Chapter Thirty-Four: The Outbreak

"What a divine assist!" Guo Lang nearly picked up Alice and kissed her. This child was becoming more and more cunning, developing her own style—it must be in the blood! But outwardly, he kept a stern face as he scolded her: "What nonsense are you spouting, you little rascal!"

"I'm not spouting nonsense..." Alice pouted innocently, "Daddy, you heard it too, didn't you? There are two heartbeats inside Auntie, and her belly is breathing..." For some reason, though Alice was just a child, her words carried an uncanny sense of conviction.

Thomas, holding a tin can, veins bulging on his hand, his dark face turning ashen, squeezed the can until it deformed, his whole demeanor becoming ferocious and menacing!

After all, he was a soldier—how could he have no temper at all? Jerry, seeing this scene, acted decisively, suddenly standing up and taking a deep breath: "That's right, Mary is my woman now!"

Everyone was stunned, staring at Jerry in disbelief. Even Guo Lang couldn't help but sigh inwardly—how could anyone fall for such a claim? The disaster had only begun a few days ago! How could there already be a child? It takes months before one even senses such things. Still, he had to admit his daughter was impressively persuasive—yes, she inherited that from her father!

"Thomas... I thought you were already..." Mary tried to defend herself, guilt written all over her face, but on closer inspection, she had unconsciously moved away from Thomas, clearly afraid.

"Hmph!" Kelly sneered, "Even if that's so, isn't it a bit too quick? It's only been a few days! To borrow a Western saying, 'the bones aren't even cold yet!'"

Guo Lang rolled his eyes—this tough woman could even use Western idioms now. Yes, her intelligence was skyrocketing since she'd turned dark!

Bang! Thomas slammed the table, his force matching his imposing frame. The dining table cracked, and when he stood, his presence eclipsed Jerry's bluffing tenfold. Moreover, Kelly and her fellow soldiers rose at the same moment, faces full of righteous indignation as they glared at Jerry, their aura overwhelming!

Though Jerry's police colleagues stood up in response, both their numbers and their quality paled in comparison to Thomas' side. It was no contest—Thomas' men were all special forces trained on the brink of life and death, nothing like the leisurely officers from the small town.

"You... you all calm down!" Jerry's face betrayed his panic. He drew his gun, but his left hand made a calming gesture, his tone shaky: "Don't be rash, Thomas!"

Just waiting for you to draw your gun! Guo Lang's lips curled into a subtle smirk.

Thomas frowned—this guy brought a gun? His own group had left their weapons outside to show goodwill. So they were guarded from the start? But that wasn't the main concern; what truly pained him was his wife. As Kelly said, it's only been a few days!

Mary was a clever woman. She didn't hide behind Jerry, which would only escalate things. She gathered her courage, stood between the two men, took a deep breath, and tried to appear calm, her hands also gesturing for peace: "Calm down, Thomas..."

Calm down, my foot—grab a chair and get to it! Guo Lang, seeing the situation deadlocked, fidgeted with anxiety.

"Dad..." Anna, sitting nearby, looked at her furious father with nervous distress, her eyes red. This gesture softened the rage that had been boiling in Thomas, his ashen face relaxing slightly.

Damn, this is going south—watching the gorilla about to simmer down, Guo Lang couldn't allow it. He quietly raised his thumb and drew it across his neck in a slashing gesture.

Only Alice and Laura noticed this move. Laura tensed, recognizing the signal from the cunning youth—hesitating, she ultimately stayed silent. She was already in the same boat, and though her daughter had been corrupted by him, she couldn't side with anyone else.

Receiving the cue, Alice lowered her head, her eyes gradually tinted with a faint violet hue.

"Thomas, don't get agitated... Let me explain..." Jerry was an experienced cop. He'd faced vicious criminals as a city detective and was skilled at reading expressions. He saw hope for de-escalation in Thomas' demeanor and quickly lowered his tone and posture, preparing to talk his way through—just survive this moment.

"Actually..." Having organized his thoughts, Jerry was about to speak when suddenly, he found he couldn't utter a sound. His eyes widened in alarm—everyone around him was staring at him in horror. Glancing down, he realized that, at some unknown moment, a sword had pierced straight through his throat and out his mouth. He felt no pain, only an immense difficulty in speaking...

His eyelids grew heavy. In the final seconds of his life, everything around him seemed crystal clear, as if time had slowed. He glimpsed Mary stumbling back in panic, the terrified faces of his own men, and Thomas, the black gorilla, staring in shock, as if all caught off guard. Who was it, then? Who wanted him dead?

The world dimmed ever more. Jerry struggled to turn, wanting to see who struck him, but he had no chance. In the next instant, Alice twisted her sword violently, pulverizing Jerry's head—brains and blood splattered everywhere, the scene grotesquely bloody.

"Don't move... any of you!" Alice, holding her sword, her once brown hair and cute face now splattered with blood, appeared eerie and terrifying. Her eyes glowed a noble, otherworldly violet. At that moment, the aura of this small girl felt awe-inspiring.

Guo Lang knew it wasn't an illusion. After so many days, he and Alice had fully absorbed the pure blood serum, unlocking the first stage of their bloodline mode. Their presence radiated a raw biological dominance—a difference in rank, not merely the shock of Jerry's death.

The police officers around Jerry were frozen in place, not daring to move, as if any slight disobedience would see their heads pulverized like Jerry's.

"Thomas!" Guo Lang frowned, seeing Thomas still dazed, and called out.

Thomas snapped out of it, glared at Guo Lang, then made a gesture: "Take control!"

The soldiers sprang into action, swiftly and efficiently subduing the petrified police officers. The women, children, and unrelated young men stared in terror. Though they roughly understood what had happened, they never expected it to go this far. Once the soldiers had the police secured, the women screamed and hid behind the young men.

"Quiet!" Thomas barked, his experience with chaos showing. "Everyone stand in the corner and don't move. This is a personal matter. We will not harm you!"

The incident happened and ended quickly. The plan went smoother than Guo Lang had anticipated—almost bloodless, they'd taken control. He was secretly satisfied, though the tricky part would be explaining things to the gorilla later.

"Ms. Mary, let me escort you back to your room?" Kelly, smiling, addressed the pitiful woman at the center of it all, now forgotten in the aftermath. Mary was utterly panicked, while Kelly's smile was as sinister as could be, prompting David and several other soldiers to glance at her in unfamiliar fear.

Ah, such a fine tough woman, Guo Lang sighed inwardly, "Ruined, utterly ruined."