[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-zombie-apocalypse-i-have-safe-zone-superpower":3,"chapter-zombie-apocalypse-i-have-safe-zone-superpower-zombie-apocalypse-i-have-safe-zone-superpower-chapter-593":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Zombie Apocalypse: I Have Safe Zone Superpower",{"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},1241349,1668,"Chapter 593: Preference","zombie-apocalypse-i-have-safe-zone-superpower-chapter-593",593,"\u003Cp>Silence lingered between them. Kael exhaled slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That was the moment I realized something.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He met her gaze directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"To everyone else... I was invisible. But to you...you saw me. Not just what I looked like on the outside... But everything beneath it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His chest rose slightly as he spoke the final words, his voice quieter than before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And that was the first time... My heart started beating for someone.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, Martha fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had never thought that Kael would have such a side to him, such a hidden story.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that she thought about it, it almost felt unreal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, she had always carried a quiet fondness for Kael, but it had never been born out of his handsomeness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rather, it was something far more selfish, far more dangerous... she had been attracted to him from the very beginning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, when she got transferred, she already knew about Kael.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’I need to surpass him... no matter what.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That thought had burned inside her back then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had pushed herself relentlessly, staying up through endless nights, her eyes stinging from exhaustion, her fingers trembling over books and notes, just to overtake him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When she finally did, when she stood above him, she expected satisfaction... victory... something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there was nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, what lingered was an emptiness and a strange, gnawing desire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had wanted his attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She remembered how she had subtly searched for his reaction, her heart tightening with anticipation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet when she saw his plain, indifferent expression, it felt like something inside her cracked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’So... he never noticed me at all...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From that moment onward, she buried everything. Every flicker of emotion, every foolish hope... she suppressed it all beneath her ambition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had even thought that if she secured the first rank, Kael might approach her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe he would say, \"Can you tutor me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he never did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her lips curved into a bitter smile as she looked at him now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What was that supposed to mean?\" she said, her voice calm but carrying an edge sharp enough to cut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If that was really the case, then why didn’t you ever approach me? Why didn’t you confront me and tell me everything you were doing behind my back?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her fingers tapped lightly against the table, her gaze unwavering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Looking back, I received so many scholarships... I survived because of them,\" she continued. \"If all of that was from you, then it only means one thing...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She leaned forward slightly. \"You were paying attention to me the whole time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She believed his story. That was the unsettling part.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kael chuckled softly upon hearing her question, the sound low and almost self-deprecating. He looked at her, his eyes carrying something unreadable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do you even know how you looked from my perspective?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Martha froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kael continued, his voice steady but tinged with old frustration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"From where I stood, you were too ambitious... so ambitious that I thought you would never, ever approach someone like me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He let out a quiet breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I even thought... maybe you weren’t interested in men at all.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gave a faint, awkward smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There was a point where I genuinely wondered if you liked women instead.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Martha’s eyes widened slightly, but she said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I was frustrated,\" he admitted. \"Really frustrated. But I had no choice except to hold it in.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His fingers clenched slightly as if recalling those days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As time passed, I just kept waiting... waiting for you to approach me. I thought maybe one day, you’d notice me on your own.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused, looking at her intently. \"After all, you’re intelligent.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Martha felt speechless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’This guy... his EQ is unbelievably low... how does someone even function like this?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stared at him for a full ten and a half seconds, her expression unreadable. Then, her thoughts drifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Ivy...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A faint sigh escaped her mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Well... Ivy is just like him...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Silas ever came into the picture, Ivy’s emotional intelligence had been just as disastrous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Taking a slow breath, Martha straightened and looked at Kael.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If that’s the case,\" she said calmly, \"then you’re a very dedicated lover.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, she turned back to her work, her pen moving as if nothing had happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kael stood there, stunned. ’That’s it...?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He recalled Silas’s words clearly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’When you get the chance, open up to her. Once you do, she’ll soften.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, looking at Martha’s expression, it was obvious... she wasn’t softening at all. If anything, there was a trace of disgust lingering on her face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And truthfully, Martha did feel that way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though Silas had advised Kael to present his story in the most heartfelt way possible, he had delivered it in the most blunt, clumsy manner imaginable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Seriously... what a dumb way to confess...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, it wasn’t completely ineffective.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her lips curled ever so slightly before she spoke again without looking at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If there’s nothing else,\" she said, her tone dismissive, \"you can leave.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kael sighed softly and nodded before walking out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as the door clicked shut, Martha leaned back in her chair and let out a quiet chuckle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What a dummy...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her gaze drifted to the table where a strawberry milkshake sat, condensation forming tiny droplets along the glass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She picked it up, the cold surface pressing against her fingers, and took a slow sip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sweet, creamy taste lingered on her tongue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Kael had seen her at that moment, he would have realized something significant... for the first time, Martha hadn’t left his breakfast untouched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Kael returned to her office later with lunch, the atmosphere felt subtly different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Martha looked up and, to his surprise, smiled faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What did you bring for lunch?\" she asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kael froze for a split second. ’She... asked?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the first time Martha had initiated a conversation like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the past, no matter how many times he brought her food, breakfast, lunch, or dinner, she would ignore it completely. Eventually, he would just give it away to others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But today... was different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s sweet and sour ribs,\" he replied quickly, almost too quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Martha nodded, her expression thoughtful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You really understand my preferences well,\" she said.\u003C\u002Fp>",1034,"2026-06-05T15:12:48.008Z",1,"novelbin.me","dab901b1e3e17c38a2b8bdb351e01a15190a36442ee9d0ce9fa88d2f6a320e14","zombie-apocalypse-i-have-safe-zone-superpower-chapter-594","zombie-apocalypse-i-have-safe-zone-superpower-chapter-592",706,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fzombie-apocalypse-i-have-safe-zone-superpower-cover.jpg"]