Read Novel Full Chapter 461: Grace
Chapter 461: Chapter 461: Grace
This time, a few heads nodded. His reasoning, however flawed, sounded plausible in the fragile atmosphere. Frank took a deep breath.
"If we want to survive the zombie threat, we need to come to terms with the SiIvy Base. But that doesn’t mean submission. I’ll propose a deal. If they refuse, we’ll use force. Be prepared."
Before the words could settle, several of them frowned. One of the generals scoffed. "You’re being idiotic."
Frank’s eyes flicked toward him, but another general stood up first, his chair scraping loudly.
"We’re barely holding on against zombies, and you’re talking about war? Now you want to challenge the SiIvy Base too? I’m out."
He turned and left. A few others followed without hesitation, those who truly understood the SiIvy Base’s power.
Soon, only a handful of Frank’s subordinates remained.
Some of the departing generals even submitted their resignations on the spot. They already knew where they were going.
Meanwhile, Ivy stood atop the walls of her base, her sharp eyes constantly scanning the perimeter.
The stench of rotting flesh wafted up from beyond the walls, but none of the zombies managed to breach the defenses.
Below, people lined up calmly under her management.
No fear. Some even sat on the ground, eating, casually watching the zombies as if they were some grotesque form of entertainment.
Seeing this, Ivy’s lips twitched. She suppressed a smile. ’So carefree...’
As she began her patrol, a familiar voice reached her ears.
She stopped. She wouldn’t have recognized the person by appearance alone... but the voice was unmistakable.
’I’ve heard this voice for nearly two years,’ she thought. ’How could I forget?’
Grace.
In her previous life, Ivy had been blind. She had never seen Grace’s face.
Now, she could. When their eyes met, Ivy smiled coldly for a brief moment before masking it completely.
She resumed walking at an unhurried pace, as if nothing at all had happened.
On the other side of the hall, Grace stared at the pink-haired woman with open admiration, her eyes practically sparkling.
If Silas had been present, he would have recognized her instantly.
The woman was Patricia.
And at this very moment, Grace was fawning over her without restraint, repeatedly calling her Ivy, her voice filled with reverence.
In truth, Patricia had been hired by Ivy the moment Ivy learned that Grace had gone so far as to bully her friends.
In her previous life, Ivy had never known about any of this.
Back then, she had been drowning in her own sorrow, convinced it was acceptable to ignore the world.
Even when her closest friends suffered, she had been too consumed by her own misery to notice.
’That life is over,’ she thought now. ’This time, I will take justice for them myself.’
Grace kept chatting enthusiastically with Patricia, her words tumbling over one another.
Then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Ivy approaching. Her breath hitched.
Her pupils shrank as she froze, staring between the two pink-haired women standing in the same space. A chill crawled up her spine. ’How can there be two...?’
She turned back to Patricia again and again, mentally counting, confirming that there were indeed two pink-haired women in front of her.
Panic bloomed. Finally, she forced a smile and asked,
"W-what’s your name?"
Patricia replied evenly, her tone calm and detached. "My name is Patricia."
The moment those words fell, Grace went stiff.
Her face drained of color as realization slammed into her.
’I’ve been fawning over the wrong person.’
Her lips twitched, anger bubbling up, and for a split second she wanted to lash out, to accuse Patricia of deception.
But reason snapped her back. ’She never once said she was Ivy.’
Grace clenched her fists tightly, nails digging into her palms, before abruptly turning away.
She rushed toward Ivy, blocking her path, and burst into sobs.
The sound was sharp and sudden, drawing curious glances from those standing nearby.
Ivy didn’t even spare her a look. She continued walking, her steps unhurried.
"Hm... people here are alright I should continue," she muttered coolly, as if Grace didn’t exist.
Panicking, Grace wiped her tears and hurried after her, forcing herself in front of Ivy so she had no choice but to stop.
Ivy frowned slightly and glanced past her. "And who are you?"
Grace straightened immediately, putting on a cautious expression. She looked at Ivy as if wronged.
"I’m just a citizen of this base," she said smoothly. "I was almost scammed by someone here."
"I don’t have time for this," Ivy replied flatly, turning to leave.
Grace rushed forward again, her voice sharp with desperation. "She’s not Ivy! But you are, you should take action against her!"
Ivy paused. Slowly, she raised a brow, her gaze settling on Grace with calm amusement.
"And who told you my name was Ivy?"
Grace’s face twisted, humiliation and fury blending together.
She glared at Ivy with burning resentment.
Earlier, she hadn’t dared say anything to Patricia because she had personally witnessed Patricia’s high standing within the base.
But this woman? She looked leisurely, unguarded, patrolling casually.
’She must be insignificant.’
Her restraint snapped.
"You’re shameless!" Grace shouted. "If you weren’t Ivy, you should have said so from the beginning!"
Ivy smiled faintly, her eyes cool.
"Why would I announce my name to everyone?" she replied. "If someone wants to know who I am, they can ask."
Grace’s fists trembled as she snapped back,
"That’s because people are scamming others in Ivy’s name!"
Her gaze dropped to Ivy’s hair, and she let out a mocking chuckle.
"Your pink hair must be fake. At least Patricia’s looks real."
For a brief moment, both Ivy and Patricia were speechless.
Patricia subconsciously touched her hair, a strange thought crossing her mind. ’Is my wig really better than hers?’
Ivy inhaled slowly, suppressing the anger rising in her chest. Her voice remained steady.
"Are you done?" she asked coolly.
Grace felt terrible. Her chest was tight, emotions chaotic, and she desperately needed an outlet.
Without hesitation, she pointed at Ivy, her voice shrill.
"You should apologize to me," she demanded. "If you don’t, I won’t let this go."