Chapter 7: The Final Countdown

Brown

Night had fully fallen over the city. Everything was quiet except for Rex’s deep, even breathing. He slept beside the couch, his heavy tail occasionally thumping against the rug.

I sat at the kitchen counter with my new weapons laid out in front of me. The heavy sniper rifle. The solid AK-47. The cold black 9mm pistol. I ran my fingers over the textured grip of the sidearm, feeling the real weight of metal. For the first time since I woke up in this second life, I had firepower that could actually stop something. Not a knife. Not an iron bar. Real guns that could punch through bone and concrete.

I stared at them for a long moment, letting the quiet settle around me. Four days. That was all the time left before the sky turned red and the world as everyone knew it ended. The weapons made the number feel a little less heavy… but only a little.

My phone suddenly vibrated hard on the counter. The screen lit up with a harsh yellow glow.

I picked it up, half-expecting another crying call from Ginger or some debt collector hunting Mavel. Instead, a bright red emergency banner flashed across the screen:

NOTICE OF EVICTION & ASSET SEIZURE

Due to the ongoing corporate liquidation of Crown Holdings, all residential properties registered under the executive family name will be locked down and seized by federal marshals in five days.

I stared at the words for a second, then let out a low, bitter scoff that echoed through the quiet room.

“Five days?” I muttered, tossing the phone back onto the granite with a dull clack. “You idiots won’t even have a government left in five days. In four days the sky turns red, the rain poisons the ground, and your whole world burns.”

They actually thought a legal notice was going to scare me. They had no idea Day Zero was coming to wipe out their courts, their banks, and their paper laws long before anyone could change the locks on my door. The eviction notice was just another piece of useless paper from a world that was already dying.

Just as I turned away, a cold tingling feeling prickled at the base of my skull. That flat mechanical voice spoke inside my head:

[WEAPONS LOGGED. ARSENAL SECURED.]

[SYSTEM SYNCHRONIZATION: 60%. PHYSICAL ADAPTATION ONGOING.]

[WARNING: TIME UNTIL DAY ZERO — 4 DAYS. FORTRESS DEFENSES INCOMPLETE.]

[DIRECTIVE: SECURE ALTERNATIVE POWER AND FUEL RESERVES IMMEDIATELY.]

A warm electric pulse surged through my veins, tightening my muscles and sharpening my focus. The System didn’t show floating screens or bright lights. It was just a cold voice wired into my soul, pushing me forward without mercy. Power first. Then security. It never let me forget what still needed to be done.

I pulled out a blank notebook and a black pen from the kitchen drawer. I needed a clear list of what Mount Ironwood still lacked before those heavy doors could be sealed for good.

Power came first. Without strong backup generators and fuel, the water purifiers, air filters, electronic locks, and the defense grid master drive I took from Crown Holdings would be useless. A dark bunker was just an expensive concrete grave. Security cameras and sensors came second. Heavy tools and welding gear third. Protective clothing and extra supplies for Rex last.

I looked at the short list, then opened my banking app again.

Balance: $4,850.00.

My stomach tightened into a hard knot. That amount was nowhere near enough. A proper commercial diesel generator alone cost fifteen to twenty thousand dollars. Bulk fuel, thermal cameras, and industrial tools would push the total even higher. My remaining cash wouldn’t cover even a quarter of what I needed.

I paced across the kitchen floor, boots clicking against the tile. The sound felt too loud in the quiet apartment. I didn’t have time to hack accounts or wait for loans. I needed real money in my hands by tomorrow morning. Sitting around hoping for a miracle was how people died in the old timeline.

Then my eyes drifted down the hallway toward the master bedroom.

My personal belongings.

Crown Holdings’ corporate accounts were frozen solid by the bankruptcy court, but my private luxury items were never tied to the company. Before my parents died, and even during the years I wasted trying to impress Mavel, I had collected a small fortune in high-end goods—diamond rings, rare watches, solid gold chains, and collector pieces.

I walked down the hall and stepped into the large walk-in closet. The air inside smelled faintly of expensive perfume and old fabric. I ignored the rows of clothes I no longer cared about and knelt by the wall. The heavy velvet-lined drawers of my personal jewelry safe clicked open under my fingers.

Gold, silver, diamonds, and rare watches caught the warm light. In my old life I kept these shiny things because Mavel liked showing me off at parties, treating me like a trophy while talking behind my back. He used to tell me I looked “expensive” when I wore them. Now the memory only made my jaw tighten. These pieces meant nothing. They were just useless metal that needed to become real survival gear.

I grabbed a heavy black canvas duffel bag from the top shelf and started clearing the trays without hesitation.

A limited-edition platinum Rolex.

Two solid gold Patek Philippe watches.

Heavy diamond necklaces and custom gemstone rings.

Three rare timepieces my father had given me years ago.

Solid silver bangles and designer brooches.

Each piece went into the bag with a quiet metallic sound. I didn’t pause. I didn’t feel sentimental. Sentiment got people killed. When the last tray was empty, I zipped the bag shut. It felt dense and heavy in my hands—easily worth over a hundred and fifty thousand dollars even if I took a quick cash discount from a greedy buyer.

I carried the bag back to the living room and set it down next to the weapons. Rex trotted over, pushed his wet nose against the black canvas with a curious huff, then settled at my feet again. His warm weight against my leg grounded me more than any of the expensive jewelry ever had.

I dropped to one knee and stroked his soft ears. A cold, focused smile pulled at my lips.

“Tomorrow morning,” I whispered into the quiet room, staring down at the fortune in gold and diamonds. “We take all this useless junk to the high-end pawn shops and black-market fences downtown. We turn it into real cash. Then we finish building our fortress.”

Rex let out a low huff, as if he understood. His dark eyes watched me steadily, loyal and calm. In the old timeline, he had been left behind to starve or worse. This time, he was coming with me. This time, nothing that mattered was getting left behind.

Outside, the rain kept hammering the glass. The city lights blurred and flickered through the water. Four days left. No more time for hesitation. No more room for mistakes. Every hour counted now.

I stood up, rolled my shoulders, and looked at the weapons, the heavy bag of jewelry, and the loyal dog at my side. The System’s warning still echoed faintly in the back of my mind. Power. Fuel. Security. The fortress at Mount Ironwood was almost ready… but almost wasn’t good enough.

Tomorrow the real work began.