What It's Like Being a Vampire

Chapter 538: The Boss Is Not Afraid

Inside Chongyun Mountain, when Joel, who now barely resembled a human, having transformed into a monstrous mixture of plants, beasts and humans, began to slowly crumble and fade into ashes.

In his room in Chongyun Village, Xiang Kun had already entered the “Super Sensory State”. Using the “Emotion Infused Objects” he had previously buried deep within Chongyun Mountain, the black circle graffiti, he descended, and under Alice’s guidance, he pinpointed the cognitive information that represented Joel.

He now understood and could interpret cognitive information much more effectively than before. Especially in the realm of super sensory information, with Alice’s assistance, he could convert the cognitive information into images, sounds and other traditional sensory information in his consciousness for certain straightforward scenarios.

Moreover, this reconceptualization was even more “direct” compared to the traditional sensory perception.

It was like when he perceived a regular person’s cognitive information, he could know the target’s internal organs, blood, bones, soft tissues and many other internal parts of the body through the analysis of this information. It was much more direct than the information he obtained through the infrared thermographic vision mode and enhanced smell and hearing.

If Xiang Kun were to become a doctor, he would easily earn the title of “Xiang Bianque” or “Kun Hua Tuo”.

He could even perform some simple treatments combining “Super-Connected Objects”. With greater understanding of cognitive information, he believed that it would not be impossible to directly influence cognitive information through “Super-Connected Objects” to cure some difficult and complicated diseases in the future.

At this moment, Xiang Kun was focusing intently, his brain was operating at high speed, digging into Joel’s cognitive information as much as he could.

From his previous experiences with Mr. Liang and John, Xiang Kun realized that perceiving the cognitive information of a “mutant” was like peeling an infinite layer cake—no matter how much he peeled, he couldn’t get to the core.

Or, it could be likened to a dataset with an unknown size and countless subdirectories. At first glance, it seemed like the file was not that large, but upon opening it, it revealed many subdirectories. Each subdirectory again contained countless other subdirectories, making the cognitive information endless and bottomless.

Hence, Xiang Kun did not attempt to dig in one direction. Instead, he regulated his perception of Joel’s cognitive information to remain within the limit of what he and Alice could handle together.

A month ago, Xiang Kun had perceived the changes in John’s body cognition after he had swallowed a “mutated giant snake”. Then, John swallowed another “mutant”, which allowed Xiang Kun to perceive the changes in a “mutant’s” cognitive information from death to disintegration. He also learned about the cognitive information displayed by John, the devouring party.

Those two times of super sensory perception and deep observation gave him many insights.

This time, to perceive a “mutant’s” self-destruction at the limit stage was a rare opportunity.

He believed that this super sensory perception would undoubtedly help to further complete his understanding of the root cause of “mutants”.

Just to ensure that Joel self-destructs while at the limit stage, without being influenced by external factors or falling too early into despair and self-destruction, Xiang Kun had not appeared or approached from start to end. He didn’t even confine Joel’s personal freedom. Instead, he “guided” Joel to Chongyun Mountain, trapped him there, and always retained a sliver of hope for him, so that Joel had no clear understanding of the power difference between them and couldn’t accurately identify who the enemy was or their location.

Of course, this was also because Xiang Kun knew very well that near the phase limit, Joel would not dare to touch human blood and would deliberately avoid bloody scenes. Therefore, normal people who came into contact with him were temporarily safe.

As for Joel… a so-called “Bloodline Vampire” who carried the lives of hundreds of, or even more, individuals, decided life and death casually and used human blood as a basic blood source had finally met his end in this manner. Xiang Kun felt that he had been incredibly merciful.

He even considered, if he had time later, he would make a trip to Slovakia to get rid of the “Red Rose” and tidy up the rest.

As for John, interpreted from secretive documents laboriously brought by Alice, it was basically impossible for John to have a chance to leave freely.

Unless John could eliminate Mr. Liang with the abilities gained from devouring the two “mutant” creatures.

But considering Mr. Liang’s style, that possibility was laughable.

…

Time ticked by, and Joel’s body had completely turned into gray powder and dissipated into the mountain. Apart from his torn clothes, shoes, and items like his phone, there were no traces left.

Xiang Kun did not immediately exit the “Super Sensory State”. Drawing on his past experience when observing the disintegration of a “mutant”, he knew what direction he should perceive and search. He had now successfully “captured” some crucial cognitive information.

This cognitive information originally belonged to Joel. However, it had not completely changed its attributes. Instead, it had merged with the surrounding environment and was quickly disappearing.

With Alice’s help and through a large number of “Super-Connected Objects” spread out in Chongyun Mountain, Xiang Kun could track and perceive this cognitive information, identifying that it did not move with the very fine grey powder that Joel turned into, but instead changed in a non-physical way.

About ten minutes later, Xiang Kun opened his eyes, picked up a large sack, left the room, and entered Chongyun Mountain in the glow of the morning sun—he was going to clean up all of Joel’s belongings.

On his way up the mountain, Xiang Kun was reflecting on the information he had obtained from his recent perception and observation.

A month ago, not only did he perceive and observe a “mutant” dying and disintegrating, and a “mutant” devouring another one, under Alice’s timely notification, but Alice also helped him extract all the remaining secret documents from the storage device under the Brilliant Fortune Building.

Among the remaining secret documents, one was presumably Mr. Liang’s summary and reflections on the origin of the mutations. At the beginning of the document, it was even noted, “If you are not a ‘blood-eating creature’, there is a high risk in reading this document. Be sure to be prepared, and only one person should read it.”

In that document, Mr. Liang referred to the matter that caused and brought about continuous mutations, making “blood-eating creatures” different from ordinary creatures, as “high-dimensional factors.”

Xiang Kun was not seeing this term for the first time. He had learned about high-dimensional factor models when he studied machine learning and statistics related content before.

However, it’s clear that the “high-dimensional factors” Mr. Liang mentions in the document are not those of mathematics, but a term given another meaning.

Mr. Liang believed that there is a special particle, as yet undiscovered by humans, or a substance whose existence in a way humans could not yet comprehend, capable of entering a higher dimension of space, or even initially existing in a higher dimensional space, which he referred to as “high-dimensional factors.”

“High-dimensional factors” can ignore distances in three-dimensional space and move from one point to another in an alternative way–or, for them, the change in distance in three-dimensional space appears more like a change in the “state”.

Under certain conditions, “high-dimensional factors” may have a small likelihood of influencing the fundamental particles within a living body, causing mutations in the entire living unit.

It doesn’t rule out that “high-dimensional factors” could also affect non-living bodies, but so far no specific examples have been discovered.

Not only did Mr. Liang have the document, but he also included several videos, and a few experimental records to verify some of the conjectures he had made using himself as the test subject.

Of course, at the beginning of these videos, the already disfigured Mr. Liang would warn in his raspy metallic voice, “extremely dangerous, if you are not a blood-eating creature, be prepared to sacrifice yourself before viewing.”

Mr. Liang compiled some summarizations of the characteristics of “high-dimensional factors” in the three-dimensional space that humans can comprehend, based on his observations and studies of a large number of “blood-eating creatures,” and his personal experience.

He believed that once the “high-dimensional factors” produced dominant influences on a creature, it would continue to trigger mutations in that creature by changing its microstructure, constantly driving them to seize the survival ability of other creatures as “fuel” for their influence on the host.

Based on his previous observational experiments, Mr. Liang proved that the energy for the movement and growth of “blood-eating creatures” did not come from the blood they ingested. They have a unique energy circulation system, which operates in different ways according to the different mutation bodies of the “blood-eating creatures.”

As for their thirst for blood, it is actually the need of the “high-dimensional factors” inside the “blood-eating creatures.”

In essence, the material they need is not entirely in the blood. Blood-drinking itself is a ritual of seizing the survival ability of living creatures. When this act is accomplished, the “high-dimensional factors” can obtain what they need from the seized living creature.

“High-dimensional factors” are also the survival of the fittest among themselves. When a “blood-eating creature” kills another “blood-eating creature” and enters the blood-drinking phase, it doesn’t need to drink all the blood. As long as their “high-dimensional factors” judge that the robbery was successful, it can devour the other’s “high-dimensional factors.” Moreover, the other’s “high-dimensional factors” will also record the entire mutation process information of the opponent, which can then help the devourer in its mutation transformation.

Drinking blood is like seizing a piece of paper with the bank account and password written on it. If you seize a bit, you can see a bit of information, and if you grab it to a certain extent, you can see the account number and password. However, you don’t need to seize all of it. But knowing the account number and password, and needing the other party to die before you can get the money in their account. Otherwise, having the account number and password would be useless.

Therefore, the blood they drink itself is not important, the process of blood-drinking and the state of the creature being drunk from is what’s important.

Thus, for some plant “blood-eating creatures” that don’t even have “blood,” their tissue fluid can also be the target of ingestion.

“High-dimensional factors” are not the same and equal among themselves, they also have levels of high and low, strength and weakness. After devouring other “mutant creatures”‘ “high-dimensional factors”, they will undergo a qualitative change as a whole, elevate in level, thereby bringing more powerful mutation influences to the host life unit.

But afterwards, the “fuel” needed for “high-dimensional factors” to continue to mutate also needs to be upgraded accordingly, and similarly needs to devour relatively high-level “high-dimensional factors.”

If they are unable to obtain it, under the continuous mutation, they will tend towards the collapse and extinction of life, and the “high-dimensional factors” will also disperse and disintegrate, returning to their initial state.

So only when “high-dimensional factors” produce an influence within a life unit, the only way for it to continue to survive is to continuously satisfy the ever-increasing “fuel demands” of the “high-dimensional factors.”

In another document, Mr. Liang also classified all the “blood-eating creatures” into levels, including “Blood source,” “Ordinary blood-eating creatures,” “Predator,” “High-level predator,” and “Ultimate predator.”

However, Mr. Liang’s “rating” seemed very strict. Most of the “blood-eating creatures” he found were classified as “ordinary blood-eating creatures,” and even the old European blood clan were only classified as a “Blood source.” There are very few who made it to the “predator” level.

The ones Xiang Kun could recognize based on the descriptions included a “giant raptor”—which was the “mutated big bird” that ate the mutated ant, could become invisible, and was particularly tenacious and resilient.

Another, with no specific image description, only marked with keywords such as “Qinling Uninhabited Area” and “rabbit wood carving”, Xiang Kun could guess that it refers to him.

However, Xiang Kun was still slightly discontent with this—after all, he could claim the title of ‘advanced’!

As for the “Ultimate Predator”, Mr. Liang believed it to be an extremely early ‘Blood-eating creature’ that had become an incomprehensible life form to ordinary people after countless transitional transformations in a very long span of time.

It was scattered all over the world, among various creatures, and was accompanying all carbon compounds. Mr. Liang couldn’t be sure which compound it was, or what the “Ultimate Predator’s” life form was like. He only knew that it influenced material transformation by affecting several chemical bonds of carbon atoms in compounds.

Regarding the “Ultimate Predator”, Mr. Liang had many guesses. He even believed that several major biological extinctions, significant changes in the Earth’s environment, the birth of mankind, etc., were all related to the “Ultimate Predator”, but there was no evidence for these guesses, and they remained pure speculation.

Though the document about the “High-Dimensional Factors Mutation Theory” did not have a specific date, Xiang Kun could infer from some descriptions that it was written recently. Some judgements contradicted earlier documents, clearly showing a significant transformation. Moreover, the highly spontaneous writing style suggested that it was more of his personal thoughts rather than the work of a trained researcher like Academician Shen.

Mr. Liang’s theory was similar to many of Xiang Kun’s conjectures: they hypothesized boldly and sought evidence carefully. As long as it could provide an explanation for their own abilities, it was good enough.

However, the theories and conjectures proposed were based on specific observations and personal perceptions, thus, they could be considered “experience-based”, and provided a reference for Xiang Kun.

Of course, after reading it, and considering his own experiences and understanding, especially after today’s complete perceptual process of Joel’s stage limit disintegration under the Super Sensory State, Xiang Kun had many different views.

Like the “ritualistic interpretation” of blood-drinking, Xiang Kun didn’t think it was entirely accurate. Based on his blood-drinking experience, the blood or the mutant plant’s tissue fluid would certainly carry something. Just like when he fought the “Giant Owl”, a lick of its blood enabled him to see some memory images—of course, he now knew the ability to obtain a “mutant’s” memory images through blood-drinking was unique to him.

However, he also knew that the “ritualistic interpretation” wasn’t entirely incorrect. There were several instances involving the consumption or blood-drinking of “mutants” where he felt he didn’t need to keep drinking anymore after a certain point.

Especially after clearly perceiving the demise of two “mutants”, he knew that the transfer and movement of “High-Dimensional Factors” was not just a simple physical carrying mechanism.

Of course, the greatest difference between Xiang Kun’s understanding of “High-Dimensional Factors” and Mr. Liang’s was their relationship with consciousness.

From the document, it was clear that Mr. Liang had minimal understanding of this.

According to Mr. Liang’s theory, Xiang Kun saw “High-Dimensional Factors” as a group of workers who suddenly appeared on a construction site. They looked at the building, contemplated the possible plans of the building owner, and started remodeling right away.

The blood of ordinary creatures was like the building material, while the “High-Dimensional Factors” were the construction workers using these materials for construction.

The higher and larger the building, the more workers were needed, and they had to be at a similar level and with not significantly lower technical skills to be accepted and able to work.

When there were enough workers, the building would continue. If not, the building would collapse.

Once the building collapse, the workers would scatter in all directions.

But according to Xiang Kun’s cognition, these “High-Dimensional Factors” may not have come by themselves, but possibly due to the consciousness of various creatures pulling them forcefully.

Moreover, “High-Dimensional Factors” are not only construction workers. They could also be engineers, painters, boxers, soldiers, etc.

In the realm of consciousness, “High-Dimensional Factors” have wider and more potent applications.

These workers will keep building houses until they collapse, because their only job is to build, there’s nothing but the construction site for them. There’s no diverse path of choices, no broader horizon for them—even though each one of them is a Superman.

After entering a “Super Sensory State”, perceiving Super Sensory Information, and integrating “Emotion Infused Objects” and “Super-connected Objects” into the “Super Sensory Item System”, Xiang Kun had developed a more profound understanding of the ultimate factor affecting mutations, or the “High-Dimensional Factors” as Mr. Liang called them.

For “High-Dimensional Factors” to exercise their capabilities, they should not be limited to personal creatures, or even limited to one space. As the affected individual, human consciousness is the only way to intervene.

Consciousness is the only path that closes the gap with “High-Dimensional Factors”.

When he arrived at the place where Joel had disappeared and disintegrated, Xiang Kun squatted down, stuffed all of Joel’s clothes, shoes, and personal items into the bag he brought, and then touched a piece of grass that seemed to have been trampled on, lost in thoughts.

During his battle with the mutated spider in Qinling Uninhabited Area, Xiang Kun became aware of “mutant plants.” Later, while contemplating the influence of consciousness and mutation, he was momentarily perplexed. Weren’t plants incapable of generating consciousness?

However, his subsequent analysis of super-sensory information helped him realize that plants do indeed possess consciousness. It’s just that their consciousness doesn’t align with human cognition.

Aristotle believed that plants, only capable of nutrient absorption and metabolic activity, had a “nutritive soul” but not a “sensitive soul.”

But in fact, they simply lack human perception, yet they possess a perception unique to themselves.

And that “perception” is also an area that “high-dimensional factors” can encompass.

Therefore, they too can be influenced by these “high-dimensional factors.” They too can become “mutants” and participate in the devouring and evolution brought about by these high-dimensional factors.

As Xiang Kun was deep in thought, Alice co-manifested next to him, squatting down to his side, looking around, and then at him.

“Boss, you won’t turn into something like this! Alice will capture all ‘mutants’ for you to eat in the future!” Alice earnestly extended her hand towards Xiang Kun’s bald head after her solemn declaration.

Amused and exasperated, Xiang Kun knocked her little hand away, saying, “Who told you I’m afraid of turning into something like that?”

Alice nodded vigorously, “Mmhm, Boss isn’t afraid. Even if you turned into a Barbie Warrior, Alice wouldn’t mind!”

Silently, Xiang Kun flicked her forehead, causing her co-manifestation to dissipate.

Then he stood up, walked over to a nearby tree, placed both hands on its trunk, and closed his eyes to enter “Super Sensory State.”

Several seconds later, the leaves at the top of the tree began to wither and fall. An odd black fruit formed at the end of a branch and began to grow gradually.

Xiang Kun opened his eyes, looking up at his “masterpiece” in surprise.

The effect was achieved through the super-connected objects around him, similar in principle to how he transformed his body by establishing a connection with 001 and 002.

But this time, his method of transformation was slightly different.

During Joel’s physical collapse, he also tracked those “key cognitive information.”

However, as Mr. Liang described regarding “high-dimensional factors,” they are not affected by the distance in the three-dimensional space. Changes in distance are like changes in state. Therefore, the “key cognitive information” did not spread out from Joel but disappeared instantly.

Yet, a small portion of it still existed nearby, such as within that tree.

His transformation was a process of extending from the basis of these “key cognitive information.”

Xiang Kun was unsure of the state of this tree. For now, he didn’t detect the scent of a “mutant” from the tree, and he was unable to determine through the super-sensory information whether it was a “mutant.” Yet, it was fundamentally different from 001, 002, and Goldie.

Alice co-manifested again next to him. Xiang Kun pointed a finger at the tree trunk and instructed, “Watch it closely.”

“Yes, Boss!” Alice looked up with an energetic smile. She gently poked the tree trunk with her scalpel and asked, “Boss, can I name it?”

“Go ahead,” Xiang Kun casually agreed.

He was also a bit curious about what Alice’s naming style would be.

A second later, the answer was revealed: “Xiao Luobo! From now on, you are Little Radish Tree!”

Well, as expected, Little Fatty Girl had the most significant influence on Alice.