Seven hours had passed since the incident.

During those seven hours, Bai Ming had gathered all the materials Bai Ruoshui needed and squeezed onto crowded buses for roughly three hours to get home.

The sky was already dimly lit, dotted with countless stars and a full moon. The streets were nearly empty. Faint streetlights cast patchy shadows on the asphalt road...

Now it was just a matter of facing what lay ahead. Standing before his front door, Bai Ming’s heart tightened with nervousness.

Like a rookie voice actor about to record their first role, he hesitated, torn between stepping forward and turning back.

Just thinking about his actions today filled him with gnawing regret.

*Why… why couldn’t I just keep my hands to myself?*

His sixth sense had warned him: never get involved with those self-proclaimed "Heroes"—especially the kind overflowing with justice, willing to sacrifice everything for others.

And yet? He’d still acted. In broad daylight. Worse, Shen Yuan Yuhu—the very person he’d wanted to avoid—had seen it all.

Witnessed firsthand. The absolute worst-case scenario. But even then… he’d had no way to stop it.

So why was he now frozen outside his own door?

*If Ruoshui finds out about this…*

The thought of his sister—a true genius—made his head ache. His past words, combined with today’s mess? She’d tease him mercilessly. His already-low status at home would plummet further. He couldn’t bear her lecturing him again about becoming some "Hero."

*Enough… Just go in.*

Bai Ming forced his hand onto the doorknob and pushed forward, head down.

*Creak.*

The moment his front foot crossed the threshold, his back foot froze mid-step.

The house was pitch black.

No lights on. At this hour, most people would be asleep—but Bai Ming knew better. Bai Ruoshui always left the entryway light on for him.

Yet there wasn’t a single sound. Not a whisper. A deathly silence hung in the air, thick as another world.

Three words flashed in his mind: *Something’s wrong.*

But what?

"Ruoshui, I’m back."

He called out carefully, pretending ignorance, his voice deliberately loud enough to echo through the empty rooms. If she were here, she’d come running.

Silence.

Ten seconds passed. Twenty. Forty.

As Bai Ming tiptoed toward the dining table, he spotted a note—and beside it, a bowl of beef noodle soup sealed under cling film.

The broth had congealed, but chunks of beef still floated on the surface. Judging by the state, she’d made it two or three hours ago.

So where was she now?

"Ruoshui?"

He called again. Only silence answered.

Bai Ming understood.

Today, Bai Ruoshui had no plans—no friends to meet, no lectures to attend, no reason to leave home. Unless… she hadn’t left willingly.

Unless someone had forced her out.

In other words—kidnapped.

[Potential Unleashed 10%]

He had to prepare for the worst. Unlike him, Bai Ruoshui couldn’t even defend herself.

But why kidnap a girl like her? What could they possibly gain?

*Got him!*

Just as the thought struck him, a voice sliced through the darkness behind him. Blades flashed from the shadows, hurtling straight for his head.