Putting all those things together, it wasn’t hard to understand.
They all had a way out.
This base might be our last refuge, but for them, they could relocate to somewhere safer at any time.
As the clock struck twelve, the beautiful woman opened the door and said, “Master Gu, Master Chang, it’s about time. The priest is ready.”
Master Gu glanced at her and nodded. “Mm.”
Then he turned to the old man in uniform. “Old Chang, let’s go—time to send my daughter off.”
Tingting was pulled to her feet by Master Gu.
It was clear that the old man felt a bit conflicted inside.
After all, once his daughter got married, she would belong to someone else.
Few fathers could face that without feeling a pang of sadness.
I didn’t want to stay alone in that room, anxiously watching everything and letting my thoughts spiral, so I simply followed them out.
Walking behind Tingting and Master Gu, looking at their close father-daughter silhouettes, I felt my nose sting.
If my dad knew that his precious daughter had now become someone else’s wife, what kind of expression would he have? And my mom, with her fragile heart… it would probably shatter.
As we went downstairs, the old man in uniform confirmed something with the beautiful woman. “Is everything in order?”
She nodded. “Don’t worry, Master Chang. Captain Wu handled everything personally—it’s all properly arranged.”
The old man nodded, then turned to me. “Girl, something is bound to happen later. You and the child in your belly are Xiao Tian’s most important concern—nothing must go wrong. Stay close to Tingting. She’ll have people assigned to protect her.”
I nodded and quietly clenched my fists, a faint sense of unease rising in my chest.
Back in the mall, I had been scared, but driven by a stubborn will to survive, I could still muster courage.
This time was different.
The situation was far more complicated, and even someone like Tingting—a well-protected young lady—had been used as bait.
Could I really ensure the safety of myself and my child?
While I was still feeling uneasy, we reached the first floor.
Tingting had already gone off with Master Chang midway, leaving me momentarily alone.
The moment the old man stepped onto the first floor, he was immediately surrounded by people greeting him.
I turned my head, searching for Suo Tian.
From what I remembered from the surveillance screen earlier, he should be in the courtyard.
Pushing through the crowd, I stepped into the courtyard—and sure enough, he was there, leaning against a pillar near the entrance, quietly observing everyone passing by.
From the surveillance footage, the courtyard had seemed tense, like a drawn bow ready to snap.
But being there in person, it felt different—everyone was hiding it extremely well.
If you didn’t already know something was brewing beneath the surface, it would look perfectly peaceful.
As I walked toward Suo Tian from a distance, he had already noticed me.
The moment he saw me, he froze for a split second, then his expression tightened instantly.
Only when I reached him did he press his lips together and say, “As expected, those two old men aren’t people you can rely on.”
I glanced at him helplessly. “I came down on my own. If I stayed upstairs alone, I’d go crazy with worry. Don’t worry—I’ll stay with Tingting later. Nothing will happen.”
He looked me up and down, then scanned the surroundings again. “Stay a bit farther away from me later.”
“Huh?” I didn’t react at first, thinking he was just angry.
I hurriedly explained, “Don’t be mad. If you don’t want me here, I’ll go back upstairs. Why are you suddenly telling me not to stay near you?”
Suo Tian paused, then let out a soft laugh. “You misunderstood.”
He glanced around again, his smile fading. “Later, the trouble will be around us. If you stay farther away, it’ll be safer.”
…
The wedding began on time at twelve-thirty.
The guests gathered in the spacious courtyard of the estate.
A flower-lined aisle had already been laid out across the lush green lawn.
People stood on both sides, cheering.
At the far end stood Bai Wuchang, unable to hide his excitement, alongside a solemn-looking priest dressed in black.
At the far end stood Tingting and Master Gu, ready and waiting.
Behind her were four bridesmaids. With her arm linked through her father’s, she gazed from afar at Bai Wuchang on the other end.
Her face, innocent and pure, carried a bright, crystalline smile.
It was clear that even though she knew this wedding was just a façade, she still cherished it deeply and felt genuinely happy.
The moment the wedding march began, Master Chang’s expression stiffened slightly.
Tingting hooked her arm through his, and as he slowly led her forward, the crowd erupted into enthusiastic cheers.
People scooped up handfuls of flower petals from the ground and tossed them into the air, instantly pushing the atmosphere to its peak.
Halfway down the aisle, Tingting seemed to suddenly realize something.
She turned her head toward Master Gu, her lips trembling as if she were about to cry.
Master Gu quietly patted her hand, and the two of them continued walking slowly toward the stage.
When he placed Tingting’s hand into Bai Wuchang’s, I clearly saw Master Gu wipe away a tear.
My heart ached a little for the old man.
No matter how high his status or how respected he was in the eyes of others, when it came to his child, he still gave everything without hesitation, never feeling it was too much.
Even in this apocalypse, he was personally handing his daughter over to another man.
The feeling must have been unbearable—something only a parent could truly understand.
After the emotionally charged yet lively moment passed, came the part with the vows.
The priest looked at Tingting and asked, “Miss Gu Tingting, do you take Mr. Bai Wuchang as your husband, to stand by him in poverty or wealth, in health or sickness, never leaving nor forsaking him?”
Before Tingting could say “I do,” someone in the crowd suddenly collapsed.
The women standing nearby let out sharp screams, abruptly interrupting the ceremony.
My heart tightened… it’s starting.
Suo Tian reacted instantly.
The moment he noticed the change, he pulled me into his arms and quickly moved toward the stage where Tingting stood.
As we moved, he spoke in a low, serious voice, “Chen Yang, protect yourself and the child.”
As I followed him toward the stage, a second person in the crowd collapsed.
Just like what had happened to Brother Qian and the others before, once they fell, their bodies began to convulse violently.
The first person even started foaming at the mouth.
The people in the courtyard were no ordinary crowd—they quickly realized something was wrong.
Aside from a few women who had come along and let out startled screams, the situation didn’t immediately descend into chaos.
But I knew… that was only temporary.
We soon reached Tingting’s side.
Master Gu and the old man in uniform both had deeply furrowed brows.
Seeing me arrive, they gestured for me to stand beside Tingting.
Suo Tian nodded to the two elders, gave me one last look, then turned and rushed back into the crowd.
The few of us remained on the stage, protected by layers of uniformed personnel.
Still unwilling to alert the enemy, the old man in uniform forced himself to remain calm and waved his hand.
“Everyone, don’t panic. There’s been a minor incident. Someone, take these two away immediately and send them for inspection and quarantine.”
But before he even finished speaking, another person collapsed in the crowd.
A doctor from the inspection unit immediately stepped forward and crouched beside the fallen person to examine them.
The moment he pried open the person’s eye, he recoiled in shock, stumbling back a couple of steps.
“This is bad! This is viral infection—fluid-transmitted! They’re about to turn!”
The women, who had already retreated quite a distance or shrunk into their men’s arms, let out another round of screams upon hearing that.
Just then, Tingting seemed to spot something and suddenly cried out loudly as well, startling me.
Bai Wuchang, who was not far away, immediately turned to look over, alarmed.
Master Gu frowned. “Girl, don’t make trouble.”
Tingting grabbed his arm tightly. “Dad! Hurry and have someone grab those two surveillance operators!”
“Why?” The old man in uniform, having just seen my earlier example, immediately questioned her.
“We’ve all been fooled by something this simple! This whole courtyard is filled with our people—Suo the monster, Gao the psycho, Bai Wuchang—they’re all here. And yet those people are moving around the estate like fish in water. Did you notice earlier when we were in the room? Once we identified someone, the moment they were being watched, they stopped making any moves at all. Is that a coincidence? Obviously not!”
Before Tingting even finished speaking, the old man in uniform pressed his communicator and issued an order.
Immediately after, two people beside Bai Wuchang rushed toward the main hall.
The moment Bai Wuchang led people into the hall, someone else in the crowd collapsed again.
This time, even those who had remained relatively calm began to change expression.
They were starting to realize that their own situation was no longer safe.
No matter how capable or sharp-minded they were, once it involved a virus, even the strongest people were helpless.
More and more people began moving toward Master Gu and the old man in uniform.
The men in uniform quickly stepped forward, shielding us behind them.
In the distance, I could see Suo Tian and Gao had already subdued the two suspects we identified earlier, pinning them to the ground.
Just as Tingting had said, it was as if those people already knew they had been exposed.
They offered almost no resistance.
As they were dragged away, they even burst into manic laughter:
“Ascend! Ascend! Go find your lost loved ones—find your lost souls!”
Their frenzied expressions instantly reminded me of those fanatics with twisted beliefs back in the temporary shelter.
Evolvers… ascension…
Just as another person collapsed in the crowd, a sharp gunshot rang out.
One of the bridesmaids, who had been hiding behind us in fear, didn’t even have time to scream before she dropped to the ground.
— The end of the Chapter–
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