Seven hours...

What could you do in seven hours? Settle down with a good book. Dive headfirst into a video game. Or just collapse into bed—no thoughts, no distractions—and drift off to a sweet, deep sleep.

But Bai Ming didn’t see it that way. For his sister, seven hours were never meant for rest. As the sole guardian of their home, she’d pack every minute with chores: wiping windows, mopping floors, tidying rooms, washing laundry, studying stock trend charts on her computer to calculate buy-and-sell timings, then cooking dinner while waiting for him to return...

Seven hours were endless for her. She *had* to fill them. In this era, this was all she could do—all she could offer Bai Ming.

Yet seven hours had passed. Apart from the dinner waiting on the table, the entire house lay untouched.

So, let’s piece it together. What happened to Bai Ruoshui? Who dared do this?

No—*dared* wasn’t right. Right now, the only one burning with rage was Bai Ming himself.

And engulfed in that inferno of rage, Bai Ming was no longer human. Not for a long time.

*A soft sigh escaped his lips.*

He pushed through the forest until the "Forrest Institute" loomed ahead—exactly where that man had described. He hadn’t expected its coordinates to be pinned so clearly on the map. Finding it was effortless.

He sorted his thoughts. That morning, he’d traveled from home—Sector E—to Sector A, then back again. What happened inside his house during that window?

If this were a simple kidnapping, they wouldn’t be stupid enough to leave a thug lurking in his home, waiting to slit his throat. Of course, their boss likely never trusted that fool. It was just a test. Or perhaps... someone was still watching his every move from the shadows.

Right. Someone who *knew* him. Knew he wasn’t ordinary. Bai Ming was certain—he’d never boasted about his deeds or revealed his identity.

And yet, this person’s sister had vanished without a trace today.

It wasn’t entirely without warning. Before even opening his front door, Bai Ming had sensed something off. His phone had stayed on standby all day, yet Bai Ruoshui never called once.

He’d spent ample time running errands for her. With her personality? She’d never ignore him like this.

*Ah.*

Ah. Now it made sense.

Bai Ming’s brow furrowed as he halted before the institute’s spherical structure.

How could he forget the worst moment of his day?

At Sector A’s central mall—he’d helped Shen Yuan Yuhu humiliate that arrogant bastard, Li Scar.

"His accomplices?"

The only event aligning with his sister’s abduction was that very incident.

He’d always known tangling with self-proclaimed "Heroes" brought trouble. Even after saving lives, no one spared you the slightest concern.

In the end, it felt like trouble he’d invited himself—trouble only he could resolve.

But one thing gnawed at him: Why target his sister instead of confronting him directly?

And how—within mere hours—had they traced his address and dragged Bai Ruoshui to this forsaken place?

"Time to find out..."

Racking his brain further was pointless. Better to face the culprit head-on. Bai Ming strode toward the institute’s entrance.