Dr. Chloe Breaks Down

The next morning, Ethan heard two gunshots echo down the hallway.

Bang! Bang!

Sounded more like two oversized firecrackers going off.

There was no doubt—it was Tony Chen again.

Clearly, Ethan's bounty was working.

In the face of total despair, people had begun to lose their fear of death. The promise of one week of unlimited hot noodles held a temptation they couldn't resist.

Ethan pulled up his surveillance feed and caught the moment it happened.

Two men lay in pools of blood, a wrench and a kitchen knife still clutched in their hands.

Tony didn't escape unscathed either—he leaned against the wall, gripping his gun, visibly shaken.

They used to intercept others at the stairwell when they went out to collect snow for water.

Now? People were returning the favor.

Tony barked at his men to drag the bodies back into their unit. Gun still in hand, he limped in after them.

That pistol was all he had left now.

Once they were back inside, Tony signaled with his eyes. His underlings wordlessly hauled the corpses into the back of the kitchen.

Tony sat on the freezing couch, eyes like razors, but the chill still bit through his skin.

He had seen Ethan's bounty in the group chat the night before. And it had filled him with boiling rage.

He was the hunter. Ethan was the prey. Since when did the prey put a bounty on the hunter?

But he'd underestimated how crazy people could get when pushed to the edge.

Two desperate punks had come for his life this morning.

That rattled him.

But it didn't stop him from spiraling further into madness.

"Die! All of you! You wanna kill me?! I'll kill you first!"

Tony roared like a madman.

After the adrenaline wore off, pain suddenly bloomed across his back.

He called one of his guys over. "Check it. My back hurts."

The guy peeled back his jacket and gasped.

"Boss! You've been stabbed!"

A kitchen knife had torn a 30cm gash through his down coat.

Blood soaked into the black fabric. In the cold, it hadn't been visible at first.

Tony's adrenal high had numbed the pain. But now that he knew, the agony came flooding in.

"Those fucking bastards! They actually managed to stab me?!"

He broke into a cold sweat and reached for his phone.

"Dr. Chloe, I got hurt. Come patch me up!"

Not long after, Dr. Chloe arrived with her medical kit on her back.

She looked at the blood-soaked killer in front of her with undisguised disgust.

But to survive, she had no choice.

In truth, Tony's infected wound hadn't festered thanks to her help last time.

She didn't want to save him—but under the muzzle of a gun, there weren't many options.

"I'm not patching you up for free," she said coldly.

Tony grinned and jerked his chin toward the kitchen.

"You'll get a share of the meat stew later."

Dr. Chloe wrinkled her nose. The metallic stench hit her hard.

She'd worked in hospitals for years—she knew what that smell meant.

Fighting back nausea, she replied,

"No thanks."

Tony chuckled.

"Still trying to play saint, huh? You'll eat eventually. Or die."

"I'd rather die."

Dr. Chloe scowled, her voice sharp as ice.

"Now, now… I wouldn't want that."

Tony's gaze darkened.

"In this world, having a doctor around is just too valuable."

Had she not saved his leg, he would've been long dead.

"Don't worry," he said with a grin. "If we ever have to eat you, I'll save you for last."

He licked his lips, eyes burning as they roamed over her figure.

He'd been lusting after her for a while.

If she wasn't still useful, he would've acted on it already.

Chloe said nothing, lips pressed tight as she quickly cleaned and bandaged his wound.

Then she grabbed her kit and tried to leave.

Only for one of Tony's thugs to block the door.

Her chest tightened.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing," Tony said. "You're not leaving until I'm healed up."

In truth, he was terrified.

Everyone wanted him dead. And without medicine, another infection could kill him.

Having a doctor nearby was the only way he could sleep at night.

No matter how she protested, he kept her trapped.

Later, his men brought out a pot of freshly cooked stew.

Dr. Chloe almost vomited on the spot.

She knew exactly what was in that pot.

Her years at the hospital had prepared her for dead bodies—but eating them?

Tony offered her a bowl.

She refused.

He just snorted.

"Whatever. Sooner or later, when you're starving, you'll eat."

Then his tone turned dark again.

"We can't keep going like this. These nobodies are starting to rebel. It's bad for us."

"The only way we make it through this is if we kill Ethan Cross and take his place."

"That fortress of his could keep us alive for months. Long enough for this snowstorm to end."

He turned to his men.

They all looked uneasy.

"Boss, we've tried attacking his place a bunch of times. Every time, we fail."

"It's like a fucking turtle shell. Impenetrable."

Tony clenched his teeth.

"Don't tell me there's no weakness. No way he never leaves that house!"

"Here's what we'll do. We move into the unit next door. Keep watch 24/7."

"Once he shows his face—bam. Game over."

The others nodded numbly. No one had a better idea.

Dr. Chloe had been quietly listening to everything.

She excused herself to use the bathroom—then slipped her phone out to message Ethan.

She reported everything.

Ethan read the message and laughed.

"Let them camp all they want. I'm not stepping out of this house."

"Stay put. Keep watching. Let me know what they do."

Dr. Chloe was safe—for now.

Tony wouldn't kill his only doctor.

And Ethan wasn't in a rush. The bounty was still active.

Someone else would eventually come collect on it.

Later, Tony and his men packed up what supplies they had and moved into the apartment next door.

The young couple who lived there trembled when they saw who was moving in.

They didn't dare say a word.

Not when the devil was on their doorstep.