Extraterrestrial demons invaded; I laid the groundwork eight years in advance.

When Shen Bai got home, it was already 11 p.m.

A warm yellow light shone from under the door frame of the room at the end of the corridor—my younger sister has always been afraid of the dark and always needs to sleep with a nightlight on.

He tiptoed to the kitchen, made a cup of hot tea, and brought it back to the bedroom.

Shen Bai sat at his desk, looking at the combat report from the logistics park. This was the third demon invasion incident recently. The recovery of spiritual energy was not something that could be achieved overnight; the concentration of spiritual energy in the world was slowly increasing—there were still thirteen days until the true recovery, but rifts had already begun to appear sporadically.

Just like water slowly overflowing a dam, what seeps out first is merely a precursor.

"Master," Xiao Cheng's voice rang out, "Based on the model data of spiritual energy concentration, the rifts will open on a large scale as the spiritual energy recovers in thirteen days."

Shen Bai took a sip of his tea and put down the cup. He had known about the large-scale invasions that would occur when spiritual energy revived since he obtained the system.

He closed his eyes. The hum of the air conditioner mingled with the chirping of cicadas outside the window, and for a moment it felt like he had returned to that summer many years ago.

---

Summer 2018, Shanghai, Qingfengyuan Community

Sixteen-year-old Shen Bai sat at his desk in his bedroom, a high school math exam paper spread out in front of him. The old air conditioner hummed, its cooling effect barely noticeable.

My little sister is only eight years old, and I just managed to get her to sleep.

This apartment was allocated as compensation during the demolition and relocation project. It has three bedrooms and a living room; it's not large, but it's enough to live in.

A world map hangs on the living room wall, covered with dense red markings—that's the route of her father, Shen Ling's, expedition.

The couple travels all over the world and rarely stays at home throughout the year.

  

So from junior high onwards, he took care of everything at home, big and small. Parent-teacher meetings, tutoring classes, three meals a day, buying clothes for the changing seasons... it was all his job.

At sixteen, I acted like a parent.

After finishing the last big question, he put down his pen and rubbed his sore wrist.

Just then, a beam of light exploded in his consciousness.

It's not light on a visual level, but something deeper, something that seems to be directly imprinted on the soul.

In my consciousness, a magnificent and ancient will slowly descended, like a torrent, like the collapse of the heavens.

Shen Bai felt like a small boat tossed into the eye of a storm, with countless fragments of information flooding in—

The spiritual energy is about to be restored.

Extraterrestrial demons will descend.

This world will face a catastrophe in eight years.

Just as consciousness was on the verge of collapse, that will suddenly receded, like the tide receding, like the storm ceasing.

Shen Bai was panting heavily, his whole body drenched in cold sweat, his fingers gripping the edge of the table so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

A voice, devoid of gender and emotion, resounded deep within his soul:

"Fate chose you. Eight years later, everything begins."

As soon as he finished speaking, a light screen and a panel appeared in his mind.

Two core capabilities are clearly presented.

Evolution Points: Can be naturally condensed, can be actively extracted, can evolve the quality of all things, can temporarily enhance combat power, and can be expanded to include new functions.

Apostle Template: Can be condensed into an Apostle panel and bestowed upon others, with customizable template functionality. The recipient will have a natural affinity for the host, and the host can reclaim the template at any time.

And 100 initial evolution points.

Shen Bai stared at the light screen, his hands trembling slightly as he rested on the armrests of the chair.

Half an hour later, after processing the information in his brain, he looked out the window.

He thought of his sleeping sister next door, and his parents abroad. If the apocalypse was unavoidable, at least he had the right to sit at the table.

He began conducting experiments.

Touch every option on the mental touch panel, try to understand its operating logic, and explore its boundaries and rules.

An hour later, he roughly figured out the system's functions. He knew he had to use his first evolution point in the most critical area.

Shen Bai stared at the initial balance of 100 points and thought for a long time.

He opened the extended functionality interface. An input box popped up.

Shen Bai typed out his first custom feature request:

"To create or evolve artificial intelligence for information gathering, data analysis, and intelligence processing."

The system remained silent for a few moments.

---

[Feature being added...]

[Evolution Points Required: 100]

[New feature generated: Artificial Intelligence - Unnamed (Green - Excellent)]

Please name it.

---

"Little Orange".

His younger sister, Shen Tian, ​​loves orange the most.

---

[AI-powered Xiao Cheng is now activated]

[Current Level: Intermediate Artificial Intelligence]

[Features: Network information gathering, data analysis, basic intelligence processing]

---

In my mind, a warm orange light shone, like a small sun.

A voice rang out, crisp and clear, with a slightly mechanical quality, yet surprisingly pleasant to the ear:

"Hello, Master!"

Shen Bai was taken aback.

"Hello," he replied, then paused, "What can you do for me now?"

"I can go online!" Xiao Cheng's tone was filled with excitement. "I can read the news, browse forums, grab red envelopes, and do 'cut-the-bill' games! I learn things very quickly! Give me time, and I can learn so much!"

Shen Bai remained silent for a moment.

"Is it possible to hack into someone else's system?"

"Of course! But it takes time to learn; I'm not very good at it yet..."

Shen Bai nodded.

enough.

He needs money. Although his parents send him living expenses regularly, the things he needs to do next cannot be solved with just that amount of money.

There are still eight years until the end of the world.

Eight years is enough time to do a lot.

"Little Orange".

"exist!"

"Help me trade stocks."

"……what?"

Xiao Cheng's learning speed is astonishing; its intermediate-level artificial intelligence computing power far surpasses existing human technology.

She spent ten minutes learning basic financial knowledge, one hour running through nearly ten years of A-share data, and another hour building a quantitative trading model.

The next day, he put all the 8,600 yuan of New Year's money he had saved since childhood into the investment.

When that summer vacation ended, he had 170,000 yuan in his account.

He wasn't in a hurry to spend money. Money was just a tool; what truly mattered was time.

He needs people, intelligence, and organization.

It requires a massive root system that has already taken root three feet underground before the end of the world.

For others, and for yourself.

He thought about it for a long time. Then he turned on his computer and created a new folder.

It was named "Project Dawn".

---

He opened his eyes. The tea on the table had gone cold.

Starting from scratch, Dawn Group has risen to become one of the world's top ten. Members of the Dawn Organization have infiltrated various fields. The Eye of the Spirit opened three years ago. The foundations for the three cultivation paths have also been completed.

"We've done everything we could. In thirteen days, it will be time to verify the results of eight years of work. If we hold on, human civilization will continue. If we fail, civilization will perish in no time."

Numbers were flashing on the screen in my mind—the location of the rift, the monster's level, the spiritual energy concentration curve, and the green dots representing the members of Dawn. All the data converged into a dense net, covering the entire planet.