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

Zhou Zheng fell silent upon hearing the voice on the other end of the phone. The cubicle was quiet for a few seconds, with only the low hum of the overhead incandescent light vibrating like a taut string in the air.

"Don't forget, the first-tier cultivation method you wanted is still in my hands." He finally spoke, his voice hoarse, with a hint of threat in his tone. "If I'm captured, you'll get nothing."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

The man's voice rang out again, this time with a hint of unreadable softness: "We know, don't worry, we won't abandon you. The situation is urgent, we'll find a way to get you out of there as quickly as possible."

He paused for a moment, as if considering his words.

"Currently, besides the Dawn Group, only the Management Bureau has a save file for the first-tier cultivation method. Can you confirm that the version you obtained is correct?"

"Of course, no problem. I've already tried cultivating it, and the effect is perfect," Zhou Zheng said. "I've put the cultivation method in a very safe place. As long as you fulfill the conditions you promised me, the item is yours."

There was no immediate response on the other end of the phone.

A moment later, the man on the other end of the phone spoke: "Okay, prepare your cultivation method. We'll arrange the handover when we evacuate."

"Get me and my son out of here first," Zhou Zheng said. "Once you've arranged for Ping An's medical care, I'll give you the cultivation method."

"...Deal. We'll try our best to arrange for you and your son to evacuate tomorrow. I'll notify you of the specific time and location via mobile phone. Please keep your phone accessible."

"……good."

Zhou Zheng didn't say anything more.

He hung up the phone, put it down from his ear, his palms were sweaty, and he clenched the back of the screen until it was damp.

He took a deep breath, pulled out the SIM card, folded it in half and broke it in two. Then he grabbed the phone body with his other hand, twisted the phone into pieces, and threw them all into the toilet drain.

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The sound of rushing water filled the air as the fragments were swept away and swallowed up, disappearing completely.

He pushed open the stall door and walked to the sink.

The sound of water filled the air. He scooped up a handful of water and splashed it on his face. The cool water slid down his cheeks, down his chin, and into his collar, taking away the slight numbness on his face.

He looked up, and there were still water droplets on his face in the mirror. He stared at it for a while, as if confronting himself in the mirror.

Finally, he wiped the water off his face, turned around, and walked out.

The sounds of the night market suddenly surged up—the shouts of vendors, the sizzling of charcoal grills, the laughter of children—it was like entering another world.

He glanced around, then walked through the bustling crowd to the ring toss stall.

Ping An had her back to him, clutching the last plastic ring in her hand. Her little face was tense, and she squinted one eye, intently aiming at the rainbow lollipop.

Zhou Zheng stepped forward, grasped Ping An's wrist, and swung it around. The plastic ring traced an arc in the air and landed securely.

Ping An paused for a moment, then turned around and saw Zhou Zheng. Her face lit up with surprise and delight: "Dad!"

"Hmm." Zhou Zheng patted Ping An's hair. "Have you had enough fun? Shall we go home?"

"Okay... Ping An is sleepy..."

Zhou Zheng took the colorful lollipop from the vendor and handed it to Ping An. Ping An took it and happily exclaimed, "Daddy's so great!"

Zhou Zheng's lips twitched slightly as he took Ping An's hand and walked out of the night market.

The streetlights stretched their shadows, which slid slowly across the ground like two lines stretched by time, growing longer and farther until they disappeared at the end of the night market.

On the west side of the night market, in the shadows of the wall, a black sedan is parked in a dark spot where the streetlights don't reach.

Li Yang rested his hands on the steering wheel, his gaze fixed on the two figures gradually disappearing into the distance through the windshield.

He withdrew his gaze and turned to look at the two files spread out on the passenger seat.

One document is Zhao Desheng's confession, which is filled with detailed records of the smuggling activities between the trading company and the shipping company, the accounts between the two parties, and the names of the customs officials involved.

The other document is Zhou Zheng's resume, which shows his family relationship report, years of service in customs, approval records he handled, work performance after being transferred to the Extraordinary Administration Bureau, and so on.

If the Bureau hadn't received the intelligence from Dawn yesterday, he would never have believed that Brother Zhou, the kind-hearted man in the Archives Department who never argued with anyone and was always serious and responsible, would be a spy bribed by foreign forces.

Last night, after he and Sun Chen finished drinking, he had just entered the house when the director called—the instructions were brief and clear: keep an eye on Zhou Zheng, do not alert him, observe all his activities, follow the clues, and see if there are any other hidden lines.

He and a few colleagues followed him for a day. Zhou Zheng's life was very simple—going to work, getting off work, buying groceries, and going home.

The only variable is that they go out to stroll through the night market at night, just like an ordinary father taking his son out for a leisurely walk after dinner.

Li Yang picked up the communicator and said in a low voice, "Attention all points, the target has left the night market and is returning to his residence via the north exit. Continue to maintain close tracking and do not expose yourself."

A few short confirmation beeps came through the communicator.

He put down his communicator, opened the car door, and walked into the crowd at the night market.

Instead of heading straight to the public restroom, he first went around to the barbecue stall next door and bought a skewer of squid. While waiting, he glanced around at his surroundings out of the corner of his eye.

No suspicious persons or vehicles were found.

He took a bite of the squid, then turned and headed towards the public restroom.

The incandescent light in the public restroom hummed softly. He stood in front of the sink, threw the bamboo skewer of squid into the trash can, and then closed his eyes.

The spiritual energy spread out silently, like a thin layer of mercury spreading outwards along the ground, covering every inch of the area.

No exception.

Li Yang raised an eyebrow and channeled his mental energy into the surrounding ground and walls, capturing the cell phone remnants in the sewer.

A few seconds later, the wreckage fragments were drawn out of the sewer by mental energy, which peeled away the filth on the surface, revealing the original appearance of the wreckage.

He took a transparent evidence bag from the inside pocket of his coat, pulled the fragments inside, sealed it, and then took out his phone to dial a number.

The busy tone was very short, and the other party answered quickly.

"Chief, we've made a discovery with Zhou Zheng." Li Yang's voice was very low. "In the public restroom he used, we found a destroyed cell phone and a fragment of a SIM card."

"Okay, send it back first."

"Should we make the arrest?" Li Yang asked. "He should have contacted foreign forces and may have already sensed something was wrong."

There was silence for a few seconds on the other end of the phone.

The section chief's calm voice rang out: "Wait a little longer. The task force is still digging deeper into the spy case, and we should have results tonight. Keep them under surveillance and try to eradicate them completely."

"receive."