"You're so annoying. What are you even doing here? I've already told you that I don't have time to eat with you. Who do you even think you are? Go get a reality check and take a good look at yourself before you even think about talking to me," Victoria said.

She looked extremely impatient and slammed a poker card onto the table. "Nine of Diamonds!"

Just then, I saw a number above Victoria's head. It showed her affection level at 20%.

After she finished speaking, the number over her head flickered and dropped to 10%.

Thinking about how she had betrayed me in my previous life left a bitter feeling in my heart. But my task was to make her fall for me, so no matter how low I had to go, I would see it through.

I pleaded with her humbly, "Vicky, please give me a chance."

She ignored me and continued playing poker. "I'm not some lowlife like you who can eat at any random roadside stall."

Her friends began to jeer. "Is this how you beg someone? You didn't even kneel. There's no sincerity at all."

Victoria held a poker card and beckoned me over with a finger. "That's right. Kneel and crawl over here like a dog to beg me. Perhaps then I'll agree."

Damn it. Once I completed the task, she would get what was coming to her. I swore to myself that I would make her pay for it twofold.

To complete the task as quickly as possible, I could only do as she said. I kneeled and crawled from the doorway to her feet like an animal.

Without even glancing at me, she pressed her foot against my head and said flatly, "My shoes are a little dirty. Lick them clean for me."

I tilted my head up and stared at her.

She reached out and slapped me across the face. "What are you looking at? Lick them!"

With the task in mind, I had no choice but to obey her.

"Vicky, I really envy you for being able to keep such a good dog," one of Victoria's friends said.

"Yeah, Vicky. Teach me how. I want to raise such an obedient dog too," another friend said.

One of her friends grabbed my hair and said, "Come here, you filthy animal. Lick my shoes. They're even dirtier. I haven't washed them in six months."

I glared at her, and she slapped me several times. "How dare you glare at me! Do you want to die?"

Victoria kicked me impatiently. "Get lost. Don't ruin my game."

It seemed this approach wouldn't work. I could only leave for now, dejected.

After leaving Victoria's house, I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists. I checked my phone and saw that I only had one hundred thousand dollars. The most important thing now was to spend it all on Victoria.

I drove to the most luxurious mall in the area and entered a high-end boutique. After looking around, I realized that buying bags or watches was the fastest way to spend the money.

Women usually preferred bags, so I picked one worth one hundred thousand dollars, paid for it in full, and hurried back to Victoria's apartment.

"Why are you here again? Aren't you tired of this? You're really pathetic," Victoria said.

"Vicky, I came to apologize to you. This is a bag I bought for you. Please forgive me," I said.

She glanced at me. "Don't buy something this cheap again. It's embarrassing."

"No, this is the latest model. It's not expensive; it only costs one hundred thousand dollars. I'll leave it here. You can check it when you have time."

After I finished speaking, I placed the bag on the table.

When Victoria heard that it was worth one hundred thousand dollars, she looked at me for a moment longer and walked over. "If this is a trick, you're dead."

I took out the receipt to show her. "You can check with the store if you have time. I would never lie to you."

After saying that, I left.

On my way back, I checked my bank account. I had only a few cents left. I started to feel uncertain. The system wouldn't lie to me, would it?

That evening, my phone suddenly showed a notification. One million dollars had been deposited into my bank account.

Immediately after, I received a message from Victoria. "Since you're so sincere, come to this location tomorrow."

Then she sent me an address.

The next day, I made my way to the address Victoria had given me. It was a real estate sales office.

When I arrived, Victoria was already there. Tristan was there as well.

Victoria clung to Tristan's arm affectionately. The sight of them together turned my stomach.

Tristan asked Victoria in a voice full of disdain, "Is this the loser you were talking about?"

Victoria put on a wounded expression. "Yeah. He's such a nuisance. I've already told him that nothing will ever happen between us, but he just keeps pursuing me."

Tristan turned to me. "I'm warning you. Stay away from Vicky from now on. Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless. Could a loser like you even afford a place here?"

As soon as Tristan finished speaking, a sales representative quickly stepped forward. "Mr. Cole, please follow me to see the unit you wanted."

Tristan instructed the representative, "Don't let people like him in here anymore. It'll ruin the reputation of this place."

I ignored him and walked over to the front desk to ask about the prices. The staff member told me the best unit cost over eight million dollars, and with the current low interest rates, the monthly mortgage would only be around one hundred thousand dollars.

I told her that there was no need for a mortgage and that I would be back in 15 minutes to pay in full with my bank card.

After that, I walked over to Victoria. I told her the most expensive unit here was only around eight million dollars, and that I planned to buy her one outright. But first, I wanted to get her a car, and we'd come back for the apartment later.

The moment I finished speaking, both Tristan and Victoria burst out laughing, saying I was talking nonsense.

I told them I was serious and that, if they didn't believe me, they were welcome to come along and see for themselves.

There was a car dealership right across the street. Hoping to watch me embarrass myself, they followed me there.

I found a sales associate and asked what their most expensive car was. She asked about my requirements, and I told her I had none, only that it should be around one million dollars.

Upon hearing this, she realized that I was a major client and immediately walked me through the options that fit my budget.

I glanced over at Victoria. "Vicky, do you like this one?"

Vicky shot back, "You really don't know when to stop, do you? If you actually have the money, then buy it. I'll take it if you do."

I pulled out my bank card and handed it to the associate, telling her that I'd take the car and pay in full. From walking in to placing the order, it took less than three minutes. Everyone stood there in shock.

At that moment, I noticed the number above Vivian's head starting to flicker, climbing to 50%.

Right after the payment went through, ten million dollars arrived in my account.

"Let's go, Vicky. Time to get that apartment," I said.

Seeing how easily I had paid, Victoria immediately let go of Tristan's arm and moved to my side.

After returning to the sales office, I paid in full for the best unit within minutes and had it put under Victoria's name. By the time everything was done, the number above her head reached 90%.

Why was it still a little short? She really was greedy.

Once all the paperwork was completed, I glanced at Tristan and said loudly to the staff, "Next time, don't let people in who spend hours browsing but never actually buy—it's honestly embarrassing."

After hearing that, Tristan's face turned pale with anger, and he stormed off.

I checked the number above Victoria's head again. That wouldn't do—it was still too low.

I took Victoria to the villa sales center. I told her the eight-million-dollar apartment wasn't good enough for someone of her status, so I planned to buy her a villa. At some point, she had wrapped her arm tightly around mine.

I finally completed the task after buying the villa.

A notification from the system sounded. "Congratulations on completing the task. You have been awarded a Level 1 energy shield, which is capable of repelling zombies within a 16-foot radius. Your second task is to rescue 20 people during the apocalypse."

Damn. It was only a 16-foot energy shield.

I didn't have time to complain. The most urgent thing right now was setting up a safe house.

After everything I had done that day, my bank account balance grew to eight hundred million dollars. That should be more than enough.

…

The next day, I found a warehouse and bought it outright. After that, I hired a contractor to reinforce the entire structure.

I had a Grade-A blast-proof door custom-made that could only be opened using my facial recognition. All the windows were made of bulletproof glass, and soundproof and thermal insulation panels were installed on all four walls and the roof of the building.

I installed blackout curtains on every window in the warehouse. A comprehensive surveillance system was installed throughout the building, and the space was divided into two floors.

I also partitioned the second floor into several smaller rooms. I kept the largest one for myself and fitted it with the same blast-proof door and bulletproof glass as the main entrance.

Once the structural reinforcement was completed, I commissioned a specialized manufacturer to custom-make solar panels for the entire roof. The project was originally expected to take two weeks, but the workers finished it in just three days after I repeatedly increased their pay.

With only ten days left until Christmas, I had to move quickly to stock up on supplies. I stockpiled goods using apocalypse survival guides from online bloggers and bought 50 times the amount of every item on their lists.

I bought 100 boxes each of long-lasting foods such as dry rations, canned goods, and dehydrated meals. I also bought 100 crates each of staples like rice and flour, which were easy to store and prepare.

I stocked up on drinking water and water filtration equipment to ensure I could access clean water when the apocalypse came.

I also spent a fortune on basic first-aid tools and medicine, such as disinfectants, bandages, and painkillers. Additionally, I stocked up on 100 boxes of protective masks, gloves, and sanitizing fluid.

I prepared plenty of lighting equipment and spare batteries in case of power outages. Clothing for both summer and winter to stay warm and dry was another thing I made sure not to leave out.

I gathered daily cleaning products and personal hygiene items, such as toothpaste, body wash, shampoo, soap, and toilet paper. I stocked anti-theft and self-defense tools, including flashlights, alarms, and knives. I also stocked essential maintenance gear such as hammers and screwdrivers.

To ensure a renewable supply, I also prepared farming and gardening equipment. That way, even if I was stuck inside for a long time, I could still grow my own food. I set aside a dedicated room for storing fruit and vegetable seeds along with some potting soil.

In just three days, the warehouse was packed. The entire first floor was filled with supplies, and more than half of the second floor was taken up as well.

During that time, Victoria messaged me on and off, but I couldn't be bothered to respond. She was of no use to me right now.

Once the supplies were mostly sorted, I reached out to a security firm in the city and hired ten bodyguards at the highest market rate. I told them to report to my safe house on the night before the zombie virus broke out and to be on time.

With all of that handled, there were two days left until Christmas and one day until the outbreak. Just as I was about to shut the doors, the system suddenly appeared and reminded me of my task.

Right—I almost forgot about that.

Victoria and Tristan still hadn't paid for what they had done to me in my past life. I called Victoria and gave her the safe house's location, telling her to come by that evening. It was time to have a little fun with them.

Before long, Victoria pulled up at the safe house in the car I had bought her.

The moment she stepped inside, she was stunned and asked what all the supplies were for. I told her that she would find out after that night and asked her to stay the night.

Out of habit, she put on a look of disdain, but she quickly realized that I was no longer just a small-time supermarket owner.

Her attitude shifted immediately. She moved closer, looped her arm through mine, and spoke in a much softer tone. "Alright, I'll do whatever you say. I'm yours now."

The old me would have been thrilled to hear those words. But now that I had been reborn, everything she had done to me in my past life was still vivid in my mind.

She had taken over my shelter and treated me like an animal. I could only eat whatever scraps they felt like giving me. The final image of her sitting on Tristan's lap as they drove me out was seared into my mind.

But it didn't matter anymore. I was reborn. This time, I would be the one in control of the game.