Too many female prisoners, a special forces soldier transmigrates and marries wildly.

Chen tide perked up and tried to lift her head to look ahead.

Sure enough, at the end of the firelight, the passage seemed to be blocked by a pile of rubble and debris, but through the gaps between the rubble, one could vaguely see extremely faint, grayish-white light from the sky!

Moreover, a fresh breeze, carrying the scent of morning mist and earth, blows in through the cracks!

It's the exit! They really found the exit!

However, before the two could rejoice, A-Yue's expression suddenly changed. She made a shushing gesture and quickly extinguished the torch in her hand.

The passage was plunged into darkness in an instant, with only the faint light from the cracks outlining the obstacles ahead.

"There are people outside..."

Ah Yue's voice was lowered, carrying an unprecedented solemnity.

Chen tide's heart jumped into her throat.

Someone's there? Were the guards from the Zhou residence blocking the exit beforehand? Or... someone else entirely?

The two held their breath and waited quietly in the darkness.

Inside the passage, only the suppressed breathing and heartbeats of the two people, and the faint, indistinct sounds coming from outside, could be heard.

It sounds like... people are talking in hushed tones, there's the faint clinking of metal, and... the snorting of horses? More than one person!

They are not guards of the Zhou family!

The guards of the Zhou family would not bring horses to guard the outlet of such a desolate drainage ditch!

who is it?

Chen tide's heart sank.

Emerging from the tiger's den only to fall into the wolf's lair?

A-Yue gently moved her body, shielding Chen tide behind her, and slowly raised the hunting fork in her hand, aiming it at the direction of the exit gap.

On his dusty face, his eyes, illuminated by the dim light of the day, gleamed with a cold and resolute light, like those of a wild beast.

She had prepared for the worst.

Just then, a slightly rough but surprised and puzzled voice came clearly from outside:

"...Huh? The stones in this ditch look like they've been moved. Fifth Brother, come take a look! Did last night's rain wash something away, or... did something crawl out of there?"

Immediately after, another, slightly slick voice rang out: "Crawling out? Crawling out what? A water rat? Brother Wang, are you seeing things? In this godforsaken place, besides unlucky guys like us who were sent to guard this lousy ditch, who the hell would come here? Hurry up, finish this cigarette, it's time to change shifts!"

Brother Wang? Fifth Brother? This title... and this complaining tone... it doesn't sound like someone from the Zhou family, nor like an elite soldier from the Qi Prince's mansion, but more like... an ordinary soldier?

Soldiers of the state army?

Could it be that the exit of this secret passage is near one of the state army's camps?

Or perhaps, it's located outside some city defense fortifications in the state capital?

Chen tide and A Yue exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise and a glimmer of hope in each other's eyes... a glimmer of hope for survival.

If it were just an ordinary sentry post of the state army, perhaps... there would still be a chance?

What identities could they impersonate to get away with it?

However, before they could come up with a solution, the "Brother Wang" outside seemed to be approaching, his footsteps stopping near the pile of rubble at the exit.

He even poked the gap with the spear in his hand!

"Thud!" The spearhead struck the soft soil and gravel with a dull thud, and several small stones rolled down, almost hitting Chen tide.

"Damn, it's actually a bit loose."

"Brother Wang" muttered, "Fifth Brother, get a torch and shine it around! Just in case there's something there..."

They're about to be exposed!

A fierce glint flashed in A Yue's eyes. She gripped the hunting fork tightly, her body slightly arched, ready to launch a sudden attack!

In this narrow, dark passage, she was confident she could take out the two approaching sentries in an instant, but what then? The shouts would inevitably attract more people! They would still find it difficult to escape!

Just at that critical moment, when Ah Yue was about to make her move—

"Wang Zhen! Liu Xiaowu! You two bastards, why aren't you standing there quietly? What are you whispering about around that ditch?!"

A more majestic and angry roar suddenly came from a little further away!

The two sentries outside seemed startled as well.

The man nicknamed "Brother Wang" (Wang Zhen?) quickly sheathed his spear and turned to reply, "Officer Han! It's nothing! I just noticed the stones in this ditch are a bit loose, and I'm worried some wild animals might crawl in..."

"Bullshit! What kind of wild beasts come from here? Get back to your posts! If you dare to slack off again, you'll regret it!" the officer known as "Commander Han" roared.

Footsteps sounded, and it seemed that Wang Zhen and Liu Xiaowu had slunk away.

However, the Han officer did not leave immediately. His footsteps slowly approached the outlet of the ditch.

It seems to be examining it closely.

Inside the secret passage, Chen tide and A Yue's hearts were in their throats once again.

This Korean officer sounded more vigilant and professional than Wang Zhen and his team.

The Han officer stood in front of the pile of rocks for a moment, seemingly observing.

Then, Chen tide heard him say something very low, as if he were talking to himself:

"Like a ground rat burrowing into its hole, it doesn't even check the time..."

After saying that, he didn't investigate further. Instead, he kicked a few loose stones, making them a little more disordered, as if he were reinforcing them. In reality, it seemed that he was actually sealing the gap a little tighter.

Then he turned around, his footsteps fading into the distance, and shouted into the distance, "Everyone, stay alert! It's almost dawn! Don't fucking mess things up!"

Silence returned outside, broken only by the wind rustling through the weeds and the faint sound of a distant bugle call.

Inside the secret passage, Chen tide and A Yue looked at each other, filled with surprise and uncertainty.

The Han officer seemed to have discovered something, but deliberately pretended not to, and even... helped them cover it up?

Was his last sentence, "Even a ground rat burrows into its hole without checking the time," a veiled reference?

Who is he? Is he friend or foe?

But in any case, it seems safe for now.

The exits were blocked even more tightly, and no one would come to check them out anytime soon.

They also need time to recover their strength and observe the exact situation outside.

Chen tide leaned against the cold, damp cave wall and slowly slid down, feeling as if all the strength in her body had been drained.

The terrifying night, the climb, the despair, and the exhaustion of escaping from the brink of death almost made her faint.

But she knew she couldn't give up yet.

It was almost dawn.

A new day, shrouded in more mystery and danger, is about to begin.

What fate awaits these two women who crawled out of the secret passages of the mansion?