The Twenty-Five Filial Exemplars

"Dragon Group! It should be called Dragon Group!"

The mother's voice came through the speaker, a little cheerful and a little excited.

"..."

If it were anyone else, they would be completely baffled by this statement, but since they were mother and son, Kang De immediately understood, because she had just mentioned wanting to register the classic trademark for this urban supernatural category.

He and Xiaoman exchanged a smile, then looked bewildered.

"Dragon Group? What's Dragon Group? Hmm, I vaguely remember you mentioning it to me. It must have been a setting from an old web novel, right? Sigh, ma'am, I'm not trying to be mean, but your youth is long gone. Knowing that name now is totally showing your age! We young people have nothing in common!"

When Kang De said this, Xiaoman had a look of "You are so shameless," pursed her lips, smiled without saying a word, and after he finished speaking, a loud spitting sound came from the receiver.

"Tui!"

Mama Kang shouted, "Xiaoman! You tell us!"

Xiaoman paused for a moment, then smiled and told Kang De, "Yes, Kang De's youth is gone too. As soon as my dad arrived, he asked if anyone from the Dragon Group had come along."

Kang De reached out to grab her neck, Xiaoman shrank back and scrambled to the other side of the sofa, giggling. Her mother's loud laughter also came through the phone; the two of them always conspired together.

He asked, puzzled, "How did you know Xiaoman was there?"

Mama Kang snorted, "There's an echo. You must have turned on speakerphone. If you're on speakerphone, someone must be listening nearby. If it's not Xiaoman, could it be my future daughter-in-law?"

... Grass.

Why bring up something you shouldn't talk about?

Kang De immediately felt guilty and subconsciously glanced at Xiaoman. The girl was huddled on the sofa to the side, her face flushed from playing. Her long hair was disheveled, and she listened attentively. Upon hearing this, she glanced at Kang De, dragged a cushion from the sofa over, and hugged it to her chest, covering most of her face.

He immediately said, "Don't talk nonsense."

I could hear my mother sighing on the other end of the phone, along with her hushed, barely audible mutterings.

"I thought I'd finally figured it out... damn it."

--Lan Guizhi! Watch out for your Lan Guizhi!

However, the disappointment lasted only a moment. After all, hope is meaningless. Teacher Li immediately changed the subject, exclaiming, "You're famous now! My phone has been ringing off the hook these past two days. Your uncle, my colleagues, my students... they're all asking about you, asking if you're the Captain China on Weibo."

Captain China.

Yes, I just saw it on Weibo. After Comora's journey to save his father was exposed, Kang De has suddenly gained a lot of nicknames and honorifics online, including but not limited to "Captain China", "Contemporary Wolf Warrior", "Filial Son of the Year", "Someone Else's Child", "Kang De Wick", "Moyani the God of Speed"... and so on.

The most mischievous and playful name is "The Twenty-Fifth Filial Piety - Beating the Wrongdoer to Save His Father." A mischievous artist painted a new-era version of the "Twenty-Four Filial Piety Illustrations," depicting China wielding a sniper rifle Kang De driving a large vehicle, speeding and shooting through the streets of Moyani, with billowing black smoke and flames everywhere he went, against the backdrop of the half-collapsed Moyani Grand Palace.

It's even more amusing to see it listed alongside the first twenty-four filial exemplars.

It is so lifelike that it is truly a masterpiece of our time.

Incidentally, the Kang De in the picture does look somewhat like him, but his eyes are surrounded by an eerie red glow.

Kang De smiled and shook his head, "It's me, it's all me, it really is me—what are your thoughts?"

Mama Kang sighed, even feigning a sob, and said with relief, "Twenty years... you useless brat, you finally have something for your mother to show off..."

Kang De glanced sideways and said, "Then you're really strict, Mother."

"... angry."

"What's wrong now?"

"Such an exciting scene! Your dad gets to see it live, and even has a first-class seat, while I, as your mother, can only watch it on video? This heartless son only cares about his father and not his mother!"

"Stop joking. If I'm heartless, then what about you, the one who gave birth to me?"

"An innocent young woman, deceived by your heartless father, perpetuating his heartless genes, and herself pure, innocent, and perfectly normal human being."

"Puff."

"Why are you laughing!"

"Alright, alright, Xiaoman is listening—you finally get a phone call, and this is all you say?"

Hearing her son's complaint, the mother's tone carried a hint of amusement. "What else? We'll ask you how you awakened? How you got back? What exactly happened? This is a big secret of our Kang Family; we can't let irrelevant people overhear it."

Kang De nodded upon hearing this. "Hmm, good sense of secrecy. Those damn Five Eyes Alliance are monitoring us everywhere."

Mama Kang laughed and said, "No, we're using a secure line."

"... Um?"

"Don't be shy, son, say hello to the comrades from the General Staff Department."

"Hey! The water meter's at home!"

"Just kidding, just kidding. It's not illegal to say it casually, right?"

Upon hearing this, Kang De touched his forehead, a helpless expression on his face. "Anyway, how have you been lately?"

"It's great. This is the first time in my life I've received such high-level security treatment. The ambassador to Egypt personally picked me up from the airport, and the armed police convoy took me directly to Djibouti. A major general accompanied me the whole time. When we arrived at our logistics support base, we had great food and drinks, super fast WIFI, and we could look around as we pleased. They had everything we needed."

The mother's voice grew increasingly cheerful, filled with satisfaction. "We can use the shooting range as much as we want, shoot any guns we want, and the bullets are all free! It's so much fun! There's just one thing: when I asked if they could take me out to sea to shoot at live targets like pirates, they firmly refused."

Kang De sighed, "The leaders of the base are truly pitiful."

"You brat, what are you saying? My son has brought glory to the country, what's wrong with me taking advantage of him a little? Speaking of which, I've risen in status because of my son, when are you going to get me an official title? I can't count on your father anymore, otherwise I might as well kick him out, anyway, my son is successful, he's useless now."

"... I recorded it."

"You heartless wretch, are you trying to drive your father to his death?"

"..."

Kang De stared at Xiaoman, a speechless expression on his face... Could they even have a proper conversation today?

Cannot.

Because Mama Kang said, "Stop talking nonsense, what's up with calling me?"

Kang De opened his mouth. "Report... report that you're safe?"

"Alright, I know you're safe. Not only are you safe, but you're also full of energy. You abandoned your parents who are stuck in Africa, ran home to flirt with Xiaoman, leaving your poor mother all alone in the Djibouti overseas support base, firing her Type 89 rifle. You've grown up, I can't control you anymore. That's it."

She said impatiently, "That's it then. I'm just a woman, I don't know anything. If you have any problems, discuss them with your father and Uncle Wang. I'm going back to fire my gun. That's all."

Then, with a thud, the phone was hung up.

Kang De gave a wry smile, which faded as he stared at his phone in silence.

Xiaoman silently moved back and whispered, "I thought Auntie would be very worried and scold you, like she'd cry and yell at you, but I didn't expect... she didn't sound like that when she called me, she was really anxious."

Kang De said slowly, "The deed is done, and I'm back safely. Complaining and crying will only let me know that she's been worried sick about me, which will only make me feel more guilty and uneasy. She couldn't bear to let me go..."

He picked up his phone, held it in his palm, and said softly, "That's why she said all this nonsense, to let me know she's a good person, and I'm responding with nonsense to let her know I'm a good person too."

"She's afraid I'll say something that involves secrets and someone will overhear, so she doesn't want to ask me anything serious, doesn't want to hear anything serious, and doesn't even want to talk to me much... because she doesn't care about anything, isn't curious about anything, and is at ease as long as I'm doing well."

When it comes to children, even the wisest and most magnanimous mothers become suspicious, selfish, and even narrow-minded. Even if it's a confidential line, a mother is unwilling to ask, listen, or say more because she has a preconceived notion that someone is listening in, not even her own country. She instinctively wants to protect all of her son's secrets and doesn't want him to reveal any information about himself, lest it become a potential danger.

Xiaoman gently took his hand.

--Me too.

But saying something like that sounds a bit strange, doesn't it?

Kang De remained silent. Xiaoman's hands were soft, and he could feel the warmth and a little bit of sweat in her palms, but he had no time to appreciate it. His mind was filled with thoughts of the earth and the love from his family.

Praised by the entire internet, famous worldwide, becoming the most prominent star—in a mother's eyes, such glory, grand occasion, and achievements are certainly not what she likes. She just wants her son to live a peaceful and happy life, not to become some kind of superpowered person or hero.

He knew his mother's feelings and wishes.

The father's feelings and wishes must have been the same.

But I still want to do dangerous things.

Kang De sighed silently to himself.

It's impossible to be in two places at once, and it's difficult to do everything perfectly. Children need to realize their own visions and fulfill their own wishes, while also taking care of their parents' desires and responding to the love of their relatives. Many troubles arise from these contradictions and dilemmas.

What's difficult is never being wrong, but being right.

There are no errors.

Xiaoman seemed to sense his hesitation, and gently hugged his arm, half-embracing him.

She understands.

She understood Kang De's feelings perfectly.

Much later, Uncle Wang pushed open the door, a smile still on his face. Then he saw his daughter and Kang De quickly separating. His smile slowly faded, and his mood gradually soured.

But now, his daughter and Kang De sat upright and very obediently, looking up at him with an extremely tacit innocence and bewilderment on their faces, leaving him at a loss for words.

Never mind, never mind.

He glared at Kang De: "Finished the call? What did your mother say?"

Kang De shrugged and said, "He didn't say anything."

Uncle Wang was stunned for a moment, then he understood. He had grown up with Kang Jinzhu and had known Teacher Li for nearly twenty years. He knew the couple's personalities and what kind of person Mama Kang was.

He shook his head and said, "Concern leads to confusion. How could the government possibly eavesdrop on your conversation? This is the initial stage of our dealings; we need to show sincerity. The higher-ups want to demonstrate their goodwill and let you feel their sincerity. Why would they do something so underhanded? If you find out, it will ruin everything for no reason. We have a tradition of recruiting talented people for thousands of years. Do you think the higher-ups don't know how to play the game? If they want to know something, they will ask you directly."

Kang De remained silent for a moment before replying, "After all, she's my mother."

Wang Yongzhi sighed and remarked, "Yes, someone who's usually so shrewd becomes stupid when it comes to his son."

Xiaoman muttered, "It's as if she's not one of them."

Uncle Wang was about to retort when he saw his daughter glare at him, "What, aren't you one too?"

"..."

What else could I say? Wang Yongzhi could only offer an awkward but polite smile.

He sat down on the sofa, his expression turning serious, and said to Kang De, "I've come to convey the higher-ups' thoughts. Your proposal is currently being discussed in a meeting. In principle, it's approved, but the details still need to be discussed. For example, they hope you'll cooperate on some research projects, you'll need to contribute to some collaborations, and they might need your help with some tasks. Of course, in the collaborations, you won't be taken advantage of. You can make some appropriate requests, and as long as they're not excessive, the country will accommodate them."

Kang De nodded.

It's a win-win situation; we're all China, and I like this.

"These things can be discussed gradually. After all, once we've reached a consensus on cooperation, nothing else matters," Wang Yongzhi said. "Now there's an important matter I need your opinion on, and I hope you'll agree."

Kang De raised an eyebrow and said, "What?"

"The airstrikes by the United States and France," Wang Yongzhi said. "The country hopes you will refrain from retaliatory actions, especially those involving the territory or overseas military bases of either country. We hope you can exercise restraint."

Oh, this.

Revenge is out of the question. I've been doxxed, and they know who my parents are. The United States and France are imperialist powers, no good. They're ruthless and speak harshly. Plus, they're permanent members of the UN Security Council and nuclear powers. I'm just a small China person, weak and helpless, and I'm terrified.

What else could I do besides using the Power of the Fire Thief to slice off a mountain near the Comora from the White Mist World, repeatedly accelerating it, and then crashing it from outer space into the continental United States?

Therefore, under the current circumstances, Kang De would not allow his family to risk retaliation by launching a vicious attack on the American Empire and France —after all, the two countries are currently on edge, and if they were to encounter some supernatural or bizarre attack, they would most likely immediately identify Kang De as the suspect.

The American Empire and France never follow the rule of not harming family members when they do things.

Until he has the ability to ensure his family's complete safety, he can only write this down in a small notebook.

Furthermore, although the area was ravaged by the joint air strikes, Kang De suffered no losses and even gained an entire air force squadron. In terms of pure air power, Kang De's air force might rank among the top twenty in the world—of course, this is only based on paper data.

Therefore, Kang De agreed in principle with the meaning conveyed by Uncle Wang.

But you still have to cry.

He said sternly, "How can this be allowed? My father was eating hotpot and supervising the construction work in Africa when he was suddenly kidnapped by white mercenaries! I'm just an ordinary college student who's never been abroad in my life and has never seen the world. I had to go all the way to Africa to rescue my father all by myself. Along the way, I witnessed countless scenes of war and the devastation of life, leaving deep scars on my young heart..."

He spoke with great emotion and a sense of grievance, "After finally rescuing my father, protecting civilians, and thwarting the France government's conspiracy, I, an ordinary college student, was actually bombarded by dozens of third, fourth, and fifth-generation fighter jets with various missiles and bombs. Who could bear such injustice?"

--Damn it, is there another college student in this world who would be targeted by a combined air saturation bombing raid? Even if there were, they would have been turned to ashes long ago.

Wang Yongzhi was both annoyed and amused as he watched Kang De continue his performance.

"I can't take it anymore, I really can't take it anymore. Uncle Wang, you know, I've never suffered such injustice in my life, not even my mother has ever hit me like this!"

"JDAM! Incendiary bombs! Cluster bombs! F-16s! F-35s! Rafale! Is it really necessary?! This is a blood feud, an irreconcilable enmity, an irreconcilable enemy."

Kang De slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "They have to pay!"

I knew it.

Uncle Wang snorted, "There will definitely be benefits. We finally caught them red-handed, so let's give them a good beating. France and the United States are in a mess, especially France. They still can't clean up their mess in Comora. This is a good opportunity to give them a good thrashing—tell me, what do you want?"

Kang De sat upright with his legs together and his hands raised, just like a primary school student actively participating in class.

"Reporting, teacher!"

He shouted crisply, "I want a hydrogen bomb!"

... Hydrogen my foot.

Wang Yongzhi said, "Your lion's mouth is practically split open!"

Kang De sighed, "So it really won't work."

"Give me something more realistic!"

Kang De, rather disheartened, counted on his fingers and said, "Weapons, ammunition, anti-aircraft missiles, tanks, artillery, munitions, logistical support, trade routes, trade preferences, and incidentally, a few houses. Oh, and the United States side has one additional condition: I need the United States government to answer one question."

"... What's the problem?"

Did former Secretary of State Ms. Xi actually visit that island?

"..."

"Don't look at me. I know the United States president won't tell the truth, but it'll be good to disgust them."

"Maybe."

"... That's true."

"In short, write down what you want, your specific requirements, the more detailed the better. I'll submit it to my superiors, and professionals will determine the details for you and do their best to help you get what you want."

Wang Yongzhi asked, "When are you going back to Comora?"

"Tonight? After it gets light there."

"Alright... I've heard about it. I'll give you a surprise then."

"Could you translate this for me?"

You'll see when the time comes, haha.

￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥

PS1: Update! Goodnight! By the way, Blizzard resurrected his mother a few months ago, and then she's gone again.