It was a zombie apocalypse. My mercenary leader husband, Hans Luketon, refused to let me set sail to the safe zone just because he wanted to wait for his childhood sweetheart, Winnie Snowe, who insisted on reclaiming her bag that fell into the water.

However, the zombies were getting closer to the port, and their roars were terrifying.

The survivors on the ship were crying and wailing. I had no choice but to sneak up on him and knock him out.

After reaching the safe zone, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was pregnant. Hans became even more gentle with me.

On the very day I gave birth, he took me to the basement and threw me to a horde of zombies.

As I was being torn apart by countless zombies, I caught his sinister gaze. He said, "If it hadn’t been for you, Winnie could've made it back to the safe zone with us. She just wanted to retrieve her things, what's so bad about that? You took her life, now you'll pay with yours!"

When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the moment he blocked the cockpit door. This time, I would not assist him in "defying fate."

The zombies gathered at the port, only a thin layer of wire mesh blocking their way. They would break through at any moment.

"Chief Luketon, please let Captain Cloude set sail! We don't have much time left!"

Lucas Leeman looked at Hans Luketon with worried eyes, but Hans was calm yet indifferent.

"No! We won't set sail until Winnie boards the ship!" His tall figure blocked the cockpit door. His military boots firmly planted on the deck. He was like a huge mountain.

The survivors on deck murmured in fear.

A woman suddenly knelt. "Please, Sir, I'm waiting to return to the safe zone to see my children!"

Hans shouted sternly, "Shut up! Are you that heartless? Winnie is one of us!"

I looked toward the shore, and a pink figure was faintly visible, seemingly struggling to catch something in the sea.

That was Winnie Snowe, Hans' childhood sweetheart who grew up together with him, and also his forever first love.

"Chief Luketon! Don't forget our mission!"

Lucas clutched a silver metal box tightly. "This box contains the only vaccine in the world! This might be humanity's last hope! Are you going to end all this for a woman?"

I recognized the box; it contained the last batch of antiviral vaccines salvaged from the northern lab. It was also why we left the safe zone.

Lucas was a researcher at the lab, and he had practically risked his life to protect that box all this way.

Hans scoffed, "Do not make it sound any worser than it is. It's not as serious as you're making it out to be. Also, I informed you that Winnie scavenged medicine from the pharmacy for everyone. She's putting her life at risk for all of humanity."

He stated as his gaze swept over everyone. "Any of you got an issue with that?"

The deck fell into complete silence, except for the increasingly frequent thuds of zombies crashing against the barbed wire. Suddenly, a barbed wire snapped with a clang, and a rotting arm reached through.

"Captain Cloude..." Lucas turned to me, his eyes pleading. "Persuade Chief Luketon, or we'll all die here!"

Everyone's gaze landed on me.

I could feel Hans's sinister stare on me. It held a silent threat.

Without hesitation, I knew he would be the first to shoot me if I said we were setting sail immediately.

I took a deep breath and gritted my teeth. "My husband's right. Ms. Snowe is risking her life for everyone. We should wait a little longer."

The deck erupted in chaos.

"Have you two lost your minds?"

"This is going to kill us all!"

"Set sail! Set sail now!"

Amidst the uproar, Hans suddenly fired his gun with a grim expression.

Bang! Everyone fell silent.

Holding the gun, Hans threatened blatantly, "Anyone who makes another sound will have their head blown off!"

The deck was eerily silent, except for the increasingly shrill creaking sound of the barbed wire being hit by the zombies.

Sneering, Hans scanned the silent crowd with satisfaction. He turned to me, revealing a rare, gentle expression. "You're indeed sensible."

He reached out and took hold of my chin, his voice hushed. "Don't fret. I'll make it right once we're back at the safe zone."

I lowered my lashes, concealing the chill in my gaze, and nodded compliantly. "Alright, I believe in you."

He grinned with satisfaction, as if everything was in order.

Then, he glanced towards Winnie with worry in his eyes. Yet, I understood that even if Winnie caught the ship at that moment, we wouldn't be able to make it back to the safe zone.

Hans's shot earlier hit right on the navigation system's core component.

The warning lights on the dashboard flashed silently, announcing a cruel truth. This ship was no longer functional.

Hans was oblivious to this. His entire attention was focused on the pink figure on the shore.

"Hans!" Winnie finally climbed onto the deck, soaked through, hugging a luxury designer bag tightly.

She stomped her foot coquettishly, "Why didn't you help me? My limited-edition Chanel is ruined!"

Her remark went off like a bomb in the crowd.

"What? All this just for a bag?"

"We almost died here!"

"Lunatics! You're all crazy!"

Enraged, Lucas rushed forward to snatch her bag, but Hans kicked him to the ground. Lucas' back slammed against the metal deck, and blood gushed from his mouth and nose. "Luketon, you're toying with everyone's lives!"

However, his angry rebuke only earned him Hans' mocking laughter. "So what? This is the apocalypse. Only the truly strong deserve to live."

He pulled out his gun, contemptuously glancing across the angry crowd on the deck. "Anyone who disagrees can jump ship now."

Winnie hid behind him. Her wet hair plastered to her cheeks as she shot me a defiant smile. "Clarissa, you're not mad at me too, are you?"

She shook the deformed bag in her hand. "This was a birthday present Hans gave me last year."

I gripped the gunwale tightly, my nails digging into my palms.

This also happened in my past life; she deliberately emphasized Hans's special treatment to her in front of everyone, while I could only force a smile like a fool.

I heard my own calm voice. "How is that possible? It's just a bag; it's worth it."

Winnie's expression stiffened.

Just then, the barbed wire snapped with a piercing sound.

"Roar!" The first zombie broke through the defenses, its rotting fingers grabbing the edge of the deck as it climbed up!

"Ah!"

Screams erupted instantly.

The zombie was bloated. Its eyes hung on its cheeks as it lunged straight at me.

"Clarissa!" Hans yelled, immediately raising his gun and aiming at the zombie in front of me.

The next second, he was immediately drawn to Winnie's scream. "Hans! I'm scared!"

He hesitated for a second before immediately turning his gun toward the zombies near Winnie.

My heart sank to the bottom of my stomach.

"Captain Cloude, watch out!"

Fortunately, with everyone's combined help, the few zombies that had jumped onto the ship were successfully eliminated.

However, the boat was completely unable to set sail.

The cabin was in chaos, with desperate cries and shouts erupting.

"We're doomed!"

"It's all that woman's fault! All because of a worthless bag!"

"I don't want to turn into a zombie..."

Standing above the crowd, my voice cut through the chaos. "I know where there's a speedboat hidden on the lower level of the cabin!"

The noise instantly ceased, and all eyes turned towards me.

"Follow me!" I dashed towards the cabin door, with Lucas close behind, carrying the vaccine box.

Hans grasped my wrist firmly, his gaze menacing. "When did you figure this out?"

"During maintenance last month." I pulled away from his grip, my voice steady. "This is not the time to discuss that."

The speedboat was hidden in a hidden compartment of the cargo hold, capable of accommodating only 20 people.

I quickly arranged for the elderly and children to board it first, followed by the vaccine escort team.

Winnie suddenly screamed as she shoved a mother holding a baby. "Why can't I go first? I'm Chief Luketon's..."

Her words trailed off, her eyes flickering as she glanced at me and then at Hans with a wronged expression.

Hans frowned but did not rebuke, only chastising softly, "Winnie, stop it!"

I sneered and quickly contacted the rescue team. "This is Clarissa Cloude, requesting assistance at Pier B3. I repeat, Pier B3..."

Just then, Winnie suddenly "accidentally" bumped into Lucas, and the vaccine box slipped from his grasp!

I lunged forward, and the box slammed into my ribs; the pain made my vision blur.

"Oh, I didn't mean it..." She stuck out her tongue, her eyes gleaming smugly. "Is this broken box more important than my bag?"

Ignoring the excruciating pain in my ribs, I immediately opened the vaccine box to check. Thankfully, the vaccine tube, glowing bluish, lay unharmed in the shock-absorbing foam.

"Ha, it's just a stupid box." Winnie crossed her arms as she looked at me condescendingly. "Your concern for this box makes people think it contains some kind of treasure."

I slammed the case shut, my voice icy. "This contains humanity's last hope—a vaccine that can end this apocalypse."

Winnie giggled, covering her mouth as if she had heard a joke. "Who are you kidding? If something this good really existed, why wouldn't Hans tell me?"

She tugged at Hans's sleeve coquettishly. "Right?"

Hans frowned, glancing at me with a complicated look, but he did not refute her.

I gripped the case handle tightly, my knuckles white. "This is a top-secret mission. Even the commander of the safe zone doesn't know the details. 37 comrades have already died for this vaccine."

"Wow, that's amazing!" Winnie clapped her hands dramatically before suddenly reaching out to grab it. "Let me see!"

"Get lost!" I dodged, but she deliberately scratched three bloody marks on the back of my hand with her fingernails.

A sharp pain made my mind go blank, and I heard her fake, affectionate voice in my ear. "Oh, I just wanted to help take a look. Why are you being so mean?"

My rationality snapped completely.

Slap! A resounding slap landed hard on her face, and she stumbled into Hans' arms, while half her face swelled up instantly.

"How dare you hit me?" She covered her face, tears streaming down her face. "Hans, she hit me!"

Hans was instantly enraged. He grabbed my neck and slammed me against the bulkhead. My head banged heavily against the metal wall.

"Clarissa! Are you asking for trouble?"

I was breathless yet clung tightly to the vaccine box. I spoke through clenched teeth, "Hans... f*cking... open your eyes... and look at the world we live in..."

"Let go of Captain Cloude!" Lucas suddenly lunged forward, only to be kicked away by Hans.

Winnie hid behind him, revealing half her face while flashing me a victorious smile.

However, the sharp-eyed Lucas noticed a red dot on her arm. "You... You were bitten by a zombie?"