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

Aiden remained silent for a moment.

"What are you trying to say?"

Lilith stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the black SUVs outside.

I want to take you somewhere.

"Where to?"

You'll see when you get there.

Aiden stood still: "I have no reason to go with you."

Lilith turned to look at him. "Your proposals, your foundation, everything you've done over the past twenty years—don't you think they deserve to be pushed to where they're supposed to be?"

Aiden looked at her and remained silent for a long time.

"You win."

Aiden picked up his coat and said to Lilith, "Let's go."

Claire stood in the kitchen, absentmindedly making pizza, watching Aiden walk out in his coat, her eyes filled with worry.

Aiden walked up to her, kissed her forehead, and whispered, "It's nothing, just a work discussion. I'm going out for a bit, I'll be right back."

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Claire was slightly relieved and nodded: "Be careful, and come back for dinner soon."

"it is good."

Aiden kissed Claire's forehead again, then turned and followed Lilith out the door.

The rain was still falling, and the fine raindrops hit Aiden's face, bringing a slight chill.

The two got into the middle SUV, the doors closed, the engine started silently, and the car smoothly drove into the rain.

After Lilith got into the car, she kept looking out the window. The car was very quiet, the sound of rain was blocked out, and only the slight airflow from the air conditioning vents could be heard.

Aiden also looked out the window, watching the houses on both sides of the street glide past one by one.

"You said you'd help me," he began. "How?"

"Of course, it's so that you won't have to beg anyone anymore," Lilith said.

Aiden remained silent for a moment.

"Do you know how many times I've encountered this kind of thing over the years?"

"Someone approached me saying they could help me advance environmental legislation, but it turned out that the oil company behind it just wanted to use my name as a brand."

"Some people even offered to inject funds into my foundation, but it turned out they wanted to launder money through the foundation."

"Every single time, it's the same."

"I know," Lilith said.

"Then why do you think I'll believe you?"

Lilith didn't answer immediately. The car turned into a wider main road, the wipers swaying back and forth on the windshield, making a low, rhythmic sound.

"You don't need to believe me," she said. "You can decide for yourself whether to believe me or not once we get there."

The car continued forward, through the rain and through the evening traffic of the federal capital.

Streetlights swept past the window one by one, casting flickering light and shadow inside the car.

After a while, Aiden spoke again.

"You just said my proposal could be approved quickly. How?"

Lilith didn't turn her head: "What if you were the president now?"

Aiden paused for a moment, then frowned: "Let's not bring up such pointless assumptions anymore. In the Federation, no one can reach that position without the support of conglomerates and powerful forces."

He paused, then added, "And even if I were to reach that position, environmental proposals wouldn't align with the interests of those conglomerates."

Lilith continued looking out the window and said calmly, "Who can say for sure?"

Aiden glanced at her; Lilith's expression was calm, as if her words had been spoken casually.

He didn't ask any more questions, and the car fell silent.

Ten minutes later, the SUV stopped in front of a lead-gray building.

The J.T. Tower—one of the tallest buildings in the federal capital—resembles a dark metal block stretched vertically, its dark glass facade gleaming coldly in the rainy night.

Two bodyguards opened the car door, Lilith got out, and Aiden followed closely behind, walking towards the lobby.

Two bodyguards followed behind, while the others remained in the car.

The lobby was quiet, the floor was so clean you could see your reflection in it. The receptionist stood up and nodded slightly to Lilith, and no one stopped them.

Lily led him to an elevator. The bodyguard pressed the button for the top floor, the elevator doors closed, and the floor indicator lights began to flash.

The elevator was brightly lit, and the silhouettes of the four people were reflected on the metal walls.

Aiden looked at his reflection, then at Lilith—she walked into the building as naturally as if she were walking into her own office.

He suddenly remembered what Lilith had said to him in the car.

A thought flashed through my mind—

It filled him with both surprise and a hint of anticipation.

The elevator doors opened.

The corridor was wide, with a red and yellow patterned carpet on the floor and dark wood-grain wall panels around it. The warm yellow light from the wall lamps fell on the panels, giving them a dim, satin-like glow. Several oil paintings hung on the walls on both sides of the corridor, and a faint scent of wood resin filled the air.

Aiden followed Lilith through the corridor and stopped in front of a huge double wooden door.

Lilith gripped the doorknob and turned to look at Aiden.

"What happens next may change your destiny. You can accept it or refuse it. But whichever you choose, I guarantee you will leave safely."

Before Aiden could respond, the door slowly opened.

Inside was a huge conference room, with people sitting on both sides of a long table in the middle. The lights were bright, illuminating everyone's face clearly.

Aiden stood at the door, his gaze sweeping over each face, his pupils suddenly contracting.

He had seen most of the people in the room, more or less, in the news.

The head of the JPMorgan family—an elderly man in his seventies with gray hair—was sitting at the head of the right side of the long table, his fingers interlaced, looking at Aiden across the entire table.

Sitting next to him was the heir of the Locke family—in his fifties, but with an equally composed gaze.

Next to him were the heads of several federal capital and conglomerates. Some he had only seen in the news, and some he had even visited when the foundation was raising funds—at that time, those people hadn't even met him.

On the left side of the long table sat some equally familiar faces—powerful officials from the Treasury Department, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of the Interior, the Senate, the Cabinet, and the military.

These are the people who can influence the entire federal situation, sitting here at the same table.

Aiden stood frozen at the doorway, his Adam's apple bobbing.

Lilith walked to the head seat in the middle of the long table, pulled out the chair, and looked at Aiden.

"This is your seat."

Aiden didn't know how he got there, or when he sat down.

His mind went blank, his hands were on the table, and his palms were slightly sweaty.

Lilith stood beside him, her gaze sweeping across the room: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is Aiden Black—the founder of the Blue Planet Foundation and a leading scholar in the field of environmental science in the Federation. I believe you have already heard of him."

All eyes turned to Aiden, lingered on him for a few seconds, and then nodded slightly.

Lilith continued, "The person we discussed before was Aiden."

"He has agreed to run for office."