Chapter 3

A month later, Jack's mother Martha and his sister Emily came to our place.

"Lily, are you trying to kill me with salt? Is that what you want, for me to die so you can be happy?" Martha spat out her food and threw her chopsticks at my face.

This was the umpteenth time she had found fault with me.

The reason for her bullying was that after three years of marriage, I still hadn't given the family a child.

In my previous life, I had thrown my fertility report in Martha's face, telling her to open her dog eyes and see who really couldn't have children.

At the time, Martha was shocked but still adamantly refused to believe her son couldn't father children.

"I'll make some new dishes," I said, pretending to be meek and submissive.

Martha and Emily were stunned.

How had I become so obedient?

After the meal, I mixed some food to feed Emily's vicious dog.

"Buddy, come, dinner time," I called, suppressing the urge to kill it.

Emily was shocked. The dog and I had never gotten along. It would bark furiously whenever it saw me, and I wanted to skin and eat it every time I saw it.

After the dog finished eating, I went to pat its head.

"Woof woof woof..." It turned on me as soon as it finished eating.

I bared my teeth, thinking: Just wait, I'll kill you soon enough.

The temperature rose day by day. Two months later, it reached 118°F.

The earth cracked, roads softened, and rivers dried up.

Social order broke down. People realized the crisis and started panic buying supplies. Countless people died every day.

The residential areas in the city lost water and electricity. The buildings became like giant steamers, roasting people into jerky.

I took Jack's family to live in the safe house.

Jack praised me for my foresight, calling me the savior of the family.

A week after moving into the safe house.

"Lily, I want to discuss something with you," Jack said.

"Go ahead."

"Can we take Rachel in to live with us? She didn't stock up on food before the heat came, and she's in a dangerous situation now."

The same scene, the same conversation as in my previous life.

The difference was, in my previous life, I had considered it for hours. This time, I agreed readily.

Soon, Rachel arrived at the safe house.

Just like in my previous life, she hugged Jack tearfully to thank him: "Thank you for taking me in. When this heat is over, I'll definitely repay you."

I had built the safe house, yet she was thanking Jack.

A month passed, and it was the day I had been killed in my previous life.

Without the lottery winnings and the basement in my previous life, the stockpiled food only lasted a year. I would go out in a protective suit every few days to search for supplies and check the environment.

"Be careful!" Jack said with concern.

"Mm-hmm." I put on the protective suit and left the safe house. Outside the main entrance, what used to be a forest was now a wasteland of sand and rocks.

Behind a huge boulder, I brushed away some sand to reveal an alloy steel door. Opening it and going down the stairs led to the basement corridor. I opened the basement's iron door, turned on the generator and air conditioning, and cool air started flowing.

While building the basement, we had discovered an underground river. I used a pump to bring the water up and let it settle in a reservoir.

After drinking a spoonful of ice-cold underground water, I felt refreshed.

I walked into the warehouse, where the shelves were stacked full of food. I casually took a can of beef and a vacuum-packed crystal duck, then went to the monitoring station.

In this life, I had bought several billion dollars worth of food. Without considering spoilage, I could eat for a lifetime.

I turned on the monitors, and all the rooms of the safe house appeared on the screen.

This time, I had installed hidden cameras in the safe house early on to monitor their every move.

I ate my canned beef while watching the screen.

Before long, Rachel entered the master bedroom.

"I'm so hungry. I want to eat a sausage."

In the apocalypse, food was precious. Their daily food rations were fixed - enough not to starve, but not enough to feel full. I, on the other hand, could eat whatever I wanted in the basement during my "supply runs."

"I have a sausage here for you to eat," Jack said with a wicked smile.

He didn't know that I was smiling wickedly too.

Just as Rachel was eating enthusiastically, I pressed the internal-external circulation ventilation key of the integrated central air conditioning. Immediately, hot air from outside entered the master bedroom.

"Why did it suddenly get so hot?" Rachel raised her head in confusion.

"I feel it too. It's so hot," Jack agreed.

They looked up at the air vent on the ceiling.

"I can't take it anymore. It's too hot," Rachel said, not even bothering to put on clothes as she rushed to open the bedroom door.

The bedroom door was electronic, and I had already remotely locked it.

"Why won't the door open?" she asked in panic.

Jack tried to open it too, but couldn't.

I watched the temperature display for the bedroom on the monitoring station: 113°F... 122°F... 125°F...

The master bedroom was now like a fiery mountain, with heat waves scorching their skin.

"Mom, Emily... save us!" Jack banged on the door, begging for help.

"Ah... it hurts so much!" Rachel screamed heart-rendingly.