The smell of rancid copper and decomposing meat lingered in Caleb Rolfe’s mouth. He could still feel the phantom sensation of cold, rotted teeth tearing through the flesh of his shoulder. He remembered the crush of his ribs caving under the weight of a dozen howling ghouls outside the barricades of the North District shelter. Julian Cross had stood on the rampart above, smiling. Evelyn had locked the reinforced steel gate from the inside."Don't blame us, Caleb," her voice had drifted down through the gun slits. "There is only enough food for useful people.""Caleb! Did you go deaf? Sign the damn papers!"A sharp slap against mahogany shattered the memory.Caleb blinked hard. The gray skies of the apocalypse vanished. Instead, he was staring down at a glass dining table inside a sunlit, four-bedroom penthouse in Riverview Heights. Resting right beneath his trembling hands was a stack of freshly printed white paper. It was a Voluntary Asset Relinquishment and Divorce Settlement Agreeme

A sharp mechanical chime echoed inside Caleb’s head.[Ding. Main Quest Triggered. Stockpile and Fortify.][Task: Secure essential apocalypse provisions and reinforce primary base within five days. Reward: Variable Combat Power allocation based on supplies collected.][Ding. Newcomer Bonus distributed. Combat Power plus 10. Intelligence plus 10. Luck plus 10. Charm plus 10.]Caleb gasped loudly. A sudden rush of hot energy flooded his veins. The deep exhaustion from tearing apart the penthouse vanished in one second. His muscles tightened and grew thicker. His vision sharpened to an impossible degree.He felt so much stronger and faster. The system was already changing his human limits.He pulled out his phone and immediately called Vanguard Construction. They were the absolute best security contractors in the entire city."I need my villa reinforced today," Caleb told the manager on the phone. "I want solid steel perimeter walls. I want heavy blast doors. Put thick security mesh on al

Caleb returned to his mountain villa to rest. His body ached deeply.He walked through the front gate and immediately covered his ears. The Vanguard construction workers were drilling thick steel plates into the solid stone walls. Sparks flew everywhere and hit the ground. The loud grinding sounds made his head pound with intense pain.Caleb realized he could never sleep in this total chaos. He needed a quiet place to recover his strength for the days ahead.He turned around and walked back down the mountain path. He waved his hand and stopped a passing taxi."Take me to the De Luxe Hotel," Caleb told the driver.The De Luxe Hotel was the most expensive place in the entire city. Only billionaires and famous celebrities stayed there.Caleb looked out the taxi window. He watched the normal people walking on the sidewalks. They were laughing and eating ice cream. They had no idea that the world would end in a few days. Caleb felt a cold block of ice in his chest. He would only save himse

Chloe was incredibly angry. Her face turned red with pure rage. Everything was perfectly fine yesterday in the massive hotel bed. She had given him her body freely.She thought she had completely won the heart of a young billionaire. But now Caleb was sitting on the edge of the bed talking about Evelyn again."How can you still not forget her?" Chloe yelled loudly at him. She paced back and forth across the thick luxury carpet. "I am right here! I am so much better than Evelyn! Look at me!"Caleb looked down at the floor. He put a very sad and defeated look on his handsome face. He pretended that he was being violently forced by his terrible ex wife."I do not want her around me," Caleb lied smoothly. "But she just will not let me go. She uses her crazy family to pressure me every single day. She controls my past. I am completely trapped by her constant harassment."Chloe felt a massive fire burn deep inside her chest. She hated Evelyn with all of her heart. She wanted Evelyn to suffe

Evelyn let her black lace dress fall to the floor. Her body was completely exposed in the bright light of the luxury room. She walked toward Caleb with a winning smile on her face. She truly believed she had conquered his heart once again.They spent the entire night together in the massive king bed. But Caleb felt absolutely no love in his heart. While Evelyn whispered sweet and empty lies into his ear, his mind flashed back to his dark past life.He remembered the cold metal gate of the apocalypse survivor shelter. He remembered Evelyn standing safely behind the thick steel bars. She had watched the hungry zombies tear the flesh directly from his bones. She had laughed out loud while he screamed in pure agony.Every time she touched his skin tonight, Caleb felt a deep and freezing hatred. He was exacting his revenge for all his past life grievances. He used her completely to satisfy his own plans. He gave her nothing but a cold physical performance.The morning sun slowly filled the