Chapter 1 Trash Again

• Rain slapped against the windows like it had a personal grudge. Jared Lin sat on the edge of the hotel bed, dressed in an ill-fitting tuxedo that wasn’t even his. His shoes were borrowed, the collar too tight, and the smile he’d worn at the wedding a few hours ago had already vanished.
• The room still smelled like roses — fake ones, plastic and perfume-heavy — leftovers from the Bai family’s low-budget wedding reception. But no one cared. Not really. Least of all his new wife, Elena Bai, who hadn’t looked him in the eye once since they said “I do.”
• “You’re still sitting here?” Her voice came from the bathroom doorway, cold as the marble floor beneath his feet. “Aren’t you going to take the trash out before you sleep in it?”
• Jared didn’t flinch. He just looked at her. So beautiful. So sharp.
• In his past life, he would’ve done anything for her. He had. He’d taken a bullet for her. Shielded her from a monster. Died trying to save her family — the same family that never stopped calling him “that useless son-in-law.”
• And what had it earned him? Abandonment. Betrayal. A shallow grave while they ran.
• Now, somehow… he was back. Ten years ago. On the first night of his pathetic marriage.
• “I’ll do it,” he said quietly, standing. “I wouldn’t want to ruin your beauty sleep.”
• Elena scoffed and turned back into the bathroom. She didn’t even bother closing the door.
• He walked out of the suite, plastic trash bag in hand, rain biting at his face as he stepped into the alley behind the hotel. The stink of wet garbage, gasoline, and sewage filled the air.
• In his past life, this exact moment had passed like nothing. But now, it carried weight. Because three days from now… the world would end. Just like before.
• [System initializing… Loading host consciousness.]
• Jared froze.
• The air shifted. It wasn’t a voice in his ears—it was in his head. Sharp, mechanical, and emotionless. A digital chime followed.
• [Welcome, Host: Jared Lin.]
• [You have been selected to activate: APOCALYPSE PREPARATION SYSTEM.]
• [Do you accept?]
• His heart nearly stopped.
• In his last life, this system… this power… had belonged to someone else. Someone who used it to crush entire cities. A warlord who rose from the ashes of civilization and ruled with fire and fear.
• The man Jared had tried to stop. The man who killed him in the end.
• Now the system was offering him a chance?
• He didn’t hesitate. “I accept.”
• [Binding complete.]
• [Initiating first mission.]
• [Mission 001: Acquire one plot of land (minimum 500 square meters) outside city limits within 48 hours. Reward: 1,000 system points. Unlock: Inventory tab.]
• Jared let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. It was real.
• This time, the game started early—and he had the controller in his hand.
• “Now,” he muttered, eyes narrowing, “let’s see who the real trash is.”
• By the time Jared returned to the suite, the lights were off. Elena was already curled in bed, a fortress of pillows separating her from his side. She didn’t stir when he walked in.
• He looked at her for a long time. In the last life, she’d watched him die. Cold, blank. As if a man giving his life for her family meant nothing.
• But in the years that followed, he remembered something. In the final days… she cried for him. Whispered apologies to the wind. Too late.
• This time, he wouldn’t hate her. Not yet. But he wouldn’t beg for her love either.
• Not anymore.
• He lay back on the bed, staring at the cracked ceiling. The Bai family was already planning how to use him. Tomorrow, there would be breakfast with Father-in-law, who’d call him “boy” and talk like he was doing Jared a favor by letting him mop the company lobby.
• Fine. Let them think he was still that spineless fool.
• They’d find out soon enough that the apocalypse wasn’t the end — it was the beginning.
• Ding.
• [System Alert: Auction listing nearby — rural land in outer district, reserve price: $3,000. Ends in 22 hours.]
• A slow smile curved his lips.
• Perfect.