Armor: After finding the Demon-Sealing Box, I won't eat beef.

Happiness Dumpling Restaurant.

The steaming aroma from the freshly cooked food filled the entire hall.

Aunt Hui carried three large bowls of steaming dumplings and walked briskly to the round table.

"Freshly cooked dumplings are here!"

"Try it while it's hot, the filling is very generous today."

The people at the table quickly thanked them, their tone friendly.

"Aunt Hui, thank you for your hard work!"

Five people sat neatly at the large round table.

It was Li Xinnan, Bei Miao, Dong Shan, and Kun Zhong from the Armor Team, plus Mei Zhen who had come specifically for this occasion.

As for why Zhang Jian wasn't there...

I understand everything I understand.

Today's meal is a rare opportunity for us to get together.

No one knows that their current peace is entirely a gift.

During this period, the Dark Prince urgently needs a large amount of light and shadow energy to grow.

The Armored Second Team, which had committed numerous evil deeds, became the chosen victims of Evil Gold, shielding the First Team from this deadly calamity.

That's why the whole group was able to sit here peacefully.

Meizhen has been overwhelmed and exhausted by the alien beasts lately.

My stomach was growling with hunger.

As soon as the dumplings were served, she picked up her chopsticks, took a bite of one, and was the first to grab one.

Bei Miao, standing to the side, couldn't contain his impatience.

He has an impatient nature and dislikes this kind of dawdling atmosphere the most.

Before Meizhen could even finish a few bites...

He took the initiative to speak, his tone straightforward.

"They deliberately gathered all four of us together today; it's definitely not just a simple dinner invitation."

"Recently, news about D City has been flying around, and we've all seen the chaos in the city to some extent."

"Just tell me what's wrong."

Meizhen slowly swallowed the dumpling in her mouth, gently put down her chopsticks, and her expression became much more serious.

"I called the four of you here today because I have something important to discuss."

"You probably already have a vague idea in your hearts, so I'll just tell you the truth without beating around the bush."

"The ERP research lab urgently needs you to return and take charge of the overall situation."

Upon hearing this, the four of them instinctively exchanged glances.

A knowing glint flashed in their eyes; it was exactly as they had guessed.

Li Xinnan, with his calm and meticulous personality, took the initiative to ask the core question.

"If we need to rejoin the team... what about the second team?"

When the second team was mentioned, Meizhen immediately sighed softly, her tone full of helplessness and regret.

"Don't mention them."

This group of people is too selfish; they're all driven by profit.

Upon hearing this, Bei Miao's lips curled into a faint sneer, his tone carrying a playful mockery.

"So, Director Bing'er has completely revoked their armor summoning rights?"

"Ultimately, you still think our team is more effective, right?"

"It's not what you think."

Meizhen shook her head slightly, her expression suddenly darkening, and she uttered a startling statement.

"They were all dead."

The moment those words were spoken, the area around the round table fell into an instant silence.

The relaxed smiles on Xin Nan, Bei Miao, Dong Shan, and Kun Zhong's faces vanished instantly, replaced by astonishment.

I didn't react for a moment.

"Dead?"

"What happened? The whole team is gone?"

"Was it Evil Gold who did it?"

"When I asked you before, you said that only Evil Gold was left as a protector, and he was still at large."

"What on earth happened? How could the entire army be wiped out?"

Everyone pressed for answers, their hearts filled with disbelief.

During this period, only mutant beasts roamed the city, and no more armored warriors appeared to fight.

They initially thought it was just the second team taking a break and were unwilling to make a move.

Furthermore, since most of the previous mutant beasts came from Lin Zhen's command, no one suspected that the entire army would be wiped out.

In their understanding.

It's impossible for the entire second team, with its formidable fighting strength, to have all its members perish.

Meizhen looked at the shocked expressions on everyone's faces.

She was downcast, and her tone carried a hint of self-blame.

"It's true. News of this has been blocked, so nobody knows about it."

"I've been busy dealing with the aftermath of this situation for a while, so I didn't have time to tell you right away."

"It's not too late to say it now."

She took a deep breath and slowly sorted through all the clues she had found over the past few days.

"Lin Zhen has been missing for more than three months. This is a fact confirmed by Director Bing'er herself."

"Therefore, none of the alien beasts that have appeared in the past three months are products of the Shadow Realm."

"It was nurtured by the evil metal protector."

"Moreover, according to the ERP backend data analysis, in addition to the evil metal protector."

There is also a second, unknown superhuman operating in the shadows.

"A superhuman?"

Kunzhong was completely confused and full of doubts, so he couldn't help but ask.

Meizhen patiently explained the official conclusions reached by the research lab.

"This is the internal classification standard of the ERP system."

"Dark beings like the Shadow Guardians possess complete intelligence, independent thinking, and are highly anthropomorphic."

They are collectively referred to as "superhumans."

"Those who only have primitive instincts, low intelligence, and only know how to be bloodthirsty and destructive."

These are the alien beasts we are familiar with.

After explaining the definition, Meizhen immediately returned to the main topic, her tone becoming increasingly serious.

"I'll explain the current situation to you frankly."

"In comparison, the Dark Realm controlled by Lin Zhen poses a much smaller threat to Earth and humanity."

"In the end, Lin Zhen is also a human being."

Once he possesses power, his ambition is at most to rule the world and control order.

From beginning to end.

They simply wanted to use the power of the alien beasts to achieve their goal of unifying the world.

"But the Shadow Guardians are different."

"Their ultimate goal has never been to rule, but to completely destroy all of humanity."

"And it's not just Earth."

What they want is to dominate the entire bright universe.

These words carried immense weight, instantly silencing the entire room.

The four remained silent, each weighing the pros and cons in their minds.

Everyone has a scale in their heart, silently distinguishing the terrifying gap between the old and new dark forces.

Just then.

Bei Miao looked up at Mei Zhen, his eyes filled with obvious doubt.

"To me, what you're saying sounds like you're trying to whitewash Lin Zhen?"

Upon hearing this, the other three fell silent.

He watched the two talk quietly.

Meizhen quickly spoke up to defend herself, her attitude sincere.

"Bei Miao, you've really misunderstood."

"I never intended to whitewash Lin Zhen; I was simply analyzing the situation objectively."

"The most urgent task now is to eliminate the Shadow Guardians and their group of extraterrestrial dark forces."

"If we don't stop them, more innocent people will only lose their lives."

Dongshan, who had been silent all along, interjected in a flat tone.

"Isn't it always happening that mutant beasts cause chaos and people die?"

A seemingly ordinary sentence, yet it hits the core of the terror.

Meizhen immediately shook her head, her expression extremely serious.

"This time is different; it will no longer be ordinary people who suffer next."

"You should know that the technology company behind Bing'er controls the nation's genetic blood screening data."

"The information of all the descendants of Guangying Village across the country has been registered by them and is readily available."

"The number of descendants of the Light and Shadow sect was already extremely small, just a handful."

"But in just three short months, hundreds of people disappeared from D City."

"These missing persons have one thing in common—"

They were all descendants of the Light and Shadow Village, regardless of gender or age.

Upon hearing the words "the descendants of the light and shadow have disappeared."

Li Xinnan's heart sank suddenly, and he instantly thought of Xiang Yang.

That special child, who possesses the bloodline of the five elements, had already been there several months earlier during a picnic.

He was taken away on the spot by a mysterious suit of armor and has been missing ever since.

Even after using all available resources in the ERP system to search, no clues could be found.

Meizhen looked at everyone, her tone extremely heavy.

"These mysteriously disappeared and died inexplicably, including the Second Team, which was completely wiped out."

It was all orchestrated by the evil Golden Protector.

It's targeting and slaughtering all bloodlines of the Light and Shadow Village!

The situation has now reached an extremely critical point.

"If the four of you don't step forward and take responsibility, the entire lifeblood of light and shadow on Earth will be completely wiped out sooner or later!"

When the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact.

All four people present understood this principle.

Evil Gold is now hunting down all descendants of Light and Shadow.

As top-tier summoners of light and shadow armor, the four of them naturally couldn't escape either.

There is no possibility of remaining unaffected.

"So what are your plans?"

Bei Miao dropped his teasing expression and finally faced the crisis squarely.

With a determined look in her eyes and an extremely solemn attitude, Meizhen revealed her entire plan.

"Bing'er has delegated all authority to me. I now have the highest decision-making power in the ERP research lab."

"I will recall you all to form a complete armored team and unite our forces."

"While the five Light and Shadow Stones are still in our hands, let's set up defenses in advance to deal with the surprise attack from the evil metal."

She saw things very clearly.

Eagkin's delay in implementing ERP was not due to a lack of capability, but rather because it was the last window of opportunity.

The second team was selfish, cold-blooded, and scheming against each other, abandoning their teammates in times of crisis, ultimately resulting in their complete annihilation.

But one team is different; they know how to fight side by side.

This is also the core reason why she insisted on rebuilding the team.

"Five people?"

Kunzhong was slightly taken aback, and subconsciously asked, "Aren't there only four of us?"

"And west Zhao."

Meizhen spoke frankly, her gaze sweeping over everyone.

"I hope that the four of you can temporarily put aside your past misunderstandings and conflicts and unite against external threats."

These words were spoken.

Bei Miao's face instantly turned cold, and she immediately turned her head away, her face full of resistance.

"We have nothing to do with him anymore."

"We can find someone else to summon the Snow Mastiff Armor, anyone will do, but he is the only one who cannot."

The familiar conflict has been reignited.

Meizhen looked at the stubborn Beimiao with a sense of helplessness, but she had expected it all along.

"Bei Miao, can't you wake up?"

This time, Mijin was no longer as weak and submissive as before; her tone was firm.

"This opponent is completely different from the ones we've faced before."

"The previous monster attacks were all an act."

"The current dark forces are purely destructive invasions."

"They will not care about anyone's position or grudges; they will only kill all the descendants of the Light and Shadow."

She paused for a moment, then continued to patiently persuade her.

"Think back carefully to the time when Xizhao was in your team."

"Has he ever been selfish?"

Have you ever abandoned or betrayed your teammates?

"Most of the time, when conflicts and disputes arise within the team, he is the one who quietly mediates."

Li Xinnan was the first to nod in agreement, his tone gentle yet resolute.

"west Zhao is a good person; I can sense that. He is kind at heart."

Kunzhong pursed his lips, mustered his courage, and spoke sincerely.

"Putting aside all positions, Brother Xizhao really takes good care of us."

"Many times when I lost a battle, he would privately review the tactics with me and patiently guide me."

As soon as he finished speaking, Bei Miao suddenly turned his head and glared at Kun Zhong.

A single cold glance was enough to shut the honest Kunzhong up instantly.

Immediately afterwards, the composed Dongshan stepped in to smooth things over, speaking objectively and fairly.

"Alright, Bei Miao, Kun Zhong is telling the truth."

"west Zhao is a man of few words, but he is impeccable in his dealings with people and his work."

Several months later, the initial impulsiveness and anger subsided.

Looking back at the various conflicts from back then, I have gained a lot of clarity.

Although west Zhao came from the film industry, he was Lin Zhen’s nominal son.

But he is pure and kind at heart, and treats people sincerely.

Compared to the selfish and callous second team, they are worlds apart.

Even though everyone was trying to persuade him, Bei Miao's attitude remained unchanged.

He is stubborn and principled; once he has made up his mind, it is very difficult to change it.

"It's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature."

Bei Miao's tone was icy, her words harsh, and her prejudice undisguised.

"Can't you see his arrogant attitude?"

"He's Lin Zhen's son! Who is Lin Zhen? The creator of the Shadow Realm!"

"All the darkness and turmoil in the world originates from them!"

"You can never trust people in the film industry!"

"Besides, he's Lin Zhen's son; his ingrained nature can't be changed!"

"Want him to completely whitewash his ways? I have only two words for you—dream on!"

"A rotten orange is always a rotten orange!"

The harsh words were spoken, and the atmosphere instantly plummeted to freezing point.

Everyone could see that Bei Miao truly couldn't accept west Zhao's identity from the bottom of her heart.

He targeted Li Xinnan at every turn back then.

They were vying for the team leader position.

But later, Zhang Jian's descent into darkness revealed his ambition, and he realized his own biases and mistakes.

Guilt overwhelmed him, which made him completely let go of his prejudice against Xin Nan.

But Xizhao is different.

He comes from the film industry and is the son of Lin Zhen.

This identity is an insurmountable obstacle in Bei Miao's heart.

No matter how others tried to persuade him, he resolutely refused to accept it.

The atmosphere in the room was incredibly tense at that moment.

Bei Miao was domineering and powerful, and no one dared to easily provoke him.

Li Xinnan has a laid-back and unassuming personality; he wouldn't force a confrontation with Bei Miao for west Zhao's sake.

Dongshan and Kunzhong acknowledged Xizhao's abilities, but dared not overly contradict Beimiao.

Everyone knew that there were only two possibilities for Bei Miao to accept Xi Zhao.

You need to take the initiative to humble yourself and yield to him.

Either west Zhao's strength completely overwhelmed him, forcing him to submit.

But unfortunately, the aloof and arrogant west Zhao could do neither.

"Bei Miao, this time we really can't let you act recklessly like this again."

Meizhen refused to back down, her gaze resolute, her aura more forceful than ever before.

"In my eyes, the biggest difference between you and the second team is that you know how to help each other."

"The two teams were demoralized and plotted against each other, which led to their complete annihilation."

"I believe you wouldn't do that."

You have an impulsive personality.

But their core values ​​are righteous and their hearts are filled with goodwill.

"Now, please put aside west Zhao's identity and past grievances for the time being."

"We don't have any extra time to dwell on these personal conflicts."

"Current ERP systems have no defense capabilities and are essentially useless."

"If the evil metal launches a surprise attack, storm the research lab and seize the Light and Shadow Stone."

"By then, will your obsession with rotten oranges still have any meaning?"

During this period, I witnessed the destruction of Team Two and the tragic deaths of countless descendants of the Light and Shadow.

Meizhen has finally figured out many things.

The constant internal conflicts within the team in the past were ultimately due to her being too weak and inactive.

If she had been able to firmly balance the conflicts between the various parties back then, she wouldn't have forced Xin Nan away, causing the team to fall apart.

The tragedy of the second team was still fresh in her mind; she absolutely could not let the first team repeat the same mistake.

Bei Miao looked up, his face full of disbelief as he sized Mei Zhen up and down.

I was filled with surprise.

The Meizhen before my eyes was completely different from the gentle, easy-going, and accommodating person she used to be.

Today, her attitude is firm.

Meizhen met his gaze, her eyes sincere and expectant, and softened her tone.

"Our only goal now is to join forces to eliminate evil metal and protect the Earth and the bloodline of light and shadow."

"I don't ask you to accept Xi Zhao."

"I only hope that you can put aside your grudges for now, that the five of you can return to your positions, and work together to fight against the darkness."

After listening, Bei Miao's Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

The rebuttal that was already on the tip of his tongue was ultimately swallowed back by him.

He acted impulsively.

But when faced with a life-or-death crisis, they still remain clear-headed.

Meizhen is right.

The threat posed by evil metal far surpasses that of any previous dark force; if it is allowed to continue slaughtering the descendants of light and shadow, it will be disastrous.

Everyone, including the four of them, was doomed to die.

Personal grudges are utterly insignificant in the face of utter annihilation.

If you don't say anything, I'll take that as your agreement.

Meizhen looked at the silent Beimiao and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Bei Miao did not refute, which can be regarded as tacit acceptance of this compromise.

Meizhen didn't delay any longer and immediately took out her phone to make a call.

Not long after the phone call ended, the door of the dumpling restaurant was gently pushed open.

west Zhao walked in slowly.

He looked extremely haggard, with a pale face and dark circles under his eyes.

Clearly, it's due to long-term sleep deprivation and restlessness.

I haven't had a proper rest in a long time.

Upon seeing west Zhao enter, Bei Miao immediately turned her head away.

Her profile was tense, her face indifferent, and she didn't want to talk to anyone at all.

Xin Nan, Dong Shan, and Kun Zhong nodded gently to him and greeted him.

west Zhao nodded slightly in response, then his gaze fell directly on Mei Zhen.

Meizhen raised her hand, gesturing for him to sit down.

"Please sit down."

"I have already done all the ideological work within the team."