Chapter 483: Kept woman

Nora couldn’t help but curl her lip in annoyance. Seriously? This guy has no clue how lucky he is. Doesn’t even know how to appreciate a blessing when it’s handed to him…

After the chaos and bloodshed, the survivors at the shelter began gathering their things again, trying to pull themselves together—both physically and emotionally. The grief of losing loved ones still hung heavy in the air.

Then Lily spoke up, hesitantly: “Maybe… I should stay here with you, sis. I won’t go to Mount Elbert Shelter just yet.”

Her father’s face tightened with worry. “Don’t be ridiculous!” he said, his voice sharp with concern. “It’s dangerous here. Have you even thought about what could happen?”

“I just… I just want to be with my sister,” Lily mumbled.

“Your sister’s an Awakener. Are you?” he asked, trying to reason with her. “You’re just a regular girl. Staying here won’t help anyone—it’ll only put you in danger.”

Leah stepped forward, backing him up. “Dad’s right. You staying here won’t change anything. It’s too risky. Just go to Mount Elbert, okay?”

Lily hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah… okay. You’re right.”

Their father let out a breath of relief. For all of Leah’s rebellious streak, she still knew how to put family first. She was looking out for her little sister, and that meant a lot.

But then Leah added, “Once you become an Awakener, you can come find me.”

Lily’s eyes lit up instantly. “Really? Okay! I will!”

Their father: “…”

…

Meanwhile, Ethan had finished gathering his “spoils” and was ready to move on. He had zero interest in the shelter’s survivors—they were just ordinary people, completely useless to him.

To him, they were like stray cats and dogs on the street—barely worth a glance.

Gavin and the rest of the evacuees didn’t dare linger either. They said their goodbyes quickly and left in a hurry, afraid of running into more danger.

Ethan watched them disappear into the distance, a thoughtful frown tugging at his brow.

“Genesis Biotech’s been pretty active lately…”

“And where the hell did the Black Hand Legion go?”

…

Over in Blackhand City, the Black Hand Legion had already received word that the Zombie King from Los Angeles had shown up in Texas. As a result, they’d drastically cut back on their operations.

They weren’t stupid. No one wanted to walk straight into the lion’s den.

Besides, the Zombie King had been targeting Genesis Biotech operatives lately, so the Legion hadn’t taken much of a hit.

At that moment, Sophia was lying on a plush, oversized bed in a lavishly decorated bedroom—so luxurious it felt like a throwback to the pre-apocalypse world.

Her journey to Blackhand City had been rough. She’d endured humiliation, suspicion, and more than a few predatory stares. But things had taken a turn when she met Vanessa, the leader of the Black Hand Legion.

Now, she was officially Vanessa’s “kept woman.”

Aside from the occasional emotional whiplash, life wasn’t too bad.

“Baby, you’re awake?” Vanessa’s voice purred from across the room. She strolled over in a sheer nightgown, her figure graceful, her smile wickedly playful.

“Uh… yeah,” Sophia replied, still not entirely used to the way Vanessa spoke to her.

Vanessa’s smile deepened. “Hungry? I can have someone bring you whatever you want.”

“I’m good…” Sophia shook her head, her eyes dimming slightly.

Sure, life was comfortable now.

But this wasn’t what she wanted. Not really. Her ambitions were far from satisfied. Everything she’d endured—every humiliation, every compromise—was part of a bigger plan.

Sophia was playing the long game.

“Vanessa,” she said carefully, “I heard… you’re the only person in Blackhand City who’s actually met the supreme leader of the Black Hand Legion?”

Vanessa raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Oh? And why are you asking about that?”

“No reason, really. Just curious,” Sophia said, trying to sound casual. “I’d love to meet them someday.”

The Black Hand Legion, like Genesis Biotech, wasn’t just a U.S. operation—it had global reach.

And if the supreme leader of the Legion was as powerful as she imagined, getting an introduction could open doors. Big ones.

If Vanessa could help her make that connection… it might be the key to everything.

“Not many people have seen our supreme leader,” Vanessa said with a teasing lilt in her voice. “And the ones who have? Most of them aren’t alive anymore. You sure you wanna meet him?”

Sophia’s eyes widened. “Uh… on second thought, maybe not.” She shook her head quickly.

Vanessa chuckled softly and gave a small nod. She sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled Sophia into her arms.

“If you behave yourself,” she murmured, brushing a strand of hair from Sophia’s face, “and the time is right… you’ll get your chance.”

“Alright,” Sophia agreed, nodding.

She let the subject drop for now and shifted gears. “By the way, I heard from Selene… the Zombie King from L.A. is in Texas now?”

Vanessa’s expression darkened slightly. “Yeah, that’s true. He’s been hunting down Genesis Biotech operatives. Word is, a lot of them have already been wiped out. The damage is… pretty damn severe.”

“Oh…” Sophia murmured, her emotions tangled. Genesis Biotech had been her old stomping ground—her former empire. No matter how far she’d come, hearing about its downfall stirred something uneasy inside her.

Vanessa reached out and gently squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry. If that Zombie King ever comes for you, I’ll do everything I can to protect you.”

“Vanessa…” Sophia hesitated, then leaned in, her voice low but firm. “I think we should go on the offensive. We can’t just sit back and let the Zombie King run wild. If he really wipes out Genesis Biotech’s North American HQ, Blackhand City could be next.”

Vanessa didn’t respond right away. Of course she understood the logic—if the lips are gone, the teeth grow cold. But her original plan had been simple: if the L.A. Zombie Horde proved unstoppable, she’d just dissolve Blackhand City and vanish. After all, the Black Hand Legion had started from nothing. If it came to it, they could go back to that. She wasn’t afraid of starting over.

But Sophia wasn’t done. She could see the hesitation in Vanessa’s eyes and pressed on.

“Vanessa, this place… it’s your legacy. You built it. You poured your heart into it. Are we really gonna just sit here and watch it all burn?”

That hit home. Vanessa’s gaze softened, and she gave a small nod.

Sophia, once a high-ranking exec at Genesis Biotech, knew exactly how to pitch a vision. Selling dreams was second nature to her.

“I say we fight. Even if we lose, at least we’ll go down swinging. And who knows? Maybe this is our shot to take down Richard and claim Texas for ourselves.”

Vanessa fell silent, her mind racing. The odds were slim—she knew that. But slim didn’t mean zero.

“Alright,” she said finally. “I’ll think about it.”

…

Above San Antonio, the sky split with the shrill cries of crows.

A flock of pitch-black birds streaked across the clouds, their wings slicing through the air like blades. Their calls echoed through the sky—

“Caw—caw—caw!”

“Boss… greetings…”

The eerie, almost human-like voice of the lead crow rang in Ethan’s ears.

He stood in the middle of a deserted street, dressed in a crisp white shirt, his eyes lifted to the sky. A few red-eyed crows circled overhead, their presence unmistakable.

Buddy Crow had arrived, bringing news from the front lines.

According to him, the zombie horde from Los Angeles was nearly at the Texas border.

A hundred thousand undead had marched across the land, leaving rivers of blood in their wake. Anyone who resisted was slaughtered without mercy. Those who submitted were absorbed into the outer ranks of the horde.

What had once been a force of a hundred thousand had now swelled to… who knew how many? The numbers were beyond counting.

Wherever the Zombie Horde passed, the land was left in ruins—mountains of corpses, oceans of blood. And when the haunting melody of Elegy’s war song echoed through the air, it signaled the beginning of another massacre.

And in the blood-soaked soil they left behind… delicate pink flowers bloomed.

…