Who Controls Whom

"Father."

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes, the embassy area was not directly shelled. You stopped it in time, congratulations."

The result was not perfect.

Kang De carried far too many secrets, and his actions in Comora were shrouded in mystery. He couldn't fully confide in his family, and in the end, the only person he could truly talk to was his Iron Son.

He rode the giant eagle to the skies near the military base. The crash site wasn't too far from the base, and once there, he discovered that the power of Hammer of Archimedes was beyond imagination.

--pick.

The earthquake triggered by this magical device has caused a fire.

This situation is all too common. Short circuits in electrical wires can generate sparks and arcs, causing overheating of wires and overload of electrical appliances. Vehicle collisions can also cause fuel fires. Additionally, fuel storage tanks, power plants, and gas installations at the base can all become sources of fire.

Flames raged, the earth was ravaged, and smoke and dust billowed everywhere. Thick smoke billowed from the vast military base, and from the sky, it was a scene of chaos, with fires everywhere.

"Damn it, these things belong to my Kang Family!"

The thought that the France must have a considerable amount of military supplies at their base there, and that these supplies should all belong to Kant, made Kang De increasingly anxious.

They wanted to go down and rescue the injured, but they didn't know where to start. It was dark and windy, they hadn't scouted the area, and they didn't have a map. How were they supposed to know where they were?

"Father, what's wrong?"

Iron Son asked curiously.

Kang De sighed and described the situation.

The White Mist World can replicate everything on Earth. With such a cheat code, Kang De's material desires plummeted. After all, it's human nature to be attached to what we can't have, and become more indifferent to what we easily obtain. The White Mist World has everything, except it can't replicate a beautiful, busty, curvy, long-legged older sister. Kang De's inclination towards human desires is obvious.

--But this time is an exception.

Because the weapons and supplies in the base are still very important.

Danfeng Lucerne is in dire need of help. Even with the time difference, there's less than half a day left. He's about to face a decisive battle against the Elf Expeditionary Force, and seeking military aid from the outside world is becoming too late. He can only try to find supplies from the France, and the base and airport are his greatest hope.

So I was very anxious, which was a pity.

After hearing his father's words, Iron Son remained silent for a moment, as if he had made a decision.

"... Please take a photo. Using a top-down view with north at the top, south at the bottom, west on the left, and east on the right, I will show you the directions and mark out the high-value targets."

Kang De was delighted upon hearing this, then paused, "How can I send it to you?"

They currently communicate via telephone, which can transmit sound. How can they transmit images?

Horus remained silent again, then slowly said, "I've requested to be your WeChat friend."

"???"

"!!!!"

Kang De's expression froze for a moment. "What?"

The next moment, his phone buzzed with a new friend request, Kang De instinctively tapped on.

The image is a close-up of Iron Son's face, the enormous head of a Transformers, with electronic eyes gleaming with a ghostly blue light, and clearly filtered, giving it a cold, industrial-age feel.

The ID is "Old Iron".

"... puff!"

Kang De's eyes widened, and he almost burst out laughing, then quickly regained his composure. "Wait, how did you register for WeChat? No, no, the important thing is, how did you connect to the internet? Hey, you..."

Horus said calmly, "Father, is this the time to talk about this?"

Kang De immediately took a picture and sent it over, but he couldn't resist.

"Your... your ID... it's really..." he chuckled, "... a bit... unusual..."

The ID changed the next moment.

He became "a close friend from a single-parent family".

"... Hello!"

Before Kang De could say anything, his Iron Son, cut to the chase. "Father, please look. From your perspective, from top to bottom, in a bird's-eye view, you said you rushed into the base from the west and chased after it to the runway from the southeast. Can you see the general outline of the runway now? The runway is located in the middle of the eastern side of the base, while the epicenter of the earthquake, the complex of buildings surrounding the building you rushed into, is where the military barracks and administrative buildings are located."

"The airspace control center is located to the east, and further east is the vehicle maintenance and repair area."

"These three areas were the most severely damaged by the earthquake, so there's no need to worry about them, as there are no high-value items there."

"South of the vehicle repair area is the tank workshop platform. Considering the France have already poured out all their forces, there won't be anything good inside. You can explore it last."

"The armored vehicle workshop platform is on the west side of the runway, in the same row as the runway, while the storage warehouse is to the south, which suffered less damage and is the focus of the search."

"The two small buildings next to the storage warehouse are guard barracks; you don't need to worry about them."

"Besides that, the southwest corner is clearly a short-range air defense missile site, and the upper right corner is a fixed artillery position. Father, you can consider dismantling some of those things. As for the high slope in the northwest corner, that's a radar station and bunker area, and the oil storage area is where the fire is burning the most intensely. I don't recommend Father go there; it's too dangerous."

The image returned from WeChat was clearly marked with graffiti, circles, and writing.

Kang De was taken aback. "How do you know so much?"

Iron Son asked calmly and indifferently, "Father, is this the time to talk about this?"

"... Depend on."

Actually, there was no need to ask; Kang De probably already knew.

He, a complete layman with no military knowledge, would be utterly clueless about the functions and uses of the various buildings in these military bases. But for a professional soldier, a few glances would be enough to give a rough idea. The difference isn't a matter of intelligence, but of experience. Where does experience come from? By seeing, hearing, understanding, and thinking. And clearly, judging from the fact that Iron Son quietly registered for WeChat...

--This unfilial son is clearly addicted to the internet.

I need to find some time to give myself a good shock.

He rode the giant eagle down and, as expected, went to the warehouse in the south first. This area was already on the border of the military base, so the damage was less. Moreover, it was a key warehouse area, and all security measures were in place. There was no fire, but one warehouse had almost completely collapsed, and the other was also in a state of disrepair.

Kang De tore open several scrolls, activated his buffs, drank a potion, activated time acceleration, and rushed in fully armed, ensuring that he could escape back to the White Mist World immediately should a collapse occur.

It was pitch black inside, with occasional flashes of electricity. It was a complete mess. The underground storage, explosion-proof doors, and various security measures were mostly ineffective. All sorts of boxes were neatly arranged, and there was no time to distinguish them carefully. We just carried them all back to the White Mist World.

Firearms, ammunition, and repair parts.

Artillery shells, missiles, rockets.

The Fire Thief's spiritual power was so wondrous and powerful, spreading and reaching everywhere, and with the power to Extraction all things, the so-called secret chamber was not a secret at all.

"I've found some rather large... bombs," Kang De said. "Things that the France have hidden so carefully and so well must be valuable."

"Of course—by the way, Father, the King has already engaged in formal negotiations with the France who attacked Moyani and has directly summoned the France ambassador to issue an ultimatum, which means you'd better hurry."

Kang De had to get this sorted out before the France returned to join the rescue effort.

Not only do they take the things, they also destroy the evidence.

"Knew."

Kang De emptied a warehouse, Extraction material from the walls, dug tunnels leading to another underground warehouse, and talked to his son as he worked.

"First, fry something to fry it, then shake it again afterwards."

"Yes, this is a safer approach."

Kirov sent a message while another underground warehouse was being moved.

"It's understandable that the France refuse to surrender; it would be too humiliating and make the entire Foreign Legion a laughingstock—although, given what happened, they're practically a laughingstock themselves."

The Russian's words were filled with a sense of joy.

"The France ambassador is mediating. The commander of the Comora task force is only willing to surrender all weapons and return to the rescue in ordinary vehicles, but the King's attitude is tougher than ever before. I suspect the France are going to suffer a big setback this time. The France government's orders will be delivered soon."

When Kang De emptied the warehouse, set up the explosive device, and was teleported back to Earth, the King called. He answered, "What? The France have surrendered?"

"... Not yet. I'm continuing to pressure them. The France government already knows about it, and they're probably in a huge uproar. I even received a call from the France president. Ha! I've never made a pilgrimage to him before. I never imagined that the esteemed heads of state of Fr*nce would have my phone number."

Chakat's words contained a hint of sarcasm.

Kang De laughed as he studied the map, deciding where to plunder next.

He asked casually, "So, is there something you need?"

Chakat II sighed. "Where are you now? Do you have time?"

Kang De frowned. "What's wrong?"

"I didn't want to trouble you..." the King sighed. "Little Bob had previously controlled many people and ordered them to riot, including my subjects and the soldiers of Gambia. Now that he's dead and control has been lifted, my subjects have quickly returned to normal, though they are also very frightened. I'm trying to appease them through broadcasts and by sending officials; these are all easy to handle. The problem is those... the soldiers of Gambia."

Kang De raised an eyebrow and said, "Are they still causing trouble?"

"They were forced to commit arson and murder. Once they regain their senses, they probably won't know what happened. According to intelligence, some have already fled to Gambia overnight, while others, blinded by bloodshed, continue their atrocities. You know, I just lost this country and haven't been able to take it back yet. I've already dispatched many of my forces, but it will take time for them to arrive, and we're short-handed. Some places are quite far away. I have no choice but to shamelessly beg you..."

He said uneasily, "I will find a way to reward you. I promise you, no matter how much benefit I extract from the France this time, eighty percent of it will be given to you. I will do my best to fulfill any requests you have. In addition, Bob and his son control several vital businesses in Comora, and I can transfer everything they own in this country to you. I don't know if this is enough, and I don't know what you really want, but I..."

Kang De thought for a moment and said, "Tell me, where are you going? I'll go straight there."

Before ending the call, the king did not offer any further words of thanks.

"Father?" Iron Son asked upon hearing the news, "Aren't you going to search anymore?"

Kang De glanced at the map. "The armory is cleared out. Let's loot the anti-aircraft missile sites and artillery positions. We won't search the rest; it won't take too long."

Horus thought for a moment and then said, "You decide."

Ten minutes later, Kang De, who had haphazardly demolished the structures, strode away.

A muffled explosion came from behind.

The French troops besieging Moyani remained locked in a stalemate, not because they didn't want to leave, but because the king had mobilized volunteers who used dilapidated private cars to block the French troops inside and out. In addition, Russia and Myanmar mercenaries disguised as "journalists from various countries" were also watching closely. If the France dared to use force or try to break in, they would be dealt another blow, enough to feed these guys for another three meals.

Meanwhile, Kang De had already flown northwest towards Comora.

Previously, an even faster way to travel was unlocked: commanding the giant eagle to climb continuously, and once it reached an extremely high altitude, it would jump down, unfold its flying squirrel wings, and glide at speeds approaching 200 kilometers per hour.

The area that the king asked Kang De to suppress was a city in the northwest of Comora.

It's called a city, but it's really just a county town in China. Approaching the place, Kang De slowed down as he traversed the White Mist Space. There were fires, gunshots, cries, and angry curses.

Such an operation is not difficult at all.

Stealth, Detect Life, and then just charge in. No matter where the enemy is hiding, no matter if they are holding hostages or not, the only force occupying this city is a garrison from Gambia, less than a hundred men, and these guys have turned the whole city into a place of chaos.

Kang De snatched a rifle, bent it, and then, to the black soldier's horrified gaze, broke all four of his limbs before tossing them to the ground like rags.

Whether they're arrested and imprisoned, or torn to pieces, depends on what these guys did tonight.

Those who escape can live for now, but those who stay here to continue doing bad things will, of course, die.

I agree.

But Iron Son's tone still carried a hint of confusion and sighing.

To protect his father, Horus was left at the embassy and missed several major performances. To comfort him, Kang De started a live video stream, Iron Son watched in the entire event.

"These people were controlled by Little Bob, committing evil and rioting, but after the control was lifted, they continued to do evil. Did Little Bob order them to do evil, or did Little Bob bring out the evil within them?"

This kid's been getting increasingly profound lately.

Kang De shrugged. "Both, I suppose."

Horus remained bewildered. "So, did Little Bob use that ancient artifact of the Comora to do evil, or did the ancient artifact unleash the evil within Little Bob's heart?"

Kang De immediately replied, "He was a bastard to begin with, why would I need to cite him?"

However, the next moment, his expression faltered slightly.

At that moment, a flash of inspiration seemed to pass through his mind. He vaguely felt as if he had grasped something. All along, he seemed to have been in a blind spot in his thinking, a possibility he had never considered.

If that's the case...

"Father, did Little Bob use that ancient artifact, or did that thing control Little Bob?"

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PS1: Update... Last night it suddenly occurred to me that I haven't taken a train in a long time. Are there any comfortable train journeys in China? I'd like to change the scenery for gaming and writing... (gazing into the distance)