My husband, Ryan Costa, is one of the most renowned scientists in the apocalypse. To retrieve a reagent, he goes deep into the high-risk zone with his secretary, Clara Gibson.

I, Alice Ashford, lead an elite squad to protect him all the way. But when a zombie horde besieges us, he refuses to retreat.

"With the reagent Clara brings back, I can develop a serum that saves all of humanity! Just ten more minutes! Ten minutes, please!" Ryan insists.

I feel torn as I see the zombies closing in. I can't gamble with the lives of my squad on a vague, uncertain sliver of hope.

In that split second, I knock Ryan out and drag him onto the helicopter. As a result, Clara dies being torn apart by the zombies.

When Ryan wakes up, the first thing he does is slap me hard across the face. He rages, "How can you be so selfish? You've doomed all of humanity!"

I am sentenced to be burned at the stake. I die in unbearable pain as the crowd curses me relentlessly.

When I open my eyes again, I am back at the moment when Ryan stands in front of the helicopter, blocking our retreat.

I am just about to speak when I suddenly hear his inner voice, "Clara should have grabbed her makeup bag by now. Hopefully, she brings something back with her. Otherwise, I'll have a hard time explaining myself to Alice."

My mind goes blank, and I stare at him in shock. He smiles at me just like he did in my previous life and asks, "Darling, don't you think we should wait?"

In my previous life, my scientist husband, Ryan Costa, had taken his secretary, Clara Gibson, deep into a high-risk zone to fetch a reagent. I had led an elite squad to escort and protect him the whole way.

When a horde of zombies closed in on us, he refused to leave and insisted on waiting for Clara to bring back the reagent.

However, Ryan had never successfully developed anything in the past five years. To ensure my squad's and my survival, I knocked him out and hauled him away. When he woke up, he accused me of running away like a coward and had me sent to the stake to be burned.

When I opened my eyes again, I saw him standing in front of the helicopter and refusing to let us leave.

I was about to say something when I suddenly heard his inner thought, "Clara should have grabbed her makeup bag by now. I hope she brings something back with her. If not, I won't be able to explain things to Alice."

It was as if a grenade went off in my head. I stared at him in dumbfounded shock. He smiled at me just like he had in the last life.

"Darling, don't you think we should wait?" he asked.

My second-in-command, Matt Lance, voiced his objection immediately. "Colonel Ashford, the barrier can only hold the horde for ten minutes! The rescue team has already urged us to leave seven times. We have to leave immediately!"

My other squad members shouted hoarsely for Ryan to cooperate. A few even tried to cover his mouth to stop him from protesting.

"Dr. Costa, we understand your passion for research! But we can't just die here like sitting ducks!"

Ryan struggled against my men with all his might. But how could a man who had lived comfortably in a lab for years match the strength of trained soldiers? All he could manage were a few angry, muffled whimpers.

Yet, I heard his thoughts once again. "Damn it! How can Alice let these brutes handle me with force? When I develop the serum that will save all of humanity, I'll kill every one of them!"

A chill ran down my spine when I heard that. If it weren't for me leading my squad into battle on zombie-infested lands and returning home to work on weapons in exchange for military merits with my blood and sweat, how could he have gotten the resources to fritter away on experiments?

Every person in the squad could be counted as his benefactor. Ryan bit down hard on one of my squad members' hands.

When he loosened his grip, Ryan cried out, "As long as I get the reagent Clara brings back, I can develop the core serum!

"Humanity will never have to fear the zombie infection again! If you want to leave, go! I will never abandon my companion and my work out of cowardice!"

For five years, he had repeatedly used "I was this close to developing a serum" as an excuse to get us to do his bidding countless times. By now, many of my squad members no longer believed him. But out of respect for me, they merely exchanged grim looks with each other and didn't argue.

My silence caused Matt to shoot me an anxious look. "What do you think, Colonel Ashford? Please say something! The rescue team is about to leave. If we delay any longer, none of us will get out of here alive!"

Ryan looked to me with hopeful eyes, but his thoughts took on a completely different tone.

He cursed inwardly, "Why has the brute of a woman who's only good at fighting gone mute? Is she really going to leave me behind?"

I smiled, but the smile didn't reach my eyes. I raised a hand to signal everyone to be quiet.

"Everyone, since we escorted Ryan and Clara here, we have a responsibility to get them back safely," I said evenly.

Ryan's eyes lit up upon hearing that.

I walked over and patted his shoulder. "Besides, you're my husband, and Clara is like a sister to me. Even if you insisted on coming into the danger zone, and even if she didn't come back on time and put all of us in danger, I can't just abandon you, can I?"

For a moment, an eerie silence fell over everyone. My squad members exchanged glances. They all knew my character better than anyone. I hated favoritism and injustice above all. Something about my words sounded off to them.

The youngest member in my team went pale and asked shakily, "Colonel Ashford, how can you risk all our lives just because Ryan is your husband?"

Ryan turned around and snapped, "Shut up! Your leader has given an order. How dare you question her? You don't seem to know your place!"

He smirked smugly as he watched my squad bristle but remain silent helplessly. He felt deeply satisfied.

"Alice, your squad is getting out of hand. When we get back, I'll help you whip them into shape and teach them some much-needed manners," Ryan huffed.

I smiled and didn't say anything. He took that as approval and babbled on.

Ryan was such an idiot. When the apocalypse broke out, I had fought through zombies and negotiated with the upper ranks so he could have a comfortable life and a lab. When he lived off what I provided, why didn't he talk about manners then?

In our past life and until now, he had rarely had to face zombies himself because of me. Now that I clearly saw him for who he was, I finally realized what a selfish fool he truly was.

When Ryan received no response after rambling on for some time, he glanced at me. He said nothing, but his gaze and his thoughts revealed everything.

I heard him say inwardly, "Right, what would Alice know about manners? Please come back soon, my dear Clara. Who knows how much longer the helicopter will wait?"

In my previous life, I had held out until the last minute before I knocked Ryan out and got him onto the helicopter. But in truth, the military could have sent a special aircraft at any time to take me and my squad away if I wanted to leave.

I had shouldered enormous pressure just to protect Ryan and get him out alive. But the first thing he did when he woke up was to send me to my death. I never wanted to feel the pain of being burned alive again.

In this life, I decided that I would push Ryan and Clara into taking the path to hell.

We waited in suffocating silence as the zombie horde drew nearer. Clara finally came running, clutching a leopard-print bag. Her shiny blonde hair billowed behind her, and she wore a face full of makeup.

She flung herself into Ryan's arms excitedly while pouting her freshly painted lips. "I knew I could rely on you, Dr. Costa. I knew you'd wait for me!"

Ryan pretended to be indifferent, but he quickly looped an arm around her waist and headed for the helicopter. "Of course."

Just as the helicopter prepared to descend and pick us up, a deafening crash was heard! A dark mass of zombies broke through the barricade and surged toward us.

The helicopter closed its hatch swiftly. We watched helplessly as it flew away. The zombies roared as they surged forward, and we opened fire immediately.

"Damn it!" A hot-tempered squad member, Tom Gardner, lost it. He spun to shout at Ryan and Clara.

"Are you happy now? We're all going to die because of you two! You said she was going to get the reagent, right? Where is it?

"All I see is a damn makeup bag! And you got yourself dolled up? For what? Are you getting your face ready for lying dead in your casket?"

Clara had never seen any of them lose their temper.

Tears welled up in her reddened eyes as she stuttered, "I-I really found it. It's in the bag! B-But I can't show you yet. It loses its activity if it's exposed to light. Once we get back to the base safely, I-I'll show you!"

Ryan pulled her behind him and shot me a warning glance.

I heard his thoughts again. "Tch, there's no such reagent. But Clara kept insisting and begging that she had to go get it…

"I thought it'd be something important. Whatever. It's normal for young women to be vain. I'll reprimand her when we get back."

My squad grew angrier at her fake tears. Matt even lunged forward to grab the bag.

"Save the arguing until we're somewhere safe!" I snapped in a stern voice.

Matt looked at me and swallowed his anger.

Heavy disappointment filled his eyes as he said to me, "Alice, in the five years you led us, you've always been the most rational. So, we never questioned your calls. But you've really let us down today."

I didn't argue and just responded with a solemn nod. I said, "I'm sorry, everyone. I should have figured Clara only went back for a makeup bag."

I then glanced at Ryan, whose expression had soured dramatically, before continuing, "And I should have considered how close you two are and that you might lie for her. That was my oversight."

Ryan's face flushed crimson, and he ground his teeth. "What are you implying, Alice? That's an insult! You're slandering me!"

I turned away as if I hadn't heard him and ignored how he was shaking from head to toe with anger. I lifted my arm to show my squad the tracker I was wearing on my wrist.

"Don't worry, everyone. I found an underground safe house in the airfield. It's only 20 minutes from here."

My squad breathed a sigh of relief.

Ryan sneered contemptuously and mocked, "I thought you guys were brave, seeing as you kill zombies for breakfast every day. It turns out you're uneducated and can't even remain calm.

"Why are you freaking out over something so minor? We can just catch the next helicopter if we miss this one."

"You son of a bitch!" Tom cursed and lifted his gun at Ryan.

I quickly pressed down on the cool metal and said firmly, "Calm down. Gunshots will attract more zombies. Our primary objective is to get to the safe house."

Tom lowered his gun begrudgingly. The man who stood nearly six feet tall looked wronged as he stared back at me. We sprinted at full speed toward the safe house.

Ryan and Clara were the slowest. They were both wearing lab coats. The zombies snagged at their coat hems, which led to Clara constantly screaming in fright. Each scream drew more of them.

The 20-minute walk stretched into 40 minutes thanks to her. When we finally arrived at the safe house, we rushed in and collapsed to the floor.

"I'm dead tired… This is even more tiring than clearing that level-seven nest last time," Matt complained while slumping against the wall.

He pulled out his comm to see if he could contact rescue. But in the next moment, his face went completely pale as the latest news report came in.

"Fynora will have continuous heavy rain for the next month. As rain increases zombie mobility and attack strength, the safe zones will not send rescue teams to this state…"

The news reporter chirped on, "But do not worry, residents have already been relocated and there are no new zombies…"

Clara clutched her makeup bag to her chest and shrank into Ryan's arms as my squad trained their hateful gazes at her. Ryan held her tightly.

His face had gone a bit pale, but he still raised his chin and said arrogantly, "What's there to be afraid of? We have water and food here in the safe house.

"It's not like you'll starve to death here. We'll just ride it out for a month. Rescue will come in a month, right?"

Those of us who frequently dealt with the higher-ups knew those were merely comforting words. I wasn't about to leave my squad in danger, though.

I reached into my backpack and pulled out a microcomputer. I assembled it and attached a high-energy-density battery to power it on. Then, I placed a video call to General Louis Rosenthal.

The call connected quickly. I reported the crucial details succinctly and then looked up with a smile.

"General Rosenthal said we're valuable talents. He promised to send the best military aircraft to pick us up. The soonest it will reach is in three days, and the latest is a week. You must all be exhausted. Take this time to rest up," I announced.

The members of my squad relaxed. Ryan hugged Clara happily but let go of her in an instant.

He stole a glance at me. He thought he was being subtle, but his thoughts had already stripped him bare before me.

"Alice is useful, after all. How I wish I could be valued like that, too," he lamented inwardly.

His expression shifted multiple times as Clara said some soothing words to comfort him. Soon, they were joined at the hips again. My squadmates watched them coldly.

Matt lowered his voice and asked, "He's so disgusting, Colonel Ashford. How are you not mad? Just give the word or a nod, and we'll make sure they disappear without a trace!"

I listened to his vicious words and smiled faintly. I didn't really answer his question, but said, "There are seven people on our squad. If you count them in, there are nine of us in total. But the military plane I requested only has eight seats."

Feeling confused, Matt murmured, "I thought we had a ten-seater… Oh!"

I snapped my fingers and winked. The smile on Matt's face widened with meaning.

There were nine of us, but only eight seats. My squad and I were military talents that the government specifically wanted to recruit, so we would all be guaranteed seats. But Ryan and Clara had tagged along simply because I allowed them to. They didn't realize that crucial fact.

Clara reached into her bag to pull out a hand cream. Then, she rubbed it tenderly on Ryan's hands.

His satisfied thoughts drifted into my ears. "This is how a woman should be. How soft. How delicate! When we get back to the base, I'll teach Alice how to be a woman."

I looked away, and my heart became filled with anticipation. When it came to a choice between life and death, would Ryan cling to his pride, or would his rotten soul fully reveal itself?

Although we didn't have a confirmed date, at least we had a promise from the higher-ups. That was enough for Ryan to finally relax.

The safe house was well stocked, but everyone tacitly agreed to conserve supplies to leave something behind for whoever might come after us.

Well, everyone except for Ryan and Clara. With Ryan taking the lead, Clara indulged herself and wasted the supplies without batting an eye.

They threw away the fat from the canned meat, bathed with bottled drinking water, and even used precious medical supplies as face masks. It was as if the safe house existed solely for the two of them.

And every time, I could hear Ryan's thoughts clearly.

"Clara eats so delicately, unlike Alice. She always cleans her plate like she's never seen food before. What's with those looks they're giving us?

"They don't understand how researchers need to maintain a certain quality of life. Alice loves me so much. She'll smooth things over for me like always."

After learning about the limited seats on the aircraft, my squad couldn't even be bothered to get riled up at them anymore. This persisted until the fifth day.

My squad and I had already prepared ourselves to wait a week or even longer. The rescue team hadn't arrived yet, but everyone remained calm.

Ryan, on the other hand, grew increasingly irritable. He stormed into the meeting room and rudely interrupted our discussion.

"Alice, when are they coming? Clara hasn't showered in ages. She's feeling miserable!"

I met his gaze evenly and said, "The orders were clear. They said as soon as three days, not exactly three days."

Ryan's face darkened. He glared at me and didn't say anything. However, his thoughts thundered loudly in my head. "Damn you, Alice! How dare you talk back to me!"

His expression stiffened as he thrust his hand out, palm facing upward. He demanded, "Then give me the high-energy-density battery."

That battery was the only thing capable of powering my microcomputer. It couldn't be recharged by the generator. I'd been rationing power carefully by only turning my computer on for five minutes a day to receive updates.

I frowned and questioned, "What do you need it for? Did you already use up all three gallons of diesel?"

He blurted out, "Yes! It's all gone! Without the electric blanket, Clara caught a fever. She needs to stay under the heated blanket until she's better.

"It's just a battery. When we get back, I'll make you a hundred of them! Just hand it over already!"

My squad members sighed, assuming I would cave in again. I stood up slowly with a grim expression. My shadow fell over him.

I said coolly, "The battery is down to 27 percent. My computer is the only one capable of receiving the military's encrypted signal. The rescue team will send the exact coordinates before their arrival. If we miss that message, we'll be trapped here forever."

Ryan looked at me warily. His pale complexion, which had become accustomed to staying indoors, flushed red with anger.

He retorted, "You're just making excuses! You don't want to give it to me because you're jealous of Clara. You're jealous that she's more fragile and feminine than you!

"She's suffering right now. Just give it to me already. I'm begging you, okay?"

Tom, who was the most hot-headed among us, slammed his hand on the table and rose to his feet. "How dare you talk to Colonel Ashford so rudely? That useless bitch you call a lover can die from her illness for all I care! That would rid our society of toxic trash!"

Ryan's voice went shrill with rage. "Shut up! You don't understand anything! Don't you dare insult her like that! Only Clara understands my ideals and respects me!"

In his fury, he suddenly pulled a scalpel from his coat and pointed it straight at my chest. "Give me the battery! So what if you're a strong woman? I'm still a man. Don't make me hurt you!"

I looked at him and felt nothing but utter disappointment. I couldn't even summon a tiny flicker of rage within me. All I felt was a hollow, bitter sense of absurdity.

We were young when we first met. Back then, I wasn't exactly remarkable. I was merely taller and stronger than my peers.

In contrast, Ryan had already gained recognition as a genius in the scientific field. He pulled a chemistry trick to scare off the bullies who bothered me after school. He used to complain that I ate too much. But every time he got a bonus, the first thing he would do was take me out to eat.

We had once been happy. Then, the apocalypse came.

His frail body and abrasive personality made survival a constant struggle. I fought tooth and nail on the front lines to secure a private lab for him and earned him the privilege of not having to socialize with others.

I had supported every single one of his experiments, even if they never seemed to bear fruit. He had never succeeded at anything, but I never gave up on him. Without me, he wouldn't even have held on to his title as scientist.

In return, all he gave me was resentment that stemmed from a deep sense of inferiority. I raised my hand and grabbed the scalpel. Before Ryan could react, I snapped it in two.

All color drained from his face, and he started trembling all over.

I reached into my pocket to pull out the battery. Then, I tossed it at him and said flatly, "Get out."