Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 382 Night Parade of One Hundred Demons (Read with caution if you dislike magic threads)

In the familiar courtyard north of Beijing, Zhai Da was peeling an apple for the old man. The long strip of apple peel had become one of Zhai Da's specialties.

"In silicon carbide motors, the motor part is actually the simplest, while the silicon carbide power devices are quite difficult. With a shortage of manpower, it's quite tiring."

Mr. Qian listened with a smile and said softly, "It's inevitable that third-generation semiconductors will be challenging."

Semiconductors are the most cutting-edge industry in any country, not to mention silicon carbide, which is also a cutting-edge field within semiconductors.

Mr. Qian looked at the "Timeless Cohabitation Manual" on the bedside table, a "young man's book" that seemed to be a perfect match for him. It had always been on his bedside table, and he would occasionally flip through it.

"Didn't I draw any inspiration from your novels?"

Zhai Da was taken aback, then laughed and said, "How could I possibly write it in such detail?"

Old Qian smiled and said, "It's alright. Think about it more; it might help. As for the manpower issue, do you need me to help you think of a solution?"

Even in the most niche fields, the country may allow something to be "not advanced enough," but it will never tolerate something that is "absent," even if it is silicon carbide semiconductors.

Zhai Da shook his head: "We can't trouble you with everything. Besides, although our team is small, it's very capable. The style of the Mechanical Core Research Institute is different after all. Bringing in too many outsiders at once might not be a good thing."

They chatted about some trivial matters over time.

However, Zhai Da kept glancing at the back of the teacher's head, as if he was carefully observing something.

Finally, he shook his head with a sigh: "Sigh. Just as I guessed."
600 to 800 at most.

But he still pulled out a patina-covered, antique-looking peach wood comb from his pocket: "Teacher, I brought you something nice."

Old Qian turned his head with a smile, wondering what filial piety his closed-door disciple had shown this time. But when his gaze fell on the comb, he paused for a moment.

Zhai Da remained unmoved, considerately walking behind the teacher and using the "Centenarian Comb" to comb the old man's hair.
Gently scrape the scalp.

Unable to bring himself to say the words "combing hair," Zhai Da changed his approach: "This is century-old peach wood; scraping the scalp can improve blood circulation, remove blood stasis, and clear the meridians."

After a long silence, Mr. Qian condensed his thousand words into one sentence: "Thank you for your thoughtfulness."

But not many.
Zhai Da didn't dare to forcefully comb the "eight hundred heroes'" scalp, but instead gently scraped it. Perhaps because this sensation was truly rare, the old man genuinely felt as if his meridians were being unblocked.
There was at least a sensation of the nerve endings in the scalp being activated.

Zhai Da's gaze remained fixed on the comb teeth.

It must be said that these "eight hundred heroes" who are still standing strong at the age of 98 are not as fragile as imagined. After combing for a long time, they probably only lost three or five hairs, which is far from the standard of "one hundred hairs to extend one's life by one day".

It's like the distance between Wu and Yue and a 985 university.
After acquiring the item in Shanghai, he actually studied it privately. He combed it for a long time, combing it whenever he had free time for three days, and finally successfully accumulated a hundred strands. The system also popped up the description "Zhai Da gained one day of natural lifespan".

Of course, he also tried wigs, and even relatively expensive ones made of real human hair, but unfortunately, combing them all out didn't help.

It's fortunate that it didn't work, otherwise today's style would have been even stranger.
However, he still planned to leave the comb for Old Qian first.

Eight hundred mosquitoes would be fine too! Even the smallest mosquito is still meat, right?
Zhai Da placed the "Centenarian Comb" in the old man's palm: "From a scientific point of view, stimulating the scalp can prevent many age-related diseases. From an unscientific point of view, unblocking the meridians is a traditional cultural practice. You can pick it up and comb your hair whenever you have time, and it can also exercise your arms."

That's true. Many muscles and organs in the elderly don't develop problems from overwork, but from being idle.

Mr. Qian took the comb and said without much thought, "Okay, I'll give it a try."

Zhai Da said seriously, "It's not just a trial, it's something we really have to do."

Old Qian smiled kindly: "Okay, I promise you."

He actually quite liked the little gift from his closed-door disciple. The comb had an antique style, as if it were an object from his era.

Zhai Da stood up and said, "I have to catch my flight. I'll land in Beijing when I get back, and I'll come see you then."

Once outside, Zhai Da approached his teacher's wife: "Teacher's wife, how has Teacher been feeling lately?"

"Everything is fine. The doctor came a while ago, and all the indicators are normal."

Zhai Da said earnestly, "If you, teacher, feel unwell in any way, please be sure to let me know."

He actually had one last trump card up his sleeve, which could be used in an emergency.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

After leaving his teacher's house, Zhai Da checked his watch. There were only three hours left before his 8 p.m. flight to Tokyo. Without further hesitation, he took a taxi straight to the airport.

Inside the airport terminal, the crew of the "Magic Talent Show" program had already gathered in a corner, waiting for quite some time.

The production team consists of nearly twenty people, as well as this episode's guests: Wang Luodan, Tong Liya, and Deng Chao.

Zhai Da was not involved in this episode. Due to the greater difficulty of filming overseas, the number of guests was reduced to 3+1, which is three domestic artists plus one local artist.

The production team's strategy was to focus on high-颜值 (good-looking) young actors and actresses, offering good quality at a reasonable price.

It's hard to describe the feeling Zhai Da had when the production team told him that Deng Chao was a handsome young man, like being slapped in the face by the scum of the times.

However, the guests were not Zhai Da's focus. After a brief greeting, everyone boarded the flight to Tokyo.

After a three-hour flight, the group landed in the early hours of the morning. After checking into the hotel, they fell silent; everyone was exhausted.

Preparations and meetings for filming did not begin until the following day.

The production team began making preparations at various filming locations. Zhai Daye, who was responsible for supervising the magic show, also traveled with them. Only the guests held a meeting at the hotel. Additionally, local celebrity guest "Masami Nagasawa" also arrived at the hotel and held a meeting with a translator.

This was probably the episode where the guest was furthest away from Zhai Da. Apart from a brief time on the plane, they basically didn't see each other again.

It wasn't until evening that Zhai Da returned to the hotel and discussed the plans for the next day with the guest group.

The next morning, on a relatively clean street in Tokyo, the recording of the second episode began.

Compared to Shanghai, resources are scarce here, and filming permits are strictly controlled, so we didn't set up a large scene, but simply fenced off a small area.

Zhai Da had no objection to this, saying there was no need to film famous locations to promote Japanese tourism.
Actually, he had already visited many places yesterday when he was scouting locations, including Akihabara, Ginza, and Okubo.
It doesn't really mean anything.

Akihabara is just a crowded and chaotic shopping street, and Ginza is far less bustling than Lujiazui, not even comparable to Xujiahui.
Okubo is currently just a park.

It might get more interesting if the lost 20 years turn into a lost 30 or 40 years.

This reminded him of Wukang Road, which he had passed by many times in Shanghai in his previous life. He had never thought it was anything special, but one day it suddenly became a popular spot for taking photos, attracting internet celebrities from all over the world, especially from Southeast Asia.
When culture and economy take precedence, even ordinary ecological features in a city can become cultural symbols, attracting people from all over.

Especially for those who have never been there.

"Charm" is merely an overflow of economic and cultural influences, while "de-charming" is the overtaking of economic and cultural influences.

The foundation of economic culture is productivity.

The program format was similar to the first episode. After the opening, warm-up, and team tasks, Wang Luodan and Tong Liya were paired together, while Deng Chao and Masami Nagasawa were paired together. It was clear that the "young heartthrob" was a bit nervous, and the language barrier was causing him some trouble.

Finally, they chose two boxes from the three categories of "joyful," "handsome," and "serious." It seemed that they had found out about the losers' group in the first round, and both groups avoided the "serious" category.

Wang and Tong chose the "Handsome Group," and their magic trick was "Sandification." A hollow wooden stick filled with sand was hidden in their sleeves and tilted back while being pulled away, creating the illusion that the sand had disappeared.

He then picked up the scattered sand, rubbed it in his hand, and took out a wooden stick, as if reshaping it.

Deng and Chang's "fun group" was rather silly. Each person was given a cheap U-shaped plastic prop, which they stuck under their palms to perform a magic trick of passing a silk scarf through their palms.

After that came the instruction and practice, which lasted for about three hours. Both groups went out in full force to randomly find passersby on the street to perform.

Meanwhile, Zhai Da disappeared again, preparing for the final magic trick.

Many interesting things happened in the middle, and we also recorded a lot of excellent footage.

Two hours later, as dusk fell, the guests returned to the starting point, only to find that most of the props and decorations had disappeared, leaving only Zhai Da standing there in his complete magic costume.

Zhai Da raised his head and said, "First of all, congratulations to everyone for completing the magic challenge. No one will be punished tonight."

Although they didn't think the punishment was too much, they still acted very fortunate in front of the cameras.

Zhai Da went through the script once, speaking at length for more than ten minutes, and finally it was time for the "closing" magic trick.

"Each team received an item upon completing the mission. Do you have it now?"

The two groups of people took out their "rewards" in a daze, having actually been wondering about it for a long time.

Wang and Tong wore a pair of earplugs, while Deng and Chang wore black silk.

Zhai Da smiled helplessly and said, "Actually, these props are your reward, but they're a hassle for me. They'll make my final magic trick more difficult." He took the black silk cloth, showed it to the camera to prove it was ordinary, and shone a flashlight on it to prove it was opaque.

The guests were then asked to place the device over their eyes to block their vision, and the photographer gave a close-up shot to confirm that there were no gaps.

Next came the earplugs. He then demonstrated his identity to the camera, and Deng Chao personally inserted them into Zhai Da's ears, reminding him to make sure they were in place tightly.

Zhai Da touched himself around, as if he had suddenly lost his hearing and sight.

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he said, "Oh right, I need a prop."

Without warning, he opened his mouth and exhaled a puff of white smoke. When the smoke dissipated, he had a golden staff in his hand.

Zhai Da: It's open.

Then they set off, saying, "I've been working for the past two days and haven't had a chance to look around. How about a night tour of Tokyo tonight?"

The four guests were stunned. They had tied and inserted the silk cloth and earplugs themselves. Since they had not received any instructions and were not clear about the subsequent procedures, they tied them very carefully.

If performing a magic trick while blindfolded and standing still is within their comprehension, then what about a night tour of Tokyo?

Unfortunately, they didn't have time to react at all. It was a long magic trick. Zhai Da had already taken a step and walked firmly toward the intersection.

Unhurried and unhurried, as if strolling leisurely in a courtyard.

They started at a small intersection when a large truck came speeding towards them. Everyone broke out in a cold sweat. Tong Liya, who was nearby, couldn't care less about the show and shouted, "Watch out!"

Zhai Damai stepped out, his foot hovering in mid-air, and turned to "look" at Tong Liya.

He smiled and asked, "What's wrong? Why are you nervous?"

As he spoke, he pointed his cane at the traffic lights ahead.

"Isn't it a red light? I wouldn't run a red light."

The truck roared past, and Tong Liya froze.
After waiting a moment, when the red light turned green, Zhai Da stepped out again and into the bustling night.

He seemed to have an invisible eye, avoiding all obstacles.

Trash cans, utility poles, every pedestrian, every car on the roadside.

It can even accurately avoid litter on the road.

So-called long-duration magic is more like performance magic. It does not pursue instantaneous changes, but rather makes people feel incredulous through the passage of time.

Zhai Da was in this state at the time. When he walked 100 meters, everyone felt it was still understandable. But when he walked 500 meters, the guests began to try to find flaws.

But when he walked 2000 meters, people began to question their understanding.

But the magic trick continues; it's far from over.

Zhai Da's behavior became increasingly outrageous. For example, he could enter a convenience store, accurately buy a drink, pay smoothly, and then magically drop the coins one by one into the donation box from a distance.

He can walk through the busiest commercial streets, refusing those who suddenly appear to hand out flyers, and he can also help passing children catch balloons that are floating away.

Gradually, due to the presence of the camera and Zhai Daqi's unique attire, people began to follow the group forward.

Even though no one explained anything to them, passersby were curious about Zhai Da's condition, as the silk cloth over his eyes and the earplugs in his ears were too obvious.

Some people even started causing trouble and testing the waters.

Suddenly, someone in the crowd yelled and threw a water bottle at Zhai Da. This was something even the production team hadn't anticipated, but Zhai Da accurately raised his cane and knocked it away, then turned and locked onto the passerby.

He gave it a thumbs-down gesture and then continued walking.

As a result, more and more people followed Zhai Da.

10 people, 20 people, 30 people.
Especially when they passed through Akihabara, this amazing group attracted even more outrageous followers.

A maid handing out flyers, a Super Saiyan cosplayer, a bald, muscular man in Pikachu colors, a bunny girl with an explosive figure, a Japanese Tony with an exaggerated hairstyle, and an American soldier beating up a Japanese man.

Gradually, a large number of strange-looking people followed behind, some of whom had no idea what was happening and continued to follow the group.

The production team was on tenterhooks. This was really not what they expected; they had only chosen to pass through Akihabara to gather some material.

It's not about mobilizing a large army!

By the time Zhai Da left Akihabara shopping street, he was followed by nearly 200 people, and the number was still increasing.

Bizarre shapes, like a procession of a hundred ghosts at night!

Sure enough, the patrol car soon noticed something amiss, scaring the young officers half to death! They thought there was some kind of large-scale protest!
Fortunately, the police didn't know what was going on for a while. They traced the queue back from the end, but couldn't find the source for a while! This shows how long the queue was.

Finally, this nearly two-hour-long nighttime walk came to an end.

Zhai Da seems to have reached a dead end.

That's a river. The Sumida River, a famous river that flows through Tokyo.

This is a flood control embankment with a large sloping surface and a river surface tens of meters wide in the center.

Zhai Da, however, seemed oblivious and continued walking straight down the flood control embankment.

This scene startled everyone, and those nearby immediately began shouting in a mix of languages.

"Teacher Zhai, come back quickly! There's a river ahead!"

"Don't go!"

"careful!"

Even the police, who were completely bewildered and had finally caught up, shouted, "Danger! Stop right now!"

Zhai Da turned around and smiled at everyone, remaining unmoved.

Right there in front of hundreds of people.
They walked into the water and stood on its surface.

The hundreds of people behind were completely silent.
Just when everyone thought the blindfolded nighttime tour of Tokyo was the whole magic trick, the real climax was just beginning.

Zhai Da didn't stop, but instead moved forward step by step on the river. The water level barely covered the soles of his shoes, but didn't wet his trouser legs at all.

Some of the crowd, skeptical of the superstition, ran down into the river to try and find a hidden path in the water. Others kept scrambling around where Zhai Da had entered the water, but to no avail.

As if to verify that there was no glass beneath his feet, a river patrol boat happened to pass by. The river police officer rubbed his eyes and said to his colleague, "Am I seeing things?"

"No, there really is someone! Look!"

A searchlight shone, illuminating the mysterious blindfolded man on the water's surface.

"Hey! Who are you?! What are you doing?!"

Zhai Da ignored him and continued forward.

The patrol boat happened to pass by the water that Zhai Da had just crossed, which helped prove that there was no glass road underneath the river, and Zhai Da was also clearly visible under the spotlight.

This scene was captured by the production team's cameras, which were already lying in wait on the opposite bank of the river, in a tall building not far away, and they filmed this cinematic scene.

Finally, after Zhai Da reached the other side of the river, he turned around and took off his blindfold in front of everyone.

And so, unexpectedly, witnessed by hundreds of people and with the Tokyo police's anti-counterfeiting certification, Zhai Da completed this magical "Night Walk in Tokyo" trick.

His face was marked with red marks from being bound for a long time, but this did not make him look disheveled; instead, it made him appear more real.

Finally, Zhai Da waved to the other side of the river.

Under the sweeping beams of searchlights from both sides.

It disappeared without a trace.

　I'll post one chapter first and see if I can manage to post a little more.

　　I got up at five o'clock this morning; it was such a long day.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)