Xiao Xun took a deep breath. "I know, it's the headquarters of the Gate Gods Guild."
Another voice, devoid of any emotion, asked, "Xiao Xun, do you know what you are about to become?"
"I know, the General Manager of Area Eight."
"Xiao Xun, do you know the responsibilities of a General Manager of an Area?"
"I know, I must do my utmost to protect the safety of my designated area, and for that, I will spare no effort."
"Xiao Xun, are you proud to have joined the Gate Gods Guild?"
"No, I will be cautious, fearful, and meticulous."
"Xiao Xun, what is your faith?"
"To enable those who wish to live, to live, that is my greatest faith."
"Xiao Xun, do you possess a compassionate heart?"
"No."
"Xiao Xun, do you possess a heart to save all beings?"
"No."
"Xiao Xun, do you agree that human interests are supreme?"
"I agree."
"Xiao Xun, who are you?"
"I am the guardian of Area Eight of the Gate Gods Guild."
At this moment, a voice that had never been heard before spoke, "Enough, all of you withdraw! I wish to speak with the General Manager of Area Eight alone."
Those who had been questioning spoke in unison, "Yes!"
After three minutes, a beam of light illuminated the position of the person in the center.
Xiao Xun could finally see his appearance clearly. He had no hair, his head was covered in thick folds, his grey-brown skin had fine scales, his nostrils were exceptionally small, and his eyes, like a cat's in daylight, had a narrow black slit.
"Come here!"
Xiao Xun walked over. "You are the Guild Master of the Gate Gods Guild, Kensett?"
Kensett nodded. "You are no ordinary human. I can sense the immense power contained within you. Our planet is truly fortunate to have you."
"It is rumored that your technology is centuries ahead of the surface. Is this true?"
Kensett's tone was steady. "If our planet were truly as advanced as the rumors suggest, it wouldn't have faced so many disasters. We, like you, have merely lived longer and maintained an unbroken culture, nothing more."
Xiao Xun stared into Kensett's eyes. "Why do we not research new types of weapons, but instead modify and control the so-called 'primitives'?"
"This goes back to the origin of species. Do you know why our entire race retreated underground? It was because of their sudden arrival. In ancient times, we called them gods. Only they could resist the destruction of the world. Even the most advanced technology cannot contend with divine power."
Xiao Xun was astonished. "Is it possible that gods truly exist in this world?"
"God is merely a title. When a person can do what others cannot, that person is a god."
Xiao Xun lowered his head. "Respected Guild Master, may I request one thing?"
"Speak freely..."
"Can we stop capturing so-called interstellar spies? Everyone is already on edge. We are all humans; they would not betray us to aliens."
Kensett shook his head. "I'm afraid I cannot fulfill this for you. This is not something I can decide."
"Are you not the Guild Master of the Gate Gods Guild?"
"The Gate Gods Guild is just an organization. You can think of it as your company's security team. Do you think a doorman can manage the affairs within the building?"
Kensett paused, then continued, "Moreover, your request is quite unreasonable. Do you know the reason for the collapse of surface civilization? It is precisely humanity's selfishness that forces us to conduct such activities again and again. For their own purposes, they are capable of anything. They have no sense of belonging to their homeland, and any perceived unfairness is a reason for betrayal."
"But where in this world is there absolute fairness? This is a case of correcting an imbalance by going too far."
Kensett's tone turned cold. "As I said, we are merely those outside the door; we cannot manage what happens inside."
"But now, what is happening inside seriously threatens the safety of those outside."
Kensett nodded. "Alright! I will relay this matter to the higher-ups. At the very least, I can guarantee you now that there will be no more intruders in your Area Eight, and no more arbitrary arrests."
"The condition?"
Xiao Xun knew, of course, that the other party wouldn't be so kind to him without a reason.
"The Cradle Project must be advanced, because the invaders are not far from us."
Xiao Xun frowned. "Does this mean all actions can now be expedited for the Cradle Project?"
"Theoretically, yes."
"Alright, I understand."
Xiao Xun turned and left the conference room. This place did not belong to any specific area, and he didn't know how he had arrived or how he had left, as if he had traversed time and space.
Upon returning to the base, he immediately began the intensive 'Cradle Project.' The first step was to rescue the world's most brilliant scholars and experts, especially those who had been imprisoned as alien spies.
They were then secretly arranged within the base. However, the headquarters' requirement was that anyone suspected of having contact with extraterrestrial civilizations, regardless of who they were, would be executed without mercy. If they were needed for the Cradle Project, it was to be publicly announced that the person had died of illness.
Xiao Xun handed Su Xiang a detailed list. "Brother Xiang, I need these nine people on this list brought here at all costs."
Su Xiang looked at the list. "Ark Survivor, Lei, Black Shark, Undersea Visitor, Golden Finger, Big Orchid, Brothers Good, Mimido, Saber-toothed Dragon... Are these codenames?"
Xiao Xun put on a pair of plain, gold-rimmed, blue-light-blocking glasses. "These are online usernames. I want to see all nine of these people at the base within a week."
Su Xiang nodded. "As long as these nine people are on this planet, it's no problem."
"Don't forget, I want them alive, not dead."
"I can guarantee they'll be alive, but what if one of them accidentally becomes disabled?"
"As long as they can speak and don't rely on two fingers to type and make sounds."
After giving him instructions, he began furiously typing on his computer. During this time, he also returned to the Temple of Time to copy data.
Xiao Xun discovered that the reason he had disappeared for two days was because he had returned directly from the Temple of Time to his original world. If one returned from an alternate world, the time discrepancy would not exceed three hours.
In the alternate world, due to Nero's temporary disappearance, there had been no large-scale wars, only continuous minor skirmishes.
Mu Jiahe informed him that the Undead were also developing future technology, and their level had surpassed Saint Romani.
"So it's become a technological war. Interesting."
Xiao Xun brought Mu Jiahe back to the real world, and they obtained their marriage certificate.
Since their house had been burned down and was not yet rebuilt, they had to stay in a hotel. Due to ID and household registration requirements, they completed the process in Xiao Xun's hometown.
His parents were still unreachable, but he couldn't worry about that now.
The company prepared a new home for the newlyweds in the hotel. After offering a few congratulatory pleasantries, they left.