Netherlands

In the end, Zhang Xuan said nothing. After leaving Steve and Bucky some money, he departed the Brooklyn apartment and arrived at Stark Industries in Manhattan.

"Alex, Europe is in chaos right now. It's far too dangerous for you to go there!" Standing before an old-fashioned plane, Howard could not help trying to dissuade Zhang Xuan again.

Zhang Xuan shook his head and said resolutely, "That's exactly why I need to get to Europe as soon as possible. I'm afraid there won't be any clues left if I'm too late." He still used the excuse he had previously made up to deceive everyone.

Howard looked deeply at Zhang Xuan, sighed, and sincerely wished him well. "Alex, I hope you achieve your wish and return safely soon!"

"Don't worry. I'm not giving up my thirty percent stake in Stark Industries!" Zhang Xuan joked as he stepped onto the plane.

Planes of this era were nowhere near as advanced as those of the twenty-first century. They were incredibly primitive. To be honest, Zhang Xuan truly did not dare ride in a plane like this; even teleporting bit by bit would have been safer. But if he did that, there would be no way to explain it.

After boarding the plane and finding a window seat, Zhang Xuan closed his eyes to rest, though he was actually considering the itinerary for this trip to Europe. He had only one purpose in going there: to find someone. Not his father, whom he had no memory of, but a girl—a woman destined to one day draw the world's attention.

At the thought of this woman, Zhang Xuan's entire body trembled with excitement. She was the goddess in his heart. Even in the twenty-first century, an age overflowing with beautiful women, no one could replace her place in his heart.

She was none other than Audrey Hepburn, known as the "Angel Fallen to Earth"!

But it was now 1940. The future Angel was only eleven years old, enduring endless suffering in the occupied Netherlands. Many of her relatives had been slaughtered, and she had no choice but to live in poverty with her mother, sometimes even having to eat tulip bulbs to stave off hunger.

Whenever Zhang Xuan thought of the pain the future Angel was suffering, he wished he could appear at her side immediately and save her from misery. This was also an important reason why he had given up traveling by ship and chosen a plane. He wanted to end Angel's suffering sooner!

After more than ten grueling hours of flight, the old-fashioned plane Zhang Xuan considered extremely unsafe finally landed safely at an airport outside London, United Kingdom. This was a Royal Air Force airfield. Rows upon rows of fighter planes filled the view, along with United Kingdom soldiers in uniform coming and going.

Because Zhang Xuan was anxious to save Angel, he had not taken a civilian flight. Instead, he had gone directly to Howard, which was how he could reach the United Kingdom so quickly and safely.

After getting off the plane, Zhang Xuan glanced at the rows of "ancient" fighter planes parked on the airfield and curled his lip slightly. Led by an officer, he obediently left the place.

London was still damp in June, with low clouds that seemed ready to rain at any moment. Without any mood to admire the melancholy of the foggy city, Zhang Xuan headed straight for the train station. Unlike the twenty-first century, the United Kingdom and the European Continent were still separated by a natural barrier: the English Channel. To travel from the United Kingdom to the European Continent, one could only fly or take a ship.

Zhang Xuan did not dare take another plane. Who knew whether he might run into the German Air Force? With no other choice, he could only travel by ship. Fortunately, it would not take much time, at most delaying him by a day.

After spending a day traveling, Zhang Xuan finally crossed the English Channel and set foot on the war-torn European Continent, in Calais, France.

Compared to London's damp heat, the sunshine in France was far more brilliant. After being stifled for nearly two days, Zhang Xuan could finally breathe fresh air.

Zhang Xuan had originally planned to rest in France for a few days. Several days of continuous travel had left him exhausted. Whether in his previous life or this one, his body had never been particularly strong. He was merely tall at one meter eighty; in truth, he was only slightly stronger than Steve.

But when Zhang Xuan accidentally heard about the recent military situation, he immediately lost all desire to rest.

The German Army was fiercely attacking the defensive lines in northern France. Before long, Germany's iron hoofs would surely press toward Paris! Thinking of the news he had heard in the United Kingdom—the Dunkirk evacuation of the British and French Allied Forces—Zhang Xuan realized that France would soon be defeated. He did not have much time left!

With that in mind, Zhang Xuan could only press onward without stopping and immediately head for the Netherlands. Since the Netherlands had already fallen, he naturally had no way to take a train or ship there. But this was not difficult for Zhang Xuan. In chaotic Europe, he could use Teleportation without restraint. The only concern was that he would need to cross the German Army's defensive lines along the way.

Fortunately, Zhang Xuan had over twenty years of experience from his previous life, so concealing his tracks was effortless.

After wasting nearly an entire night, Zhang Xuan finally arrived in Arnhem, Netherlands. This was the city where Audrey Hepburn now lived. She was studying ballet at Arnhem Music Academy, and becoming a ballet dancer had been Audrey Hepburn's original dream.

Arnhem was not as devastated as Zhang Xuan had expected. If not for the German soldiers occasionally passing through the streets, he would hardly have believed this was a city that had just fallen.

Zhang Xuan did not know where Angel lived, but that did not stump him. After asking around, he found Arnhem Music Academy. It too had not been touched by the war. Quite a few beautiful girls in school uniforms were still on campus, all of them students of the music academy.

Teleporting silently into the academy, Zhang Xuan continuously searched for Angel's whereabouts.

Hard work paid off. In a dance studio, Zhang Xuan saw a tall figure. Though she had not yet fully developed and her exquisite face had not completely grown into its beauty, every smile, every frown, every gesture told Zhang Xuan that this was the Angel he had been looking for—Audrey Hepburn!

Zhang Xuan could not wait to go up and greet the goddess in his heart, but he knew that approaching her so rashly would probably frighten her. He suppressed his excitement and quietly watched Angel's graceful dancing.

As he watched, Zhang Xuan began considering how he could approach Angel. After getting close to her, how could he earn her trust and persuade her to leave this troubled land of Europe with him?

But as he continued watching, Zhang Xuan's mind went blank. All his questions were forgotten, leaving only the graceful figure in the dance studio, like a pure white swan.

As Zhang Xuan immersed himself in Audrey Hepburn's beautiful dance, he had no idea that his reckless use of Teleportation had already drawn the attention of certain special German departments. Some hidden individuals had also developed considerable interest in him, and all of them were doing their utmost to track down his whereabouts!