Civilization: Beyond Two Worlds

Daniel Monet had a very, very long dream.

He dreamed of his hometown, the small town of Annecy in Haute-Savoie. The beautiful Island Palace Castle was located between the canals. The terrace between the river emitted the fragrance of flowers, and the air was filled with cool water vapor. It was moist, warm, and comfortable, far better than a dry, hot, and desolate place like Comoros.

When he dreamed of returning to his hometown, he missed everything about it.

"Wake up!"

This call sounded from between the river and the breeze in his hometown.

He was enjoying the breeze of his hometown, but he felt someone pat his head. English sounded in his ears, calling him to wake up.

—No, I don't want to wake up…

"I need you to wake up!"

He was half asleep. In a daze, he saw someone swaying in front of his eyes, then heard the blade break through the air.

An intense pain pierced his thigh and forcefully pulled him back to reality from the dream. Daniel Monet looked at the dagger on his thigh in confusion and twisted the hand holding it.

"Ahhhhhhh!"

Intense pain, confusion after waking up from his coma, and a short daze, he had yet to recall why he was sitting there and why he was tied to a chair by others. He subconsciously looked up, wanting to see who the murderer was, but he saw the scene reflected in the dark candlelight.

The color quickly drained from his face, and Daniel's eyes froze. Immediately after, unprecedented fear surged out with tears and snot, causing him to scream in despair.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!"

His comrades, the mercenaries' subordinates, and friends were all here looking at him, but only their heads were left. Their heads were placed on chairs, and the table was even hanging from the ceiling fan. The room was covered in blood, and there was still lingering despair and fear in the dead man's eyes.

In this hellish nightmare scene sat a calm Chinese man in clean clothes. He held a phone and placed it on the table beside him with a stand.

"Who are you, who are you, who are you?! Why are you doing this?! Oh my god! Help! Help!"

Daniel cried.

He finally recalled what had happened earlier. There was a violent sound, then darkness. Someone rushed straight into their stronghold. The battle began and quickly ended.

He was knocked out. When he woke up, he sat here and was tied up. The surroundings were as bloody as hell.

Opposite him sat a young man in clean clothes with a calm and friendly expression.

"Sigh," he said. "I thought you mercenaries were all peerless tough men."

A French translation came from the phone.

Perhaps the translation voice coming from this phone comforted the Frenchman a little. After all, the other party was a human who wanted to use modern electronic equipment and language translation to complete communication, not some bloodthirsty and powerful demon. The Frenchman cried, "Why are you doing this?! What do you want?! Who are you?!"

"Why did you do this? I was going to say—do I need a reason to kill you?"

"But let me explain to you first."

"I was at the door just now. I knocked and your companion told me to get lost. I took off my scarf and told him that I was Chinese. I was here for a group of kidnapped Chinese and asked where they were, so the other party wanted to shoot."

"This suspicion is almost confirmed immediately, right?"

"Then he died."

"You were all holding guns. You kidnapped my compatriots and relatives and you took hostile actions, so I killed you all. There shouldn't be a problem with such logic, right?"

"Especially an army like yours that invaded a sovereign country and even kidnapped Chinese citizens. I think the term terrorists is more suitable for you than mercenaries. Similarly, the Geneva Convention probably doesn't apply to you, right? How is it? Do you know the outcome of offending the Chinese?"

The Chinese man's tone was very calm, and the interpreter's tone was also very calm, but it was too calm, especially when this calm contrasted with the blood and heads on the ground, adding to the horror.

"Daniel Monet from Annecy, Haute-Savoie, France. I know who you are. Your subordinates gave you your identity and name. You're their leader and the person in charge here."

"They don't know any more information, so they're here. You'd better make sure you know enough because I'm in a hurry."

From the phone came French that Daniel could understand.

It was aggressive.

Kang De took out his phone and raised it to the other party.

From the photo album shared by his father, the character photos he had chosen, the members of the company, one after another. Images flashed through Daniel's eyes.

"I'm here for these Chinese."

"I came all the way from China for one reason. You kidnapped my father."

"I came to Comoros from Senegal and chased you from Father's station to the military camp in Gambia, then here. I can't remember how many people I killed, and I don't care. I only know that if I can achieve my goal, I don't mind killing another hundred, two hundred, and three hundred."

"Answer my question now, or you can be a tough guy for once. In fact, I want you to be an ironclad man, firm and unyielding, grit your teeth, and not confess."

"Then I can destroy you, destroy everything you have, and make you speak."

"If we destroy a tough guy and make him completely collapse, the facts he explained will definitely be complete and flawless. If he actively confessed from the beginning, his confession might be suspicious."

"Is this train of thought fine?"

He leaned forward and looked into the other party's eyes.

"Talk," he said calmly. "Let me see if you're lying and hiding anything."

That expressionless expression coupled with the surrounding heads, blood, and horror was really too intimidating. When had Earthlings ever seen such a scene?

Daniel's defense had collapsed from the beginning. Now, he had no courage to speak of. A large wet stain appeared in his pants, and he did not even dare to say nonsense like "don't kill me".

"…Mausoleum!"

He shouted with a sobbing tone, "The Chinese have been sent to the king's mausoleum north of Moroni!"

"Mausoleum?" Kang De said coldly. "Why bring the Chinese there?"

"I don't know! I really don't know! I only know what they're digging there! They originally wanted to lock up the Chinese here, but for some reason, something went wrong and they needed the help of the Chinese, so they were brought there together! I don't know the exact situation! I really don't know!"

Kang De recalled the accumulated construction materials and industrial explosives in the military camp.

His father was related. His son had inherited his father's teachings and was also a civil servant. His university major was this and he had also received his father's professional guidance. Previously, he had recognized at a glance that those construction materials and explosives were all used for excavation.

He asked, "You fought for Gambia and killed your way into Comoros to excavate that king's mausoleum?"

Daniel said miserably, "I don't know! I'm only following orders. I don't know these inside stories. I swear I really don't know! Please, believe me, please believe me!"

Kang De took out the map. "…Location."

Daniel cried and gestured. This place was actually considered a scenic spot and was even marked on Google map. He thought for a moment and asked, "Which company are you mercenaries from? Who's your boss?"

Speaking of this problem, a trace of hesitation and fear flashed across Daniel's face.

Kang De glanced at him.

With just a glance, he weighed the pros and cons and immediately betrayed his boss. "Little Bob! Our boss is Little Bob!"

On the phone, Kirov, who had been silent, said in surprise, "Bob Burroughs! It's actually him!"

Kang De raised his eyebrows. "Famous?"

"He's more than famous. He's the king of mercenaries. He's successfully launched a coup in more than ten countries. He's a black glove that's not recognized by the West French government and has assassinated several kings and presidents!"

At this point, Kirov took a deep breath. "Of course, this is Big Bob. He's already retired. He's talking about Little Bob, the son of this Big Bob. However, the problem is that although Big Bob has already retired, he's still the actual mastermind behind Comoros. In Chinese, he's the emperor emeritus…"

The Russian clearly could not understand such a move, "They actually killed their way into Comoros as an army hired by Gambia. No wonder they won all the way. Are they fighting themselves?"

The arms dealer had also seen many farces or operations of alternate regimes. Stupid, shrewd, and perfect. Unfortunately… there were many.

He pondered and said, "Could it be that this king is not very obedient? What's in the mausoleum?"

"We'll soon figure out the reason."

Kang De said, "If you're interested, help me find out the excuse and reason for the King of Gambia to start a war. Help me investigate the background of this king's mausoleum in Comoros."

"Alright."

He had already asked for the whereabouts of his father and the others and knew who the true culprit behind all this was. This interrogation had already achieved perfect success.

Satisfied, Kang De stood up and picked up his phone.

"By the way, help me find out where Big Bob is now."

"I'm afraid Big Bob is not in Africa now. He's already retired for a long time," Kirov said inexplicably. "It's Little Bob who works in Africa. Why are you investigating his father?"

Kang De's tone was calm. "What do you think?"

Kirov stopped talking.

Kang De immediately hung up and smiled at Daniel.

A few minutes later, he left the three-story building. The corpse in front of the iron door was still lying there.

The night was deep and black. There was no sign of anyone. If Comoros developed in the future, this place would become a famous haunted house, the origin of some urban legend, or the inspiration of a horror game.

The Hummer roared and continued to set off.

"If we save Father, things will get better."

Kang De leaned back in his seat and allowed the car to bump. Night scenes roared past on both sides. He narrowed his eyes and muttered, "It'll get better…"

…