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

Noon, Putang Town.

The town is small; it only takes about ten minutes to walk from one end of the street to the other.

Small courtyards with red tiles and gray walls line both sides of the alleys. A yellow dog lies at the base of the wall. It looks up when it hears footsteps, then lazily lies back down.

Sun Chen and Li Xiuming walked along the road deeper into the town.

Sun Chen walked ahead, carrying a black travel bag and two boxes of milk in his hands.

Li Xiuming followed beside him, also carrying a bag of fruit and several boxes of health products. He had changed his Taoist robe into ordinary casual wear, so he didn't look so conspicuous.

The two walked to the end of the town and stopped in front of an open courtyard gate.

Li Xiuming glanced at the house number and lowered his voice: "This should be it."

Sun Chen did not respond, but instead looked into the room.

The yard wasn't big, but the cement floor was swept very clean, and a clump of roses grew in the corner, blooming beautifully at this time of year.

A woman who looked to be in her fifties was squatting by the well, washing clothes. Two washed garments were hanging on the clothesline, still dripping water.

After a while, Sun Chen took a deep breath and stepped into the courtyard.

"Aunt."

The woman looked up, foam dripping from her hands. She squinted at them for a moment, then stood up and wiped her hands on her apron.

"Hey, who are you...?"

"Auntie, we are Meng Xing's colleagues, and we came to visit you," Sun Chen said.

The woman paused for a moment, then smiled and greeted them, "Xiao Xing's colleague! Come in, come in, don't stand in the yard." She ushered the two inside and then called out into the house, "Xiao Qin, we have guests."

The sound of a chair being moved came from inside the room. A teenage girl poked her head out, holding a pair of chopsticks in her hand and chewing rice in her mouth.

Who is it?

"Your brother's colleague."

  

As she spoke, she led them into the house, glancing at the things in their hands, and said somewhat apologetically, "You've come all this way, why did you bring anything?"

"Of course," Sun Chen said.

Sun Chen and Li Xiu followed Meng Xing's mother into the main room.

The room wasn't big, but it was very clean. A painting hung on the main wall, with several certificates of merit nailed to the side. In the middle of the room was a square table with two plates of leftover food on it.

Meng Xing's sister stood by the door, glanced at Sun Chen and his sister a few times, and then looked at her mother.

Hello, brothers.

"Hello," Sun Chen replied.

"Sit down, sit down. Have you eaten yet?" Meng Xing's mother greeted them while clearing the table of dishes. "I'll get you some water."

"I've already eaten, Auntie, please don't bother," Sun Chen said.

Meng Xing's mother turned and went into the kitchen, where the sound of water being poured could be heard.

Sun Chen casually found a stool to sit on and placed his travel bag at his feet.

Li Xiuming placed the fruit and health products on the bench against the wall, then sat down next to Sun Chen, looking somewhat awkwardly at the paintings on the wall.

Meng Xing's mother came out carrying two glasses of water.

"Here, have some water."

She handed one glass to Li Xiuming and one to Sun Chen, then smiled and looked them over: "How's Xiao Xing? Has he caused you any trouble? He hasn't been back in a long time, and he doesn't call often."

Sun Chen took the water glass but didn't reply.

Meng Xing's mother sat down opposite him and continued with a smile, "His father passed away early, and I raised him and his sister by myself. He's always been mischievous and never home. I'm afraid he'll get into trouble outside..."

The younger sister sat down next to them, glancing at the two of them every now and then.

Sun Chen remained silent.

Meng Xing's mother's smile slowly faded.

She looked at Sun Chen, then glanced at the black travel bag at his feet, and her lips moved slightly: "Is he... alright?"

Sun Chen's knuckles tightened slightly.

"Auntie," he said.

Meng Xing's mother looked at him, her smile still there, but it was somewhat forced.

"What's wrong?"

Sun Chen lowered his head, put the glass of water in his hand on the table, walked to Meng Xing's mother, and Li Xiuming also stood up.

"sorry."

"Meng Xing—" Sun Chen's voice seemed to be squeezed out of his throat, "He's gone."

Meng Xing's mother looked at him, her hands beginning to tremble.

"What did you say?"

Sun Chen didn't say anything more. Instead, he took out a box wrapped in red cloth from his travel bag, slowly opened it, and revealed a black and white photo of Meng Xing on the front of the box.

Meng Xing's mother stared at the photo for three seconds, opened her mouth, but made no sound.

"While fighting the monsters," Sun Chen said, "he did it to protect me..."

"Sacrificed."

The main room was quiet for a few seconds.

The younger sister's gaze froze in mid-air, tears welling up in her eyes.

Meng Xing's mother stared at Sun Chen's face, as if trying to find traces of "lying" in his expression.

But Sun Chen's expression was heavy—leaving no room for concealment.

"How could this be..." Meng Xing's mother's voice began to change, and she staggered forward, grabbing the edge of the table for support.

He was perfectly fine before...

The younger sister helped her mother to her feet, her lips pale: "Mom..."

Two lines of tears dripped down her cheeks.

"He didn't suffer much," Sun Chen said, head bowed. "He's a hero."

Meng Xing's mother gripped the edge of the table tightly, her knuckles turning white, and tears finally welled up in her eyes.

She didn't make a sound, just sat there, her nostrils flaring, tears falling to the ground and seeping out one by one.

Li Xiuming stood to the side, bowed solemnly, and whispered, "Amitabha Buddha."

Sun Chen then took out a gold-plated plaque from his travel bag, which read "Home of Heroes" and gently placed it on the table. Next came the documents, bank cards, and a business card from the Dawn Group.

"This is an honor bestowed by the state. There is a two million yuan pension in the account, and ten thousand yuan will be deposited into it every month from now on. If there are any difficulties at home, you can call Shuguang Group at any time. The children's schooling, employment, and housing will be given priority."

He took out the last item—an unopened express package addressed to Meng Xing.

Sun Chen placed it on the table and pushed it in front of Meng Xing's mother: "This is what he bought online for you. He didn't have time to pick it up, so I went to the courier station to get it."

Meng Xing's mother looked down at the express delivery package, tears falling in large drops onto the package.

She didn't open it, but instead reached out and hugged the package tightly to her chest, letting out a heart-wrenching cry: "My child—"

The mother and daughter embraced each other, their hoarse cries echoing in the room.

Sun Chen stood there, head down, countless words tumbling out, but out of guilt, only one sentence came out.

"Auntie, he saved my life. I will always remember him."

He then pulled a slip of paper from his pocket with a phone number written on it: "This is my personal number. Call me anytime if anything happens at home."

"We're leaving now."

My condolences.

Meng Xing's mother did not look up.

She clutched the package and the box of ointment that Meng Xing hadn't had a chance to give her personally, her sobs coming on and on, as if they would never stop.

Sun Chen bowed deeply, then turned and walked towards the door.

Li Xiu followed behind him, and before leaving, he looked back at the mother and daughter embracing each other one last time, then gently closed the courtyard gate.