Dow and Carbon-Based Monkey Breeding Guidelines

Chapter 1014 Xiao Tun (Part )

At ten o'clock in the morning, half an hour later than the agreed time, Anthony Kent came into the store, holding his computer under his left arm and yawning with his right hand covering his mouth. He looked sleepy, and there was not much apology in his swollen eyes. "I overslept." He sat in his old seat, "Sorry, I had a little problem last night."

Jania, who was sitting opposite, crossed her arms and said unhappily, "You always oversleep."

"I have a job to do. Besides, my mind is most active at night. Why do we have to meet in the daytime?"

"It's safer during the day," Jania said bluntly. She didn't explain who the "safety" was referring to. "Do you have any new news about my brother?"

"You asked me that just yesterday!" Anthony said. "Who do you think I am? A god of technology? Someone who can hack into anyone's computer? If you don't do it cleanly, you won't be the one caught."

He lowered his voice when he spoke the second half, but he couldn't help but glance around. It was not a weekend, and there were no other customers in the store. There was only a tall girl sitting behind the cashier counter. She was the cousin of the eccentric store owner, and had been watching the store for a long time for her cousin who went home to visit relatives. Although the acting store manager was more amiable than her cousin, she was extremely lazy in running the business. Apart from opening and closing the store on time every day, she would never take the initiative to sneak out from behind the counter to greet people. At this moment, she was also wearing a pair of heavy headphones, concentrating on watching TV series on her tablet, and didn't care that Anthony came into the store.

"I want to go to that place and see it myself," Jania said suddenly. "I'll go today."

Anthony stared blankly at the paper flowers on the wall - he really didn't sleep enough these days, and it took him several seconds to understand where the little girl wanted to go. "No!" he said immediately, "It's too risky! The defense of that place is too strict."

"You haven't even been there."

"I'm talking about network defense. Their identity verification is too strict! I've been trying hard to find their employee information these days, but I can't even get a glimpse of it. This is not normal. If they don't have something shameful to reveal, they wouldn't go to such great lengths."

"That proves that we've found the right place, doesn't it?" Jania also glanced at the counter and lowered her voice, "Maybe my brother is in there! And the person you're looking for... The decoration of this store can't be a coincidence, and I guarantee that it's not a coincidence that my brother came here. Maybe he knows the person you're looking for!"

Anthony shook his head in disbelief. "Your brother never told me about her, and there's no way they know each other. Your brother is a local, right? She's not from your area, and your brother isn't in the technology or medical business. There's no reason for them to know each other very well."

"Then how do you explain this store?"

"Creative coincidence," Anthony said, but there was hesitation in his voice. Jania moved back in disapproval. "I don't believe in coincidences like this." She glanced at the counter again with caution. "This store is not normal either."

"I'm telling you there's really nothing in this store!" Anthony whispered, "You've been following this acting store owner for two weeks. Have you found anything? She stays here all day and night. She's never been to that place, nor has she had any contact with strangers..."

"But you said the owner of this store also knows my brother."

"I just happened to catch them arguing once! It sounds like they had some issues before."

"What kind of festival?"

"I told you last time." Anthony said impatiently, "It seems that your brother caused him to lose his job or something, or it was one of his younger brothers. I really can't remember... I left early that day and was thinking about other things in my head."

"Thinking about your ex-girlfriend app?"

"Hey!" Anthony protested. Jania watched him intently, comparing his story in her mind, and found no obvious flaws. Anthony Kent seemed to be fine since she had ventured into contact with him last week. When she described her brother's physical features to him, the man's reactions seemed genuine, not like a hoax set up for her.

"I still want to go into that place and take a look." She said stubbornly, "Whether the person we are looking for is in there or not, there are some shameful secrets in there. I can feel it..."

"You might end up in jail, kid."

"I'm not even an adult yet. I think the worst they can do is deport me. That's fine. My mom is already urging me to come home anyway."

"Don't take it so lightly," Anthony warned. "If there really is some great secret in that place, they may not hand you over to the authorities. Think about it, that place is openly a medical research institute. God knows how many ways they can deal with a person."

"I have my own way."

Anthony looked at the mixed-race girl with disbelief. She was quite tall, but her face and expression made her look young, and she didn't look like a female assassin who was proficient in stealth techniques. He couldn't help but say, "Hey, although I don't know your brother very well, he mentioned you to me before, and it sounds like he is worried about you. No matter where he is now, I think it's best not to let you get into trouble under my nose..."

He wanted to continue talking, but there was a noise at the door. He and Jania turned their heads at the same time and saw a familiar girl walking in. Anthony knew her and privately called her "Reading Girl" because she usually sat by the window alone reading on a tablet. She might be a college student living nearby. He was relieved at first, but then he became puzzled again - 10 o'clock in the morning on a weekday was not the time she usually visited.

The reading girl was wearing thicker clothes than usual today, and she didn't sit directly in her seat by the window, but stared at Anthony and gave him a meaningful smile. Before Anthony could figure it out, a series of things happened at the same time: there was a sound of a chair being moved at the counter behind him, as if the shopkeeper's cousin stood up; the second visitor appeared behind the reading girl, with a striking red complexion and an ugly monkey-like appearance; Jania, who was sitting opposite him, suddenly screamed and jumped up from her seat as if she had been electrocuted.

"You?" she said in surprise.

"Ah!" said the new red-skinned visitor cheerfully, "Head!"

Anthony was about to open his mouth to ask what was going on when three more people filed in. Together with the reading girl, they surrounded the red-skinned man. The latter didn't care at all and even winked at Jenny through the gap in the crowd. This strange group of people stood there quietly for two or three minutes, as if waiting for something. The reading girl stared at the red-skinned weirdo while holding the earphones with her hand, listening attentively to the sound inside. The manager's cousin also walked out from the counter, stood behind the reading girl, and looked at the red-skinned man over her shoulder. Her expression was not surprised, but just a little curious; then she moved the tables and chairs around as if no one was around, but did not move Anthony and Jenny's table.

Seeing that the situation in the store was not right, Anthony did not dare to speak casually. He just kicked Jania lightly under the table, wanting to ask her if she should find a chance to run away. However, the girl did not respond at all, and continued to stare at the red-skinned weirdo. Not long after, the acting store owner had put together a large table in the middle of the room that was large enough for seven or eight people to sit closely around, but only placed four chairs around the table. Anthony could not tell who among these people had a more special status, except for the red-skinned weirdo who was being watched by everyone. God, I hope this is not some weird religious ritual!

At this time, there were eight people in the room, and with the tables and chairs in the middle, the already narrow store became even more crowded. It was extremely difficult to sneak away without being noticed. Anthony had to tuck the computer under his arm to prevent it from being snatched away, and then kicked Jania hard. This time, she finally looked at him with a frown.

"Hey!" he whispered, "you know that red fellow?"

Just as Jania was thinking about how to answer him, there was another knock at the door. A ninth person walked into the store with heavy, clanking steps. Before Jania could turn around, she saw Anthony's sleepy, swollen eyes suddenly widen. A sharp, strange scream like fireworks burst out of his mouth.

"Good morning, Mr. Kent," the man said. "Nice to meet you, Jania—and please don't bother visiting 206 Dongyun Road. Your brother isn't there."

Jania did not recognize this voice. She slowly turned her head and saw that the crowd that had been crowded around the table had dispersed. Except for Chilabin, they all stood against the wall, revealing a stranger who had just walked into the store. At first glance, the other person's blood-red coat blended in with the dusty and old paper flowers in the store, leaving only the ghostly and illusory face floating in the air. Jania stared at the other person's strange pupils and was about to reach into her pocket to take something out when a hand quietly reached out from the wall and grabbed her shoulder, holding her arm firmly. Several pairs of eyes turned to her at once, making her dare not move rashly. She honestly put her hand back on the table, and the hand that was holding her arm also retracted.

Chilabin was still standing by the table. He was the only one who had not retreated to the wall, and now Jania finally saw clearly that his hands were tied tightly with some kind of transparent straps. He said to Jania kindly, "Don't be nervous, this person won't hurt you."

Jania did not take his words as a reliable promise, but she still turned her eyes away from the suspicious-looking man in red and glanced around the room, wondering if Chilabin's psychiatrist had also secretly followed her. Chilabin must have seen through her thoughts and immediately said, "He's not here, boss. I have parted ways with him. Well, you know, although that person has a good temper, it's just that you can't get along with him for a long time. It's a good thing to get rid of him as soon as possible."

As he spoke, he took a small step forward inadvertently, and the five people leaning against the wall immediately put their hands into their pockets. "Ah," he stopped, raised his hands in a funny manner and turned around, like an announcer bowing to thank the audience before a performance, "Ladies and gentlemen, why are you so nervous? I came to your place just to take a look at the scenery on the edge of the border, and to see the ancient events repeating themselves today. In terms of my ability to practice, I am no different from all the corrupt scholars in the world who don't know the difference between the five grains!"

Everyone had a strange expression on their face, but Li Li turned to him calmly and said, "Mr. Chilabin, please take a seat."

"Thank you very much!" Chilabin said enthusiastically, sitting down on the nearest chair. "I have been fascinated by your local customs and people recently, so I have not been here to visit you. Please forgive me. I heard that you have been favored by the preacher. I am so lucky to meet you today! Please allow me to extend my sincere greetings, 0206... Oh, is it a little too hasty to address you like this?"

"I think it's a little too early," Li Li said. "It's still to be determined. Please call me Maggie Wall."

Chilabin was still looking at her with great interest. Li Li turned his head to look at the table by the wall and said to Jania and Anthony, "Please come and sit here too."

Jania stood up calmly and walked towards the VIP seat that was obviously reserved for her, Anthony, Chilabin and the man in red. She took the initiative to sit down on Chilabin's left (after all, he was an acquaintance), and looked back at Anthony. Even though she had been observing him for more than a month, she was not very familiar with this computer geek, but at this moment, his loss of soul was written all over his face. From the time the man in red appeared until now, he had been in extreme shock and could only stare at the other person as if the computer had crashed.

"Mr. Kent," Li Li said, "we are pressed for time. If you feel uncomfortable now, I can send someone to take you back to the hotel to rest--"

"You are not dead after all." Anthony said. His face gradually turned redder and redder, and his voice became excited: "I knew there was something here..."

"We don't have time to talk about this." Li Li interrupted him, "If you want to know the details, go back and ask Chadwick, he will tell you everything."

"When did he know everything?"

"I just saw him last night."

Anthony let out another strange cry. "You disappeared for so long, and you went to see him as soon as you appeared?"

"Yes, because Chad has a significant advantage: he can look at my questions more objectively and listen to my explanation politely. And, let me say one more digression - it is inappropriate to delete the Bible from the language library just because you know I don't like it, Mr. Kent. If you insist on creating a pure and comfortable information cocoon for the data body, it will not be possible to make it really like me."

"What do you mean?" Anthony said, taking a step forward and almost tripping over the table leg. "Is this my fault? It's you who suddenly disappeared! We have to make things clear, no matter what you are doing now..."

Li Li nodded as if she had expected it. "It is not appropriate to discuss the current situation with you in detail," she said, "It seems that I have no choice but to ask you to leave first. I will find another opportunity to meet with you another day, if there is still a day."

Anthony dropped the computer under his arm and was about to pounce on her. However, the girl reading by the wall slipped behind him like a ghost, first twisted his neck with her arms, and then sprayed some kind of spray into his mouth and nose. Anthony struggled to push her away, but in the blink of an eye he was staggering like a drunk. Seeing that he was about to fall, Jania jumped up from her seat and was about to rush over to help, but Chilabin suddenly came over, covered her shoulders with his hands tied to his chest, and pushed her back to her seat. She was surprised because she was caught off guard, and the people by the wall were also watching them intently.

"Don't be nervous, Captain," Chilabin said calmly, "your new friend won't be in any trouble."

"How can you guarantee that?"

"Well, of course he'll be fine. You have to know that he and the host who invited us here," he paused, pointed his mouth in the direction of Li Li, and tried to compare his two thumbs back and forth, "they have ever... um? You know. Anyway, this guy is safer than the two of us."

"You know a lot, Mr. Chilabin," said Li Li.

"I like collecting stories." Chilabin answered with narrowed eyes. He and Jania watched Anthony faint on the table. Two people standing against the wall came over and quietly helped him into the employee lounge. As the door of the lounge was closed, Li Li also walked to the seat opposite Chilabin and sat down. Now there was only one empty chair at the table. Jania couldn't help but glance at the reading girl who knocked Anthony down with anesthetic gas. At this moment, she behaved calmly as usual, not at all moved by what she had just done. This regular customer of the store - Anthony said that the girl often came to the store to read books a few months ago, and never took the initiative to talk to him, nor did she show any suspiciousness - now seemed to be very problematic from the beginning; this person was either stalking the store or following Anthony.

"This is Parry," Li Li said. "She was previously responsible for protecting Mr. Anthony Kent's safety and preventing him from being overly involved in dangerous incidents."

Jania raised her eyebrows and swallowed the words "Her way of protection is very special." Since the other party was willing to reveal information to her, she immediately glanced at the second lurker: the "cousin" of the missing store manager, the acting store manager who had known them for many days, was slowly moving towards the table, as if she had some intention of taking the last empty chair.

"This is Madi Tao." Li Li introduced her, "Since the owner of this place is missing, I have appointed her to take care of it temporarily to prevent anyone from tampering with private property here."

Jania looked at her fingernails without changing her expression, as if she had forgotten that she had tried to sneak into the store and search the cash register and the employee lounge a month ago. Although the plan was ultimately unsuccessful, the people guarding the store convinced her that there was something going on in this place; it was a pity that Anthony Kent, that idiot, never took her warning seriously, thinking that she was a bored kid who liked to fantasize and was suspicious because her brother was away on a business trip - didn't your brother call you on time? He even made a video call, what could be wrong! Maybe he just went on a trip with his girlfriend without your knowledge... Anthony Kent was a completely incompetent idiot with his girlfriend on his mind, and look at what the situation has become now!

The so-called computer expert could no longer be relied upon, and now she had to rely on herself for everything. "Who are you?" she asked rudely, "What is your relationship with the owner of this store?"

"You can call me Maggie Wall at this stage. As for my relationship with this store... it is closely related to me in every sense of the word."

Li Li suddenly stopped and looked around the store. Her expression still showed nothing, but Chilabin asked with a smile: "This place looks a bit run-down, isn't it?"

“Matitao is doing his best to maintain it.”

The fake cousin whose name she called widened her eyes and made a barely perceptible face at Chilabin. "Ah, I'm not talking about the hygiene," Chilabin said, "I'm talking about the atmosphere, Maggie - if you allow me to call it that - I think the atmosphere in the store must be very different from a month ago, because some things are no longer here."

Li Li did not make any comment on this. However, Jania suddenly had an idea and quietly looked at the paper roses on the walls and stands. They were all wrinkled and dusty due to age, and under the dim light, they looked like they were about to wither, but there was something else inside. When Jania first locked onto this street a month and a half ago, she almost intuitively determined that there was something wrong with this store. In addition to various doubts that could be easily pointed out by logic, there was a strange atmosphere in this store; that kind of secluded atmosphere was like being in a moist and humid midnight forest, or a long-abandoned wild rose garden... The store was completely another world, and even the street view from the window became unfamiliar, like looking at a lost alley through a telescope.

But now, Jania had to admit that this feeling had completely disappeared, or rather, since a month ago, when her brother had been away for a long time, the store no longer had the strange atmosphere that gave her goose bumps. She had told herself that this was because her brother's disappearance had upset her, but even Chilabin, who was visiting for the first time, pointed out that the store now looked like a digital print without any spirit, and every paper flower looked cheap and fake. The unknown factor that caused psychological abnormalities disappeared with her brother.

She stared at Chilabin eagerly, hoping to get more information from this mysterious playwright. Chilabin did not disappoint her, and continued with a respectful tone: "Not long ago, I went to the ethereal land of the netherworld to explore that fascinating magical secret land. Fortunately, I met the administrator we all knew. Out of academic curiosity, I asked him how the things of the two worlds were connected. He did not give me all the tricks, but revealed some extremely fascinating points: You must know that the ethereal city has been rebuilt several times. Every time it wants to please a new administrator, it changes its form to please him; however, for the survivors of the old era, this is a disaster of subversion. Due to their inherent cultural differences, they often cannot be separated at any time and are eventually abandoned in the deeper part. Alas, that is the netherworld under the netherworld! Imagine how lonely and desolate it would be there? The current administrator is very sympathetic to this, so he always ventures to the deeper part to find the lost ones who have not yet disappeared, and then transforms and trains them so that they can be accommodated in the new world. In return, their respective strengths will also be used by him."

"Very inspiring information," Li Li said. "Have you seen the survivors yourself?"

"Ah, that's not the case. They might be too dangerous for me." Chilabin laughed happily. "But I have heard about a few of them: one of them is as clear as a mirror, and treats people according to their heart. He is the arm that the manager often relies on; a young one was born from the red soil and can hear the voices of the long-sleeped ones; and the oldest one, I heard, is quite dangerous, but also very important. It is the most ethereal mist incarnation from the river land, good at making people's dreams come true - it is said that if the manager does not impose the most stringent restrictions on it, it can come to the heaviest material world through people's dreams, or turn real matter into fantasy. What a dangerous life! Fortunately, it has fallen into the hands of the one who holds the dead, and is unable to harm reality at will."

"Are you trying to say that it has descended upon this store?"

"Oh, of course not its original form, but since the administrator has the right to borrow its power, maybe he would think of building a channel in reality, a base for traveling between the two worlds, or a shelter to exclude dissidents... To a person with a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Anyway, if I have this power, I will definitely use it, no matter what it is used for! But, alas, I can't say. Our respectable administrator seems to have a particularly restrained character, or should I say that he sees everything as empty. I even suspect that he is a Buddhist scholar in a general sense. Frankly speaking, his behavior is quite unpredictable in my eyes."

"I thought you could predict everything."

"It depends on the person, Maggie. It depends a lot on the person." Chilabin said in a serious tone. "It's not difficult for you to understand those famous characters who are extremely active in the latent history. They have been described in all kinds of possibilities! However, you will also find that some characters were originally silent or even invisible, but they suddenly stepped onto the center of the stage. The conditions for such people to appear are so harsh and the opportunities are so rare. When you look through all the plays you know, you will find that it only plays the scene you see in front of you. This is your only chance to understand it."

“Is this a common situation?”

"In general, not many. But the problem is that we are facing an audience that is also familiar with many repertoires. It has a bad temper and picky eyes. And, you know, it has such a big say that it has the final say on who to put on the stage. It can make an unknown person into a pillar of the troupe, and even create someone out of nothing and squeeze someone in for us... Alas, we had high hopes for you. Really, you have amazing potential and a bright future, and you seem to be in line with its wishes in all aspects. Who knew that in the end you would end up with someone else!"

"I don't regret it."

"You still prefer this role now, right?"

"Exactly."

"We would rather deal with you," Chilabin said. "You are so good, talented, considerate, and flexible. I'm not saying that the current one is bad, but it's a little difficult to discuss metaphysics with him. Although he doesn't refute sincere advice, he has absolutely no intention of accepting other people's opinions. What a stubborn person! His temperament makes my work very difficult. I can't even get him to sit down at the negotiation table."

"Is that why you want to exclude him?"

"Your accusation is unfair," Chilabin clarified. "In fact, the manager's life is not in our hands. Maggie, you should know as well as I do that any misfortune he may encounter is always caused by the conflict between the empowered and the empowered, just like the biggest crisis for an actor is to offend the audience, not to mention that the offended audience is also a big investor! Just as I complained to you just now, the manager who replaced you seems to think everything is too empty."

Li Li leaned forward slightly, her two high-precision mechanical eyes fixed on Chilabin's facial expression. "Since you have pointed out the key point," she said, "I wonder if you can mediate?"

Chilabin smiled happily. "Are you asking if we can rescue the manager? Maggie, if he were here, he would definitely warn you that this is courting disaster."

"I have reached my current position through this kind of speculation, Mr. Chilabin," Li Li said calmly. "There is no pure opposition or eternal enemy in this world. Besides, we only disagree on the way to achieve the final vision. At the current stage of development, this is not a tit-for-tat conflict."

"I'm glad to hear you're so forgiving."

"I just hope that I can exchange your life for some more pragmatic benefit, or at least solve some problems that we urgently need to deal with."

"I'm afraid I can't help you with the first request." Chilabin said earnestly, "Of course, I have no subjective ill will towards anyone, but I can't help the person you want to help. When we met last time, I saw that he was determined to get our great audience out of the Red Dust Theater forever. As you can imagine, this is impossible to do, or at least it is difficult to do, and from his point of view, it is still self-destructive. Neither you nor I can help a person who has made up his mind to commit suicide."

Li Li said patiently: "Then, at least you have a more comprehensive understanding of the current situation?"

"You mean his current situation? Oh, we should know more inside information. But I can't give you a definite answer now. You know, I'm not a wireless terminal myself. How can modern people without mobile phones be any better than monkeys in the primitive jungle? I have made some predictions based on inside information, you can refer to them."

Chilabin twisted his body in his seat, trying to sit up straighter. "The first possibility," he said in a serious and amusing manner, "with the best intentions and the best wishes, he may still be performing his duties as an administrator in a city that is completely cut off from the outside world, just like what we said at the end of the story - living happily ever after. Although we can't see it with our eyes, we yearn for it in our hearts."

"It doesn't sound like the treatment you'd get after having a falling out with the audience," said Li Li.

"He's the top actor!" Chilabin said, "I always think that the big investor is very partial to him, don't you think so? It's really hard to convince people to replace you with him, unless there are some personal factors involved. I must say that I still feel aggrieved about it..."

"We've gotten off topic."

"Oh, yes. I guess you are eager to know the second possibility: he will fall. Yes, I am sorry, because of the status he once obtained, there is definitely no middle ground here, that is, he cannot be sworn in as a lifelong mayor and then retire halfway and return to the ranks of citizens... This is the most unlikely result, and we have never observed that the audience has any record of doing so. Those who have obtained the qualification certificate cannot leave safely, otherwise there will be no successor; so he will either remain in office or end up in regret. At this point, you may ask again: where can he go after he ends? I have the honor to explain this to you: Obviously, he will go to the same place as those survivors he recruited before. Under the Netherworld, the Netherworld has become one of the many residents lost in the darkness. And because he cut off the communication between the two places, the new successor may not be born smoothly, which means that no one can imitate his original actions and bring him out again in the form of some kind of vassal. I don’t know what it feels like to stay there, or what kind of changes will occur, but the ready-made cases led by him... I have to say that in addition to the existing cultural differences, their life forms are no longer the same as before, and their minds have obviously been destroyed to a great extent. Even if they are all in the hell of hell, the residents of the basement must live far worse than the upper class, and they can’t see the end of liberation in the long years... Alas, Maggie, what a regrettable result, this is truly eternal desolation!"

Chilabin shook his head and sighed. He looked at Janiya, who had been listening silently, with a smile on his face, and winked at her twice. Janiya gave him a cold stare in return.

Li Li sat in silence for a while, and finally she asked calmly: "So you don't have any solution?"

"There's nothing we can do. He's really out of our hands. Of course you can choose to let him fall into our hands, but... I don't think you have considered making such a major change of course?"

"Yes, I will not consider that."

"Then there is nothing we can do." Chilabin said, "I'm sorry, but I also hope to exchange this for something, such as the treatment of my own prisoners."

"But we can still exchange something else."

"With pleasure! What would you like?"

Li Li smiled stiffly: "I think you should have a boat?"

(End of this chapter)