the calm before walking dead

While they slice me apart, I desperately call my brother, Nathan Slade. He finally picks up as my consciousness starts to slip and answers in an annoyed voice, "What now?" "Nathan, help—" I don't get to finish before he cuts me off. "Can't you ever go a day without drama? Gemma's graduation is at the end of the month. Miss it, and I swear I'll kill you!" Then, he hangs up without a second thought. The agonizing pain swallows me whole, and my eyes close for good, tears still trailing down my cheeks. Well, good news, Nathan… You won't have to kill me because I'm already dead.

Noah Marr is the last surviving bloodline of his parents, a young heir who sleeps until noon, counts money until his hands cramp, and lists eating and gaming as his highest aspirations. At his own birthday banquet he announces these goals without embarrassment, and the room collectively writes him off as a useless rich boy. His fiancee moves to break off the engagement. Nobody takes him seriously. Noah takes none of it personally. Then, the people responsible for his parents’ deaths finally step into the light, and everyone who ever laughed at him gets a very different look at who they were actually dealing with. Every sneer he absorbed, every dismissal he let slide, was just silence before the thunder.

Five years ago Melissa Gill and Lewis Sharp share one night together and she vanishes before dawn without a word. Five years later he engineers her return, traps her into signing a three year marriage contract, and makes absolutely clear he has no intention of letting her disappear again. By day he runs cold and sharp, pulling her close enough to make her heart stutter then pushing back just enough to keep her off balance. She carries secrets and guilt she hasn’t found a way to say out loud, and she lets him circle her without quite letting him in. Neither of them calls it love. Both of them know exactly what it is.

Young scientist Sharon Lynd is the leading figure at the Halora Academy of Sciences, pioneering the development of universal synthetic blood. Her groundbreaking work earns her the Nobel Prize in Medicine, yet she remains humble and unpretentious. During a blind date, a conflict arises with her fiancé, Howard Ted's company secretary, Yvette Smith, over a parking spot. Meanwhile, Howard company is on the brink of collapse, and Howard himself, arrogant and snobbish, harbors prejudice toward Sharon before their meeting. At the blind date, Sharon endures public humiliation, her humble gift of fruit is crushed, and Howard demands exorbitant compensation,making her a laughingstock. Having endured enough humiliation, Sharon strikes back with force and refuses to be pushed around.

I'm Isa Borgia, the daughter of the most powerful Don in Corvina. My father worries I'll marry the wrong man on a whim, so he arranges for me to be engaged to Luca, the rising heir of the Marino family. It's an arranged marriage, but that doesn't mean I've lost all my say. The very least I can do is choose a ring I genuinely like. So, I go to the mafia auction. When the diamond ring appears as the final jewel of the night, I lift my paddle. Just before the gavel falls, an arrogant voice comes from behind me. "A country bumpkin like you thinks you can compete with me? Do yourself a favor and leave." The auction hall goes quiet for a few seconds. The only sound comes from the camera shutters clicking around the hall. I turn and see a woman in a gold couture gown. Her mouth curves in a casual smile, as if she owns the place. Before I can say a word, the auctioneer rushes to close the bid.
"Sold! Congratulations to Ms. Sofia Lopez for winning the final lot, the Eternal Star!" My brows pull tight, and a hot spike of anger rises in my chest. "You ended the bidding early! Do you even follow the rules here?" Sofia turns around and gives me a once-over, her gaze sharp as a blade. 
"Rules?" She lets out a cold laugh. "Come on. I'm Luca Marino's favorite godsister. Around here, I make the rules!" I can't help but laugh. What a coincidence. So, she's my fiance's godsister. I pull out my phone and call him. "Luca, your godsister just snatched the engagement ring I picked out. How are you going to handle this?"

Overnight, every human being on earth shrinks to the size of a thumbnail. Civilization doesn't so much collapse as become irrelevant. The familiar world is now a jungle of furniture legs and household insects, and survival is a matter of minutes. College student Mason Reid barely makes it through the first day before something inside him unlocks—a system that lets him evolve by consuming living matter, growing stronger with every creature he defeats, and absorbing the abilities of fallen awakeners.He finds an unlikely partner in Evelyn Yates, composed on the surface, fierce underneath. Together, they navigate a miniaturized world full of mutated beasts, corrupted survivors, and a cult that has decided the catastrophe is the birth of something holy. The deeper they push, the clearer it becomes: scattered across this shrunken world are alien crystal cores, and they may be the only way to reverse everything.

Vivian Harrington gave everything—her trust, her mother's shares, even her heart—to her charming boyfriend Nathan Ellis. But the moment she signed those papers, Nathan, his father Gideon, her scheming stepmother Monica, and her jealous stepsister Serena betrayed her... and sent her to her death. When she opened her eyes again, she was back—reborn, right before the betrayal. This time, she knows who her enemies are. And she knows who truly loved her. Adrian Chandler—the dangerous underworld king who once avenged her and died for her. He may not believe her love now, but Vivian swears she'll make him hers, even if she has to burn the whole world to do it.

While the criminal was brutally killing me, my dad, the head of the criminal investigation division, and my mom, the chief forensic pathologist, were attending my sister Lily Lambert’s match. In a bid for revenge, the criminal, who had once been captured by my dad, cut out my tongue and used my phone to call him. My dad only said one thing before hanging up. "No matter what’s going on, Lily’s match is the top priority today!" The criminal sneered, "Seems I’ve kidnapped the wrong person. I thought they would love their biological daughter more!" At the crime scene, my parents were shocked by the brutal state of the body and condemned the cruelty of the killer. However, they did not realize that the horrifically mutilated corpse was their own daughter.

Shea had been pressured by her mother to marry her mom's best friend's son. After getting the marriage certificate, she had hardly seen her husband's face before he left. It didn't matter. They had the marriage certificate anyway, and her husband was really that important to her. Soon after, she received a notification about starting her job as a bodyguard in the security department of Lowe Group. Great, she had gotten married, and she even had a job lined up. Shea went to work happily. A year later, when Yancy, the CEO of Lowe Group, returned, Shea had become the CEO's personal bodyguard. Wait a minute! This guy looked familiar. Why did he look like her husband?

While the criminal was brutally killing me, my dad, the head of the criminal investigation division, and my mom, the chief forensic pathologist, were attending my sister Lily Lambert’s match. In a bid for revenge, the criminal, who had once been captured by my dad, cut out my tongue and used my phone to call him. My dad only said one thing before hanging up. "No matter what’s going on, Lily’s match is the top priority today!" The criminal sneered, "Seems I’ve kidnapped the wrong person. I thought they would love their biological daughter more!" At the crime scene, my parents were shocked by the brutal state of the body and condemned the cruelty of the killer. However, they did not realize that the horrifically mutilated corpse was their own daughter.

"body of a woman who shares her exact name. In this new life, her father died in battle long ago, and to secure their place within the powerful Calud family, her mother raised her as a boy from birth.As Morgan grows older, she is torn between her longing to reclaim her true identity and the constant fear that discovery would bring death upon both her and her mother. Determined to escape this dangerous double life, she plans to flee with her mother before the truth can be exposed.But her plans are derailed when she catches the attention of Shane Burke, the ruthless and immensely powerful prince of a different royal line in the Aetheria Empire. Taken into his residence against her will, Morgan is forced into a perilous game of wits and survival, where one wrong move could cost her everything.

If you refuse to apologize, stay here and reflect on your actions! Feel the pain Agnes went through!" Kenneth was the Alpha. His childhood friend was accidentally locked in a storage unit for three days. To punish me, he locked me in a faulty walk-in freezer. He left me with nothing but a piece of bread the size of my palm before locking the door and leaving.Unbeknownst to him, this walk-in freezer wasn't actually faulty. Not long after he left, the cooling system was suddenly activated. I screamed for help and desperately sought ways to survive. Unfortunately, no matter how hard I clawed at the door, nobody came to my rescue. A week later, he finally showed up outside the freezer. He was expecting an apology from me. But when he opened the freezer's door, all he found was my frozen corpse.

Overnight, every human being on earth shrinks to the size of a thumbnail. Civilization doesn't so much collapse as become irrelevant. The familiar world is now a jungle of furniture legs and household insects, and survival is a matter of minutes. College student Mason Reid barely makes it through the first day before something inside him unlocks—a system that lets him evolve by consuming living matter, growing stronger with every creature he defeats, and absorbing the abilities of fallen awakeners.He finds an unlikely partner in Evelyn Yates, composed on the surface, fierce underneath. Together, they navigate a miniaturized world full of mutated beasts, corrupted survivors, and a cult that has decided the catastrophe is the birth of something holy. The deeper they push, the clearer it becomes: scattered across this shrunken world are alien crystal cores, and they may be the only way to reverse everything.

I was reborn on the very day my sister Tilda Wright and I were supposed to pick our husbands. And that was when I unlocked an incredible ability—I could hear everyone’s inner thoughts. I caught Tilda’s greedy voice in my head: This time, I’m definitely snatching the best husband for myself first! Before I could even react, she dashed over and stole the sweet man I’d married in my past life. Meanwhile, I was stuck with the abusive brute who’d beaten her black and blue every single day back then. I let out a cold, mocking laugh. Did she really think the man I once married was some flawless prince charming? How naive.

In the 1990s, Trenton Zoller, the director of Windi Factory, was suddenly diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Feeling disheartened by his wife Madelyn's cold violence, Trenton refused the doctor's proposed treatment plan and decided to conceal his illness. He resolved to help the factory undergo reorganizing before losing all memory, ensuring the workers would not lose their jobs. Eventually, he planned to pass away with dignity once his memory faded completely. Misunderstood by his wife and the factory workers, Trenton had to sadly depart as his factory reorganization plan was misconstrued. Madelyn, upon learning the truth, was consumed with remorse, left only with Trenton's ashes. A decade passed in the blink of an eye, until one day Madelyn saw a person in the newspaper who bore an uncanny resemblance to Trenton Zoller...

Transmigrated as an abandoned snake clan offspring, Sam Cole barely binds to a system before his birth parents attempt to sacrifice him for his beast core. In this desperate moment, he triggers the Devouring System—gnawing bones, consuming demon beasts, and absorbing spiritual veins to evolve into the Infernal Ancestral Dragon! He counter-attacks and crushes his enemies, unifies the Demon Realm, and even confronts the Demon Realm's world-devouring laws, crossing dimensions to slaughter the demon ancestor himself! He establishes trade between human and demon realms and sets the order for all worlds, yet hidden ancient crises continue to brew—beyond this world, even more terrifying existences lurk. Watch as the useless snake rises, devours the heavens, and seizes control over life and death across all realms!

Serena, heiress to the Klein family, married Nathaniel after six years together—unaware their perfect love was his revenge scheme. Years ago, Serena's father Victor stole Nathaniel's father's drug formula, killed him, and built his empire. Nathaniel faked deep affection to get close, plotting his revenge. Serena's world collapsed: her father imprisoned, her mother dead from the shock. On her mother's funeral day, Nathaniel attended an awards ceremony with actress Vanessa. He seized Klein Biotech, served Serena divorce papers, confessed all his lies, and left her with nothing—destroying her faith in love. With friend Sophie's support, Serena rebuilt her life. She worked from the bottom at Sophie's studio while connecting with her mother's lawyer, Alex, determined to uncover the truth and clear her father's name. She faced Vanessa's humiliation but struck back calmly, partnered with veteran journalist Lee, used media pressure against Nathaniel, and hunted for evidence proving her father's frame-up. Nathaniel planned his engagement to Vanessa, but Serena exposed her secrets—turning the celebration into a farce. Desperate, Nathaniel used his power to crush everyone around her. But with help from an old servant, Serena found her mother's clues and located key witness Old John, learning the truth: while Victor had his faults, Nathaniel's father had also stolen Klein's core technology—and Nathaniel's conviction evidence was forged. Armed with proof, Serena launched her final counterattack. Together with Alex, Lee, and Victor's former allies, she exposed Nathaniel's fabricated evidence and illegal financial dealings. Nathaniel landed in prison, Victor's sentence was dramatically reduced. Serena reclaimed Klein Group, became CEO, reformed the company, helped Sophie rebuild her studio, rose from the ashes, and stepped into her own future—free at last.

Cecilia Moore gets a second chance at life. In her previous life, she was the legitimate eldest daughter of Lord Moore. The King arranged her marriage to the outstanding third son, Danny Mallin. But on the day of the marriage decree,Danny heroically rescues her cousin Monica Moore from drowning.Under pressure from the Moore family matriarch, Danny takes both Moore sisters as his wives. After Danny ascends the throne, he allows Cecilia to be the Queen for just one day before cruelly poisoning her and their unborn child to death. He then massacres the entire Moore household. It turns out Monica is a transmigrator from another world, and everything was a scheme orchestrated by her and Danny. Now returned to the day of the marriage decree, Cecilia decisively rejects Danny this time and chooses Prince Oscar, the man infamous throughout the capital as the realm’s most notorious playboy.