It was known that after the Sacred Master's resurrection, magic began to gradually revive throughout the world.
With his father, the Archmage, Chen Long's family was naturally placed under close surveillance.
Although things seemed peaceful on the surface, the area around the antique shop was already crawling with agents and spies from Sector Thirteen. Every day, at least a third of the people passing by on this street were agents on surveillance duty, and sometimes these agents would even pose as customers to buy a few items from the antique shop.
Even the phone call between Dan and his father was being monitored by Sector Thirteen. Upon learning that Chen Long and T.R.U. were kidnapped, the nearby agents immediately sprang into action, and Black also rushed to the antique shop the moment he received the news.
Faced with Black's questioning, Jade did not answer, merely offering an innocent smile before hopping onto her skateboard and making a swift escape.
As Jade made her way to the sushi restaurant, three transport planes flew overhead.
Inside the sushi restaurant, as time passed, Chen Long gradually regained consciousness. He looked down groggily and his senses immediately sharpened.
In the pool beneath their feet, a huge shark fin was circling back and forth.
T.R.U. also woke up and asked Dan, "What do you want?"
"What do we want?" Dan raised an eyebrow and said, "No one dares to deceive the Yokohama thug T.R.U. You've done something incredibly foolish, perhaps the last foolish thing you'll ever do."
Even at this point, Chen Long spoke with a naive tone, "But we still have a deal, don't we? Once you get the Octopus, you'll let us go."
Hearing such a naive remark, Dan was stunned, and then he burst into laughter, "Hahaha, once I get the Octopus, I'll chop you and your friend into pieces!"
As soon as he finished speaking, his subordinate rushed in, nervously handing a tablet computer to Dan.
"What's the matter, in such a hurry? Did the sky fall?"
"Boss, it's Kingpin calling."
The moment he heard the name Kingpin, Dan, who had been domineeringly scolding his subordinate moments before, immediately deflated.
"Quick, give it to me."
He eagerly snatched the tablet from his subordinate's hand.
Once connected, Kingpin's bald head reappeared before Dan.
"D-D-Darling, do you need something?"
"What is it?"
An enraged Kingpin slammed his fist on the table, his voice startling Dan so much that the tablet almost slipped from his grasp.
"Where is what I want?"
Hearing Kingpin's words, Dan's heart sank, but he still clung to a shred of hope and said, "D-Darling, I've already had my subordinates deliver it to you."
"Delivered?" Kingpin's eyebrows shot up. "Your subordinates you mentioned have all been thrown into the river to feed the fish, you fool. The item was stolen, and you're completely unaware of it."
"Stolen? That's impossible, I clearly already..."
Kingpin did not allow Dan any room for argument.
"Get me the item back within a day, or prepare for your funeral."
After hanging up the call, Dan's heart sank halfway.
Who would have thought that the item was lost, and that Kingpin knew about it before he did?
Given Kingpin's temper, even if he managed to retrieve the item, his chances of survival were slim.
"No, I still have a chance." Dan forced himself to stand up and muttered to himself, "As long as I get the Kyoto Octopus, I can run. I'll run abroad, to the Land of Flowers. Yes, the Land of Flowers, then Kingpin won't be able to find me."
Dan's plan seemed sound, but was it truly that easy?
Putting aside other matters, had Kingpin not considered the possibility of Dan fleeing?
In this city, Kingpin was the undisputed king of the underworld. With just a word from him, the entire underground force would go mad searching for Dan.
Even if Dan, by some stroke of luck, managed to escape.
It was important to remember that after the Sacred Master's resurrection, the Land of Flowers had implemented a policy of outwardly relaxed but inwardly stringent security. While it appeared no different from before, the safety level had actually increased by more than two tiers. Particularly at customs, the checks were extremely strict. Someone like Dan would be easily detected. In that case, he wouldn't even get past security, let alone enter the Land of Flowers.
As the saying goes, misfortunes never come singly.
Just as Dan hung up Kingpin's call, there was a knock at the door from outside.
Dan's heart leaped, thinking it must be the delivery of the Octopus. He instructed his two subordinates to open the door.
The two subordinates were cautious. One went to open the door, while the other stood by the door, gripping a collapsible baton, ready to strike if things went awry.
But the moment the door was opened...
BANG!
A powerful kick burst the door open, and five heavily armed soldiers stormed in. The two subordinates didn't even have time to shout before they were subdued by the five men and knocked unconscious with rifle butts.
Although their faces were obscured by black helmets, the eagle emblems on their uniforms indicated that all five men came from the same organization: S.H.I.E.L.D.
After subduing the two thugs, the five S.H.I.E.L.D. agents advanced rapidly, followed by seven more agents.
Among these agents were even superpowered mutants.
"There are five people inside, two near the door."
Upon receiving the intel, the captain nodded and, with four team members, quickly moved to the doorway, holding up his hand for a countdown.
Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One.
Go!
Two agents kicked open the two doors, one on each side, and the remaining three rushed into the room.
The two subordinates at the door were immediately knocked unconscious by the agents' rifle butts. Seeing the agents, Dan instinctively tried to run, but before he could even lift his foot, a gunshot rang out.
A bullet hole appeared on Dan's forehead, and he collapsed to the ground.
"Quick, quick, quick! Rescue them! Rescue them!"
After eliminating the overt threats, the follow-up team stormed into the room.
Four agents searched the room for any hidden threats, while two went to rescue Chen Long and T.R.U., who were tied up.
The scene shifted to outside the sushi restaurant. The roads on both sides were cordoned off by police. Two S.H.I.E.L.D. transport planes hovered above the sushi restaurant, while ambulances and numerous medical personnel stood by.
After rescuing the two, they were immediately taken outside without giving Chen Long a chance to speak. Paramedics, who had been waiting, immediately began examining Chen Long and T.R.U. with various instruments.
Once it was confirmed that they were unharmed, aside from inhaling some harmful gas, everyone relaxed.
In this situation, Dan's loss was not without reason.
So much manpower and resources were invested to deal with a mere Yokohama thug. If Dan knew this from the afterlife, he would surely be moved to tears.
Chen Long's family was not only being watched by Sector Thirteen, but S.H.I.E.L.D. was also conducting round-the-clock surveillance.
Upon learning that Chen Long and T.R.U. had been kidnapped, Nick Fury was furious.
He knew of Chen Long; he was a man who had fought demons twice.
Such a powerful man being kidnapped meant that the kidnappers must be formidable individuals, either demons or monsters from other dimensions.
Thus, the current farcical incident unfolded.