A Death Filled with Hatred

The heavy iron door creaked open slowly, emitting a piercing "screech."

In the dimly lit basement, a hoarse, weak voice echoed, as if it was using the last bit of strength.

"Can't wait to kill me, can you?"

The iron walls radiated a chilling cold. Emily Carter leaned weakly against them, her body bound in chains that highlighted the bruises and bloodstains crisscrossing her skin, a sight that was both shocking and horrifying.

Her eyes were filled with exhaustion and despair, but when she saw the figure at the door, her pupils contracted, and her body stiffened.

"Natalie? How could it be you?" Emily's voice trembled, her doubts morphing into a deep sense of shock.

Standing before her was none other than her own sister, Natalie Carter.

Natalie's shimmering, pearl-adorned princess dress gleamed softly under the faint light, and the exquisite diamond tiara on her head radiated an air of nobility.

Those dazzling lights reflected off Emily's wounds and disheveled appearance, making her misery even more glaring.

"Of course, I'm here to see my dear sister off on her final journey," Natalie said with a slight smile, her voice sweet but as cold and venomous as a snake's hiss.

Emily's heart clenched suddenly, her hands instinctively tightening around the chains. The scars crisscrossing her face and her tattered clothes reminded her of all she had endured. But at that moment, it wasn't the physical pain that hurt the most—it was the unspeakable sting of betrayal.

"So… all of this was part of your plan?" Emily's voice trembled with fury, her chest burning as if a knife had been plunged deep into it, the pain so intense it stole her breath.

Natalie blinked, feigning innocence, but malice spread across her face like venom.

"Which part are you talking about, dear sister? The intelligence leak? Or how your precious Energy Core and Soul Nexus were ripped from you? Or maybe how you've been locked up here, tortured at their will?" Her soft voice made it sound like she was discussing a trivial matter.

Each word pierced Emily's heart like a blade, a cruel reminder of the nightmare she had lived through.

Betrayed during a mission, she had fallen into a trap and been imprisoned, tortured. Her Energy Core and Soul Nexus were brutally extracted, her legs broken, cold chains wrapped around her body, making even breathing a painful ordeal.

And now, the girl she had protected for years—her own sister—was the mastermind behind this nightmare?

She had once trusted this sister implicitly, but now, that trust had been cruelly shredded into pieces, turning into a dark joke.

"Why, Natalie? What did I ever do to you? How did I wrong you?" Emily's voice shook, her fury and pain barely contained as she glared with hatred at the woman she once considered family.

Natalie slowly approached, a cold smile on her lips, and suddenly stomped on Emily's already broken leg.

A searing pain shot through Emily's entire body, cold sweat trickling down her forehead. She instinctively reached out to push Natalie away, but her hand was pierced by icy spikes, immobilizing her.

"My dear sister," Natalie's voice was dripping with malicious amusement as she looked down at the blood spreading from Emily's wrist. "How does it feel to be hit by your own Level 8 Ice Elemental Ability?" Her smile grew wider, and with a sudden jerk, she ripped the ice spike from Emily's wrist.

Emily's face turned pale, the excruciating pain rendering her almost speechless.

Natalie kept that cruel smile, her voice dripping with disdain. "You want to know why? Because I am the rightful heir of the Carter family. But look at it now—every time people talk about the Carters, the first name they think of is yours! How could I possibly tolerate that any longer?"

Emily's entire body felt like it was being torn apart by pain, but she managed a cold smile. "So, you framed me for this? Do you really think getting rid of me will give you full control of the Carter family? Aren't you worried that once I'm dead, Elysium Base won't tolerate any of you?"

At this, Natalie chuckled softly, as if she'd just heard a hilarious joke. She leaned in close to Emily's ear and whispered, "As long as we hand you over to Dylan, and he gets his revenge for Dean, he'll fully support James becoming the new leader of the base."

Emily's heart sank. Dylan Torres? The leader of Cheetah Base?

She stared at Natalie in shock, a flood of questions racing through her mind. "But it was you who killed Dean!"

Back then, Dean Torres had humiliated Natalie, and Emily had fought him to protect her. But she hadn't taken his life. Later, when Dean suddenly died, Emily's investigation revealed it was Natalie who had done it. To protect her, Emily had hidden the truth, never imagining that Natalie was the snake behind everything.

Natalie stomped on Emily's already battered leg again, her face full of triumph. "So what if it was me? If I hadn't killed him, do you think Dylan would have ever agreed to help us? You see, the plan worked perfectly."

Emily's heart ached with every beat. She thought she knew Natalie, but she had never realized how deep her cruelty and manipulation ran.

"Emily, you're just too stupid. Just because I gave you a little fake affection, you willingly did everything for me." Natalie's eyes gleamed with mockery.

She casually tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her voice dripping with venomous sweetness. "But I do have to thank you. Without you paving the way for me, how else would I have so easily become the Carter family's innocent little princess in everyone's eyes?"

Emily curled up in agony, the pain clouding her consciousness. She *was* a fool, a fool for trusting this half-sister and giving her everything without hesitation.

Memories rushed back like a tidal wave, crashing into her thoughts.

Emily's mother and Thomas Carter (the father of both Emily and Natalie) had been childhood sweethearts, but Natalie's mother had come between them. Thomas, in pursuit of a successful career, had abandoned Emily's mother and married Natalie's, who could support his ambitions.

The heartbreak devastated Emily's mother, leading her to try to end her life. But in the midst of that despair, she discovered she was pregnant. Finding a new reason to live, she gave birth to Emily and raised her.

However, the emotional toll and the struggle of raising a child alone wore her down. Before Emily was old enough to care for herself, her mother passed away from illness.

Left with no choice, Emily was forced to return to the Carter family, where she was met with cold indifference. Though she was Thomas's biological daughter, the family publicly claimed she was merely a "foster child," and within the household, she was treated like an outsider.

The only one who showed her any kindness was Natalie. It was this false warmth that made Emily willing to give Natalie everything, even after the apocalypse struck. Despite the cold stares and constant mistreatment from the Carter family, Emily relentlessly honed her powers, fighting off zombies and helping the family secure its power.

And now, this was the result of it all.

Emily gritted her teeth, pushing through the pain as she let out a cold laugh, lifting her head to speak. "Dylan is ruthless, and James is the kind of person who betrays even those who save his life. What makes you think he'll stay loyal to you forever?"

Just as the words left her mouth, a male voice echoed from the doorway. "Natalie is the woman I love most. Of course, I'll always be good to her."

Forcing herself to stay conscious, Emily looked up to see James Wilson entering the room. The sight of his cold, indifferent expression made her stomach churn. Following behind him were the Carters—Thomas and Isabella Davis.

"You bitch, how dare you try to sow discord between Natalie and James!" Isabella sneered, her venomous words cutting through the air.

Emily leaned against the cold wall, completely drained of strength by the agony she'd endured, but she still managed a mocking smile. "Sow discord? Please. A backstabbing scumbag and a heartless bitch—sounds like a match made in heaven!"

Isabella's face twisted with rage, and she raised her hand to slap Emily.

Seeing this, Natalie quickly stepped in, grabbing her mother's arm, though the cruel smile never left her face. Malicious coldness seeped through her every word.

"Mommy, don't dirty your hands on this worthless girl. Let me handle it."

Natalie raised her hand, slowly summoning ice spikes that pierced Emily's hands and feet without hesitation.

Blood splattered everywhere, and Emily's body trembled from the searing pain, but her gaze remained fixed on Natalie, unwavering and cold.

Suddenly, a voice echoed in her mind—something someone had once said to her in passing: "In this apocalypse, if you don't harden your heart, you'll end up as someone else's prey."

She never thought those words would become her reality.

Blood flowed from the gaping wounds across her body, the burning pain spreading with each passing second. The places where her Energy Core and Soul Nexus had been ripped from her felt like scorching hot iron, the pain intensifying until it felt as if her entire body was being roasted alive.

Emily's body shook violently, on the verge of collapse, but she gritted her teeth and, against all odds, slowly forced herself to stand.

Her eyes burned with a cold fury, like the flames of hell itself, as she stared directly at the people before her—their faces now twisted in terror. Her throat was dry, but her voice came out steady, filled with a madness born of despair.

"You left me no choice!" Her hands trembled as the remaining power from her Soul Nexus and Energy Core began to flow, swirling around her body. "If I'm going to die, I'm taking all of you with me!"

Natalie's expression shifted, panic flashing across her face as she frantically shot more ice spikes at Emily. The icy shards tore through her skin, more blood pooling on the floor, staining it a deep, unsettling red. But Emily seemed beyond pain now, her eyes still icy, merciless.

Suddenly, flames erupted from her body, blazing wildly and engulfing the room, trapping Natalie within a ring of fire, sealing off any escape. Natalie's face turned pale, her ice spikes now useless in the face of the relentless heat.

The flames raged, consuming everything in the basement, the temperature skyrocketing. But just then, a massive wave of water crashed in, like a tidal wave from the heavens, extinguishing the last of Emily's defenses. Her body slammed against the floor with a sickening thud under the force of the water.

The pain was unbearable, like her flesh was being torn apart, her vision blurring as she struggled to make out her surroundings.

Through her hazy sight, she saw James holding Natalie, his face filled with concern and tenderness, as if none of this had ever happened. From afar, she heard Isabella's voice, dripping with disgust. "That bitch won't stop causing trouble, even in her final moments. Natalie, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Natalie responded, her voice as sweet as ever, but it was laced with a sickening amount of sarcasm. "My sister, she just loves stirring up trouble."

Emily's consciousness began to fade, the voices around her growing more distant. Her chest was filled with a burning hatred and unrelenting bitterness. The blood flowed freely from her wounds, just like her life slipping away.

With the last of her strength, she forced her eyes open wide, engraving the faces of the people before her into her mind, as if branding them into her very soul.

Natalie, James, Isabella... and the man who had betrayed her from the start—her father, Thomas.

"If there is an afterlife, I swear I'll make you pay a thousand times over."