LOGINNicole was in front, about 20 feet ahead of Zeph.Zeph sensed something was off. Without even turning around, he kicked out, sending one man flying. Then he spun and snapped the other man's neck in one clean motion.Nicole felt the sudden rush of air behind her and instinctively drew her blade, stabbing backward.The blade sank in with a wet sound. At the same time, a brick came crashing down toward her head.Nicole twisted aside, stepping quickly to the side.She avoided the hit, but the brick shattered on impact.It didn't land on her. Zeph had taken it on his shoulder.That made her eyes widen.Up ahead, Derek and Victor heard the commotion and rushed over with knives. "You okay?"Zeph grunted. "I'm fine."Nicole snapped back. "Are you sure?""I've got layers on. Shouldn't be broken."Two men were already dead. The one Zeph had kicked away turned pale, scrambling up and running.Not just him. A woman not far off bolted as well.Clearly, they were all together.Nicole
Even though Nicole was working, and she trusted Cola as a reliable partner, she still didn't fully turn her back on him.Every so often, she would glance behind her, staying alert in case someone tried to snatch their stuff.And then she turned around and saw Poppy pulling a large kitchen knife out of her backpack.Well, well. The little thing had learned how to use a blade now.Nicole instinctively looked at Zeph. "You taught her?"He didn't deny it. "Is that a problem?""No, not at all. It's good."This world forced people to grow up fast. From the typhoon to the floods to this deep freeze, plenty of innocent kids had already learned how to hold a knife.Poppy couldn't afford to fall behind.Fall behind, and death would come knocking.It was brutal, sure, but effective.Cutting bamboo went quickly. They sawed the stalks into equal lengths and tied them together with rope.Poppy volunteered to drag some back herself. Zeph actually tied a few sections for her. "No complaini
Wh-what kind of monster was Nicole?"My dog's picky. He only eats legs, and they've got to be fresh."Cola dropped into an attack stance, chest muscles bunching tight, lips peeled back as killing intent radiated off him. He barked, as if saying, "That's right. I like legs only, the kind that's fresh and bleeding. Got a problem? Come try me!"The group froze. This vicious dog was raised on human flesh?Some of the more timid ones couldn't stop their legs from shaking.Just as the standoff stretched tight, three men walked past them, knives in hand, heading straight for the woman. The tallest one held the hand of a little girl.The others were impressed. Damn, these guys had guts, going after someone like her.Fine. Let them fight. If both sides got hurt, there would be scraps to pick up after.But reality hit differently.Instead of attacking, the leg-eating dog wagged his tail at them.The three men turned and stood shoulder to shoulder beside the woman, their cold eyes s
The Malinois had incredible endurance. Once Cola let loose, he tore across the ice like the wind.Strong and sure-footed, he moved with effortless grace, skimming over the frozen ground and neatly veering around the occasional frozen corpse in his path.The only problem was that he didn't actually know where Mount Westbridge was, so it was easy to head the wrong way.Nicole clicked her tongue at him. "It's where we caught pigs last time."Oh, right, not just pigs. There were wild rabbits, too.With that hint, Cola instantly adjusted direction and charged forward, reaching the base of Mount Westbridge in half an hour.They had come early. There wasn't a single person in sight yet.The bamboo grove was halfway up the mountain. Not wanting to waste time waiting below, Nicole headed up with the dog.Bamboo didn't burn well, so survivors prioritized cutting trees.In such a short time, the trees at the base had already been stripped clean. Every so often, they passed frozen corpses
The moment Jeremy and Hughie heard the sled was for the boss dog, they lit up with excitement.They had never seen a sled in real life, but they had seen pictures. With some tinkering, they figured they could make one."Cola, you're something else. Even pulling a sled now."The dog blinked, completely confused. What was that?But it didn't matter. If his human thought he could do it, then he could. "Woof!"Seeing a pile of cut, thin colored steel sheets on the table, Nicole grew curious. "What are these for?"Hughie grinned. "Guess.""Nope." Nicole raised her fist. "Just tell me."Jeremy laughed and explained, "There have been gangs coming into the complex collecting protection rations, right? They've got weapons. We can't stop bullets. So we thought about making some makeshift body armor."That actually surprised Nicole. She hadn't expected them to think this far ahead, though those steel sheets wouldn't stop bullets."Maybe not, but they might soften the impact. If we eve
Back then, Edward had been confident. Girls like Nicole, straight out of an orphanage, were the easiest to control. She could make money and survive, but she lacked security, craved affection, and was overly sensitive.All he had to do was play it right. With his looks, a crooked finger was enough. She would shower him with gifts, attention, and even throw herself at him without hesitation.So what the hell happened to Nicole? She used to give gifts whenever he hinted. She even rented a place just to chase him. Dropping over 1,000 dollars on a pair of sneakers didn't make her blink.How did a girl that obsessed with love flip like a switch and turn into someone completely different?Wait. Edward suddenly thought of what Mary had said before, all those vague comments about Nicole being a different person. Could it be… Had she really changed into someone else?If a disaster like this could happen, then what couldn't?Lost in thought, Edward didn't notice anything strange about







