FAZER LOGINPoppy opened the video and found the moment Camila and Irene reached for the soldiers' rifles. "Look, sir. She kept telling her daughter to calm down, but she was getting in the soldiers' way. She wanted to start a fight so you'd think we were attacking you and then shoot us."Nicole was impressed. She didn't expect Poppy to keep such a cool head or figure out what Irene was planning. She couldn't have handled it better.Ross watched the footage several times, his expression growing grimmer with each replay.He saw what happened the first time. But Irene was related to Arthur, and he needed to be certain.With Arthur's family involved, Ross searched the footage for another explanation. The more he watched, the harder it became to deny what Irene was trying to do.Then came the most damning evidence. Analysts isolated Camila's voice from the video and compared it with the recording. The voices matched.No one handling the case wanted to risk getting this wrong. They were still
Camila could barely stand from the pain, but she kept talking through her tears. "That woman is violent and unstable! If she'll attack Commander Hunt's family, imagine what she'll do to everyone else. You need to lock her up and investigate before she hurts someone else!"Several people in the crowd spoke up. "She's right! That woman attacked her for no reason."Some of them witnessed the beating firsthand.Nicole grabbed Camila by the hair and repeatedly slammed her face into the glass. It was brutal. When she finally stopped, Camila's face was covered in blood.Others took Irene and Camila's side the moment they learned of their connection to Arthur.Ross thought for a moment, then slipped the recorder into his pocket. "You're right, Ms. Clark. It doesn't sound like you, but we can analyze the recording. Changing your voice doesn't mean we can't tell who's speaking. We'll have someone check it."Camila's stomach dropped.Disguising her voice might not have been enough. The
The soldier's voice boomed through the hall as he chambered a round.Zeph frowned and instinctively stepped in front of Nicole.Irene's eyes lit up when she recognized the man. "Ross!"Ross Parker ran the base patrols and was responsible for keeping order. Irene came to the trading hall often and made a point of stopping to talk to him. He knew who she was and always treated her with respect.If he had arrived a few minutes earlier, none of this would've happened. Now, he could put these soldiers in their place.Pain throbbed through Irene's dislocated shoulder, making her voice sharp. "Tell them who I am."Ross acknowledged her with a brief nod, then repeated, "Which one of you is Nicole?"Nicole stepped forward. "I am."As soon as he saw her clearly, his brow furrowed, as though something about her face struck him. He strode toward her, his weapon still in hand.Camila couldn't hide her satisfaction. She was sure Nicole was done for.Ross earned the nickname the Bull. He ha
Camila thought she had everything figured out, but she missed one crucial detail: none of the soldiers knew who she was.They were ordinary patrol soldiers. They never met Arthur, much less Irene or Camila.After years of natural disasters, even a well-guarded military base had its share of people who lost touch with reality. Some claimed to be famous war heroes. Others insisted they were gods.More often than not, they claimed to be the commander and declared that the whole base belonged to them.Camila already received a warning. Ignoring it and continuing to grab at the soldiers gave them every reason to restrain her.Trying to take a rifle made her an immediate threat.The soldier she grabbed didn't hesitate. He caught her arm, flipped her over his shoulder, and slammed her onto the floor.She never stood a chance against him. She hit the ground hard, with nothing to break her fall.Her eyes rolled back as pain shot through her body. It felt like the impact knocked everythi
Cola lunged at Irene and Camila again, snarling and blocking their escape.Soldiers regularly patrolled the administrative building, but the confrontation unfolded so quickly that a crowd filled the trading hall before they arrived.They ordered the onlookers to move back and approached with their weapons ready. "What's going on here?"Camila was still reeling from the beating, but seeing the soldiers brought her back to her senses.Nicole knew about the hit. Even without proof, her accusation would be enough to get the military asking questions.The Cyclone Crew was useless. Those men would crack the moment the soldiers started questioning them. And if Arthur learned Nicole was his daughter, he could have Camila dealt with on a single order.Nicole's ruthlessness finally scared some sense into her. Hiring those idiots in a fit of anger was a terrible mistake. Just imagining Arthur staring her down made her shiver.She couldn't let him hear Nicole's side. Nicole had to die befor
Nicole held the radio in one hand, her cold gaze fixed on Camila and Irene. "Yeah. I do."Arthur sounded glad to hear from her. "Go ahead. I'm listening.""Your precious daughter hired scavengers to kill me. Unfortunately for her, I survived. I have witnesses and evidence. You'd better get down here, because I can't promise your wife and daughter will still be alive when you arrive."Arthur went quiet for a moment, then recovered. "If that's true, I'll make sure they're held accountable. Just don't do anything rash.""I don't want justice. I want revenge."Nicole ended the call and walked straight toward Camila.Camila knew exactly why she was coming. She grabbed Irene and tried to run, but Cola lunged at them, baring his teeth.Camila screamed and stumbled backward. Before she could catch herself, Nicole seized her by the hair and slammed her face into the glass door.The base manufactured its own glass. With so many valuable supplies stored in the trading hall, every glass pa
Nicole jolted, then immediately checked with her mind.The storage space was still there. The supplies were still there, too. She tested it; she thought of an item, and a coal briquette appeared in her hand.Sweeping the space again, she noticed the glowing timer had reset to zero.That was when
After paying the deposit, Nicole drove straight to the largest outdoor gear store downtown.The outdoor gear market was fiercely competitive. The store was in full clearance mode, shutting down with brutal discounts. Some items were marked down to 20% of the original price.Perfect timing.Nicole
"Ah!"Nicole Floyd jolted upright in bed, gasping. Sweat streamed down her forehead, her eyes unfocused and hollow.The sight in front of her cut through the haze in her mind.This was her old apartment, the one from before the apocalypse.Ding, ding…Text alerts kept chiming. She grabbed her p
Nicole didn't hesitate. She blocked Edward right away.Less than a minute later, her phone rang again. It was an unfamiliar number.She didn't need to guess; this was Edward's classmate or one of his friends.Given a second chance at life, Nicole had zero interest in being taken for a fool. She w







