"This is only the beginning." Theresa stood atop the canyon's defense line as she gazed out at the endless land beyond it. She could still see countless zombies mindlessly roaming and howling. With the Starborn Order gone, these so-called higher beings that the Starborn Order thought were capable of rapid evolution were now nothing more than dwindling numbers. The Starborn Order had believed that zombies were undying and indestructible. Yet, they had forgotten that humanity could also thrive and multiply. They even had tens of thousands of years of enduring history to prove their resilience. "We're going to wipe every zombie off this planet and take back what's ours," Theresa declared, her eyes filled with unwavering determination. She gathered all the camp leaders for a meeting. Then, they drafted an extermination plan measured not in months or years, but in centuries. They knew that they couldn't be hasty. After all, Rome wasn't built in a day. When it came down to it, a hundred-year plan was nothing compared to the years humanity had evolved and survived. It was a mere blip in history. Now that the camps in the Blazing Sun Alliance were the only ones standing, Theresa officially began leading humanity on the long road of eliminating zombies. Herold approached her after the meeting. "Terry, I've only managed to contact 60 percent of the Starborn Order's outposts." "Explain," Theresa ordered. "I'll try to be concise about the Starborn Order's current situation. They had 300 outposts, but I only managed to contact fewer than 200. The rest had fallen to the horde. The outposts relied on supply shipments from the Starborn Order's headquarters. "Once you destroyed their headquarters, a third of the outposts collapsed from lack of resources. The remaining 200 or so are willing to follow me here and join the Blazing Sun Alliance. There are approximately 100 people per outpost. So, their numbers are less than 20,000." Theresa replied, "I understand. Open our gates to them. However, we're not accepting any S-rank survivors. I don't want those." Theresa wasn't just focused on the Starborn Order's outposts, as she had also sent people to the Eisgrael looking for Sage.Unfortunately, she was nowhere to be found. "Don't worry. I know what to do," Herold said with a smile. "I'll arrange for the researchers and all their data to be brought to camp." Theresa nodded before considering where she could station these newcomers. "Aunt Tania can have them. I'm sure she'll be able to keep them in line." Herold's smile grew soft. "Of course. She's always been the one to wear the pants in our relationship." Theresa could only stare at him wordlessly. How could she have forgotten that Herold was Tania's number one fan? "Oh, your aunt and I plan to hold another wedding in the spring once we're through this busy period." Herold's eyes sparkled with joy. "That's great," Theresa immediately perked up. "I'll officiate it. We'll hold a grand ceremony." "Thank you, Terry." Herold beamed affectionately. Four more people came looking for her as soon as he left. Eva, Malik, Amelia, and Rhett had all survived the war. "Ms. Hall, we need your help." "Ms. Hall, there's something we'd like you to do for us." "What is it?" "We want to get married—and we'd like you to officiate." Both couples looked at her with bright eyes. Theresa had just heard about Tania and Herold's upcoming wedding, and now these four came to her with the same request. "Congratulations! When will you be holding the wedding? Will you all also be having it during the spring?" "We are!" "Perfect. I'll take care of everything. The alliance hasn't had a celebration in ages. We could use one." "Thank you, Ms. Hall!""Thank you, Ms. Hall!" After the two pairs of couples left, Theresa barely had a moment to rest before someone came knocking on her door once more. She couldn't help but wonder if it was yet another couple planning to get married. Sadly, all she got was an urgent report. "Theresa, someone just barged into the canyon. We've already apprehended him." "Who is it?" Theresa demanded, her eyes sharpening with intent. "I've got no clue. He looks like a madman. Actually, he's been shouting that he's looking for Lily." Theresa frowned. Could he be looking for Lily Barnes? "Take me to him." Theresa soon arrived at the canyon defense line. There, she saw a filthy, disheveled man being restrained. He had somehow driven himself here. His vehicle was on the verge of falling apart and had already been dragged aside for decontamination. His eyes lit up with a frantic sort of hope the second he saw her. "Ms. Hall! Where's Lily? I need to see Lily!"