303: The reunion with Long Weiguo felt like a lifetime had passed.

The western suburbs of the capital, deep within the Yan Mountains.

There were no streams of hovering vehicles or neon projections here, only green pines, cypresses, and sentries armed with live ammunition.

Dragon Shield Bureau Headquarters.

That red courtyard, once regarded as the highest secret of the Xia Kingdom, now looked a bit too simple, even shabby, within the territory of the Milky Way Galaxy's overlord.

But as Lu Chen stood before those mottled red lacquer gates, his heart beat half a beat faster than it did when facing a Fourth-level civilization's fleet.

He waved away the guards who wanted to announce his arrival and pushed the gates open himself.

"Creak—"

The old door hinges made a tooth-aching grinding sound.

In the courtyard, a familiar figure sat with his back turned toward him at a stone table.

The early winter wind was a bit harsh, swirling a few withered leaves on the ground.

The man wore a faded white Mao suit with a military greatcoat draped over his shoulders. He held an enamel tea mug, staring blankly at a game of chess in front of him.

Long Weiguo.

The man who once dared to hold a gun to the head of a great nation's leader just to protect Lu Chen.

"You're here?"

Long Weiguo didn't even turn his head. His voice was somewhat hoarse, carrying a coarse grit polished by the sandpaper of time.

"I'm here."

Lu Chen walked over and sat down opposite him.

On the stone table, the red and black pieces were clearly divided by the Chu-Han border.

Lu Chen's gaze fell on Long Weiguo's temples. That piercing patch of snow-white felt like a needle, stabbing him fiercely.

When was the last time they met?

Subjectively, it felt like a month ago.

But in reality, while he had been busy on the edge of the Milky Way Galaxy—jumping through space and fighting wars—three whole years had passed on Earth.

Three years.

To the current Lu Chen, it was but a fleeting moment.

But for the mortal body of Long Weiguo, it was over a thousand days and nights of hard work and mental exhaustion.

"Old Long, you've aged."

Lu Chen spoke with his usual lack of formality, but his tone hid an imperceptible tremor.

Long Weiguo picked up his tea mug, took a sip, and set it down before finally looking up at Lu Chen.

Those eyes, once as sharp as a falcon's, were now bloodshot, and the bags under them had deepened. Yet, that spirit of remaining unmoved even if Mount Tai collapsed before him remained as hard as iron.

"Nonsense."

Long Weiguo snorted, pulled a crumpled pack of Hongtashan cigarettes from his pocket, and tossed one to Lu Chen. "You kid have been playing god in the heavens, exterminating Zerg and blowing up Fourth-level civilizations with such majesty."

"I've been on the ground cleaning up your messes—coordinating resources, soothing the people, and having to guard against those alien bastards trying to infiltrate us. If I don't age, who will?"

Lu Chen took the cigarette. He didn't light it, just held it to his nose to smell the familiar scent of low-quality tobacco.

It was really pungent.

But it was also truly reassuring.

"How many days are you staying this time?" Long Weiguo picked up a chess piece and asked seemingly casually.

"Three days."

"So urgent?" Long Weiguo's hand paused in mid-air.

"Can't be helped; someone doesn't want us to live in peace."

Lu Chen picked up a black pawn and slammed it onto the board with a crisp thud.

"A pawn that has crossed the river has no way back."

Long Weiguo fell silent.

He threw the chess piece back into the box and leaned back against the chair, letting out a long sigh.

That puff of white breath quickly dissipated in the cold wind.

"I already know about 'Supervisor' matter."

Long Weiguo's voice lowered. "Last night's top-level meeting lasted all night. The ashtrays were overflowing."

Lu Chen's eyes narrowed. "What did the Chief say?"

Long Weiguo looked at him and suddenly grinned, revealing a row of teeth stained yellow by smoke.

That smile carried the unique ruthlessness of an old soldier, as well as a desperate resolve to risk everything.

"The Chief said it."

"We Xia people never go looking for trouble, but we are never afraid of it either."

"Since someone treats us like monkeys in a cage, then don't blame us for tearing the cage apart and giving the monkey trainer a beating while we're at it."

Lu Chen felt a surge of heat in his chest, a rush of blood going straight to his head.

This was true confidence!

This was what it meant—I provide the brains, and the country provides everything else!

"What do you need?" Long Weiguo asked straightforwardly.

Lu Chen didn't stand on ceremony either. He leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice:

"I want authorization."

"What authorization?"

"I want to activate the 'pangu archive'."

Hearing those four words, Long Weiguo's face—the one that remained unmoved even if Mount Tai collapsed—finally changed.

His pupils constricted violently, and the hand holding his cigarette trembled slightly.

"Are you crazy?"

Long Weiguo stared fixedly at Lu Chen. "That is Earth Civilization's final trump card and a self-destruct sequence for mutual destruction! Once activated, the dark matter of the entire Solar System will be detonated—"

"No, I'm not going to self-destruct."

Lu Chen interrupted him, a mysterious smile curling his lips as the light in his bicolor divine eyes shimmered.

"I want to use the underlying protocols in the 'pangu archive' to send a surprise to that higher-dimensional 'Overseer'."

"A surprise called a 'Logic Lock'."

Long Weiguo stared at Lu Chen for a full half-minute.

That look was like he was examining a madman, yet also like he was looking at the only hope.

Finally, he slammed his cigarette butt onto the ground and crushed it with his foot.

"Dammit."

Long Weiguo cursed, stood up, and pulled an ancient brass key from his inner pocket, slamming it heavily onto the stone table.

"Take it!"

"This key can open the top-secret vault ten thousand meters underground."

"The things inside were left behind by your grandfather's generation at the cost of their lives. It was originally intended for use before human extinction, but now..."

Long Weiguo took a deep breath and looked at Lu Chen with burning eyes.

"Now, it's in your hands."

"Lu Chen, you listen to me and remember this."

Long Weiguo suddenly reached out with his rough hand, death-gripping Lu Chen's collar and pulling him close.

The two men's faces were extremely close, close enough to see the bloodshot veins in each other's eyes.

"You are humanity's Navigator."

"You can be crazy, you can be wild, you can even poke a hole in the heavens."

"But you damn well better come back alive for me!"

"That's an order!"

Lu Chen looked at the white-haired old man before him, feeling the trembling strength in his collar.

He didn't salute, nor did he speak any heroic words.

He simply reached out and firmly grasped Long Weiguo's wrist, his gaze as steady as iron.

"Don't worry, Old Long."

"I haven't even attended your funeral yet; how could I be willing to die?"

Long Weiguo was stunned for a moment, then laughed and cursed, "Get lost! You can't say anything nice!"

The atmosphere instantly relaxed.

Lu Chen tucked the heavy brass key into his pocket and stood up to leave.

When he reached the gate, he suddenly stopped and asked with his back to Long Weiguo:

"By the way, Old Long."

"Since 'Supervisor' can treat the universe like a game, do you think they can also see our conversation right now?"

The wind stopped.

The air in the courtyard seemed to freeze for a moment.

Long Weiguo picked up his tea mug again and blew on the tea leaves floating on top, his tone as flat as if he were commenting on the nice weather.

"So what if they see it?"

"Just tell them."

"Long Weiguo, Director of the Xia Kingdom's Dragon Shield Bureau, invites them for tea."

"If they don't come—"

Long Weiguo looked up, a terrifying killing intent bursting from his cloudy old eyes.

"Then they should wash their necks and wait for the blade!"