Surviving the Apocalypse: All I Want Is to Find a Husband-Chapter 178: The Soldiers are Not Acting Like One (2)

Even if this was their first time leaving the base, they should’ve trained under the sun inside the military compound, right?

Lucian, who had once been pale, had tanned over time simply from spending too much time under the sun while traveling the world.

Realistically, there was no way a soldier could stay this pale after rigorous training.

So ... why did some of these kids still have that pale, smooth, healthy skin like they had never even seen the sun before?

"What ... What are you doing? Stay away from me, you demon!" Finn’s breath hitched as Medeia moved closer.

She arched an eyebrow but took a step back, sighing. There was no fun in scaring someone who was already trembling. "Why are you so white?"

"Hey, that’s racist!"

Medeia rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. I’m not talking about that. I mean, haven’t you ever seen the sun? You live on a military base, right? Shouldn’t you be training outdoors all day? So why does your skin look like you’ve been locked away in some fancy palace, sipping tea and avoiding daylight like some noble lady?"

Finn’s reaction was odd. His shoulders immediately tensed, his eyes darted away.

That reaction alone made Medeia suspicious.

The more she thought about it, the stranger it became. They reminded her of the women who had been locked away underground, their skin untouched by sunlight. Could it be... these soldiers had been kept somewhere? Forbidden from going outside?

"Why do you care?!" Finn snapped defensively. "That’s none of your business!"

"Hey, check this out," Tian suddenly spoke up.

Finn turned toward him, only for Tian to flick on a flashlight, shining it straight into his face.

The reaction was immediate. Finn let out a strangled noise and recoiled violently, squeezing his eyes shut. Even after just a second of exposure, his eyes were already watering, red and irritated like they were burning.

"You’re right," Tian said, clicking off the flashlight. "They’re not used to sunlight."

Medeia stood still, piecing everything together. Then, she remembered, when she first saw them, they were all wearing those oversized, dark sunglasses. At the time, she hadn’t thought much of it. But now?

It wasn’t summer. The sun wasn’t even that bright.

Unless ... their eyes were genuinely sensitive to light.

"I don’t get it." Ren crossed his arms. "Why are they barely seeing the sun? They’re supposed to be soldiers, right? Shouldn’t they be training outside? Their superiors wouldn’t allow them to train indoors all the time, right?"

Medeia exhaled, her stomach twisting with unease. "I don’t know." She turned to Ren, her voice firm. "Go get Captain Ethan and Lucian. Now."

If she couldn’t get the answers herself, maybe one of them knew. Lucian had been away from the military for years, but if anyone had insight into this, it would be him. After all, he used to be their ace. freēnovelkiss.com

Not long after, Ren returned with Lucian and Ethan. Lucian had changed into something casual—a white shirt and dark pants. His hair was still damp from his shower, stray droplets clinging to his skin before rolling down the side of his neck.

Medeia knew this was absolutely not the time for distractions, but how was she supposed to focus when her man looked that handsome?!

"Do you want me to try holding her again?" Lucian asked in such a soft tone.

"No, it’s fine." Medeia shifted Sierra in her arms, adjusting the little girl’s grip. "She refuses to let go. She’s latched onto me like a leech."

Their attention quickly shifted to the soldiers, who were slowly regaining consciousness one by one. As Medeia had expected, they immediately freaked out upon waking up in an unfamiliar place.

However, their panic quickly turned into shock as they took in the sight before them, rows of thriving hydroponic plants stretching out around them.

"Are we... in heaven?" one of them muttered.

"Heaven? That’s not real."

"Are you stupid? If we were really in heaven, why would God tie us up like this?"

"Maybe we did something really bad... Oh no, does that mean we’re about to go to hell and see that demon again?!"

Medeia cleared her throat loudly to get their attention. Then, with a slow, wicked smile, she said, "That demon is right here."

Their reactions were unexpected. Some scrambled to their feet in a blind panic, only to smack straight into the walls.

One nearly toppled over the hydroponic setup, but before any real damage could be done, Lucian stepped in, effortlessly restraining them in place.

Ethan’s brows knitted together, his confusion deepening. "What the hell...? How are they acting like this? We’re trained to stay calm in any situation. Are they even from my base? Because I swear, I’ve never seen these guys before."

Now this was getting interesting.

"Oh?" Medeia asked, "Could it be that your base is just so massive you can’t even keep track of your own comrades?"

"The base is big, but... it’s not like it’s the size of a city," Ethan replied, his expression still clouded with doubt. "We’ve lived together for years—eating in the same hall, washing our clothes in the same place. Even if I’ve never spoken to everyone, I should at least recognize their faces.

"But them?" He glanced at the group of soldiers, who still looked utterly bewildered. "I don’t recognize any of them."

Lucian stepped forward, plucking the dog tag from one of the soldiers’ necks. His brows furrowed as he examined it, turning it over in his palm.

Nothing.

Just a name. No rank, no unit, not even a blood type—something essential for any real soldier. His frown deepened.

That wasn’t just unusual. It was suspicious.

"Do you know anything about this?" Medeia asked.

Lucian hesitated. "I’m not sure... but I have a suspicion."

He glanced at the soldiers around them, then, as if realizing they weren’t in a safe space to talk, he grabbed Medeia’s wrist and led her a few steps away. Lowering his voice, he continued,

"Before I escaped, the general started gathering children, a lot of them, from cities all over."

Medeia’s expression hardened. "Why?"

"They said it was to rebuild humanity’s future, to ensure a new generation would carry the torch," Lucian muttered. "But ... he was a bastard, so I don’t believe tha now. He told me those children’s parents were already dead, but maybe they were taken straight from them."

"Then... these kids," she murmured, "they might be the ones from back then."

Lucian clenched his jaw. "I don’t know." He sighed, looking like he carried the guilt. "But I should’ve checked on them after I ran away."

Visit freewe𝑏nov(e)l.𝗰𝐨𝐦 for the 𝑏est n𝘰vel reading experience