LOGINThe moment the Fierce Hunter truck left, Caleb turned his attention toward Anya.
“Why do you have to refuse such an opportunity?” he asked, raising an eyebrow, confusion written all over his face. “Opportunities like this don't come every day. What if she changes her mind about accepting anyone else into her base? What if she decides she doesn't want to recruit anyone anymore?”
“There’s no way she’ll say that,” Anya replied immedia
Grandpa Hart looked genuinely frustrated."Sadly, despite having excellent researchers, none of them possess the specialized knowledge necessary to recreate an evolution liquid from scratch. Without the corresponding technology, all we can do is watch from the sidelines while others control the market."vy couldn't help but let out a light chuckle as she stared at the old man, whose face was scrunched into an adorable grumpy expression."Huh? What are you laughing at?" Grandpa Hart huffed, looking at her as though she had committed an unforgivable crime. "It's not funny, young lady. Now, just give me back my cookies if you took them.""Please forgive him." Erick spoke up, his voice barely above a whisper as he shot Ivy an apologetic look before turning back to the old man. "This is Miss Ivy, the founder of Hope Base that I told you about. It's her first time visiting, so she knows absolutely nothing about your cookies.""Really?" Grandpa Hart's eyes widened in surprise. He immediately
Ivy couldn't help but let out a light chuckle as she stared at the old man, whose face was scrunched into an adorable grumpy expression."Huh? What are you laughing at?" Grandpa Hart huffed, looking at her as though she had committed an unforgivable crime. "It's not funny, young lady. Now, just give me back my cookies if you took them.""Please forgive him." Erick spoke up, his voice barely above a whisper as he shot Ivy an apologetic look before turning back to the old man. "This is Miss Ivy, the founder of Hope Base that I told you about. It's her first time visiting, so she knows absolutely nothing about your cookies.""Really?" Grandpa Hart's eyes widened in surprise. He immediately stepped closer to Ivy and studied her face from head to toe as though trying to confirm her identity. "You're really Miss Ivy? The only female commander in the apocalypse who managed to build a thriving base from scratch?""It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Hart," Ivy repli
Thomas' group had finally been settled into the villa arranged for them at Hope Base. Only after making sure everyone had everything they needed did Ivy leave with Darren and Erick, who had accompanied them throughout the journey.The truck drove quietly through the streets before entering the Hart family's private estate.Despite the ruined world outside, the villa remained standing in excellent condition. It was all thanks to Old Man Hart, who had always regarded Erick as one of his own. Long before the apocalypse, Erick had often visited the Hart family, and the old man had practically raised him alongside his own grandchildren.On the way over, Erick had explained the reason he wanted to come."I haven't seen Grandpa Hart in a long time," he had said with a faint smile. "I want to check on him myself."Neither Ivy nor Darren had any reason to object.As the heavy iron gates slowly opened, Ivy quietly gazed out the window at the familiar
"Commander Erick!"The group of men chorused in unison, immediately lowering their heads into deep bows the moment their gazes landed on Erick and Darren.Rather than responding to their greetings, Erick simply walked forward. His cold eyes settled on the woman who had just accused Ivy of being a scam. A scoff escaped his lips before he spoke in a calm but firm voice."She's not a scam," he said, his tone carrying unquestionable authority. "She's a leader. And a good one at that."The woman lowered her head further, too ashamed to meet his eyes."It's fine, Erick," Ivy replied with a light chuckle, waving her hand dismissively. She wasn't interested in embarrassing the woman any further. Turning toward Erick, she smiled before asking, "Can I take these twenty people with me to Hope Base Villa? They've all agreed to join my base and live there, but I thought it was only right to ask for your permission first. After all, they're survivors currently u
Ivy, Thomas, and everyone else turned toward the speaker.A rugged-looking man stepped forward. His hair was unevenly chopped as though it had been cut with a dull knife, and although his clothes were torn and dirty, his muscular build was impossible to miss. He stood confidently beside his wife and children."My family and I are staying at Commander Erick's base," he declared firmly. "There's no way I'm believing that some random person is offering complete strangers three meals a day with meat and a place to sleep. That kind of thing simply doesn't exist anymore.""There isn't any problem with that," Ivy replied calmly, showing no sign of anger or disappointment. "I'm not forcing anyone to come with me. Every decision is yours to make."The man simply snorted before stepping back."Please... can we join?" Another masculine voice interrupted the tense atmosphere.Both Ivy and Thomas' group turned toward the source.Standing there was
"And who the hell are you?" one of the men demanded, his voice thick with anger. "If you know what's good for you, then get the hell out of here. They're sharing food over there, so go and get some for yourself." He finished with a dismissive wave before throwing another punch at the man in front of him."Do I look like one of you survivors who are still fighting over a place to sleep and worrying about what to eat?" Ivy asked, raising a brow as she let out a scoff.Her words immediately caused the men to stop fighting. One after another, they turned to stare at her, their expressions ranging from confusion to irritation."And what the fuck do you mean by that?" another man demanded with a scoff."Isn't this entire group fighting over a space to stay?" Ivy replied calmly, folding her arms across her chest. "Didn't this whole argument start because of either food or sleeping space?"Silence followed her questions. The men exchanged glances but none
From the other end of the line came Ivy's voice ....calm in a way that was almost frightening."Maya, I genuinely don't understand what you're talking about. I moved out and left you the house. You should be THANKING me.""THANKING YOU?!" Maya shrieked. "YOU TOOK EVERY PIECE OF FURNITURE! You didn'
Meanwhile just as Ivy had remembered, the moment Maya had the signed divorce agreement in her hands, she couldn't drag Adrian and Jack out the door fast enough."We have to go to the notary's office RIGHT NOW!" she said, eyes glittering with barely concealed greed, as if the money were already sitt
"MAMA!"Aria and Lila screamed at the same time, both girls throwing themselves against Ivy's sides on pure instinct.The footsteps kept coming.And then the first one stepped out of the darkFive meters tall.A rotting giant, arms thick as tree trunks, fingernails worn down to black blades.It mov
Bang!The door slammed shut.In the howling rain, the sound hit like a coffin lid dropping.Ivy Brooks stood motionless on the front step of her own home, her newborn daughter pressed to her chest ... three days old, barely a weight at all.On either side of her, eight-year-old Aria and six-year-ol







