The background of Tang Xue, the words of Shen Tianhe

As Xu Que continued his detailed explanation, Elder Ye and the others finally began to understand the nature of what they were truly facing.

Just as Xu Que started to elaborate on territorial resources, a soldier burst into the reception room, urgency evident in his expression.

"Report, the Harbor District has been fully cleared." The soldier strode forward, clutching a damage report and casualty statistics.

Elder Ye's hand trembled slightly as he glanced at the stark red numbers on the report. He fought back tears and quietly passed the report to Shen Tianhe and the others.

Though Xu Que and his team hadn't seen the report, the pain was unmistakable in the eyes of the senior leaders.

"Those damned monsters!" Elder Peng clenched his fists, looking directly at Xu Que. "Kid, I don't know how much you truly know, but I hope you'll share everything with us."

Xu Que met his gaze, calm and unyielding.

It wasn't that he didn't want to help; it was that no single nation's power could hope to halt what was coming.

By this time next year, the concept of "national defense" would be all but obsolete—nothing more than rusty scrap metal. In his past life, the M Nation thought they had the answer to the Abyss, throwing mountains of advanced weaponry into dimensional rifts, only to realize the futility. Weapons disintegrated, their atomic structures unraveled, even the most powerful materials dissolved by the abyssal energy.

"Old Peng, calm yourself," Shen Tianhe patted him on the shoulder.

"How can I be calm when those were my soldiers!" Elder Peng's voice trembled with fury.

"Elder Peng," Xu Que said as he stood. "If you still rely on those 'tools' to protect people, you'll only see more casualties."

As Xu Que turned to leave, Elder Ye quickly called after him, "Xu, would you consider serving as an instructor for our elite training camp?"

"Thank you, Elder Ye, but I have nothing more to teach. I've already handed over the only breathing technique I knew," Xu Que replied, maintaining his calm demeanor.

"Do you have any training methods or cultivation techniques we could use?" Elder Zhao asked quickly.

Xu Que smiled, turning to Elder Zhao. "For those, you might consult the martial families. They may have what you seek, though I think you know the price they might ask."

Elder Ye and the others exchanged glances, turning their gaze to Zhao Xian and his martial artist companions, understanding the challenge this entailed.

As the meeting wrapped up, Elder Ye and his team had gleaned as much information as Xu Que could offer. They hadn't received every answer, but at least they now had a glimpse of how to survive the coming storm.

As Xu Que and the others exited the reception room and approached the elevator, he noticed some familiar faces on the screen. Stopping abruptly, he stepped out of the elevator.

"Xu, where are you going?" Kun asked, catching up to him.

"There's something I need to verify."

Xu Que's serious expression prompted Zhao Xian and the others to follow him quickly.

Just as he reached the door of the reception room, Shen Tianhe emerged.

"What's this about?" Shen asked, puzzled.

"The individuals on the screen…where did you find them?" Xu Que pointed to the faces displayed on the wanted screen.

"You know them?" Shen's gaze sharpened with interest.

"Yes, the masked woman," Xu Que's eyes narrowed, his intense focus startling even the battle-hardened Shen Tianhe.

Before Shen could respond, Elder Peng stepped forward, "Can you provide information on her?"

"Chairman Tang Xue of Ford Technology Pharmaceuticals."

The military leaders were stunned; they had never imagined the figure at the head of the group was Ford Technology's chairman. This pharmaceutical giant had deep, intricate ties to foreign governments.

"Do you have any idea where they're hiding?" Xu Que asked.

"To be honest, we're searching as well," Shen Tianhe replied with frustration. "Just yesterday, they infiltrated our training camp and abducted twelve of our scientists."

"Specialists in bloodline research?" Xu Que asked.

"How do you know that?" Shen stared at Xu Que in shock.

Xu Que could have slapped himself for his slip. How could he explain his knowledge—was he to say it came from a past life?

"Oh, just an educated guess," Xu Que replied with a forced smile. "I've been studying bloodline theories myself."

"You understand bloodline research?" Elder Ye looked at Xu Que with new interest.

"It's hard to describe. It's not really biology in the conventional sense, yet neither is it mystical. And injecting bloodlines—that's a flawed approach," Xu Que said.

"How can that be?" Elder Zhao countered. "Our scholars have shown that some foreign bloodlines can fuse with humans, awakening new powers."

Xu Que resisted the urge to correct him. Even if he tried to explain, they might not understand. In his past life, people also initially believed that injecting these bloodlines would awaken new abilities. It was only when the first true inheritor emerged in the Abyss's second year that they realized injection was a tragic error.

Xu Que remembered Ji Boda, a pioneer in bloodline purity, whose greed led him to an impasse.

Noticing Xu's silence on bloodlines, Elder Ye interjected, "Xu, if you encounter these people, we trust you'll notify us immediately."

"Absolutely," Xu Que replied with a polite smile. "I'll inform you as soon as I do."

"Good. In the meantime, we'll process the intelligence we've gathered." Elder Ye smiled.

Xu Que nodded and looked to Shen Tianhe, "Commander Shen, may I have a private word?"

Shen paused, glancing at his superiors before nodding.

Kun nudged Xu Que as he stepped away, "We'll wait for you outside."

Xu gave an "OK" signal, then followed Shen Tianhe to the office.

Inside, Shen Tianhe studied him carefully. "What do you need to discuss?"

"Thank you, Uncle Shen, for the opportunity," Xu Que began, then asked, "Has Shen Mengchu joined the training camp?"

"Yes."

"Has she taken the bloodline serum?"

"To my knowledge, not yet," Shen replied, surprised. "How do you know so much?"

"There are things I can't fully explain," Xu Que replied. "But trust me when I say that injecting bloodlines is a dangerous path."

"How do you know it's not the fastest way to enhance one's power?" Shen pressed.

"In the dimensional rift, I discovered a true inheritance of bloodlines. Though its content was perplexing, I'm convinced it's not meant for injection." Xu Que's gaze was steady.

Shen scrutinized Xu Que, seeking any hint of insincerity, but the young man's calm expression remained unwavering.

"Xu Que, there's something I've been meaning to ask: how did you recognize that masked figure as Tang Xue?" Shen asked suddenly.

Xu hesitated but quickly responded, "Two years ago, Tang Xue's company hired us for a financial strategy plan. She was pleased with our work and invited us to a masquerade. She often wore a fox mask, and that unmistakable silhouette—that's how I knew."

Shen watched him intently and, without warning, said, "Xu Que, whatever your past, I hope you'll treat Mengchu well."

Xu Que blinked in surprise. Wasn't he supposed to be explaining how he identified Tang Xue? How had they ended up discussing Shen Mengchu?