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

The morning light, meagerly filtering through the gaps in the collapsed stones above the abandoned ditch, cast a few twisted and bleak beams of light into the narrow, damp, and foul-smelling dark passage, barely dispelling some of the suffocating darkness.

Dust drifted slowly within the beam of light, much like Chen tide's chaotic and heavy emotions at that moment.

They escaped. From the Zhou mansion, which seemed safe but was actually fraught with danger at every turn.

But Sister Shixiu, Sister Liuyun, and Cao'er... they're still inside!

Chen tide felt as if an invisible hand was gripping her heart tightly, causing her so much pain that she could hardly breathe.

Last night, she was only concerned with her own desperate escape, and only now, when she is temporarily safe (if this can be considered safe), has her worry and lingering fear for her companions overwhelmed her like a tidal wave.

How furious will Zhou Wenyuan be when he discovers that she has escaped and has also glimpsed the secret of the west wing?

Will they take their anger out on Shi Xiu and the others who stayed in the mansion? They are unarmed and have young Cao'er with them. How can they protect themselves?

"Sister Yue..." Chen tide's voice was hoarse and trembling, choked with sobs, "Sister Shi Xiu and the others...we...we abandoned them..."

Ah Yue's ashen face was expressionless, but her tightly pursed lips and the fleeting pain in her eyes betrayed her inner turmoil.

She reached out her icy hand and gripped Chen tide's trembling hand tightly, her voice low yet carrying a strange, reassuring strength: "Thinking about these things now is useless. They should be alright for now. Zhou Wenyuan's target is you, and the secret of the west wing. As long as they don't know and don't act rashly, Zhou Wenyuan won't easily touch them or alert him. Right now, we need to take care of ourselves first. Only if we are safe can we possibly find a way to save them, or... wait for Brother Lin."

Brother Lin… Mentioning Lin Feng, Chen tide felt a faint glimmer of hope mixed with even deeper worry.

Where is Lin Feng? Is he safe? Does he know Zhou Wenyuan's true colors? Can he rescue Shi Xiu and the others?

"Those soldiers outside... are they the state army?" Chen tide forced herself to calm down and analyze the situation. "That Han scout officer, it seems... he did it on purpose?" She recalled Han scout officer's last words and the action of kicking the stone.

A-Yue nodded.

Could it be that Lin Feng has already made contact with the state army? Or perhaps, this Han scout is the person Lin Feng arranged to meet him? But how could Lin Feng know that they would escape from the Zhou residence last night, and also happen to know the secret exit of this abandoned ditch? This is too unbelievable.

"What do we do now?" Chen tide looked at the exit gap that Han, the sentry officer, had "reinforced." "It's getting light; we can't stay here any longer. What if someone else comes..."

"wait."

Ah Yue said succinctly, "Wait for the shift change, or wait for an opportunity. If that Han officer really had plans, he wouldn't have just left like that. Let's recover our strength first."

The two stopped talking, silently adjusting their breathing and moving their frozen, numb hands and feet.

Time passed slowly as we waited.

Faintly, the sounds of changing guards, footsteps, and the distant clamor of people being checked at the city gate could be heard.

The sky grew brighter and brighter.

Suddenly, a soft, rhythmic tapping sound came from the pile of rubble at the exit—three long taps, two short taps, a pause, and then three more short taps.

It's a code!

A-Yue immediately gestured for Chen tide to be quiet, and then listened intently herself. The knocking sound repeated itself.

A glint flashed in A Yue's eyes, and she responded by gently tapping the cave wall with the handle of her hunting fork—two short taps and three long taps.

There was a moment of silence outside.

Next, the stones blocking the gap were carefully moved away, widening the opening to a size that was only wide enough for a person's head to pass through.

A dark, weathered face with an old scar on its left cheek appeared at the cave entrance; it was none other than Han, the sentry from last night.

His sharp gaze swept over the two disheveled figures inside the cave, lingering for a moment on Chen tide's face, a knowing glint in his eyes. He then lowered his voice and said quickly:

"Can you still move? If you can, get out now! I'm on duty right now, hurry!"

As expected, they were there to provide backup!

Chen tide was overjoyed and struggled to climb over.

Ah Yue was faster than her, blocking her way. Her dusty face still held a wary look as she stared at Officer Han: "Who are you? Why are you helping us?"

Han, the sentry officer, seemed somewhat surprised by A-Yue's directness and wariness, but he didn't have time to explain. He said hastily, "We're here to save you, believe it or not! If you dawdle any longer, you won't be able to leave once the next sentry arrives! Wang Zhen can't hold out for long!"

A-Yue hesitated for a moment, then turned around and helped Chen tide out of the cave.

Outside was an abandoned ditch overgrown with weeds, piled with garbage and broken bricks and tiles, located at the southwest corner of the prefectural city wall, about a mile from Yong'an Gate. It was already bright daylight, but the morning mist had not yet dissipated, and given the remote location, there was no one around. Not far away, Wang Zhen and another soldier (presumably Liu Xiaowu) were standing with their backs to this side, pretending to patrol, but actually blocking the view from the direction of the official road.

The Han officer quickly kicked a few stones back to their original place, hastily covering the cave entrance, then hissed at the two men, "Come with me! Keep your head down, don't look around!"

He led Chen tide and A Yue, crouching low, and using the weeds and ditches as cover, quickly ran towards a low, dilapidated shantytown not far away.

Seeing this, Wang Zhen and Liu Xiaowu pretended nothing had happened and strolled away.

The officer led them through a maze of turns until they arrived at a shack made of broken planks and tarpaulin. He lifted the curtain and said, "Go in! Someone is waiting for you inside."

The shack was dimly lit and cramped. A figure dressed in coarse cloth, sitting on the edge of the bed with his head down, suddenly looked up when he heard the noise.

It's Yingzi! Wang Zhen's sister!

Han, the sentry, stood at the door without coming in, but nodded to Yingzi: "The person is in your hands. Clean her up and change her into inconspicuous clothes. I'll have Wang Zhen bring her food and drink later. You must leave here by noon at the latest. This place isn't safe either; the people from the Zhou and Qi residences will search here sooner or later."

After saying that, he didn't linger any longer, lowered the curtain, and his footsteps quickly faded into the distance.