In recent years, the American economy had flourished like never before.
With wealth came an explosion of entertainment, including countless talent shows and reality programs, each giving rise to a plethora of stars and celebrities.
Yet the acting profession was unforgiving. No matter how bright a star burned at its peak, without solid works to cement their legacy, most careers ended in fleeting brilliance.
Nicole was one of the newer rising stars. Though her acting still lacked polish, her dedication and professionalism earned her widespread acclaim.
After a string of blockbuster dramas, Nicole secured her place in the industry. Coupled with several well-received variety shows, her popularity only grew.
Even Miles, a tech-savvy man who seldom indulged in pop culture, was familiar with her.
Damn it.
Miles clicked his tongue in regret. A radiant star, cherished by millions, was about to fall into the clutches of a thug.
"Such a shame…" he sighed, his hand instinctively shifting on the sniper's stock.
And then it happened.
His finger, resting on the trigger, slipped.
Bang!
A high-explosive round tore through the air, shattering the villa's window and grazing past Anthony's ear.
Miles froze.
He stared at his hand, dumbfounded, then glanced at the now-silent sniper rifle.
From the kitchen below, Lisa's startled voice rang out.
"What was that? Was that a gunshot?"
Inside Nicole's villa, Anthony was fully consumed by lust.
Ignoring the bitter cold, he stripped down to his thermal underwear, pinning Nicole to the bed as she struggled beneath him.
Suddenly, the deafening roar of a sniper round shattered the tension.
The bullet obliterated a corner of the bedside table, leaving a gaping hole in the wall.
Anthony instinctively clutched his burning ear and collapsed to the floor, his fervor extinguished in an instant.
His breathing was erratic, fear coursing through his veins.
The shattered glass and the embedded bullet in the wall bore silent testimony to his near-death experience.
"Boss!"
Two of his underlings rushed in, having heard the gunshot.
Nicole sat frozen, clutching the blanket as if it were her only shield. Her wide eyes stared at the window, terror mingling with relief.
"Who… who fired that shot?"
Anthony finally regained his senses, his trembling hand clutching his injured ear.
Peering through the shattered window, one of the lackeys muttered, "There's no one outside."
"No."
Anthony shook his head, his face pale but his eyes sharp.
"That wasn't a handgun. It was a large-caliber sniper round. Find that bullet."
The lackeys scrambled to examine the embedded round.
A moment later, one of them pointed to the wall, stammering,
"Boss, this… this is a military-grade sniper bullet. It could blow someone's head clean off from over a thousand meters."
Anthony's face twisted with dread. He turned to glance at the horizon.
"A thousand meters…" he murmured. "Who the hell has it out for me?"
But searching within a thousand-meter radius in this frozen wasteland was futile—like finding a needle in a haystack.
Still, he refused to let this go. The allure of Nicole was too intoxicating. A woman of her caliber, a shining star in the entertainment industry, wasn't something an ordinary man could even dream of.
He had learned about her existence from a lackey who'd spotted her fetching snow water the other day.
With Miles' "anti-zombie squad" ensuring ample food supplies, Anthony and his gang had spent most of their days idle. And with nothing but time and a full belly, their thoughts had turned to baser pursuits.
In the past two weeks alone, Anthony had seduced or coerced many women in Cloud Heights. Yet none of them had the mystique or allure of a celebrity like Nicole.
Today was meant to be a grand conquest. But before he could even begin, someone had him in their crosshairs.
Had the bullet been just two centimeters to the left, he'd be missing half his head.
"Damn it!"
Anthony gritted his teeth in frustration.
"Could she have someone protecting her from the shadows?"
Nicole flinched at the suggestion.
She knew, without a doubt, that no one was protecting her.
The villa was a private retreat she'd purchased for leisure. Like many stars, she had chosen Chicago for its tranquil charm.
After finishing a variety show shoot in New York, she had planned a brief escape here. But then the apocalypse struck, trapping her in this now-hostile paradise.
Thankfully, Nicole's tendency to stockpile snacks had kept her alive so far. But even her supplies were dwindling, forcing her to venture out to collect snow for water.
She had been painfully cautious, blending into the shadows to avoid detection.
Yet, despite her efforts, she had been found.
Nicole had resigned herself to her grim fate, prepared to fight until the bitter end.
But then, a sniper's bullet had pierced the silence, shattering both glass and her captor's confidence.
Who was it?
The same question burned in all their minds.
One of Anthony's lackeys, now emboldened, began piecing the puzzle together.
"There aren't many people in Chicago who could get their hands on a weapon like this. It has to be the military—or someone with serious power."
"If it were the military," Anthony muttered, "they wouldn't stop at one shot."
"True," the lackey nodded.
"If it's a big-shot… do you think Nicole's got ties to someone important? Someone we didn't know about?"
"Does she?"
Anthony's gaze shifted to Nicole, who remained silent, clutching the blanket tighter around her trembling frame.
The lackey studied the bullet hole closely, his eyes narrowing.
"Wait… this wasn't fired from a thousand meters. Even a Barrett wouldn't leave a hole this clean from that far out."
"If it wasn't long-range…" Anthony's voice trailed off as a chilling realization set in.
The sniper was close.