Gu Yunchen personally escorted everyone back into the mansion.
The iron gates opened slowly, gears grinding under reinforced mechanisms. Guards on the watchtower froze for a split second before someone shouted—
"Miss Mian is back!"
The news spread like wildfire.
Doors opened. Footsteps thundered across the stone courtyard. Windows flew open.
And then they came.
Her siblings.
Some older. Some younger. Some dressed in combat gear. Some still in casual clothes.
But all staring at her like she had stepped out of memory and into flesh.
"Big Sister!"
"Mian!"
"You're really back?!"
Gu Mian barely had time to breathe before she was surrounded. Arms wrapped around her. Hands checked her shoulders as if verifying she was solid.
Gu Yunchen stood behind her quietly, watching.
He did not interrupt.
He simply allowed himself to feel.
Inside the Main Hall
The mansion had been modified heavily.
Steel reinforcements. Energy barricades. Ability amplifiers embedded into the walls.
But it still felt like home.
Qin Yao and the others followed inside, suddenly feeling… exposed.
They had spoken to these people countless times through video calls before communications went down. They had strategized together. Planned together. Joked together.
But standing face-to-face?
That was different.
Gu Mian cleared her throat gently.
"Everyone… this is my family on the road."
She gestured one by one.
"Qin Yao. Luo Yuhua. Mu Xia. Bu Tong. Ming Baixu. Xu Qian. Huo Xu."
The Gu siblings straightened slightly.
Gu Ruisheng, tall and sharp-eyed, stepped forward first.
"You're the famous Qin Yao," he said calmly. "The one who keeps my sister in check."
Qin Yao coughed awkwardly. "That might be an exaggeration."
Laughter broke tension.
But it didn't last long.
Because Gu Mian then stepped aside and gently brought forward two small figures.
"And these are Qi Chu and Leng Rui."
The hall fell quiet.
The children stood stiffly. Clean now. Healthy. But still wary.
Qi Chu bowed slightly, his voice soft but steady.
"Hello."
Leng Rui clutched Gu Mian's sleeve.
Gu Yunchen's gaze softened instantly.
"Children stay," he said firmly. "No discussion."
Several siblings nodded immediately.
No one objected.
Because even in the apocalypse—
There were lines.
During dinner, power levels were quietly discussed.
Gu Yunchen listened carefully as reports were exchanged.
"Most of us are level five, the youngest ones are on three," one of the younger siblings said.
"Qi Chu is level two," Gu Mian added. "His physiology can't handle more yet."
Another sibling frowned. "We've tried pushing further, but the backlash—"
"It's not worth it," Qin Yao said calmly. "Foundation first. Advancement later."
Gu Yunchen's eyes flicked to him with approval.
"Level five?" one sibling asked quietly.
Gu Mian nodded once.
"I'm seven though"
The room inhaled sharply.
Level seven.
That meant she was operating in a different tier entirely.
No wonder they looked so relaxed.
Gu Mian then casually opened her space.
Live animals spilled out.
Massive sheep. Wild boars twice normal size. Chickens the size of wolves.
The siblings stared.
"Those aren't… normal," someone whispered.
Mu Xia shrugged lazily. "Nothing is."
The animals were slaughtered quickly.
The feast that followed was overwhelming.
Roasted meat. Fresh fruits. Spring water wine. Vegetables glowing faintly with mutation energy.
For two days, the mansion felt almost… peaceful.
Laughter returned. Stories were exchanged. Combat techniques were demonstrated in the courtyard. Qi Chu shyly displayed his sound ability, cracking a stone pillar by accident.
Leng Rui followed Gu Mian everywhere.
And Qin Yao?
He found himself relaxing in a way he hadn't in a year.
But peace in the apocalypse was always temporary.
On the third morning, Gu Yunchen called everyone to the central conference hall.
Not the dining hall.
The war room.
That alone set the tone.
The long table was reinforced steel. Maps of the capital and surrounding provinces were projected onto the wall.
Energy fluctuation charts hovered mid-air.
When everyone had taken their seats, Gu Yunchen stood.
"We are leaving the capital."
Silence.
"We are relocating to the National Conserved Forest."
Silence shattered.
"What?!"
"The NCF?!"
"That's suicide!"
"Mutated beasts are concentrated there!"
"Even military scouting teams avoid deep zones!"
Voices overlapped.
Gu Mian remained quiet.
Qin Yao leaned back, observing.
Gu Yunchen raised his hand slightly.
The room dimmed.
A projection appeared.
Satellite images. Military convoy patterns. Energy surge maps.
"The capital," he began calmly, "will not remain independent."
Someone frowned. "What do you mean?"
Gu Yunchen's gaze sharpened.
"The National Institute has consolidated three power centers already. They are absorbing high-level ability users. Voluntarily… or otherwise."
The temperature in the room dropped.
"You're saying they'll come for us?" one sibling asked slowly.
"They already have," Gu Yunchen replied.
Murmurs.
"What?"
"Three weeks ago, an Institute envoy approached."
Gasps.
"And?"
"I declined."
The hall went dead silent.
"You what?!" someone exploded.
"That's the national authority!"
"They control military remnants!"
"They have research facilities!"
"They have experimental serums!"
"And they have ambition," Gu Yunchen interrupted quietly.
He pressed a button.
New projection.
Footage.
People restrained.
Ability users strapped to metallic tables.
Energy extraction devices.
Half-living, half-conscious bodies.
"They are accelerating evolution," he said. "Through forced adaptation."
Qi Chu clutched Leng Rui's hand.
One sibling whispered, "Human experimentation…"
"Yes."
Another slammed the table. "But that's rumor! We don't know if that's verified!"
Gu Yunchen turned slowly.
"I verified it."
Silence.
Gu Yutong, third sister, stood abruptly.
"Even if that's true — running into a forest full of mutated apex predators isn't safer!"
"Capital has walls."
"Capital has alliances."
"Capital has infrastructure."
"And food chains," another added. "Trade networks."
"We've built this base for a year!"
"Relocating will cost everything!"
Gu Yunchen did not interrupt.
He let the resistance build.
Then he asked one question.
"If the Institute arrives with a level seven combat unit… how long do you think these walls will hold?"
No one answered.
"Level seven?" someone breathed.
"Yes."
Gasps rippled.
"Impossible."
"Confirmed," Gu Mian said softly.
All heads turned.
Her voice was calm.
"I've seen level six mutated beasts in the forest outskirts. If humans are experimenting…"
She didn't finish.
She didn't need to.
Gu Ruolan leaned forward, voice steady.
"Even if relocation is necessary — why the National Conserved Forest specifically?"
"Because it is dangerous," Gu Yunchen replied.
"That's not reassuring!"
"Because no centralized authority can fully control it."
The room stilled.
He continued.
"The forest is chaos. Mutated ecosystems. Territorial beasts. Energy-dense environment."
He zoomed the map.
"Half of Y Province is forest. Underground water networks. Mineral deposits. Natural barriers."
He looked at them each in turn.
"If we establish ourselves there, we are no one's subordinate."
"But it will take over a year and a half!" someone argued.
"Yes."
"To dig out the mansion foundations."
"Yes."
"To transport structural materials."
"Yes."
"To fortify against beasts."
"Yes."
"And during that time we're exposed!"
Gu Yunchen's eyes hardened.
"We are already exposed."
A younger sibling finally whispered what everyone feared.
"What if we can't survive the move?"
Silence.
Gu Mian's fingers tightened slightly on the table.
Gu Yunchen answered without hesitation.
"Then we die free."
The words hit like a hammer.
Voices rose again.
"This is reckless!"
"You're risking the younger ones!"
"NCF is the most dangerous region in the country!"
"This isn't a tactical retreat — it's exile!"
Gu Mian's expression darkened.
Her aura shifted.
Level five pressure bled subtly into the room.
The air thickened.
Still, arguments continued.
And then—
Gu Ruisheng stood.
No one noticed at first.
But when they did—
The room froze.
Killing intent flooded outward unconsciously.
Mental pressure crashed down like an invisible mountain.
Chairs creaked.
Breathing grew difficult.
Eyes widened.
GU RUISHENG: "Now listen up."
His voice was cold.
Sharp.
Controlled rage.
"I do not have the patience for this."
The pressure intensified.
"This is not a shareholders meeting."
A crack splintered across the steel table surface.
"We are not negotiating profit margins."
His eyes swept across his siblings.
"We are going to the National Conserved Forest."
Each word struck like a verdict.
"We will remain there for ten years."
Shock rippled.
"Ten years?!" someone croaked.
"Yes. Ten."
His mental force pressed harder.
"If you do not wish to come — stay."
The pressure lifted slightly.
Just enough for them to breathe.
"But understand this clearly."
His voice dropped to a deadly whisper.
"When the National Institute arrives to recruit you…"
A pause.
"You will not even know how you died."
Cold silence.
"You think they will ask politely?"
"You think declining will be accepted twice?"
"You think being Gu Yunchen's children makes you untouchable?"
His eyes burned.
"They want high-potential gene carriers."
"They want structured ability bloodlines."
"They want controlled evolution."
"And you are prime specimens."
No one moved.
"You call the forest dangerous?"
He laughed once.
Short.
Humorless.
"Civilization is more dangerous."
Gu Yunchen spoke again.
"NCF is not a retreat."
He tapped the projection.
"It is a foundation."
"Energy density there will accelerate growth."
"Mutated ecosystems mean constant adaptation."
"Isolation means independence."
"And ten years?" someone asked weakly.
Gu Yunchen looked at Gu Mian.
Then back at his children.
"In ten years," he said quietly, "we return."
The implication was clear.
Not as refugees.
But as something else.
One by one…
Resistance faded.
Fear shifted into calculation.
Calculation shifted into resolve.
Gu Yutong exhaled slowly.
"…If we go, we go together."
Another sibling nodded.
"No fragmentation."
"Full relocation."
Gu Ruolan muttered, "We'll need excavation teams."
"Foundation reinforcement."
"Energy barriers scaled for beast-class threats."
"Transport corridors mapped."
"Supply chains pre-stocked."
The tone shifted.
From panic—
To preparation.
Gu Yunchen allowed the corner of his mouth to lift.
"All of these are fully prepared."
As the meeting dispersed, Gu Mian stood beside her father.
"You knew they'd resist."
"Yes."
"You let them."
"Yes."
She looked at him.
"You're afraid too."
A small pause.
"Yes."
She nodded once.
"So am I."
He looked at her — not as a leader.
But as a daughter.
"Good."
Because only the foolish felt nothing.
The mountain outside stood silent.
Unaware that its roots would soon be uprooted.
Unaware that the Gu family had chosen exile over submission.
Unaware—
That in ten years,
They intended to return
As something the world could not contain.