Chapter 109: The Infected

Iana ran under the scorching sun, the heat on the road enough to fry an egg.

Sweat drenched her back.

Every time she saw someone with golden hair, she would freeze for a moment, only to realize it wasn’t Lilian and shake her head in disappointment.

The bustling streets were filled with the clamor of voices—calls from vendors, bargaining, and chatter never ceased.

“Excuse me, have you seen a little girl with long golden hair?” Iana stopped the flower seller, breathless and trembling slightly from the exertion.

“About this tall,” Iana said, using her hand to indicate Lilian’s approximate height, hoping to trigger some memory.

The woman shook her head, “No, I haven’t.”

Iana ran further, asking several people, but each answer was the same as the flower seller’s—no one had seen her.

“Where could she have gone?”

As the sun began to set, Iana collapsed by the roadside, exhausted.

After searching all afternoon, she still hadn’t found a trace of Lilian.

Frustration washed over Iana.

All of Lilian’s suffering was her fault.

If she hadn’t broken through the Bloodline Development progress in Lilian’s mansion and then been drawn into the Trial Land to complete her trials, perhaps Lilian wouldn’t have been dragged into this.

If she hadn’t stared so intently at that Special Creature, maybe Lilian wouldn’t have been infected.

If she’d been more careful this morning, she might have stopped Lilian from disappearing right before her eyes, could have kept her under control and prevented her from running off.

Iana dared not imagine Lilian’s current state.

She might be agonizingly resisting the invasive aura, or maybe she had already been fully infected, transformed into a killing machine with no consciousness left.

Holding her knees, Iana’s face—one that could be called a red beauty and a calamity—was painted with sadness.

This expression alone would evoke a deep desire to protect her in anyone’s heart.

Just as Iana was lost in her sorrow, a group of fully armed figures clad in silver-white armor rushed past her.

Their footsteps were swift and urgent, as if responding to a crisis.

Iana recognized the Knights—the emblem on their armor was unmistakably that of the Holy Knights.

Though she wasn’t sure if these were the same ones she had encountered before, she had no choice but to follow them now.

After all, ordinary matters were not their concern.

Only issues involving the infected warranted their direct intervention.

Summoning her remaining strength, Iana tightly followed behind them, despite the challenge it posed after a whole afternoon of exhaustion.

But whenever she thought of all the harm Lilian had suffered because of her, she gritted her teeth and forced herself onward.

After passing through several streets, the silver-armored Knights finally halted and turned into a secluded alley.

Before Iana entered, she heard shouts—voices laced with fear and anger.

Without hesitation, she dashed into the alley.

The first thing she saw was a crowd of civilians armed with wooden sticks and similar weapons, cautiously advancing toward the darkness ahead.

“No need for your help anymore, Old Wang.”

“The Holy Knights have arrived. You should fall back.”

The man at the front paused upon hearing this.

He had been pushed forward to hold the line against the infected, but now that the Holy Knights were here, there was no point in showing off.

“Just so you know, I’m not scared. It’s just that with the Knights here, there’s no need for me to make a fool of myself.”

“Understood. No one’s laughing at you.”

“Holy Knights on duty. Bystanders, clear the area immediately.”

A voice filled with authority and strength rang out.

The robust man at the front of the Holy Knights spoke.

They asked the civilians to leave not out of disdain but to protect them.

The intelligence reported an infected individual here.

Though it hadn’t attacked anyone yet, they couldn’t afford to relax.

If anyone got hurt with them already on site, they would be held accountable.

With that, everyone except the Holy Knights hurried out of the alley.

Crowding at the entrance, many were eager for a rare chance to witness an infected firsthand.

Most had only heard stories of how dangerous the infected were.

Iana, pushed to the outer edge by the onlookers, couldn’t see what was happening inside and grew anxious.

Without thinking, she squeezed into the crowd.

Ignoring the complaints and shoves around her, she fought her way to the front.

What met her eyes broke her heart—Lilian curled up in the corner of the alley, her golden hair scattered on the ground.

Surrounding her, the Holy Knights cautiously advanced, weapons at the ready.

“Lilian!” Iana shouted involuntarily.

Hearing her voice, Lilian suddenly raised her head, revealing a pair of blood-red eyes.

“Stand back! She’s infected!” a Knight barked sharply.

“No, she can still be saved.” Iana leapt forward, throwing caution aside as she lunged at Lilian.

At this, Lilian’s body trembled violently, as if two forces within her were tearing each other apart.

Her eyes flickered uncertainly as she stared at Iana.

In the end, Lilian’s reason was swallowed whole.

She lunged fiercely at Iana, sinking her teeth into her smooth shoulder!

A sharp pain surged through Iana’s body.

She let out a muffled groan but did not push Lilian away.

Instead, she held her tightly, tears streaming down her face.

“I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. I was too careless.”

Her vision began to blur as her body grew heavy and her consciousness slipped away.

The last thing she saw before fainting was a fleeting glimmer of clarity and despair in Lilian’s eyes.

“Iana!”

When Iana regained consciousness, she found herself and Lilian bound together with coarse hemp ropes.

Around them stood the Holy Knights and a crowd of civilians.