Apocalypse Rebirth: My fortress, His Regret

The pain was the last thing she remembered—the sickening sound of flesh tearing, teeth grinding into bone, and the ice-cold horror of being ripped apart alive.

Evelyn gasped, bolting upright in bed. Her chest heaved as cold sweat drenched her nightgown.

She clutched her throat, her fingers frantically pressing into her smooth, unmarred skin. There was no blood, no open wounds.

How was that possible?

She looked around the room. Sunlight streamed through the lace curtains, illuminating the neat, cozy bedroom. On the nightstand, the television played softly in the background.

"Recently, flu cases have been on the rise across multiple provinces. Citizens are advised to take personal precautions, wear masks, and avoid crowded places..."

Evelyn’s eyes snapped to the TV screen.

The news anchor’s grave face, the precise wording of the broadcast, even the graphic in the bottom right corner—it was identical to the broadcast from her nightmare.

It wasn’t just a dream. It was a nightmare that became a reality. Wave after wave of terrifying memories flooded back into her mind.

The "flu" wasn't a flu at all. Within days, the infected mutated into bloodthirsty, flesh-eating zombies. Society collapsed almost overnight. Human decency evaporated, replaced by pure, feral desperation.

In that living hell, Evelyn had bled herself dry to protect her husband, Lucas, and his family. She had scavenged for every crumb of food, braved the freezing cold, and used her own body as a shield.

And how had they repaid her?

When a horde of zombies breached their makeshift shelter, Lucas hadn't hesitated for a single second. He grabbed Evelyn by the shoulder and shoved her straight into the cluster of snapping jaws—just to buy himself, his mother, and his sister three extra seconds to bolt the inner door shut.

Through the reinforced glass of the door, she had watched Lucas’s cold, unbothered eyes as the monsters tore into her flesh. She remembered teeth sinking into the back of her neck. She could feel the pain. Her fingers traced the back of her neck, there was no pain.

Evelyn’s hands trembled violently as she grabbed her phone from the nightstand.

She checked the date: October 12th.

It was exactly one month before the zombie virus broke out.

There was no other explanation that made sense other than the fact that she had been reborn. She was back, thirty days before the end of the world.

A bitter, freezing chill settled in Evelyn’s chest, instantly replacing her lingering panic with lethal clarity. If the universe had given her a second chance, she would make sure every single one of them rots in hell. She couldn't make the same mistakes again.

Suddenly, a semi-transparent band of blue light materialized right in front of her eyes.

[Host, the Apocalypse Survival System has been activated.]

She thought activated, what did that mean?

[TASK 1: Purchase an Apocalypse Survival Fortress.]

Evelyn stared at the floating text, her mind working rapidly. A system?

To survive the upcoming zombie apocalypse, extreme weather, and human betrayal, a fortified, impenetrable base was non-negotiable. But building a fortress required an astronomical amount of money.

Where would she get that kind of capital?

Ding.

A text message popped up on her phone, interrupting her thoughts. It was from Mr. Henderson, her late adoptive father's family lawyer.

【Miss Evelyn, the high-yield international investments left behind by your late adoptive father have fully matured today. A total lump sum of $100 trillion USD has been cleared and would be transferred directly into your private bank account when you want it】

$100 trillion. Evelyn looked at the screen, a cold smile touching her lips.

In her past life, this exact text had arrived on this exact day. Back then, she had been so foolishly, blindly in love. The moment the money cleared, she handed every single penny over to Lucas, believing a husband and wife should share everything.

She had felt so deeply indebted to him. Back then Lucas had deceived her with his act of selflessness and love.

Shortly after their wedding, Evelyn had gotten pregnant. But complications during childbirth resulted in a stillborn baby, and the emergency surgery stripped her of the ability to ever bear children again.

Her mother-in-law, Nora, had tormented her endlessly for being a "barren, useless woman."

To "save" their marriage, Lucas had lovingly hugged her, comforted her and suggested adopting a newborn boy named Toby. Evelyn, overwhelmed by guilt and gratitude toward Lucas for not divorcing her, threw herself into serving his family hand and foot.

She washed their clothes, cooked three meals a day, catered to her mother-in-law's verbal abuse, paid for her sister-in-law Amber's lavish shopping sprees, and raised Toby like her own son.

It was only in her dying moments, as the zombies tore her apart outside that sealed door, that

Amber had sneered through the glass

"You stupid bitch! Toby is mine and Lucas's biological son! He isn't my brother—we aren't even related by blood!"

The memory made Evelyn’s blood run hot with vengeance.

They had turned her into a cash cow and an unpaid servant, leeching off her wealth while playing her for a complete fool.

Not this time. Not a single cent of her adoptive father's fortune would ever touch Lucas's hands again.

Before Evelyn could even swing her legs off the bed, the bedroom door was violently kicked open. The heavy wood slammed against the wall with a deafening crash.

Nora stood in the doorway, clad in a flashy silk bathrobe, her face contorted in vicious irritation.

"Are you deaf, Evelyn?!" Nora barked, her sharp voice piercing the quiet room. "It’s seven in the morning! Where is breakfast? Toby has been crying for ten minutes because his milk isn't ready, and you're lying in bed like a lazy pig!"

Behind Nora, Amber sauntered into the room. She was wearing heavy makeup and holding her phone, her lips pressed into a disgusted pucker.

"Where is my money?" Amber demanded, striding right up to the side of the bed. "I sent you the purchase link for those Italian designer heels two hours ago! Why hasn't the order gone through yet? I need them for my party tonight!"

Evelyn sat on the edge of the bed. She slowly looked up, her gaze sweeping over the two women.

There was no fear in her eyes. No guilt, only a dark, suffocating emptiness.

"Make your own breakfast," Evelyn said, her tone deadpan and icy. "And buy your own shoes."

Amber blinked, completely caught off guard. "What did you just say?"

"I guess you are deaf, I will repeat myself again” Evelyn stood up, towering over Amber, "I am no longer your servant. Not another dollar from me. Not another meal."

"You ungrateful little bitch!" Amber’s face flushed red with instant rage. Raised as a spoiled princess, she had never been spoken to like this by the woman she viewed as a household dog.

Enraged, Amber raised her manicured hand and lunged forward, her long acrylic nails aimed straight for Evelyn's hair.

PAHN!

A violent, sharp slap echoed through the bedroom.

Amber’s head snapped hard to the side. She stumbled back three steps, clutching her bright red, burning cheek, her eyes wide in utter disbelief.

"Did you... did you just hit me?!" Amber shrieked, her voice cracking.

Nora gasped in sheer horror, her chest heaving under her bathrobe. "You barren monster! How dare you lay a hand on my daughter in my own house!"

Nora raised her thick, heavy arm and lunged forward, swinging her hand wildly at Evelyn’s face.

Evelyn didn't even flinch.

She dodged the clumsy swing with ease, grabbed Nora's wrist in mid-air, and whipped her mother-in-law's own right palm across her face with every ounce of strength in her body.

PAHN!

An even louder crack resounded through the room.

Nora reeled back, crashing hard into the doorframe. Her hair fell out of its clip, and she clutched her jaw, completely paralyzed by shock.

"What the hell is going on here?!" A harsh, furious male voice boomed from the hallway.

Lucas rushed into the room, tossing his briefcase onto a chair. He took in the sight of his mother slumped against the doorframe clutching her jaw and his sister sobbing on the floor.

He turned to Evelyn, his face twisted in hypocritical rage.

"Evelyn! Have you completely lost your mind?!" Lucas yelled, stepping aggressively into her personal space. "How dare you strike my mother and sister?! Get on your knees and apologize to them right now!"

Evelyn looked at Lucas.

This was the man she had loved for years. The man who had used her, betrayed her, and threw her to the monsters without blinking.

A cold, mocking smile slowly spread across her lips. "Apologize?" Evelyn picked up her phone, confirming the $100 trillion sitting safely in her private bank account, and met his eyes with total detachment.

"Let's skip the apology, Lucas. We're getting a divorce."