Looking at the thug’s twisted features, everyone seemed to hear the sound of eggs shattering all over the ground, a chill spreading through their lower bodies.

The young man clutched his crotch and collapsed to his knees, completely overwhelmed by the intense pain, so much so that he didn’t even care when the knife in his hand fell to the ground.

The beautiful woman was stunned by the scene. It took her a long time to react, and she hurriedly took out her phone from her bag and made a call.

“Sir, please wait a moment, I need to make a call.”

“Hello, Uncle Bennett, I’m over here on Wutong Road and ran into a bit of trouble. Please bring some people over quickly. Yes, it’s quite urgent.”

After hanging up, the beautiful woman looked at the tall and upright Ethan Brooks, her eyes seemingly shining as she spoke and reached out her hand.

“All right, I’ll handle things from here. Thank you so much. Let me introduce myself again: my name is Hannah Cooper, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Ethan Brooks glanced at her. He had to admit, this woman was stunningly beautiful, especially with her light makeup, which made her look like a fairy. Her figure was also excellent, and her exquisite, fashionable outfit further accentuated her charms, making her appear lively and alluring.

“Hello, my name is Ethan Brooks…”

He was just speaking when he suddenly felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. The hand he had just extended was withdrawn, and he took out his phone for a glance, took a deep breath, and then calmly put it back in his pocket.

Hannah Cooper looked a bit awkward and also withdrew her hand.

But she didn’t mind. Seeing Ethan Brooks put away his phone, she said again, “Ethan Brooks, right? Thank you for helping me just now. You were so cool—took down those two thieves in just a few moves. Have you practiced martial arts?”

Ethan Brooks frowned and didn’t answer her. After checking his phone, he was already thinking of leaving. He said, “I’ll leave the rest to you. I won’t get involved. I have to go.”

Hannah Cooper was taken aback, then quickly said, “Please wait, I haven’t thanked you yet.”

Ethan Brooks shook his head and turned to leave. “No need, I have something to do.”

Hannah Cooper was stunned for a moment, then hurried after him. “Mr. Ethan Brooks, can I have your contact information? I really want to thank you properly. Hey, Mr. Ethan Brooks…”

Ethan Brooks walked on in silence, not saying a word, but secretly quickened his pace and soon disappeared around the corner.

Leaving Hannah Cooper standing there in a daze, she looked down at herself, not understanding where her usual charm had gone. After a long while, she finally came to her senses, a sparkle appearing in her eyes.

“What a cool man.”

Not long after, a black business van roared up, and almost immediately, several police cars arrived at the scene as well.

……

“How long has it been since the day I left?”

This time, only a line of text appeared on the phone screen, with no sound.

“According to the Nochel space-time formula, when entering the source world from any base world, the time ratio between the source world and the base world is 10:1. The chosen one has spent 33 days in the source world, and about three days and seven hours have passed in the real world.”

Ethan Brooks nodded, took a deep breath, and asked, “Has anyone called me these past few days?”

A photo of a pretty girl appeared on the phone screen, along with a line of data and a prominent number.

“Yes, a girl named Emily Foster called you 28 times.”

Ethan Brooks’s expression changed. It’s been three days already—did that girl call the police?

“Oh no, call her back quickly.”

The call connected quickly, and a girl’s voice came through, crisp and clear.

“Hello?”

“Ahem… Hello, it’s me, Ethan Brooks.”

“Ethan Brooks?! Where the hell have you been? I’ve been looking for you for three days, and your phone was unreachable.”

“Uh… I broke my phone when I quit my job, and I just bought a new one.”

“Bullshit! Then why couldn’t I find you at your place? You weren’t home, right? Don’t think I don’t know about the key you hide on top of the door frame. I slept at your place the day before yesterday. If you didn’t come back soon, I was going to call the police.”

Ethan Brooks was stunned and said in amazement, “How did you know I keep the key on top of the door frame?”

The voice on the phone suddenly softened, as if she sighed, and said, “Don’t give me that. Be honest—why did you quit your job and smash your phone? Did something happen to you? Where have you been these past few days? Wait, hang on, you didn’t go looking for girls, did you?”

Sweat broke out on Ethan Brooks’s face, but he could only force himself to change the subject. “You’re really nosy. By the way, you’re not still at my place, are you?”

“No, my mom told me to come home. She said my dad is seriously ill. I’m in the car now. Oh, I’m entering a tunnel, I’ll call you later.”

“Is Uncle all right? Hello?”

Ethan Brooks slowly put down his phone and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Emily Foster had been his old friend for years. As for how many, he really couldn’t remember—probably since they were very young. Their relationship was beyond question.