Cold Blood, Hot Revenge(English-dubbed) | Full Short Drama | English Sub 2026

Cold Blood, Hot Revenge(English-dubbed)

Watch the full short drama with English subtitles. CEO, billionaire, revenge, betrayal — complete story in one video.

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Transcript

00:00:00The bone-shattering cold is my last memory of my past life.

00:00:03In a high-rise office, temperature 110 degrees,

00:00:06I was locked in by my partners, like an ice sculpture abandoned by the world.

00:00:10The assistant I'd scorned, Ethan Croft, broke the bulletproof glass with his bare bloody hands.

00:00:14He stuck the last heating pad to my chest and carried me down 60 floors, only to die in the

00:00:19blizzard.

00:00:20President Hale, your coffee, 30% sugar.

00:00:22A slightly hoarse and humble voice exploded in my ears like thunder.

00:00:25I snapped my eyes open, no harsh wind, only the A.C. humming at 75 degrees.

00:00:30This was the board meeting at Hale Group.

00:00:31The table sat partners ready to tear me apart.

00:00:34Ethan hunched over, handing me the coffee.

00:00:36My eyes fell on his profile and widened in shock.

00:00:38His right hand touched his left ear.

00:00:40It was perfectly intact now, but I remembered during our escape

00:00:43that ear had frozen purple, black and brittle, and fallen off in the snow.

00:00:46He had been reborn too.

00:00:48The thrill of escaping death surged through me.

00:00:50I grabbed Ethan's silk tie, pulling him so hard he had to lean in close to me.

00:00:54President Hale?

00:00:54A flash of panic crossed his eyes, yet deep inside, a burning devotion only I could see.

00:00:59I stared him dead in the eye and announced to everyone, word by word,

00:01:02Ethan, your salary increases tenfold starting now.

00:01:05This life, your life is mine.

00:01:07My money is yours.

00:01:08The meeting room was dead silent.

00:01:09Derek Shaw, my backstabbing former VP, let out a sneer.

00:01:13President Hale, a tenfold raise for an assistant?

00:01:15Are you crazy, or did you party too hard last night?

00:01:18I glared at him coldly.

00:01:19The memory of him kicking me out of the car in our past life to save a quart of gas

00:01:23repeatedly tormented my mind.

00:01:24Derek Shaw, you're fired.

00:01:26Get out right now.

00:01:27I ignored his furious yelling and dragged Ethan straight into the CEO's office, locking

00:01:31the door behind us.

00:01:32In the quiet room, our heavy breathing was clearly audible.

00:01:35Ethan Cross's meek facade instantly crumbled.

00:01:37He clopped heavily to his knees in front of me.

00:01:39President Hale, today is May 18th.

00:01:42And we have 29 days until the extreme cold hits.

00:01:45I finished his sentence.

00:01:47Ethan Cross looked up, his eyes bloodshot.

00:01:49I couldn't carry you out of those woods in our past life.

00:01:52This time, my life is yours.

00:01:54He pulled a heavily worn notebook from his jacket, filled with the names of all the traitors

00:01:58from our past life and the shelter coordinates.

00:02:00I've made a list of everyone who betrayed you.

00:02:03Ethan Cross gave a grim yet intense smile.

00:02:05President Hale, in this life we won't be ghosts in hell.

00:02:08We'll be the kings who reap lives.

00:02:11Ethan Cross, make some insider info for me.

00:02:13I stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking at the sunlight outside, so bright

00:02:17it felt almost fake.

00:02:18Say that the Hale group is involved in illegal fundraising and our capital chain has broken.

00:02:22And that I, Vivian Hale, am about to flee with the debt.

00:02:25Ethan Cross caught on immediately, his fingers flying across the keyboard.

00:02:28In less than two hours, those money-grubbing executives panicked, like hyenas smelling

00:02:32rotting meat.

00:02:33They scrambled to sell off the shares they once treasured, just wanting to make a final buck

00:02:37before the ship sank.

00:02:38I sat behind the scenes, watching the stock price drop like a guillotine, completely unfazed.

00:02:42President Hale, Derek Shaw and his crew lost all their pensions, and they're desperately

00:02:46looking for a bag holder.

00:02:48Ethan Cross reported in a low voice.

00:02:50Buy it all, I sneered.

00:02:51Buy back all their physical assets and storage rights at the lowest price.

00:02:55Not only that, but I also used a complex corporate structure to package $300 million in accumulated

00:03:00bad debts and toxic assets, stuffing them into the traitors' shell companies.

00:03:04They thought they had made a fortune shorting the market during this crash, not knowing they

00:03:07had just signed IOUs straight to hell.

00:03:09Watching the security footage of Derek Shaw and his gang popping champagne to celebrate

00:03:13cashing out, I flashed the screen my most ruthless, deadly smile.

00:03:17Money is just a number now.

00:03:18Supplies are the real ticket to surviving the apocalypse.

00:03:21Once the $600 million I cashed out hit my account, I cancelled all my high-society galas.

00:03:25Ethan Cross drove me deep into a deserted mountain.

00:03:28Here lies the most inconspicuous asset under my name, one that never even made it onto the

00:03:32financial reports.

00:03:36In my past life, I often thought that if there were a place with absolute temperature control,

00:03:41we could survive even if it was minus 150 degrees outside.

00:03:45Ethan Cross pushed open the heavy alloy bin.

00:03:47I was stunned.

00:03:48How is this a cold chain warehouse?

00:03:50Over the past two weeks, Ethan Cross had hired top-tier engineering teams to secretly expand

00:03:55this place into a reinforced five-story underground fortress.

00:03:59The walls were a mix of lead plates and special thermal insulation, a full three feet thick.

00:04:03President Hale, I come from a family of hunters up north.

00:04:07In the face of extreme cold, those reinforced concrete buildings in the city are as brittle

00:04:11as crackers.

00:04:12Ethan Cross pointed at the bottomless reservoir and the independent circulation system.

00:04:16He took off his jacket, revealing his lean back covered in deformed scars from the healed

00:04:20frostbite he suffered carrying me to safety in our past life.

00:04:24He turned around, his gaze so intense it felt like it could melt me.

00:04:28President Hale, let me protect you in this life.

00:04:30Once these doors close, it's hell outside, but in here, it's our heaven.

00:04:34As a capitalist, my greatest strength is consolidating resources.

00:04:37For the next ten days, I spent that $600 million in cash like a maniac.

00:04:41Get me the largest energy supplier in the state.

00:04:43Yes, I want 50,000 tons of industrial anthracite, 20,000 barrels of high-grade diesel, and the

00:04:48matching silent generators.

00:04:49I want the entire inventory of every down jacket factory in the state, whether it's this season's

00:04:53or back stock, ship it all to these coordinates, even the scrap goose down, countless heavy

00:04:57trucks loaded with daily supplies, under the cover of night, streamed continuously toward

00:05:01the compound deep in the mountains, dehydrated vegetables, self-heating hot pots, canned goods,

00:05:06antibiotics, and even boxes upon boxes of heat packs.

00:05:09I practically emptied every cold-chain food warehouse within a 500-mile radius.

00:05:12The delivery driver in charge of the drop-off, looking at the mountains of supplies scattered

00:05:16all over, wiped his cold sweat and asked me, President Hale, with this scale, are you

00:05:20planning to start a small local war?

00:05:22Sitting in the command seat, flipping through the survival checklist Ethan Cross handed me,

00:05:26I answered without looking up, no, I just don't want to end up fighting people for shoes

00:05:30when winter comes.

00:05:31At this time, the weather bureau was still completely peaceful.

00:05:35Experts were still predicting a warm winter this year.

00:05:37Only I knew that it was the Grim Reaper's disguise before he strikes.

00:05:40A week before the apocalypse hit, trouble came knocking.

00:05:43Former Vice President Derek Shaw somehow found out I was moving supplies deep into the mountains.

00:05:47He brought along my love-struck ex-boyfriend, a model who was good for nothing but his looks,

00:05:51and tried to intercept my transport convoy.

00:05:53Vivian Hale, why did you spend all your money on this junk?

00:05:56Derek Shaw blocked the road with a few thugs looking menacing.

00:05:59Either give me half, or I'll report you for illegally hoarding strategic supplies.

00:06:03My ex-boyfriend was being even more dramatic, standing in front of the car looking all gloomy.

00:06:08Vivian, you've changed. Are you letting yourself go because we broke up?

00:06:11Stop messing around and come back with me.

00:06:13Sitting in the car, looking at the two accomplices who got me killed in my past life,

00:06:17I felt a wave of disgust.

00:06:19Ethan Cross, get rid of them, I ordered coldly.

00:06:21Ethan Cross didn't get out of the car to fight.

00:06:23Instead, he just dialed a number.

00:06:25In less than 10 minutes, several police cars arrived with sirens blaring.

00:06:29The document Derek Shaw had on him happened to be the illegal asset transfer contract

00:06:32I tricked him into signing earlier.

00:06:34That was solid proof of financial fraud and illegal business operations.

00:06:37President Hale, since they like to make trouble so much,

00:06:40let them enjoy the feeling of an unheated prison cell in the early days of the apocalypse.

00:06:44My ex-boyfriend knelt by the car window, begging for forgiveness.

00:06:47I just signaled Ethan Cross to hit the gas.

00:06:50The tires rolled through the mud, leaving that hypocritical face far behind.

00:06:54As the countdown entered its final three days, the compound's defenses were finally complete.

00:06:59For the first time, I saw what Ethan Cross was truly capable of.

00:07:02He wasn't just the submissive assistant from the office tower.

00:07:06He was a top-tier survival hunter.

00:07:08He expertly set up thermal cameras and a hidden high-voltage grid around the perimeter of the compound.

00:07:13But what shocked me most were the long black cases he dragged up from the basement.

00:07:17President Hale, back north.

00:07:19This is what we use when the wolves come.

00:07:21He pulled out a heavy-duty steel crossbow, his eyes as sharp as an unsheathed blade.

00:07:25He stripped, oiled, and calibrated it with effortless fluidity.

00:07:28The raw tension of an alpha predator made even a seasoned CEO like me skip a beat.

00:07:32Ethan Cross, how many more surprises are you hiding? I asked.

00:07:35He didn't turn around, just calmly sank a bolt into a bullseye 160 feet away.

00:07:39President Hale, all my skills are just to make sure that when you wake up,

00:07:43there aren't any crazed lunatics scratching at your window.

00:07:46He even built a secret escape tunnel into the crevices of the compound's rock walls.

00:07:49Once the extreme cold hits, it'll be a lawless wasteland.

00:07:53He turned back, the moonlight illuminating his resolute features.

00:07:56President Hale, from now on, this place is a restricted zone.

00:07:59Without your permission, not even God can get in.

00:08:02The supply warehouse was already overflowing, but it still didn't feel like enough.

00:08:06As a woman, I knew better than Ethan Cross how to maintain a little dignity in the ruins.

00:08:10I stocked an entire warehouse with silk robes and cotton underwear,

00:08:13mountains of premium skincare products,

00:08:15and top-tier hair oil to keep my hair silky even at 112 degrees below zero.

00:08:19What left Ethan Cross exasperated yet pleasantly surprised was the recreational space I specially set up.

00:08:24It was packed with all the out-of-print action figures Ethan Cross had wanted

00:08:27but couldn't bring himself to buy in his past life.

00:08:30There was a whole wall of limited-edition manga

00:08:32and three top-of-the-line PCs with the highest specs on the market.

00:08:35President Hale, these are useless in the apocalypse.

00:08:38Ethan Cross stared at the figures, a faint glimmer in his eyes.

00:08:41Says who?

00:08:42The most terrifying thing in the apocalypse isn't the cold, it's the loneliness.

00:08:46I poured a glass of red wine and handed it to him.

00:08:49I want you to not just survive, but to live with dignity.

00:08:52I also hoarded top-tier graphics cards and tons of single-player games.

00:08:56Since it'll be a frozen wasteland outside, we can just hide in the basement and beat them all.

00:09:00President Hale, you actually remember I like this series?

00:09:03Ethan Cross took the wine, his voice a bit hoarse.

00:09:06I smiled without saying a word.

00:09:08Before he died in his past life, he was still clutching a snow-soaked manga poster to his chest.

00:09:12It was his only comfort. In this life, I'm giving it all back to him.

00:09:16June 14th was supposed to be the peak of summer heat.

00:09:19At noon, the scorching sun was instantly snuffed out by some indescribable force,

00:09:23and the sky turned an eerie lead-gray.

00:09:25In three minutes, the temperature plummeted from 86 to 14 degrees.

00:09:29Pedestrians on the street were still wearing shorts and t-shirts,

00:09:32screaming in terror as the sudden cold snap froze them in their tracks.

00:09:35The compound satellite network was still online.

00:09:38I opened the Hale group's internal group chat.

00:09:40Derek Shaw and the executives were huddled by the floor-to-ceiling windows of the office tower,

00:09:44staring in despair at the river outside freezing over instantly.

00:09:47The central air conditioning had long since died from the unstable voltage.

00:09:51President Hale, help! The office tower is locked down and the power's out.

00:09:55Where are you? Vivian Hale, please open the door.

00:09:58Do you have a bunker? Take me with you.

00:09:59Holding a glass of warm red wine, I sent my final message to the chat.

00:10:03Everyone, according to the laws of the apocalypse, you've been officially laid off.

00:10:07Don't bother waiting for your paychecks, because money for the dead holds more value now.

00:10:11Sent. Power off.

00:10:12Just then, the first black snowflake fell from the sky.

00:10:15It was a mutated crystal formed by the extreme temperature difference in the atmosphere.

00:10:19The extreme cold apocalypse had officially begun.

00:10:22Outside the compound, the snowstorm howled like a trapped beast,

00:10:25black ice crystals fracturing the world.

00:10:27Meanwhile, inside the compound, the climate control system held steady at 79 degrees.

00:10:33Smokeless coal burned brightly in the fireplace, casting a warm orange glow across the floor.

00:10:37I took off my heavy coat, changed into a light silk robe,

00:10:40and walked barefoot on the thick faux wool rug.

00:10:43The savory aroma of the steak Ethan Cross was fearing filled the air.

00:10:46President Hale, top grade wagyu, cooked medium.

00:10:49Ethan Cross, wearing an apron, elegantly plated the food.

00:10:52Just then, the security system blared a shrill alarm.

00:10:55Since our cold chain compound released noticeable exhaust heat in the mountains,

00:10:58the first wave of fleeing refugees had followed the warmth straight to us.

00:11:02A few thugs in an SUV were waving shovels, trying to smash through our first insulated gate.

00:11:06Intruders!

00:11:07I stared at the screen, still gripping my wine glass.

00:11:09Ethan Cross's expression instantly turned ice cold.

00:11:12He didn't even take off his apron.

00:11:14He just walked to the control panel, his finger hovering over a red knob.

00:11:17President Hale, Lesson 1.

00:11:19In the apocalypse, mercy is cheaper than ice.

00:11:21He slams the knob down.

00:11:23Psst!

00:11:23The high voltage grid buried under the snow around the compound was instantly activated.

00:11:27Blinding electricity tore through the snowy night,

00:11:30and the screams lasted only a second before falling dead silent.

00:11:33The thugs dropped stiffly into the black snow like harvested wheat.

00:11:37Ethan Cross turned around, instantly returning to the docile assistant he was.

00:11:40President Hale, lunch won't taste good if it gets cold.

00:11:43On the Ultra HD screen in the compound's main hall,

00:11:46a live broadcast showed the grim scene at the Hale Group's headquarters office tower.

00:11:50The satellite signal was incredibly stable,

00:11:52showing those elites who usually wore suits and ties,

00:11:54exposing their ugliest sides to me without any reservation.

00:11:58The temperature outside had already dropped to minus 31 degrees Fahrenheit.

00:12:01Even inside that smart building which cost hundreds of millions to build,

00:12:04without heating, the glass curtain walls turned it into a deadly icebox.

00:12:08I leaned back on the temperature-controlled silk sofa,

00:12:11holding a glass of freshly squeezed cherry juice,

00:12:13and watched Derek Shaw on the screen.

00:12:15The former VP was huddled in the corner of the CEO's office.

00:12:17Draped in the curtain he'd ripped down from somewhere,

00:12:20his once-slicked-backed Hale was now a total rat's nest.

00:12:23He was screaming like a maniac into a dead landline.

00:12:25Look, Ethan, I pointed at the screen and laughed.

00:12:28He used to say this office was his kingdom.

00:12:30Ethan Cross stood behind me, expertly checking the springs on his crossbow.

00:12:33Hearing this he just gave it a cold glance.

00:12:35President Hale, his kingdom has collapsed.

00:12:37He's just a living ice sculpture now.

00:12:39Look, due to voltage fluctuations the electronic locks there are deadlocked.

00:12:42They don't even have a chance to go downstairs.

00:12:45Suddenly a commotion broke out on the screen.

00:12:47A few board members, fighting over a still-working water dispenser,

00:12:50threw away all dignity and started bawling.

00:12:52Derek Shaw rushed over and punched a guy right in the nose.

00:12:55This was the high-end workplace they were so proud of.

00:12:58Now for a few sips of warm water they were devolving into beasts.

00:13:01Derek Shaw finally settled down.

00:13:02He pulled a thick stack of documents from the safe.

00:13:05Those were the share transfer agreements and asset certificates

00:13:07that he painstakingly scammed out of me in my past life.

00:13:10At this moment, those papers that once represented wealth and social status became his only hope.

00:13:15With trembling hands, he tried to set the papers on fire for warmth.

00:13:18But because the room lacked oxygen and the air was damp,

00:13:21the flame flickered once and went out.

00:13:22What is he doing?

00:13:23I put down my juice, zooming in on the screen with great interest.

00:13:26He's trying to extract the last bit of heat from his wealth.

00:13:29Ethan Cross's voice carried a hint of mockery.

00:13:32Right after that, Derek Shaw fought with the financial director over a squashed survival biscuit.

00:13:36He had hidden it in his drawer for emergencies,

00:13:38but it accidentally fell on the floor.

00:13:40The two of them rolled around on the expensive Persian rug,

00:13:43biting and gouging eyes, acting completely primitive and cruel.

00:13:46In the end, Derek Shaw won.

00:13:48Covered in blood, he shoved the biscuit,

00:13:49mixed with carpet fuzz and dust, into his mouth.

00:13:52The greed in his eyes sent a chill down my spine right through the screen.

00:13:55Meanwhile, the $300 million equity certificates behind him

00:13:58were carelessly trampled underfoot, covered in filth.

00:14:01In this extreme cold, the only difference between a billionaire and a homeless man

00:14:04is whose bones are tougher.

00:14:05The satellite feed switched to the building's break room.

00:14:08Sitting there was a group of middle managers I once trusted the most,

00:14:11along with my self-proclaimed devoted ex-boyfriend.

00:14:14They were huddled around a pot of soup made from God knows what.

00:14:16Looking closely, I realized they were boiling Derek Shaw's expensive alligator shoes.

00:14:20To survive, these elites who usually demanded single-origin tea

00:14:23had resorted to boiling leather for a measly bit of fat.

00:14:26Vivian, are you watching?

00:14:27Save me.

00:14:28My ex suddenly dropped to his knees facing the camera.

00:14:30He had clearly lost his mind,

00:14:31kowtowing frantically at the lens.

00:14:33He knew the building's security system had a backup network,

00:14:36and guessed I'd be watching from somewhere warm.

00:14:38I watched his forehead slam against the coal tiles,

00:14:40making a dull thud,

00:14:41but I felt absolutely nothing.

00:14:42In my past life,

00:14:43he used this exact same pitiful look to trick me into giving him my winter coat.

00:14:47Muted Ethan, I said coldly.

00:14:49Yes, Ms. Hale.

00:14:49Ethan turned off the audio.

00:14:51The room instantly went quiet.

00:14:52The people on the screen looked like they were performing an absurd pantomime,

00:14:55both grotesque and comical.

00:14:57That part of shoe soup might get them through the night,

00:14:59but it definitely won't keep them alive till sunrise.

00:15:01On the fifth day of the apocalypse,

00:15:03Black Snow had already buried the first floor of the city.

00:15:06Looking at the satellite panorama,

00:15:07the once bustling CBD now looked like a giant graveyard.

00:15:10The power was completely out,

00:15:12and the signal was getting choppy.

00:15:13The people in the office tower had probably reached their limits.

00:15:16Derek Shaw finally killed someone.

00:15:17To snatch the last intact winter coat,

00:15:19he slit the financial director's throat with a box cutter.

00:15:22Blood splattered against the snow-white wall,

00:15:24instantly freezing into dark purple ice crystals.

00:15:26Like a madman,

00:15:27he put on the bloody coat and laughed maniacally at the empty hallway.

00:15:30That's the last signal packet,

00:15:32Ethan Cross said,

00:15:33pointing at the blinking red dot on the screen.

00:15:34In ten minutes their comm tower will completely freeze and shatter.

00:15:37I watched the red dot blink one last time before it disappeared.

00:15:40That meant in that office tower,

00:15:42whether it was betrayal,

00:15:43slaughter,

00:15:43or begging for mercy,

00:15:45all would be forever sealed in the darkness of minus 40 degrees.

00:15:48No one would ever know.

00:15:49Let's go Ethan Cross.

00:15:50Stop staring at dead people.

00:15:52I stood up.

00:15:52The floor heating is a bit too warm.

00:15:54Turn it down a degree for me.

00:15:55Ethan Cross bowed slightly,

00:15:57but his eyes stayed on the last frame before the feed cut.

00:15:59Derek Shaw was staring dead into the camera,

00:16:01as if his gaze could pierce the screen and curse everyone living in the warmth.

00:16:04The show is over.

00:16:05Now it's time for our own game of survival.

00:16:07The signal from the office tower was completely cut off.

00:16:10My world shrank to this compound deep in the mountains.

00:16:13The wind outside sounded like wailing ghosts.

00:16:15It was the sound of highly compressed air squeezing through rock crevices.

00:16:18Ethan Cross took me on a tour of the entire warehouse area.

00:16:21All the supplies were neatly organized.

00:16:23Boss, starting today, we have to do strict physical training.

00:16:26Ethan Cross handed me a specially made winter combat suit.

00:16:29In this apocalyptic winter,

00:16:30your body's heat retention determines how long you survive.

00:16:33I looked at the fitted hardcore gear in confusion.

00:16:36I have this fortress.

00:16:37Do I really need to get my hands dirty?

00:16:38But Ethan Cross got unusually serious.

00:16:41He took a step closer,

00:16:42exuding the overwhelming pressure of a hunter.

00:16:44Boss, if this fortress falls one day, or if I die,

00:16:47you need to be able to kill any threat.

00:16:49In the apocalypse, there's no permanent safety,

00:16:51only constant vigilance.

00:16:52His presumptuous tone left me a bit dazed.

00:16:55It was as if he was no longer my assistant,

00:16:56but the mentor of this territory.

00:16:58I took the clothes,

00:16:59my fingertips brushing his warm palm.

00:17:01That warmth felt incredibly precious in this dead, frozen world.

00:17:04There was an ambition hidden in Ethan Cross's eyes that I'd never seen before.

00:17:08It was a madness driven by his desire to turn me into a hunter too.

00:17:11On the 10th day of the apocalypse,

00:17:13the temperature plummeted to minus 58 degrees.

00:17:15Even the alloy doors of the compound were covered in a thick layer of frost.

00:17:18Ethan Cross decided to take me out on my first field patrol.

00:17:22Our target was the frozen deep water pool behind the compound.

00:17:25We were going fishing.

00:17:26Ethan Cross strapped a heavy ice pig and a crossbow to his back,

00:17:29and pulled my mask tight.

00:17:30The moment we stepped out the door,

00:17:32even though we wore top tier heated thermal suits,

00:17:34I still felt an indescribable sense of suffocation.

00:17:37The air was so cold it felt like tiny blades piercing my lungs and my eyelashes froze instantly.

00:17:42The world was a dead silent white,

00:17:44and even the wind seemed frozen.

00:17:45Ethan Cross walked ahead.

00:17:47Every step he took was incredibly steady,

00:17:49as if he were rooted in the ice.

00:17:50He didn't hold my hand,

00:17:52but ordered me to walk in his footsteps.

00:17:54Keep your breathing steady and don't gulp the air,

00:17:56or you'll burn your windpipe,

00:17:58he instructed without looking back.

00:18:00In this environment,

00:18:01Ethan Cross radiated a cold, intense charisma.

00:18:03He was no longer the assistant fetching coffee in the boardroom,

00:18:06but it came surveying his territory.

00:18:08For the first time,

00:18:09I realized that the Ethan Cross who saved me in my past life

00:18:11had always worn a mask of subservience.

00:18:13When we reached the pool,

00:18:15Ethan Cross expertly cleared a patch of ice.

00:18:17He didn't break the ice right away,

00:18:18but lay flat on the three-foot-thick ice to listen for a moment,

00:18:21then precisely marked a few spots.

00:18:23To escape the cold,

00:18:24the fish under the ice gather around thermal springs.

00:18:27All we need to do is open a breathing hole for them.

00:18:29He handed me a lightweight ice axe.

00:18:31Boss he,

00:18:31you take the first swing.

00:18:33I swung the axe,

00:18:34but the force rebounded off the steel hard ice leaving my hands numb.

00:18:37Ethan Cross sighed and wrapped his arms around me from behind.

00:18:40His large hands gripping mine,

00:18:41don't force it from here,

00:18:42use your waist.

00:18:43His chest was pressed against my back,

00:18:45his burning body heat seeping through two layers of thermal suits.

00:18:48In that moment,

00:18:49I felt no aggression,

00:18:50only an unprecedented sense of security.

00:18:52As he drove the axe down,

00:18:54ice chips flew everywhere.

00:18:55He carved out a perfect circular hole,

00:18:57and clear water mixed with white mist instantly gushed out.

00:19:00He quickly dropped a hook loaded with high-calorie bait into the water.

00:19:03In the apocalypse,

00:19:04trading resources only makes you wealthy.

00:19:06But securing your own food gives you control over life and death.

00:19:09He stared at the hole,

00:19:11his eyes sharp as a hawk.

00:19:12Ethan Cross's profile looked incredibly rugged in the white mist.

00:19:15He held my hands,

00:19:16not letting go for a long time.

00:19:18Fishing was just an excuse.

00:19:19Ethan Cross's true goal was to teach me how to use a crossbow.

00:19:22He unswung a black compound crossbow from his back and handed it to me.

00:19:26The crossbow was heavy,

00:19:27radiating the lethal aura unique to cold weapons.

00:19:29Boss,

00:19:30look over there.

00:19:31Ethan Cross pointed at a dead tree snapped by the snow a hundred yards away.

00:19:34If that were a thug trying to steal your supplies,

00:19:36where would you aim your first shot?

00:19:38I paused for a moment and answered instinctively.

00:19:40The heart?

00:19:41No,

00:19:41the knee.

00:19:42Ethan Cross's voice was completely devoid of warmth.

00:19:45An extreme cold and immobilized enemy is more of a deterrent than a corpse.

00:19:48He'll beg,

00:19:49drain his companion's supplies and become a burden.

00:19:52He stood behind me,

00:19:53adjusting my scope.

00:19:54My heart was racing,

00:19:55partly because of his ruthless logic,

00:19:57and partly because of his breath right next to my ear.

00:19:59Pull the trigger.

00:20:00Imagine you're executing that bodyguard who kicked you out of the car in your past life.

00:20:03I closed my eyes,

00:20:05and the despair from my past life instantly washed over me.

00:20:08I opened my eyes and pulled the trigger.

00:20:09Whoosh!

00:20:10The bolt pierced through the blizzard,

00:20:12burying itself precisely into the dead trunk.

00:20:14Ethan Cross smiled in satisfaction.

00:20:16He reached out and ruffled my hair,

00:20:17his touch carrying an undisguised aggression.

00:20:20Returning from the ice fields to the compound,

00:20:22the stark contrast between hell and heaven was intoxicating.

00:20:24The dancing firelight illuminated Ethan Cross's face.

00:20:27He was expertly prepping the two strings of plump snow trout we'd just caught.

00:20:30I changed into a silk slip dress and wrapped myself in a cashmere blanket,

00:20:34then poured two glasses of vintage whiskey.

00:20:36Ethan Cross, you've changed,

00:20:37I said,

00:20:38watching his back as he worked.

00:20:39He stopped and turned around,

00:20:40the firelight dancing in his deep-set eyes.

00:20:43There is he.

00:20:43I haven't changed.

00:20:44I just don't need to pretend anymore.

00:20:46He walked over and took the glass,

00:20:47but didn't drink right away.

00:20:48Instead he stared down at me.

00:20:50The deference and assistant shows their boss had completely vanished,

00:20:53replaced by a guardian's possessiveness over his territory.

00:20:55When I died in my past life,

00:20:57my regret wasn't that I couldn't survive,

00:20:58but that I couldn't let you see the real me.

00:21:01He took a sip of the strong liquor,

00:21:02his eyes burning with intensity.

00:21:04There's he,

00:21:05in this fortress,

00:21:05I'm your assistant,

00:21:06your instructor,

00:21:07and most importantly,

00:21:08your only support.

00:21:09He slowly leaned over,

00:21:11resting his hands on the back of the sofa

00:21:12and trapping me in his embrace.

00:21:14The air was thick with the scent of whiskey,

00:21:16a faint hint of tobacco,

00:21:17and an extremely dangerous sexual tension.

00:21:19He suddenly lowered his head

00:21:20and kissed the red mole on my collarbone,

00:21:22the very spot he had stared at all night in the snow during his past life.

00:21:25Before the intimacy could fade,

00:21:27the level two alarm at the compound started flashing wildly.

00:21:30On the monitor,

00:21:31three men wrapped in tattered winter gear

00:21:32were using blowtorches to melt the grate from the compound's exhaust vents.

00:21:36They were clearly pros,

00:21:37knowing that if they destroyed the exhaust system,

00:21:39the people inside the compound would be forced to come out.

00:21:42Where's he?

00:21:42Watch from here.

00:21:43This is your second lesson.

00:21:44Ethan's eyes instantly shifted from tender to deadly cold.

00:21:47Without a word,

00:21:48he grabbed a tactical knife and pushed open a hidden side door.

00:21:51On the screen,

00:21:51Ethan's silhouette moved like a flash of black lightning,

00:21:54instantly appearing behind the three men under the cover of the blizzard.

00:21:57Before one of them could even turn his head,

00:21:59Ethan's large hands firmly gripped his jaw and the back of his head.

00:22:02With a sickening crunch,

00:22:03the man's head twisted 180 degrees at a grotesque angle.

00:22:07The remaining two raised their blowtorches in terror,

00:22:09but Ethan was much faster.

00:22:10He moved in a blur,

00:22:12his blade slicing through the air,

00:22:13and blood sprayed from both their throats almost simultaneously.

00:22:16The entire process took less than 10 seconds.

00:22:18Ethan sheathed his knife,

00:22:19casually wiping the blood off in the snow.

00:22:21He flashed a faint smile at the security camera.

00:22:24It was an elegant smile,

00:22:25yet it radiated an aura of death.

00:22:26I sat on the sofa,

00:22:28the whiskey swirling slightly in my glass.

00:22:30Only then did I realize I hadn't brought home a loyal hound,

00:22:32but a ruthless, cold-blooded wolf.

00:22:34One month into the apocalypse,

00:22:36the former financial system collapsed,

00:22:37and cash became meaningless scrap paper in this world of 76 degrees below zero.

00:22:41Gold is now nothing but cold heavy metal.

00:22:43The gold standard has been replaced by the heat standard.

00:22:46A heat pack that lasts eight hours

00:22:47drives people crazier than two pounds of pure gold.

00:22:49A high-calorie can of Spam is enough to buy a human life.

00:22:52I sat in the command chair at the compound,

00:22:54playing with a warm boiled egg in my hand.

00:22:56The compound's energy reserves could still last a long time,

00:22:58but I didn't squander them.

00:23:00Ethan Cross was sorting through the bartered loot.

00:23:02Famous paintings and jewelry that people once fought over at auctions

00:23:05were now casually tossed in the corner.

00:23:07New tea.

00:23:07The distress signals outside are getting more frequent.

00:23:10Ethan Cross pointed at the flashing red light on the comms panel.

00:23:12A lot of people are trying to trade supplies for heat.

00:23:15I took a sip of warm black tea,

00:23:16my eyes landing on the compound's thermal monitor.

00:23:19The faint residual heat from the compound's exhaust vents

00:23:21looked like a dazzling pearl on the cold infrared imaging,

00:23:24attracting countless dying moths.

00:23:25Then let's give them a chance.

00:23:26I smiled coldly.

00:23:27Let those once high and mighty aristocrats experience

00:23:29what it means to beg and be denied.

00:23:31I wasn't short on jewelry.

00:23:32I just loved watching those arrogant souls

00:23:34shatter piece by piece in the face of the cold.

00:23:36A familiar figure appeared on the monitor.

00:23:38It was Martin Cole,

00:23:39a former big shot in the venture capital world,

00:23:41and the arrogant man who, during the evacuation in my past life,

00:23:45mocked me as a woman who was only good at hoarding wealth.

00:23:47Right now, he was wearing a mink coat

00:23:49that had almost frozen into a hard shell,

00:23:51huddled like an old dog by the intercom at the compound's main gate.

00:23:54Vivian Hale, Miss Hale, I know you're in there.

00:23:57Save me.

00:23:57I have equity agreements worth $500 million

00:23:59and deeds to several overseas properties.

00:24:02I'll give them all to you.

00:24:03Just let me in to warm up by the fire.

00:24:05I turned on the intercom,

00:24:06my voice perfectly flat and calm.

00:24:08Mr. Cole,

00:24:08your overseas houses are probably buried in snow up to the chimneys by now.

00:24:12As for the equity,

00:24:13do you think it can keep my fireplace burning for even one more minute?

00:24:16Martin Cole froze.

00:24:17He probably never thought that the billions he was so proud of

00:24:19couldn't even buy him a ticket in right now.

00:24:21Then what do you want?

00:24:22He roared in despair,

00:24:24snot freezing into icicles on his beard.

00:24:25Just give me even a little bit of heat and I'll give you anything.

00:24:28I looked at his lips,

00:24:29purple from the cold,

00:24:30feeling no thrill of revenge,

00:24:32only the cold indifference of a judge.

00:24:34Mr. Cole,

00:24:34I heard you have a one-of-a-kind piece that you bought at an auction for $30 million.

00:24:39Martin Cole was stunned.

00:24:40Trembling,

00:24:41he pulled a delicate brocade box from his coat.

00:24:43It was his last shred of dignity,

00:24:45something he couldn't bear to part with even at his lowest.

00:24:47Just,

00:24:47just give me a little food and something warm,

00:24:49and this watch is yours.

00:24:51I signaled Ethan Cross to open a tiny mechanical transfer slot.

00:24:54The slot slowly opened.

00:24:56Deal.

00:24:56I tossed a basic heat pack onto the conveyor belt,

00:24:59along with half a piece of rock-hard bread.

00:25:01Martin Cole grabbed the heat pack like a madman,

00:25:03stuffing it into his coat without even tearing open the packaging,

00:25:06as if it were fire from the gods.

00:25:07Meanwhile,

00:25:08the $30 million antique watch,

00:25:10once a symbol of peak human craftsmanship,

00:25:11was tossed onto the belt like trash.

00:25:13The box slid down the track into my hand.

00:25:15I opened it,

00:25:16and the platinum dial sparkled under the light.

00:25:18The precise ticking of time felt incredibly ironic in this chaotic world.

00:25:22Martin Cole hugged the heat pack,

00:25:23sobbing bitterly,

00:25:24and this luxury watch was about to face its most humiliating purpose.

00:25:27Back in the compound's living room,

00:25:29the fire was roaring.

00:25:30I casually tossed the luxury watch into the center of the expensive Persian rug.

00:25:34The crisp sound it made was especially piercing in the quiet room.

00:25:37Ethan Cross sat across from me,

00:25:38playing with a few warm playing cards.

00:25:40If Martin Cole knew you were using this as a chip,

00:25:42Ms. He,

00:25:43he'd probably shatter from rage on the spot.

00:25:45Ethan Cross chuckled softly.

00:25:47To him,

00:25:47it's $30 million.

00:25:48But to me,

00:25:49it's just a trinket used to trade for a heat pack.

00:25:51I smoothed the hem of my silk robe,

00:25:53and sat down across from Ethan Cross.

00:25:55Come on,

00:25:55Assistant Cross,

00:25:56if you win,

00:25:57this watch is yours.

00:25:58We were playing the simplest game of high-low,

00:26:00but in this apocalyptic world of nothing but cold and dead silence,

00:26:03this absurd gamble had become our only pastime.

00:26:06I didn't care about winning or losing.

00:26:08I was just enjoying the thrill of trampling all the rules of the old world on the foot.

00:26:12Ethan Cross drew a card,

00:26:13his fingertips tracing the sapphire glass of the watch dial.

00:26:16The confidence of a hunter gleamed in his eyes.

00:26:18Ms. He,

00:26:18I won,

00:26:19he showed his card,

00:26:20but instead of taking the watch,

00:26:21he leaned in and grasped my hand.

00:26:23The watch isn't important.

00:26:24The question is,

00:26:25what are you willing to lose to me in this game?

00:26:27The heat of his palm was almost scorching.

00:26:29My heart actually skipped a beat at that moment.

00:26:31Martin Cole didn't leave after getting the heat packs.

00:26:34He tried to wait by the gate of the compound for the next handout,

00:26:37but I knew that in those desolate mountains,

00:26:39someone like him wouldn't survive the night.

00:26:41On the monitors,

00:26:41I saw a few more groups sneaking over.

00:26:43There were former corporate socialites,

00:26:45and former trust fund kids.

00:26:46They used to be the center of attention,

00:26:48but now they were just refugees begging for food in the bitter cold.

00:26:51They knelt before my gate,

00:26:53holding the things they once took pride in,

00:26:55expensive jewelry,

00:26:56masterpieces,

00:26:56or even questionable antique fragments,

00:26:58trying to trade them for even a mouthful of hot soup.

00:27:01Should I kill them all?

00:27:02Ethan Cross stood behind me,

00:27:03his voice so cold it didn't carry a hint of emotion.

00:27:06No need,

00:27:06let them waste their energy out there.

00:27:08I looked at the screen,

00:27:10my tone indifferent,

00:27:11watching them tear each other apart

00:27:12over a cold scrap of bread I toss out

00:27:14is much more fun than killing them.

00:27:16At this moment,

00:27:17I finally understood that the cruelest part of the apocalypse

00:27:20wasn't the scarcity of resources,

00:27:22but the complete reversal of social classes.

00:27:24I was no longer the female CEO who had to kiss up to investors.

00:27:27I was the god holding their lifelines.

00:27:29Miss Hay,

00:27:30you're becoming more and more like a true ruler.

00:27:32Ethan Cross bent down and whispered in my ear.

00:27:34I looked at his reflection on the screen.

00:27:36He was my very own sharpest weapon.

00:27:38Our peaceful life was shattered in the second month of the apocalypse.

00:27:41One day,

00:27:42a highly disciplined squad suddenly appeared on the radar.

00:27:44They wore matching white winter combat gear,

00:27:46and skillfully locked down several key intersections

00:27:48around the compound with military thermal detectors.

00:27:51It's the Heat Hunters.

00:27:52Ethan Cross's face grew solemn,

00:27:54his fingers flying across the screen.

00:27:56They're a group of scavengers made up of ex-mercenaries and polar experts.

00:27:59They specialize in raiding shelters with independent heating systems.

00:28:02These guys aren't refugees like Martin Cole.

00:28:04They're real vultures,

00:28:06sharp-nosed and extremely ruthless.

00:28:07The leader was a man with a scar on his face.

00:28:09He was staring at our exhaust vent with a greedy smile.

00:28:12They've locked onto our coordinates.

00:28:14Ethan Cross pulled up their intercepted comms.

00:28:16They think we have enough supplies here to last a thousand people a whole year.

00:28:20I stood up,

00:28:21my silk robe fluttering slightly in the draft from the heater.

00:28:23Since business negotiations have failed,

00:28:25we'll do things my way

00:28:26and show them what a one-way trip looks like.

00:28:29Ethan Cross got ready to hack into their radio channel.

00:28:31I sneered.

00:28:32Before we strike,

00:28:33I'll teach them a lesson in infighting.

00:28:34Greed is their best weapon,

00:28:36but it will also be their deadliest poison.

00:28:38The moment the radio channel connected,

00:28:40Scarface's rough voice came through the crackling static.

00:28:42Listen up,

00:28:42you bitch inside.

00:28:43We know you've got cold food and warm underfloor heating.

00:28:46Open the door if you know what's good for you,

00:28:48and we'll keep you alive as a toy.

00:28:50Otherwise,

00:28:50we'll use a high-pressure pump to flood the exhaust vent with ice water

00:28:53and turn you into a frozen corpse in an ice box.

00:28:56I pressed the talk button.

00:28:57My voice is elegant as always,

00:28:59as if I were leading a business negotiation.

00:29:01Mr. Scar,

00:29:01I appreciate your intuition.

00:29:03We do have everything you want here,

00:29:04even 3,000 bottles of premium red wine

00:29:07and an endless supply of power.

00:29:08I deliberately paused to let the temptation ferment in the freezing wind,

00:29:12but the compound can only support three more people.

00:29:14You've got over a dozen guys out there.

00:29:16Tell me,

00:29:16who should I open the door for?

00:29:17The other end of the channel instantly went dead silent.

00:29:20I upped the ante.

00:29:21Whoever brings the other's dog tags to my door gets a ticket in.

00:29:24Oh,

00:29:24by the way,

00:29:25the first person to kill a comrade will be rewarded with an extra week's heating supply

00:29:28and two khakis of premium bacon.

00:29:31On the monitors,

00:29:32the previously tight-knit heat hunters began to hesitate.

00:29:35They distanced themselves from each other,

00:29:37their eyes showing weariness instead of teamwork.

00:29:39The seeds of doubt had been planted.

00:29:41All that was left was to wait for the cold to catalyze them.

00:29:44The tight encirclement on the snowfield began to crack.

00:29:46Scarface tried to maintain order.

00:29:48He roared angrily,

00:29:49trying to win back his men's loyalty.

00:29:51But when humans face extreme hunger and cold,

00:29:53so-called loyalty is more fragile than ice.

00:29:55Don't listen to that woman.

00:29:56She's trying to divide us.

00:29:58Scarface roared.

00:29:59But she's right.

00:29:59The boss has heat in his car.

00:30:01While we're stuck squatting in the snow,

00:30:03a skinny team member suddenly shot back.

00:30:05As it got darker,

00:30:05the temperature plummeted to minus 85 degrees,

00:30:08and their thermal suit's battery started beeping.

00:30:10Meanwhile,

00:30:10the compound still exuded an inviting warmth.

00:30:13Finally,

00:30:13someone made a move.

00:30:14During a shift change,

00:30:15a team member drove a dagger into his comrade's back,

00:30:17just to snatch his spare battery.

00:30:19This is psychological warfare in business,

00:30:21Ethan Cross.

00:30:22I watched the absurd infighting on the monitor,

00:30:24swirling the red wine in my glass.

00:30:26As long as the stakes are high enough and indivisible,

00:30:28allies will turn into the worst enemies.

00:30:30Ethan Cross watched the screen,

00:30:32a cruel smirk playing on his lips.

00:30:34There's he.

00:30:34They've started killing each other.

00:30:36When do we clear them out?

00:30:37No rush.

00:30:38Wait until they wear each other out.

00:30:40Then you can go send them off.

00:30:42Scarface eventually killed all the doubters.

00:30:44But behind him,

00:30:45Ethan Cross had quietly pushed open the compound side door.

00:30:48The commotion outside gradually died down.

00:30:50Several corpses lay scattered across the snow,

00:30:52their blood instantly frozen into red agate.

00:30:55Scarface stood panting,

00:30:56gripping his gun.

00:30:57Only two equally shaken lackeys remained by his side.

00:31:00Open the door.

00:31:00I killed them all.

00:31:01Open up.

00:31:02He roared frantically at the security camera.

00:31:04I glanced at Ethan Cross.

00:31:06He had changed into a pure black tactical suit,

00:31:08holding a black compound crossbow

00:31:09with ten steel bolts strapped to his back.

00:31:11There's he.

00:31:12Let me handle taking out the trash.

00:31:13Ethan Cross's voice was low,

00:31:15laced with uncontainable malice.

00:31:17Wait inside.

00:31:17The stake isn't cold yet.

00:31:18I'll be right back.

00:31:20As he stepped through the first cabin door,

00:31:22the bitter cold seeped through the crack,

00:31:23but it was firmly blocked by his broad back.

00:31:26From the control room,

00:31:27I watched him walk alone into the vast white silence.

00:31:30As Ethan Cross emerged from the shadows,

00:31:31Scarface spotted him.

00:31:33He froze for a second,

00:31:34then viciously raised his gun,

00:31:35sending an assistant out to die.

00:31:37That bitch really underestimates me.

00:31:39Little did he know he wasn't facing an assistant,

00:31:41but a demon who had crawled out of a pile of corpses in his past life.

00:31:45The battle erupted in an instant.

00:31:46Scarface opened fire,

00:31:48his bullets sparking faintly in the freezing air.

00:31:50But Ethan Cross moved with eerie speed.

00:31:52He rolled through the snow,

00:31:54vanishing instantly into the white mist.

00:31:56Swish!

00:31:56A soft whistle echoed as a crossbow bolt pierced the air,

00:31:59instantly shattering the knee of one of Scarface's men.

00:32:02His screen was swallowed by the snowstorm before it could travel far.

00:32:05Then,

00:32:06Ethan Cross lunged from the snow.

00:32:07His tactical knife traced a graceful arc in the air,

00:32:10instantly slitting the throat of Scarface's last henchman.

00:32:12Blood sprayed like a fountain,

00:32:14freezing mid-air into an eerie fan shape.

00:32:16Now only Scarface was left.

00:32:18He fired wildly in all directions,

00:32:19but Ethan Cross was like a ghost in this snowy wasteland.

00:32:22By the time I could see this clearly on the monitors,

00:32:24Ethan Cross was already right behind Scarface.

00:32:27He didn't kill him right away.

00:32:28Instead,

00:32:29he snapped Scarface's legs with a precise kick,

00:32:31then drove crossbow bolts into his limbs one by one.

00:32:33Red blood,

00:32:34black bolts,

00:32:34white snow.

00:32:35Ethan Cross stood in the center of the snowfield.

00:32:38His usually gentle face was covered in blood,

00:32:40and the madness in his eyes terrified even me.

00:32:42He took on ten men alone,

00:32:44turning the snowfield into an altar of flesh and blood.

00:32:46Staring at the security camera,

00:32:48he slowly wiped the blood from his face,

00:32:49revealing a smile that was incredibly gentle,

00:32:52yet absolutely chilling.

00:32:53In the middle of the second month of the apocalypse,

00:32:55a group of extremely wretched visitors

00:32:57appeared on the compound's perimeter cameras.

00:32:59It was Derek Shaw and a few executives

00:33:01who used to call the shots at Hale Group.

00:33:02I thought they would have died

00:33:04in that unheated detention center,

00:33:05but the extreme cold triggered social unrest,

00:33:07causing mass prison breaks and paralyzing security.

00:33:10These scumbags actually survived

00:33:11by snatching the prisoners' winter coats,

00:33:13making it all the way from the city

00:33:15to the deep mountains.

00:33:16Derek Shaw barely looked human anymore.

00:33:18One of his ears was frozen purplish-black,

00:33:20and half his nose had fallen off from necrosis,

00:33:22making him look like a hideous ghoul.

00:33:23Leading his few surviving cronies,

00:33:25he stumbled and knelt before the compound's heavy alloy gates,

00:33:28clawing desperately at the door scene.

00:33:29Vivian Hale, I know you're in there.

00:33:31Open the door.

00:33:32Legally, half the shares of this cold chain compound are mine.

00:33:35This is a legal occupation.

00:33:37Sitting in my living room, kept at a constant 79 degrees,

00:33:40I watched his cold twisted face through the monitor.

00:33:42He was actually still clutching

00:33:43that crumpled original partnership agreement.

00:33:46Ethan Craw stood behind me,

00:33:47wiping my fingertips with a hot towel.

00:33:49His eyes were slightly cold.

00:33:50Ms. Hale, do you want me to go out

00:33:52and take care of these barking dogs?

00:33:53I set down my warm coffee with a mocking smile on my lips.

00:33:56No rush, let him bark a little more.

00:33:58In this dead silent snowfield,

00:34:00a dog barking counts as entertainment.

00:34:02Derek Shaw seemed to sense I was watching him.

00:34:04He actually raised that blood and dirt-soaked agreement over his head,

00:34:07barking at the camera.

00:34:08Look closely, it's right here in black and white.

00:34:10You used fake bankruptcy news to screw over your partners.

00:34:13If I sue, you'll lose everything you have.

00:34:15He shivered as he yelled,

00:34:16his breath instantly freezing onto his eyebrows.

00:34:19I turned on the compound's external speakers.

00:34:20My voice was calm and elegant,

00:34:22carrying a chilling detachment as I looked down on them.

00:34:25E.P. Shaw, did you lose your mind in prison?

00:34:27You're talking to me about the law in a world like this?

00:34:29Hearing my voice,

00:34:30the people outside fell to their knees begging,

00:34:32as if clutching at straws.

00:34:34The investor who kicked me out of his car in my past life to save gas

00:34:37was now desperately groveling.

00:34:38His forehead slammed against the cold alloy door,

00:34:41the blood freezing instantly.

00:34:42Ms. Hale, I was wrong.

00:34:43I don't want the shares anymore.

00:34:44Just let me in, and I'll do anything for you.

00:34:47Seeing that threats weren't working,

00:34:48Derek Shaw instantly changed his tune and thought,

00:34:51it's too cold out here.

00:34:52Please, even just a sip of hot water will do.

00:34:54I felt nothing as I watched them beg like dogs.

00:34:57In my past life, when I was dying in the snow,

00:34:59they just drove away.

00:35:00Did they ever think to leave me a sip of hot water?

00:35:02Derek Shaw, the agreement in your hand is indeed valid,

00:35:05but its only use now is to serve as a scrap of paper for you to die on.

00:35:08Since everyone is here,

00:35:10let's do one last round of layoffs according to corporate policy.

00:35:13I signaled Ethan Cross to turn on the gate's external holographic projection.

00:35:16On the screen, I displayed an extremely detailed list.

00:35:19It clearly recorded every single person present,

00:35:22along with the atrocities they committed in their past and present lives.

00:35:25Investor Mr. Liu abandoned three severely injured employees during the evacuation in his past life

00:35:30and hoarded supplies, causing five people to freeze to death.

00:35:33Verdict, permanently terminated without severance.

00:35:35My voice echoed across the barren snowfield like a judge's whisper.

00:35:38Mr. Liu slumped to the ground, his eyes unfocused.

00:35:41Vice President Derek Shaw embezzled company funds and tried to blackmail his boss.

00:35:45Most importantly, you're so hideous that you severely ruin the compound's aesthetic environment.

00:35:49Verdict, immediate termination, and permanently banned from a one-mile radius of the compound.

00:35:54Derek Shaw pounded on the door like a maniac.

00:35:56Vivian Hale, you crazy bitch, I hope you rot in hell.

00:35:59I ignored his curses and continued reading the list.

00:36:02Everyone whose name was called looked as if they had been stripped of their last shred of hope for survival.

00:36:06Being laid off by me in this 76 below zero weather meant their souls were officially signed for by the

00:36:11Grim Reaper.

00:36:12This public humiliation brought them more despair than killing them outright.

00:36:15When the list was finished, wails of despair filled the air outside.

00:36:19The once well-dressed executives began shoving and biting each other, just for a tiny bit of warmth seeping through

00:36:24the gate.

00:36:24Some tried to warm the freezing alloy with their body heat, only for their skin to instantly stick to it.

00:36:29A single movement left them bloody and torn.

00:36:31Ethan Cross, tell them the compound's current viability assessment standards.

00:36:35I held my glass of red wine, watching the living hell on the screen.

00:36:38Ethan Cross stepped up to the microphone, his voice calm and cruel.

00:36:42Per Vivian Hale's orders, the compound only accepts valuable assets.

00:36:45Since all of you out there do nothing but waste air and make noise, you have no survival value, so

00:36:49you're officially laid off.

00:36:51Derek Shaw stared in despair at the security camera.

00:36:53He suddenly pulled a rusty dagger from his coat and viciously plunged it into the stomach of an executive next

00:36:58to him.

00:36:58He roared, I killed someone, I can fight, Vivian Hale, look closely, I'm useful, let me in.

00:37:03This primitive barbaric blood oath earned nothing but a cold sneer from me.

00:37:07Derek Shaw, you are indeed useful.

00:37:09Your actions prove that even in the apocalypse, an animal is still an animal, so you're even less qualified to

00:37:14enter my gates.

00:37:15I pressed the button.

00:37:16The defensive flamethrowers outside the gate instantly shot out a short burst of flames, not to kill them, but to

00:37:20scatter those disgusting flies.

00:37:22After the flames, Derek Shaw and his group's hair and beards were scorched.

00:37:26They stumbled back dozens of feet in terror.

00:37:28Get lost, or die, Ethan Cross's voice carried an undeniable authority.

00:37:32Watching those figures stumble and disappear into the dark blizzard, I turned off the PA system.

00:37:36The world returned to silence, leaving only the crackle of burning wood in the fireplace.

00:37:40This power to control who lives and who dies is truly addictive, but I know this is just an appetizer

00:37:45in the apocalypse.

00:37:46Miss Hale, letting someone like Derek Shaw go, will only cause trouble later.

00:37:49Ethan Cross knelt beside me, straightening out my slightly messy hem.

00:37:53Out there, he'll act like a pathogen, attracting more predators.

00:37:56I know, I lowered my gaze to his long powerful hands, but I'd rather watch him slowly drain all his

00:38:01energy in the extreme cold, and eventually turn into an ice sculpture in despair.

00:38:05That's the ending he deserves.

00:38:07Ethan Cross looked up, his eyes filled with a paranoid obsession.

00:38:10He suddenly grabbed my ankle with a tight grip, as if confirming my existence.

00:38:14As long as you're happy, I'd turn the snowfield into a sea of blood for you.

00:38:18That night, I had a dream.

00:38:19I dreamed that Ethan Cross died in my arms in my past life.

00:38:22When I woke up, Ethan Cross was sitting by the bed, holding my favorite silk sleep mask, his gaze so

00:38:27gentle it made my heart flutter.

00:38:28In the third month of the apocalypse, the weather took another bizarre turn.

00:38:32When I looked out the window in the morning, I found the world was no longer just black and white.

00:38:36A thick, impenetrable white fog was seeping out of the crevices and the ice fields as if it were alive.

00:38:42This wasn't ordinary fog.

00:38:43The extreme cold caused residual moisture in the air to instantly crystallize into tiny ice particles, creating a white mist

00:38:49suspended in the air.

00:38:50Not only did this white fog block visibility, but more terrifyingly, it blocked most electronic signals.

00:38:55The compound's perimeter surveillance screen started flashing heavy static, and the thermal scanners could only pick up blurry red shadows.

00:39:02Visibility dropped to zero.

00:39:03Ethan Cross stared at the monitor panel with a deep frown.

00:39:06Boss, hail, this kind of weather is perfect for infiltration.

00:39:09If someone sabotaged our external equipment out there, we wouldn't even notice.

00:39:12The compound's power system let out a muffled hum.

00:39:15This overload was caused by the external wind turbines getting clogged by ice crystals from the white fog.

00:39:20The entire fortress trembled slightly, like a beast pinned down by a giant hand.

00:39:24Someone had to go out and clean the turbine's air intakes.

00:39:27Ethan Cross began putting on the heaviest special cold-weather suit, checking the hooks on his waist and his respirator.

00:39:32My heart tightened as the fear of losing him from my past life washed over me again.

00:39:36I grabbed his sleeve.

00:39:37Do you really have to go right now?

00:39:39He turned his head and smiled at me.

00:39:41If the turbine stopped, the compound's heating system can only last for three hours.

00:39:45Don't worry, I'm the hunter of this snowfield.

00:39:47After Ethan Cross entered the airlock, I stayed alone in the control room.

00:39:50The white fog outside was as thick as dry ice.

00:39:53On the infrared monitor, I could only see Ethan Cross's faint purplish-red silhouette, struggling to climb toward the turbine

00:39:58room on the hilltop.

00:39:59The compound's vibrations grew increasingly violent.

00:40:02That was a sign of mechanical damage to the exhaust system.

00:40:04Warning, exhaust duct 3 blocked.

00:40:06Internal pressure imbalanced.

00:40:07The system's cold female voice echoed through the hall.

00:40:10This wasn't natural freezing.

00:40:11It was deliberate sabotage.

00:40:12Someone had used the white fog as cover to reach the compound's exhaust vents.

00:40:16They weren't trying to get in.

00:40:17They wanted to suffocate us inside.

00:40:19This strategy was way too sophisticated for an idiot like Derek Shaw to come up with.

00:40:23Ethan Cross!

00:40:24Someone's sabotaging the exhaust ducts!

00:40:25I yelled into the walkie-talkie.

00:40:27But all that came back with harsh static.

00:40:29The white fog blocked out everything.

00:40:30I watched the dot of light on the screen suddenly stop moving.

00:40:33Immediately after, several other dots quickly surrounded him.

00:40:36Those were enemy heat signatures.

00:40:37They had been lying in wait nearby, using the white fog and mechanical failure to lure him out.

00:40:42My palms were covered in cold sweat.

00:40:44This was the first time since my rebirth that I felt things slipping out of control.

00:40:47Those people were clearly well-prepared, professional raiders.

00:40:50The weapons in their hands gleamed coldly in the mist.

00:40:52The camera feed shook violently.

00:40:54Ethan Cross had been ambushed.

00:40:56Through a brief break in the fog, I saw Ethan Cross being attacked by three men.

00:40:59Even with his incredible combat skills, the heavy winter gear and three-foot visibility left him fighting a losing battle.

00:41:05One of the attackers hooked Ethan Cross's shoulder with a custom ice pick.

00:41:08Blood instantly froze into red ice crystals in the white fog, spattering onto the camera lens.

00:41:13I heard Ethan Cross let out a muffled grunt over the comms.

00:41:15Like a wounded lone wolf, he backhanded his dagger into an attacker's chest.

00:41:19But another attacker took the opening to strike him in the back with a heavy object.

00:41:22Ethan Cross fell to one knee in the snow, his movements visibly slowing down.

00:41:26Damn it, I shot up from my seat.

00:41:28I couldn't just sit here and do nothing.

00:41:30Ethan Cross only went out into that hell to protect my climate-controlled bunker.

00:41:33He already died for me once in my past life.

00:41:35I absolutely wouldn't let history repeat itself in this one.

00:41:38I rushed into the armory where Ethan Cross kept his meticulously maintained crossbows and self-defense weapons.

00:41:43My hands were shaking, but my mind was unusually calm.

00:41:46I grabbed the lightweight black compound crossbow.

00:41:48Ethan Cross had modified it specifically for my arm strength.

00:41:51Don't be afraid, Vivian Hale.

00:41:52You've practiced this a thousand times, I told myself.

00:41:55I pushed open the side door leading to the outer observation deck.

00:41:58The biting white fog instantly hit my face.

00:42:00So cold it almost took my breath away, but I gripped the crossbow tight.

00:42:03The observation deck was halfway up the mountain, about 160 feet from the turbine room.

00:42:08Although it was also shrouded in white fog here, the higher elevation occasionally allowed me to catch the movement below.

00:42:13I held my breath, forcing myself into the hunter mode Ethan Cross had taught me.

00:42:17Rough laughter came from below.

00:42:18It was the raiders.

00:42:19This kid's tough.

00:42:20His bones are crushed and he still won't make a sound.

00:42:23Drag him back.

00:42:23The women in the compound will definitely open the door to save him.

00:42:26A sinister voice echoed in the fog.

00:42:28I saw Ethan Cross being dragged across the snow by two men.

00:42:31His winter gear had been slashed open, the red bloodstains shocking against the white fog.

00:42:35He tried to fight back, but was kicked hard in the stomach.

00:42:37The men had their backs to me.

00:42:39They never expected that in this minus 76 degree fog, the usually pampered female CEO would dare step out of

00:42:44her warm cabin.

00:42:45I readied the crossbow.

00:42:46The scope showed nothing but chaos, but I could hear their voices and feel the wind's direction.

00:42:51Ethan Cross taught me to feel the airflow with my skin when my vision was blocked.

00:42:54Right there.

00:42:55I adjusted the angle, my finger resting on the trigger.

00:42:57The cold touch of the metal gradually steadied my heartbeat.

00:43:00Their leader stopped in his tracks, ready to deal Ethan Cross the final blow.

00:43:04Die, you tough bastard.

00:43:05The leader raised his axe.

00:43:07Right at this critical moment, I pulled the trigger.

00:43:09Whoosh.

00:43:09The sound of the crossbow bolt tearing through the air rang out crisply in the white fog.

00:43:14The steel arrowhead hand forged by Ethan Cross, carrying the anger I had suppressed for two lifetimes,

00:43:19pierced accurately through the fog.

00:43:21Whack.

00:43:21The shot didn't miss.

00:43:22It struck the leader straight in the chest.

00:43:24Driven by immense force, the arrowhead burst straight through his chest, trailing a spray

00:43:28of dark red blood.

00:43:29The man didn't even have time to scream.

00:43:31His axe slipped from his grip as he fell heavily into the snow.

00:43:34The remaining two raiders turned around in horror, firing wildly into the thick fog.

00:43:38Who's there?

00:43:39Come out.

00:43:39Their voices trembled with unprecedented fear.

00:43:42I didn't hide, but quickly loaded a second bolt.

00:43:45My eyes as cold as ice.

00:43:46At this moment, I was no longer the CEO who only read spreadsheets.

00:43:49I was the lady of this bunker, and Ethan Cross's final trunk card.

00:43:53If you dare to hurt my man, you won't even get the chance to become ice sculptures.

00:43:57Aiming at the blurry figures in the fog, I fired another deadly bolt.

00:44:00This shot was for Ethan Cross from my past life, and for the future where we would survive

00:44:05together in this one.

00:44:06Ethan Cross looked up from the snow.

00:44:08He saw me standing on the observation deck, a figure like a descending god of war.

00:44:11A flash of unprecedented shock and frenzy flickered in his eyes.

00:44:14I dropped the compound bow, rushed into the white fog, and dragged Ethan Cross into the

00:44:19airlock.

00:44:19His winter suit was slashed wide open, and the blood soaking the inner lining was a shocking

00:44:23sight.

00:44:24This was the first time he'd been hurt this badly since rebirth, and it was all my fault

00:44:28for failing to guard the exhaust vent.

00:44:30Ms. Hale, that shot just now was dead on.

00:44:32His shoulder was pierced through to the bone, yet all he cared about was whether I was scared.

00:44:36I didn't say a word, roughly cutting open his clothes to treat the wound with alcohol

00:44:40and styptic powder.

00:44:41The searing pain of the alcohol hitting raw flesh made him grunt.

00:44:44His muscles tensed up, but he gripped the floor tightly, stopping himself from crying

00:44:48out, looking at that wound.

00:44:50The image of him carrying me through the blizzard in our past life merged with the present.

00:44:54Shut up, Ethan Cross, if I let you die before me in this life, then I'll blow up the compound

00:44:58so we all go down with you.

00:45:00The white fog gradually began to clear.

00:45:02The mechanical failure Ethan Cross went out to fix had been resolved, and the compound's

00:45:06heating system hummed steadily once more.

00:45:08Ethan Cross looked at me, a strange fanaticism flashing in his eyes.

00:45:11He grasped my bloodstained hand with his good one and whispered,

00:45:14Ms. Hale, you looked like a true queen when you saved me.

00:45:17I was no longer just the weakling hiding behind him.

00:45:19That shot completely shattered the last trace of weakness in my heart.

00:45:23After the white fog cleared, the scene outside the compound changed subtly.

00:45:26Aside from the raiders I had shot dead, there were actually dozens of survivors gathered

00:45:30near the compound's exhaust vents.

00:45:32They weren't professional bandits, but refugees who had escaped from nearby villages and office

00:45:36towers.

00:45:37They managed to survive by relying on the residual heat emitted by the compound.

00:45:41Ms. Hale, they want to elect you as their leader.

00:45:43Ethan Cross stood behind me with his arm in a sling, watching the monitor.

00:45:47They had put forward a white-haired old teacher, who kept bowing to the security camera, begging

00:45:51me to take them in and build a small neutral aid society.

00:45:54I sneered, leader?

00:45:55In this apocalyptic world where every ounce of resources is strictly calculated, being a leader

00:46:00means taking responsibility for a bunch of dead weight.

00:46:02The tragedies of my past life taught me that any organization built on morality will instantly

00:46:07turn on you the moment the food runs out, tell them I have no interest in playing savior.

00:46:11I spoke into the megaphone, my voice completely devoid of emotion.

00:46:14This isn't a shelter, it's a resource exchange post.

00:46:16If you want to live, don't talk about feelings, talk about leverage.

00:46:19The survivors were stunned.

00:46:21They were probably used to appealing to the greater good in the face of disaster, never

00:46:25expecting to run into an absolute capitalist like me.

00:46:27But I knew that only clear rules could establish the strongest order on this frozen wasteland.

00:46:31I rejected the crown of a saint, yet initiated a survival rule that was far more ruthless

00:46:36and efficient.

00:46:37Soon, a huge notice board appeared in front of the compound.

00:46:40Ethan Cross carved it himself, fighting through the pain of his injuries.

00:46:43The message was concise.

00:46:45The cost to enter the compound's outer climate-controlled zone, excluding the inner fortress, is 16 hours

00:46:50of hard labor a day, or providing valuable information and skills.

00:46:53Priority goes to doctors, mechanics, and agricultural experts.

00:46:56Sitting in the surveillance room, I watched the survivors go from shock to struggle, and eventually

00:47:01bow their heads in submission.

00:47:02Ethan Cross had established a rigorous admission standard.

00:47:05Every refugee entering the outer living quarters had to pass his screening and brainwashing.

00:47:08They were allowed to build makeshift winter shelters on the perimeter of the compound,

00:47:12capture our vented waste heat, and receive two daily meals of life-sustaining porridge in

00:47:16exchange.

00:47:16Ethan Cross explained to me while teaching a mechanic how to fix a part.

00:47:20Ms. He, this model works best.

00:47:22They are our moat.

00:47:22If enemies invade, to protect their own food and warmth, they'll naturally become the compound's

00:47:27first line of defense.

00:47:28This was my business logic, using the cheapest waste heat and coarse grains to hire the most

00:47:32desperate bodyguards and laborers.

00:47:34I looked at those once pampered people now fighting tooth and nail just for a chance

00:47:37to repair a generator.

00:47:38I felt no pity, only the solid reassurance of being in complete control.

00:47:42In this microcosm of society, I became the sole tycoon controlling the heat, while Ethan

00:47:46Cross was the most ruthless steward of this empire.

00:47:49As the number of outside survivors reached 100, Ethan Cross began to implement even more

00:47:53extreme controls.

00:47:54He wasn't simply recruiting workers, but conducting survival tests.

00:47:57He would intentionally toss a piece of black bread into the snow and observe their reactions.

00:48:01He rejected those who killed each other, or left others to die.

00:48:04But those blindly kind enough to give their claws away, were absolutely out.

00:48:08Ethan Cross stood on the high platform, staring coldly at the refugees huddled in snow pits.

00:48:13When I asked him why, he turned around, his eyes revealing a desolation, as if he'd lived

00:48:17two lifetimes.

00:48:18Ms. He, the apocalypse doesn't need saints, nor does it need beasts.

00:48:21It only needs smart people who understand equivalent exchange.

00:48:24Only they won't let momentary greed or pity destroy the compound foundation.

00:48:28His figure looked exceptionally tall as he patrolled despite his injuries.

00:48:31The refugees looked at him with sheer awe.

00:48:33It was the fear of facing an unfathomable master.

00:48:36But the moment he returned inside the fortress, he'd expertly take off his apron and make

00:48:39me a perfectly brewed cup of hot cocoa.

00:48:41This extreme contrast both fascinated and terrified me.

00:48:44I realized Ethan Cross was consciously deifying me.

00:48:47He spread legends about me on the outside, making the refugees believe I had the divine

00:48:51power to control the storm.

00:48:52He built an altar around me, while he himself was the priest wielding a long blade, always

00:48:56ready to cleanse the altar for his guard.

00:48:58Not everyone obeyed the rules.

00:49:00In the fourth month of the apocalypse, a small riot broke out on the outskirts.

00:49:03A woman with a child knelt before the main gate, crying and begging me to have mercy and

00:49:07share some of our fresh vegetables and beef with her.

00:49:10She claimed it was because her child was sick.

00:49:12The surrounding survivors began to whisper, and sympathy spread like a plague.

00:49:15Someone yelled, Boss, you eat so well, what's the harm in sharing a little?

00:49:19We're all fellow humans.

00:49:21I appeared above the gate via a holographic projection, looking down at the mother and

00:49:25child.

00:49:25Ethan Cross's hand was already on the high-pressure water cannon switch, but he looked at me,

00:49:29waiting for my orders.

00:49:30Fellow humans?

00:49:31I chuckled, my voice cutting through the freezing wind.

00:49:34When I was kicked out of the vehicle in my past life, some of you were probably just

00:49:38watching, and now you want to lecture me about morality?

00:49:40On this mountain, the only morality is earning your keep, I pointed at the woman, your child

00:49:45is sick?

00:49:45Fine, if you can go to the ice crevasses in the back mountain and collect a set of ice

00:49:49crystal samples for our experiments, I'll trade you three days' worth of antibiotics

00:49:53and beef.

00:49:53Are you going or not?

00:49:55The woman froze.

00:49:56The ice crevasses out there were a near-certain death trap.

00:49:59The crying and screaming came to a screeching halt.

00:50:02She eventually held her child and silently backed away, and the commotion died down.

00:50:06I knew from this moment on, no one would ever dare to guilt trip me again.

00:50:09Mercy is a luxury for peaceful times, and here with me, every single cabbage leaf comes

00:50:13with a bloody price.

00:50:14As our fortress's reputation grew, I noticed some dissenting voices emerging among the once

00:50:19doth-hour laborers.

00:50:20People were secretly asking around about the location of the compound's energy core.

00:50:24Some were even sneaking around the fuel depot.

00:50:26We had a mole.

00:50:27Ethan Cross played along with my act.

00:50:29I leaned on his shoulder, deliberately leaving the surveillance room's walkie-talkie on.

00:50:33I raised my voice, adding a touch of poorly concealed panic.

00:50:35Ethan Cross, why are our diesel reserves dropping so fast?

00:50:38At this rate, the generators will shut down next week, and the floor heating will be completely

00:50:42cut off too.

00:50:43Ethan Cross played his part flawlessly.

00:50:45He sighed heavily.

00:50:47Boss he, the last cold snap might have damaged the sealed tanks.

00:50:50If supplies don't arrive by next week, we'll have to cut the heating to the outer perimeter,

00:50:54and save the last of our fuel for the core sector.

00:50:56A faint crackle of static came through the walkie-talkie.

00:50:59Someone was clearly listening in and recording the conversation.

00:51:02Over the next few days, I made sure to act anxious, frequently pacing in and out of

00:51:06the warehouse, I also had Ethan Cross intentionally leak a secret transfer route.

00:51:10It led to an abandoned mine in the back mountain.

00:51:12I wanted to see, in the face of this impending crisis, who would be the first to jump out and

00:51:16go for my throat.

00:51:17Greed is the best bait to lure rats out of their holes, and I had already laced the traps

00:51:21with deadly poison.

00:51:22The fake news about the energy crisis spread like wildfire on the outskirts.

00:51:25The once-orderly workers began slacking off, their eyes filled with unease and greed.

00:51:29A few team leaders in particular started meeting frequently in private.

00:51:33Boss, the fish took the bait.

00:51:34Ethan Cross pointed to a few moving dots on the infrared monitor.

00:51:37They've already leaked the news of our fuel transfer to the outside radars.

00:51:40Tonight, they plan to strike from the inside out and loot the compound in the chaos.

00:51:44I sat in front of the monitors, coldly watching those who used to grovel before me, now hiding

00:51:48in the dark with crude weapons, discussing how to divide my supplies.

00:51:51Human nature really is just trash that can't withstand a single test.

00:51:55Who's the leader?

00:51:55I asked, pointing at a burly agile man on the screen.

00:51:58Ethan Cross zoomed in on the footage.

00:52:00When that face appeared clearly on the screen, my breath suddenly caught in my throat.

00:52:04The wine glass almost slipped from my hand.

00:52:06There was a face I'd know anywhere.

00:52:07Logan Voss.

00:52:08In my past life, he was my most trusted bodyguard during the evacuation, but he was also the

00:52:12murderer who, to make room for his treasure, kicked me into the snow and watched me freeze

00:52:16to death.

00:52:17Faith had truly been kind to me.

00:52:19It hand-delivered this enemy who belongs in hell straight into my trap.

00:52:22Logan Voss was clearly doing well for himself.

00:52:24He commanded high respect among the survivors and had almost become the second-in-command among

00:52:28the refugees.

00:52:29Little did he know that the woman sitting behind the monitors was the boss he had murdered

00:52:33in his past life.

00:52:34This is it, boys.

00:52:35Logan Voss lowered his voice, instructing the accomplices behind him.

00:52:38That woman Vivian Hale is already panicking.

00:52:40Once we hijack that diesel tonight, the compound will be ours.

00:52:43Then everyone can have their fun with the CEO, and we'll have endless supplies.

00:52:47Hearing the filthy words from the speaker, Ethan Cross's face turned terrifyingly dark.

00:52:51He drove the dagger in his hand deep into the wooden desk.

00:52:53Ms. Hale, I want to go snap his neck right now.

00:52:56Ethan Cross's voice was dripping with murderous intent.

00:52:59No, that's letting him off too easy.

00:53:00I pressed down on Ethan Cross's hand, my lips curling into a cruel smile.

00:53:04In his past life, his biggest fear was freezing to death in the cold.

00:53:07Since he wants to coordinate an attack from the inside, I'll prepare a perfectly temperature-controlled

00:53:11funeral for him.

00:53:12I began opening the outer gates according to plan.

00:53:15I intentionally left a gap that appeared poorly defended.

00:53:18It was an abandoned exterior maintenance room that connected to the compound's fuel return

00:53:22pipe, which I had specially designed as an execution chamber for Logan Voss.

00:53:25As for the debts from my past life, I'm going to make him pay them all back today with interest.

00:53:30The snowy wasteland was eerily quiet in the dead of night.

00:53:33Logan Voss and a dozen figures silently snuck into the outskirts of the compound.

00:53:37They skillfully avoided the laser sensors I had intentionally turned off and slipped into

00:53:40the metal room marked Energy Maintenance.

00:53:43Hurry!

00:53:43The fuel barrels are over there!

00:53:44Logan Voss whispered excitedly, directing his men to move the heavy steel barrels filled with

00:53:49cold water.

00:53:50The moment they were all inside, I pressed the master switch.

00:53:52Bam!

00:53:53The heavy triple-layered alloy doors instantly slammed shut, trapping them inside.

00:53:57Immediately after, the small exhaust vents were sealed off.

00:54:00The room turned into an absolutely airtight tin can.

00:54:02Fuck!

00:54:03It's a trap!

00:54:03Logan Voss pounded furiously on the door, only to realize it was made of special steel,

00:54:08but not even armor-piercing bullets could penetrate.

00:54:10I slowly walked up behind the two-way mirror and turned on the internal intercom.

00:54:14Long time no see, Logan Voss!

00:54:15My calm voice echoed throughout the maintenance room.

00:54:18Logan Voss jerked his head up, staring at the glass he couldn't see through.

00:54:21Who's there?

00:54:22His voice trembled.

00:54:23Are you Vivian Hale?

00:54:24Vivian Hale, let me out.

00:54:25I'm here to help you.

00:54:27Help me?

00:54:27I chuckled.

00:54:28Help me by kicking my car door shut again, or help me die again?

00:54:31His terrified expression behind the glass looked exactly like my desperate pleas for

00:54:35help outside the car window in my past life.

00:54:37The temperature in the maintenance room began to drop rapidly.

00:54:40I didn't use any weapons.

00:54:41I just turned off the heating in that room and activated the external cooling and extraction

00:54:45system.

00:54:46Miss Hale, what are you talking about?

00:54:47What do you mean die again?

00:54:49Logan Voss begged frantically for mercy.

00:54:51His accomplices had already started turning on each other out of fear.

00:54:54I ignored his pleas, just watching the thermometer drop from 50 degrees to 32, then to minus 22.

00:54:59Since the room was completely sealed, the moisture inside quickly crystallized in the

00:55:03extreme cold.

00:55:03Logan Voss and his men tried to use lighters to stay warm, only to realize I was slowly

00:55:07draining their oxygen.

00:55:08They huddled together, their movements growing slower and slower, as thick white frost formed

00:55:12on their eyebrows and hair.

00:55:13Look, Logan Voss, in our past life you killed me for a bit of treasure.

00:55:17In this life, your treasure is just these steel drums full of waste water.

00:55:20In their final moments, I turned on a light mist sprinkler.

00:55:23The minus 40 degree mist instantly froze the second it hit them.

00:55:26Logan Voss was frozen in a twisted posture, as if trying to smash the door.

00:55:30His expression was forever locked in extreme fear and despair.

00:55:32An hour later, the maintenance room was left with nothing but a group of lifelike ice sculptures.

00:55:37Ethan Cross stood behind me and gently draped a fox fur coat over my shoulders.

00:55:40Ms. Hale, the first person on your list has been crossed off.

00:55:43I looked at the ice sculpture that was once Logan Voss.

00:55:46Half of my built-up resentment faded away, but as for the other half, I knew this was

00:55:50far from over.

00:55:51It's been a whole year since the extreme cold hit.

00:55:53The world outside has completely turned into a giant, silent, frozen graveyard.

00:55:57The once-towering office towers are now nothing but blackened ruins like broken tombstones.

00:56:01The occasional satellite footage is too gruesome to look at.

00:56:03A city that once held tens of millions of people doesn't show a single sign of life.

00:56:07I stood by the observation window of the compound and looked at the black snow piled three stories

00:56:11high outside.

00:56:12According to the refugees who trade supplies on the outskirts, the law is long gone out

00:56:16there.

00:56:16Even the definition of food has been terrifyingly distorted.

00:56:19From leather shoes and belts to the frozen bodies buried deep under the snow is hail.

00:56:23Look away.

00:56:24You shouldn't have to see such filth.

00:56:25Ethan Cross wrapped his arms around me from behind, covering my eyes with his warm hands.

00:56:29Over the past year, the compound became the only safe haven within a hundred miles.

00:56:33Thanks to our independent life support system and abundant energy supplies, it still stays

00:56:37at a constant 79 degrees.

00:56:39Ethan Cross's injuries had healed a long time ago, and after a year of life and death struggles,

00:56:43his wild edge had become much more restrained.

00:56:45Ethan Cross, will we ever see spring again?

00:56:47I pulled his hands away.

00:56:48My voice tinged with exhaustion.

00:56:50He didn't answer.

00:56:51Only kissed my fingertips with his eyes as steady as ever.

00:56:53Wherever you are, it's spring.

00:56:55He led me to the lowest level of the compound where he had kept a surprise hidden for a long

00:56:58time.

00:56:58When Ethan Cross pushed open the isolation door on the fifth underground level, a fresh

00:57:03earthy scent hit me so hard it almost took my breath away.

00:57:05This was a secretly expanded ecological greenhouse.

00:57:08Under several high-intensity purple grow lights, rows of hydroponic racks were neatly arranged.

00:57:13Seeing those bright green leaves in this cold, desolate, apocalyptic world was a luxury

00:57:17so profound it made me want to cry.

00:57:19And right in the center of those clustered green leaves hung a gorgeous blood-red fruit,

00:57:23a strawberry.

00:57:23I couldn't believe my eyes, my voice trembling.

00:57:25While people outside were shedding blood over half a moldy loaf of bread, Ethan Cross had

00:57:29managed to grow a strawberry from knee-deep underground.

00:57:32To maintain these few square feet of ecosystem, I couldn't imagine how many nights he spent

00:57:35adjusting the light frequencies, or how many times he calculated the nutrient solutions.

00:57:40He walked over and gently pinched off the stem with his fingernail, then held it in his

00:57:43palm and brought it to me.

00:57:44Its sweet scent instantly overwhelmed my senses.

00:57:47It was civilized society.

00:57:48The peak of summer, the sum of all my beautiful memories.

00:57:51It's perfectly ripe.

00:57:52Try it.

00:57:52His eyes were soft, looking just like the humble assistant he was before the apocalypse

00:57:56ruined everything.

00:57:57I took the strawberry, my fingertips touching the tiny seeds on its skin, and my eyes welled

00:58:02up with tears.

00:58:03This wasn't just a piece of fruit.

00:58:04This was Ethan Cross, giving me a sliver of hope in this desperate world.

00:58:07I brought the strawberry to my lips.

00:58:09But right before I took a bite, I looked up at his slightly thin face.

00:58:13I didn't eat this precious fruit all by myself.

00:58:15I broke off half and held it to Ethan Cross's lips.

00:58:17Assistant Cross, this is your annual performance bonus.

00:58:20No refusing.

00:58:21Ethan Cross froze, instinctively trying to step back.

00:58:24Liz hailed this is too precious.

00:58:25You've been through so much this past year.

00:58:27You should eat this piece.

00:58:28That's an order, I said, cutting him off.

00:58:31He lowered his gaze in resignation.

00:58:32Those hands that had taken countless lives were now surprisingly hesitant.

00:58:36He parted his lips slightly, sweeping the half piece of fruit away with his tongue.

00:58:39The sweet scent of strawberry juice wafted through the air.

00:58:42That ultimate sweetness seemed to instantly melt away the bitter cold in our bones.

00:58:46I watched his Adam's apple bob, seeing a trace of satisfaction in his eyes, and the

00:58:50soft spot in my heart completely melted.

00:58:52Is it sweet?

00:58:52I looked up and asked him.

00:58:54He didn't answer.

00:58:55Instead he suddenly reached out, cupped the back of my head, and leaned down to kiss me.

00:58:59It was a kiss with the sweet scent of strawberries, gentle yet passionate.

00:59:02It was no longer the strictness of an instructor toward a trainee, nor the restraint of a bodyguard

00:59:06toward his boss, but two lonely souls embracing madly in the depths of the apocalypse.

00:59:11He panted softly by my ear.

00:59:13Miss Hale, the strawberry is sweet, but not as sweet as you.

00:59:16At that moment, I finally realized that the tragedies of my past life were completely behind

00:59:20us.

00:59:21In this endless bitter cold, we had the warmth of each other's souls.

00:59:24Just as we were wrapped up in each other, the piercing infrared alarm blared through the

00:59:28quiet greenhouse once again.

00:59:29The alarm shattered our tender moment.

00:59:31We hurried back to the surveillance room, and the footage on the screen made our faces fall.

00:59:35These weren't ordinary raiders.

00:59:36Several modified heavy armored vehicles appeared on the monitors.

00:59:39They had hideous skulls spray-painted on their sides.

00:59:42It was the biggest gang from the neighboring city, the Black Flag Syndicate.

00:59:45They had swallowed up all the shelters in the city through violence and cannibalism.

00:59:49Now, running low on resources, they were using their precious diesel and heavy weapons to

00:59:53push their way deep into the mountains.

00:59:55They brought shoulder-fired rockets and heavy breaching drills.

00:59:57Ethan Cross quickly analyzed the enemy threat, his eyes turning as cold as ice again.

01:00:01Miss Hale, even though our outer walls have been reinforced,

01:00:04they can't withstand this level of targeted blasting.

01:00:07On the screen, the lead man sat on top of a modified Hummer, actually holding a lit cigar

01:00:11in his hand.

01:00:12It was a blatant provocation, meaning they didn't just plan to rob us, but to take over

01:00:15this place completely.

01:00:17There are 60 of them, heavily armed, Ethan Cross said, starting to prep his weapons.

01:00:20If they get close to the gate, the compound is lost.

01:00:23I looked at those cold heavy weapons, my palms sweating.

01:00:26I knew this would be the toughest battle we'd face since our rebirth.

01:00:29Ethan Cross, don't fight them hand-to-hand.

01:00:31I pointed at the compound's floor plan, as a bold plan formed in my mind.

01:00:34The one thing our cold chain compound doesn't lack is extreme temperature shifts.

01:00:38Since they want to come in and warm up, I'll prepare an eternal ice cellar for them.

01:00:42Miss Hale, do you want to initiate Operation Ice Pit?

01:00:45Ethan Cross quickly caught on to the plan.

01:00:47The compound used to be a cold chain logistics center, built with a massive underground tunnel network

01:00:51and a high-performance liquid nitrogen rapid cooling system.

01:00:54Those intricate freight tunnels, due to the prolonged snow and Ethan Cross's modifications,

01:00:58had long since turned into a maze.

01:00:59Exactly, I sneered.

01:01:01A flash of capitalist shrewdness in my eyes, put out all the bait, and let them think we're

01:01:05out of power, hiding and shivering deep in the tunnels.

01:01:07Ethan Cross began setting up.

01:01:09He deliberately made the first outer door look like it had been violently breached, and manipulated

01:01:13the thermal imaging to create the illusion that we were fleeing to the end of the tunnel.

01:01:16That night, Ethan Cross and I sat behind the final bulletproof door, watching the arrogant

01:01:21enemies slowly walk into our trap on the monitors.

01:01:23Those people thought they were the Reapers, unaware they were stepping straight into the

01:01:26jaws of hell.

01:01:27Miss Hale, if we lose this...

01:01:28Ethan Cross suddenly grabbed my hand.

01:01:30There is no if...

01:01:31I interrupted him, gripping his hand back firmly.

01:01:34Ethan Cross, if I have to die in this life, I'll take every last one of them with me.

01:01:38But right now, we're going to win.

01:01:39We set all the liquid nitrogen reserve valves to stand by.

01:01:42A deadly chill already seemed to permeate the air.

01:01:44Black Flag Syndicate's armored vehicles smashed through the first hatch, and their greedy

01:01:48cheers echoed through the tunnels.

01:01:50After the Black Flag Syndicate entered the compound, they quickly got lost in the labyrinth

01:01:54of freight tunnels.

01:01:55To save energy, they split into several groups.

01:01:57Ethan Cross used the control room to constantly open and close the metal gates at various nodes,

01:02:02herding them like sheep toward the designated ice cellar.

01:02:04Number 2, where are they?

01:02:05I just saw that better shadow.

01:02:07The enemy's anxious curses came through the walkie-talkie.

01:02:10They didn't know the walls of these tunnels were lined with highly efficient thermal insulation.

01:02:14Once the gates dropped, this place would become an absolutely airtight freezing chamber.

01:02:18Ethan Cross stared at the screen, his fingers dancing lightly across the control panel,

01:02:22as if playing a symphony of death.

01:02:23Ms. Hale, it's almost time, Ethan Cross whispered.

01:02:26Areas 3, 5, and 9 are all caged in.

01:02:28On the screen, 60 fully armed enemies had entered the widest cold storage transit area.

01:02:33They were taking their anger out on the empty shelves, not realizing the overhead sprinklers

01:02:37had begun emitting a faint white mist.

01:02:39Welcome to Hale Cold Chain, everyone.

01:02:40I turned on the PA system, my voice so calm it sent chills down their spines.

01:02:45Didn't you want supplies?

01:02:46Now you're the finest frozen meat.

01:02:48I pressed the red button of destruction.

01:02:50As I pressed the button, the liquid nitrogen the compound had stored for a year instantly

01:02:54surged through the high-pressure pipes, wildly flooding the transit hall.

01:02:57That wasn't an ordinary temperature drop.

01:02:59It was a deadly cold that instantly drained all life.

01:03:02In just 10 seconds, the temperature inside the hall plummeted from freezing to below minus

01:03:06248 degrees Fahrenheit.

01:03:08The thugs, who were just about to return fire, didn't even have time to pull their triggers

01:03:12before their guns shattered from the extreme cold.

01:03:14Ah!

01:03:14The screams were abruptly cut short.

01:03:16The white mist formed by the liquid nitrogen quickly swallowed everything.

01:03:20Caught on the security cameras, those agile mercenaries instantly turned into bizarrely

01:03:24posed statues.

01:03:25Someone tried to run, but the moment they took a step, their legs shattered like porcelain

01:03:29as their tissues froze instantly.

01:03:30The scene was incredibly gruesome, yet it brought me a deep sense of relief.

01:03:34That expensive heavy drill also stopped roaring in the extreme cold.

01:03:37Its metal shell let out ear-piercing cracking sounds as it rapidly contracted.

01:03:41In less than five minutes, all 60 fully armed elites became exhibits in this massive cold

01:03:46storage.

01:03:46Ethan Cross let out a long sigh of relief and leaned back in his chair.

01:03:50Fine beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

01:03:52This wasn't just a battle of technology.

01:03:53It was a psychological battle.

01:03:55It's over, Ms. Hale.

01:03:56He looked at me.

01:03:57We supported each other as we walked toward the hall, looking at the completely lifeless

01:04:00enemies, feeling perfectly calm.

01:04:02We put on our thickest protective suits and inspected the battlefield.

01:04:06The leader of the Black Flag Syndicate, the man who smoked cigars, was still frozen

01:04:09in his seat inside the Hummer.

01:04:11Only his skin had turned an eerie purplish blue.

01:04:13His eyes locked in absolute terror.

01:04:15His cigar had fallen onto the floorboard, long extinguished.

01:04:18Ethan Cross, clean this up, I said, looking at the debris scattered everywhere, my tone

01:04:22as flat as if I were disposing of expired scrap parts.

01:04:24Ethan Cross skillfully activated the compound's incinerator system and directed the laborers

01:04:29outside to haul the garbage away.

01:04:30The refugees who had once harbored ill intentions toward me, after witnessing the instant slaughter

01:04:34of an entire army, now looked at me with pure worship instead of mere awe.

01:04:38They knelt in the snow outside the compound, chanting my name in unison.

01:04:41In that moment, I finally established absolute authority over this wasteland, but I didn't want

01:04:46to enjoy this pinnacle of power alone.

01:04:48I turned to look at Ethan Cross, who was silently cleaning up the mess.

01:04:51Ethan Cross, from now on, there are no leaders here.

01:04:53There's only us.

01:04:54He was stunned for a second, then nodded firmly.

01:04:57The frigid night wind was still biting, but I knew the hardest challenge had passed.

01:05:00We had protected our home, and we had protected each other.

01:05:03Late that night, I had a dream.

01:05:05In the dream, there was no more snow.

01:05:07One year and three months into the apocalypse.

01:05:09On an ordinary morning, Ethan Cross suddenly burst into the bedroom and carried me, still

01:05:13sound asleep, to the observation window.

01:05:15There's hail.

01:05:15Look at the thermometer.

01:05:16His voice was filled with uncontainable excitement.

01:05:18I rubbed my eyes and looked at the sensor on the compound's outer wall, which usually

01:05:22pointed to minus 100 degrees.

01:05:24The red mercury column was actually climbing upward, slowly but steadily.

01:05:28Although painfully slow, it passed minus 40 degrees and stopped at minus 4.

01:05:31What shocked me even more was that the thick, lead-like black clouds on the horizon had cracked

01:05:35open a tiny sliver.

01:05:37A faint, almost invisible ray of golden sunlight fell tremblingly onto an icicle.

01:05:41The ice is melting, I muttered.

01:05:42Although this might just be a brief interglacial period, or a harbinger of a greater disaster,

01:05:47seeing that ray of sunlight at this moment shattered all my defenses instantly.

01:05:50I leaned into Ethan Cross's arms and burst into tears, crying for this past year's perseverance,

01:05:55for my tragic death in my past life, and for the innocent souls who died in the blizzard.

01:05:59Ethan Cross didn't try to console me, he just held me tight, letting my tears soak his

01:06:03shoulder.

01:06:03There's hail, the ice will melt, and spring will eventually come, he whispered in my ear.

01:06:07And we're still here.

01:06:08The day the temperature rose to 14 degrees, Ethan Cross pushed open the compound's doors,

01:06:13which had been sealed for a year.

01:06:14The doors of the compound slowly opened, the long absent air rushed in, cool but no longer

01:06:19lethal.

01:06:19The snow outside had mostly caved in, revealing the dark soil and rocks.

01:06:23The first true ray of warm sunlight shone freely into the compound, falling on the mountain

01:06:27of supplies filling the room, and on our intertwined shadows.

01:06:30Wearing a soft fox fur shawl, I leaned lazily into Ethan Cross's arms.

01:06:34We hadn't even used a third of the supplies we hoarded over the past year.

01:06:37Even if spring never came, we had enough to live comfortably here for decades.

01:06:41Assistant Cross, the snow outside has melted, and the compound is secure.

01:06:44I turned around, trailed my fingertips over the fresh stubble on his jaw, and winked playfully.

01:06:49Shouldn't you report tomorrow's plan to me?

01:06:51Ethan Cross looked at me, his eyes as deep as a spring pool.

01:06:54The aggressiveness unique to Ethan Cross looked especially captivating in the sunlight.

01:06:58Plan?

01:06:58He lowered his head, touching his nose to mine, his voice husky and gentle.

01:07:02Ms. Hale, tomorrow's KPI might be quite demanding.

01:07:04You should brace yourself.

01:07:06Oh, let's hear it.

01:07:07I wrapped my arms around his neck.

01:07:09Ethan Cross chuckled softly and kissed my lips.

01:07:11During that long lingering kiss, he murmured one last thing in my ear.

01:07:15Tomorrow's KPI is to love you 10,000 times and never resign.

01:07:19At the edge of the snowfield, life was awakening.

01:07:22We stood in the morning light, embracing a brand new world of our own.

01:07:25This is anliga recuerden union for us.

01:07:25His armb Yorker starts with ahold of 9,000 times.once

Cold Blood, Hot Revenge(English-dubbed) | Full Short Drama | English Sub 2026

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