Zombie Apocalypse: I Have Safe Zone Superpower

Chapter 466: Chapter 466: Exposed Arnold -1

Arnold ignored her tone entirely. His expression was grave. "You should listen to me," he insisted. "I’m already planning to resign."

Martha lifted her gaze sharply

"You shouldn’t stay here," Arnold continued.

"Ivy is too heartless. She let her soldiers fight, and when it came time to take responsibility, she didn’t even increase the compensation."

Martha fell silent. Inside, she was rolling her eyes so hard it almost hurt. ’Here he goes again,’ she thought coldly.

Arnold pressed on. "With someone that heartless, maybe one day she’ll even deal with you the same way."

Martha finally looked up at him, her eyes sharp.

"If you truly think the base is that terrible," she replied calmly, "why haven’t you left already?"

She leaned back in her chair. "Maybe if you set an example, I’ll find the courage to leave too."

Arnold clenched his fists. "I’ve already handed in my resignation," he snapped. "If you want, I can show you proof."

Martha nodded coolly. "Then show it."

Arnold narrowed his eyes. "Why have you suddenly changed?"

Martha mirrored his expression. "What do you mean?"

Arnold sat down in the chair opposite her, his voice turning accusatory.

"Lately, you’ve been treating me like an enemy. Like I’m trying to scam you."

He paused. "Did Ivy say something about me?"

Martha nearly laughed. ’How shameless,’ she thought, but she held it back. Instead, she looked at him seriously.

"If that’s how you feel," she replied evenly, "then ask yourself this... have you done anything that would make you look like a scammer?"

Arnold stared at her for several long seconds before scoffing. "You’re overthinking," he said stiffly.

"I’m only saying this because I suspect someone might be deliberately creating misunderstandings between us."

Martha looked at Arnold with a calm, steady gaze.

"If you know so much about all this, then why don’t you tell me who you were talking about?"

Arnold met her eyes, his expression unusually serious, his jaw tightening as if he was genuinely furious. "It was Ivy."

Martha let out a small chuckle, more amused than convinced.

"Why would Ivy need to manipulate me?"

’That doesn’t make sense,’ she thought, folding her arms loosely.

Arnold hesitated, falling silent for a moment before continuing,

"

Maybe because she knew there was a woman who would dedicate herself so blindly... "

"Stop."

Martha cut him off sharply, her voice firm enough to make him freeze.

"First of all, stop acting like I am a helpless woman. And stop pretending that I’ve been the victim all along."

The room felt heavier, the tension pressing against her skin. Arnold stared at her, disbelief flashing in his eyes.

"Who has manipulated you this much?"

Before she could respond, he stood up abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor. His disappointment was unmistakable, almost theatrical.

"If you can’t appreciate my goodwill, then I won’t stay near you anymore."

With that, he turned and walked away.

To anyone else, it would have looked like a painful farewell. A man leaving because he loved too deeply. Even Martha might have believed that... if she hadn’t already spoken to Ivy.

The memory tightened her chest, and she clenched her fist unconsciously.

That day, Ivy had come to her, casually assigning her some tasks, unaware at first that Martha was acting strange.

When Ivy finally noticed, she confronted her directly. The words had poured out of Martha like a dam breaking every grievance, every doubt, every buried resentment.

After hearing everything, Ivy had looked at her quietly for a moment. "Do you really think I don’t appreciate you?"

Martha shook her head slowly. "No... I don’t think that."

Still, there were things Arnold had mentioned that weren’t entirely wrong. Ivy already knew that Kael once had a substitute, yet she had hidden that fact.

Ivy didn’t dodge it. Her gaze had turned serious.

"I was wrong there. I acted partially. I wanted my brother’s happiness, and somewhere along the way, I forgot about yours."

Her voice had remained steady, almost severe. "If you want to punish me for that, you can. However, you want."

Martha remembered staring at her sincerity. She had smiled softly, feeling a little taken aback.

This was nothing like what Arnold had predicted. He had claimed Ivy would make excuses, shift blame, or gaslight her.

But Ivy hadn’t done any of that.

’I misjudged her,’ Martha realized as her guard slowly lowered.

Ivy continued, "Other than that, I don’t believe I’ve wronged you anywhere else."

Martha nodded. "There’s something else you should know," Ivy added. "Maybe it’ll help you see things more clearly."

Martha waited.

"There are spies in my base. Military ones... and Black Vultures."

The moment those words landed, Martha’s eyes widened. "You think Arnold is one of them?"

Ivy nodded calmly.

"I intercepted information. And the way he influenced you so easily... it didn’t sit right with me. You’re clear-headed. You know right from wrong."

She paused. "I did make mistakes. But if I were truly trying to harm you, I wouldn’t have hired you at all. As for those unreasonable words of being victims... Martha... you aren’t one... he is manipulating into acting like one."

Her voice hardened. "As for my trust..."

Then Ivy continued, listing everything Martha had never fully noticed. She had given Martha half the responsibility.

Paid her for overtime. Left her in charge whenever she was absent. Martha was the second base leader... trusted to run everything when Ivy had gone to retrieve her parents.

"That’s how much I trusted you," Ivy had said.

"So to say I don’t trust you, or that I’d mistreat you, would be a lie."

And there was the salary. Others received increments yearly. Martha’s increased every month.

’She was making sure I got what I deserved,’ Martha realized bitterly.

Taking a deep breath, Martha had clenched her fists. "I was wrong."

Ivy had immediately shaken her head.

"No. Someone used influence. A superpower. Made you feel like a victim."

She had looked directly into Martha’s eyes. "If you still believe Arnold, I can prove it."

Martha’s curiosity had sparked despite herself. "How?"