[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-surviving-the-apocalypse-with-my-yandere-ex-girl":3,"chapter-surviving-the-apocalypse-with-my-yandere-ex-girl-surviving-the-apocalypse-with-my-yandere-ex-girl-chapter-177":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Surviving the Apocalypse With My Yandere Ex-Girlfriend",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1745814,2231,"Chapter 177: Always watching","surviving-the-apocalypse-with-my-yandere-ex-girl-chapter-177",177,"\u003Cp>The light hit me before my eyes fully opened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>White. Violent. Burning straight through my skull.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I blinked once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Twice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the third time, the room finally stopped looking like a washed-out nightmare and started taking shape around me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Concrete walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Metal table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A camera mounted on a tripod directly in front of me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And soldiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My wrists were zip-tied behind the chair hard enough to make my fingers numb. My ankles had been bound too. Every tiny movement scraped plastic deeper into my skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Name.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice came sharp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Official.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The camera lens stared directly at me like it was waiting for me to become something ugly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"NAME.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I finally looked up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The soldier questioning me sat across the table with papers in his lap and a pen tapping against his knee. Young guy. Buzzcut. Probably trying way too hard to seem intimidating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind him stood two more soldiers near the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And in the corner—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jennifer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not speaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just watching me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Adrian Carter.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The soldier glanced down at the paper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Doesn’t say that on your intake.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah?\" I muttered. \"Then looks like somebody made a mistake.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His jaw tightened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could already tell this was gonna be one of those conversations where a man with authority desperately wanted me to sound afraid of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Age.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Nineteen.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Location prior to arrival in the Canadian sector?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stared at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Respectfully, what the fuck does that have to do with anything?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of the soldiers by the door shifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The interrogator leaned back slightly in his chair, looking at me the way people looked at stray dogs right before deciding whether or not to kick them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A lot, actually.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He scratched his eyebrow with the pen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tell me what happened earlier today.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I laughed quietly through my nose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re asking me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tilted my head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Well. There I was. Sitting in my quarters. Minding my business.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What kind of business?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What kind of question is that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The kind I asked.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I swallowed irritation before it spilled out too early.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Normal...fucking business?\" I said like he had just asked the dumbest question. \"Talking. Existing. Breathing. Pick one.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wrote something down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then looked back up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And then?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then a bunch of armed psychos started screaming outside my room saying they wanted to kill me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So you acted in self-defense.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More writing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scratching of his pen started getting on my nerves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are you aware there’s additional punishment for providing false testimony to military personnel?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stared at him for a long moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then smiled slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good thing I’m telling the truth.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s interesting.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something in my stomach tightened immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He flipped a page.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Because somebody already testified otherwise.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My expression didn’t move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside, though, something cold slid down my spine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Who?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Cherie Laurent.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything in me stalled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No fucking way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cherie???\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The room suddenly felt too small.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She claims you had prior conflict with the individuals involved. Claims you were the aggressor.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I genuinely felt sick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aggressor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My brain flashed backward instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry’s father aiming first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound of gunfire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The smell of dirt and blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She doesn’t know what happened,\" I snapped. \"She wasn’t even there for half of it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So she’s lying?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why would she lie?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Maybe because she’sfuckingscared!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My voice bounced harder than I intended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The interrogator opened his mouth again, probably ready to corner me further—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"James.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jennifer’s voice cut clean through the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The soldier looked back at her immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ll handle the rest.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He blinked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We’re almost finished with the sec—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’ve been working all day,\" she said smoothly. \"Go get coffee.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The guy hesitated for a second before standing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I watched the shift happen instantly. The authority he had around me disappeared the second she spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes ma’am.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gathered the papers and left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other soldiers stayed by the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jennifer looked at them next.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You too.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One frowned slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Jennifer—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That wasn’t a suggestion.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A beat passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then they filed out one by one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The door shut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And suddenly the room felt worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not safer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not calmer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jennifer dragged the empty chair across the floor and sat directly in front of me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not across the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Close.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too close.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I kept my eyes lowered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Adam Carter,\" she said softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stayed quiet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Twenty-two years old. Hunts deer. Sister named Leah.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I never lied about that part.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She smiled faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You really think that matters?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I finally looked at her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You and your ’sister’ don’t even share the same eyes,\" she said. \"You barely even share facial structure.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I exhaled slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Well. Guess the cat’s outta the bag.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You lied to me, Adrian.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There wasn’t even anger in her voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That somehow made it worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I rubbed my tongue against the inside of my cheek.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Look,\" I started, \"you have no idea what it’s been like out there. People lie to survive all the time. I didn’t know who you were, didn’t know what this place was, and for all I knew, giving my real name could’ve gotten me shot in the head.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She listened quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I kept going.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I had people hunting me across states. I had infected trying to rip me apart every other day. Everybody wants something from you out there. Food. Weapons. Information. You stop being honest because honesty gets people killed.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still listening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You helped me once. I appreciated that. But you can’t seriously expect me to walk into some giant military sector and immediately trust strangers with my real identity.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I leaned forward slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I did what anyone would’ve done.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jennifer stared at me for a few seconds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not warmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not kindly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It looked almost disappointed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That manipulation won’t work on me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My stomach twisted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She leaned back in her chair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You know what your problem is, Adrian?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You think sounding reasonable changes what you are.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The room went quiet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she stood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And started circling my chair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You currently have a few possible outcomes ahead of you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My pulse steadied automatically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Information mode.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Listen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Process.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Option one,\" she said behind me. \"We classify you as an armed civilian involved in organized violence against residents within the sector.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stared ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That gets you detained indefinitely while military court determines whether your actions qualify as manslaughter, terrorism, or hostile infiltration.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Option two...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I heard her fingertips brush against the back of my chair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We turn you over to intelligence.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something about the way she said intelligence made my skin crawl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There are soldiers outside this room trying very hard to connect you to a series of bodies discovered near the southern checkpoints. Bodies missing fingers. Bodies split open. Bodies killed with an efficiency that doesn’t exactly scream frightened teenager.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My heartbeat kicked once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then slowed again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Give them nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Give them absolutely nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And option three...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice lowered slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We acknowledge what you actually are.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I turned my head slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jennifer was smiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not like a soldier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not like an interrogator.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like somebody watching an experiment succeed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...What the fuck does that mean?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead of answering, she walked back around in front of me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then crouched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eye-level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Can I be honest with you, Adrian?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t answer immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But eventually—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Yeah.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes searched mine carefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I know exactly who you are.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cold spread through my chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I know where you came from. I know why your behavioral patterns are inconsistent. I know why your survival rate statistically makes no sense.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My breathing slowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No no no.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I know why your pupils dilate before violence,\" she continued softly. \"I know why your emotional processing fractures under stress while your cognition sharpens.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The room suddenly didn’t feel real anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I know why your body adapts faster than it should.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stared at her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then it clicked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not fully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The symbol on the computer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The way she looked at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The way she spoke sometimes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not curious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Familiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...you’re—..\" I began quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought I wiped all of them out that night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought they were done for.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her smile deepened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There it is.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I felt sick instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recognition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The kind that makes your stomach fold in on itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jennifer stepped behind me again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her arms slid around my shoulders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stiffened immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her hands moved slowly down my chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Possessive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Careful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like she was touching something valuable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My entire body locked up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I know the thing they put inside your brain,\" she whispered into my ear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My breath hitched before I could stop it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And do you know the funniest part?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her fingertips pressed lightly against my sternum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I was the one who suggested it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something genuinely horrible crawled down my spine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No no no.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You were never supposed to survive this long,\" she murmured. \"The lattice was unfinished. Unstable. Aggressive. Most subjects degraded.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Subjects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My jaw tightened hard enough to hurt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But you...\" she whispered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her fingers traced lower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You adapted beautifully.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I felt trapped in my own skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like I needed to rip myself out of the chair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You fail to disappoint me every single time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My breathing had gone shallow now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jennifer rested her chin lightly near my shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Almost affectionate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That intelligence outside?\" she said softly. \"They think you’re dangerous because of what you’ve done.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I think you’re dangerous because of what you could become.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I swallowed hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she finally stepped around in front of me again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Smiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Obsessed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Which leads me to your final option.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She leaned forward slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And my stomach dropped before she even spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let me complete the lattice.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1620,"2026-06-06T16:52:01.117Z",1,"novelbin.me","6bdeb940a2bd0511bb0e139399e1b511469d9b85f9a4f10fafc11e744557c021","surviving-the-apocalypse-with-my-yandere-ex-girl-chapter-33","surviving-the-apocalypse-with-my-yandere-ex-girl-chapter-32",202,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-apocalypse-with-my-yandere-ex-girl-cover.jpg"]