On Christmas Eve, my uncle, Adam Stewart, took a sip of the expensive wine I bought and pointed at me, laughing. "A child’s nature really shows early. When she was little, she wet the bed. Now that she's all grown up, she's working as a content creator in her parents' store.

"She can't compare to my daughter, Erin Stewart, who has a secure job with guaranteed income. Because you're running a small business, your family will starve if you were to come across the smallest hurdle!"

All the relatives at the dining table laughed.

Erin pretended to play with her phone, but she was grinning.

My parents just smiled politely, at a loss for what to do.

I looked icily at Uncle Adam.

There were still six hours before the ice apocalypse arrived and the global zombie crisis broke out.

In my previous life, Uncle Adam, who always looked down on us, pushed my entire family into the zombie horde to seize my parents' supermarket. This time, I would not let him get away with it.

I had just grabbed the plate, ready to smash it over Uncle Adam's head, when a crisp notification rang in my mind.

"Ding! Rage Points System has been bound. The host can obtain resources by retaliating. The more shameless you are, the stronger you become!"

Looking at Uncle Adam's smug face, I laughed. "Yeah, I don't know anything, but I just recalled something. Uncle Adam, you were arrested by the anti-prostitution squad when you went to Los Anglos on a business trip eight years ago, weren't you? Does Aunt Leanne know about this?"

The flush on Adam Stewart's face vanished instantly, and the cutlery dropped onto the table with a thud.

I turned my head and smiled warmly at my aunt, Leanne Darth, who was about to add some food to her plate. "He was fined 5,000 dollars and detained for five days. Uncle Adam didn't dare ask his family for money, so he lied to my father and said he didn't have enough money for the goods and borrowed the money to pay the fine.

"And you... haven't paid him back yet, have you?"

Aunt Leanne suddenly smashed the bowl on the table. She turned her head in disbelief and glared at Adam. "Adam Stewart! When you went to Los Anglos eight years ago, didn't you say you had no signal in the factory? You even told me that you'd get struck by lightning if you were lying?

"So, you were up to some dirty business? No wonder you came back with two pairs of underwear missing!"

Uncle Adam sobered up for a bit. He slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and pointed at me as he yelled, "Nonsense! What nonsense are you spewing? You read novels all throughout middle school, slept in class during high school, and now, you're spreading rumors about your elders during Christmas. You have such a terrible character. Believe it or not, I'll rip your mouth off!"

Putting aside the connection between reading novels and one's character, Uncle Adam had been criticizing me for anything he could since I was a child. When I was little, I was sad that Uncle Adam treated me this way and wondered if I was really a naughty kid.

Later, I heard he was just jealous that Grandpa often took Dad out to see the world instead of him, so I felt relieved. He felt wronged and took it out on me.

Uncle Adam was unbelievable to pick on his niece to save his pride.

I picked up my phone and calmly scrolled through it. "Rumors? I have a screenshot of the electronic invoice from back then. It's a bit blurry, but the name 'Adam Stewart' is visible. Do you want to see it? By the way, I heard that the masseuse is 20 years younger than you, Uncle Adam. You're quite spry for your age!"

I did not have any screenshots. Adam had just boasted about it and exposed himself in the previous life. However, bluffing was enough to deal with someone with a guilty conscience.

"Thomas Stewart, is this how you raise your daughter? She's already spouting filthy nonsense at such a young age. Has she no shame?"

Aunt Leanne roared, interrupting Uncle Adam's attempt to change the subject, "I think you're the shameless one! You're old enough to be someone's father, and you're still doing such things. Adam, I'll kill you, you heartless bastard!"

She then overturned the scalding pot of fish stew in front of her. Hot stew splattered all over Uncle Adam.

"Ouch! It's scalding hot! You madwoman!" Uncle Adam screamed, jumping up with a thud as his face was smeared with stew. He looked like a clown.

[Ding! Adam's rage has been detected. Leanne's resentment level is off the charts! Rage points +200!]

[Rewards: 1 Doomsday Safe House Modification Card, 1-click door, window, and wall reinforcement, 100 servings of fried chicken family bucket, sent to system storage!]

How generous. Even if the apocalypse came, my parents and I could hold on for a while. I happily browsed the supplies in my system space while enjoying the chaos in the living room.

Aunt Leanne left three bloody scratches on Uncle Adam's face. Erin screamed as she tried to break up the fight but was splattered with stew.

It was a sight to behold.

Ten minutes later, Uncle Adam and his family stood at the door, looking utterly disheveled.

Uncle Adam covered his face, pointing fiercely at my parents and me. "Good! Amazing! Thomas, this is the daughter you raised! She slandered her elders on Christmas Eve!"

Dad was just about to explain when I grabbed him. "Uncle Adam, don't say that. I'm doing a good deed by helping Aunt Leanne see her partner for who he really is! Big blessings await me at the end."

Uncle Adam gritted his teeth at Dad. "How sharp-tongued. Thomas, we're done for good! Even if your family starves or begs me, I won't give you a helping hand! Erin, let's go!"

My cousin, Erin Stewart, glanced disdainfully at me, wiping the stains off her body. "Tsk, I didn't want to come to this crappy place in the first place. It reeks of poverty. Dad, let's go. We'll enjoy life with my stable job. Let them regret holding onto this crappy supermarket!"

Watching their retreating backs, I smiled and waved. "Take care! By the way, Uncle Adam, even if we're severing ties, remember to transfer the 5,000 dollars to my dad. Otherwise, I'll post this matter in the family group chat and pin it at the top!"

Uncle Adam staggered a little and almost fell. He ran away without turning around.

[Ding. Uncle Adam's blood pressure surged. Rage points +100! Reward: 20 pounds of fresh beef!]

Twenty pounds? Although not much, it was enough to last for a while in an apocalyptic world without fresh fruits and vegetables.

I was deep in thought when my parents looked at the mess on the ground and sighed. "Alissa, he's... your uncle, after all.. We won't be able to be on good terms with him anymore."

After tonight, there would only be the living and the dead in this world. What did relatives matter?

I wiped the smile from my face, my expression turning serious. "Mom, relatives like them are better off gone. I have inside information that a cold wave will break out tonight. It's very dangerous. We need to seal off the supermarket now. No one is allowed to open the door."

My parents were skeptical, but seeing my confident demeanor and considering my assertiveness over the years, they eventually nodded.

While my parents were putting things away, I walked to the supermarket entrance and silently recited, "Use the safe house conversion card."

The ordinary roller shutter instantly transformed into a titanium alloy explosion-proof door. All the window glass silently became bulletproof glass, and the walls were fitted with top-of-the-line thermal and sound insulation layers.

After doing all this, I glanced at the clock on the wall.

Midnight.

The joyful festive music suddenly stopped, replaced by a bone-chilling howling wind. The temperature plummeted in just ten minutes, from 41 degrees Fahrenheit to -58, and it continued to drop. Heavy snow, mixed with a strange virus, fell relentlessly.

In my past life, having stayed at my house to play poker after dinner, Uncle Adam's family conveniently escaped the cold on the way home and even took over my parents' warmest bedroom, forcing them to squeeze in with me.

In this life, they were currently on their way home after a falling out over Christmas Eve dinner.

I sat in the 79-degree Fahrenheit supermarket, chomping down on a roasted chicken drumstick from the system storage.

Wrapped in blankets, my parents stared out at the terrifying blizzard, still shaken. "Thank goodness we listened to Alissa and didn't go out. How did the weather suddenly change?"

Just then, the family group chat notifications went off like crazy.

Uncle Adam sent a voice message, saying, "Thomas, my car broke down on the road. I'm freezing to death! Where's your delivery van? Come pick us up!"

Erin typed: [Uncle Thomas, my hands are freezing! Hurry up! We're calling the police if you don't come soon!]

Hearing Uncle Adam's trembling voice and the howling wind, I scoffed. Did they not sever ties with us? Now that they were in trouble, they were looking for help from our family. Did my family have no pride? It was one thing that we tolerated their bullying all the time, but it was so dangerous right now. Did they want us to swallow our pride and rescue them?

Holding down the voice message button, I replied lazily, "Oh, Uncle Adam, what a pity. I wasn't capable enough to pass the driving test, and my dad is drunk, so he can't drive now."

"Uncle Adam and Erin, maybe that job security you're so proud of can keep out the wind and shield you from the cold? Or do a few more squats, Uncle Adam. You didn't squat properly in prison back then."

There was an eerie silence in the group chat.

After a few seconds, Uncle Adam sent a voice message full of foul language, but his voice became increasingly weak.

[Ding! Uncle Adam's family is in a helpless rage in the cold wind. They're physically and mentally traumatized. Rage points +200!]

[Congratulations to the host for receiving the rewards: 50 infinite rechargeable heating pad and max combat proficiency.]

A warm current spread throughout my body, and I felt my muscles filled with strength.

Great, the first night of the apocalypse was peaceful. However, I could not be careless because after the extreme cold came a more terrifying zombie outbreak. People who froze to death on the roadside would stand back up with twisted limbs, biting at anyone they saw.

Uncle Adam's family was indeed lucky. They abandoned the car and fled back to their upscale neighborhood.

Unfortunately, their upscale neighborhood had no water, electricity, or gas. The exquisite furnishing was worthless in the face of -112 degrees. There was no food stored at home, so they could only gnaw on their expensive leather couch.

Erin kept arguing with him because of the lack of food.

Finally, hunger overcame fear and pride. Uncle Adam came to my family's supermarket entrance, along with a few of his neighbors.

Heavy knocks rang out.

Uncle Adam's voice was hoarse and urgent. "Thomas, open the door! It's me, Adam! The power's out, the heating's off, and the windows are cracked from the cold! Let us inside to warm up! We're all starving. We're family. Thomas, you can't just leave us to die!"

My parents instinctively reached for the door, but I stopped them. "Dad, check the security camera."

The footage showed Uncle Adam holding a crowbar, and several people behind him carried steel pipes. They were not here to seek refuge. They were here to rob us.

Someone started hacking at the door with an axe.

Dad sweated profusely from anxiety. "Alissa, what do we do? There are so many people. What if they really break in..."

Mom also cried from fear. "How about we give them some food?"

I looked at Uncle Adam's sinister face on the monitor and sneered.

In my past life, he used the same tactic to force my parents to open the door, and my parents ended up inviting trouble. This time, I was not going to fall victim to it.

I turned on the loudspeaker by the door. "Oh, isn't this my Uncle Adam, the one with a guaranteed income no matter what? What? Ran out of money? You came all this way to my run-down supermarket to beg?"

Uncle Adam, who was outside the door, froze before flying into a rage. "Alissa, enough with the sarcasm! Open the door! I'm your elder!"

"That's right, young lady. Don't be too ruthless! Hurry and give everyone some food!"

More and more people chimed in.

"Calm down, everyone." I chuckled and paused for a moment. "You can have some food. But Uncle Adam, we're in an apocalypse. You have to follow the rules."

"What rules?" Uncle Adam asked anxiously.

"Give me five million dollars or call me 'Master.'"

Some of the people who came with him could not help but burst out laughing.

Uncle Adam's face turned crimson as he trembled with rage, but he could hear the faint roars of zombies behind him. The commotion they made had attracted the zombies.

Fighting zombies in this environment was too troublesome, so he gritted his teeth and stammered to the security camera. "M-Master!"