"Is the receipt number correct?"
"Absolutely right, 74 and 8 are definitely there. Why don't you try dialing one less set of 74?"
"74748 transforms into Erlang Shen's Howling Celestial Dog."
"What's going on? Your Heavenly Court can't withhold wages from migrant workers!"
Suddenly, Liu Laoliu grabbed my shoulder and asked, "Was this the phone you were using when you received the text message?"
"I just got a new phone today. Does that matter? Do you pay my salary or my new phone?"
"If it's sent to your phone, it's the phone that's hitting you, not the other way around. That's the rule in Heaven. They would never directly attach a superpower to a person. Instead, it would be done through an object. The legendary treasure bowl from ancient times is actually this kind of thing. So you have to use the phone that sent you the text message to make it work."
I said urgently, "First, tell me what the number 7474748 means? Will it work if someone else presses this number on my phone?"
"Yes, but who would be so bored? 7474748 is a pretty good superpower—mind reading. You just need to hold that phone and press this set of numbers on someone within 10 meters, and what they're thinking will be displayed on your phone. But you have to be careful, you can only use it 3 times a day, that is, within 24 hours, and right now you can't use it on one person, remember? When you get your salary next month, this phone will automatically upgrade, and then you can use it 5 times a day and use it on the same person (at that time I'll probably be equivalent to a high-level VIP)."
I jumped up and down, saying, "Why didn't you tell me sooner? If this thing had been there when I bought the house, wouldn't I have known whether the White Lotus Cult leader was lying to me or not?"
"Coming earlier won't help. Where's your old phone? Without it, you've worked for nothing this month."
I said regretfully, "Why this one of all? I should have bought a better phone sooner!" I turned on the lighter and said anxiously, "I'll go home and try it right away."
As Liu Laoliu walked downstairs, he handed my SIM card back to me. He waved my phone, which originally cost 5,000 yuan, in front of me and said, "You won't need this anymore, right? I'll contact you after I get a new card."
I glared at him, rushed home, and ran upstairs without stopping. I opened the drawer—and was stunned. My antique computer was gone!
With a trembling voice, I called out, "Cousin, where's my phone? Did your sister-in-law give it to someone else again?"
Li Shishi came out of the bedroom and said, "My cousin-in-law said that it would be embarrassing to give such a broken phone to anyone, so she threw it away for you."
I stumbled a few steps: "Help me throw it away?"
"Look, it's in the trash can." Li Shishi said as she went back into the bedroom and squatted down by the bed to tidy up her books.
I grabbed the trash can and shook it hard twice. The old relic disappeared from my sight. I hugged it tightly to my chest, calling it my precious darling. Li Shishi, seeing me like this in the bedroom, laughed and said, "Cousin, you're such a nostalgic person."
A mischievous idea suddenly popped into my head. I quickly inserted the SIM card, turned on the phone, and waited for the screen to stabilize before pressing "7474748" into Li Shishi's hand, then pressed the dial button. Less than two seconds later, a message appeared on the screen: "Where's my copy of 'A History of Chinese Architecture'?"
I was rather disappointed. I'm more interested in prying into other people's privacy, and it seems I pressed the wrong button at the wrong time. I said to Li Shishi, "I gave your copy of 'A History of Chinese Architecture' to a friend."
Li Shishi turned her head in surprise and said, "How did you know I was looking for it?"
I said, "I just wanted to let you know because I saw you looking for a book."
With this treasure, I was itching to see what everyone was thinking. Qin Shi Huang was playing a game, probably thinking about playing too; Xiang Yu had been making me open the van door to practice driving since I got back, so there wasn't much to see; Liu Bang was out of reach, so that left only the idiot, standing motionless with his transistor radio, a silly grin on his face. I was genuinely curious about his thought process, so I quietly took a few steps closer and pressed the numbers for him. The screen didn't respond, and after a long while, a situation that drove me crazy appeared:
It actually displayed a row of ellipses...
After a while, a parenthesis appeared, containing the message: "This person is in a prolonged state of mental inactivity. This message will no longer appear."
Holy crap, is this what they call a calm and collected mind? That idiot is amazing!
However, I was still quite happy. At first, I didn't think the reward was that great, but I gradually realized that it was much more useful than opening one's third eye. Opening one's third eye involves dealing with ghosts, while this involves directly communicating with a person's mind. The human mind is far more terrifying than ghosts; isn't there a saying that "gods and ghosts are unpredictable"?
It's not entirely true that it can't bring me any benefit. At least I could use it to play Go and be invincible, or see what those giants who manipulate the stock market and futures markets are thinking. No matter how good or bad a person is, they can always put on an act. The only thing that doesn't lie is their thoughts—or rather, their soul.
I'm increasingly convinced that I possess a very evil power. No wonder a philosopher once said: I'd rather they see my naked body than my thoughts.
That's so well said. Anyway, I'd much rather see certain people naked.
Just then, the phone rang loudly, startling me. I saw the number was Song Qing and answered, "Hello, Xiao Song?"
Song Qing was always so gentle: "Hehe, Brother Qiang, Captain Xu is looking for you."
Before I could even figure out who it was, Xu Delong took the phone and said, "Sir Xiao, could you come over again?" He actually knew how to use a phone.
I asked him what was wrong, and it seemed he didn't want to say it in front of Song Qing, so I readily agreed—I was just thinking of getting cupping done by An Daoquan.
Overjoyed at receiving my newfound treasure, I sped to school. From a distance, the main blue structure was already completed. Li Yun said that with simple renovations, I could move in within a week. I gave Li Yun Li Shishi's copy of "A History of Chinese Architecture," and I now want him to help me renovate my villa. He's already quite familiar with the construction team and building material suppliers.
The 300th barracks were empty. Xu Delong deliberately stayed behind to wait for me; the soldier on duty was Li Jingshui.
As soon as he saw me, he said very seriously, "Someone scouted the camp again yesterday!"
I casually remarked, "Could it be that you're just too nervous?"
Xu Delong carefully took a small package from the tent and slowly opened it with great care. Inside the small cloth bag was a needle. Just as I was about to take it, Xu Delong said, "Careful! It's poisoned." I quickly stepped back a few paces and examined the needle closely. This was no ordinary sewing needle we had ever seen; it resembled a miniature reed stick, with a long needle tail and no eye, much like the kind used for acupuncture in traditional Chinese medicine.
"What's going on?" I asked, poking at it with a twig.
“When Jing Shui was on duty last night, it shot out from the bushes not far from his feet. He didn’t know what it was at the time and luckily dodged it. The person was extremely fast and disappeared in an instant when he realized he had been caught. We found it on the tent this morning.”
I glanced at Li Jingshui and asked, puzzled, "How come something always happens as soon as you're on duty? Do you think that person is related to the one who went on the camp reconnaissance last time?"
Li Jingshui said with certainty, "It's the same person! And he must have been from our time."
How did you know?
“He was dressed in night clothes, and his movements were obviously those of a martial artist. Almost all of us in the Beiwei Army had practiced martial arts before joining the army. Some of his habits and movements were unique to people from that era; he was a trained martial artist.”
I pondered for a long time, resting my chin on my hand, then suddenly stood up and exclaimed, "I've got it!"
Xu Delong and Li Jingshui both looked at me with expectant and admiring eyes—
"I'll go and discuss this with Wu Yong!"
The two fell.