After inquiring among a group of enthusiastic young individuals, they all ignored her, which left the host feeling quite awkward. Fortunately, she knew how to adapt, and she singled out a young woman who appeared approachable for the interview.
"Hello, I'm Huamei, a host from Xiangjiang TV..."
"Hello, host..."
Phew! The host breathed a sigh of relief; she had finally found someone who responded normally.
This was the entertainment news of the day, with frantic fans actively searching for their goddess.
Whether male or female, fans exhibited extreme passion. The men were overwhelmed by admiration and adoration for their goddess, while the women expressed inexplicable worship. A role model, perhaps?
This time, Nicole and the others had not made an appearance, yet the frenzy persisted unabated.
Watching this report, Zhao Lun felt it was rather unreliable, somewhat exaggerated. People could be enthusiastic, but surely not to this extreme?
"Chasing stars, but does it really need to be this crazy?" Zhao Lun couldn't understand and was somewhat worried about Nicole and the others.
It seemed he had to keep a close eye on this matter. Zhao Lun silently made up his mind.
He turned off the video.
"Athena, is anything significant happening in Trissy Town?"
A 'significant' event referred to the case of the vampire incident, which had been closed by the police. For reasons unknown, they could close the case, even though they hadn't fully figured out the cause.
"Congratulations, sir, all is well," Athena said.
"What about the manor? Has any suspicious person approached?" Zhao Lun inquired.
"Not for now, sir," Athena replied.
In the end, everything at home remained the same and safe, so there was nothing to worry about.
"Let's see if there's anything peculiar or interesting going on in Xiangjiang, or any new stories."
"Make sure the information is credible; if there are images or videos, even better."
Xiangjiang was home to many influential figures, and any bizarre incidents were sure to be connected to these powerhouses. By investigating these, one could indirectly learn more about them.
There were plenty of strange and interesting things happening.
"Sir, there's the Xiangjiang Master Chef competition..."
"Not yet started, don't bring it up!"
"Celebrity private gatherings..."
"Nothing related to celebrities!"
"...."
Zhao Lun dismissed one uninteresting event after another, until he found something intriguing.
"A series of car accidents occurred in Causeway Bay, with twenty-one cars colliding, but no one inside was injured! Nearby triads were caught in the crossfire!"
"Triads caught in the crossfire? This sounds interesting! Let's take a look!"
The headline was a newsworthy one, quite attention-grabbing. It had happened recently, shortly after their arrival.
Zhao Lun glanced at it and couldn't resist reading further.
It contained images and details, and seemed highly credible. It wasn't just some random fabrication.
"Was it really 'caught in the crossfire'? I'm not so sure."
Zhao Lun didn't believe they were just innocent bystanders.
"Scan the scene with SkyEye. Athena, gather nearby surveillance data and hypothesize the sequence of events."
Athena linked to SkyEye No.1, scanning the scene and projecting it in front of him. He could see a chaotic, uncleaned crash site.
The computer whirred rapidly, with the scene coming to life in three-dimensional detail, restoring everything as accurately as possible.
A simulation video appeared, and Zhao Lun clicked to view it.
The restored simulation revealed that the incident occurred at a time of peak congestion, with vehicles unable to move. Many frustrated drivers started to use various tactics.
At a crowded intersection, more than thirty cars were suddenly thrown out of control by an inexplicable force, crashing into the vehicles ahead. The force was extraordinary, with the trajectories of the cars defying normal expectations, sending them flying.
The cars collided, spun, and crashed, some even overturned with a scrape...
The whole thing had happened unexpectedly, the force being so strange that the cars seemed almost like foam, uncontrollable.
At the moment the incident occurred, a group of triads had just arrived at the scene and were immediately struck by the flying vehicles.
Their frail bodies were no match for the impact, and the aftermath was gruesome.
"Rewind! Stop! Here!"
The projection focused on the first car that flew off and froze, then he clicked on the image to enlarge and analyze it.
"Let's simulate it again at normal speed."
The scene was re-simulated.
Once the car left the congested area, it was moving at a slow pace. The force of the collision was enough to knock an adult about three meters away. The vehicle ahead only had a minor scrape, and the incident shouldn't have affected the third vehicle.
But in reality, the cars were sent flying, and the entire accident involved twenty-one cars.
If the vehicles ahead hadn't been far enough, they might have been affected as well. There was certainly an abnormal force involved.
"Alright, this definitely goes beyond what's logical!"
"Note it down for now."
With just these details, it was impossible to uncover the true cause of the incident. Even if it were released, no one would believe it.
He had come here to relax, not to dig up trouble for himself, and he wasn't going to help the triads either.
"Let's check out the mountains here. Pull up the most likely places Mulan might have gone to yesterday."
Mulan's residence could be hidden, and with Zhao Lun having some free time, he was quite curious to investigate.
Xiangjiang had many mountains, more than three hundred in total. From the view of SkyEye, the mountains were lush and green, while the city had expanded considerably into this greenery.
"Didn't expect there to be so many mountains here."
Zhao Lun was genuinely surprised. Compared to some places, Xiangjiang might seem smaller, but the more one explored, the more they would realize it was far from tiny, especially when standing atop one of its mountains.
Their villa, named Xiangshan, was fairly average among the many mountains. This time, Athena had placed SkyEye No.1 on this mountain.
"Is Mulan's home here?"
No, it wasn't here. It was on another mountain not far from this one—Tianma Mountain.
The mountain resembled a galloping steed, and so it was named.
At the foot of the mountain, there were several small villages, their architecture dating back to the late Qing dynasty. The buildings were old brick-and-stone constructions that hadn't been maintained over time, causing many houses to collapse.
In the entire village, apart from a few elderly people sunbathing, no young people could be seen.
The streets were paved with greenish bricks, old houses with peeling paint, weathered stone tablets, and gnarled banyan trees that seemed ancient. The ancestral halls were in a state of decay yet still orderly.
It seemed like a village with a history, but it appeared to have fallen into decline.
Not far from the village, the mountain was covered in lush vegetation, and there was a clear spring forming a small waterfall. In the distance, one could see a light mist on the mountain.
The village had some vitality, but other areas were eerily quiet.
"This place looks good."
"Is this where her home is?"