Not the Only One

How do I get down?

Phoenix Vision was obscured by a thick barrier, making it impossible to see what lay hidden below.

This suggests that even if there is an underground palace, it would be located very deep inside.

Kang De found a patch of ground not covered by locusts, squatted down, pressed his hand to the earth, projected his mental energy, and spread the Power of the Fire Thief. However, even when he stretched his power to its limit, what he touched was a solid entity.

This is fucking too deep.

Extraction the earth and digging all the way down is not difficult; it's not impossible to use magic or even magical devices to split the ground. However, the problem with doing so is that it will inevitably alert the enemy.

Then, halfway through digging the hole, they were discovered. So the locusts outside rushed in, while the locusts inside pushed them out, attacking from both sides, a scenario where insects were caught in the middle. Even flower-eating insects wouldn't dare to draw such a scene.

Even if they manage to escape, it will alert Big Bob and expose their hand.

Yes, we are now in a situation where both the enemy and we are in the dark.

Although Big Bob had obtained in the Gambia Royal Tomb, nor what the strange locusts were all about, Kang De was unaware of the enemy's situation, and Big Bob was also unaware of his intelligence.

Even though all communication had been smooth before, Big Bob's understanding of Kang De was limited to his superhuman physical abilities, powerful close combat skills, and alchemical weapons like the Himo's Eagle and the Defender Mechanism. That was all. He didn't know that Kang De could use magic, didn't know the mysteries of the Power of the Fire Thief, and didn't know that he could travel to a world of swords and magic at any time, where there were powers he understood even less.

After all, in the France mercenary's understanding, even though Kang De acted like a Captain China or a genetically engineered warrior, he still fought with gunpowder weapons.

After a moment's consideration, Kang De decided to retreat temporarily.

It's not that there's absolutely no way to solve it.

If locusts transport food underground, then anchoring the food to spatial coordinates and then teleporting it could also achieve the same result, but this method carries certain risks.

He certainly didn't want to find himself buried in a fungal carpet or a pool of blood after the teleportation was complete.

Let's just grab the samples and run away.

In this world, he doesn't need to fight alone; there are plenty of people taller than him.

Putting everything else aside, damn it, even in ancient times, the imperial court would pay its soldiers before they went to war. Our country has already done more than enough. But it wouldn't be right for me to make money off these foreign devils after all this trip.

He quietly drifted out of the city limits, gazing thoughtfully at the locusts clinging to a lamppost and gnawing at it in the distance.

This thing does look like a grasshopper, but its color is more sophisticated. When I was a kid, my older siblings in my hometown liked to catch a few to play with. Sometimes they would keep them at home and feed them straw every day. Watching them eat was quite fun. Sometimes when we caught too many, we would string them together with grass stems and roast them over a fire at night. After removing the heads, they were really crunchy.

Kang De always kept his distance from such activities. Due to his exceptional posture and imagination, when he saw insects, especially their complex mouthparts, strange eyes, intricate arthropod structures, and barbs on their thighs, he would always think how terrifying it would be if these things were as big as humans.

In addition, Xiaoman was naughty at the time, always grabbing strange and weird insects to scare him, which made him even more wary of her.

Xiaoman used to like to catch mantises, grasshoppers, cicadas, or the like and suddenly put them on Kang De's clothes, letting the insects crawl around until Kang De was terrified and cried, even shedding tears, before she would take them off.

Those childhood memories are now buried in the past; such things are rarely seen in my hometown these days.

Perhaps it's not uncommon, but he no longer has the motivation to leisurely stroll through the countryside or the interest to carefully seek enjoyment in the grass. Now, he only feels that the grass is unclean.

I never imagined that when I grew up, I would be catching a kind of insect in Africa that was almost like an alien creature.

So the question is, how do we catch them?

During the Xiaoman solar term, when catching insects, the emperor always extends his merciless iron hand, grabbing them without hesitation and catching them accurately with every single bite. If Kang De were nearby, he would undoubtedly use a stone or something else to smash them into mincemeat first, so that these poor insects would not fall into the hands of the primate mother beast and become pathetic tools for humans to harm each other.

But Kang De wouldn't touch the insects with his hands.

He pondered for a moment. Insect nets? He couldn't seem to find those in the neighborhood.

A moment later, a solution was found.

He flashed back into the White Mist World, and returned a moment later.

He had no expression on his face and was holding a plastic bag with the logo of the Lian [beep--] supermarket printed on it.

It's a large plastic bag that costs three cents.

He tore it open, grabbed both sides of the opening, and slammed it down hard. With a "duang" sound, the contents filled with air, fluttered in the wind, expanded into a large mass, and made a hollow sound.

It is said that this is a spiritual act that every human being has done, especially during childhood.

There are two other equally pointless acts of the soul.

First, inflate the plastic bag with air, tighten the opening, and then pop it to hear the sound.

Second, he turned on the tap, filled the plastic bag with water, and then held the heavy lump, looking at it from left to right and up to down, as excited as Columbus had discovered a new continent.

Those were the good old days; we could play with a tattered plastic bag all day.

Kang De looked at the enormous plastic bag, nodded, then looked around before kicking up a stone that sprang into the air, sending it hurtling towards the lamppost.

With a loud thud, the iron pillar shook, and the flying stones killed several locusts.

The violent tremor startled the swarm of locusts, causing them to take flight. Kang De then threw out a piece of pork, which the locusts sensed and buzzed about. Kang De had already taken a step forward and leaped into the air. The enchanted and reinforced plastic bag billowed in the wind, and like a Poké Ball, it swept past, trapping a swarm of locusts inside.

Then, quickly grabbing both handles, he snapped a few knots into tight knots.

Before the locusts could react, Kang De grabbed two more bags.

Once they had seen enough, they turned and ran. The swarm finally realized that one of their members had been captured. Large numbers of locusts from the distant city took to the air, flapping their wings in a continuous, fierce blizzard-like attack.

"Got it!"

Kang De then took out his camera and started filming wildly, while simultaneously dialing a number back home. "I've taken a look around inside and found some signs, and I've even caught some live specimens of locusts! The swarm can sense when its comrades are missing and is chasing me. I don't know their sensing range or activity area, so I can't bring them directly back to Comora; that's too risky—do you have any leads?"

Qin Mengjin immediately said, "You can go straight back to China! A top-level nuclear defense vehicle is already on standby near your home, and the National Security Bureau's action team is waiting downstairs. We can pick you and your goods up at any time; there's no need to send you back to Comora... Please leave immediately."

Kang De said, "In that case, all the insects will die."

"Huh?" the liaison officer said immediately, "Please explain in detail, I don't understand."

The Himo's Eagle was already ready. He mounted its back and soared upwards. Kang De declared, "Teleportation cannot carry living beings. Everyone except me—plants, animals, and microorganisms—must die!"

Qin Mengjin's side was clearly taken aback. They hadn't expected this at all. After all, Kang De hadn't explained it, and teleportation ability was rather subtle. Considering Kang De's feelings, they didn't ask for details for the time being, but planned to discuss it briefly when Kang De returned to China to transport supplies.

After all, some things have completely different effects when asked over the phone versus in person.

Only now have these intelligent people come to their senses and feel ashamed.

--Of course, he couldn't bring any live animals; otherwise, when he found his father, he would have sent them back immediately.

A hurried exchange came from the other end of the phone. Qin Mengjin said, "Mr. Kang De, there are no of our patrol ships in the Western Pacific Ocean, but a France Horizon class frigate that was docked at a port in Seligal for resupply has urgently departed and is patrolling the nearby waters. We are preparing to contact the France government..."

The sea route is the wise choice, since locust swarms will hunt down and capture their own kind. Leading the swarm on land, whether to other parts of Gambia or even the surrounding Seligal, would not be a good thing...

After all, these locusts don't seem willing to venture too far into the deep sea.

But...

"France?"

Kang De frowned.

"Not long ago, the France government made significant concessions. Until the battles of Gambia and Battle of Comora come to a peaceful conclusion, they should be a trustworthy temporary collaborator. The locust samples you provided will, as planned, be distributed to the France for research. After all, at this critical juncture, we can't keep things hidden. The West's scientific research capabilities are still commendable. This is a crisis for all of humanity, and naturally, it must be solved by all of humanity."

"However, rest assured, this is a sale, not a gift. The profits and their form are entirely up to you. The government will not let you suffer any losses."

Qin Mengjin knew that Kang De had a grudge against the France, and she tried to persuade him from various angles.

"Our plan is to meet you in more distant waters, where the France will take you to the Second Republic of Cape Verde, northwest of Gambia. It's an archipelago nation with excellent transportation links and good relations with our country. You can reach it via Amílcar Cabral Airport..."

"Alright, since the government has already made its decision, let's leave it at that," Kang De said. "Once we're on the ship, I'll hand the locusts over to the France and let them handle the transport. There are two bags in total. The foreigners can take one bag for their research, and the other bag will go to the government. I won't be on their ship."

Qin Mengjin paused for a moment, then said, "Okay."

In any case, catching locusts was a piece of cake for Kang De, and he wasn't afraid of any tricks the France might pull.

Kang De also had an idea about the remaining bag.

Even though taking it to the White Mist World would mean certain death, at least we could probably research something.

"That's settled then. You guys contact the France, I'll fly towards the open sea first."

"Clear."

"There's one more thing."

"You said."

Kang De's voice turned colder. "We haven't even had a chance to settle the score with the France over the Western Airport incident. This time, they're begging for peace, and my father is fine. Considering how thoroughly they knelt and how diligently they licked their boots, and that we have a common enemy, we'll let bygones be bygones for now."

"But there's one thing you need to make sure you've agreed on with the France."

"I'm going to the open sea. France warships will pick me up. If there's even the slightest act of aggression, I guarantee that the Paris cabinet government won't see a single living person after tomorrow. A week later, Paris's military, political, and energy logistics systems will completely collapse. It's not that I don't want to kill civilians; I just want to see what happens in this romantic city, teeming with thieves and foreigners, after the government has come to a standstill."

"You should tell the France that they either need to work hard to kill me in one fell swoop, or they should try to see if I keep my word."

His cold, sharp voice, along with the howling wind of the Himo's Eagle, entered the intelligence room of the Gambia Emergency Task Force, resounding through everyone's earpieces.

These elites and outstanding individuals, selected from various national institutions, all remained silent.

No one spoke. For a moment, these intelligent people couldn't figure out whether Kang De's mysterious and unpredictable superpowers added to the threatening nature of his words, or whether the language itself contained inherent power.

Then Kang De added, "Oh, and remember to add, 'Don't say I didn't warn you.'"

Puff.

Someone couldn't help but chuckle softly.

Having just heard the threat posed by a superpowered individual to another permanent member of the UN Security Council, the elites of these republics felt an instinctive unease and wariness, and the air became solemn and heavy.

But those words ruined the atmosphere.

The call was disconnected. The emergency team prepared to relay the message and request instructions. They looked at each other, and someone couldn't help but say, "Was what he said... also meant for us? If it was just a slip of the tongue, it's a real blunder. He was speaking to the France, but we're one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council."

Qin Mengjin didn't turn her head, and said indifferently, "Why would he do these things in China if he has nothing better to do? His relatives and friends are all here. Do you lack confidence in him, or in your country?"

These outstanding individuals, whether they were highly theoretical researchers or elite commanders who had distinguished themselves in battle, did not utter a word of rebuttal in front of a woman who claimed to be a lackey of the United Front Work Department.

"There's nothing wrong with what he said. Whether he said it or not, since he has already demonstrated a teleportation ability that contains hidden threats, the country must file a record of his loss of control. In that case, what difference does it make whether he said it or not? If he did, he could at least remind the country that he still has some Spark."

"He's both showing goodwill to the country and proving he's not made of clay. Since he doesn't want to stay in the system and is actively seeking opportunities abroad, we respect his decision. The motherland is his motherland; we share the same culture and language, so his sense of belonging and identity goes without saying. And what he wants, the country can provide. What the country can't provide, even Britain, the US, Russia, and France would struggle to provide. So, don't make a fuss."

Qin Mengjin tidied up the papers beside her, typed on the keyboard for a while, sent the email, stretched, turned around, her long ponytail swayed gently, her eyebrows and eyes were smart and capable, she was wearing a gray suit with a white lining at the open collar, and a red silk scarf around her neck.

She said calmly, "Besides, he can't do it... After all, he's not the only one."

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PS1: Update... Valentine's Day is just around the corner, sigh! If only I could stay home!