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

The countdown is on the third day, at 1:58 AM.

Shen Bai sat in the bedroom, the screen in front of him lit up.

Over the past few hours, Xiao Cheng's monitoring curve has been fluctuating. The spiritual energy concentration suddenly increased after 1 a.m., and the probability of the rift appearing jumped from 23% to 84%.

"Master, the Eye of the Spirit has detected a large-scale spatial fluctuation. Ninety-three rifts have opened simultaneously in and around the Demon City."

"Energy level assessment".

"All of them are low-level fissures, capable of accommodating apprentice-level creatures, with the highest energy level being the peak of the ninth level of the apprentice realm. Nineteen of these fissures are located in urban areas, while the rest are in suburbs or rural areas."

"Notify all teams to respond immediately according to the contingency plan. Liu Feng will be the on-site commander. Synchronize the Eye of the Spirit and the Monster Encyclopedia data to the Apostle panels of all official team members. I will intervene at a critical moment."

"Notification has been made."

"Each squad is moving towards the target area."

On the map, the green dots representing the members of each Dawn team are moving towards their respective target areas in groups of five.

Shen Bai sat back in his chair and closed his eyes.

Ninety-three rifts, the highest level being Apprentice Nine – both the scale and level are within an acceptable range. This can serve as a pre-battle drill to see the Dawn members' overall response to monsters.

---

2:02 AM, Sunshine Garden Community, JA District, Shanghai.

In the center of the parking lot, a dark red crack silently opened, about 1.5 meters wide, and the crack spread outwards.

Monsters began to pour out of the rift.

The two in front, covered in jet-black scales and the size of hyenas, pounced on the car as soon as they appeared, their claws tearing open the door with a metallic ripping sound that echoed through the night, shards of glass scattering everywhere.

The third creature resembled a bat, with two pairs of thin membrane wings on its back. It hovered low around the parking lot of the residential area, its eyes scanning its surroundings, and the flapping of its wings sounded like rapid drumbeats.

The fourth and fifth were slightly smaller, resembling crocodiles, but with bulging, sac-like structures on either side of their mouths, like those of frogs. They wandered aimlessly after emerging, their saliva dripping from their mouths corroding the ground and producing wisps of white smoke.

Outside the residential compound, Lin Wei had just gotten out of a taxi and was walking home, scrolling through her phone with her head down.

She works as a planner at a GG company, and tonight the client asked her to change the plan at the last minute, so she worked overtime until midnight.

As she reached the edge of the parking lot, a sharp metallic tearing sound made her look up.

She saw a black creature lying on the hood of a car. The dim light from the streetlamp illuminated its outline—its body was covered in scales, and its mouthparts were gnawing at the windshield, with shards of glass falling from between its teeth, making a crunching sound as it chewed.

Lin Wei's mind went blank, and her fingers instinctively pressed the police phone.

  

"Hello, is this the police department?"

"There's a monster in the parking lot of Sunshine Garden residential complex!" Her voice trembled.

"It's not an animal, it's a monster! Black, huge, covered in scales, it's biting the car!"

"Leave the scene and find a place to hide. Don't make a sound. We'll be there soon," the operator replied calmly.

Lin Wei hung up the phone and turned to run towards the entrance of the residential area.

The footsteps startled the crocodile-like monster that was closest to her. It turned its head sharply, its mandibles aimed in her direction, and it moved quickly towards her on all fours. With each step, the rustling sound of its scales scraping against the ground grew clearer.

The monster is very fast.

Lin Wei, wearing high heels, heard footsteps approaching from behind, turned around and hid behind an SUV, crouching down and covering her mouth to keep quiet.

She felt her heart pounding so hard it felt like it was going to explode, and her blood was coursing through her body with each beat.

The police station is just across the street on Yongxing Road; it normally only takes three minutes to drive there.

But at this moment, every second is stretched out.

Her palms were sweaty as she gripped her phone. Images of her parents back home, the unfinished cake in the fridge, and the unopened package flashed through her mind—these everyday things, which she never took for granted, all rushed into her thoughts at that moment, flashing by like a revolving lantern.

The sound of the monster crawling grew closer and closer.

Ten meters, five meters, three meters.

A stench assaulted her senses, like rotting fish mixed with rust, making her stomach churn and almost vomit.

She closed her eyes, unable to look.

"Oh, my child—!"

An alarm sounded at the entrance of the residential compound.

Two security vehicles rushed through the gate, their headlights illuminating the parking lot. The blinding white light shone on the monster, causing it to instinctively shrink back.

Three sheriffs got out of the car and drew their pistols. Wang Hai, who was leading the team, saw Lin Wei and also the approaching monster.

"Sheriff! Lie down and don't move!"

Wang Hai shouted to Lin Wei while pointing his gun at the monster.

The monster turned its head, its mouthparts aimed at the sheriff. Its lower jaw opened, revealing two rows of serrated teeth, and saliva dripped onto the ground in thin streams.

Wang Hai pulled the trigger.

A flash of light, and the bullet struck the monster's side—with a "clang," sparks flew from its scales, the bullet deformed, and it clattered to the ground.

The monster swayed slightly, but instead of retreating, it charged forward.

It hissed, a sound like metal scraping against glass, sending chills down your spine, and the lights in several homes in the neighborhood came on.

"Fire! Fire!"

The three men fired continuously, and the magazines were quickly depleted.

The bullets left more than a dozen bullet holes in the monster's body, all embedded in its scales, only creating a few cracks.

The monster slowed down slightly, but it was still closing in, leaving a trail of corrosive saliva on the ground with each step.

Its mouth was wide open, and the stench from its dark throat was even stronger, like a dead rat soaking in sewage.

As the young sheriff Li Yang ran out of bullets and was about to change magazines, he caught a glimpse of Lin Wei out of the corner of his eye—she was crouching behind the car, less than five meters from the monster, which could turn on her at any moment.

Li Yang just graduated from the Public Security College this year, and this is his first night shift.

A thought flashed through his mind: if he let that woman die in front of him, he would never be able to get over it for the rest of his life.

"Brother Wang, cover me!"

Li Yang threw down his pistol and suddenly circled around to the other side, charging towards Lin Wei.

He grabbed her wrist, pulled her out from behind the car, and ran desperately to the side.

Sensing the movement of its prey, the monster abandoned its attack on the sheriff and turned to chase after Li Yang and Lin Wei.

Its speed was astonishing; it used its limbs to exert force alternately, leaving shallow dents in the paving stones with each step, and it closed the distance in just a few breaths.

Li Yang heard the sound of scales scraping the ground behind him, growing closer and closer, mixed with the heavy breathing of the demon. He could even feel the demon's foul breath hitting the back of his neck.

He didn't dare look back, but just held onto Lin Wei tightly and ran forward.

But how can two human legs outrun a monster?

The monster leaped into the air, its sharp claws reaching for Li Yang's back.

The claws gleamed coldly under the streetlights, whistling through the air like the fingertips of death.