What It's Like Being a Vampire

Chapter 573: Chapter 573: Xia Tianhuo’s Resentment

Essentially, based on the audio from the CVR, the entire accident process matched up with the description given by the aircraft’s pilots.

Through monitoring the changes in engine sound, the time of the bird strike could also be pinpointed, and some passengers’ cries of alarm could vaguely be heard, but the specifics couldn’t be made out.

However, synthesizing these sounds didn’t provide any means to confirm the existence of the “little girl in the white dress”.

“It would have been great if someone had taken some photos or videos at the time,” Zhou Rui regretfully suggested.

“According to a passenger, they did try to take out their phone to take a picture, but their phone wouldn’t unlock, it seemed to have jammed,” Ye Chong shook his head and said.

By this time, they had already arrived in another small meeting room, and with only the eight of them present, they could speak without any reservations.

Mijoe frowned and said, “This situation… seems familiar.”

“Indeed, during the mass hallucination incident in Myitkyina, where a crowd saw the eight-armed, eight-eyed giant, everyone’s phones stopped working. Not just mobile phones, all electronic devices were affected, even the street lights went out. As a result, in the area directly affected by the mass hallucination, not a single piece of surveillance footage or viewable video was left,” Zhao Feng immediately added.

As for the mass hallucination in Myitkyina, he and Wang De’an had investigated it for so long that they pretty much had all the details memorized.

“This time, the plane’s electronics weren’t affected. If the little girl in the white dress on the wing and the eight-armed, eight-eyed giant from Myitkyina are of the same kind of existence, either she can deliberately control the range of impact, or her ‘energy’ was smaller this time resulting in a smaller influenced range. However, I lean more towards the former,” Wang De’an also said.

“So you’re saying, if they wished to, neither the little girl in the white dress nor the eight-armed, eight-eyed giant would necessarily cause any impact on electronic devices when they appear. The only reason they created this disturbance is to prevent themselves from being recorded?” Fang Pingfang ruminated.

“If that’s the case, wouldn’t investigating them risk angering them?” Zhou Rui asked worryingly.

Shrugging his shoulders, Mijoe said, “Do we have a choice?”

“True…” Zhou Rui didn’t worry too much, given the high salary they received from ‘Divine Technology’, they couldn’t afford to be afraid. For now, it appeared that neither the little girl in the white dress nor the eight-armed, eight-eyed giant had a history of killing or harming people. On the contrary, both seemed to save people.

“What’s the next step?” Zhao Feng looked at Fang Pingfang, “The analysis of the FDR is not so fast, and I estimate that we won’t get any valuable results from those data.”

He had his own investigation ideas and plans in mind, but with Dr. Fang being the team leader, he didn’t want to overstep. He planned to wait for Dr. Fang to propose a plan before suggesting his own ideas.

Fang Pingfang was flipping through the large, heavy tablet in her hand, and said, “According to Old Zhao, Old Wang’s material, the eight-armed, eight-eyed giant that appeared in Myitkyina, didn’t cause any substantial physical-level impact. There were no footprints or other traces left in its path, so it can be judged as a purely illusory phenomenon, at most causing the influence and disturbance of the magnetic field level. But the little girl who appeared on the aircraft’s wing, according to some passengers’ descriptions, was seen blocking the bird that was heading toward the engine. Unless the bird wasn’t real, she did have a real physical impact on a real object, which is very different from the giant illusion in Myitkyina.”

“Could it be that the little girl is a real person? Is she a real existence and not an illusion?” Mijoe muttered.

“It could also be that the passengers made a mistake in what they saw, or perhaps the little girl is an illusion, but she has some other special method to impact other things, and the appearance of a little girl is just one of the ways she misleads others. As for what the actual situation is, let’s go talk to a few passengers first, ask them a little more about the details, and confirm what they saw,” Fang Pingfang said.

Zhou Rui suggested, “Then how about we find those three passengers mentioned by Old Zhao, Old Wang? They happen to be in Tongshi Town, and we are planning to head there anyway.”

However, Zhao Feng shook his head and said, “If we’re asking about the little girl on the wing, I’m afraid they might not be the right people to ask. They both told me last night that they didn’t see anything.”

“They didn’t see anything?” Zhou Rui was puzzled, “Was their line of sight obstructed because of their position?”

Zhao Feng took out his tablet and pulled up the passenger seating map he and Wang De’an obtained last night, then pointed out the seats of Xiang Kun and the other two: “From their position, they should have a good view.”

“So they didn’t see anything… does that mean they weren’t affected by the illusion and didn’t see the little girl? In other words, the little girl doesn’t really exist?” Zhou Rui said.

Mijoe speculated, “Or perhaps, they are deliberately concealing what they saw?”

While browsing the passenger list on the tablet, Ye Chong said, “Who knows, maybe the illusions were caused by them?”

Zhou Rui brightened at this, “In that case, we should definitely go have a chat with them!”

Fang Pingfang said, “No, let’s first contact the passengers who are currently in Jianzhou City and chat with them first.”

Zhao Feng agreed, “I concur, we should first talk to the passengers who saw the little girl, get a detailed understanding of what the little girl on the wing looked like and the whole process when the plane experienced abnormal conditions, then meet with Mr. Xiang and the others. This way, our conversations will be more targeted, better enabling us to analyze and probe.”

Dr. Fang’s suggestion was the same as his own, which gratified him.

However, Fang Pingfang shook her head and said, “No, we won’t have direct contact with those three individuals anytime soon.”

“Huh?”

Zhao Feng was taken aback, and it wasn’t just him, Mijoe, Zhou Rui and others also looked puzzled. It was clear that Mr. Xiang and the other two passengers were suspect, so why wouldn’t Dr. Fang go see them?

Fang Pingfang patiently explained, “On the way here, I looked at the investigation material collected by Old Zhao and Old Wang, and combined it with the information we have here. There are now several clues that point towards Tongshi Town, Chongyun Village, and Chongyun Mountain. Considering the near tragedy of this flight we’re now investigating, the mass hallucinations in Myitkyina, the strange escape of Mr. Xia after being kidnapped in Burma, and the fact that Mr. Xiang and his friends are all at the center of these incidents, I can now safely say that the special events we are investigating are definitely related to them. The root of these events probably lies with one, or several, of them. Thus, before we have direct contact with them, it would be best if we thoroughly investigate all the surrounding clues.”

…

While Zhao Feng, Fang Pingfang and others were discussing in the upstairs meeting room, Xia Tianhuo was still lurking under the administrative building of the airport.

He believed that he had gripped the tail of Zhao Feng, Wang De’an, and that Zhou Rui. He had been slightly suspicious of Zhou Rui’s motives for going to Chongyun Village and Chongyun Mountain before, but now that he had seen him with Zhao and Wang, he was even more sure.

There is something very wrong with this bunch of people!

He sneakily took a picture of the license plate of the Toyota vehicle that Zhao Feng and others were riding in and sent it to an old friend, asking him to help find out more about the car’s history and see if he could follow the trail to their homes!

While waiting for the information, Xia Tianhuo hung around the Toyota, trying to peek through the glass windows to see if there was anything that could reveal a clue. At the same time, he was on the phone with Old Xia.

“Old Xia, you won’t believe what I’ve found!” Xia Tianhuo said proudly as soon as the call was connected.

“What?” Xia Libing spoke in a very relaxed tone.

“Remember when I told you I was going to have lunch with those two reporters today? Well, they stood me up, saying they had an interview assignment at Jianzhou Airport. I felt something was off, so I decided to come and investigate too. Guess who I bumped into? Remember when I just moved into Chongyun Village and Professor Li and Xiao Pingguo were there too? One morning, two men came to ask about the construction at the Research Base. One had the surname Zhou and the other Li. It turns out the man named Zhou knew Professor Li from their college days, and they had a long chat in our yard. Guess who I just saw here? Yes, those two! And they were with four others, including Zhao Feng and Wang De’an, investigating the flight that Xiang Kun and Yang Lao San took yesterday!” Xia Tianhuo said, a little excited.

“And then?”

“There’s definitely something fishy going on. That Zhou guy can’t possibly be a reporter, how come he’s colleagues with Zhao Feng and Wang De’an? I had a weird feeling about him when he visited Chongyun Village and Chongyun Mountain. They’re definitely conducting a much deeper investigation, it’s not just an interview!” Xia Tianhuo said confidently.

“What if they are professionals hired by Zhao Feng and Wang De’an to analyze the flight data? Have you asked them what sort of research they are doing?” Xia Libing asked.

“Um, no, I didn’t ask them that. But I’m sure… it can’t be that simple.” Xia Tianhuo scratched his head and said.

“Hmm.”

“Hmm?” Xia Tianhuo was confused, “What do you mean by ‘Hmm’, Old Xia?”

“I heard what you said, but I have no opinion,” said Xia Libing.

Upon hearing this, Xia Tianhuo became somewhat hesitant. Could it be that he had miscalculated?

“Mr. Xia, what are you…?”

A sudden voice from behind startled Xia Tianhuo, almost causing him to throw a reflexive elbow strike.

Fortunately, he immediately recognized Zhao Feng’s voice and quickly turned around to laugh it off, “Ah, Old Zhao, you guys are done already? How did the interviews go?”

“We are under confidentiality requirements specified by the civil aviation authorities, so I’m unable to disclose any information. Mr. Xia, what are you doing by our car? Weren’t you here to help your cousin with her luggage? Did you…not get it yet?” Zhao Feng responded.

In reality, he had already confirmed through the passenger information from the previous flight that Xiang Kun, Tang Baona, and Yang Zhen Er had not checked any luggage, making Xia Tianhuo’s excuse obvious.

He could guess Xia Tianhuo’s thoughts and intentions, and despite finding it bothersome, he did not call him out on it because they would need to approach Xiang Kun and Tang Baona in the future, possibly needing Xia Tianhuo’s assistance.

“Oh yeah, I still didn’t get it. The service at this airport is just too slow. Are you all leaving? By the way, Mr. Zhou, when we met at Chongyun Village, didn’t you mention researching flying ants or some other insects? Are these your colleagues? Why are you here this time with Old Zhao and Old Wang?” Xia Tianhuo smoothly asked his question.

Zhou Rui laughed, “We’re from the same research institute. We not only study insects but also birds. The aircraft was reportedly attacked by a flock of birds yesterday. We’re here to investigate why the birds behaved abnormally. Our research institute has previously collaborated with Zhao’s media platform to produce some nature documentaries, so we’ve come along this time. The process of this investigation could be turned into a show.”

“Oh, I see. So where are you guys going after this? Once you’re done investigating, why not join us for dinner? How about we head to Tongshi Town? I’ll bring my cousins along as well. They were directly involved in the incident, so it would be a good opportunity for you to interview them,” Xia Tianhuo quickly suggested, still trying to arrange a dinner where he could also invite Old Xia.

However, his enthusiasm was firmly rejected by Zhao Feng and Zhou Rui. As he watched the Toyota depart, he stood in the parking lot, becoming increasingly agitated.

What Zhou Rui had explained made sense. Too much sense, in fact. His explanations were too detailed, too patient, making Xia Tianhuo instinctively feel that something was off.

So, he tried searching for the institution Zhou Rui mentioned. Though he could find the names of Zhou Rui and the others, he couldn’t find any academic articles related to bird research from their institute, nor could he find any bird documentaries they had collaborated on with the Zhao’s media platform.

So, they really are hiding something!

The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he got. He felt that Old Xia could definitely figure something out. Even during dinner the night before he must have noticed something, despite not asking too many relevant questions. But Old Xia didn’t let him in on it, didn’t include him!

What exactly do Zhou Rui and Zhao Feng know? What are they really investigating?

Xia Tianhuo thought for a moment, then decided to call Chu Xiuwen.

…

In Chongyun Village, inside a research base where the first phase of construction was almost completed.

Xia Libing was alone in a lab, adjusting a recently delivered machine.

His call with Xia Tianhuo was barely over when Alice’s voice came from his phone, “Big Fire just searched about the documentary Zhou Rui talked about on his phone! He didn’t find anything, haha! He now knows Zhou Rui was lying to him. Zhou Rui is so silly! Big Fire is calling Old Chu now! Old Xia, Old Xia, what do you think he wants to talk to Old Chu about?”

Xia Libing stopped what he was doing and asked, “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I told the boss about it, but the boss told me to tell you!” Alice replied as if it was obvious.