Chapter 4
The afternoon of the third day.
The central square was packed with people.
Thousands of survivors stood in the plaza, surrounding the high platform—the largest gathering place in the shelter, as big as two football fields, with a tempered glass dome that offered a view of the gray sky outside.
The platform was decorated with red cloth, and on it were placed microphones, medals of honor, flowers, and a huge banner:
Salute to martyr Ansen
His wife Erin, mother-in-law Martha, father-in-law George, and brother-in-law Tom stood on the stage, all dressed in formal black tuxedos.
My mother-in-law, Martha, is speaking.
The microphone carried her voice throughout the entire square, echoing under the dome:
"My son-in-law, Anson, stayed behind alone to cover our retreat in order to save our whole family..."
Her voice was choked with sobs, filled with sorrow.
The crowd below the stage was completely silent, and everyone was listening attentively.
"Those ice beasts tore him to pieces..."
Martha, the mother-in-law, covered her face, her shoulders twitching as if she were crying.
"Every day I think about how wonderful it would be if I could die in his place . "
"But I know he wouldn't want us to be sad . "
"He wants us to live well . "
"So we must be strong... for him..."
She looked up, her eyes red-rimmed, tears streaming down her cheeks.
His acting skills are superb.
The crowd below the stage sighed in dismay.
"Salute to the martyrs!" I don't know who shouted it first.
Immediately afterwards, thousands of people shouted in unison:
Salute to the martyrs!
Salute to the martyrs!
The sound was deafening, echoing beneath the dome.
The commander stood on the platform and picked up the Medal of Honor—a golden medal engraved with an eagle and a shield, representing the highest honor in the Vault.
"Mrs. Martha, this is the highest honor, representing the shelter's eternal respect for fallen heroes."
His voice was solemn and full of respect.
"At the same time, we have decided to permanently gift the most luxurious detached villa in Area A to the family of the martyr."
"In addition, the families of martyrs will enjoy lifelong free rations and priority in the allocation of all resources."
The audience erupted in applause.
Martha, the mother-in-law, accepted the medal, her hands trembling, and she wept uncontrollably.
"Thank you... thank you everyone..."
"I...on behalf of Anson...thank you everyone..."
She held the medal to her chest as if it were a priceless treasure.
His wife, Eileen, stood to the side, head bowed, saying nothing.
Tom, the brother-in-law, wore a smug smile as his eyes swept across the crowd, reveling in the feeling of being looked up to.
Just then—
"It was an honor to attend my own memorial service."
A voice rang out from behind the crowd.
Everyone turned their heads.
The crowd automatically parted to make way.
I stepped out of the crowd.
Step by step, they walked up to the high platform.
Each step he took landed heavily on the ground, making a clear sound.
The entire audience erupted in uproar.
"That is..."
"martyr?!"
He's still alive?!
"How is that possible?!"
Whispers rose and fell, soon turning into a cacophony.
I walked up to the high platform.
Standing opposite his mother-in-law, Martha.
Her face was deathly pale, her lips trembled, and the medal in her hand fell to the ground with a crisp clinking sound.
"An... Anson..."
Her voice trembled, and her eyes were filled with terror—as if she had seen a ghost.
His wife, Eileen, stared wide-eyed, frozen in place, her face deathly pale.
George, the father-in-law, took a step back and almost fell, but was caught by a staff member next to him.
Tom, the brother-in-law, opened his mouth wide, unable to utter a word for a long time.
I looked at them.
"Mrs. Martha spoke very well."
"I almost believed it myself."
The thousands of people in the audience were completely silent.
Everyone was staring at the stage; you could hear them breathing.
I took the Truth Imprint Crystal out of my pocket.
lift.
Under everyone's gaze—
crumb.
Click—
The crystal shattered, turning into countless specks of light that scattered.
A huge projection screen unfolded in the sky above the square—like a 3D movie, suspended in mid-air, crystal clear.
Everyone was unable to look away, as if they were being controlled by an invisible force.
In the picture—
I drove my beat-up pickup truck through the frigid temperatures of minus fifty degrees Celsius.
There were four people in the car—his wife Erin, his mother-in-law Martha, his father-in-law George, and his brother-in-law Tom.
The scene changes.
I risked my life to enter the supermarket, which was surrounded by icy beasts.
One person is carrying supplies.
Trip after trip.
They carried heavy goods back and forth dozens of times.
Sweat soaked through my clothes, which quickly froze in the extreme cold.
Meanwhile, my mother-in-law's family sat in the car, doing nothing but urging us on:
"hurry up!"
"Stop dawdling!"
The scene continues.
Two shopping carts were filled with supplies.
Mother-in-law Martha leaned close to his wife Eileen's ear and whispered:
"Have him go to the warehouse and move the last batch."
Eileen hesitated: "Mom..."
"Listen to me!" Martha's voice carried an unquestionable command.
"And then?" Eileen asked softly.
"Then lock the door and we're leaving," said Martha, the mother-in-law, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "One more person means one more mouth to feed, and we only have so many supplies. If he dies, we can live a few more days."
Eileen fell silent.
There were no objections.
The scene changes.
I went into the warehouse.
Carry the fuel tank.
Behind me—
The iron gate slowly closed.
Martha, the mother-in-law, locked the door herself, her movements swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.
In the video, I rush to the door.
Smash the door.
"Eileen! Open the door!"
A cold laugh came through the radio from my mother-in-law, Martha:
"You piece of trash, you deserve to be abandoned."
"Fucked off that burden, that feels so damn good." That was Tom's brother-in-law's voice, filled with gleeful laughter.
His wife, Eileen, sat in the passenger seat, head down, saying nothing.
She heard my cries for help.
She heard me banging on the door.
But she did nothing.
I just drove away with them.
They abandoned me.
I'm left to die in a supermarket surrounded by ice beasts.
The video ends here.
The light spot dissipated.
The square was deathly silent.
Then--
"brute!!!"
I don't know who shouted it first.
Immediately afterwards, the entire square erupted in a deafening roar.
"Scumbag!"
"Worse than an animal!"
"Give us back our sympathy!"
"fraud!"
The roar of thousands of people converged into a tsunami that nearly shattered the dome.
My mother-in-law, Martha, collapsed to the ground, trembling all over, her face ashen white.
"We...we were just trying to survive..."
"We did nothing wrong..."
"It was him... he was just stupid..."
"Who told him to be so honest..."
She was still trying to argue, her voice sharp and shrill.
I raised my right hand.
A thought arose.
Ice spikes materialized out of thin air—hundreds of ice spikes lined up in the air, their sharp tips aimed at his mother-in-law, Martha.
A cold light gleamed.
A chilling murderous intent emanated from him.
The ice spikes hung three inches above Martha's head, ready to fall at any moment.
She finally shut up.
She screamed, covered her head, and squatted down, curling up into a ball. She had lost control of her bladder, and her pants were soaked.
"Spare me... spare me..."
She cried and begged for mercy, her face covered in snot and tears.
I looked at the thousands of people below the stage:
"Extremely cold regions."
The temperature plummeted around me.
The air within a radius of 100 meters instantly condensed, and exhaled breath immediately froze.
The ground beneath everyone's feet began to freeze—frost spread from the ground, climbing up their shoes like a living thing.
"ah--"
Exclamations of surprise rose and fell.
Panic began to spread among the crowd.
Frost climbed up my calves, thighs, and waist...
Everyone was frozen in place, unable to move.
"god……"
I don't know who knelt down first.
His knee slammed onto the ice with a thud.
Immediately afterwards, thousands of people knelt down—like dominoes, one after another.
Thump thump thump—
The sounds of people kneeling rose and fell.
"God has descended..."
"May God protect us..."
"We were wrong..."
Cries, pleas for mercy, and voices of repentance mingled together.
I retract my power.
The frost dissipated, and the temperature returned to normal.
But everyone remained kneeling, afraid to get up.
The commander walked onto the stage from the crowd, his face ashen and his forehead beaded with cold sweat.
"Mr. Anson... no, Lord Anson..."
He knelt down as well.
"We were blind and deceived by these scumbags."
"Please punish me!"
I looked at him without saying anything.
The commander immediately turned around and pointed at his mother-in-law's family:
"Strip Martha and her family of all benefits."
"Deported to Sector D."
"Execute immediately!"
"All the stolen goods have been recovered!"
The crowd below the stage erupted in cheers.
The enraged survivors rushed onto the stage.
Someone grabbed the mother-in-law Martha's hair and dragged her down. She screamed and struggled, but it was no use.
Someone spat at Eileen's wife, who covered her head and trembled.
George, the father-in-law, was pushed to the ground, and someone walked over his back, making a cracking sound.
Tom, the brother-in-law's younger brother, tried to run away but was held down by several strong men who punched and kicked him.
I stood on the stage.
Looking at all of this.
He didn't speak.
It was not stopped.
I just watched quietly.
Just then, a scout covered in blood rushed into the square:
"Reporting, Commander!"
He stumbled and almost couldn't stand, his wounds still bleeding.
"Frost behemoths are attacking!"
"The quantity... exceeds one hundred!"
The whole place erupted.
The crowd, which had been venting their anger, fell silent instantly.
Everyone's face turned deathly pale.
The commander's expression changed drastically: "What?!"
The scout knelt on the ground, his voice trembling:
"Three kilometers away, they are moving towards the shelter!"
"Expected arrival within three days!"
"Our outer outposts have all been wiped out . "
Panic began to spread among the crowd.
Someone screamed.
Some people ran into the shelter.
Some people broke down in tears.
"It's over..."
"We're all going to die..."
Chaos spread.
I turned to look into the distance—though there was a wall between us, I could feel it.
At the edge of the ice field, a dark mass was moving.
That was a herd of frost behemoths.
Each one is ten meters tall, covered in hard ice armor, and its eyes emit a ghostly blue light.
The ground was shaking, like an earthquake.
The roar of the beast could be heard three kilometers away—deep, hoarse, and full of murderous intent.
The commander looked at me, his eyes filled with despair and pleading:
Mr. Anson
Please .
"Save us ! "
He knelt on the ground, his forehead hitting the cold floor.
Thousands of people in the audience also knelt down.
"Lord Anson, please save us!"
"We are willing to give everything!"
"We beg you, sir, to intervene!"
Cries and pleas for mercy rose and fell.
I remained silent for a few seconds.
Look at these people kneeling on the ground.
They once stood by and watched me being humiliated.
They used to boss me around.
They used to treat me like a lowly person.
Now, they kneel before me, begging for my salvation.
"Establish the Icefield Alliance."
I spoke, my voice calm.
"I'll be the commander-in-chief."
"Everyone, obey my command."
The commander immediately kowtowed:
"Yes, sir!"
"We're willing!"
"From this day forward, you are the Supreme Commander of the Icefield Alliance!"
Thousands of people in the audience shouted in unison:
"Greetings, Commander-in-Chief!"
"Greetings, Commander-in-Chief!"
The sound was deafening.
