Chapter 6: Inference on Characteristics

Hong Bin, current understanding of the characteristics is 60 percent

After ordering takeout, Shen Xing returned to the workbench and stared at the wooden carving for a moment.

But this time, after a while, nothing happened

While I was tidying up the dishes, the phone rang. Upon picking it up, I saw that it was a call from Hong Anjie

After contemplating for a while, Shen Xing waited for any developments.

He put down the phone and looked up thoughtfully at the half-length wooden sculpture.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door; the takeout I ordered had arrived

Hong Bin, current understanding of characteristics is 35%

As soon as this thought arose, the silver characters in my mind began to shift once again

"Hello, Anjie, how are things on your end?" Shen Xing asked while tidying up the disposable utensils and tossing them into the trash bin

Hong Bin's tone became somewhat terrified as he said, "I don't know if he was talking to himself or speaking to me. In any case, the only thing I remember is that I immediately counted '6', and then I don't remember anything else."

Woni Ma? Has the understanding of the attribute values improved? !" Shen Xing was surprised as he gazed inward at the text prompt in his mind

It was when I was at your rental place that my father fainted at home and was later taken to the hospital

Does he still exhibit any strange behavior? Shen Xing asked

Is he talking to you?" Shen Xing frowned

After some thought, he called Hong Anjie again and asked him to inquire where Hong Bin had been a few days ago, what he had done, and whom he had encountered during that time

With such a gaze, Shen Xing's mental antibodies continued to increase slowly, and soon the light-colored progress bar was filled, indicating an antibody level of 1.

"No, I have never seen what he looks like," Hong Bin shook his head. "After he stopped talking, I felt that this person was acting suspiciously, so I took a couple of steps forward and asked him what he was doing. However, he still remained with his back to me, busy with something in his hands. Eventually, he replied, saying that he was counting rapeseeds."

After staring at the wooden sculpture for a while, Shen Xing realized that during this process, he easily felt drowsy. With just a moment of inattention, he would quickly fall asleep, as if gazing at this wooden sculpture was also a laborious task that required him to maintain a high level of mental alertness at all times

I was puzzled at the time, wondering what this person was doing counting rapeseed. Moreover, those things were densely packed, how could one count them? Hong Bin continued, "I patted him on the shoulder, preparing to see what he was actually doing. He still did not turn around, but kept saying, 'I count one, you count two, I count three, you count four, I count five..." And those things were densely packed, how could one count them?" Hong Bin continued, "I patted him on the shoulder, preparing to see what he was actually doing. He still did not turn around, but kept saying, 'I count one, you count two, I count three, you count four, I count five..."

Shen Xing nodded; at this moment, he finally dared to be certain that it was only after his wooden carving had captured the false Hong Bin that the real Hong Bin had completely recovered

The color at the very front of the progress bar turns white again, beginning to cover the recently filled light white color, and the level of antibodies continues to increase

Although the rate of increase seems a bit slow, it has been consistently rising, and it feels as though this unknown golden finger has no limits at all

Shen Xing was surprised: "So, you counted along with him?"

Perhaps, after Hong Bin in the wood carving was locked away, Hong Anjie’s real father began to awaken. This speculation suggests that the locked-up Hong Bin indirectly controlled the true Hong Bin, leading to strange behaviors.

This idea has just emerged, and the line of silvery-white text that had once appeared in my mind suddenly flashed back into view

"Yes, I was completely unprepared," Hong Bin affirmed. "Originally, I didn't even remember that I had been counting along; it was my son Anjie who kept asking me about it these past few days, and gradually, I started to recall."

"Where are you now that you have regained consciousness?" Shen Xing asked

I got up, opened the door, and took the char siu rice takeout, then sat in the living room and quickly finished eating

However, as long as one is aware of this, it is still possible to endure by making an effort to overcome it when drowsiness sets in

If one could understand the cause of the matter, it might provide even greater assistance in grasping the characteristics of that false Hong Bin in wood carving.

Shen Xing nodded: "It seems that there is really nothing wrong. If there are any unusual circumstances, please let me know."

At this moment, Shen Xing felt truly fatigued, unable to maintain his focus any longer. He opened his mouth and let out a heavy yawn, shifting his gaze away.

It seems that the ghost indeed replicated the real Hong Bin through this method, and then impersonated another person who looked exactly the same

"No, and I immediately took a shower after getting home." At this point, Hong Anjie lowered his voice and said, "My dad said that during this period, he felt as if he was in a daze, as if his body had been hollowed out, but now he no longer feels this way and his mental state is quite good"

He soon discovered that the strength of this mental antibody had begun to increase slowly again

I was in the hospital, and it was said that I had fainted; it was my neighbor who called the ambulance for me. Hong Bin answered truthfully

He remembers that at the very beginning, the prompt when this line of text appeared was "Understanding of characteristic value 20%", which indicated that he understood the characteristics of Hong Bin, who was trapped in the wood carving, to be 20%.

It seems that the phone is on speaker mode, at this moment, Hong Anjie’s voice comes through

As for the results that may arise after increasing to 100%, it is currently unknown

Now that the situation has begun to improve due to the knowledge of Hong Anjie’s true father, Shen Xing just made that speculation about the false Hong Bin, unexpectedly increasing his understanding of the latter's characteristics by 15%.

Now Shen Xing understands that the more deeply he comprehends the characteristics of the false Hong Bin, the higher this value will increase

Perhaps the false Hong Bin does not intend to replace the real Hong Bin, but rather seeks to become just like him through means of imitation or by finding a substitute

Hong Bin nodded: "Alright. Well, that day I felt inexplicably irritable, so I went for a stroll near the rapeseed fields outside my home. You know, the rapeseed over there in the suburbs has been growing very well these past few days. Once I stepped outside and felt the wind blowing, I felt completely refreshed, and the feeling of irritability disappeared, making me feel much more comfortable. Later, I saw someone squatting in the field, idly, so I approached and asked him what he was doing, but he didn't say anything."

Hong Anjie said: "I have also been asking my dad these past few days, and I have found out some information. Just a moment, I will have him answer the phone and tell you directly."

At this moment, I did not expect the level of understanding of the characteristics to have increased again

Hong Anjie sounds like he is in a good mood: "Hmm, just to let you know, my dad has already been discharged from the hospital today. The doctor said that he fainted last night due to low blood sugar, as he has not been eating regularly these past couple of days"

Perhaps, when this ghost initially copied itself as Hong Bin, it intended to replace his life and drive away the already unconscious true Hong Bin. However, for some unknown reason, it did not proceed with this plan

"Did he turn around to look at you?" Shen Xing asked

That person seemed to have copied Hong Bin's memories, becoming another person who looked exactly like him, walking down the street.

A moment later, Hong Bin's voice came through the phone: "Hello, Xiao Shen."

In other words, the person whom Hong Bin encountered, squatting with his back to him in the rapeseed field, was not a living person. This individual used a bizarre method of counting to find a substitute for Hong Bin, causing Hong Bin himself to become dazed and lose consciousness

Shen Xing said: "I apologize for troubling you, Uncle Hong. Could you please tell me if you encountered anything unusual recently?"

Hong Bin, current understanding of characteristics is 85%

Shen Xing continued to speculate

As Shen Xing was pondering, the silvery white characters suddenly reappeared in his mind

The occurrence of this 20% is largely due to my initial discovery of the existence of two individuals named Hong Bin.