Desolate Era - Book 1, Chapter 10 - Footwork

Betrayed. Ridiculed. Killed.That was my past life.I trusted the wrong people, and they buried me for it. But fate wasn’t done with me yet. When I opened my eyes again, it wasn’t in my old body—it was in a world overrun by the undead. And this time, I was one of them.A fucking zombie!But I’m not like the others. I think. I feel. I remember.What’s this voice in my head?[Welcome to the Silent Requiem System!]The system feeds me power, unlocking missions and skill buried within this body. I have one goal: rise in rank, take control, and make sure no one ever tramples me again.The humans I move with have no idea what I really am. To them, I’m just another survivor, clawing my way to the top. But in battle, I use my abilities in secret—manipulating the undead, eliminating threats, and turning every fight in my favor.But rumors are spreading. There’s talk of an undead hiding among them, unseen and unstoppable. If they find out the truth, they’ll hunt me down like a monster.And my past? It’s here too. The people who betrayed me in my last life are standing right beside me, unaware of who I am. But I remember them. They turned on me once—I won’t give them the chance to do it again.Then there’s him. The commander of the city, sharp-eyed and ruthless. He’s watching me too closely, asking too many questions. If he figures out the truth, I’ll have to make a choice: eliminate him, outplay him… or pull him into my trap before he can destroy me.Because in this world, power is the only thing that matters. And this time, I refuse to be at the bottom.***“How did you survive when everyone else died?”I guess death just didn’t want me.“Why do the zombies ignore you?”Maybe I just have a face they don’t like.“You were just a nobody yesterday—how are you suddenly so strong?”Hard work, luck… and a little bit of hex.“Why do I feel like I've seen you somewhere before?”Déjà vu’s a funny thing, isn’t it?“What are you?”Wouldn’t you like to know?

Usually when you possess a novel, you start in the city, but I fell into the forest.

After being reborn she worked hard to stalk and marry her husband, abuse and punish her other scumbag husband, and embark on a journey to reach the pinnacle of life!

—

For the egregious crime of treason everyone in the Xiao House were sentenced to death.

At the execution grounds while waiting for her beheading, she stared at the youth sprawled on the ground in front of her. He had run over so hurriedly he tripped over his own feet, displaying an undignified sight. It made her smile thinking how stupid this person was. She had completely used and taken advantage of him from the day he forced her to marry him. Yet despite all the abuse she heaped on him, he still wanted to save her.

She opened her eyes again only to find it was the day before their wedding. That devious scoundrel… to make her his wife through underhanded methods… The memory of it still left a bad taste in her mouth.

She was going to grab this second chance and live it up! Extort all debts owed to her! Buff herself up and shine like a diamond!

But how was she to know that the husband she once hated was actually really loyal and gentle, soft and easy, and so incredibly sweet and delicious to eat! The shutters that blinded her eyes in the previous life were cast aside. She realized she didn’t know how to cherish the good things in life. So in this new one she was going to make sure to pamper and spoil the hell out of that husband of hers.

- Description from Novelupdates

I became a staff officer of an empire whose defeat was certain.The only way to escape from the empire with an 8-year mandatory service was through dishonorable discharge.But then…“You can be glad, Lieutenant. Thanks to your accurate instinct, our military could prevent damage in advance.”The more I struggled to be discharged, the higher my performance evaluation became.