Chapter 687: Returning to the Opera House

"Miss, are you still wearing it?" In the back seat of the car, Uncle Quan saw the gold bracelet on the young woman's wrist and sighed.

"...Yes."

Huang Suyue lowered her head, her fingertips gently rubbing the surface of the bracelet.

Huang Suyue had sold the Huang Consortium and all her jewelry, yet she had kept only this bracelet... It was not because the bracelet was of great value, but because it held a special meaning for her.

"Miss... that person will not be coming back."

"I know."

"Actually, if you hadn't chosen to return, you might have been able to leave with him."

"But there are always some things that are more important... aren't there?" Huang Suyue pressed her lips together. The confrontation with the three consortiums had left her exhausted. She leaned against the back seat and said softly,

"I do like him. He is handsome, his singing is beautiful, and although he seems cold, he has a kind heart... Which girl wouldn't be moved by a man like that? If... if I had to choose a partner to marry and spend the rest of my life with, I would definitely choose him.

But Uncle Quan, you know me. I am not the type of person who can abandon everything for the sake of love and spend my days weeping... He is an Envoy, he has his own things to do, and I don't want to abandon myself to become anyone's appendage...

Perhaps this is just a case of having the fate to meet but not the fate to be together."

Huang Suyue curled up into the corner of the seat, her hair falling gently. She looked at her reflection in the window and muttered to herself:

"Sometimes, I imagine... how wonderful it would be if he were truly just an ordinary opera singer in the Jinghong Pavilion."

Uncle Quan looked at the dazed Huang Suyue. He had watched her grow up, and no one wished for her happiness more than he did, but seeing her like this, he felt a pang of heartache...

He opened his mouth to offer some words of comfort, but after hesitating for a moment, he said nothing.

No matter what choice Huang Suyue made, what had happened could not be changed. They were walking on this most dangerous and unknown path, and there was no turning back.

Uncle Quan took a deep breath and asked seriously: "Miss, what do we do next?"

Huang Suyue sat up and patted her cheeks firmly to regain her composure and clarity. She looked at the locations marked by the police on the map and pointed to several of them:

"Based on the current situation, the city gates probably won't hold for much longer. The 'silver monsters' they spoke of will soon be rampaging through the city... and the police department is understaffed; it's impossible for them to protect every shelter.

Therefore, we need to set some traps to reduce the number of those silver monsters as much as possible."

"You mean... those explosives?"

"Exactly." Huang Suyue nodded. "Several of the larger underground shelters are already marked on the map. We will place explosives in the vacant houses near these shelters. Firstly, we can use the traps to thin out the silver monsters, and secondly, if a shelter comes under siege, we can use the explosions to divert the enemy's attention."

Uncle Quan suddenly understood.

He looked at the marks on the map and pondered:

"But Miss, there are too many shelters in the main city, and our explosives and manpower are limited... We can't cover them all, can we?"

"That's for certain. We can only choose the two largest shelters." Huang Suyue had already selected her targets and drew circles around two of the most prominent red marks. "Uncle Quan, we have to split up our teams... You go to the south of the city, and I'll go to the east."

Uncle Quan asked with some concern: "Do we really have to split up, Miss? Won't it be unsafe?"

"In the current main city, nowhere is safe."

"...Alright. And the bread?"

"While we're setting the explosives, we'll drop off the bread at the shelters and distribute it to everyone... These refugees have traveled a long way; they must be starving."

"I understand." Uncle Quan nodded slightly and said solemnly,

"Miss, you must take care of yourself!"

"Don't worry, Uncle Quan, I will."

As Uncle Quan got out and switched to another vehicle, the original motorcade began to split into two lines, roaring off in different directions!

……

Jinghong Pavilion.

In the drizzling rain, a drenched Kong Baosheng pushed open the doors of the opera house with all his might.

Creak—

As the doors slowly swung open, a familiar scent drifted into Kong Baosheng's nostrils... It was the smell of old wood, the lingering trace of kitchen soot, and the scent of every table and chair he had wiped down himself. These scents wove together into the atmosphere of "home," allowing Kong Baosheng's exhausted body to finally relax.

"Grandma... I'm home."

Kong Baosheng muttered, stepping into the opera house.

Everything here remained as it was when he left, even the dozens of lanterns hung up during the power outage were still there, though the flames inside had long since extinguished, leaving the opera house in deep darkness.

Kong Baosheng, familiar with the layout, found a candle in the cabinet, lit it, and headed straight for the backyard.

In the courtyard, the sea of flowers that once bloomed was gone, leaving only withered roots on the ground that swirled in the cold wind from the corner of the wall. In the center stood a solitary earthen grave, with an old black-and-white photograph placed in front of it.

Looking at this desolate and bleak scene, Kong Baosheng felt utterly lost...

He took a broom from the house and began to carefully clear the withered roots in the courtyard. A series of rumbles came from his stomach; having traveled all this way, Kong Baosheng hadn't eaten a thing and was starving, but now he seemed unable to feel it, as if his whole being had melted into the cold wind.

The sky was dim, the drizzle was constant, and the faint candlelight illuminated the boy's lonely back. The entire opera house was deathly quiet.

It wasn't just the Jinghong Pavilion; the entire street was silent... Kong Baosheng had returned early and didn't know about the fire at the city gates, nor did he know about any silver monsters. At this moment, it felt as if he were the only person left in the world.

Swish—swish—swish...

The broom swept across the ground, making a soft sound. Suddenly, a roar came from the distance.

Kong Baosheng paused, looking toward the entrance of the opera house in confusion:

"At this hour... there are still cars?"

After hesitating for a moment, Kong Baosheng carried his broom to the entrance. He saw several black cars and a few large trucks passing by the door one after another, coming to a slow stop not far away.

Numerous figures hurried off the vehicles and began unloading items from the trucks, transporting them into the low building diagonally across the street. Their expressions were tense, scanning their surroundings from time to time as if wary of something.

"These people's clothes... why do they look so familiar?" Kong Baosheng stood frozen in place.

The next moment,

A graceful figure in a long yellow dress stepped out of the lead car. She gently touched the gold bracelet on her wrist and subconsciously turned her head to look toward the Jinghong Pavilion... In the misty rain, she looked lost and forlorn.