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

5 PM, Minhang District, Shanghai, abandoned warehouse.

Chen Fan squatted on the roof of the opposite building, observing the warehouse entrance through binoculars.

Xiao Cheng has synchronized the real-time footage inside and outside the warehouse to everyone's panel—Zhao Desheng's convoy has just arrived, consisting of three black SUVs and one van.

"Captain, all targets have been entered," a team member reported.

Chen Fan did not respond immediately.

He waited a moment, making sure all the trading parties had entered the warehouse, then raised his right hand and slashed downwards.

"action."

Chen Fan leaped from the rooftop, tracing a smooth arc in the air before landing silently.

He rushed toward the warehouse's main entrance and kicked the iron gate open.

At the same moment, four figures cut in from different directions, with the people from the Extraordinary Administration Bureau following closely behind.

Inside the warehouse, Zhao Desheng was squatting on the ground examining the corpse of a demon, with four burly bodyguards standing beside him.

Several sellers stood opposite, including Wang Tiezhu and Qian Hong, whom they had discovered last time.

As the iron gate was kicked open, everyone turned to look, and Chen Fan appeared in the doorway, his dark gray combat uniform gleaming coldly in the dim light.

"Don't move."

Zhao Desheng's four bodyguards simultaneously reached for their waists.

Chen Fan didn't give them a chance—in a flash, the back of his sword precisely shattered one man's wrist, his feet moved swiftly, kicking two others away, and before the last man could react, the sword was already at his neck.

The whole process took less than three seconds.

"I told you, don't move."

  

Zhao Desheng's face went from astonishment to ashen. He slowly stood up, spread his hands, and feigned composure: "Brother, which gang are you from? Let's talk this out—"

"Supernatural Affairs Bureau, Special Operations Division." Chen Fan didn't say Dawn, but used the Bureau's name. "You are suspected of illegally trading dangerous goods and endangering public safety. All of you, put your hands on your heads and squat down."

Wang Tiezhu was the first to admit defeat, squatting down with his hands behind his head: "I just killed a monster... to supplement my family's income... I didn't know it was illegal."

The other sellers exchanged glances and slowly squatted down as well.

Zhao Desheng narrowed his eyes, looked at the Dawn team members and Bureau personnel who followed him in, and quietly squatted down with his head in his hands.

The person in charge of the team from the management bureau came over.

"Captain Chen, thank you for your hard work."

"Of course, please take care of the remaining scattered individuals involved in the case."

"Don't worry, it's already been arranged."

Chen Fan nodded and led his team to retreat.

After getting on the bus, he leaned back in his seat, his gaze fixed on the rapidly receding street scene outside the window.

With all the main targets apprehended and the Bureau dealing with the remaining scattered individuals, the black market operation is now considered closed.

But he always felt that something was wrong.

Zhao Desheng was too calm—someone who had been in the smuggling business for so many years shouldn't have been so calm, even if he knew he couldn't escape.

At the same time, in Qingfengyuan residential area.

Shen Bai pushed open the door, and a fragrant aroma of food wafted towards him.

Shen Tian carried a plate of braised pork ribs out of the kitchen, her face still smeared with soy sauce.

"Brother! You're back just in time! Come and try my cooking!"

Shen Bai changed his shoes and walked into the living room. Zhao Ya was sitting on the sofa watching TV, knitting a gray scarf that was mostly finished. Shen Ling was flipping through the newspaper next to her. When he saw Shen Bai come in, he nodded.

"I came back early today," Zhao Ya said.

"Yes, the matter is settled."

Shen Tian brought out the last dish, placed it on the table, and clapped her hands.

"Dinner's ready!"

The family sat down around the dining table.

Shen Bai glanced at the dishes on the table.

Braised pork ribs, steamed sea bass, garlic broccoli, and tomato egg drop soup.

Shen Tian first put a piece of spare rib on Zhao Ya's plate, and then put a piece on each of Shen Ling and Shen Bai's plates.

Shen Ling took a bite and nodded, a rare occurrence for him.

"There has been progress."

Shen Bai took a taste.

"good."

Shen Tian's lips curled up, and she picked up her chopsticks as well.

Halfway through the meal, Shen Tian lowered her head and glanced upwards.

"Brother, Sister Fang Qing said that my foundation is very good now. After practicing for a while, I can start learning combat techniques."

Shen Bai sipped the fish in his mouth and swallowed it.

"Okay, then you should practice hard."

"I know," Shen Tian said vaguely after taking a bite of rice. "Sister Fang Qing also said that she might send me to a very prestigious training center in the future."

Shen Bai's chopsticks paused slightly.

"Let's lay a solid foundation for the Body Tempering Realm first, and we can deal with the rest later."

Shen Tian said "Oh" and continued eating, her pigtails swaying gently behind her.

Shen Bai took a sip of soup and put down the bowl.

"Dad, Mom, you can practice cultivation techniques when you have time; it's good for your health."

Zhao Ya looked up at him.

"Your dad and I are both this age. We tried it for a few days, and we were exhausted, but we didn't see any results. Let's see."

"Mom, you're not old at all!" Shen Tian immediately retorted. "You look just like my older sister."

Zhao Ya was amused by her and reached out to pat her.

Shen Bai did not respond.

After upgrading his Eye of the Rhinoceros, he re-scanned his family members' aptitudes—Shen Tian was purple, he himself was gold according to the system's detection, and although his parents were not as good as his siblings, they were still above blue, which was quite good among ordinary people.

He just couldn't say these things too explicitly.

"Cultivation cannot be rushed," he said again, his tone softening. "Although your physical constitution is already set at your age, long-term persistence will still have the effects of strengthening your body and prolonging your life."

Zhao Ya glanced at Shen Ling.

Shen Ling put down his chopsticks, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.

"Your mom is just too lazy to move. I'll get her to exercise with me later."

Zhao Ya gave a soft "humph" but did not refute.

As dusk deepened outside the window, the streetlights in the neighborhood came on, casting an orange glow across the road.

After dinner, the family sat in the living room.

After Zhao Ya finished knitting a row of yarn, she unfolded the scarf and checked its length.

"Two more days of knitting should be enough."

Shen Ling changed the channel; an old movie was playing on the screen, and he was engrossed in it, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest.

Shen Bai leaned back on the sofa, his eyes fixed on the TV, but a wisp of his consciousness drifted to the black market operation report compiled by Xiao Cheng.

Zhao Desheng and others have been detained by the Administration Bureau and are currently being interrogated.

Around nine o'clock, he put down his teacup and got up.

"Dad, Mom, I'm going back now."

Zhao Ya put down the yarn and followed it to the door. Shen Ling's voice rang out in the living room.

Drive slowly on the road.

Shen Bai responded and went downstairs.

As the car drove out of Qingfengyuan and turned onto the main road, Xiao Cheng's voice rang in my mind.

"Master, there have been new discoveries regarding the black market you asked me to keep an eye on."

Shen Bai gripped the steering wheel, his gaze unwavering.

"What was discovered?"

"After Zhao Desheng was detained, he confessed to the smuggling, but when the data was cross-referenced, it was found that his trading company had a long-term business relationship with a shipping company overseas and was linked to an offshore account."

"Each time the goods left the country through that shipping company, in addition to the normal trade payments, there would be an extra sum of money in the offshore account, but the amount was completely disproportionate to the value of the goods, and he did not mention this at all during the interrogation."

"I traced the source of the funds further down and discovered even more."

As soon as I finished speaking, a well-structured report unfolded in my mind.

Shen Bai spared a sliver of attention to scan the area—personnel, networks, funds… all sorts of information were densely packed, forming a complex web that quietly sank beneath the surface, revealing only the tip of the iceberg.

Outside the car window, the night was thick, and the city lights flickered in the darkness, like pairs of watchful eyes.