Zombie Apocalypse: I Have Safe Zone Superpower

Ivy stared at General Daniel. He was frozen in place, his eyes wide in disbelief.

She chuckled lightly. "So, General Daniel… will you still punish Silas? Or are you planning to go back on your words?"

Those words landed like a strike. General Daniel's face turned red with anger. His chest rose and fell heavily, as if he could barely hold his rage. Without thinking, he rushed to the ground and bent down. His hands grabbed the crystals one by one.

The cool, hard touch of each crystal made his body stiffen. He bit his lip, checked again, then again, until his fingers trembled.

'They are real… every single one of them is real…'

It felt like a thunderbolt had hit him. His face burned. It was as if he had been slapped, again and again, in front of his own son.

For a long moment, General Daniel could not even speak. He just stared at the shining crystals piled high on the ground. His eyes looked as if he was staring at the eighth wonder of the world.

Silas, watching his father's frantic movements, suddenly felt his entire chest light up. His mood soared.

'See… this is the girl I chose. The girl I like. She gave out ten thousand crystals without even hesitating. She didn't argue, she didn't delay… She likes me. She must like me this much.'

His lips curved into a faint smile, his pride glowing inside him.

Finally, General Daniel clenched his fist. He stood up slowly, his jaw tight. His gaze went from the crystals, to Silas, then to Ivy.

"Youngsters nowadays… too disrespectful," he muttered. His voice was low but carried weight. Then he turned to Silas. "Your punishment has been waived."

Silas's heart leaped in joy, but before he could say anything, General Daniel's voice grew stern again.

"I never thought of harming you, Silas. Everything I did was for your best. But now, you treat me as if I am your enemy."

He walked toward Silas and patted his shoulder. His eyes carried a shadow of disappointment.

"One day, you will understand. I never hated Ivy because she was weak. I hated her because she is indecisive. A person like that, staying by your side, will only bring unbearable consequences."

With those words, he turned around and walked away. His back was straight, his steps heavy, his aura cold.

Ivy watched him leave. Strangely, her heart stirred.

'He is right… In my past life, I was indecisive. My choices brought Silas endless suffering. I destroyed him with my weakness.'

Her lips pressed together tightly.

Silas, however, only shook his head slightly. He did not take his father's words seriously.

'He still doesn't see the truth. The problem was never Ivy. It was me. Even if Ivy was indecisive, at least she wasn't foolish like me, following the wrong path even when she knew it would hurt us.'

He turned to Ivy. His voice softened. "Let's go home."

He reached out his hand toward her.

But this time, Ivy didn't take it. She stepped back and started walking toward the apartment alone.

Silas froze for a second. His hand hovered in the air. Then he let it drop.

'Did Father's words hit her this hard? Is she pulling away from me?' He didn't dare push her. He followed behind silently.

Back at the apartment, Ivy walked straight toward her room. But before she could go in, Silas hugged her tightly from behind.

"Ivy," his voice was low, "don't take Father's words to heart. They don't matter."

Ivy struggled a little in his arms, her voice calm but distant. "It doesn't matter. I was planning to leave the apartment anyway."

Her words pierced Silas like a knife. His body stiffened.

'Leave? She wants to leave?'

In that moment, the last trace of guilt in his heart vanished. His face grew calm, but his eyes were sharp.

"That might not be possible," he said quietly.

Ivy frowned. "What do you mean?"

Before he could answer, his phone rang. He pulled it out and answered.

From the other end came General Daniel's voice, sharp and annoyed.

"Silas, go and take away those ten thousand crystals. They are still lying there."

Silas rolled his eyes and let out a dry laugh.

'Unbelievable… He taunted Ivy for being indecisive, but now he is the one being indecisive. He demanded the crystals, and when she gave them, he now doesn't want them. This old man's temper really can't be understood.'

He spoke into the phone. "Father, you said you wanted ten thousand crystals. Now that Ivy gave them, you're refusing? Truly, you're no better. You say Ivy is indecisive, but you are just the same."

General Daniel's voice exploded in anger. "Silas! Do not forget I am your father! I am not the one who should be scolded like this. You are my son, not the other way around!"

But Silas had already hung up.

The screen went dark.

Ivy: (ᵕ—ᴗ—) Silas seemed to have a knack for making his father furious.

Silas looked at Ivy's strange little face and couldn't help but be stunned for a moment. Then he chuckled softly.

"It's nothing. Just a normal banter between me and Father. Don't take it too seriously."

Ivy blinked at him, her eyes complicated. She wanted to tell him that it wasn't normal at all. 'If you keep talking to him like that, Silas, you might shave years off General Daniel's life…' But she kept the thought inside. She knew it was useless to say it out loud.

Silas, watching her expression, let out another laugh.

"Fine, since you are pleading for him, I'll stop making that old man angry. But…" His lips curled in a teasing grin.

"I will tell him that his future daughter-in-law worries about him so much, and because of that, I held back my anger."

Ivy's eyes widened. She was speechless.

'How can one person be so shameless? Was Silas always like this? Or did he unlock some new level of shamelessness after getting close to me?'