157: Chapter 157 Young Friend Lu, how...how did you end up in this photo?

"Senior Wang Rui?" Lu Chen's pupils suddenly constricted, and he looked at the thin, elderly man in the center in disbelief.

This name, along with that weather-beaten face with its vaguely familiar contours, instantly overlapped with the tragic and heroic memories of the old timeline from his Tier 6 advancement mission!

That young scout from the Feng City 7th Scout Squad, with resolute eyes, who always charged at the very front—Senior Wang Rui?!

Senior Wang Rui's snow-white eyebrows raised slightly, and a flash of surprise crossed his eyes: "Does Little Friend Lu know this old man?"

Lu Chen took a deep breath, suppressing the turbulent waves in his heart.

He remembered the mysterious photo handed down in Lu Tie's family; this matter was significant and not suitable for discussion in public. His expression turned solemn, and he said in a deep voice: "Senior Wang Rui, could we speak in private?"

Senior Wang Rui exchanged a puzzled glance with the two elderly men beside him. The three highest-ranking figures of the Hunter Headquarters were all taken aback by this request.

But Senior Wang Rui looked at Lu Chen's clear eyes, which seemed to contain endless stories, and after a moment of contemplation, he nodded slowly.

The other two elders flickered, disappearing as if they had melted into the air, and the heavy alloy gate closed silently, isolating the inside from the outside. Only the two of them remained in the large conference room, and the air was quiet enough to hear their breathing.

Lu Chen hesitated no longer, his gaze burning: "Senior Wang Rui, when you were young, did you come from Feng City?"

Hum! Senior Wang Rui's withered body jolted suddenly, and a trace of his majestic Aura escaped uncontrollably, making the air feel several degrees heavier.

His cloudy yet sharp eyes burst with terrifying brilliance, staring fixedly at Lu Chen, as if he wanted to see right through him.

After a few seconds of silence, he nodded slowly, his voice tinged with the vicissitudes of time: "That's right! When I was young, I was a scout from Feng City in the Great Xia! This matter... has been sealed away for many years; how did you find out?"

Lu Chen's heart hammered; it really was him! He suppressed his excitement, his voice tight: "May I ask, Senior, were you once a member of the 7th Scout Squad?"

"The 7th Scout Squad?!" The shock on Senior Wang Rui's face deepened, and he leaned forward: "That's right! I was indeed a member of the 7th Scout Squad! This was classified at the time; how... how on earth do you know this?!"

Countless possibilities flashed through his mind, but none could explain why a young man of about twenty would know his secret experiences from nearly a hundred years ago like the back of his hand!

Lu Chen took a long breath, his heart churning. It really was him! The young scout Senior Wang Rui who had fought side by side with him in the ruins of the old timeline and called him "Captain Lu"!

That Senior whom he had thought had long since died on the battlefield! He never expected that in reality, Senior Wang Rui was not only alive but had become one of the highest authorities of the Hunter Organization! An unfathomable Tier 9 class-advancer! Having lived for over two hundred and seventy years, it made perfect sense that he was still alive today!

Facing Senior Wang Rui's probing gaze, Lu Chen did not hide anything further. He recounted the entire process of how he had accepted the Tier 6 advancement mission, his consciousness had undergone Transmigration through time and space, and he had returned to the Feng City of the past.

Only Lu Chen's steady voice echoed in the conference room, describing the years filled with smoke and flesh and blood. Senior Wang Rui listened quietly, his expression shifting from shock and confusion to a trance-like state of reminiscence, eventually settling into an indescribable silence and emotion.

After Lu Chen finished speaking, Senior Wang Rui remained silent for a long time, only re-examining the young man before him with an incomparably complex gaze that seemed to pierce through the long passage of time.

After a while, he slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, his voice hoarse: "No wonder... no wonder Little Friend Lu's eyes looked like those of an old friend reunited when we first met... So, you had actually returned to that era and fought... side by side with us."

The floodgates of sealed memories opened, and the painful years intertwined with blood and fire surfaced. Grief filled Senior Wang Rui's eyes: "Back then... the entire city migrated, the journey was difficult, surrounded by monsters, and in the end... fewer than one hundred thousand of us arrived at the Northern War Zone. Our other compatriots... all fell on the road."

The atmosphere was heavy and solemn. Lu Chen digested this fact and then asked his biggest question: "Senior, since you possess such power and status, why did you join the Hunter Headquarters instead of remaining in the Great Xia? And why did you allow the Great Xia to evolve into a situation where guilds are numerous, powerful families are divided, and life is difficult for those at the bottom?"

A deep, helpless bitterness appeared on Senior Wang Rui's face: "Little Friend Lu, you do not know this, but the current world order is a product of the drastic changes of the era and cannot be reversed by the power of one person. It is not just the Great Xia; almost all the surviving nations across the globe have adopted a similar 'Guild State' model. It is not the best choice, but under the era of the Invading Monster, it is a helpless measure that can most quickly consolidate power and ensure survival."

He looked up, his gaze piercing through the walls toward the distant Great Xia: "Without powerful guilds to maintain strongholds, clear out the Invading Monster, and provide order, ordinary people cannot even guarantee their survival, let alone develop a future. Our generation shed all our blood; what we could do... was to preserve the seeds of civilization on the ruins and let more people survive."

"The remaining path... can only be left to the next generation."

Senior Wang Rui's gaze refocused on Lu Chen, bursting with indescribable hope and fervor: "We old bones have been waiting for someone to appear in the Great Xia, a successor who can open the door to a new era! Someone who can end this deformed model, let the Great Xia return to the right track, and illuminate the future of all people—a Torchbearer!"

"And your appearance..." Senior Wang Rui's voice trembled with excitement: "Lu Chen! I can almost be certain that you are the dawn of destiny we have been waiting for for nearly a hundred years! That spark of fire sufficient to start a prairie fire!"

Lu Chen's heart shook violently, and looking at the undisguised expectation and trust in the old man's eyes, a heavy sense of responsibility and heroism surged from the bottom of his heart. He felt deeply for the difficult perseverance of his predecessors and admired Senior Wang Rui's iron backbone, which, despite being in a foreign land, remained tied to his homeland.

After a moment of silence, Lu Chen remembered another crucial matter. He immediately contacted Lu Tie. "Big Shot!" Lu Tie's voice rang out quickly.

"Lao Tie, regarding that photo, do the elders in your family have any impression of it?" Lu Chen asked directly.

"Big Shot, I asked specifically, but they don't know either."

"Good, I understand. Send me the photo first."

Soon, the photo was sent over. Lu Chen handed it to Senior Wang Rui: "Senior Wang Rui, please take a look at this photo. Do you have any impression of it?"

Senior Wang Rui focused his attention, his gaze landing on the group of young people in the photo wearing old military uniforms, with bright smiles but carrying the weariness of war. With just one glance, his expression changed drastically, and he looked up at Lu Chen sharply, his eyes filled with extreme shock and confusion: "This... this was taken after I and my squad members returned from a mission! Little Friend Lu, you... how could you be in this photo?!"

"What?!" Lu Chen's whole body shook, and he stared fixedly at the "himself" standing behind Senior Wang Rui in the photo, wearing a calm smile.

Senior Wang Rui's next sentence was like ice water poured over his head: "When this photo was taken, you were definitely not there! Reality is not another timeline; how could you possibly appear in our group photo from back then?!"

Boom—! As expected! It was just as expected! It was not a mark of the past accidentally branded until today! There was an incomprehensible power interfering in the dark! Was it the divine play of some ancient god? Or the strange manifestations of that Lost Temple? What was the purpose?

Lu Chen suppressed his churning emotions and bowed deeply to Senior Wang Rui: "Thank you, Senior, for telling me the truth! You have resolved the great confusion in my heart!"

He straightened up, his eyes as sharp as knives, full of urgency: "This matter is suspicious, and there may be a shocking secret behind it, but my strength is insufficient right now, and it is too early to investigate. The top priority is to improve my strength! Senior, I need to immediately accept and complete the Tier 7 advancement mission!"

Senior Wang Rui also recovered from his shock, nodded heavily, and said in a grave tone: "Good! You go and advance first! This matter is far more bizarre than usual; after you promote, we will discuss it further!"

Lu Chen did not say another word, turned around, and strode toward the mission handover area.