Starting from the destruction of the Land of Light

The city of Jiangcheng was quite peaceful at night, undisturbed by any monsters.

The only place in this city with a strong sense of local life is the night market.

The street was bustling with noise and brightly lit, and the air was filled with the aroma of grilled skewers, fried stinky tofu, roasted chestnuts, and the smoky smell of various snacks.

The colorful neon signs flashed, illuminating every smiling, youthful face that had temporarily forgotten its fears.

Zhang Chen, like a drop of water merging into the ocean, strolled effortlessly through the bustling crowd.

He didn't hide himself or pretend in any way. He naturally held a cotton candy in his hand, occasionally tearing off a piece and putting it in his mouth to enjoy the sweetness bursting in his mouth.

With a leisurely pace, Zhang Chen quickly passed through the bustling heart of the night market and turned onto a relatively quiet sidewalk.

The light here is much dimmer, with only the faint glow of the night market in the distance and the high-hanging streetlights providing dim illumination.

The crowd thinned out, with only a few pedestrians hurrying by and a few cattle and horses that had just finished get off work and lived nearby passing by Zhang Chen. The hustle and bustle of the night market was shut out behind him, forming an invisible barrier.

Zhang Chen stopped in the shadows near a residential building, stood firmly, turned slightly, and looked toward the end of the sidewalk.

"You're right on time," Zhang Chen said, a hint of amusement in his voice.

A few steps away from him, around the corner, two figures slowly emerged.

The first to emerge was Chu Huai, the person Zhang Chen had arranged to meet. He was dressed casually, wearing a mask, with only his bright eyes visible, staring intently at Zhang Chen.

Given Chu Huai's current status, he really needs to dress up properly when he goes out, otherwise he will be easily recognized by passersby. He is much more popular than celebrities.

Beside him was Chen Mo, the deputy captain of the Earth Defense Force's combat unit.

Chen Mo was also dressed in casual clothes, but the earpiece on his ear was very noticeable, not to mention the bulging folds in his clothes at the waist, which made it obvious what was hidden there.

Zhang Chen's gaze lingered on Chen Mo for a moment, his eyebrows slightly raised, his tone carrying a hint of unsurprised surprise. "If I remember correctly, we agreed that each of us would meet alone."

He looked at Chu Huai, his smile unchanged. "What's wrong with you...?"

Before Chu Huai could explain, Chen Mo stepped forward, subtly blocking his path. "Do you think I'd let someone as dangerous as you meet with Chu Huai alone?"

"A dangerous person?"

Zhang Chen repeated it, his smile deepening.

He raised his hand and tore off another strand of cotton candy, his gaze seemingly casually drifting towards the still bustling entrance to the night market not far away. The meaning was all too clear—here, under the watchful eyes of so many innocent citizens, even if he were truly a dangerous individual, the Earth Defense Force would not be able to take any drastic action.

Chen Mo frowned; he certainly understood Zhang Chen's subtext.

Even before they decided to keep the appointment, they had already discussed many possible solutions. Everyone knew why he had chosen this location for the meeting, but they had no way of dealing with the situation.

Some suggested mobilizing Earth Defense Force personnel to create a "fake night market," replacing everyone in the night market with their own people so they could gain control.

But this idea was quickly rejected.

First, they didn't have enough time. There were only a few hours left before the agreed time, and they couldn't plan and coordinate such a large-scale project in such a short time.

Secondly, they couldn't figure out the other party's background or what Zhang Chen's purpose was, so their initiative might cause things to develop in an uncontrollable direction.

Therefore, Yan Su ultimately decided that Chen Mo would accompany Chu Huai to the appointment, while they would hide nearby and provide support at any time.

"Who exactly are you?" Chen Mo couldn't help but ask. "What is your purpose in suddenly appearing in Jiangcheng? Are you involved with Wang Kui's matter, the Pedan aliens, Bogaru, King Black, King Elek, and the delusional Seven?"

Zhang Chen did not directly answer Chen Mo's barrage of questions.

He turned around and casually sat down in the shade at the edge of the sidewalk, leaning lazily against the wall. He even patted the empty space next to him and waved to Chu Huai and Chen Mo, as if inviting old friends to sit down and chat.

"It must be tiring to talk from that far away."

"Sit down and let's talk. Actually, the main reason I came here is to have a chat with Chu Huai."

He glanced at Chen Mo and continued.

"But it doesn't matter anyway, I never intended to hide anything from you anyway."

Chu Huai and Chen Mo exchanged a glance, both seeing wariness and doubt in each other's eyes.

Compared to the aliens they usually encountered, Zhang Chen's honesty made them even more uneasy.

After hesitating for a few seconds, the two remained on high alert and slowly walked to Zhang Chen's side, sitting about a meter away on the cold edge of the sidewalk.

Their bodies were slightly tense, ready to deal with any unexpected situation at any moment.

Zhang Chen could see their nervousness, but he didn't care. Instead, he handed several printed photos to Chen Mo, who was sitting between him and Chu Huai.

"Take a look at this first, Captain Chen."

Chen Mo frowned slightly and silently accepted the photograph. However, his expression changed slightly when his gaze fell on the photo.

"These stamps on the documents... these are internal documents of our Earth Defense Force!?"

Yes, the photos Zhang Chen gave him were the files he had taken from the hard drive given to him by the Kirieloids. The encrypted stamps at the bottom of those white papers also belonged to the Earth Defense Force.

"How did you get these things!?"

"Don't get excited—" Zhang Chen raised his hand to interrupt Chen Mo's questioning. "Read the contents first before you speak."

Chen Mo paused for a moment, then refocused his attention on the photos. He and Chu Huai quickly realized that the stamps were indeed from the Earth Defense Force, but they were not theirs; they were from old things from more than a decade ago.

The documents in the photos are mostly reports of secret missions, all related to ruins in different locations around the world, and also record legends of monsters that appeared in ancient times.

The original designs for these items should all be recorded in the Earth Defense Force's internal network, and they should be able to find them by going back and looking through them. But this is the first time they've seen them all gathered together like this in the photos.

Chu Huai couldn't help but look up at Zhang Chen. "What does this mean?"

"I obtained these things from Bogaru," Zhang Chen said softly, concealing the existence of the Kirieloids and instead pointing the finger at the dead. "You should know better than I do, after all, that Pedan alien has been lurking among you for a long time."

Before he finished speaking, Zhang Chen noticed that the two people next to him clenched their fists at the same time.

Wang Kui's incident is indeed an indelible scar for them.

"Aren't you curious why the Pedan aliens would infiltrate your ranks and even secretly investigate and compile information from decades ago?" Zhang Chen didn't keep them in suspense and took out two more photos from his pocket.

These two photos aren't documents; they're two pictures of monsters.

"You should be very familiar with this one, Golza, after all, you killed him yourself." Zhang Chen first handed a photo to Chu Huai, then placed another one on Chen Mo's lap. "As for this one, you're not unfamiliar with it either, we just greeted each other yesterday, the ancient monster Garula."

"Golza, Garula..." Chu Huai repeated the two names, then looked at Zhang Chen. "But what do these two monsters have to do with this information?"

"You've heard of it—"

Zhang Chen tore off a piece of marshmallow and popped it into his mouth, slightly raising his chin.

"—An ancient civilization?"

...