Chapter 361: Chapter 229 Teaching my little brother how to drive properly, Return_trip 2
You’re not an experienced driver. Never start directly in fourth or fifth gear right off the bat. Moreover, you need to learn how to properly apply the brakes—it’ll help with your continuous driving! When you notice the car shaking or contracting persistently, you can shift up to fifth or even sixth gear. Under normal circumstances, if you persist for a minute or two, then slam on the brakes suddenly, you’ll notice the car keeps shaking, and..."
"And what?" Thompson asked eagerly.
Damn, why didn’t I realize before how talented my brother is? He’s truly a wellspring of wisdom—every word he speaks is golden!
Dean lit a cigarette, a melancholy look on his face. "And it’s very likely to squirt oil."
"And if it doesn’t squirt?"
"The car’s getting old. Get a new one!"
"But..."
"Shut up!"
Dean interrupted the inquisitive Thompson, saying exasperatedly, "Buddy, practice reveals truth. If you’re really worried, just take your little girlfriend to my rental place and experiment first. Mom has the keys, but definitely don’t ’drive’ in my bedroom. There’s surveillance there, and I really don’t want to see your embarrassing driving skills!"
Thompson was speechless. What sane person intentionally installs a surveillance camera in their bedroom...
"Alright, thanks, Dean. By the way, you called me; there must be something, right?"
Thompson was now eager to end the call and study these driving techniques.
Dean could guess what he was thinking, so he got straight to the point. "Thompson, do you have any understanding of mythological creatures like sea monsters?"
"Sea monsters?"
Thompson’s interest was piqued. "Of course! This is actually a very interesting matter. In Europe, there are legends of sea monsters, and in Asia, there are also similar stories about Merfolk. Many social and mythological scholars have researched and published papers on the similarities between these legends. I agree most with the ’god-making’ theory."
"What ’god-making’ theory?" Dean asked, his interest piqued.
"In nature, there are many miraculous phenomena, such as the formation of fire, thunderclaps, hurricanes, and storms. The ancients didn’t understand the principles behind these phenomena, so they attributed all of it to non-existent deities. Therefore, I very much agree with this statement: all myths and legends either originate from some natural phenomenon or from some conspiracy lost in the annals of history!"
Natural phenomena! Dean then pressed, "Thompson, have you heard claims that magnetic fields can confuse the human mind?"
"...Dean, I’m just a fifteen-year-old kid, not a mad scientist, and I’m not interested in physics."
"Alright, we’ll leave it at that. Have fun driving, and oh, don’t forget to buckle up."
"Got it!"
Thompson couldn’t wait to hang up the phone.
Dean was right. Practice reveals truth! He was going to hone his driving skills now...
「Meanwhile.」
On the other end, Dean had dialed Little Mike’s number again.
"I have some knowledge of magnetic fields but haven’t conducted in-depth research. However, I can help you search for related information online!" Little Mike’s voice was weak.
His health was getting worse.
"Has your health declined again?" Dean noticed Little Mike’s weakness, his brows furrowed.
He had instructed the team taking care of Little Mike to inform him immediately if there were any alarming changes in Little Mike’s condition, yet he hadn’t received any such reports!
Little Mike replied nonchalantly, "Don’t worry, the team you found is excellent. My condition is currently stable, and I should be able to hold on for another two or three years. The reason I’m lacking energy is that I’ve been really interested in some lab data recently and secretly stayed up late."
"Okay, in that case, get some rest. My issue isn’t urgent."
"No need. Your matter is simple. It’ll take fifteen minutes at most, and then I can send you the results. Dean, come visit when you have time. I’ve discovered some interesting things! You might be interested."
"Interesting things?" Dean, puzzled, hung up the phone.
「A little over ten minutes later.」
An email arrived in Dean’s mailbox. Opening it, his eyes narrowed slightly:
"In October 1964, 835 false killer whales beached themselves on the shores of Argentina and died!"
"In 1970, 150 killer whales beached themselves on the beaches of the United States and died!"
"In October 1976, thousands of cuttlefish beached themselves on the shores of the United States, committing mass suicide. This suicide continued until December, and at its peak, tens of thousands of cuttlefish died each day on this beach, their bodies piling up like mountains!"
"In 1995, on a farm in Turkey, 1,500 domesticated goats leaped off a cliff in a mass suicide!"
...
At the end of these news items was information about an Arctic animal called the ’lemming’. These animals undertake a suicidal mass migration every four years. During this process, they seem to be controlled by a mysterious, giant hand, devoid of intelligence and fear of death, allowing themselves to fall to their deaths, drown, or be preyed upon. Only when the population decreases to a certain number do the individual lemmings regain their usual vigilance.
RING RING!
As if Little Mike had calculated the exact time Dean would finish reviewing the materials, he called just as Dean had finished reading the information. "This is what I found in the shortest time possible regarding phenomena where magnetic fields might affect living organisms. The most interesting of these is the last one!"
"Lemmings?"
"Yes!" Little Mike coughed twice before continuing. "The mainstream explanation for the lemmings’ suicidal migration every four years is their rapid reproduction rate and limited resources, causing their population to peak around that four-year mark. This death-march style migration is believed to be for the continuation of the species. But I discovered, on a well-known scholar’s computer, that those researchers, under interference from certain organizations, deliberately hid a very important piece of information!"
"Awesome!" Dean exclaimed in admiration, then quickly asked, "What information?"
He had a premonition. This information was very likely the secret that Carol had initially wanted to tell him!
"Special magnetic field induction!" Little Mike explained, "All living beings have an instinct to fear death. Only insects like spiders and mantises, lacking higher intelligence, will sacrifice themselves to be eaten by the female after mating for reproductive purposes, ensuring sufficient nutrition for the offspring. Lemmings are mammals. It’s highly unlikely for them to develop such an instinct naturally, so there must be some invisible force influencing them. After years of research, scientists discovered that every four years, an unknown energy wave appears in the area where lemmings live! Those scientists speculated that this wave was the true cause of the lemmings’ suicidal behavior. However, limited by the technology at the time, they could only detect the wave’s existence but couldn’t capture or pinpoint it. Of course, this research is ten years old, and I can’t find any newer information."
After listening to Little Mike, Dean thought about the ’Detective Panel’ in his consciousness and couldn’t help but ask, "Do you think there are real supernatural powers in this world?"
"No!" Little Mike stated with certainty. "If such things existed, they would merely be phenomena that current technology can’t explain—just like how people hundreds or thousands of years ago saw thunder and fire and attributed them to non-existent deities."
"Thanks, I understand now. You should rest well!"
Ending the call, Dean stretched lazily. Having cleared up his doubts, he felt much better.
"I hope Mentor Anthony simply lost contact due to natural causes and hasn’t been kidnapped..." The former still offered a glimmer of hope; the latter, with no news for so long, meant the possibility of him being silenced was far too great.
Dean shook his head. He wouldn’t dwell on it. He was powerless to intervene anyway.
He picked up the sleeping Niel, planning for a ’bumpy ride’ before it got too dark...
「In the days that followed.」
Dean spent time with Niel indulging in the pleasures of the Commonwealth, happy and content. His vacation this time was a full two weeks. It was a perfect opportunity for immersive relaxation.
But Daisy’s distress call interrupted Dean’s wonderful time.
「On April 20th.」
With Niel’s reluctant goodbye, Dean boarded the plane home!