LOGINNicole finally relented. "There is. Tell me your plan. Once this is over, I'll let you walk."The man hesitated. "You're with Ironvale Base?"That didn't make sense. If Ironvale had people like this, they wouldn't be losing ground."Maybe. Maybe not." Nicole racked the slide. "You wanna live or not?"Of course he did. He had no intention of dying here. If Drakehold didn't work out, he could always move to another base. No reason to throw his life away.So he told them everything. Personnel, layout, the full plan. He held nothing back, just hoping they would keep their word.Nicole did. She decided to keep him alive until tomorrow.To be safe, Zeph found a hidden cave and stashed him there, stripping his clothes off in the process.The man trembled. "Hey, come on. At least leave me my underwear."Underwear? Not a chance.They took everything, tied him up, and shoved two tablets into his mouth, enough to keep him out cold for the next 24 hours.He struggled, but one look at Co
Poppy didn't want Zeph and Nicole to go, but in the end, she nodded."I'll take care of myself."Nicole packed their things while Zeph handed Poppy a suppressed handgun, signaling for her to hide it somewhere safe.She hid it well enough that no one would ever find it.They stayed with her for a while. Around midnight, the two of them and Cola got ready to leave.Cola lingered, rubbing against Poppy again and again before finally stepping back. They left her with enough food. Zeph reminded her to lock the door before turning to go.Nicole found Anthony. "You know what Zeph and I are like. We're all on the same side now. Leaving Poppy here should be more than enough to show we're serious. If we come back and anything's happened to her, you know exactly what that means."Anthony raised a hand. "Relax. I'll treat her like my own kid. If anyone touches her, I'll take their head off myself."Zeph started the engine, but before pulling away, he glanced up at the window. The room wa
The plan was set, and Zeph went back to rest.The next day, Felix sent word to Drakehold Base to arrange a meeting, while Nicole asked him for explosives and gasoline."What do you need those for?" Felix asked.Nicole didn't bother sugarcoating it. "If Cola doesn't train first, what happens if he gets tired halfway or drops it in the wrong place?"Felix smacked his forehead. "Right, my mistake." He gave the order right away, then added, "But that stuff's dangerous. If he runs around the base with a live charge and someone panics and fires, we've got a problem. How about this? Train with dirt first. Use the real thing when it counts."Nicole nodded. "Fine, but don't forget the sniper rifle. We're not providing manpower and weapons. We can't get one ourselves anyway.""No problem. I'll take care of it."What a slippery guy. He wasn't letting anything slip.That evening, Felix stood on the villa balcony with binoculars, watching Cola run drills with a heavy dummy charge, sprinti
Felix nodded, seeing the logic. If both sides fought to the end, there would be nothing left for him to control. A title meant nothing without people behind it.Nicole added, "Cut off the head, and the rest fall apart."Felix shook his head. "I've thought about it. Their boss is careful. He doesn't show himself."Nicole gave a faint smile. "What if you invited him to talk?"Felix paused.She went on, "You've been going back and forth for days. Neither side gained anything. Keep it up, and you both lose. If you can get him to show up, everything else gets easier."Felix still hesitated. "Just get him to show up?""Don't forget what Zeph used to do," Nicole said, her tone steady. "He's dealt with dangerous people his whole career. Ambush is what he's best at. With the right rifle, 3,000 yards isn't an issue. Take out their leader, and the rest won't hold."That was exactly why Felix had been treating Zeph so well.Still, he frowned. "Even if the shot lands, what about the scene?
Over the next few days, Zeph didn't go anywhere. He trained Cola and Poppy and sparred with Nicole.Meals showed up on time, three times a day.When boredom hit, they played cards. Figuring Poppy might struggle, they paired her up with Cola.Unless someone from the base came looking, the four of them didn't step outside at all.Before the apocalypse, that kind of isolation would've driven anyone insane. After two years of disasters, it barely registered.These days, staying inside was the real advantage.Meanwhile, the conflict between Ironvale and Drakehold Base kept heating up.Felix played it cautious, unwilling to risk what he had built. Drakehold, on the other hand, was aggressive and ruthless, pushing harder every day.It was easy to get used to comfort, but hard to give it up.They used to bring in truckloads of supplies every day. Life had been easy.Now, with the fighting, they barely managed half a truck. The people below were starting to feel it.These were men wh
Felix cared too much about appearances, and Zeph's words left him with no good way to respond. He forced a smile. "You might not know this, but they rolled out an armored vehicle today. Flattened our checkpoint and barricades. If they didn't have backing, there's no way they'd get something like that.""An armored vehicle?" Zeph said. "Who actually saw it?"Anthony stepped in right away, trying to smooth it over. "One of our guys made it back alive and reported it.""From what I know, military and police equipment is tightly controlled. There's no way an armored vehicle just ends up out there. Are you sure he didn't panic or start seeing things from heatstroke?"That didn't sit well with Anthony. "Come on. We sent people to check. The damage wasn't something a normal vehicle could do."Zeph only smiled and said nothing.Anthony felt the irritation creeping up. They had gone all out to host him, not to watch him act above it all.He held it back. "Then tell us, do you have a be
Nicole's gaze landed on several objects stacked in the corner."What are those?"Zeph looked at where she pointed. "Parts stripped from the truck. Engine, compressor, and some spare components."Nicole looked surprised. "Your vehicle's still intact?"Zeph nodded. "It's still in the parking garag
Only after winning the fight could they finally sit down and talk properly.Zeph patiently reasoned with Cola."You don't have to reject me this fast, and you definitely don't need to question your place in Nicole's heart. You matter to her. Me being with her won't change that one bit."Besides,
If Zeph's reflexes hadn't been fast enough, Cola probably would've clawed him.The dog lunged forward and shoved Zeph aside with his powerful body before throwing himself possessively against Nicole. At the same time, he bared his teeth viciously at Zeph and barked loudly, as if saying, "Back off
Who in this world didn't feel frustrated sometimes? What could anyone do about it besides swallow it down? Cry for sympathy? Tears meant nothing in the apocalypse.Honestly, Hughie was almost grateful for the disasters. His health had steadily improved, and now, he could finally earn enough to supp







