A Straightforward Man's Intuition

Space shattered, the Phase Door opened, and Kang De returned from the other world. He appeared in his own bedroom, his face ashen, and slammed straight into the wall!

The Extraction power instantly spread and enveloped Xiaoman's room, causing the walls to crack. He burst from his own bedroom into Xiaoman's, shouting, "Xiaoman!"

Xiaoman was sitting at the table, holding her phone, with the signal generator Kang De had given her beside her. Tears streamed down her face. Hearing the noise, she looked up at her childhood sweetheart and cried out, "Kang De!"

Seeing that Xiaoman was unharmed, Kang De first breathed a sigh of relief, then asked, "What happened?"

At the same time, a familiar scream blared from the phone's speaker, "Kang De! Help me! I'm screaming for my mom!"

Kang De snatched the phone, and the video call screen flipped and collided. Amidst the chaotic noise, all that could be seen were jumbled figures, tossing long hair, and a desperate struggle. Then the phone fell to the ground, the camera pointing at the ceiling, where the magnificent and elegant Swarovski crystal chandelier emitted a mesmerizing brilliance.

Beneath this dreamlike and beautiful glow, evil is spreading.

Xiaoman covered her mouth, grabbed Kang De's arm, and trembled.

The sounds of hitting and struggling eventually turned into rough curses and dull thuds as his body fell limply to the ground with a thud, followed by the arguing and shouting of several men.

With a heavy accent, not even speaking English, Kang De's face was ashen. Horus had already extended a mechanical arm and probe from his sleeve, collecting all the image and sound data.

Finally, footsteps approached; someone was getting closer to the phone that An Youyi had thrown.

Kang De took a deep breath.

"Don't hurt her."

He tried to make his English pronunciation clear and standard. "Her father is very rich, and he's willing to pay for it, a lot of money, as long as his daughter is safe."

This English passage is extremely simple; it's simple to say, and it must be even simpler to hear.

But the sound of men's mocking laughter came through the receiver.

"Hello, Chink." It seemed someone was bending down and speaking into the receiver, standing far enough away that the camera didn't capture his face. "Have a nice night."

With a crack, the screen went black for a moment, followed by a series of shattering sounds, and then the signal was lost.

Xiaoman covered her mouth and finally burst into tears.

Kang De pulled the girl's trembling body into his arms and gently patted her back. "It's alright, it's alright, I'm here... don't be afraid."

Xiaoman gritted her teeth, sobbed a few times, then wiped away her tears forcefully and said, "She's been kidnapped. Someone broke into the guesthouse they booked. There were a total of..."

As she spoke, her voice trembled with emotion, and she almost burst into tears again.

Kang De gently took her hand. "You can try to calm yourself down first..."

"No," Xiaoman shook her head vigorously, "The sooner I told her, the greater her chances of being saved..."

Kang De squeezed her hand. "It's okay, be good, listen to me."

He gestured, Phase Gate opened, revealing a bottle of Sprite in his palm. Kang De unscrewed it and handed it to Xiaoman: "Have something to drink first, calm down..."

As he spoke, he pressed a button on his phone.

The call was answered quickly, "Hello, Comrade Kang De, this is Qin Mengjin. What's up?"

Kang De calmly stated, "An Youyi has been kidnapped in London."

There was a moment of silence on the other end, then a quick reply came, "Understood. Report it immediately. We will exert pressure through diplomatic channels and urge the England authorities to take immediate action."

The phone rang with the sound of a door opening and a call bell. Qin Mengjin, who lived in Diaoyutai, quickly walked down the corridor, put on her coat, and pressed the elevator button. "Do you know where she lives?"

Xiao Xiaoman was sipping her drink, heard the sound coming from the speaker and looked up, saying, "Xiao An sent his location. He bragged to me before about it, saying it's a mansion in Hyde Park..."

Qin Mengjin heard Xiaoman's voice clearly. The other person paused for a moment, then asked in astonishment, "Hyde Park? That's the heart of London, one of the safest areas. Why would a home invasion kidnapping happen there?"

Kang De coldly replied, "Are you asking me?"

There was a brief moment of surprise and silence on the other end of the phone.

Kang De recognized the problem with his tone.

He hadn't yet shaken off the role he was playing in the other world. Coupled with the shock and anger from Xiaoman's message, the frustration of An Youyi being kidnapped, the fear and tear stains on Xiaoman's face, and the interrupted plans for the Broken Isles defense battle, all of this caused his anger to surge uncontrollably.

"... I'm sorry," he said, "It wasn't directed at you."

"It doesn't matter."

Qin Mengjin's voice softened. "I didn't mean anything by it, I was just saying that this matter seems very unusual—is Miss Wang Xiaoman with you? Is it convenient for you to talk?"

Kang De glanced at Xiaoman, who was still crying, Xiaoman had already put down her drink. "Okay."

Hello, Ms. Wang.

Having arrived at the first floor of Building 18, Qin Mengjin made several hand gestures to the waiters and special agents on duty. The waiters quickly rushed into the staff passage and soon dragged out a computer mounted on a food cart. The waiters who could serve in the Presidential Building had undergone rigorous selection and secret training in various aspects.

Miss Qin turned on her computer, quickly logged into her account, and said while typing, "Ms. Wang, it seems you were able to contact Ms. An Youyi when she was kidnapped, is that right?"

Xiaoman nodded and said, "Yes."

"You've been frightened," Qin Mengjin said quickly. "Although I don't want you to recall unpleasant memories, I must ask a few questions that might make you uncomfortable. This will help us successfully rescue Ms. An Youyi, and we need your cooperation."

"I understand." Xiaoman's voice was still a little nasal. "Please ask."

"First of all, did An Youyi go to London alone?"

"Yes, but her best friend is in London to pick her up."

Did you receive it?

"Right."

"Is their hotel near Hyde Park?"

"It's not a hotel, it's a guesthouse."

"Why a guesthouse?" Qin Mengjin asked while typing. "As far as I know, An Youyi comes from a very wealthy family. Her first choice should be the InterContinental Hotel, which has an agreement with her father's company."

Xiaoman didn't know why the other person asked this, but she still answered, "Xiao An said that her best friend helped her book all her trips in London. This Airbnb is a luxury house near Hyde Park. It was a surprise prepared by her best friend for her. She seemed very satisfied after arriving and even bragged about it to me."

Qin Mengjin asked, "Do you know her best friend? What's her name?"

Xiaoman paused for a moment, then said softly, "I don't know, I only know that Xiao An calls her Lulu... I'm sorry."

"It's alright, you don't need to apologize for this." As Qin Mengjin spoke, she gestured to her subordinate who had run over to wait for her. The subordinate understood, immediately took a few steps back, and made a phone call.

The communication connection was established, and the team specifically tasked with liaising with Kang De was up and running within three minutes. An official, putting down his headset, shouted, "Interpersonal Relationships Team! Immediately begin searching An Youyi's classmates, family connections, and social circles. Find everyone who studied in London, United Kingdom! Prioritize names containing the character 'Lu'—though there might not be any!"

He paused for a moment, then continued, "After identifying the target, continue the investigation. Contact her parents, teachers, and classmates to investigate her personality, find all available information about her spending habits and records, calculate the percentage of spending, and determine if she has any bad habits or promiscuous relationships..."

Meanwhile, another official was issuing orders. "Investigate An Youyi's father's overseas assets and business dealings. If necessary, you can directly question him to see if he has crossed any lines or engaged in fierce competition with foreign companies!"

At Diaoyutai, Qin Mengjin continued, "Did Ms. An Youyi mention whether she met any strangers on airplanes, at airports, on the street, or online?"

Xiaoman's face paled, and she whispered, "I didn't ask... Oh, right!"

She seemed to recall something, "On the plane! She later told me that there were no first-class seats available, but they upgraded her for free, and the person sitting next to her was a very handsome guy. She said he was very polite, very handsome, and knew everything, which made her feel very good..."

Do you have any photos?

"Yes, they had a great chat. Xiao An took a picture with him and sent it to me."

Please send it to me.

Xiaoman glanced at Kang De, Kang De nodded.

"Furthermore, it is said that during Ms. An Youyi's video call with you, she suddenly discovered that criminals had broken in and committed a kidnapping... Is that correct?"

Xiaoman's face was still showing signs of panic. She whispered, "No, she called me after she found out. I was already asleep when the WeChat call woke me up. When I answered, she was crying, saying that someone had broken in and was grabbing Lulu... She locked the door, saying those people were looking for her, and that she was very scared... and then..."

As she said this, Xiaoman's body began to tremble.

Kang De held her in his arms and remained silent.

One can imagine the immense fear that must have gripped the two girls before his return.

An Youyi, far from home, had her comfortable and enjoyable trip disrupted by a terrible accident. Hide in her luxurious room, listening to screams, roars, and heavy footsteps outside, desperate and crying, she begged her best friend for help. Meanwhile, Xiaoman, on the other side of the world, could do nothing but watch the weeping, desperate face on the screen, feeling the same fear, helplessness, and terror that An Youyi felt...

Qin Mengjin remained silent on the other end of the phone, seemingly waiting for Xiaoman to calm down, or perhaps hesitating whether to continue questioning this girl who clearly had psychological Shadow —she was concerned about Kang De's feelings; obviously, forcing Wang Xiaoman to recall the past would greatly displease Kang De.

But after a short while, Xiaoman's voice rang out on its own.

"Miss Qin," she said, "Is there anything else you want to ask?"

Qin Mengjin hesitated for a moment, then made up her mind. "I want to know, why did Ms. An Youyi call you for help after discovering the danger?"

Xiaoman glanced at Kang De and said softly, "She's not asking me for help, she's asking Kang De to save her."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a meaningful "Oh".

Kang De, however, frowned, a look of doubt on his face.

Clearly, Qin Mengjin skipped over this topic and continued, "Did Miss An Youyi describe the physical characteristics of the kidnappers to you? Or did you see them yourself in the video?"

Xiaoman glanced timidly at Kang De covered the microphone.

"I didn't see it," the girl said weakly. "I was looking for this button... I was panicking, fumbling around, and by the time I looked at my phone again, they had already rushed in..."

Kang De touched her face to indicate that she was alright, and said to Qin Mengjin, "The situation was chaotic at the time, and Xiaoman didn't see clearly. We can't expect an ordinary girl to have such composure... But after I came back, I recorded the last footage, as well as their conversation, which wasn't in English."

Qin Mengjin was clearly excited. "That's an important clue, that's perfect... Please send it to me!"

"Good."

After the questioning was largely over, Qin Mengjin offered Xiaoman words of comfort and promised that national forces were intervening and that pressure would be exerted through diplomatic means to urge the relevant British departments to expedite the investigation.

She reassured them, "Hyde Park is a residential area favored by the wealthy in the United Kingdom and even the world. It is the most prestigious and central area of London. With such a heinous case of home invasion and kidnapping, and with the government exerting covert but strong pressure, the police will definitely take it seriously."

Xiaoman said softly, "Um... thank you for your help."

Kang De glanced at Xiaoman, thought for a Xiaoman, and said, "Miss Qin, let's add another bargaining chip. Please tell the British side that An Youyi is my good friend. If they can't find her, I'll go find her myself."

Qin Mengjin replied, "I don't recommend doing that, Comrade Kang De. As I said, if a serious crime occurs in the heart of high society, the London police will definitely take it seriously, and they will certainly do their utmost to supervise the case through secret diplomatic channels. Under such circumstances, there's no need to bring your name out there again—it's better not to expose this special relationship."

Kang De was silent for a moment, then said, "Then arrange a flight for me; I want to go to London."

Qin Mengjin said softly, "I understand how you feel, but applying pressure through official channels is the most appropriate, quickest, and most efficient way to resolve the issue. You..."

"Miss Qin," Kang De said calmly, "It's like this. If I had to summarize my life experience so far into one lesson, it would be this: don't trust anything until you have absolute control over every situation."

While Miss Qin remained silent, Kang De added, "The Atlantic Ocean isn't covered either; don't make me swim there myself."

"Okay, I understand."

After hanging up the phone, Xiaoman hugged Kang De tightly, without saying a word.

"Don't be afraid, I'll save her." Kang De gently embraced the body consumed by fear. "I'm here, there's nothing to be afraid of."

Xiaoman sobbed, "Was I really useless? I only realized afterwards that I should have asked her to describe the physical characteristics of the kidnappers more clearly. I was just crying at the time..."

"No, you've done very well." Kang De stroked her hair. "Don't blame yourself. I'll make up for any mistakes or oversights you made. It's not your fault."

Xiaoman hugged his waist, pressed against his chest, and whispered, "It's not your fault."

Kang De's chin was pressed against Xiaoman's head, and upon hearing this, he smiled slightly.

He knew what Xiaoman was talking about.

An Youyi had previously extended an invitation to the two of them. If they had accepted then, the kidnapping today would never have happened. But Xiaoman didn't mention it, and that's not Kang De's fault.

"Please try your best to get her out, okay?" Xiaoman whispered, "But make sure you don't get hurt..."

"You're overthinking it," Kang De laughed. "I'm more afraid of death than you think."

Xiaoman chuckled softly, then paused, lost in thought, "Now I envy you even more. I wish I had superpowers too. I didn't think much of it before, I just thought that if you had superpowers, I would have superpowers too, but it's still different. When something like this happens, you can calmly arrange everything, while all I can do is cry..."

"It has nothing to do with having superpowers," Kang De said softly. "I cried at first too."

"Oh, what's wrong?"

A hint of sadness flashed in Kang De's eyes, but he quickly smiled and said, "I'll tell you next time."

He picked Xiaoman up and placed her on the bed. "It's time to sleep. You need to rest well... Don't be disobedient. It won't be that quick. Do you want to stay up until they rescue the person?"

"It's not that it's impossible."

"Alright, listen to me," Kang De said softly. "Go to sleep. I'll stay here with you. Maybe when you wake up, An Youyi will have been rescued."

He covered Xiaoman with Xiaoman blanket. The girl's eyes were still a little red and swollen. She stared at Kang De for a long time before whispering, "If there's any good news, you have to wake me up."

"Good."

"You must come and see me before you go to the United Kingdom."

"Rest assured."

"Pinky promise."

"Okay, okay."

They hooked their fingers together, gently tightened them, and then smiled at each other.

Xiaoman was indeed very tired. She had been sleeping when she was frightened and became so tired and anxious. Now that Kang De had appeared, he was like a hero who cleared away all her worries and fears. Even though Xiao An was still in a foreign land, she seemed less worried and afraid.

She only felt her eyelids gradually drooping.

"I wish I had superpowers too..."

The girl murmured these words as she drifted off to sleep.

Kang De sat by the bed, gazing at Xiaoman's sleeping face. After a while, he gently got up.

In her sleep, the girl saw a dazzling starry sky.

Diaoyutai State Guesthouse.

Qin Mengjin sighed, "I still want you to reconsider."

"No need to consider it," Kang De said. "Xiaoman has never asked me for anything."

He went straight to the point. "What's the situation now?"

"We have completed preliminary negotiations with the British side, and the authorities are dispatching police to the guesthouse they booked," Qin Mengjin explained the progress as she saw Kang De appear.

Kang De frowned and said, "Wait a minute, is she still at it? Didn't An Youyi call the police?"

Miss Qin looked at Kang De with a meaningful gaze. "Yes, the embassy didn't receive a call either, and her parents and family didn't receive any communications or messages... In other words, when An Youyi was in danger, the first person she thought of was you."

Kang De frowned and said decisively, "This is not right!"

￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥

PS1: This chapter was written very slowly because I changed my mind and abandoned the narrative of An Youyi leaving the airport and being attacked at the guesthouse. It was several thousand words long... Mainly, I felt it was a bit dragging, and I was considering a different writing style, that is, the kind where the main perspective unfolds layer by layer based on the protagonist... Oh well, everyone can read it anyway.

PS2: Also, after seeing the doctor today, she suggested I go out for exercise to improve my mood. I understood immediately. It turns out the doctor wanted me to go for a walk every morning and evening to watch the high school girls going to and from school. Got it, I'll start tomorrow.