"Mmh, I'm awake. Don't be scared, Mei."
Feeling the fear from the person beside him, Fu Li struggled to squirm a few times, wriggling on the ground like a maggot.
Just then, a sharp pain shot through his abdomen.
"Hah... kid, you better behave!"
The man's voice rang out, but before he could even gloat for two seconds, he was stopped by an even colder female voice.
"Minova! Stop! You will not lay a hand on the children!"
"But Boss, this kid is too..."
"Enough. Stay quiet and follow orders!"
"Yes..."
Hearing this exchange, Fu Li coughed a few times, a rough idea forming in his mind.
If he wasn't mistaken, the point in time he had entered was the period when Mei was kidnapped as a child.
Regarding this period, players online had various theories, but one was undoubtedly the most credible.
The mastermind behind this kidnapping was Cocolia. On the surface, it was a kidnapping for ransom, but in reality, it was to implant the Gem of Conquest into Mei's body.
And the fact that the female voice had just protected the children undoubtedly fit Cocolia's character.
Thinking of this, Fu Li immediately spoke out to test the waters.
"What's wrong? Hah, is that all you've got? Did you skip breakfast? So wimpy... acting like a kidnapper. Ptooey."
"Hey, you're testing my temper!"
Hearing Fu Li's provocation, Minova, who, from his name alone, sounded like he was from the Fighting Nation, immediately lost his temper.
As a Russian, when had he ever suffered such an insult?
However, just as he raised his gun butt to smash it down, the she-tiger among the bears spoke.
"Mi...no...va...?!"
"Boss? This?"
"Shut your mouth!"
Hearing the boss speak, no matter how unwilling Minova was, he could only swallow his anger, glaring resentfully at the little brat below.
But to be honest, this was the first time he had seen such a tough-mouthed little kid.
Just as Fu Li was considering whether to continue provoking them to test their limits, the sound of high heels crunching on snow came from his ear.
The next second, Fu Li felt himself being grabbed from behind, his entire body thrown off balance and tossed directly into the snow. A gun barrel was pressed against the back of his head.
At the same time, Mei's panicked cries rang out.
But clearly, neither Cocolia nor the soldiers paid it any mind. It seemed they had arrived at a desolate place.
Moreover, the gun pressed against his head didn't make the sound of the safety being disengaged. He could basically confirm that this was Cocolia.
Although he was being treated roughly, Fu Li was still calmly analyzing the situation.
"Sounosuke? That's the name, right? You're a smart kid, so don't play so many little tricks on me."
"We are kidnappers who keep our word. We're only after money, not your lives. As soon as your family transfers the money, we will let you go."
"So, be a good boy, you understand?"
"I understand... I will listen to you, Big Sister." With his objective achieved, Fu Li stopped courting death. He lay unmoving on the ground, putting on a docile appearance.
Seeing this, even Cocolia couldn't help but be taken aback, seemingly not expecting Fu Li to be so cooperative.
But she quickly recovered, moved the gun away, and tore the sack off his head with an annoyed grunt.
Although he had guessed it from the cold, the sight that greeted him was a world of ice and snow, which still made Fu Li wonder just how long he had been asleep.
How had he gone from summer to a world of ice and snow after one nap?
But he wasn't given much time to think. At Cocolia's signal, a group of mercenaries threw him and Mei into a dim wooden cabin.
At the same time, the man named Minova left a dagger for Mei, sneering with a twisted sense of humor.
"Tsk tsk, little missy, go untie your companion. And don't think about running. This isn't the Far East anymore, this is Russia."
With that, the cabin door was slammed shut with a bang, and the light in the room instantly dimmed.
After the men had walked far away, Mei gulped, and with trembling hands, picked up the knife on the ground.
"Sounosuke... are... are you okay..."
"I'm fine, Mei. It's just that my stomach hurts a little."
After being untied, Fu Li discovered that his feet were not only bound by hemp rope but also shackled by a heavy set of fetters.
And the knife could only cut the ropes binding him. Things like shackles were clearly meant to prevent him from escaping.
"Mei? How long was I unconscious?"
This was the question Fu Li was most concerned about now. He couldn't be sure if Mei had already had the Gem of Conquest implanted.
"I don't know. I only woke up an hour before you. But I think I saw on one of the kidnapper's phones that today is July 7th."
As a young lady who had been strictly brought up since childhood, even though Mei was terrified, she was still subconsciously gathering all sorts of useful information.
But after hearing this date, Fu Li's heart couldn't help but sink.
If he remembered correctly, the day they were kidnapped was July 4th. This meant that he had been unconscious for about three days.
"Mei, although this is a bit rude, please allow me to be slightly impolite."
"Huh? What's wrong?"
Mei, who had just calmed down, was stunned, but she was quickly led to the edge of the wooden cabin by Fu Li.
[Using the light shining through the cracks between the wooden planks, you carefully examined Mei's body, finally discovering a problem on her left shoulder.]
[There, there was a scar that was difficult to discern with the naked eye, but with your experience, you easily saw that it was a mark left by surgery.]
"Damn it, that bastard..."
Fu Li couldn't help but curse under his breath, which startled Mei, and tears immediately started to fall.
"Brother Sounosuke... what's wrong? Is there something on my... on my back..."
"No, no." Seeing that Mei was already crying, Fu Li's heart tightened, and he hurriedly and clumsily comforted her.
"Mei, be good, don't be scared. They didn't do anything. Brother was just angry because they're so evil for kidnapping children, that's why I cursed."
"Re...really?"
Hearing his explanation, Mei's crying finally stopped.
In every country, parents would use stories of child traffickers to scare children into behaving and not running off.
Although this act might seem laughable to adults, for children who have not yet seen the world, fear is also a form of protection.
Although... having the Gem of Conquest implanted didn't seem much better.
But under the current circumstances, it was better not to tell Mei about this.
"Of course. I won't lie to you. We will definitely get back alive."
Fu Li wore a smile, took the pink Homu hanging from Mei's waist, and placed it in her arms.
"See? You have Brother here, and Pink Homu. What's there to be afraid of?"
"Re...ally?"
"Of course it's real. Your Brother Sounosuke would never lie to you."
"Then... okay."
Hugging the Homu doll, little Mei's emotions finally stabilized a little.