Could Kang De Have Gone to...

"..."

Well, how should I put it?

This conjecture.

There's a feeling of both surprise and perfect logic to it.

It evokes mixed feelings.

Housing prices.

These damn housing prices are outrageous!

Soaring housing prices.

In today's era, it has become the most central topic for ordinary people.

As an ordinary person, Kang De was considered lucky.

At least my family moved to the city early and bought a house early. Moreover, we took advantage of the sharp drop in housing prices in the city ten years ago to buy another one, so we managed to catch up with the historical process.

The gifts and love from his parents meant that Kang De didn't have to worry too much about housing when he got married.

But to be honest, objectively speaking, this situation is absurd.

Kang De currently lives in a house of 130 to 140 square meters. The house price in the neighborhood has risen to 50,000 to 60,000 or 70,000 yuan per square meter. If a young man from out of town who has been an excellent student since childhood, has a great job, and a promising future were to buy such a house, it would be something he would never dare to dream of in his life if his family could not provide much assistance. This is because his pressure has never been just about a house.

Striving is not as good as being born into the right family, hard work is not as good as getting a house through demolition and relocation, and even with hard work and career planning, it's not as good as gritting your teeth and buying another house two years earlier. This world is always unfair to the point of being cruel.

Kang De's local family, which grasped the course of history, was considered very, very good.

He used to be secretly glad and even proud that his family had given him a lot of help, so that he didn't have to face the cruel and cold reality like many of his peers.

But that happened a long time ago.

Kang De was about to face realities that were far more brutal and cold than those faced by his peers.

Because he needs to open the map.

The method of opening the map has been largely deduced, and there's an 80% probability that it's about buying a house.

Renting a room is useless, because hotel rooms are also a form of rental to some extent. In other words, having the right to use the place is not enough; you also need to own the property.

"What the hell kind of logic is this...?"

Kang De sighed in this way.

If we had to explain it, the formation of the White Mist World is difficult to explain scientifically, but from the perspective of mystery and magic, it may involve a logic of "royal power".

This place belongs to those Fire Thief.

That's why the White Mist dissipated, or rather, was driven away.

If an explanation is absolutely necessary, this is the only way to explain it.

"If that's the case, then it's all mine..." Kang De murmured. "Can it only be bought with money? Can't it be forcibly taken by force? Can't it be done with shares?"

However, it will be a long time before these two guesses can be verified.

Even if he wanted to seize an island and establish himself as king, or become a chieftain in Africa, he would need a certain amount of power and a solid foundation, which he couldn't do in a short time. As for domestically... well, he didn't want to create a farce like declaring himself king only to have his country destroyed by a few police officers from the local police station.

Let's talk about it later.

For him now, the only way to unlock the map is to buy a house.

... This is outrageous!

He felt a chill run down his spine when he thought about the horrific housing prices in H City.

The problem is, he doesn't just want to buy one.

We might need to buy a lot of seats...

And there is another, very, very big obstacle.

With the government now regulating housing prices, various regions have introduced policies to restrict housing purchases. How to circumvent these policies is a major headache, but there are still solutions.

For example, judicial auctions.

For example, go to cities where there are no purchase restrictions.

For example, buying commercial properties, such as shops or storefronts.

These are actually not a big deal.

The most important and fundamental question has always been just one thing.

--No money.

Kang De thought about the balance in his bank account, and a burning desire to rob the rich and help the poor ignited within him. He even considered traveling abroad. He could probably understand why the heroes and chivalrous figures in novels were so keen on doing such things—damn it, I'm so good at fighting, but I have no money. You're clearly an idiot [beep--], and you don't even do anything decent, so why should I? Hurry up and give me some of your money!

As Kang De pondered this in his mind, he wandered around the village in the White Mist World. To be honest, the strategic value of this place was not very great. Its main advantage was that there were a lot of farm tools and machinery, as well as many seeds. As for which family was hoarding contraband—maybe, but he would have to look for it slowly.

However, considering all factors, the city map was still more useful to Kang De at the moment.

So here's the question: what about the neighborhood and the village...?

The moment he thought of this, his expression changed. He closed his eyes, and as if communicating with the power of teleportation, thinking of his warm home, he reached out his hand, and the next moment, the portal opened.

Kang De stepped in, and the next moment, he collapsed onto his bed at home.

"Handsome."

Kang De whistled, and his mood improved slightly.

Once the map is opened, "save points" can be used to teleport between each other without any limit on the number of times. Only interdimensional teleportation is limited, whether it's between Earth or another world—it can only be a one-way trip or a one-way journey between two points.

And...

He reached out his hand again, communicating with the real world. The familiar fluctuations told him that he could appear in his neighborhood home on Earth immediately if he wanted.

But that won't work.

Just kidding, Old Wang is still back in his hometown. If he comes back to Earth now, he'll have used up all his time travel chances for the day. If he doesn't want to explain to Xiaoman why he ran back to the city in the middle of the night and how he got back, then he'll have to take a taxi back to his hometown overnight—and whether the driver will even accept the fare is another matter.

Kang De sighed, got up, and rappelled downstairs. Time on Earth and in the White Mist World had synchronized; it was now late at night. He turned on his flashlight and ran familiarly toward the bank and the police station.

Start borrowing things.

This isn't Earth, so the law doesn't apply here; it just happens to look a lot like Earth.

Kang De worked until his allotted time was about to expire, then he returned to the village and back to reality.

He then took out his phone, opened the [beep--] map app, and began searching for the neighborhoods surrounding the shooting range.

Yes, there really is.

The shooting range is located at the north corner of a commercial pedestrian street. The nearest residential area is in the southwest, called Huaxing Garden. Looking at the distance, the shortest walking distance from the entrance of the residential area to the bottom of the building is about 500 meters, with two rows of four commercial buildings in between. This is the ideal location. Kang De calculated the coverage area of his own residential area and found that it could basically cover the shooting club.

The surrounding shops are quite nice, the buildings are densely packed and tall, so the chances of finding unexpected surprises are high.

[Beep--] The map is very thoughtful; it marks a reference house price for some residential areas.

The reference price is 37,762 yuan per square meter.

--Fuck your mother!

While not as expensive as Kang De's house, it's still ridiculously expensive! Young people can't afford to buy houses anymore!

This is the hypocrisy of human nature. Kang De didn't really feel the impact of high housing prices; in fact, he thought it was a good thing, since he was a beneficiary and the higher the housing prices, the higher his net worth.

But after encountering this mess, he spontaneously shifted his position and sat on the other side.

--If these housing prices aren't regulated, the market is doomed!

He pondered for a long time but couldn't figure out how to get money quickly and safely. After all, he was just an ordinary person and couldn't find a reliable way in a short time.

--Should we borrow it from Old Wang?

No, no, this is practically living off a woman. Besides, a house costs several million. Even for a rich second-generation like Old Wang, he probably couldn't come up with that much cash all at once.

I, Kang De, possess the power to rule the Three Realms and am endowed with extraordinary abilities. Such a promising transmigrator is ruthless and terrifying, destined for greatness. Such a person will surely accomplish earth-shattering feats in the future, possessing his own pride and dignity! Even if I, Kang De, am captured and dissected by the elves, or even if I am caught and hanged by the Empire, I will not lend Old Wang a single penny!

--To be honest, this amount of cash is not a small sum for Uncle Wang.

If you say you want to borrow money to start a business, that's fine. As long as your idea is sound and your thinking is clear, Uncle Wang will most likely lend you the money. But if you say you want to buy a house, Uncle Wang will not only laugh, but he will also call Kang De's parents.

"Making quick money is so hard..."

He couldn't help but think of the vast amount of resources and treasures he had plundered from the Good Family. However, with the White Mist World reset, those gold coins and antiques had vanished into thin air. Only the most valuable items remained, all of which were Magic Power artifacts and treasures. Those items could not be sold off rashly.

It might be possible in the future, but not now.

"In that case, the only option is to find some shady ways to sell the gold..."

Kang De murmured, "Who should I ask?"

He worked for a while before finally falling into a deep sleep.

In his dream, he permed his hair, dyed it, put on some effeminate clothes, and wore Charm Necklace, instantly transforming into a handsome young man. Then he went to a [beep--] club to work as a male prostitute, captivating a group of rich women who fawned over him, crying and begging to give him several houses.

Then he was awakened by the steel torrent of tanks charging forward.

"Damn, what a dream."

Kang De opened his eyes; it was already daylight. Thinking of the dream he had just had, he couldn't help but shiver.

Then he thought to himself, "No, if I were to become a gigolo, with my unparalleled good looks and the added bonus of the Charm Necklace, I would definitely become the number one gigolo in the world. At that level, I would be the one choosing my clients, only serving young, beautiful, and wealthy women. It's not unacceptable..."

"Or, like I planned before, I could participate in a talent show like Idol Producer, become a heartthrob, and make money much easier. I also have many other talents; I could even act in action movies. Becoming a global superstar within a year is not a dream."

--A highly feasible plan.

There is one problem.

You have to stay on Earth year after year, your schedule is very tight, and people are looking for you every day; you can't just disappear into thin air.

"What a pity, what a pity..."

Unfortunately, I can't be in two places at once and can't get away.

Unfortunately, I still have to go back to the other world to do my work.

Otherwise, staying on Earth would be so awesome—becoming a national idol, having fans at will, it would be incredibly enjoyable.

I feel like I missed out on so many billions, and so much more [beep--].

With these thoughts in mind, Kang De turned off the power, packed up the bed, closed the door, left the old house, and headed towards Grandpa Wang's house. One night would be enough; he was going back today.

Grandpa Wang's house was already open. The old man always got up very early. Grandma was cooking in the kitchen, and Grandpa was practicing Tai Chi in the yard. When they saw him, they smiled and said, "Xiaoman's up too, go and see him."

Kang De went inside and upstairs, then knocked on the door. "Old Wang?"

A girl's slightly flustered voice came from inside. "You... why are you up so early?"

After a moment, her voice calmed down. "Come in."

Kang De pushed open the door and entered. The girl was lying on the bed, dressed neatly, and seemed fine.

What were you panicking about earlier?

Kang De didn't take it seriously, and simply said, "Hurry up and get up to eat... After you eat, will you go back?"

He was considering how to persuade Old Wang if he refused to leave.

To everyone's surprise, the girl hesitated only slightly before saying, "Okay."

Kang De smiled, then turned and went downstairs.

The door closed, Xiaoman wore a complicated expression.

She sensed Kang De's change once again.

If this had happened before, he would definitely have winked and made a few dirty jokes, or smiled knowingly and asked what she was doing hiding in there, just like she would make jokes about things like the tissues in Old Wang's house... These were all very, very normal interactions before.

But Kang De doesn't say that anymore.

Old Wang silently took out his phone from under his body and turned it on.

That was what made her panic.

There are photos on my phone.

There are many, many photos of Kang De and the two of them together.

Some are from a few days ago, and some are from now.

Her fingers swiped lightly across the screen as she gazed at the photograph of Kang De.

A few days ago, and now.

Sometimes, the brain deceives itself, telling itself that everything is normal because it has only been two days since we last met. One's intuition may detect subtle changes, but the most direct change is the moment captured in a photograph, a moment frozen in time.

After comparing them, she easily noticed the changes.

Kang De's changes.

It became slightly darker, and its shape and appearance underwent subtle changes. These changes were not immediately noticeable to the human eye; one could only perceive them instinctively.

However, comparing various photos...

Everything then became clearer.

In just a few days, Kang De underwent a dramatic transformation.

It's not just about appearance; rather, changes in appearance are the least important thing.

Most importantly, there's a change in a person's entire demeanor and temperament—their smile, eyes, expressions, posture... it's like they've become a completely different person.

Because of her father's social status, Xiaoman also met many successful people.

That kind of confidence, that kind of self-assurance, that kind of charisma—it's something intangible yet undeniably real.

It was a feeling of... having seen the world.

This feeling was clearly present in Kang De.

In just two days, he saw the world and became confident, calm and peaceful. Even his grandfather noticed the change and praised him for becoming more composed.

But just a few days ago, he was a completely different person...

This situation is clearly extremely unreasonable. How much worldly experience can one have in just a few days? Even if you were arranged to accompany a national leader on a state visit abroad, a few days would not change a person's temperament or appearance.

Not to mention...

Old Wang thought about the two things that happened yesterday.

A single glare from him could send the whole village into chaos, with chickens and dogs flying and animals filled with fear and panic.

This might be a coincidence.

So, what about that big water vat?

She had asked her grandfather, and even though there was only a little water in the vat for cleaning, it was still impossible for a human to easily lift that huge thing with one hand... It was completely impossible.

Xiaoman recalled the scene when she found Kang De lying on the ground that day.

I will never forget the look in Kang De's eyes at that time.

Sadness, despair, pain, yet joy, peace, tranquility.

He said, "It's you, it really is you, that's wonderful."

When she woke up in the hospital, she looked both wistful and calm.

Walking along the road, he looked around with delight at everything he had seen before, the same familiar sights he was tired of, including returning to the village—as if he hadn't been back for a very, very long time.

The elevator surveillance footage also showed that Kang De did not leave the building during those days.

Various discoveries, various signs.

In two days, without leaving the house, his temperament and spirit underwent a tremendous transformation. When he was found, he was on the verge of death. The cause of his illness was very subtle. After waking up, he seemed to have gained a profound understanding and cherished his previous life even more.

Moreover, he gained power that ordinary people could never possess.

If I absolutely have to explain it, there's only one possibility.

Could it be...?

Wang Xiaoman's heart pounded, feeling both absurd and bizarre.

"Could it be that Kang De has gone...?"

She murmured, "The Main God Space?"

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PS1: First update, 4,500 words.