[ Ding! Crisis detected: Spirit Race invasion!]
[Quest type: Time-limited quest]
[Quest name: Blue Star Defense War]
[Quest description: The extraterrestrial life-form known as the "Spirit Race" has locked onto Blue Star's coordinates and begun its initial infiltration.]
[They feed on the minds of other life-forms and excel at creating illusions and launching mental attacks.]
[In one year, the Spirit Race's main force will arrive in large numbers through a spatial rift.]
[This race believes its civilization and cultivation system are superior. It regards humanity as a "lower civilization" and sees it as its duty to "conquer" humanity and bring it under its rule.]
[In their eyes, humanity's martial arts are nothing more than crude physical training. Humanity must accept the Spirit Race's "enlightenment," or be utterly destroyed.]
[Quest objective: Find and destroy the "Spirit Race Invasion Portal" located in Jiang City within one year!]
[Quest reward: ???]
A string of system notifications echoed in Chen Yan's mind.
A glint utterly at odds with his infant identity flashed in his big, dark eyes.
His main quest had updated...
Simply put, these so-called paranormal events were just the work of scout teams sent by the Spirit Race...
But in a year, the Spirit Race's army would descend on Jiang City!
He didn't know whether the people of Blue Star would survive, but Jiang City would certainly be no more...
The corners of Chen Yan's soft, pink lips involuntarily curled upward, forming a slightly ferocious... smile.
"Interesting."
Far from being afraid, he felt excitement he hadn't felt in a long time.
A comfortable, steady pace of growth was safe enough, but growing stronger with a goal in mind was the only way to keep the long road to godhood from becoming dull!
"Looks like living quietly and keeping my head down until the end of time won't be possible in this life."
"So be it. In the end, I'll have to step in myself to set things right and restore peace to the world."
One year...
That was enough!
"I've already unlocked quite a few skills. Trying to learn too many at once will only make me mediocre. Quality will always matter more than quantity."
"The most urgent thing is to break through with [Dual-Mindedness], [Drawing], and [Hide and Seek] as soon as possible..."
"Especially [Dual-Mindedness]. Once it levels up, my cultivation efficiency will increase exponentially!"
"The only real weakness is that I still lack a proper offensive technique..."
For now, he'd focus on improving the skills he already had.
No need to rush...
With a whole year to grow, Chen Yan was confident he could handle this quest with ease.
Meanwhile, in the bedroom next door.
"Can we really be safe just by staying indoors?"
Du Qionghua's voice was low, heavy with worry she couldn't hide.
Chen Kefa was silent for a moment, then sighed. "For now... based on what we know, that 'thing' seems to target people who live alone."
He paused, his tone grave but firm.
"I think you should talk to Liu Xin and ask her and her daughter to move in with us."
"We've got plenty of room. If there are more of us, we can look out for one another. Maybe with more people around... those unclean things won't dare come near."
As he spoke, his eyes flickered, and he unconsciously avoided his wife's gaze.
Liu Xin's husband, Yu Lei, was also a member of the Special Investigation Team and had been his comrade for years.
During their last operation to capture that paranormal entity, Yu Lei had rushed to the front to cover his teammates and taken the creature's mental attack head-on.
After the operation, they had immediately sent him to the Association headquarters for emergency treatment, but his condition had yet to improve.
Most of the time, Yu Lei was trapped in severe mental disarray, babbling incoherently and unable to sit still.
He even showed strong aggressive tendencies and could only be calmed with massive doses of sedatives.
Only on rare occasions could he briefly regain a sliver of clarity.
During one of those precious moments, Yu Lei had gripped his hand tightly and, in a hoarse but unusually earnest voice, asked him, his captain, to look after Liu Xin and their daughter, Qingmeng.
Chen Kefa had solemnly promised him.
So the team and the family had agreed on the same story: Yu Lei had gone on a long-term, top-secret mission and couldn't contact the outside world.
But how long could that excuse hold?
Could he keep it hidden forever?
Liu Xin was clever. The truth would come out eventually.
Wang Xiaoming was looking into it, but still had no clear treatment plan.
They could only hope that if they captured a few more paranormal entities for Wang Xiaoming, he might make some progress.
At that moment, he'd suggested that Liu Xin and her daughter move in not only because he was genuinely worried about the danger of them living alone...
Deep down, he also carried a heavy sense of guilt and remorse.
As captain, he had led the operation. Protecting his team was his foremost responsibility.
Whatever the reason for Yu Lei's injury, he couldn't help feeling that the debt ultimately fell on him.
As soon as he finished speaking, the bedroom door opened.
"Hm? Xiao Yan, how did you crawl all the way over here?"
Du Qionghua looked at her son, who had somehow made his way to the doorway. He gazed up at her with wide, innocent eyes, and she stared in surprise.
Oh no, he'd been caught eavesdropping!
Alarm bells went off in Chen Yan's mind, and his brain switched modes in an instant.
One moment, he was the all-knowing Heavenly Emperor Chen. The next, he was a helpless human infant, crying to be fed.
He reached his chubby little hand toward Du Qionghua, making a soft, slightly garbled but unmistakable sound.
"Mommy... hug!"
His clear, limpid eyes perfectly conveyed an infant's love for his mother.
Du Qionghua's heart melted at once, and she forgot all about everything else.
She hurried over and swept him into her arms, planting a big kiss on his chubby cheek.
"My sweet baby, were you missing Mommy?"
Chen Yan promptly buried his little head in his mother's warm, fragrant embrace...
He'd pulled off the perfect cute-baby act.
Late that night.
Chen Yan opened his eyes.
He quietly sat cross-legged on the soft carpet and began the main event of the evening.
First, he'd spent the whole day playing Hide and Seek with Yu Qingmeng.
A thought flashed through his mind!
[You are playing Hide and Seek. "Hide and Seek" skill proficiency +1. Current progress: 1000/1000!]
[Maximum proficiency reached. Skill advancement begins...]
[Congratulations! "Hide and Seek" has successfully upgraded to "Shadow Concealment (Beginner)"! Current progress: 0/10000]
[Shadow Concealment]: Conceals aura and cultivation; mimics surroundings.
The moment the upgrade was complete,
Chen Yan felt as if his body had melted like butter...
He silently seeped into the darkness and air around him.
It wasn't just that he'd become hard to spot...
More importantly, his aura, the faint fluctuations of his vital energy, and even his very presence!
All were actively suppressed until they had dwindled to almost nothing.
A bold idea came to him.
Chen Yan pricked up his ears, making sure his parents weren't getting intimate tonight.
Then he swaggered into their bedroom and flicked on the bedside lamp with his little hand.
"Hm?" Du Qionghua was a light sleeper. The light woke her.
"Kefa, did you forget to turn off the light before bed?"
Chen Kefa drowsily reached over and switched off the lamp, then promptly went back to snoring.
Chen Yan was thrilled, but didn't dare make a sound.
He was standing right by the bed, yet it was as if he didn't exist.
As if he'd become one with the darkness!
He could even fool his father, Chen Kefa, a professional martial artist!
"Now this is a true survival skill!"
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