in one area, let alone the existence of mutated plants.

Obviously, his special infrared thermographic vision mode included certain criteria specifically related to mutants apart from using infrared light of various wavelengths to generate images.

While it’s not difficult for regular infrared thermographic imaging devices to “see” mutants, “noticing” them is considerably more challenging.

Besides surveillance devices, Xiang Kun also noticed several drones operating high in the distance, though quite far from the suspected mutant. It seemed like they were searching everywhere.

These drones were outside Xiang Kun’s line of sight, and he determined their presence through their sound. However, the noise of these drones was much smaller than the typical commercial models. Even though it was the dead of night and they were in the peaceful forest, people could hardly hear any noise from this distance.

If the drones and those surveillance devices were set up by the same people, judging by the area that the drones were searching in, it’s likely that the people behind the surveillance devices didn’t discover the suspected mutant. Otherwise, the drones should primarily be hovering around the “big bird”.

But then again, if they installed surveillance equipment in this area, there should be a cause.

Of course, the surveillance devices and drones may not have been set up by the same people. After all, since drones have been deployed to search, the installation of a few surveillance devices seems of lesser significance.

Xiang Kun again shifted his position, moving higher up a little to get a better view. With night vision mode and thermographic mode, he observed the suspected mutant closely.

Based on its form, there was a 90 percent chance that it was the “big bird” previously seen by tourists.

The mutant must have been the one that caused the tourist to fall off the cliff in the Wushu Mountain on the morning of the 18th.

If it’s the same one, why is it still here?

Xiang Kun doubted that it would consider this place as its habitat and planned to stay here for a long time.

Xiang Kun knew very well that these mutants possessed considerable intelligence. Unless they plan to hunt humans for blood, lingering close to human settlements would be a foolish act.

Its aimless wandering in this area must have some reasons.

Xiang Kun thought back to the “mutated ant”. The “big bird” had been lingering around as if waiting faithfully. Could it be that it was waiting for the ant but hadn’t got it yet? Otherwise, it should be hiding in the deep mountains or other remote places to digest and absorb the blood, allowing it to mutate and evolve.

For mutants, the only force that could make them behave contrary to their set patterns seemed to be their need for blood.

Perhaps, as Xiang Kun had speculated previously, like the Giant Owl he had once encountered, this creature had also developed an insatiable need for the blood of other mutants.

Xiang Kun’s gaze began wandering again. If the “big bird” was after the “mutated ant”, why wasn’t it searching everywhere, but waiting here? Could it be that it knew the ant was hiding here, or it knew there was something here that the ant could not abandon, so it would come back?

Thinking back to the underground “nest” where he had previously detected a strong mutant smell, Xiang Kun couldn’t help wondering if the ant was currently hiding underground.

So the “big bird” was in a patience match with the “mutated ant”, to see who would yield first to their bloodlust in this blood-drinking period.

Standing afar, Xiang Kun silently observed and thought. Having heightened senses had its advantages as he could always take the lead and decide whether to approach or retreat.

If it were in a remote place like the uninhabited area of the Qinling, and where he had ample time and preparations, and also if the weather conditions allowed him to use the “Electric Mastery Flight”, Xiang Kun would have tried to capture that “mutated bird”.

But in the current situation, he naturally wouldn’t provoke the “big bird”.

Xiang Kun sensed the 3x3cm piece of paper left with Mijoe and found that it was not far from here, just in the parking lot of the scenic area.

Instead of staring at the “big bird” hiding between the trees, he headed in the direction of the paper.

Inside one of the parking lots of the Wushu Mountain Scenic Area, two black vans and an MPV were parked side by side.

Mijoe and Fang Pingfang were sitting together in one of the vans, watching the surveillance screens in front of them. Some screens displayed images in low-light night vision mode, some in infrared thermographic mode, some transmitted from drones, while some from recording equipment set up in the afternoon.

After receiving a message at noon that a tourist had taken a photo of a “big bird” in a certain spot, they had gone to investigate on-site.

Originally, they didn’t hold much hope, but surprisingly, they found many traces in that area after their arrival.

While they didn’t find any feces, feathers, or other body tissue of the “big bird”, they did come across a large number of broken branches and trunks, as if an excavator had unintentionally dug up the ground, leaving behind disturbing claw marks. If they hadn’t been searching for the “big bird”, they might have involuntarily conjured up images of horrifying monsters at the sight of those marks.

Mijoe believed that those marks were left from the “big bird” fighting with some creature. Fang PingFang, on the other hand, thought that the “big bird” might have created those marks in a state of frenzy.

However, they both agreed on one point: the “big bird” was likely to return to this area.

So, in the afternoon, they asked Ye Chong, who was in charge of logistics and information support, to procure equipment, and then contacted “Mr. Liang”, uploading the photos and videos taken on-site and asking him to arrange a fully-equipped drone search team.

However, according to “Mr. Liang”, he would deliver the equipment promptly, but there was no need for the search team yet. Their own team would suffice. Of course, technical support for the drones would be sent over, to be coordinated by Ye Chong.

Having a lack of experience in actual field investigations, Mijoe had initially thought that a group of people would enter the mountain tonight to assist the drones in the investigation, as described by Fang Pingfang’s experience in the Qinling uninhabited area.

However, what surprised them was that the technicians, who drove over in two vans loaded with equipment in the afternoon, told them that they just needed to stay in the van. They could directly set the drone patrol routes through the equipment in the van and watch the images transmitted back by the drones through the screen in the van. The drone would automatically detect what type of animal it scanned. As for avoiding obstacles and the like, everything would be done automatically, with no need for manual operation.

However, the activity range of these drones was still limited, and they couldn’t go too far for their search. This wasn’t a problem with the performance or technology of drones, but because the flight height of their drones was over 120 meters, a license and permit were needed. They reported their scientific research project survey as the purpose, and the activity range was only allowed within this mountain area.

“Dr. Fang, do you think it will see the drone and get scared off when it comes back?” Mijoe said in a bored tone, watching the images on the screen.

“By the time it notices the drone, the drone would have spotted it first,” replied Fang Pingfang.

“If we find it, how do we deal with it?” Mijoe asked again. When the drones arrived in the afternoon, she had been playing with them for a while, but there didn’t seem to be any device on them that could help in capturing birds or beasts.

“We don’t need to worry about these. When the time comes, ‘Mr. Liang’ will consider them. The execution will be managed by Ye Chong, Team Leader Li, and others.” Fang Pingfang said.

Looking at the closed door of the van, Mijoe returned to another topic, “Dr. Fang, how is the investigation into that footprint you found in the Qinling uninhabited area going?”

In fact, even though they had found the trace of the “big bird”, along with other suspected evidence of the existence of mutated “blood-eating creatures,” Mijoe—like Fang Pingfang—was more interested in the rabbit wood carving kept in a basement laboratory in the main building of Divine Technology in An Tie Town, as well as the various anomalies it had shown.

She felt that the rabbit wood carving had something to do with the owner of the footprint they found in the Qinling uninhabited area.

She speculated that the owner of that footprint, the person who made the rabbit wood carving, must be a “vampire” like Guo Tianxiang. The wild boar discovered by the late host Xue and others was drained of its blood in a special way by it. This was a “vampire” with different living habits and mutation directions from Guo Tianxiang, a “blood-eating creature” that had returned to its “wild state”.

Having had contact with Guo Tianxiang, she knew that “vampires” have some special abilities, such as the hypnotism that she had also experienced. However, the anomalies related to the wood carving described by Fang Pingfang went beyond her understanding. Whether it was dream intrusion, hallucinations of reality, or the effects on the laboratory lights and computers, it was difficult to come up with a plausible explanation.

How could a piece of wood carving, a dead object, achieve these?

After hearing Fang Pingfang’s description yesterday, a notion even occurred to her—could the “vampire” living in a cave in the Qinling uninhabited area have found some method to turn itself into that “rabbit wood carving”?

Of course, this was just a fleeting thought. She knew it was too far-fetched and impossible. But for this reason, she was even more curious, wondering what kind of secret the carving held.

“We could roughly guess the height and weight of the footprint owner. It should be a big fat man in his twenties, around 1.9 meters tall…” Fang Pingfang was saying, when her brows abruptly knitted together. Looking at the row of screens in the van, she said, “What are they doing?”

Mijoe also noticed the anomaly on the screen, the clusters of red dots gathering from all directions, like a sparse stream of red light tearing the night sky and rushing in the same direction.

Not only was this scene captured by several cameras in the mountains, but the drones circling overhead also locked their lenses on these red dots.

“Dr. Fang, Miss Chen, do you see that? Those birds seem crazy!” Zhou Rui’s voice came through the walkie-talkie from another van.

Yes, those clusters of red dots were birds, various types of birds.

Neither Fang Pingfang nor Mijoe could answer this question. They could only stare at the screen, observing the behaviors of the bird flocks.

The birds gathered together, flew in one direction for a while, and then suddenly “exploded,” scattering in all directions.

Wushu Mountain was already one of the richest bird habitats in the world, so the large number of birds was not surprising. What was strange was their sudden bizarre behavior.

“What are they doing?” Zhou Rui’s puzzled voice came through the walkie-talkie again.

However, Fang Pingfang seemed to have discovered something. She directed Ye Chong to manually lock the drone’s camera onto a particular area.

Looking at the image on the surveillance screen, Mijoe also exclaimed, “What is that?”

On the infrared imaging screen, amidst the black shadows representing the trees, there was a faint dark red glow. Had the flock of birds not just flown there and suddenly dispersed at that spot, they wouldn’t have noticed it.

Once the imaging system locked onto the object hidden within the trees, it “marked” it in green, making it suddenly apparent.

“What is that?”

“Is it a leopard? No, there are no leopards here.”

“It should be a bird, a big bird.”

“Is it the bird we’re looking for?”

“Could be.”

“Why is its temperature so low?”

Mijoe and Fang Pingfang both stared at the creature on the screen in astonishment, not quite understanding what it was.

To note, birds generally have higher body temperatures than mammals, usually 38.5-42℃, so in their current infrared thermal imaging system, this is very noticeable, much like the flock of birds that suddenly flew up and caught their attention.

“Don’t let the drone get too close. Use the low-light night vision to take a look,” Mijoe said to Ye Chong via an intercom.

Soon, they confirmed that the creature lurking in the woods that they had targeted was indeed a big bird!

However, they couldn’t figure out why the bird’s body temperature was so low and when it had started hiding there.

“Be careful not to disturb it, and see if ‘Mr. Liang’ is online!” Mijoe said excitedly, then used the equipment in the car to try to contact “Mr. Liang.” As long as the drone was working, “Mr. Liang” could access the drone’s camera at any time.

A few dozen meters from the parking area, by a large tree in the woods, Xiang Kun heard the two panel vans and MPV suddenly spring to life. Even the people who had been sleeping and waiting to “take over the shift” had awakened. He felt a sense of anticipation as well:

Now he could see how the “Divine Technology” people would deal with the mutant creature.

Following the line of communication with the piece of paper in Mijoe’s bag, he had just sneaked over to the parking area. After half an hour of eavesdropping, he learned that they hadn’t actually discovered the “big bird”. This made him anxious — he wasn’t about to waste the entire night waiting around.

So, he began thinking of ways to create a “spark” between the two parties to liven things up a bit.

He considered various plans, even thought about directly over to attract the “big bird’s” attention, then draw it over to Mijoe and the others.

But there was no guarantee he wouldn’t be discovered by Mijoe, Dr. Fang, or anyone from “Divine Technology” while doing so. After all, several drones patrolled the area. If detected, even if he escaped from the scene, complications could arise later, including revealing his identity.

So finally, he decided to climb up a tree, catch a bird, and use “mental deterrence” on it.

With the appearance and development of his Sixth Sense, and as his mutations and evolution increased, his understanding of abilities such as “Emotional Assimilation,” “Mental Deterrence,” and “Super Sensory State” deepened, his “mental deterrence” greatly improved from its original state. At Chang Bin’s wedding, for example, he was able to achieve a form of hypnosis using a “Combined Techniques” of “mental deterrence” plus “co-manifestation.”

While he couldn’t directly control other animals using “mental deterrence,” or issue them explicit commands, he could, with some methods and tricks, force them into specific behaviors.

For instance, the bird he caught and projected “mental deterrence” upon flew off, but under pressure, was driven in a specific direction.

With a large number of birds in the vicinity affected by the group effect of “mental deterrence,” they mimicked the initial bird’s actions and emotions, flying in the same direction.

The birds fluttered around until they reached the airspace above where the “big bird” was hiding. Sensing the “big bird’s” intimidating presence, they were forced to scatter.

Xiang Kun believed such a phenomenon should at least attract Mijoe and the others’ attention. Of course, it would be ideal if the “big bird” was influenced by the flock and showed some movements.

From his current location, Xiang Kun was far from the “big bird,” and with a hill in between, he could not see it at all. However, all his attention was on Mijoe, Dr. Fang, and the others from “Divine Technology” — now that the ball was in their court, he was eager to see how they’d respond!