Gao Xiaojie patted Chen Xu on the shoulder, saying, "Is this how you advise someone?" But when it comes to persuasion, Guan Yi is naturally the best, because this woman is very smart and can easily see why Tang Bixuan refused.
So she thought for a moment and said, "How about this? Bixuan, you can go back tonight, but pack your things. Tomorrow, Gao Xiaojie and I will find a bigger house, and we can all move in together. Bixuan, don't refuse. You can pay the rent. And trust me, the house I find won't be too expensive. We can split the rent, and it definitely won't be more expensive than where you live now."
Gao Xiaojie immediately understood Guan Yi's meaning and smiled, "Yes, yes. Bixuan, you're coming to work here soon. It'll be closer to home and safer. You know, we're all students, so the shop will mainly be in your care."
Hearing this, Tang Bixuan was somewhat moved. Of course, she knew that it was Guan Yi and the others who were taking care of her, and she could tell that their care was without any other meaning.
Although Tang Bixuan was a year or two younger than the others present, she had endured a great deal of hardship and experienced many things and met a great many people. This society is very realistic; she had met many people, but this was the first time she had seen someone so selfless and willing to help her so readily.
Thinking of this, Tang Bixuan felt that it would be too pretentious to refuse, so she nodded gratefully.
"Haha, Bixuan agreed!" Gao Xiaojie clapped his hands happily, raised his glass and said, "Come on, let's all have a drink!"
Red wine doesn't intoxicate, but one can become intoxicated by the atmosphere. After a toast, all three girls' faces were flushed, and in the candlelight, they were like spring orchids and autumn chrysanthemums, each with their own unique charm. Guan Yi, in particular, possessed an indescribable allure, her eyes sparkling with captivating beauty.
Guan Yi was already the kind of girl with a particularly alluring appearance, and now, after a few drinks, her face was flushed. She kept feeding Chen Xu her "autumn spinach," which was becoming increasingly irresistible to him. He chuckled and said, "We've almost finished eating this. Can we turn on the lights now?"
"What a boring idiot!" Guan Yi slapped his forehead. Chen Xu took the opportunity to quickly move the half-eaten steak from the plate under the table... Eating this would really kill him!
Guan Yi didn't see this action, but Gao Xiaojie and Tang Bixuan chuckled quietly. Chen Xu rolled his eyes and lowered his voice, saying, "You two did it on purpose, didn't you? You deliberately made her do it?"
Gao Xiaojie covered her mouth, her eyes crinkling with laughter: "Please, okay? It's your honor that such a beautiful woman personally cooked steak for you."
This woman definitely did it on purpose!
Chen Xu really wanted to pat her round little bottom a couple of times, but then he thought that would be even more ambiguous, so he refrained from doing so.
Seeing Chen Xu staring at his little bottom, Gao Xiaojie was stunned for a moment, then gritted her teeth and pinched Chen Xu, making him almost yell out. At that moment, Chen Xu's watch suddenly started vibrating wildly. Chen Xu was startled, said he was going to the bathroom, and then quickly ran away.
The watch displayed an urgent message from Hao Aiguo... Because Xiaomin has a mobile phone, Chen Xu got a SIM card and connected it to this external computer, so Xiaomin can connect to the internet at any time.
Hao Aiguo's information was quite alarming. Just now, fifteen minutes ago, Satan's terrorists played "The Devil's Song" over Seattle. The US government reacted quickly, immediately using high-powered noise to counter it, and managed to shut down the sound source before an uncontrollable bloodshed occurred, but no criminals were caught.
However, this incident served as a wake-up call for the world, because while noise pollution control can be effective to some extent, the harm it causes to the public is enormous. Just look at the countless complaints and phone calls that followed to the Seattle mayor's office. The US government is now facing a major headache: how will it explain this situation?
However, the US government is troubled by China's affairs, but every country is wondering how to deal with Satan's madmen if they come to their country.
We cannot let our guard down until we catch Satan's gang. But as Chen Xu said, there's no way you can guard against thieves for a thousand days if you're a thief for a thousand days.
But this time Hao Aiguo brought very good news... After careful investigation by the experts, they finally found a photo on the computer of the deceased in Nigeria!
This photo is a group photo of five people, and it is certain that two of the people in this photo are the two leaders of the Satanic organization who have been arrested by the US government and are now being asked to be released by Satan!
Chapter 113: The Clash of Two Kinds of Music!
Hao Aiguo also sent this photo. All five people were Black. Very prominent Black skin... To put it bluntly, not very respectfully to our African brothers, Chen Xu thought all Black people looked the same, just like some foreigners think all Chinese people look the same.
The two men in question are named Miwad and Uttaka. They are two leaders of Satan. However, they are not of African nationality; both are native-born Americans. Satan, this semi-organizational, semi-religious entity, was founded by them to mislead some African brothers, using the slogan of "freedom" to incite them to join their "church."
These two men were captured in 2004. Since then, Satan has never given up on rescuing them. Rumors suggest that because the wealth amassed by Satan's organization is entirely controlled by these two, and considering Satan's immense power in 2000, with over 300,000 followers in Africa and members in Europe and the Americas, they amassed at least a billion dollars in wealth, the location of which only Miwad and Takka knew. Therefore, Satan's efforts to rescue them are likely motivated by that enormous fortune.
The black man from the left in the photo is the unfortunate guy who died in Nigeria. His name has now been found. His name is Maras. He was a senior programmer, but unexpectedly, he was also one of Satan's leaders.
According to on-site personnel, Maras's death was likely caused by internal strife.
While the identities of the remaining two people in the photo are still unclear, computer usage records indicate that the music was sent to him by someone named "seker." Their chat history shows what they said, making it almost certain that "seker" is one of those two people, codenamed "Scorpion."
Scorpion sent the music to Maras and tricked him into opening it. He didn't explain the music's purpose, only deceptively calling it a theme song… a truly malicious scheme. Maras opened the file, naturally falling victim to the trap. When technicians traced the IP address, they discovered the perpetrator had hidden their real address.
However, there's no doubt that the other two people in the photo are also leaders of Satan. The problem is that both are wearing sunglasses, obscuring their faces, and currently there are no image search engines. Therefore, in order to apprehend Satan's members as quickly as possible, China has sent this photo to the US government and mobilized all resources to investigate the true identities of these two individuals.
Hao Aiguo came to see Chen Xu, wanting to ask if the SMMH expert had any way to resolve this matter.
So Chen Xu asked Xiao Min to scan the photos to see if she could find any records matching the two people's appearances. Unfortunately, Xiao Min's census system only had records for Chinese citizens. There was nothing she could do about the two foreigners. But this method wouldn't work. Chen Xu had other ideas.
Image search engine!
Nowadays, internet search engines can only search for text keywords, and it is impossible to search by image. But this is actually just a minor problem. For people today, it is a dead end in their thinking, rather than a lack of current technology.
Image search engines officially appeared ten years later, allowing users to find similar images based on information within the images themselves. However, they only provide similarities; achieving a 100% identical match is impossible. Nevertheless, this method greatly expands the search scope. If the person has no photos online, or if they have undergone cosmetic surgery, it becomes like searching for a needle in a haystack.
However, whether it was good luck or something else, Chen Xu actually found a similar photo online. The webpage with the photo was a news article. But the content of the news article terrified Chen Xu.
The news story is from about a month ago. A business delegation from the United States visited Shanghai, and one person in the delegation looked remarkably like the second person from the right in the photo!
According to the report, this inspection team stayed in Shanghai for three months. That means this person is still in Shanghai!
Upon receiving this news, the authorities immediately took action. My God! This is equivalent to placing a time bomb in Shanghai! If it detonates, the entire city will be finished!
Upon receiving the news, the higher-ups immediately dispatched personnel, who quickly identified the person. Although there seemed to be nothing suspicious about him, the prevailing attitude was "better to kill a thousand innocent people than let one guilty person go free." Any misunderstandings could be resolved through diplomatic means; the immediate priority was to nip the danger in the bud.
The arrest went smoothly, and Chen Xu received a message of thanks from Hao Aiguo after he finished cleaning up the dinner table.
The man's name was Demis. He was indeed a former member of the Satanic organization. He readily admitted this, and he also revealed the identity of the last member and the city he might attack... The reason I say "former" is because Demis had left the organization a year ago. He used his share of the money to start a foreign trade company in the United States to launder the illicit funds.
Upon hearing that Maras had been killed by Scorpion, Demis immediately confessed to everything and requested protection from international organizations. Of the five, Scorpion was the most violent, cruel, and persistent, determined to overthrow the world. He was also a fanatic of religion and science.
According to Jamies's speculation, Scorpion's second target would likely be Bismarck, the capital of North Dakota, where he grew up. Over 91% of the population is white, and Catholicism and Protestantism are prevalent there. Scorpion faced discrimination growing up there, so if he were to attack a region, Bismarck would be his first choice.
Upon learning of this, China immediately informed the US government and funded a batch of emergency, specialized speakers… Of course, this was definitely not free; as for the extent of the benefits, that depends on how much importance the US government attaches to this matter.
That night, just as Chen Xu was about to go to sleep—which was 11 PM Beijing time (3 PM Bismarck time)—Bismarck's major radio and television stations were attacked by unidentified individuals, and "The Devil's Song" resounded throughout the city!
Just as Scorpion was enjoying this moment on the 25th-floor rooftop, another piece of music suddenly started playing in the city.
This music was different from the noise that had been plaguing Seattle that day. While the noise was loud, it only affected people, preventing them from focusing excessively on "The Devil's Song." This music, however, was grand, majestic, mysterious, and melancholic, firmly suppressing "The Devil's Song."
"The Song of the Devil" and "The Great Compassion Mantra" represent two completely opposite extremes. One incites people to do evil, while the other guides them towards good. Although ordinary people may have evil thoughts, under the long-standing constraints of law, religious beliefs, and ethics, doing good has long been deeply ingrained in their subconscious minds as a form of information.
At this moment, under the influence of the Great Compassion Mantra, good intentions ultimately prevailed over evil intentions. Therefore, when both songs were played together, the town's residents were confused, and the expected chaos did not occur.
Even Scorpion himself was taken aback when he heard the song.
No one is born evil. Scorpion was Black and faced discrimination from white people from a young age… Although the slogan of racial equality has been chanted for over a century, its implementation has not been smooth. Scorpion's childhood was tragic, and his godfather led him to convert to Catholicism. However, he was gay…
So the scorpion stopped believing in God. Even if God did exist, he would overthrow Him!
So later, Scorpion joined Jamies and others to found a cult called "Satan," which began recruiting Black people. They opposed Catholicism, but gradually, the cult degenerated and became a tool for making money. They used any means necessary, and after Miwad and Birdtaka were imprisoned, the remaining two were spineless. So Scorpion wanted to rescue them, firstly for their money, and secondly to realize his own ambitions.
Revenge against the world, revenge against God.
He discovered this song, "The Devil's Song," in an ancient cult book. This book dates back to the Middle Ages, a time when Catholicism held supreme power and other religions were most oppressed.
Scorpion discovered this song, capable of influencing the subconscious, in this ancient book. After studying it, he found that while the song didn't cause much of a stir back then, it's a powerful weapon now!
But unexpectedly, there is now a piece of music that can counteract this demonic song?
Scorpion immediately felt a sense of foreboding, for he saw countless fully armed soldiers appearing out of nowhere downstairs. The demonic song echoing through the city gradually faded. Then, only the chanting of the Great Compassion Mantra remained.
Chapter 114 of the main text: Fantasy Paradise
Scorpion died, and he died peacefully. He jumped from the 25th floor, and in the 8-meter freefall, he felt it was the most peaceful time he had ever experienced.
He was bullied from a young age until he grew up and killed his godfather with his own hands, betraying his faith. Later, with his hands covered in blood, he suddenly realized that while he had been pursuing revenge against the world, he also had to bear the consequences of others' revenge…
The scorpion didn't know why it had such thoughts until its head hit the ground hard, at which point it felt a sense of relief.
The problem is that he's free, but the Americans are frustrated.
They expended so much effort, recovering only a pile of scraps of flesh, but not a single piece of valuable information. In fact, at first, the Americans couldn't even determine that the scraps were from a scorpion. It wasn't until much more effort that they finally confirmed the mastermind behind it had committed suicide.
Besides the scorpion choosing to end its own life, the aftermath of this event was far-reaching. Countless people flocked to the city's churches to confess… the reasons for their confessions were varied and bizarre; some even confessed for accidentally stepping on their neighbor's lawn the day before and forgetting to say sorry. This threw the entire Bismarckian church into a state of chaos.
Ordinary citizens don't know why this is happening, but the US government does.
According to the agreement reached between China and the United States, research on subconscious control will be brought to the United Nations for discussion, and relevant restrictions will be introduced. Its severity is no less than that of the Six-Party Talks on the North Korean nuclear issue.
The emergence of "The Song of the Devil" has drawn attention to the issue of the subconscious mind from various countries. This thing is truly terrifying, equivalent to a small nuclear bomb. If misused, the damage it causes will be incredibly terrible!
Therefore, it is expected that countries will jointly enact legislation to define Satan, the organization that uses "The Devil's Song," and any other organizations that use similar malicious subconscious music as anti-human organizations, which will be subject to unified suppression by all countries.
As for the Great Compassion Mantra, China and the United States have begun to experimentally play this music in some pilot prisons to see the effect, and have also reached some related cooperation.
As for SMMH, while others didn't know the origin of this Great Compassion Mantra, everyone at the top knew it. In another field where scientists worldwide were completely out of the loop, SMMH once again led the way, seemingly miraculously resolving a crisis that had plagued several major powers with a single, effortless gesture. Even the US Secretary of Defense privately remarked that such a person was worth more than an entire aircraft carrier battle group.
So what are aircraft carrier strike groups doing now?
Chen Xu is struggling.
He lay on the floor, with two stunningly beautiful women, each a vision of beauty, on the bed next to him. The problem was, these two were the kind you could only look at but not touch… well, I misspoke, they wouldn't even let you look! Guan Yi, having somehow acquired an eye mask, tossed it to Chen Xu, saying, “We two girls need to change clothes or something. It would be so embarrassing if you saw us. If you saw me, I wouldn't care. But if Gao Xiaojie sees anything she shouldn't, you'll have to take responsibility, okay?”
The way those words were made... Chen Xu felt like he was about to vomit blood. Was this devilish woman being a little too bold? Her words were blatant provocation! Unfortunately, Chen Xu only had the desire but not the courage, and besides, he and Gao Xiaojie... had not only seen each other, they had even touched each other.
Hearing Guan Yi say that, Gao Xiaojie couldn't cheer up either, as she thought of what had happened back then.
So Chen Xu had no choice but to obediently put on the blindfold.
This kind of eye mask is designed for people who are afraid of light when they sleep. It doesn't feel uncomfortable to wear on the face, but the problem is that you can't see anything. Hearing the rustling of clothes next to him, followed by Gao Xiaojie's "Wow!", and then deliberately lowering her voice to say, "It's really big..."
Cough cough, at this moment Chen Xu couldn't help but think of a very impure scene, because Chen Xu had seen it with his own eyes and knew that many girls didn't like to wear bras when they slept, because there was a saying that wearing a bra while sleeping could easily cause breast cancer.
Chen Xu guessed that Guan Yi might have unhooked his bra, and then he heard Gao Xiaojie chuckle softly, "Oh my, it feels so good!" Then Guan Yi said coquettishly, "You're so annoying, yours isn't small either!"
This really worried Chen Xu...
The two beautiful women next to him were doing something, and there was a burst of laughter and playful noise from the bed. Then Guan Yi shouted, "Chen Xu, please don't turn around and look!"
Chen Xu really wanted to see, but he felt that it would be too beastly, so he simply buried his head under the covers.
Guan Yi and Gao Xiaojie joked around for a while longer, and Gao Xiaojie whispered, "Did you see him peeking just now?"
"No, this kid is quite a gentleman, isn't he? Chen Xu can't see right now, but actually, Guan Yi and Gao Xiaojie aren't taking off their clothes at all. The two of them are each holding a quilt and watching Chen Xu, who is pretending to be asleep with his head covered by a mattress on the floor, with his clothes still intact. The two women are secretly laughing."
Chen Xu had no idea what those two women were up to. Left with no other choice, he turned his watch into headphones under the covers and put them on… sigh, entering a virtual world. Chen Xu would rather be brutally tortured and tormented by the instructor than deal with those two vixens again; one wrong move and he'd be in big trouble!
Since winter break started, Chen Xu hadn't really trained. Aside from his daily routine of exercises… the consequence of not training was that Chen Xu didn't dare enter the virtual system to get yelled at. Although it's said that one should train hard in the coldest and hottest months, Chen Xu always felt that practicing enough was sufficient. Anyway, he didn't need to compete for the title of the world's number one martial arts master. His initial reason for practicing this was partly out of spite towards his instructor, and secondly, he thought that having more skills was always a good thing, and knowing a few tricks was always safer.
Like last time when I caught the man who slit the throat at the university, if I hadn't been a little tough, I probably would have been beaten into mincemeat by a bunch of animals on the spot.
To actually make him run around exercising in the dead of winter... Chen Xu could only say two words... He's crazy!
Yes, even if you weren't sick to begin with, you could get sick from being cold.
Upon entering the familiar virtual system platform, Chen Xu saw Xiao Min standing beside him with a smile. Her gentle voice said, "Welcome back to the Virtual Realm System. Which game would you like to play now?" Chen Xu was about to suggest the fighting system when Xiao Min said directly, "The data recovery just now restored another software under the virtual system called 'Fantasy Paradise.' Would you like to try it?"
"Fantasy Paradise"? What's that?
Xiaomin smiled and explained, "Fantasy Paradise is a very popular software in the virtual system. Because this software functions like a brain information reader, it can read the images, music, and so on that you imagine in your mind and save them as data. For example, many people like to use this software to read the information in their dreams and see what they dreamed about last night."
"Huh?" Chen Xu laughed as soon as he heard that. This thing is fun!