"Tsk."

Another flame ignited, followed by more, as flickers of fire appeared out of nowhere, suspended around everyone.

Under the light of the fire, faces became clear. Everyone saw the faces of those beside them, and there was no murderous intent against their compatriots, only overwhelming despair and a yearning for life hidden within that despair.

It turned out that everyone was just ordinary people crushed by fear.

For some reason, the moment this realization hit, the atmosphere of mutual suspicion within the shelter suddenly dissipated a lot.

At this moment, the government personnel, who had just reacted, belatedly separated the father and son.

Witnessing this, Chu Xiu, who had been monitoring the underground situation with his Divine Sense from above, also breathed a slight sigh of relief.

He hadn’t expected such a simple solution to the issue in the end.

Scanning with his Divine Sense, he could sense that those flames were just ordinary, pure flames, with no power to affect the human mind.

Yet, just this faint light and warmth had an unexpected effect.

Suddenly, he moved, and Garuda’s Wings opened behind him, instantly carrying him to the other end of the street.

Opposite him stood a tall woman, over 1.8 meters in height, wearing sunglasses, with a head of golden hair dazzling like the sun, making it hard to look away. But it seemed she didn’t want to attract attention, as her striking hair was concealed by a black beret and a khaki coat, leaving only a few golden strands visible at her neckline.

Her skin was extremely fair, further highlighting her golden hair, and judging from her high nose bridge and red lips beneath the sunglasses, she seemed not to be from Huaxia. The simple pairing of a sweater and straight pants exuded a confident and mature woman’s aura.

"Thanks for your help earlier," Chu Xiu said.

She was the one who had ignited the flames in the shelter.

Though those flames were just ordinary, raising so many flames simultaneously and keeping them stably suspended among the crowd required a degree of control that ordinary Awakened, at least those at General Tier or above, couldn’t easily manage.

"Just a small effort."

The woman chuckled softly, waving her hand as if to leave.

"Wait," Chu Xiu called out, looking at the woman with some confusion.

In his Divine Sense, she seemed just a normal General Tier Awakened, but for some reason, his Spiritual Sense aroused a strange feeling. Before this woman, he felt an indescribable pressure, as if facing a mysterious and elusive mountain hidden in mist.

Moreover, he found the woman’s tone somewhat familiar.

"Where are you planning to go?" Chu Xiu asked.

Hearing this, the blonde woman turned and seriously studied Chu Xiu.

"Are you very curious?"

"I’m just a bit puzzled," Chu Xiu said. "In this situation, walking the streets outside the shelter isn’t a good choice. Even if you have General Tier strength, staying in the shelter is better."

The woman adjusted her sunglasses, and Chu Xiu sensed a playful expression beneath them: "Thanks for the advice, I’ll find a new shelter. I’m leaving now merely as a choice to avoid exposure after revealing my strength."

"As a member of the Alliance, I have no need to fight desperately for Huaxia." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

The woman’s words made Chu Xiu frown. "Given the current situation, is there really still a distinction between Huaxia and the Alliance? If we don’t unite, we’ll all die at the hands of the Outer Realm Demons."

The woman smiled, "You’re right, but there is actually another option."

"What is it?"

"That would be to hide away like a turtle, wait until the Death Realm fully descends, and then wait for the strong to step up and resolve everything."

After saying this, she didn’t turn back and disappeared at the street’s end within a few steps, leaving Chu Xiu with a pondering expression.

He felt there was more to her words.

After a while, he exhaled lightly and shook his head.

He figured he was a bit on edge from the Murder Ghost incident. His Great Freedom Celestial Demon Body was only cultivated to the Seventh Layer foundation, and Spiritual Sense often led to illusions, much like AI often talks nonsense.

Without overthinking, he activated Garuda’s Wings and proceeded to the command center to report the situation.

Three minutes later.

At the central command center, a group of Heroic Spirits responsible for the mission returned one after another.

Ella and Chen Yuan were among them.

"How did it go?" Chu Xiu inquired.

Chen Yuan shook his head, "Those guys were well-prepared. We only managed to kill a few Horned Demons and three King Tiers; all the Heroic Spirits escaped."

"By the way, how are you? Are your injuries okay? What about the traitorous Heroic Spirit?"

"I’m alright. As for Zhang Kunlun, I’ve already killed him."

Hearing this, Chen Yuan let out a long breath of relief.

The two women were tactful enough not to ask Chu Xiu for Zhang Kunlun’s spoils. Chen Yuan was perhaps grateful for Chu Xiu saving her life, and as for Ella, despite having the fastest Speed, she had also been hiding back, taking it easy. Chu Xiu, not causing her trouble, was already good enough, and she dared not ask for more.

Soon, as all the Heroic Spirits returned, this operation was considered concluded.

Overall, it was successful. After all, those who could mix among the Heroic Spirits were all schemers and wouldn’t easily be exploited by Extreme Dao.

In fact, only fourteen dared to rebel like Wang Meng, and most quickly compromised after some battles.