Chapter 45 Smoldering Strength Behind the Walls


    Even Theresa had her more humane moments. Knowing Dave’s legs didn’t exactly work like they used to, she gave him the gentlest tasks she could-simple, physical work that wouldn’t wear him down. So off he went to wash vegetables, chop them up, and keep themunal stew pot going.


    To her own surprise, Theresa felt oddly liberated. For once, she didn’t have to lift a finger herself. She jogged a fewps around the outside of the bunker to warm up, and while she was at it, carefully reset the traps that had been damaged earlier. Her hands moved with practiced precision, restoring each mechanism to its intended deadliness.


    Partway through, the system chimed in her head with its familiar cold monotone. Ding-Territory expansion detected: 100 square meters! Awarding 100 points!


    The message echoed clearly, and she felt it-her territory had grown. That confirmed what she’d suspected all along: sending others out to expand her borders worked just as well as doing it herself.


    Then, another thought crossed her mind. If the people under my domain started moving farther out and settling beyond the original boundary… would thatnd count as mine too?


    It was worth testing. But for now, she only had one household living under her roof, and she remained highly selective about who she allowed in. People, in general, weren’t really her thing.


    After her run, she returned to camp, suddenly aware of the silence pressing in around her. With nothing demanding her attention, she felt oddly out of ce, restless in the quiet.


    There was a reason she hadn’t gone out to push the borders herself. Now that there were outsiders inside her bunker, there was no chance she’d leave it unguarded.


    After a short stretch to cool down, she made her way to the open space nearby and began running through herbat drills. From the kitchen, Dave could hear it-the sharp rhythm of fists cutting through the air. He nced over, and what he saw made him freeze.


    Theresa’s strikes were brutal and precise, each punchnding with bone-cracking force, every kick whipped out with lethal grace. Her movements were fluid and explosive, clean in their violence.


    Holy sh*t.


    She wasn’t just strong.


    She was terrifying.


    Even as a seasoned soldier, Dave had to admit-her skills were on a whole other level. There was nothing ornamental about the way she moved. Every strike was designed to kill, every motion fine-tuned through necessity, not vanity. He couldn’t look away.


    “What are you staring at?” she called over, not even breaking rhythm. “Trying to steal my moves?”


    Her voice snapped him back to himself. That old sh of fear washed through him again. He ducked his head at once and got back to his cooking, stirring with renewed focus.


    Still, he couldn’t help sneaking a few more nces. She really was that good. If he had to bet, he’d say she could take down Lucas without breaking a sweat.


    Byte afternoon, the group Theresa had sent out earlier returned. And true to her word, there was food


    waiting.


    Dave had been cooking nonstop. He’d stir-fried a mountain of scrambled eggs with chives-Theresa had more than she knew what to do with-and brought yesterday’s leftover hot pot back to life as a rich. chaotic stew.


    In a world where every resource mattered, nothing had gone to waste. Not a single skewer fromst night had been thrown out. She’d made sure Dave reheated everything, and they were going to eat everyst drop.


    When the team saw the steaming dishesid out before them, some were nearly moved to tears. Each one grabbed a rice cooker and started inhaling food like it was thest meal on Earth.


    The greasy broth that once would’ve made them cringe now tasted like salvation. Everyonedled it generously over their rice and ate in silence, too hungry-and too grateful-for words.


    In this broken world, where they hadn’t seen real oil or meat in weeks, even the heaviest grease tasted like hope.


    Calories? Health? None of that mattered anymore. This broth was worth its weight in gold.


    Theresa and Kyle, of course, had a meal of their own. She’d made them a private serving of tender, slow- cooked braised pork. The smell alone was enough to make mouths water.


    ‘Nothing beats braised pork, right, Kyle?” she said, grinning as she took a bite.


    He nodded without hesitation. “Absolutely.”


    ‘I made too much,” she added. “Might need a few more people to help us finish.”


    Across the room, the ones still spooning barbecue onto their tes froze, forks suspended mid-air. For one fleeting second, they nearly abandoned all their convictions. Could she quit doing this to them already?


    After dinner, Theresa handed out more assignments. She had them begin constructing a row of simple housing units just outside the bunker. She’d already gathered the tools and materials ahead of time, thanks to an earlier sweep through a massive shopping center. A few furniture stores had been stripped clean- steel frames, metal beams, and plenty of usable parts.


    Once the skeletons of the shelters were up, she added beds and thick downforters.


    Luxurious by today’s standards-and she had plenty.


    “Kyle, you’ll sleep here for now,” she told him. “In the morning, head up into the mountains and start cutting timber. We’ll need to reinforce the structures.”


    “Yes, ma’am.”


    The interior of the bunker remained off-limits. That was Theresa’s private space. Not even Kyle got to sleep inside. The makeshift homes outside would serve him well enough-and also double as lookout posts, giving him a full view of the camp’s perimeter.


    Once she’d finished overseeing everything outside, Theresa headed back in to rest.


    It was then that Sebastian spoke up. “Theresa, any update on Lucas?”


    “Still out cold,” she said without hesitation.


    When she’d left earlier, Lucas had still been unconscious. And honestly, it was beginning to concern her. What was taking him so long to wake up?


    Still, she had checked him over. His breathing was steady, and his wounds weren’t worsening.


    For now, there was nothing more to do but wait.