Reborn: Lord of the Apocalypse

The tip of the pen hovered above the signature line of the marriage alliance agreement; the cold gleam of the ink reflected my taut profile. I abruptly opened my eyes, and the stagnant air in my chest surged out in a rush, carrying the metallic tang of rust from the moment I was pushed off the city wall in my previous life. The rosewood conference table stretched excessively wide; opposite me, my fiance Mike Green wore the dark gray uniform of the N Fortress, the star insignia on his shoulder flashing under the light. Yet his gaze, eight times out of ten, shifted toward Sarah Shaw — the widow of my late elder brother, that woman who always drooped her eyelids, feigning frailty and innocence, now hiding an irresistible triumph in her eyes. The memories of my previous life surged like a flood that had broken its dam, instantly engulfing me. I signed the agreement, sending the resources that the Scott Family had amassed over years ceaselessly into the N Fortress, only to suffer the joint betrayal of Mike Green and Sarah Shaw. On the day the zombies besieged the city, they laughed as they shoved me off the city wall; the icy claws of the zombies ripping through my flesh, and the venomous mockery in my ears remain as vivid as if it happened yesterday. "Lydia, why won't you sign?" Mike Green's voice remained gentle, like poison wrapped in sugar, churning my stomach into turmoil. I snatched up the agreement and slammed it onto the table with a sharp crack, the crisp sound jolting everyone present to look up abruptly. "Sign? Mike Green, do you think I would sign such a filthy document?" The tenderness on Mike Green's face vanished instantly, his expression darkening: "Lydia Scott, this is a mutually beneficial matter; P Base needs the protection of the N Fortress. Don't throw a tantrum." "Throw a tantrum?" I scoffed, glancing over the old butler, several military officers from the N Fortress, and the maid standing behind Sarah Shaw. "I want to ask you, Mike Green, how long have you been colluding with Sarah Shaw? Do you really take me for blind and deaf?" The entire hall erupted into uproar. The old butler hurried forward a step, his voice urgent: "Ms., choose your words carefully! Madam Shaw is your elder brother's widow, your sister-in-law; you must not speak recklessly!" Sarah Shaw's face instantly turned deathly pale, her hands clutching the hem of her garment tightly, her voice trembling with tears as she protested, "Lydia, how can you slander me so? How could I commit such an immoral act? This must be a misunderstanding!" "A misunderstanding?" I slowly withdrew a voice recorder from my pocket, twirling it gently between my fingers before pressing play. Mike Green's voice came through clearly, tinged with a barely perceptible urgency: "Sarah, wait a little longer. Once we secure the Scott Family's supplies, we can be together openly and without shame. By then, that foolish Lydia Scott will be useless." Immediately following was Sarah Shaw's coquettish voice, laced with disdain: "Hmph, Lydia Scott is nothing but a spoiled fool. Who would truly waste time on her? Were it not for the Scott Family's wealth, I wouldn't deign to glance her way." The voice recorder continued to play their sordid words. Veins bulging on Mike Green's temples, he abruptly stood up and lunged forward to snatch it away: "Enough! Lydia Scott, turn it off!" I sidestepped his lunge, swiftly pocketed the voice recorder, then took a step back to create distance between us: "A marriage alliance? I, Lydia Scott, do not consent! From this moment onward, I dissolve my engagement to Mike Green, and P Base hereby severs all ties with N Fortress!" "Do not go too far!" Mike Green slammed his fist on the table with brutal force, the solid wood surface resounding with a heavy thud. "Without the protection of N Fortress, your P Base will not survive in this chaotic age!" "Whether we survive or not is no concern of yours." I raised my hand to indicate the thick stack of supply lists piled in the corner. "These items, meant as dowry, are the private property of the Scott Family. They are now all withdrawn! From this day forward, P Base will not grant N Fortress even the slightest support!" Having spoken, I turned and strode toward the door. Upon reaching it, I paused, casting a backward glance at Mike Green's ashen face and Sarah Shaw trembling uncontrollably. My voice was icy and frostbitten: "From this day forth, we part ways, our fates no longer intertwined in life or death." The sunlight outside the door was glaring, yet I felt as if the heavy miasma long burdening my heart had been swept away, leaving me with unparalleled relief.