Chapter 367: Gu Mingchi’s Message
Su Tao recalled her first encounters with Alice.
The first time she heard Alice’s name was from Lei Xing. At the time, Lei Xing described her as a “little nutcase”—her behavior was bizarre, and her powers were weak and useless, which led to Tan Yong constantly disliking her.
Later, Su Tao learned from Xu Qi that Tan Yong once had inappropriate intentions toward Alice. However, Alice’s frequent outbursts made her difficult to handle. Unwilling to let her go completely, Tan Yong simply left her at the old station and occasionally inquired about her.
Most of the time, it was Xu Qi who pitied her and provided food and water to barely sustain her.
When Su Tao first met Alice, although she was still beautiful, she was painfully thin—almost unrecognizably so. It was only after spending a few months in Taoyang that she gradually gained some weight, becoming even more delicate and adorable—like an expensive porcelain doll from a store display.
But even the most beautiful doll had its flaws and hidden pain.
Xu Chang’s voice grew distant as he sank deeper into his memories:
“Perhaps the mistake started when I met her mother and decided to have a child with her.”
Maybe because he’d held it in for too long without anyone to confide in, once Xu Chang started talking, he couldn’t stop.
Through his story, Su Tao learned that Alice was a mixed-race child. Her mother—Xu Chang’s wife—was an international student in Changjing before the apocalypse. There, she met the promising young Xu Chang, and after two years of dating, they married.
Their post-marriage happiness was short-lived, as the apocalypse soon struck.
In the darkest period of their lives, Xu Chang’s wife discovered she was pregnant.
Xu Chang’s immediate reaction was to terminate the pregnancy. In a world where food was scarce, safety was uncertain, and survival itself was a struggle, having a child seemed like a curse.
But his wife refused. For her, the arrival of this new life was a beacon of hope—something to give her the strength and courage to keep going.
Xu Chang, soft-hearted, couldn’t bring himself to force her.
Unfortunately, fate was cruel. On the day of the delivery, a massive zombie horde overran most of Changjing. Amid the chaos and destruction, finding a doctor was impossible.
His wife died of hemorrhaging during childbirth, and their daughter, deprived of oxygen for too long, suffered permanent brain damage.
That night, Xu Chang nearly cried himself dry as he clutched his bruised and lifeless-looking daughter, begging anyone he could find for help.
The years that followed were filled with unimaginable hardship—raising a mentally disabled child in the apocalypse as a single father was a crushing burden that only he fully understood.
By the time Xu Chang finished telling his story, it was already past 1:00 AM.
Su Tao, yawning, returned to her room. Too exhausted to even wash up, she collapsed onto her bed and immediately fell asleep.
Shi Zijin floated over, sighed at the sight, and ordered Xuedao to remove her shoes. Then, he had Lingyu fetch a thin blanket to cover her.
Just as the blanket settled over her, Su Tao’s communicator rang.
Shi Zijin flinched, fearing it would wake her up. He quickly had Black Sesame carry the communicator to the living room.
He intended to hang up immediately but froze when he saw the caller ID—his expression darkened.
He let Black Sesame press the answer button with its paw.
Before the caller could speak, Shi Zijin said coldly, “Boss Gu, calling this late—don’t you think that’s a bit inappropriate?”
The person on the other end—Gu Mingchi—was already anxious. Hearing Shi Zijin’s voice was like gasoline on a fire.
“Who the hell are you? Where’s Su Tao?”
“You can’t tell? She’s asleep next to me,” Shi Zijin replied casually.
Gu Mingchi couldn’t believe his ears. “Shi Zijin?!”
Wasn’t he supposed to be critically injured and under long-term care in Dongyang? Dongyang’s official announcement had made it sound serious.
“Yeah, it’s me,” Shi Zijin confirmed. “What do you want?”
Gu Mingchi hung up without another word.
Was Dongyang running some kind of scam? Shi Zijin’s voice was strong and steady—not at all like someone recovering from severe injuries. And what was he doing in Taoyang, watching Su Tao sleep?
Realizing he hadn’t delivered his urgent message, Gu Mingchi didn’t dare call back directly. Instead, he woke up Zhuang Wan.
Still half-asleep, Zhuang Wan answered the call. Gu Mingchi’s cold voice rang out:
“Before dawn, you must inform Su Tao—there’s a group of about 200 people approaching Taoyang. Their identity is unclear, but their intentions are definitely hostile. Prepare for trouble.”
Zhuang Wan instantly sobered up. “How do you know this?”
“They passed through the eastern district. My people spotted them—hurry up.”
“Understood. Thank you, Boss Gu—I’ll inform her immediately.”
Just before she hung up, Gu Mingchi asked, “Is Shi Zijin in Taoyang?”
Confused, Zhuang Wan replied, “No, isn’t he still critically injured and under treatment in Dongyang? He hasn’t even woken up yet—how could he be here?”
Gu Mingchi narrowed his eyes. Something wasn’t adding up.
*
When Su Tao was woken up with the news, she immediately summoned all department heads to Taoli Tower for an emergency meeting.
Only Fang Zhi was excluded—this had nothing to do with him, and he deserved a good night’s sleep.
Qi Yunlan immediately began checking surveillance feeds, while Su Tao sent Lingyu and Black Sesame to scout the approaching group. About ten kilometers outside Taoyang, they spotted the group of 200 people hiding in a low-lying area.
The night concealed their faces, and they had hidden themselves well. Their identities and intentions remained a mystery.
Ma Dapao swore, “They’re probably here to loot our supplies.”
That was certainly a possibility.
Qi Yunlan turned to Su Tao. “Boss, what’s the plan?”
Su Tao calmly said, “Let’s wait and observe. If they try to invade, they’ll regret it—Wu Zhen’s man-eating plants aren’t just for show.”
Meanwhile, in the lowlands, the 200-person group watched Taoyang’s distant lights and walls.
One of the men asked, “Boss, isn’t it risky to camp so close?”
Hu Lei snorted. “Risky? Please. Taoyang won’t dare fight us—they don’t even have proper weapons. They’ll be too scared to make a move.”
In truth, Hu Lei had a personal vendetta. He was convinced that Su Tao had killed his wife, Jiao Qing, and he was here for revenge.
And if they could seize Taoyang’s resources while they were at it—so much the better.
As he led his first squad closer to the base, no one noticed the raven silently circling overhead—carrying a pitch-black cat on its back.
