How to Unlock the Map

PS1: I'm putting this at the beginning. As I mentioned before, due to strict policy censorship, this book won't involve state intervention for the time being. In this chapter, I've explained the protagonist's motives and reasons for not handing over the country for now. After all, it needs some explanation, otherwise it would feel very jarring. As for the reasons, I've tried my best to make them realistic and reasonable. As for the root cause, you can just know it. Also, please be careful with your comments and posts; don't say anything too outrageous, or you'll get targeted by the Shuke.

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Earth.

That's fucking amazing!

Kang De jumped out of bed, muttering curses under his breath.

I drew back the curtains; outside was the residential area, and beyond that, White Mist.

This is White Mist World, a mirrored dimension distinct from Earth.

He returned here, just as he had for the previous three hundred days and nights.

And I'm very unhappy.

"--Do I have to figure out how to open the map?"

He sighed and lay back down on the bed.

Here's what happened.

Returning to Earth, returning to a normal life, was something Kang De longed for.

He has now gotten what he wanted.

Not only could he reunite with his family, but the crystal also strengthened his physique, his Dou Qi made him transcend the ordinary, and the Extraction power of the Fire Thief contained infinite possibilities.

Even setting aside the White Mist World, Kang De's current power alone is enough for him to write a legendary story like a thrilling urban business novel.

Just think about it: in this peaceful and scientific modern society, what exactly can a person with extraordinary abilities do? What an infinitely bright future and endless possibilities await them?

Having power is the greatest asset for survival. He can do whatever he wants, go wherever he wants, and explore any secret he wants to know. As long as he has enough patience and time, the whole world will become his playground, and everything on Earth will be open to him, allowing him to roam freely and leisurely.

But that won't work.

Not now.

But before he could write his all-encompassing urban legend, there were other things to do.

He must return to the other world and fulfill his promise.

Protecting the princess and safeguarding his country for Cleveland was something he had promised to do.

Now that Goth is waging war against the elves, and the Empire is not only standing by and watching, but also plotting conspiracies, the situation is far from good. He must do something.

If all of this cannot be stopped, if Goth perishes, if he cannot protect Cleveland with his power, if Tina...

A fierce glint flashed in his eyes.

Damn it, if you piss me off, I'll run straight to Capital and seek refuge with the government, then I'll defend you!

--Yes, he thought about it for a long time and finally decided not to provoke the country for the time being.

Well... for the past year or so, he had been hoping every day that the country would break through the fog and rescue him. As long as he could be rescued and reunited with his family, he would not hesitate to hand over his ability to travel through time and the secrets of the other world to the country. This was his highest gratitude as an ordinary citizen.

The problem is that the White Mist World is an independent plane, completely unrelated to Earth. Kang De experienced more than a year of drifting in another world that was enough to overturn his life and worldview, but nothing happened on Earth. He was able to return to Earth only because of the last bit of goodwill he retained due to the knight's advice, which brought him the best redemption and peace.

Especially since his mind hadn't fully recovered and he lacked sufficient understanding of the White Mist World, it wasn't realistic for him to rush to the government to offer up the treasure after only a day or two of returning...

Moreover, there are other reasons as well.

To put it simply, if such a secret were presented to the state, it would certainly receive the government's full attention and courtesy. The so-called "sliced guinea pig" scenario imagined online would never happen. His fate would change dramatically overnight, and he would become a guest of honor of the state. The state would even fully cooperate with his ideas and give him the utmost respect and assistance. All of this is entirely predictable.

But one thing is certain.

Kang De would inevitably lose something as a result.

That is freedom.

I'm not talking about physical freedom, but rather all kinds of implicit freedom.

The state will give him the utmost respect and protection.

The price of protection is various forms of implicit freedom.

From now on, every phone call he makes will be tapped, everyone he encounters in his life will be under state surveillance, he can forget about traveling abroad for the rest of his life, and if any foreigner approaches him, the National Security Agency will probably be so nervous that they'll investigate his entire family history...

These are the things that Kang De will lose.

Moreover, there is a risk of leaks.

Because a nation is not a calm and wise individual.

It is not a collective entity composed of countless decision-makers and implementers.

While top decision-makers may be farsighted and have a broad vision, it's impossible to know what extraneous thoughts their subordinates might have. Once more people are aware of the situation, more ideas will inevitably emerge.

The more ideas you have, the more trouble you'll encounter. If secrets are leaked and found out by those evil foreign reactionary forces, it means endless trouble and a further loss of freedom.

That's probably the reason.

After all, Kang De was just an ordinary person now.

He wasn't ready to participate in the momentous events and pioneering activities led by the state.

Now, all he wants to do is fulfill his promise to the knight and protect Goth for him, nothing more.

Ultimately, it's because he's now financially secure, has no unfulfilled desires, and lacks any pressing motivation—why should he hand over his assets to the state? He can quietly amass wealth and remain an unknown superpowered individual, enjoying both freedom and satisfaction.

As for contributing to the country, of course we should do it, why wouldn't we?

But there's no rush.

Let's wait until later... First, let's do what we promised Cleveland.

--That's his plan.

Then he had to prepare to return to the other world.

The most important thing is weapons, weapons for self-defense.

The shotgun borrowed from the armored truck fires rubber bullets and relies on stopping power to wound rather than kill. It's fine for shooting unarmored enemies, but its power is insufficient against heavily Dou Qi knights. The same principle applies to pistols; police firearms have limited power.

However, we cannot rely on the country for support; otherwise, we could have as much light and heavy firepower as we wanted.

Back then, you wouldn't have to worry about junk like oil tankers; as long as you could carry it, you could probably take whatever thermobaric or fuel-air explosive you wanted.

Unfortunately, it's not possible.

Kang De sighed.

After the White Mist World was reset, he took some time to go to the police station. Sure enough, everything had been reset, including the things he had borrowed from the station before, which were still there intact. He just needed to borrow them again.

But the stuff they have isn't the best.

The first thing that came to his mind was the warehouse of the People's Armed Forces Department.

Unfortunately, such places were not easy to find out, and he didn't know who to ask for the time being. But it didn't matter; even in a country like China with strict gun control, he knew of other places where it was legal to carry guns besides police stations and the military.

Shooting club.

A few kilometers from home, there is a shooting club with a wide variety of firearms, including foreign equipment. Old Wang loves shooting and often takes him there. Kang De is very familiar with the place.

After time-traveling, he repeatedly lamented, "Why didn't this club open near our neighborhood? Why didn't we buy a house there when we bought our family home?"

There are no "what ifs," so the most important thing is the present.

He excitedly ran to the shooting club, pretended to fire a few shots, then made an excuse to go to the toilet, hid in the restroom, locked the door, and activated his teleportation ability.

He had already tested it before; activating his teleportation ability in his living room at home took him to the living room of his home in the White Mist World. So, following this rule, if he activated his ability in other places, he would appear in the same location in the White Mist World, including the shooting club.

However, that is not the case.

He felt a sense of weightlessness, his vision blurred, and he found himself lying on his bed in the bedroom.

In other words, if you initiate a journey through real-world areas outside the residential area shrouded in White Mist, you will be directly teleported to your bed in your bedroom at home—exactly the same mechanism as traveling to another world.

"Absolutely amazing!"

Kang De was extremely anxious. "So, we need to use a map?"

He couldn't help but be anxious.

The White Mist World is the best way for him to obtain weapons.

Because everything is a replica and has nothing to do with Earth, if a gun were to suddenly disappear from a police station, it would be a huge, earth-shattering event. But the material changes in the White Mist World would not have the slightest impact on the real world. In fact, from a legal perspective, Kang De could do anything in there without any problem.

Therefore, he didn't have much of a psychological burden.

But now a new problem has arisen.

Even if he uses his teleportation ability elsewhere, the area he can operate in the White Mist World seems to be limited to this neighborhood. In other words, he can only obtain supplies from this area.

That definitely won't work.

That won't do.

He simply couldn't believe that such a thick and vast White Mist, such a wondrous phenomenon, such a breathtakingly replicated world, could limit the scope of this plane to such a small area.

There must be a way to open the map.

While pondering this, Kang De opened Taobao and placed a large order from various cosplay product stores, as well as buying many strange and unusual items from all sorts of odd shops.

And he pondered how to make the most of the Fantasy Enchantment, which had never been of much use.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind.

Whether he travels back to the White Mist World from another world or from the outer realms of Earth, he always ends up on his bed in the bedroom, just like his initial experience of transmigrating—he wakes up to find himself like this.

Could it be...?

He muttered, "Should I find a place to sleep? Or set up a save point?"

With this in mind, he took out his phone and booked a room at a budget hotel a few kilometers away. Then he continued shopping online. The amount in his bank account was constantly decreasing. As a student who hadn't started working yet, he really didn't have much money—but it was only temporary.

"We still need to figure out how to get some money..."

As darkness fell, he cooked a few dishes and then called Old Wang over to eat. At the table, Wang Xiaoman took a few bites and exclaimed in surprise, "How come your cooking skills have improved so much?"

Kang De said calmly, "No, is it that delicious? Then why don't you rip your clothes off?"

"Roll!"

It was a very ordinary conversation.

After clearing away the dishes and going for a walk and chatting for a while, Xiaoman told Kang De to rest early, then went home. She went online and thought about things for an hour before quietly leaving.

We arrived at that budget hotel.

I drifted off to sleep with a feeling of excitement, feeling very peaceful and comforted.

Until the next day.

He activated his ability and traveled into the White Mist World.

When I opened my eyes, I was still in my own bed at home.

"... Hold!"

Kang De jumped up again. "This won't work either? How are we supposed to open the map then?"

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PS1: Second update, 3000 words. That's all for today... If it's late next time, I'll post the second update the following day. I'm a bit sleepy, and this chapter wasn't easy to write.