Malik stared at the woman across from him, his eyes filled with deep affection. Alongside everyone from Ridgefall Camp, Eva had become part of the Blazing Sun Alliance. Nearly two years had gone by, and at last, their lives were settling into some sense of normalcy. Yet marriage still remained unfulfilled. Eva's days were packed with work, leaving her no chance to even consider wedding plans. So Malik stayed close, moving beside her through it all. In the apocalypse, elaborate ceremonies were meaningless—just staying together was the truest declaration of love. Still, Malik thought to himself that once the mission ended, if they were both still alive, no matter how busy life became, they would get married. "Marry me." He sank to one knee. Landon and the others witnessed it and burst into celebration. Amid their teasing cheers, tears glimmered in Eva's eyes as she replied in a single breath, "Yes." The warm sunset slowly faded. From the distant eastern port, its lingering warmth drifted away from a brother and sister walking along the shoreline. Declan loosened his scarf and draped it around Charlotte. "I'm not cold, Declan," Charlotte said, waving him off. But he tightened it snugly, leaving only her eyes exposed. "How long can I keep looking out for you?" "For my entire life." "Dream on. Go find yourself a husband. I'm not babysitting forever." "Declan..." "Listen. When you choose a man, make sure he's dependable, solid, and truly loves you. Smooth talkers? Forget it. Bad habits? No. Bad temper? Absolutely not. You've got a fiery streak—if he does too, you'll be at each other constantly.""You're going to kill me with this constant nagging." "Charlotte, listen. This was Dad's last wish. You're going to make it happen. I'll be watching—you will get married, and I'll make sure of it." Charlotte covered her ears with her hands and ran off, chasing the last rays of sunlight. The sun tilted fully to the west, casting the Blazing Sun Alliance in a golden glow. It finally settled over the city walls, illuminating a line of young soldiers with firm, unwavering gazes. "James definitely isn't coming back tonight." "What's he doing?" Ian asked the others. "Spending time with his girlfriend, obviously. They've been inseparable for years. Lately, they're practically glued together." Ian's expression darkened, shadowed with quiet longing. "Hey, Ian, why don't you date someone too?" one soldier said, patting his shoulder. "You're good-looking and registered with Blazing Sun. There are plenty of girls out there—you should try." Ian shook his head slightly, eyes fixed on the horizon. "My life has only one purpose—to eradicate this D*mn zombie virus." The soldier rapped his shoulder in respect. "Fair enough." After the soldier left, Ian stared into the encroaching darkness and pondered, Mila, I will eliminate every single zombie for you. As the sun dipped completely below the horizon, a round moon and a scattering of stars appeared over the heart of the Blazing Sun Alliance, above the bunker. Theresa had spent the entire day coordinating tasks, passing off work piece by piece. She passed every component she had retrieved from the East Sea Camp's underground storage to Lucas, pressing him to work overtime assembling the weapons. Food production, mining, and all basic resource lines—everything was halted. There was no point in making more. She stocked the bunkers of Ark Camp One, Two, Three, and the Alliance headquarters with enough food to sustain everyone for a century. Every warehouse was overflowing, stacks piled high, with excess she had originally planned to ship elsewhere. Now, it seemed it would all stay put. With production unnecessary, she let the workers go. At present, in the Blazing Sun Alliance, aside from the evacuated children, every individual was a soldier. The entire population had become an army. The coming war would demand the efforts of all humanity—humans against every zombie. No one could remain idle. Theresa needed to arm everyone fully. Fortunately, production had been strong from the beginning. Hugo and his team had repeatedly upgraded the special combat fabrics. Every soldier could don advanced combat suits, and the camp's armored vehicles were available at a ratio of one per ten people. Once the remaining weapons were distributed, Theresa's forces would be fully equipped. Civilization had not descended into mediocrity. Once she had organized everyone in the camp, her thoughts turned to her dogs. "Summer." "Woof! Woof! Woof!" "Woof! Woof! Woof!" "Woof! Woof! Woof!" A dozen dogs surged toward her, clustering around Theresa the moment she called. While she worked in the bunker, they had been quiet and obedient. But the second she spoke, the pack erupted, tails wagging wildly.