Chapter 46 – Divorce
Wu Fan stared at the red holographic figure of the little girl displayed on the computer screen and fell into deep thought.
Atlanta.
Build walls. Clear out the Walkers. Reclaim the entire city.
The Red Queen's analysis remained cold and emotionless:
Six months to complete the walls.
Five years to fully clear the city.
With their current military strength, reclaiming a dead city would require at least five years.
Five years.
Did he even have that much time?
Did he have enough resources?
"The second Raccoon City…"
Wu Fan muttered before immediately shaking his head.
"Too unlucky. Let's change the name."
"City of Hope? City of Happiness?"
On the screen, the Red Queen tilted her head slightly, seemingly unable to understand why humans insisted on naming everything.
Wu Fan sighed and shut down the 3D projection.
It was still too early to think about reclaiming Atlanta.
He should wait until the clone production floor was unlocked and they had enough manpower before considering something that ambitious.
Thinking about it now would only make him frustrated.
He had just reached for a cigarette when the office door suddenly opened.
Amy walked in looking troubled.
It was the kind of expression that clearly said:
I have something annoying to report.
Wu Fan put down the cigarette.
"What happened?"
"You remember those people from the mine, right?"
Wu Fan nodded slowly.
"I remember. What about them?"
"Ed Pelletier."
The moment Amy mentioned the name, her tone became disgusted.
"That bastard beat Carol again."
Wu Fan frowned immediately.
Ed.
That useless drunk who constantly abused his wife.
Before the apocalypse, he was unemployed.
After the apocalypse, he was still worthless.
He refused to work, avoided responsibilities, and survived entirely on the food Carol earned by helping around the base.
Wu Fan genuinely couldn't understand how someone like that had managed to survive this long.
"Wasn't he assigned to warehouse duty?" Wu Fan asked.
Amy sneered.
"Warehouse duty? He was stealing from the warehouse."
"He secretly ate stored food and thought nobody would notice. Later, we reassigned him to guard the armory."
She paused before adding coldly:
"Then he tried to steal a gun and sixty rounds of ammunition."
Wu Fan fell silent for several seconds.
Amazing.
He had almost forgotten this person existed.
Yet Ed somehow managed to make himself a problem again.
Stealing food.
Stealing guns.
Stealing ammunition.
What exactly was he planning?
Robbery?
Escape?
Or causing trouble inside the base?
"Where is he now?" Wu Fan asked.
"He's already been caught and locked up," Amy replied. "Carol got beaten pretty badly this time. Her lips are swollen. Andrea was furious and said she wanted to beat him to death herself."
Wu Fan leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers lightly against the desk.
Kill Ed?
Too merciful.
But letting it slide wasn't an option either.
After thinking for a moment, Wu Fan suddenly smiled.
Amy blinked.
"What are you smiling about?"
"Amy…" Wu Fan said calmly, "your sister Andrea used to be a lawyer, right?"
Amy nodded.
"Then let her take on a side job."
Wu Fan smiled faintly.
"Help Carol file for divorce."
Amy blinked again.
Then her eyes widened with realization.
"You mean—"
"It's the apocalypse. The law may be gone, but basic principles still exist."
Wu Fan spread his hands.
"A man who beats his wife daily, steals supplies, and even tries to steal weapons—what right does trash like that have to remain someone's husband?"
"Let Andrea handle it formally."
"Witnesses. Documents. Records."
"A proper divorce."
Amy stared at him with her mouth slightly open.
"And after the divorce?" she asked.
Wu Fan's smile turned colder.
"After the divorce, Ed is no longer Carol's husband."
"He becomes nothing more than an ordinary base member."
"And an ordinary member who steals weapons and ammunition will be punished according to the rules."
Amy froze for two seconds.
Then she suddenly leaned forward and kissed Wu Fan on the cheek.
"You're seriously full of ideas!"
Before Wu Fan could respond, she spun around and ran out of the office.
Wu Fan touched his cheek helplessly and shook his head.
Looks like everyone at the base truly hated Ed.
At the training grounds, Andrea was currently overseeing combat training for a new batch of security personnel.
During the past few months, she had trained harder than almost anyone else.
She ranked fourth during the last assessment.
Not bad.
But the gap between her and the top three was still enormous.
Andrea refused to accept that.
She trained every single day until the calluses on her hands tore open repeatedly.
"Throw your punches faster!" she shouted while correcting one of the female recruits. "Don't hesitate!"
"Andrea!"
She turned around and saw Amy running toward her from the main building, high heels clattering rapidly against the pavement.
"Slow down before you trip," Andrea frowned.
"What's got you so worked up?"
Amy quickly leaned close and explained Wu Fan's plan.
As Andrea listened, her eyes slowly narrowed.
"Divorce?" she repeated.
"Exactly!"
Amy nodded excitedly.
"You're a lawyer. Help Carol divorce him officially. Once Ed's no longer her husband, the base can deal with him however it wants."
Andrea remained silent for two seconds.
Then a smile slowly appeared on her lips.
The nearby recruits unconsciously stepped backward.
"Good," Andrea said calmly.
"I'll handle it."
Temporary Detention Cell.
Ed Pelletier sat in a chair with a resentful expression on his face.
The door opened.
Andrea walked in carrying a folder and a pen.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Ed sneered. "This isn't your house."
Andrea ignored him completely.
She sat down across from him and opened the folder.
"Ed Pelletier," she read aloud.
"Effective immediately, your marriage to Carol Pelletier is hereby dissolved."
Ed froze.
"What?"
"Divorce."
Andrea pushed the papers toward him.
"Sign here."
Ed's eyes widened.
He immediately jumped to his feet.
"Divorce?! Who the hell said anything about divorce?! That bitch—"
"Sit down."
Andrea's voice wasn't loud.
But it was ice cold.
Ed glanced at the pistol on her waist before slowly sitting back down.
"This comes directly from the boss," Andrea said calmly.
"It's also base policy."
"Anyone caught stealing public supplies or attempting to steal weapons and ammunition will not be protected by the base."
"But the base also won't allow people like you to drag innocent family members down with them."
She placed the pen beside the document.
"Sign it."
"From today onward, you and Carol are no longer husband and wife."
"She lives her life."
"You live yours."
Ed stared at the document while his face turned red with rage.
"I'm not signing shit!"
He slammed the table violently.
"What right do you people have—"
Andrea casually tapped the pistol at her waist.
"Because of this."
"This is Umbrella Corporation. Not your house."
"With everything you've done, you should've already been thrown outside to feed the Walkers."
She slowly stood up and looked down at him.
"Sign it, and you'll still be allowed to stay at the base."
"You'll work at the lowest level, but at least you won't starve."
She paused briefly.
"But if you refuse…"
"The boss considers stealing guns and ammunition an act of hostility against the base."
"Do you know what happens to hostile individuals?"
Ed's face instantly turned pale.
He wanted to curse.
Wanted to scream.
Wanted to resist.
But when he looked at Andrea's cold eyes…
The pistol on her waist…
The heavily armed guards outside…
And the combat teams training daily at the base…
His hands slowly began trembling.
Finally, he picked up the pen and scribbled his signature crookedly across the document.
Andrea calmly collected the papers and turned to leave.
Before exiting, she glanced back at him one last time.
"Oh, one more thing."
"Starting today, you'll move out of the family housing area and into the warehouse district."
"Your work assignments will also change."
Then she closed the door.
Outside in the hallway, Carol sat quietly holding Sophia in her arms.
Her lips were swollen.
Her eyes were red from crying.
But when she saw the document in Andrea's hand, something unfamiliar finally appeared in her eyes.
Hope.
"Signed," Andrea said softly while handing her the papers.
"You're free now."
Carol accepted the document with trembling hands.
She stared at Ed's crooked signature for several seconds.
Then Sophia looked up quietly and asked:
"Mommy… Daddy won't hit you anymore, right?"
Carol's tears finally fell.
She hugged her daughter tightly as her voice choked with emotion.
"No…"
"He'll never hurt us again."
Andrea stood nearby watching the mother and daughter.
Even her nose stung slightly.
She gently patted Carol on the shoulder.
"Come on," she said softly. "I'll arrange a new place for you to stay."
Third Floor Office.
Wu Fan stood beside the window, watching Andrea lead Carol and Sophia toward the family housing district below.
Amy stood behind him quietly.
"Carol wants to thank you personally," she said softly.
Wu Fan shook his head.
"No need."
"As long as she can finally live peacefully, that's enough."
He returned to his desk, sat down, and lit another cigarette.
"Oh right," he suddenly asked.
"Where's Ed now?"
"At the warehouse," Amy replied.
"We assigned him to carry the heaviest cargo."
She smirked slightly.
"And Merle volunteered to supervise him personally."
Wu Fan laughed softly.
Merle supervising Ed?
That bastard's life was about to become worse than hell.
Wu Fan exhaled a stream of smoke and looked back out the window.
The setting sun bathed the entire base in golden light.
In the distance, construction crews continued pouring concrete for the perimeter walls while machinery roared endlessly.
The world was still a complete disaster.
But at least here…
In this small corner of the apocalypse…
Some people had finally started living normal lives again.
And for now—
That was enough.