Chapter 276: Chapter 276: Evans Family

"Ugh... how much longer until we reach that Silvy base?" A young man with tousled blond hair and piercing sapphire blue eyes inquired with disdain, his gaze cautiously scanning the area as the mercenary fought off relentless zombies.

"Just hang in there for a few more hours, my dear!" A soothing voice chimed; it belonged to a woman with golden locks and azure eyes akin to the young man’s, though she appeared to be in her middle age.

In contrast to many women in this post-apocalyptic world, she maintained an air of neatness and cleanliness.

This was Kate and her son Arthur.

Trailing closely behind them were Angelina and Marcus. The quartet was journeying toward Silvy because Angelina insisted that the success rate of that base was exceptionally high.

If they could secure a place for themselves within the base... their chances of success would undoubtedly increase.

Arthur rolled his eyes at his mother’s words and abruptly turned to his sister with an eager expression, "I heard that Ivy will be there as well!"

Angelina shivered involuntarily at the mention of Ivy.

For reasons unknown, ever since she had encountered Ivy’s icy gaze a few months prior, she felt a familiar chill race down her spine whenever her name surfaced.

Those eyes, sharp, devoid of emotion, and imbued with an unsettling authority, had made her feel smaller than she had ever felt in her life.

Angelina mustered a shaky smile and replied, "Y-Yeah... I heard that too."

Kate’s face lit up instantly. "Really? Oh, that’s splendid! At least we will have someone to assist us with our chores!"

Angelina forced a tight smile and cautioned,

"Perhaps we should refrain from exploiting her explicitly? I mean... we have my system that can help us connect with successful individuals, and with accomplished people surrounding us, do we genuinely need to concern ourselves with maids?"

"You simply don’t comprehend anything, sister!" Arthur interjected, irritation flashing in his eyes, "Don’t you realize I’ve harbored a massive crush on Ivy since middle school?"

"And yet you’ve been sleeping with every cheerleader and still haven’t ceased." Angelina shot back sharply.

"What do you mean? I do have feelings for her, but there’s nothing official between us. It’s only natural for me to seek an outlet for my excess energy!" Arthur teased, the grin on his face reflecting the pride swelling in his heart.

"And what if Ivy ends up with someone else?" Angelina queried, raising an eyebrow.

Arthur froze, his smile faltering for a brief moment. Then, his expression darkened. "She can’t!"

"Why not?" Angelina pressed.

"Because... because... you know... a woman ought to be virtuous!" Arthur’s justification sounded feeble, but Marcus, who had remained silent until now, suddenly nodded in agreement.

"Indeed! Only women who are virgins deserve to marry a good man. As for those loose women who sleep around? They can only be mistresses!"

(A/n: Mind me when I say, I have heard the exact line!)

His tone was laced with pride, causing Angelina’s and Kate’s expressions to darken.

A flicker of something flashed in Kate’s eyes, but she quickly concealed it and redirected her focus to her son. "Enough, both of you! Arthur, darling, of course Ivy wouldn’t do that. She’s a respectable girl, unlike those other girls you wasted your time on."

Angelina finally reached her breaking point and snapped.

"Really? Why should she wait? My brother is like a free sample; everyone has had him. Ivy? She is akin to a limited edition handbag, coveted by many, possessed by the most devoted! And what nonsense are you spouting, Father?"

"I..." Marcus opened his mouth to defend himself, but Angelina scoffed, "Don’t bother! Your words are revolting! Ugh! I despise this family! I wish my brother would marry a woman who has been with the entire base, and I wish my father would marry a woman who never bore his child!"

Slap!

The sharp sound of the slap reverberated through the air, silencing everything... even the distant groans of the zombies.

Marcus’s hand trembled slightly as it hovered midair, his face flushed with fury.

"Watch your tongue, Angelina!" he bellowed, his veins bulging. "You dare curse your own family like that?"

Angelina’s cheek burned from the impact, but she stood her ground. Her eyes, once filled with tears and fear, now sparkled with defiance.

"Family?" she spat bitterly. "You call this a family? All you ever do is boast, insult, and judge everyone else while pretending we’re superior! We’re merely parasites trying to survive off others!"

"Angelina!" Kate snapped, her voice trembling between anger and panic. "How dare you speak to your father in such a manner! You’ve crossed the line..."

"Crossed the line?" Angelina let out a hollow laugh. "No, Mom, what’s crossing the line is you labeling every other woman as trash while ignoring your husband’s hypocrisy!"

Arthur clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Tch. You’re just envious, sister. That’s your issue. Always stirring up trouble when no one even cares about your opinions."

Angelina turned to him, her lips curling into a sharp smile. "You’re right, Arthur. No one cares. Not about morals, not about loyalty, not about love. But mark my words, Ivy will never be your wife in this lifetime!"

"Then let’s wager!" A gleam flashed in Arthur’s eyes as he glared at his sister with fury, "Let’s wager that I will marry Ivy! And she will be the one pleading for me!"

Angelina rolled her eyes and chose to ignore him.

Since the moment she had bound the system until now, many things had altered her perspective, and she realized just how repugnant her own family was.

Rotten to the core.

"Why are you backing down now? Afraid? Heh! Just you wait! Once I find Ivy and marry her, I will fuck her every day while also keeping a mistress on the side, and she won’t dare to raise a fuss!" Arthur boasted. His confidence stemmed from his newly awakened superpowers.

"You are revolting, Arthur." Angelina regarded him with disdain from the depths of her heart.

"You are hypocritical. You act as if you aren’t here to exploit Ivy’s success rate!" Arthur retorted.