What It's Like Being a Vampire

The passenger plane was flying stably in the sky. Some passengers were engaged in low-voiced conversations, others were resting with their eyes closed, and still others were using electronic devices such as tablet computers and laptops.

Xiang Kun, sitting in an aisle seat, was covered with a blanket, his head tilted as if he were asleep.

To his right, Yang Zhen’er was sitting in the middle, while Tang Baona was by the window. At that moment, the two of them were watching a video made by Yang Zhuo together, with earphones on.

Yang Zhuo and his girlfriend Xiao Min were sitting in the row in front of Xiang Kun. Beside them, Zi Cheng was chatting about the amusing experiences they had when they went to Citong City to find Xiang Kun with Brother Bin many years ago.

Across the aisle sat Zhang Qian and Yang Jie.

Zhang Qian was sleeping with her head leaning on her best friend’s shoulder, while Yang Jie was reading a Kindle book with a helpless look.

They were all there at the invitation of Xiang Kun to visit Tongshi Town. Originally, Xiang Kun only planned to bring Yang Zhuo and his girlfriend, who were on winter vacation, to explore ideas for the upcoming videos. However, after Tang Baona found out, she said that their company accounts had been settled and they were ready to take a holiday. Then she very delicately asked if they could join them on the trip, to which he had to respond affirmatively.

Once Tang Baona was going, Yang Zhen’er also wanted to go. The end-of-year financial work at her company was mainly handled by an accounting firm, so they would not miss her.

Zi Cheng, who had been staying on after the wedding ceremony, naturally joined the trip as well.

Yang Jie was persuaded by Zhang Qian to accompany her.

Xiang Kun wasn’t really sleeping at this time, he was in a “Super Sensory State”, temporarily rejecting his normal sensory abilities and exploring the cabin using this special mode of perception.

After the blood drink this time, he felt that his perception clarity and the amount of information he could access in the “Super Sensory State” had both improved, and the limit for maintaining this state had extended considerably.

The reason he entered the “Super Sensory State” was not for any particular purposeful investigation. If he wanted to specifically detect anything, his own hearing and olfactory senses would suffice to perceive the situation on the plane, providing much clearer information than in the “Super Sensory State”.

The main reason was that under conditions such as “normal cruising flight aboard an airplane”, entering the “Super Sensory State” could help him minimize the influence and interference of various sounds, confine his perceptual area to the plane, creating a clear “boundary”, and ensuring that there wouldn’t be significant changes in people and objects within a short period, making it easier to compare sensory information after exiting the “Super Sensory State”.

In the “Super Sensory State”, Xiang Kun focused on observing the changes in two special sensory information hub areas – because he knew that these two hubs represented Yang Zhen’er and Tang Baona, focusing mainly on their brain parts.

He toggled between multiple perception ranges where the information feedback from their tablet computers and other electronic devices was minimal compared to the feedback from them themselves.

Detecting, distinguishing, and analyzing the variations in this information, and comparing this information with similar sensory data he remembered from past “Super Sensory State”, Xiang Kun speculated:

Could these possibly be some forms of brain activity?

Xiang Kun found that he could not discern what Yang Zhen’er and Tang Baona were thinking based on these sensory information changes, but he could clearly comprehend their emotions. It was obvious that the video they were watching made them very happy.

Xiang Kun wondered if the fundamental basis of his ability to sense others’ emotions through “Emotional Infusion” was the interpretation of this kind of information.

On ordinary days, he senses others’ emotions using this ability, like a user using an application software.

But now, facing these pieces of information directly, it felt like looking at binary code, or peering further at the condition of transistors in the CPU and other integrated circuits in a microscopic world.

Xiang Kun’s consciousness kept “roaming” all over the plane. He intermittently disconnected from the “Super Sensory State”, rested for a while, and then re-entered it. He used some definite items in both states as references to anchor his orientation, clearly knowing the source of the information he sensed under normal conditions.

Clearly, dead objects are much easier to “understand” than living ones.

Just like this Boeing 737, which he had already studied in great detail and observed with his normal senses beforehand, when entered into a “super sensory state,” he could comprehend the working conditions of all the electronic components, the status of the turbofan engines, and even observe at a very microscopic level without interruption.

After being able to understand the specific meanings of the information he sensed, Xiang Kun in his “super sensory state” could easily gain a very clear and detailed understanding of a device’s working condition.

This feeling existed even after leaving the “super sensory state”, similar to his previous understanding of the items he established “super sensory contact” with, like the understanding that comes as naturally as moving one’s own arm.

Of course, there is a significant difference in degree.

He felt that this might also be the actual implementation method and principle of “super sensory contact”. When observing those items with “super sensory contact” in a “super sensory state”, the feedback of that information also confirmed this guess to a certain extent.

However, this does not mean that he could pilot the plane better than all pilots just by perceiving it in a “super sensory state”. After all, piloting an airplane is fundamentally different from flipping a coin or flying a paper airplane.

When Xiang Kun felt that his recovery speed from the “super sensory state” fatigue slowed down significantly, he stopped this kind of perception judgement.

However, he did not wake up and open his eyes; instead, he sensed the twelve minion wood carvings in his suitcase on the overhead luggage rack.

Normally, he could only sense one minion wood carving at the same time.

Given the many barriers and the distance between the carving and the people around, it was impossible for him to receive any emotions, let alone influence others through the carving itself.

But this time, after drinking blood, Xiang Kun had clearly felt a significant increase in some of his abilities. So, he started to guide Xiao Pingguo through WeChat to use the “object sensing” method to establish contact with the twelve minions at his end using the minion wood carving she held as a springboard, just like he did with the “eight-armed, eight-eyed wood carving”.

Previously, Xiang Kun could only sense one “emotionally infused” item at a time, which was why he had never really used his “Twelve Yellow Man’s Formation” since its inception.

However, now he can sense all “emotionally infused” items that Xiao Pingguo has connected with at the same time.

These items, compared to before, had gained some “subjective initiative” and the ability to actively “comply”.

Just like before when Xiang Kun was pushing a cart full of his belongings, as he had to steer the cart with one hand, he could only take one item at a time with the other. But then, he got a shopping basket and put it in the cart, so he could pick up multiple items at once by simply lifting the basket.

It seemed that Xiao Pingguo had set up a special connection between these “emotionally infused” items, on top of the existing link.

Now, he could sense the twelve minion wood carvings that were infused with “joy” emotion simultaneously.

As expected, even though they were placed in the overhead compartment and inside his suitcase, Xiang Kun sensed very clear emotional feedback from multiple minions simultaneously.

Xiang Kun carefully sensed these emotions, trying to distinguish his acquaintances’ emotions from them.

Based on the closest range to the “Twelve Yellow Men”, apart from Zhang Qian and Yang Jie, other friends on the same flight were within range.

Then he suddenly discovered that the different emotions he sensed simultaneously were rapidly assimilating and gradually turning towards the same type of emotion — that of joy.

Zi Cheng, who had been sitting in the front row, was recounting his and Xiang Kun’s experience of being scammed during a part-time flyer distribution job they took up during their sophomore summer. His words teeming with indignation. Yang Zhuo and his girlfriend Xiao Min, who were listening, shared the indignation. But, in the next moment, Zi Cheng couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“Damn it! We were so foolish. That guy told us we’d earn ten cents, and we thought it was ten cents for each flyer distributed. But after we finished distributing and went to get our payment, he gave us each a dollar and said it was ten cents per stack of flyers, with an extra twenty cents as our hard-earned fee… haha…”

“You guys were so easy to fool – ha-ha!” Yang Zhuo also started laughing.

“Why didn’t you report them? That’s fraud!” Xiao Min, suppressing her laughter, managed to respond.

“We didn’t dare.”

“Why?”

“Because we skipped class to distribute those flyers, haha.”

“How many years of prison does skipping class get you? haha.”

“The flyer distribution store closed down in less than half a month. It must be the curse that Xiang Kun and I cast on them, ha-ha.”

“Haha, I’m dying of laughter. You guys are hilarious.”

The laughter somehow made Xiang Kun feel like the temperature in the cabin had dropped?

However, through the “Twelve Yellow Men,” he could clearly sense that their emotions were being effectively assimilated. Even Yang Zhen’er and Tang Baona, who were next to them watching a comedy video and already in a similar emotional state, couldn’t help giggling, their jovial emotions greatly amplified.

Apparently, what he had originally envisioned had finally come to fruition perfectly after a delay of two months.

The “emotion-infusion” items of the same emotional type, once activated simultaneously, could indeed propagate that emotion in a certain radius, influencing people within that range.

In this process, Xiang Kun could distinctly perceive the changes in the emotions of those people through these objects. His own emotions, however, remained unaffected.

This was something akin to a more manageable version of “emotional assimilation”, but the most crucial point was that it was a controllable form of emotional assimilation that didn’t influence him personally.

Upon ceasing the emotional impression, the emotions of those around him gradually returned to normal. The lingering effects of the prior merriment, however, kept them inclined towards joviality.

Xiang Kun couldn’t help but marvel internally. Although the foundation and origin of these abilities were him, the efficiency with which Little Apple and Little Fat Girl Liu Shiling had “developed” them was indeed somewhat beyond his expectations.

Correspondingly, earlier today, through his empathic ability, he had also discovered the ability developed by Little Fat Girl Liu Shiling, who was far away in Star City.

The ability of the Little Fat Girl was naturally his ability too, as it required him to manifest it originally. So now, he could remotely influence items within a certain range that he had established “super-sensory contact” with. He could control a coin and make it travel all over his skin; he could attract a coin to his body from five to six centimeters away, and when shooting out ball beads with a slingshot, he could partially increase the initial speed of the beads.

These two girls, big and small, had significantly contributed to the completion and enhancement of Xiang Kun’s ability system.

They were like two talented developers, wielding their skills on the system and platform provided by Xiang Kun.

They didn’t even have a basic understanding of Xiang Kun’s real capabilities; they had formulated their conception entirely based on their imaginations.

Xiang Kun speculated that perhaps it was their lack of knowledge that allowed their imaginations to run free and design systems. They utilized their known functionalities to “develop” following their cognition.

In contrast, he was so deeply engrossed at the basic level that any slightest change could set off a massive chain reaction, making the development of new abilities and compatibility with new abilities a time-consuming process.

Of course, when he utilizes the same abilities, the results are much stronger and direct.

Perhaps in the future, he can refer to the successful experience of guiding Little Apple to successfully connect with the “Twelve Yellow Men.” He could suggest some “functional requirements” to them, and let them help him with some intricate “design” and enhancement of abilities.

However, these abilities must first be established on “super-sensory contact” and “emotion infusion”; otherwise, there is no way to establish a connection or let them participate.

“Chef Xiang, it’s dawn! We’re almost there!” Yang Zhen’er suddenly slapped his shoulder and said to him.

Tang Baona also chuckled and said, “It seems that helping Sister Han and Brother Bin with their wedding preparations has really tired you out, hasn’t it?”

Xiang Kun slowly opened his eyes and stretched lazily, intending to pretend to be just waking up when he suddenly sensed something. He abruptly turned to look at the porthole where the sun shade had just been opened.

His abrupt movements startled Yang Zhen’er and Tang Baona, causing them to lean back slightly.

Tang Baona thought he was looking at her. She opened her eyes wide, looking at him with a confused expression before realizing that he was looking beyond her, out the window. She turned her head to look, but didn’t find anything unusual.

“Chef Xiang, what are you looking at that excited you so much?” Yang Zhen’er asked, unable to suppress her curiosity.

Xiang Kun took his eyes back, relaxed his body, and smiled, “Nothing. I just saw a big bird fly by.”

Zi Cheng, who had just been happily telling jokes at the front row, leaned back between the seat gap and laughed, “Xiang Kun, your comment just reminded me of a joke…”

His gaze was focused on Yang Zhuo, Xiao Min who were next to him, and Xiang Kun, Tang Baona, and Yang Zhen’er in the back row; they were waiting for his joke.

However, after several seconds, Zi Cheng remained silent. He just opened and closed his mouth, his cheeks trembling, but without uttering a word.

“Old Liu, where’s your joke?” Yang Zhen’er asked, perplexed.

“I’ve forgotten it again.” Zi Cheng said, retracting his head.

“You better not tell me that was your joke…” Yang Zhen’er said suspiciously.

However, Zi Cheng didn’t respond as if he hadn’t even spoken in the first place.

Xiang Kun laughed because he understood the joke Zi Cheng had “thought of”. It was a bit of a racy joke. This guy probably realized that there were three girls among the five “listeners” just before he was about to tell the joke and promptly clammed up.

As they got to the airspace above Jianzhou city airport, the plane lowered its landing gear, preparing to land.

However, Xiang Kun was studying the sky outside the porthole window, lost in his thoughts.