The Post-Apocalyptic Rival Who Crashed My Wedding with a Baby - Chapter 29

Hearing the familiar voice, Jiang Weiqing turned around in surprise. She had never expected Lin Qitong to appear here of all places.

Her brow furrowed as she looked at Qitong and asked, “Why are you here?”

“Weiqing… do you… do you not want to see me?” Lin Qitong’s face fell into a mask of sorrow. Her eyes reddened, and in the next second, a single tear began to brim in her eyes.

Her gaze naturally drifted to Shen Qingyu, her voice trembling as she spoke. “Why did you steal Jiang Weiqing away?” On the surface, she looked pitiable, but a flash of deep resentment and murderous intent crossed her eyes for a fleeting second.

She felt nothing but pure spite for Shen Qingyu. If this woman hadn’t appeared, the mission to get engaged to Jiang Weiqing wouldn’t have failed, her points wouldn’t have been docked, and she wouldn’t have been forced to accept a dangerous S-Rank mission to travel all the way to Chonghai Base to kill a Level 6 Water Zombie King.

Shen Qingyu watched Lin Qitong cry as if her heart were breaking. Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but Jiang Weiqing cut her off immediately. “Qitong, this is between you and me. It has nothing to do with anyone else.”

Jiang Weiqing tilted her head slightly and looked at Lin Qitong. “I’m sorry for what happened before, but it seems we were simply never meant to be. I will do my best to compensate you.”

Jiang Weiqing was a person who strictly followed her inner feelings. She had always thought she liked Lin Qitong, but the truth was that since leaving Dragon City, she hadn’t thought of the girl even once. Actions can be manipulated, but true thoughts cannot. Looking back, if she had truly loved her, she wouldn’t have abandoned her at their engagement party just to chase a bird. The truth was, she didn’t love Qitong as much as she thought, which was why she had jumped out of that window the moment Little Black left and Shen Qingyu appeared.

“You… you don’t love me anymore?” Lin Qitong gasped, her voice thick with disbelief. Her hatred for Shen Qingyu spiked. Jiang Weiqing, who had always been under her control, was actually saying this to her. Over the past three years, she had spent a fortune in system points to make Weiqing fall for her, and now it was all gone. Her face twisted momentarily, and her hands curled into fists.

Though she felt a pang of guilt, Jiang Weiqing nodded firmly. “That’s right.”

Lin Qitong bit her lip, her heart full of indignation. Shen Qingyu… as expected of the original protagonist. Even with a child, she’s managed to bewitch Jiang Weiqing. Instead of throwing a tantrum, she began to sob quietly, looking like a delicate petal falling into a still pond. “Weiqing, I know it’s because of my father. He went too far, but I can’t change how he feels. But I truly love you. I’ll wait for you.” Tears streamed down her face, making Lin Wenguang and Xu Banmeng ache with sympathy.

Lin Wenguang handed his sister a handkerchief. “Don’t be sad, Xiao Mei. It’s just that this person has no vision.” He glared at Jiang Weiqing. “How could you let my sister be this heartbroken?”

Jiang Weiqing let out a dry laugh. “What, are you suggesting I just take her back right now?” She hadn’t forgotten that the Lin family’s attitude toward her had always been one of disdain.

Lin Wenguang’s face stiffened. He pointed at her nose and shouted, “A spineless person like you doesn’t deserve Qitong anyway!”

Xu Banmeng whispered soft comforts to the girl, patting her head. To her surprise and delight, Qitong leaned her head onto Banmeng’s shoulder. While seeing her cry made Banmeng sad, the intimacy gave her a glimmer of hope.

Lin Qitong, however, felt only contempt for Xu Banmeng’s reaction. A single gesture and she’s smitten. My charm is still as potent as ever. It was only that stubborn Jiang Weiqing who didn’t know how to appreciate a beauty.

Despite the tension, Jiang Weiqing offered a final warning. “Be careful out there. Keep your eyes open.”

Lin Wenguang didn’t appreciate the advice. “Don’t mock us. My team is battle-hardened.”

Village Chief Li urged them on. “Masters, now that you’re all here, please get on the boat and save the children!”

Lin Wenguang patted his chest with confidence. “I’ll bring those three kids back for sure.”

As the Longhai Squad boarded the boat, Xu Banmeng’s teammates whispered among themselves.

“Are we really going with them?” a woman with a round face asked.

“This is Lin Wenguang’s job, not ours,” Lin Xixi snapped, her red afro bobbing with her anger. They had been tolerating the Longhai Squad for Xu Banmeng’s sake, but their patience was wearing thin.

“But we’re traveling together. It looks bad if we don’t go.”

“He’s the one who took the job recklessly. And that giant octopus statue is clearly a bad omen.”

Gao Hang, the tall woman, interrupted. “Stop arguing. We have to go.” The others followed her gaze to the boat, where Lin Qitong was already standing, smiling at the seagulls. They all looked at Xu Banmeng with a collective sigh. Their captain was a lost cause when it came to love.

******

Five minutes later, An Songyu watched as the fishing boat headed out into the shallow sea. He scratched his chin. “Captain, are we really not following them?”

Chen Huawei was also watching the horizon, unable to sit still. Jiang Weiqing remained calm. “Why should we? Someone else is already doing it.” She turned back to play with the baby, reaching out to give her a hug. The child smiled and crawled toward her, her dimples showing.

Suddenly, Shen Qingyu who usually didn’t interfere, scooped the baby up and adjusted her hold, walking away. Jiang Weiqing stared in disbelief. “Shen Qingyu, what are you doing? The baby wanted me to hold her!”

Shen Qingyu turned back with a cold stare. “She’s not your child. You can’t just hold her whenever you want. Besides, didn’t you want nothing to do with her at the engagement ceremony?”

Jiang Weiqing was speechless. “What’s wrong with you today? Did you eat gunpowder for breakfast?” She was fuming, telling herself she was only putting up with this for the sake of the RV. Shen Qingyu simply gave her a cool, distant back as she walked away.

Jiang Weiqing turned to Lin Yunxia with a look of pure frustration. “Women are such a mystery.”

Lin Yunxia stifled a laugh and whispered, “Captain, do you think Sister Qingyu is jealous?”

“What???” Jiang Weiqing asked, her eyes full of confusion.

“Sister Qingyu isn’t usually so petty,” Yunxia analyzed. “But Lin Qitong just showed up and confessed her love to you. I wouldn’t like my girlfriend’s ex either. It’s natural hostility.”

Miao Jialing, Lu Yan, and Little Black all chimed in with agreement, sharing a knowing look. Hearing this, Jiang Weiqing’s mood shifted from annoyance to secret delight. So, my charm is still there. My rival-turned-enemy has already fallen for me.

******

Jiang Weiqing had said she wouldn’t get involved, but her curiosity got the better of her. She led the team back to the cottage, then signaled for them to follow the boat. An Songyu whispered about how the Captain always chose to help in the end, but Jialing told him to shut up so they wouldn’t be caught.

They hitched a ride on the outside of the fishing boat, hidden from the crew. But An Songyu’s whispering was too loud. “Who’s there? Stop playing games and come out!” a voice shouted from the deck. The team immediately glared at An Songyu, who looked back with a pitiable, “I’m sorry” expression.

Fortunately, the crew dismissed the sound as the wind and waves. As they approached Sea God Island, the water became crowded with mutated fish, dolphins, and sharks. Their eyes glowed with bloodlust, yet they didn’t attack. They even passed a singing siren, only surviving because they blocked their ears in time.

Lin Wenguang didn’t believe in a “Sea God”; he assumed there was simply a high-level mutated octopus on the island. He hoped to tame it and use it to surpass Jiang Weiqing.

******

Duan Muyu was the first to sneak onto the boat once it docked at the island, choosing a safe route through the kitchen area. The others followed, moving quickly through the thick white fog. The mist was so dense it seemed to swallow light and energy; even fireballs were snuffed out instantly.

“Masters of the sea,” Duan Muyu whispered, her eyes reflecting the blue light of her tablet. “I’ve memorized the map and estimated the children’s location based on the time they disappeared.” She pointed to a spot on the western side of the island. “They should be here, within a five-meter margin.”

Miao Jialing was skeptical. “How could you know that? You haven’t even seen the kids.”

Duan Muyu just pointed to her head. “Is an estimation that simple really worth a calculation?”

Miao Jialing was speechless. Are all smart people this arrogant? But Lin Yunxia defended her, and the team decided to follow Duan Muyu’s lead.

Thanks to Duan Muyu’s perfect mental map, they reached the center of the island without incident. “I don’t see them,” An Songyu noted, looking through the dense forest and fog.

“Search carefully,” Jiang Weiqing said. Suddenly, Lin Yunxia let out a scream of terror. Little Black landed on her shoulder, cawing frantically at a spot to the west.

Shen Qingyu, holding the baby and her gun, moved closer. Her voice was as cold as ice. “I found them.”

Jiang Weiqing’s heart soared with hope, only to be crushed by Shen Qingyu’s next words. “The three children… they’re dead.”

In a muddy depression ahead, the three children lay partially buried. Their eyes were wide and filled with the terror they felt in their final moments. Only their eyes were visible above the mud, staring straight at the group. It was enough to make even a hardened survivor like Lin Yunxia scream.

“Dig them out,” Duan Muyu said, looking remarkably unfazed. “I need to examine the bodies.”

“Why bother?” An Songyu asked. “The island is dangerous. It’s natural for kids to die here.” He felt a sense of impending doom and wanted to leave immediately.

“The cause of death will tell us everything,” Duan Muyu explained.

Jiang Weiqing asked for a shovel. They dug the bodies out in less than five minutes. They were the children from the orphanage: Xiao Ming, Xiao Li, and Xiao Mei.

“The bodies are perfectly preserved,” Duan Muyu noted, putting on gloves like a forensic expert. “The mud is fresh; they were buried within the last two hours.”

“The killer was surprisingly ‘kind’,” Jiang Weiqing noted. No animal would bury a body like this.

“Maybe someone they knew buried them,” Shen Qingyu guessed. “To let them rest in peace.”

“Then why are their eyes still open?” Xu Bairan asked.

As they spoke, Duan Muyu squeezed one of the children’s arms. “This doesn’t feel like human tissue.” She took a pair of scissors from Shen Qingyu and cut into the girl’s arm. Instead of bone and muscle, a mass of straw spilled out. The children had been stuffed with hay, yet fresh blood was still flowing.

“What’s going on?” Yunxia whispered, looking away.

“They cut themselves,” Shen Qingyu said, her face grim. “They did it willingly.”

“Willingly?” Chen Huawei gasped.

Suddenly, a series of muffled, chanting voices drifted from across the island.

…Since the beginning of time, the great ocean has existed. The Sea God nurtures us; we offer these sacrifices in faith for our prosperity… From all the people of Lingshui Village… we honor the Sea God.

Jiang Weiqing caught the key words. “This is…”

“It’s a sacrificial chant,” Shen Qingyu finished. “We were the sacrifices all along.”

The team’s faces paled. Granny Huang had lied. The festival wasn’t the day after tomorrow—it was today. From the depths of the sea, a thunderous roar echoed, accompanied by a massive, looming shape. The sheer power of it left them paralyzed, like lambs waiting for the slaughter.

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