Summoned to Zhongnanhai

Meeting Xiaoman's questioning and worried gaze, Kang De took the phone from her.

"Hello? Uncle Wang."

Wang Yongzhi's voice rang out. "Where did you go? We've been trying to contact you constantly, my phone's been ringing off the hook! Did something happen?"

Kang De asked, bewildered, "Huh? What is it?"

"... Never mind, let them talk to you. Remember to answer the phone."

"Oh."

Kang De handed the phone back to Xiaoman, Xiaoman asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

Kang De shrugged. "I don't know, maybe a singularity has appeared."

"Oh, now that you mention it, I remember. I forgot to ask you before."

Xiaoman looked expectant. "Are there some kind of mysterious organizations in this world? Like the Freemasons, the Illuminati, the Black Organization, Chaldea, or something like that?"

Kang De glanced at him sideways and asked, "Why do you have such an idea?"

Xiaoman countered, "Aren't there plenty of examples in books and movies? And there's a lot of information available..."

Kang De said seriously, "Actually, back in Africa, a foreign friend of mine told me that there exists a very large, ancient, and nationwide mysterious society in China that participated in and experienced many major events in China history, and it hasn't even disappeared yet..."

Xiaoman asked in surprise, "Really?"

Kang De said, "He swore it was true, that this mysterious society had a long history and maintained extremely close relationships with the highest rulers of all dynasties..."

Xiaoman showed excitement.

"The leader of that organization hides among the common people with an extremely ordinary identity and status, yet he has free access to the palace of the nation's highest ruler, sharing the most exquisite delicacies with the esteemed emperor. And when the nation faces war, this organization will step forward and fight valiantly against foreign enemies."

"They made significant contributions to Chinese Civilization; in fact, one of the most famous dynasties in China history was founded by a member of this society..."

Xiaoman was completely astonished. "Wow, wow, wow, really? That's amazing?"

Kang De nodded and said, "Yes, it is said that each generation of leaders of that mysterious society inherits a powerful and mysterious force. The name of this force contains extremely profound symbolic meaning, which my foreign friend interpreted as a power that can threaten and supervise the emperor..."

"Wow, wow, wow, protecting China and monitoring imperial power, that's got the vibe! What's the name?"

Kang De replied seriously, "The name is 'Taming a Dragon with Twenty-Eight Slaps'..."

This name...

Xiaoman was stunned for a moment, then jumped up and exclaimed, "The Twenty-Eight Dragon-Subduing Palms? Isn't that the Beggars' Sect' Sect's style?"

Kang De suppressed a laugh and said, "Yes."

The girl immediately retorted angrily, "Fine! You're playing me?"

Kang De said in a serious tone, "That's not true. My foreign friend told me personally that it's real. A well-known China writer named 'Louis-Cha' revealed information about this mysterious group through his nationally bestselling works. The group has unparalleled influence and prestige among the China people, so they certainly wouldn't fabricate rumors out of thin air. Moreover, this group is widely present in China games, TV dramas, and movies..."

Xiaoman was so angry that she bared her teeth and claws, ready to tear his mouth apart. "You tricked me again!"

Kang De chuckled, "You're just being stupid and blaming me... There are definitely secret foreign organizations and societies, but I think they're somewhat involved in manipulating the world behind the scenes... Hey! Don't use your fingernails!"

At that moment, a new call finally came in on the phone.

Kang De gestured for Xiaoman to quiet down, then took her hand that was pinching him and led her out of the neighborhood. It was already seven or eight o'clock. The elderly who had been doing their morning exercises had already gone home, the students on holiday were still sleeping, and the adults were rushing to work. Only they were the most leisurely and carefree.

Kang De pressed the answer button, "Hello?"

The caller was once again Miss Qin Mengjin, Kang De's special united front specialist from the United Front Work Department. Her gentle yet capable voice rang out. "Mr. Kang De, is it convenient for you to take this call?"

Kang De glanced at Xiaoman: "It's convenient. I was just about to have breakfast. Is there anything I can help you with?"

The Miss Qin across from me paused for a moment, then asked naturally, "I have a question for you—are you currently in China? And where were you before?"

--Here it comes.

Good grief, it was a straight shot!

"I am here..."

Kang De answered instinctively, then immediately countered, "What is it? Why do you need to know this?"

In a meeting room under the highest level of security measures in Western Hills, Beijing, Qin Mengjin sat at a table with eight pages of paper covered in text and notes spread out before him. Beside him, several soldiers with serious eyes and capable expressions listened intently through earphones. On the other side of the table, several middle-aged men with stars on their shoulders had different expressions. This conversation was also transmitted to the sea in real time.

After a brief exchange of glances, and listening to the instructions coming through the earpiece, a lieutenant colonel next to Qin Mengjin quietly pointed to a line of text.

Let's get straight to it.

Miss Qin nodded slightly to show that she understood. A bead of sweat slid down her smooth forehead. Beside her, a female soldier carefully wiped it away with a handkerchief, giving her an encouraging look.

This was an urgent mission, and in order to make her aware of the situation and better complete the mission, Qin Mengjin was authorized to read a report after signing a new confidentiality agreement.

What happened less than an hour ago is enough to cause a huge upheaval across the entire planet.

The target of her united front work has a slight possibility of possessing a nuclear explosive force of nearly ten million tons that has not yet fused... Therefore, the Republic must confirm some things.

Even the most basic things.

The seasoned and well-trained soldier remained calm and composed, speaking in a gentle tone, "It's like this, Mr. Kang De. We've been unable to contact you for the past twelve hours, and considering your previous purchase of a large quantity of military explosives and mines domestically, we're curious about what you've been up to."

Kang De said lazily, "What I did had nothing to do with the weapons I bought from the state. Those things are still lying in Moyani's warehouse. Don't worry, I'm a law-abiding citizen and won't do anything reckless..."

The lieutenant colonel pointed to a line of text on another piece of paper.

Qin Mengjin smiled and said, "Of course we believe you, but we can't get in touch with you all day, after all, there are some..."

"Miss Qin Mengjin."

Kang De's voice came through the earpiece, calm and indifferent. "There are many secrets on Earth, and I have many secrets, and you have many secrets. We all have many secrets we don't want to share with outsiders. I also have personal privacy that I don't want others to disturb. I love my country and am willing to do many things for it within my power, but I am not a soldier, nor am I a member of the system. My dealings with the country are mutually beneficial."

"Therefore, from any perspective, I have no obligation to stand at attention, keep my communication channels open, and answer every call from the capital—you agree, right?"

Qin Mengjin looked slightly flustered. The soldiers listening to the conversation frowned, exchanged a glance, and began typing rapidly on their silent keyboards.

"It doesn't seem so."

His tone was somewhat impatient, but it was natural.

"If they're guilty, they won't emphasize secrets or personal privacy; instead, they'll be more frank about their alibis and cooperate with our questioning... So far, I haven't seen any flaws."

"But we cannot rule out the possibility that he did it intentionally."

"You can't deduce anything from his voice alone... Even academic theories like human behavior don't apply to him. He's a powerful superhuman, and it's possible he has a way to control his tone of voice, heartbeat, blood flow, and facial muscle movements—very troublesome."

The generals sitting at the other end of the conference table exchanged glances.

"Since there's no way to control it with magic, let's treat it with sincerity..." the old man with three gold stars on his shoulder said slowly. "In the end, it's just a slim chance, and besides, we still have to rely on him, don't we?"

Everyone remained silent.

The old man stood up, walked to Qin Mengjin's side, and gestured. Miss Qin immediately stood up, took off her earphones, and handed them to him. The general of the Republic calmly asked, "Is this Mr. Kang?"

The person he was talking to sounded unusually young, not much older than his grandson.

"It's me. And you are?"

"A soldier, a veteran Party member, a public servant—my job is to oversee the development of the Republic's armed forces..." the old man smiled. "My name is..."

His self-introduction was drowned out by Kang De's shouts, "Hey hey hey hey, no sugar, no sugar! You're new here, right? I want it salty, and with some chili oil..."

Then came a girl's snort, "Heretical!"

A moment later, Kang De's laughter rang out again. "Hello, sir! I'm so sorry, the breakfast shop made a mistake for me... I often see you on TV! You work hard! Salute to the soldiers!"

The old man smiled and said, "It's not hard work, it's not hard work at all. This is all for the country and for you. -- Oh, did you just have breakfast? Will I disturb you if I talk to you now?"

"Look at what you're saying," Kang De's voice was bright and clear. "For you to speak to me personally so early in the morning, it must be something very important. It's certainly not a bother. Please speak frankly. I've been well taken care of by the country lately, and I've been thinking about how I can repay it. Is there anything I can do for the country?"

Qin Mengjin, who stepped aside to listen to the conversation with her colleagues, secretly rolled her eyes.

"Good, good. Those so-called experts and professors just spout nonsense. I think this generation of young people is quite good; they have a sense of the big picture and a spirit of dedication." The old man subconsciously praised, "Mr. Kang... Hey, calling you Mr. Kang sounds a bit formal, calling you Little Kang sounds a bit like a leader, calling you Little Kang De sounds a bit disrespectful. I can't think of a proper way to address you right now, haha."

This was supposed to be a conversational technique to build rapport and shorten the distance between people, but Kang De, on the other end of the phone, didn't even think about it and casually replied, "Is there even a need to think about it, Comrade Kang De?"

The soldiers in the conference room were all taken aback when they heard this.

The old man paused for a moment, a complex expression appearing on his face. "I thought young people in your society didn't like this form of address..."

"I've always liked it, comrade," Kang De replied, "But I don't know when the word changed its meaning. What was once a bright and beautiful title, a bond that united the people's honor and aspirations, has become a taboo that people avoid like the plague, acquiring new meanings from the outside world... Frankly, I don't think this is a mere accident; it seems more like a malicious conspiracy."

The old man said softly, "I see... very good, very good, Comrade Kang De."

As a man in his sixties, his youth was a turbulent and magnificent last century. Although a new era has arrived and the country has gradually become stronger, and many things have become better, many beautiful memories have also passed away, which he misses dearly.

Now, when he walks down the street without his uniform, no matter where he goes, he can no longer be called a comrade.

Unbeknownst to him, he had grown much closer to Kang De, and their relationship had improved.

What a good child!

A child with such upright thoughts and a kind heart wouldn't have done something so terrible.

"Then, Comrade Kang De," his expression turned solemn, "Please promise that what I'm about to say will be heard only by you, and that you will not tell anyone else. Can you do that?"

Kang De paused for a moment, then said, "Wait a moment, I'll go outside—please continue."

The old man took a deep breath. "An hour ago, suspected supernatural forces stole two thermonuclear warheads from the America, one 300 kilotons and the other 9 megatons."

Comrade Kang De exclaimed in astonishment, "Holy crap! What's going on?"

The intelligence officers exchanged glances, but still found no flaws.

"Nuclear warheads can be stolen?" Excited voices rang out. "How were they stolen?"

"..."

Why does that sound so strange?

The old man replied, "It wasn't stolen from the nuclear arsenal. The other side must have created some kind of massive illusion, and after enduring a conventional attack from the four branches of the America military, they forced the America to launch nuclear weapons—two in total. The illusion vanished along with the second W53 nuclear bomb as it struck."

"No nuclear explosion detected. No radioactivity, thermal Fallout, dust, debris... nothing at all."

"Therefore, we strongly suspect that the nuclear warheads were stolen through deception."

After hearing this, Kang De said, "Fooled? Sounds like..."

He fell silent.

After a moment, a colder voice rang out. "So the government suspects I did it?"

The old man said, "Well, Comrade Kang De, to be frank, we treat you with sincerity. This has always been the country's policy in its interactions with you. You are a wise and intelligent young man, and you should be able to understand the country's difficulties. After all, being able to deceive people with illusions about nuclear weapons seems like some kind of space teleportation power—and as you know, you have demonstrated this ability more than once. We do have our doubts."

"We are willing to believe you, but the nation is responsible for the peace of over a billion people and the world. This concerns nuclear weapons, specifically a nine-megaton hydrogen bomb, which could cause profound catastrophe in any region of the world. Even the slightest possibility cannot be ignored."

The Republic's general calmly replied, "We apologize, but we must still consider all possibilities."

Kang De paused for a moment, then slowly said, "I understand—but I have no use for that thing."

"We all believe in you, Comrade Kang De, but we're afraid that if you remember how we were bullied by the American Empire, you might get upset and cause a big incident there... It's not impossible, is it?"

The old man chuckled, "When I was young, I dreamed of swimming across the Pacific Ocean with a rifle to teach those American Empire wolves a lesson. But back then, I only thought about it. You, on the other hand, are quite something; you can actually do it."

Kang De smiled and said, "It really wasn't me. Don't worry. If I really wanted to do something, I wouldn't need nuclear weapons—they have too much collateral damage. No matter where they're used, the civilians suffer the most. After all, nuclear weapons are weapons of mass destruction, and what I'm best at is precision strikes. Nuclear weapons wouldn't be of much use to me."

"That's true... Ah, don't laugh at me, Comrade Kang De, I'd rather it was you who did it."

The general sighed, "If you did it, we believe you have a legitimate reason, or that you acted out of momentary anger. We're all comrades; we can talk to them, have a good chat, and come up with a better way to cover it up, and that will be resolved... But if you didn't do it, then this matter is far too serious."

This means that an individual or even an organization, unknown to other nations and possessing immense and extraordinary power, meticulously planned this theft of the sun and stole the supreme military force possessed by humankind.

They didn't know who the other party was, what their purpose was, or where they would use the nuclear warhead.

The old man said helplessly, "I'm not afraid to let you know that we've already activated the highest level of nuclear response plan. Hai Li is currently meeting with heads of state from various countries to discuss it. Everyone is on high alert and has agreed to exercise restraint. It would be a lie to say we're not panicked. We're all afraid that this nuclear bomb might explode in some country... No matter where it explodes, it's not what we want to see."

Kang De's voice turned serious. "You mean, we might also...?"

"It's not impossible, so we're both afraid and angry. It's like going back to the 1950s and 60s, when our country didn't have nuclear weapons yet, but the United States did, and they kept threatening to use them. They had also broken ties with their Soviet Union big brother, so it seemed like nuclear bombs could fall at any moment, and could hit anywhere... And we could only wait for them to hit us before we could react—it was so frustrating."

The general's voice was tinged with helplessness and a sigh.

Kang De was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "What can I do—I mean, if they target us, I will do everything in my power to make them pay in blood, but more than revenge, I want to prevent it."

The intelligence officers exchanged glances.

The silent keyboard was typing rapidly.

"If he had done it, he would subconsciously assume that nuclear weapons wouldn't be dropped on his own country, and he would talk about the threat in a relaxed manner, not with such solemnity and worry as he does now... I don't think it was him."

"Agree."

"Agree."

The old man said, "All the radars are turned on, the relevant troops are fully prepared, and we are ready too... This is the case in all countries. You probably don't know, but Trump has already taken refuge in a bunker. While foreign websites are deleting posts, he's still in the bunker refuting rumors."

Upon hearing this, Kang De was standing in front of the breakfast shop, quickly returned, took Xiaoman's phone, tapped on a magical power, and immediately logged onto Twitter. A Chuan's latest tweet contained two words in bold.

"FAKE-NEWS!"

"Pfft." Kang De suppressed a laugh, "What's being spread on the foreign internet now?"

"The deployment of the America military and the launch of InterContinental nuclear missiles were witnessed, and there are many conspiracy theories on Twitter... just the kind of stuff foreigners use."

Upon hearing this, Kang De said, "It seems that he is the one who is most afraid."

"The America has been robbing and murdering people all over the world for decades, so of course they're feeling guilty," the old man snorted. "But they're still businessmen, afraid of death but lacking courage. We see things clearly—even a ten-million-ton nuclear bomb can't destroy a country. Even if the organization or individual who stole the nuclear bomb has ulterior motives, they'd rather use it as leverage than detonate it directly."

Kang De thought to himself, "This seems like my chance to shine."

"Yes... that's why we wanted to invite you to the capital as a guest," the old man chuckled. "Let's see what we can do, let's see if you, the most powerful superhuman in the world, can give us some advice—we know very little about teleportation abilities, this should serve as a wake-up call."

"Also, we are very interested in your suggestion last time to establish a base that belongs to you, used for testing abilities and teaching other superhumans."

"So, could you spare a moment for a chat? We'd all like to talk to you."

After a while, Kang De hung up the phone and returned to the breakfast shop.

"Who are you talking to?" Xiaoman asked, noticing his expression. "Is something wrong?"

Kang De nodded, and said proudly, "I am summoned by the sea."

￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥

PS1: Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I know what I'm doing, not a single thing that shouldn't be written will appear... The so-called appropriate level of detail is a survival skill!