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

Revitalization countdown: 10 days.

2 points in the early hours.

Shen Bai was awakened by Xiao Cheng's emergency alert.

"Master, spatial rift fluctuations have been detected in the suburbs of Pudong, Shanghai, and the intensity has exceeded the threshold." Xiao Cheng's voice rang in his mind, with a rare hint of urgency. "The energy fluctuations are rapidly increasing and are approaching the critical value for the apprentice level."

Shen Bai instantly regained his senses and sat up.

Apprentice-level threshold – this means that monsters at the peak of the apprentice level may appear in the rift.

The spiritual energy has not yet fully recovered, and the suppression of extraordinary beings by the laws of heaven and earth remains, but this energy level has already exceeded the intensity of any previous rift.

"Location."

"Abandoned chemical plant area in the suburbs of Pudong. Coordinates have been sent. There are no residential areas within a three-kilometer radius of this area, making it suitable for lockdown."

Shen Bai got out of bed, walked to the window, and drew back the curtains. The night was thick, and the distant skyline of Shanghai was brightly lit.

"Xiao Cheng, retrieve the real-time footage from the Eye of the Rhinoceros. Scan the rift depth to predict the number of monsters."

Deep within consciousness, the data stream of the Eye of the Spirit unfolded. Above the abandoned chemical plant, the air distorted violently as if it had been scorched, and a dark red rift hovered in mid-air, about three meters long and one meter wide—a whole circle larger than the rift at the logistics park last time.

"Energy level assessment: The current fluctuation has exceeded the ninth level of Apprentice, approaching the limit of the Apprentice level. Due to the suppression of the laws of heaven and earth, high-level demonic creatures cannot pass through, but individuals at the ninth level of Apprentice can." Xiao Cheng's voice paused, "Deep scan shows that sixteen creatures are approaching from the other side of the rift. The first group of three are about to pass through, one of which has an energy fluctuation reaching the peak of the ninth level of Apprentice."

Shen Bai's eyes narrowed slightly.

Sixteen. And one at the peak of the ninth level. This is the largest and most threatening monster invasion to date.

He contacted Liu Feng directly in his mind: "Abandoned chemical plant in the suburbs of Pudong, spatial rift, sixteen demons, at least one of them at the peak of the ninth level of Apprentice. Take the third, fifth, and sixth squads and head there immediately. I will share the footage from the Eye of the Spirit with you. I will intervene when necessary."

  

Liu Feng's response came through my mind: "Understood."

Shen Bai opened the Apostle template and brought up the panels for the team members and Liu Feng.

Sixteen green dots are moving rapidly across the map, converging on Pudong. The data from the Eye of the Rhinoceros has been synchronized to every panel.

He sat down at his desk, immersing his consciousness into the Apostle Template, maintaining a one-way connection with Liu Feng while monitoring the vital signs of all team members.

---

At 2:20 a.m., in the suburbs of Pudong, at an abandoned chemical plant.

Liu Feng parked his car on the roadside at the factory gate.

He walked to the door, and the Apostle Panel unfolded in his mind—the real-time image transmitted by the Eye of the Spirit clearly showed every detail in the factory area: all sixteen red dots had appeared in the factory area, and the dark red crack was fluctuating continuously.

Behind them, six black SUVs drove up silently.

The third squad leader Chen Fan, the fifth squad leader Fang Yan, and the sixth squad leader Zhang Heng each led their respective teams, and the fifteen team members filed out in single file, their movements perfectly synchronized.

Liu Feng led his team over the wall and into the factory area.

"The ninth-level peak one is in the center, the eighth-level one is on the east side, the rest are scattered." Liu Feng quickly gave orders in his mind through the Apostle Panel. "The ninth-level peak one is mine. Chen Fan, the two eighth-level ones on the east side plus three nearby. Fang Yan, five on the west side. Zhang Heng, five on the south side. Move out!"

Sixteen figures rushed out simultaneously.

Liu Feng headed straight for the ninth-level peak demonic creature.

A ninth-level peak-stage demon's alertness far surpasses that of its lower-level counterparts. Liu Feng had only taken five steps when it turned its head. A bony protrusion on its lizard-like head revealed two dark red eyes that precisely locked onto his position. It opened its mouth wide, spitting out a stream of black, corrosive liquid.

Liu Feng rolled to the side, and the corrosive liquid landed on the steel structure pillar behind him, making a hissing sound. The surface of the pillar was melted through at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Another ball of corrosive liquid followed closely behind. Liu Feng suddenly pushed off the ground and leaped over the corrosive liquid, landing beside the monster.

The monster lunged at him with all four limbs. Its speed was astonishing, and its sharp claws swept across the air with a whooshing sound. Liu Feng ducked and slid under the monster's forepaws, his short sword held in reverse, and slashed at the soft armor on the inside of the monster's foreleg.

Black blood spurted out, and the monster let out a painful roar, but the wound was not deep—the scales of a ninth-level peak monster had a defensive capability far exceeding that of an ordinary monster.

The monster swung its head and bit down, its serrated teeth almost touching Liu Feng's face.

He leaned back abruptly, simultaneously slashing upwards with his short sword, slicing open the monster's jaw. The monster cried out in pain, jerking its head back. Liu Feng used the momentum to leap up, landing on the monster's back. He plunged the short sword deep into the gap in the scales on the back of its neck, the blade embedded halfway in.

The monster thrashed its body wildly, the immense force throwing Liu Feng away. He adjusted his posture in mid-air, taking three steps back before regaining his balance upon landing. The monster turned around, the short knife embedded in the back of its neck, black blood trickling down the blade.

Its eyes turned bloodshot, clearly enraged.

Without hesitation, Liu Feng drew his spare short knife from his waist, holding one in each hand, and charged forward again.

This time, the monster was smarter; instead of attacking head-on, it swung its tail horizontally. Liu Feng leaped to dodge, then thrust his knife at the monster's side of the neck. The monster tilted its head to avoid the attack, and its claws lashed out.

Liu Feng withstood the claw attack, his combat suit torn in three places, and a burning pain shot through his chest. But instead of retreating, he used the force to spin his body, simultaneously plunging both blades into the gaps in the monster's neck armor.

The blade got stuck between the scales.

The monster suddenly shook its head, lifting Liu Feng off the ground. He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, flipped in mid-air, and braced his feet against the sides of the monster's head. He channeled all his strength into his arms, unleashing the power from both swords simultaneously—

"Click—"

Scales shattered. The blade pierced the throat.

The monster's roar turned into muffled gurgling, and its limbs began to weaken. It swayed twice and collapsed to the ground with a thud, shaking the earth.

Liu Feng pulled out his short knife, shook off the black blood, and saw that the three wounds on his chest were still bleeding.

Just as he was about to turn around, a dark red energy arrow shot out from the monster's bone horn, as fast as lightning.

Liu Feng's pupils contracted sharply, and his body instinctively rolled to the left. The energy arrow grazed his right shoulder, tearing a charred gash in his combat suit, and a burning pain shot through his skin.

The energy arrow struck the steel pillar behind him, blasting a fist-sized crater and sending debris flying.

After dodging, Liu Feng charged forward, piercing the monster's eye socket with his blade. The monster twitched twice and then remained motionless.

Liu Feng squatted on the ground, panting heavily.

The burn on his right shoulder stung terribly, but thankfully it was just a superficial injury. He glanced at the bone spur, his expression grave.