If it had been the past, Wayne would've been wholly confident. Girls like Nadia, who came from an orphanage, were the easiest to manipulate. She was resourceful and knew how to survive, but she lacked security and was starved for love, not to mention overly sensitive. All he had to do was play his cards right, flash his good looks, and crook his finger. Forget just gifts—she'd probably throw herself at him in no time. But what was going on with Nadia now? She used to shower him with gifts at the drop of a hat. She even rented an apartment just to chase after him and bought a thousand-dollar Air Jordans without blinking. But this hopeless romantic had turned on him overnight, acting like a completely different person. Wait! Wayne suddenly remembered something Maya had said—vague, offhand comments that seemed to suggest Nadia had… changed. Could it be that she had literally become someone else?As absurd as it sounded, in a world where apocalyptic disasters were real, was there anything truly impossible? Wayne became lost in thought, oblivious to the danger he was in. His mind was spinning with theories about Nadia's secret, sure that if he uncovered it, he could use it to his advantage and live comfortably. Then, a wet, sticky sensation dripped down his neck. Wait—why does it smell like blood? His hand shot to his throat, and when he looked down, it was slick with crimson. "Ah!" he screamed, stumbling backward. The body of the man collapsed, and standing before him was a woman clad in a red polar jacket, her face mostly obscured except for her cold, piercing eyes. But Wayne recognized her immediately. It was Nadia. And in her hand was her signature bloodied saber. "Nadia, are you out of your mind?!"His fury quickly turned to shame as he flushed red with embarrassment. He wanted nothing more than to dig a hole and bury himself in it. Nadia let out a cold laugh. "You really think highly of yourself, don't you?" Before Wayne could fully process her words, Colby's sharp teeth sank into his face with wild ferocity. "Get this mutt off me!" Wayne howled, thrashing as blood poured from his wounds. "Nadia, call this beast off!" "Beast?" Nadia's eyes bore into him. "Colby has more humanity than you. At least he doesn't leech off others." Hearing no command to stop, Colby continued tearing into Wayne's face. True to his loyalty, once Colby marked someone as an enemy, he wouldn't let up until the job was done. Wayne struggled against the dog, screaming, "It was you! You killed Maya!" "I did," Nadia replied casually, finally signaling Colby to back off. "But don't act like you're innocent. Didn't you stab Eva to death?" Wayne froze, his survival instincts kicking in as his bloodied face twisted in fear. His voice trembled. "You… You're not Nadia." "What makes you say that?" "You're… you're some kind of spirit! You possessed her body!" "Been reading too many novels, have you?" "Stop pretending! I know you're not her!" Wayne's voice turned firm as if he'd cracked the case. "I knew the real Nadia. You're just pretending to be her." "Well, aren't you clever?" Nadia didn't deny it. She simply smiled faintly. "You're right. The real Nadia Jean has been dead for a while. I'm not her." Her calm demeanor sent chills down Wayne's spine, though he couldn't fully read her expression through the blood on his face. Instead, he felt a twisted sense of pride at having confirmed his suspicion. "I can keep your secret," he offered eagerly."What's your price?" "I want in. The 18th floor. Let me live with you." "That's it?" "And half your supplies," Wayne added, his ambitions growing. "Anything else?" Of course, there was more. Once he was inside, he planned to win her over again, fully integrate himself into life on the 18th floor, and enjoy its perks. "You can trust me. As long as you agree to my terms, I'll take your secret to the grave. Not a word to anyone." "But I don't trust the living," Nadia replied coolly. "What?" Wayne blinked in confusion. Before he could react, the blade plunged into his chest, and searing pain exploded through him. His pupils dilated in shock. He never expected her to turn on him so suddenly. "Only the dead can keep secrets forever." School heartthrob? She sneered. Aside from that face of his, he was good for nothing. When the rose-colored glasses of her past infatuation shattered, Wayne was revealed to be utterly worthless—less than nothing. Too bad her previous life's brain had been so muddled with emotional nonsense, allowing him to exploit her until there was nothing left, leaving her to meet such a pitiful end. Nadia pulled her blade free, letting the spray of blood hit the floor. If it hadn't been for the need to probe whether Wayne knew about her domain, she wouldn't have wasted a single word on him. As it turned out, Maya had taken the secret to her grave and hadn't shared it with him after all. Finally, every one of those people was gone. As long as she stayed vigilant, the secret of the domain would remain safe. Even after Wayne's demise, Colby wasn't satisfied. The dog raised a paw and promptly relieved himself on Wayne's lifeless face. Nadia froze, then let out a quiet sigh. Well, d*mn. This one holds grudges even worse than I do. Note to self: never piss Colby off. But apparently, Colby wasn't finished. He sniffed at the other man's body and began pawing at it, tugging at clothes with relentless determination. The sight was too grotesque for Nadia, and she turned her head away in silence. Moments later, Colby triumphantly dragged over a small bag of food and a glinting gold bar. The food weighed about five pounds, fresh grain from the looks of it. The gold bar was maybe half a pound, worth quite a fortune back before the apocalypse. The dog laid the items at Nadia's feet, wagging his tail. Here you go, human! Another offering for you! Nadia tucked the goods into her domain without a word, leaving the scene untouched as she led Colby away.With people dropping dead every day and corpses scattered everywhere, no one cared who killed whom anymore. As the sky darkened, the risks outside increased. They needed to move fast. When she rounded the main road, she spotted Harrison waiting in the biting cold, holding Lily's tiny hand. His deep gaze met hers, and his usually stern face softened with a faint smile. "Miss!" Lily called out excitedly, waving. "Colby!" The dog darted forward, rubbing affectionately against Lily's side. Nadia jogged up to them, confused. "Didn't I tell you to go ahead?" "Nothing to do back home," Harrison said casually. "Figured I'd get some fresh air." Fresh air? Nadia quirked a brow. The extreme cold outside wasn't just dangerous—it could kill. She rubbed her hands together to ward off the chill. "Let's go. It's getting dark."Each carrying their little ones, they slowly made their way back to their complex. Once they reached the 18th floor, Nadia knocked on the door of Unit 1803. She wanted Caleb and Levi to help make a sled. She wasn't about to keep running outside just to scavenge for firewood. Let others see her making an effort once in a while, and then she could loaf around in peace at home. Not only would she need to gather bamboo the next day, but she also had to figure out a way to stock up on firewood. "A sled?" Levi looked surprised. "For Colby?" Uh… sure. She figured the dog could earn his keep. After all, in the apocalypse, nothing came for free. If one could breathe, one could work. Even dogs weren't exempted, lest Colby complained about unfair treatment. Democracy means equality, right? Even between humans and dogs. Nothing embarrassing about that.