Mission in another world with my transformed best friend

Looking at the scenes before him, so different from what he remembered, Wang Kai was completely bewildered. He tried to deduce things but didn't know where to begin. In his confused state, all sorts of nonsensical guesses kept popping up.

"Could it be that Zhang Lan knew I was coming back in advance, anticipated my prediction, and was trying to use this to his advantage and give me a hard time?"

But... even if you're going to put on a show, isn't this scale a bit too much? Looking around, there are dozens of "tourists" lined up in front of you, a diverse bunch of people from all walks of life. Where did you find them to put on this show?

Most importantly, with all the high-rise buildings around, isn't this dilapidated house standing here an eyesore? Was the original landlord out of his mind? Selling such a good piece of land would be much more profitable than creating some gimmicky "celebrity residence" project...

"Hey, isn't that the fat landlord on the bench at the entrance? Holy crap, it really is him!"

"Okay, next one. Are you alone, buddy? Planning to form a group? We offer a 5% discount for groups of three. If you choose to join a group of ten or more, you can enjoy an additional discount and get a free souvenir. We also offer a VIP service, allowing you to visit freely within a limited time without queuing. Please... please let go!"

Upon arriving at the entrance, Wang Kai stared at the landlord sitting on a stool, drinking a little wine while collecting fees. He wanted to ask something, but before he could open his mouth, he was interrupted by a very familiar "scenic spot business recommendation quote." After listening for a while, he finally couldn't hold back any longer. He grabbed the landlord by the collar, "lifted" him up from the stool, and asked loudly.

"VIP my foot! Where are they?"

"Huh!?" The landlord snapped out of his daze. The young man in front of him seemed somewhat familiar, but he couldn't quite place him, given how many tourists he dealt with every day. After a few seconds of hesitation, he replied, "Guest, what are you saying? I don't understand."

"I asked you where those two girls went? Tell me now!"

"What girl? Guest, you're drunk and causing trouble... Soldiers, there's a troublemaker here!"

"Cut~"

Wang Kai panicked, pushed the landlord onto a stool, and ran towards the house. After weaving through dozens of "tourists," he quickly entered the living room near the front door, only to be dumbfounded...

The original dining table and chairs in the living room were all gone, replaced by a shopping arcade resembling those at tourist attractions selling local specialties. Wang Kai wasn't in the mood to look closely; he squeezed his way in and arrived at the room where Zhang Lan had stayed. He grasped the doorknob and pushed, but the door wouldn't budge, as if it had been welded shut...

A staff member ran over, trying to stop Wang Kai from pushing the door open, while shouting.

"Oh dear, sir, you can't just go in here. You can only look through the windows, after all, this is the sacred place where the 'Hermitage of the World' once lived."

"What was that woman again?"

"You come here and don't know? This is the boudoir of Alice Lan, the 'saint from another world,' who descended to earth guided by the gods, bringing countless groundbreaking inventions, saving the economy of Merck Town, and transforming the entire town from head to toe, inside and out..."

"Gods... in the mortal realm? Saint... saintess, and 'beyond the world'? What the heck?"

Wang Kai paused for a moment, then turned to look through the window beside him. Indeed, it was still the small room Zhang Lan had lived in before she left. The furnishings seemed to have been fixed in place, including the bed, stools, table, and other furniture. In addition, some unfamiliar models on the table and papers covered with writing were all labeled. At first glance, it looked almost exactly like when they were investigating a crime scene and labeling all the objects and traces at the scene.

The thought of the "crime scene" made Wang Kai anxious, so he rushed to Masha's room next door. Looking through the window, he saw that the furniture and furnishings inside were unchanged, and they were also covered with various labels.

"So you were interested in Lady Martha's former residence, huh? If you see anything you like in the room, you can buy the same 'merchandise' there..."

Wang Kai didn't hear a word. He still thought Zhang Lan had come up with some new trick, and that the trick was just a few levels more outrageous. Before his brain overloaded, he suddenly thought of his room. Could there be some key clues in there that could explain everything?

When Wang Kai reached his bedroom and caught a glimpse of the words written on the door, the last bit of processing power in his brain finally exploded...

Four Chinese characters were scrawled crookedly on the door panel: "A den of lickers!"

Just then, a commentator was talking non-stop next to us.

"This unassuming room is said to be a sacred place where the 'Hermitage of the World' once meditated, drawing inspiration for her creations. Look closely at the wooden plaque on the door. No scholar of linguistics has yet been able to decipher the meaning of these words. We believe they were left by the 'Hermitage of the World' herself. We think that these four 'sacred' characters are the key to unlocking the meaning of the revelation!"

"I'll 'holy' you! You've gone a bit too far, Zhang Lan!"

The last vestige of rationality in Wang Kai's mind snapped. He roared, his right fist clenched, and a powerful gust of wind instantly gathered on it. Before anyone around could react, he slammed his fist into the door. A few moments later, several flashes of green light appeared on the door, accompanied by dozens of cracking sounds. The once perfectly good wooden door instantly turned into countless wood chips and fragments scattered everywhere...

But this was just the beginning of his outburst. Wang Kai strode into the room and looked around...

Wait a minute, why is the room such a mess? Papers are scattered all over the floor, and all the clothes that were once put in the closet have been turned upside down, as if it had been ransacked by robbers.

The situation was even more chaotic by the bed, with clothes and bedding tied into a cylindrical shape, and a strange face seemingly drawn on the cylinder...

What remained were the dark stains on the sheets, as if the sheets had been soaked by a sudden downpour and left to dry naturally without being changed. There were at least a dozen such stains...

What exactly happened? I remember tidying up the room before I left two months ago. Even if there were some places I didn't tidy up, Martha should have helped me fix them.

The room now looked like the scene after several large dogs had been locked up there for more than half a month... Soon, he saw a round object with a brass texture on the cluttered floor. He picked it up and saw that it was a pocket watch. Wasn't this Martha's?

"How did Martha's things end up here? What on earth has happened in the past month? This constant shocking and bizarre stuff is driving my brain crazy! If this isn't a hoax, then logically speaking, the house was probably robbed by bandits, and they were kidnapped? Maybe they even became the bandits' wives?"

"Sir, a robber is here! This guy barged in without even buying a ticket and caused trouble... he even damaged the 'sacred relic'! Arrest him immediately!"

As a voice came from behind, Wang Kai turned his head blankly and saw that it was the landlord leading several soldiers. The squad leader in the lead looked so familiar...

"Uncle Doolittle!?"

"Huh?" Duli, slightly tipsy, was also taken aback for a moment. Then he looked Duli up and down carefully. A glint flashed in the drunken gorilla's eyes. He stepped forward and patted Wang Kai on the shoulder. "Brother Kyle, it's you. Long time no see. Have you become a bandit?"

"Robbers? Robbers! By the way, Uncle Doolittle, where did those two go? Were they captured by robbers or bandits... or something?"

"Ah, what are you saying? Don't you know?"

"Of course I don't know! I just got back from out of town... Tell me quickly, I have to go save them. If I'm too late, I won't be able to save them... At the very least, at the very least, let me avenge them. I will kill those guys with my own hands!"

An unprecedented anger and murderous aura emanated from Wang Kai, instantly sobering Du Li up by about 70-80%. In order not to provoke the other party, he first nodded and then shook his head, leaning closer and whispering.

"Let me tell you first, they are both safe and sound, nothing will happen..."

"Oh, really? Where are they?"

"Well, I'm not sure about that either, but I can tell you indirectly, since the higher-ups have given instructions... Why don't we go to the barracks and talk about it in detail?"

"Okay, okay, hurry up, I'm in a real hurry..."

"I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush. Let's take things one step at a time. You need to compensate this...landlord for the losses first!"