If there is an afterlife, I believe that I will still be your daughter... these words lingered in her heart.

Although you didn't want to spoil me and disciplined me strictly... in order to make me able to protect myself, to prevent me from losing myself even in adversity... perhaps it is these practices of yours that made the education at school seem hasty, and taught me how important setbacks are in life.

...

Ah, speaking of my daughter.

This girl's grades have always been quite poor, and her attitude towards her studies is not serious, so she has caught the attention of her teachers.

Not only that, she even dared to fight with the boys, she's a true tomboy.

I can only smile wryly about these things, the previous anxiety was like a joke, as long as I recall the memories I had with Heather, his state of mind would immediately calm down.

Although Sara is currently a proud and arrogant seventeen-year-old girl, in my eyes, she will always be a cute little child... just like the wife I couldn't protect.

Tears once again rolled down my cheeks, and the regret still lingers painfully.

"Darn it, why am I easily brought to tears?"

I sat up straight, back against the chair, and wiped away the tears on my cheeks with my hand. If Yukari-neesan were to see this, she would definitely scold me. If I don't pull myself together, what face do I have to meet her in heaven? Because of that child's situation, I already owe her too much...

Drip, drip, drip!!!

Suddenly, the sound of a siren erupted.

Just when we finally reached the platform to our destination, a mad dog monster appeared without any hesitation, and at this moment, Sara was crossing the tracks.

She hurriedly climbed onto the platform, not even having a chance to look back at the monster behind her.

In the instant she climbed onto the platform, the mad dog monster behind her was thrown into the air.

The train, which was approaching the station at high speed, screeched to a halt with a piercing noise, finally stopping far away from the parking spot.

Finally, she could go home!

Sara danced with joy.

All the doors of the train carriages were tightly locked, and the only one that could open was the very last door.

Just as Sara stepped into the carriage, that door slammed shut, just like how a Venus flytrap traps its prey perfectly.

Have they once again fallen into their trap?

But the situation in front of her was completely irreversible, she could only go with the flow and accept her fate.

Sara tried hard to be optimistic and walked towards the depths of the carriage, towards the front of the train.

Even if there were no passengers on board, there should at least be a driver, right? Otherwise, this train wouldn't be able to run!

Dependence on humans made her want to see the driver. It didn't matter who it was, as long as she could encounter someone else, it would make her feel like this nightmare was over.

... In the very front of the train, there was no locomotive, only the carriages were moving forward, which shocked Sara.

I had originally planned to tell Sara everything tonight, to end it all.

My secrets... and the mission, the things about "those guys" that I've hidden from her to prevent her from being scared...

We also need to discuss the future, and I must clarify the transfer of assets.

Of course, we can discuss all of this while having a meal.

That's why I prepared a luxurious meal tonight and even baked a lot of things in the oven.

However, my cooking skills ruined what was supposed to be a delicious meal, so most of these delicacies were bought from takeout... but it doesn't matter anymore.

At this moment, the aroma of roast duck permeated the room in the apartment, and I imagined my daughter devouring a piece of meat.

A happy smile appeared on my face, but it quickly disappeared into a bitter expression.

A foul smell invaded my nostrils, and distant memories were suddenly awakened. It was the smell of decaying corpses behind me, and I didn't know what had sneaked into the room, making footsteps.

I suddenly became nervous, my heart pounding violently in my chest - never did I expect to meet again at this time, in this place. It's really not a good timing.

"Oh, right, Sara..."

It seemed like the most terrible situation had occurred, that world... although I originally thought it was still far away, but... it's probably already too late!!!"Can you wait a little longer?!" I stood up from my chair and spoke, without turning around, because I didn't want to see that guy behind me.

"I have a lot of things to say to my daughter. I hope you can give me at least one night! After tonight, you can do whatever you want with my life."

"No, you can't," a gentle yet ruthless voice replied.

It was a woman's voice, very young but with a familiar coldness in her tone.

"You took something vital from us. The new world is in your hands, so we can never forgive you, no matter what."

"So, you guys did come after all," I said with a bitter smile.

Just as she was about to react, I quickly pulled out a handgun from my coat. This gun was prepared for this kind of situation.

Without even turning around, I pulled the trigger. My target was not the malicious being suddenly appearing in my field of vision, but that woman!

Once I killed the being controlling the malicious being, the puppet brought by the woman would also disappear.

But as I pulled the trigger, the agile malicious being swiftly blocked in front of the woman and effortlessly blocked the bullet with a sword swing.

"Damn it!"

I then aimed the gun at the head of the malicious being and fired another shot. However... it was in vain. The handgun was not suited for this opponent in front of me.

But I couldn't give up in the current situation. There must be a weakness. As long as I knew that...

I stared closely at every move the malicious being made, while skillfully reloading the bullets.

Swoosh—!

Just as my gaze unconsciously shifted to the gun, a metal knife flew towards me.

I quickly dodged and took a sharp breath—If I had been a little slower, I would have been dismembered!

But even so, my left wrist got injured, and the gun in my hand fell to the ground.

"Enough, you're exhausted," the woman sneered, her voice becoming eerie: "Whether Sara is real or fake, we must take her to try."

"Are you referring to her as an experiment?" I scoffed mockingly, "But as a failed experiment, you, the supposed Holy Mother, are not a very important existence. I hope you don't harm her."

"Hmph, I'm afraid that won't be possible!"

"What do you mean?"

"As a savior, it is necessary for her to fulfill her duty obediently. But if she is not the one..."

"No!" The fearless expression on my face turned into pleading, as I spoke with a fatherly tone: "Don't let her die, please... I beg you."

As I spoke, I had already abandoned my dignity and knelt on the ground.

The woman looked down at him and said: "In that case, die here! There is no place for you in the new world."

"You too."

I pulled out a hidden dagger from the belt strapped to my leg and quickly stood up...

"Have you stopped caring about Sara?" the woman shouted.

My hand, wielding the dagger, suddenly stopped in mid-air, and instead, a weapon several times larger than the dagger pierced through my chest.

I quickly covered the bleeding wound on my chest with my hand, then fell onto the chair, murmuring my daughter's name.

In my gradually fading vision, my wife's face gradually appeared.

Yu Xiang... I'm coming to find you.

Let's protect that child together..."Yes, this is the street where my house is located!" Sara exclaimed in relief, patting her chest. She knew that this nearly completed apartment building was not far from where she lived.

Previously, she had been annoyed by the construction noise here, and this site, which she had cursed countless times in her mind, now seemed like an old friend she hadn't seen in years.

She decided to run home and see her dad, who was waiting for her.

Sara walked briskly, searching for an exit from the construction site, but she didn't find the fences that should have surrounded it.

"Not again," she muttered, looking at the apartment building with resentment. It seemed like she could only go through it, another prank of distorted space.

Opening a small door that seemed like an entrance, Sara walked in.

Just as she was about to call for someone, a dry smell of concrete hit her face. She finally noticed that the walls and ceiling hadn't been decorated yet, and construction debris was scattered everywhere... Although it was a newly built building, it looked like ruins no matter how you looked at it!

Sara tried to explore the ground floor but most of the passages were blocked. She couldn't find the main entrance to the outside, just like what happened in the shopping mall.

Does this mean she has to go up to the second floor and then look for another way out?

Since the apartment building was still under construction, the elevator was not operational, and she had to take the stairs.

"This apartment seems to have five floors," Sara silently muttered in her mind.