Chapter 2 The Breakfast Trap

• Jared woke early.
• Not because he wanted to, but because he knew what was coming.
• He dressed in silence. The system screen hovered quietly in his mind, waiting. It wasn’t intrusive — more like a presence at the edge of thought. The auction countdown ticked in the background, hours shrinking by the minute.
• He checked the funds on his phone: ₦420,000. Almost everything he had. No savings, no backup. Just enough to survive, barely enough to complete the mission.
• His new wife still lay curled on the far side of the bed, her back to him, breathing even. Not a word since last night. Not even a glance.
• He didn’t blame her, not anymore. That had been the trap last time — caring too much about people who didn’t care at all.
• He slipped on his jacket and left the room.
• Downstairs, the Bai family was already gathered for breakfast in the hotel dining lounge. White tablecloths, fresh fruit, clinking cutlery — all for show. Jared stepped in quietly.
• The moment he did, conversation stopped.
• Bai Cheng, the patriarch, looked up from his cup of coffee. His expression was carved from stone — disappointment already sitting on his face like it lived there rent-free.
• “Jared,” he said without smiling. “You actually showed up.”
• “I live here,” Jared replied calmly. “For now.”
• One of the cousins snorted into his juice.
• Bai Cheng ignored the comment. “Since you’re here, let’s not waste time. I have something you can do for me.”
• Here it comes.
• “In the warehouse district, there’s a supplier we use. They’re late with a shipment. Go check it out. Take a cab — and don’t come back until it’s resolved. Understood?”
• Jared met his gaze evenly. “Sure. Before I go, I’ll need an advance. Three thousand.”
• The entire table went silent.
• Bai Cheng set down his coffee slowly. “Three thousand? For what?”
• Jared smiled faintly. “Transportation. Lunch. Maybe a down payment on my dignity.”
• The silence cracked — a bark of laughter from one of the uncles. But Bai Cheng didn’t flinch.
• “You want me to hand cash to the Bai family’s son-in-law for a simple errand? Are you out of your mind?”
• “No,” Jared said. “Just done playing games.”
• “You’ll get nothing from me,” Bai Cheng said coldly. “If you can’t afford a taxi, walk. Maybe it’ll teach you some respect.”
• Jared stood without another word.
• Before, he would’ve swallowed it. He would’ve smiled, nodded, begged to be accepted. Not this time.
• “Thanks for the breakfast,” he said. “Even if I wasn’t invited.”
• He turned to leave, but just as he reached the door, another voice cut through the room.
• “Wait.”
• Elena.
• She stood at the entrance, hair wet from the shower, wrapped in a crisp blazer, perfectly put together. Her eyes met his, unreadable.
• “I’ll give him the money,” she said, taking out her purse. “Consider it a wedding gift.”
• Jared blinked. That hadn’t happened in the last life.
• Bai Cheng looked annoyed. “You’d waste your allowance on him?”
• “It’s not a waste if it gets him out of the house.”
• She handed Jared the cash — ₦3000 exactly — without emotion. Like passing a receipt. Their fingers brushed. She didn’t look at him.
• He took the money, pocketed it.
• “Thanks,” he said.
• “Don’t thank me,” she said. “Just don’t come back empty-handed.”
• She didn’t mean the warehouse.
• He knew that.
• —
• By noon, Jared stood outside a rusted office in the outer district. The sky hung low and gray. His shoes were soaked. Mud clung to the edges of his trousers.
• But in his pocket was a receipt.
• Purchased: 520 square meters of rural land on the outskirts of the city.
• The seller hadn’t even asked questions. No one wanted land out there — too far, too empty, too useless.
• Jared had smiled and handed over the money.
• [Mission complete.]
• [+1,000 system points earned.]
• [Inventory tab unlocked.]
• A jolt ran through him. Not physical — something deeper.
• In his mind’s eye, a new screen flicked open.
• [Inventory: 0 items stored]
• [System Shop: Locked]
• [Next Mission available in 6 hours.]
• It was real. All of it.
• He turned toward the plot he’d just bought — a flat stretch of grass and dry trees behind a crumbling factory. It looked like nothing.
• But in three weeks, when the world fell apart, it would be everything.
• He took a deep breath and whispered to himself, “Let them keep calling me trash.”
• He glanced back toward the city skyline.
• “When this world burns, I’ll be the only one with a map.”