High-level martial arts: Long spear with black flames to suppress demons.

Upon hearing this, Shen Chang'an's suspicions were finally confirmed.

"The true memories, are they with you?"

Old Wang didn't say much, but simply raised his hand, and a ball of light slowly flew out from behind the bookshelf. It was surrounded by light and shadow, making it impossible to see its contents. He then pushed the ball of light in front of Shen Chang'an: "This is your memory. I didn't check what was inside. Take it back. Keeping fake things for too long is never a good thing."

Shen Chang'an did not resist. The ball of light touched his brow, and the light and shadow spread out layer by layer.

The sealed memories then surged back, and the images were put back in place, while another memory that was originally filling in the gaps gradually shattered.

He closed his eyes, waiting for all his experiences to reconnect before slowly exhaling.

"We finally got through it."

Old Wang reminded him, "It's only temporary. Now that you've regained your memories, you have to be careful when someone asks you about them again. You can't answer the same questions the same way you did last time."

He nodded: "I know. Gu Lian has already checked once and found nothing unusual. Without a new reason, he shouldn't be going to do it again right away."

Old Wang picked up the teapot and poured him a cup of tea.

"How has he fared since arriving in Shanghai?"

Shen Chang'an took the tea and sat down opposite him: "On the very first day we arrived, we wanted to take Du Yue back to the capital, saying it was to cooperate with the bloodline test and security investigation. The people from the demon realm refused, and the two sides almost came to blows in the medical department."

"And then?"

"Senior Cang Gu has arrived, but Gu Lian was unable to take him away."

Old Wang paused in his tea-serving motion: "Even he's here?"

"Yes, I also brought Tu Shan Feiyue and Yuan Chongyue. They are currently staying at a hotel near headquarters."

After listening, Old Wang wasn't too surprised: "It was only a matter of time before those companies in the capital set their sights on Phoenix. However, Gu Lian came here on orders. We'll have to see which of these decisions are from headquarters and which are his own plans."

Shen Chang'an responded and then began to talk about the itinerary: "I have already made arrangements with them to accompany Du Yue to the Demon Realm in a few days. We will first go to the Demon Capital of South China and then travel through the inter-realm passage."

"It's already decided?"

"It's settled. The defense of Shanghai is basically stable, and reinforcements from various places are arriving one after another. With Gu Lian and Fang Jiming at headquarters, I don't need to stay here for the time being."

"Besides, I was supposed to go anyway; that senior asked me to go to the demon realm..."

Old Wang glanced at him but didn't press the matter. He already knew enough about those things that couldn't be said, and asking further wouldn't do either of them any good.

Shen Chang'an hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Elder Wang, do you know where the stone slabs in Donghuang are usually placed?"

"slate?"

Old Wang looked up at him, thought for a moment, and shook his head, saying, "I really don't know much about this. The military is mainly responsible for related matters. The Zhenye Division doesn't usually have much contact with them. Why are you suddenly asking about this?"

He didn't elaborate: "There are some things I want to confirm, so I wanted to inquire about them first."

Old Wang looked at him for a moment, but didn't press further. He simply put the teacup back on the table and asked, "You just said that we'd be passing through the 'Demon City of South China' this time?"

Seeing Shen Chang'an nod, he continued, "That's perfect. Go find my old friend, the former commander-in-chief of the First Army Group. You can ask him about the stone slab; he should know more than I do."

Shen Chang'an noted this connection and asked, "Then how can I see him? You said before that he doesn't usually see outsiders."

"Take my letter with you, and he will see you."

Old Wang leaned back in his chair, paused briefly, and then said, "Besides, he knows some things about what happened back then. Since we're going, we should have a good talk with him. Maybe he can tell you some things that I don't understand."

His expression became more serious: "Alright, then when I get to the Demon Capital, I'll go visit him first."

"The letter is in my office. It was prepared a long time ago. I originally planned to have you take it with you when you had the chance to go to the Demon Capital, but then the Dead Zone suddenly opened, and I haven't had a chance to give it to you yet."

"Where should I put it?"

"There's a hidden compartment in the bottom left drawer of the desk. You can open it using the headquarters office access token."

Old Wang said, "There's no name on the envelope, only the old insignia of the First Army Group. Don't get it wrong when you take it."

Shen Chang'an noted down the location: "Okay, I'll get it after we leave."

Old Wang added, "Also, don't open the letter. Give it to him personally when you see him. As for what you want to ask, we can talk about it slowly after he finishes reading the letter."

"clear."

Having said what needed to be said, Shen Chang'an put down his teacup and was about to exit the dream when Old Wang called him back.

"Also, go and see An Nuan again before you leave."

Shen Chang'an stopped what he was doing: "You want her to see this itinerary?"

"Just tell her, don't let her force herself to use her abilities. She already suffered enough backlash last time because of Du Yue."

Old Wang's tone became more serious.

"Tell her where you're going and who you're going with, and ask her if she has anything to say. If she has no objections, stick to the original plan. If she suggests you take a different route or bring something, don't think it's a hassle, just listen to her."

Shen Chang'an nodded.

An Nuan's vision of the future was incomplete; some things were even impossible to articulate. However, the two keywords she mentioned last time later came true within the Dead Zone.

This trip involves many things, so it's definitely necessary to see her before I leave.

"Okay, I'll go."

......

In the following days, Shanghai finally calmed down.

Gu Lian didn't mention bringing Du Yue to Beijing again. He continued to hold meetings, review documents, and take over the work of various departments as usual, handling personnel transfers, material allocation, and post-disaster reconstruction, pushing things forward one by one, as if the conflict in the medical department had never happened.

Shen Chang'an did not think that he had given up.

However, Cang Gu was still there, and the dozen or so great demons from the demon realm had not left either. Gu Lianruo had no other arrangements, and continuing to pester them would not only make things more difficult for her, but would also prevent her from taking them away.

Since the other party wasn't causing trouble for the time being, Shen Chang'an focused on handling his current tasks and preparing for his departure.

He didn't plan to bring too many people with him on this trip to the Demon Realm. Du Yue was going to learn about her own clan, not for an official visit by the Zhenye Division. If the entourage was too large, many things would be difficult to arrange.

After several discussions, it was finally decided that Murong Yan would accompany them.

She is an eighth-realm cultivator and has fought alongside the two in the Dead Zone. They are familiar with each other and she is also his aunt. If any unexpected situation arises in the Demon Realm, they can take care of each other.

Shen Chang'an had asked her opinion beforehand, and Murong Yan did not object. However, she also explained in advance that she probably wouldn't be able to stay for too long and would have to return after escorting them there. Communication between the demon realm and the human world was inconvenient, so she would have to stay in the human world to keep an eye on the situation in the capital and find a way to notify him in time if there were any special circumstances.

Later, Cang Gu asked Du Yue if there was anyone else she wanted to bring along, and Du Yue mentioned Murong Yan.

Seeing that Du Yue spoke up personally, the demon race naturally had no objections. With additional support forces in the Demon City and personnel available for redeployment, the travel arrangements were smoothly finalized.

Murong Yan applied to accompany him, while Shen Chang'an himself submitted a one-month leave application.

From the Greater Khingan Mountains to the Shanghai Dead Zone, and then to the East China Sea Rift, he had hardly had a break during this period. Now that the headquarters has completed the handover and various tasks have been taken over, the application was quickly approved.

In addition to the seal, the approval document also included a line of text written by Gu Lian himself: "While away from Shanghai, you must keep your communication channels open."