Chapter 2

I knew all of this because of the screen that suddenly popped up before me.

This screen had suddenly appeared before me just recently, glowing a faint yellow color. Many lines of comments kept appearing on the screen. I could read the words, but I simply couldn't quite understand what was going on.

It took me quite a while to finally get the hang of things and grasp the situation.

As it turned out, I was living in a post-apocalyptic movie titled "Hell on Earth", and Scarlet was its main protagonist.

Scarlet was an absolute saint with a savior complex.

When I was eight years old, Mom and Dad were killed in a road accident. However, Scarlet never sought compensation from the parties involved. Instead, she visited them at the hospital every day.

After handling our parents' funeral arrangements, a number of our relatives offered to take us in, but Scarlet politely declined everyone and brought me to an orphanage instead.

Whenever I was relentlessly bullied by the other kids and told her about it, she would scold me for being petty and drag me to my bullies, forcing me to apologize.

I could predict what would happen that day by reading the comments that kept appearing on the screen. They said that Scarlet would hold me back for a stranger's sake, making me miss the final paper of my SAT.

That was the reason why I had a backup plan. The comments had given me enough time to prepare, and I had secretly arranged for a cab to pick me up if all else failed.

While exploring the screen, I discovered that I had a 4,000-square-foot storage space, free from the constraints of time. I could put things in or take them out at will.

This spatial storage would thus significantly increase my chances of survival in the apocalypse.

Since I was now finally done with my SATs, I had to start preparing for the upcoming apocalypse. The first step was to stockpile as many supplies as I could.

However, I was just a high school student, and I didn't have much money on me.

I had to go to Uncle Adrian's place first to retrieve what once belonged to Mom and Dad, but had been seized by them.

A cool blast of air greeted me as soon as I stepped into the villa.

Uncle Adrian was the one who opened the door for me. He smiled kindly at me and asked, "Vi? What are you doing here?"

His wife, Katie Windsor, appeared right behind him and greeted me, too. She held my hand and welcomed me into the villa, pulling me toward the dining room and handing me a plate.

There was a massive roast dinner laid out on the table, along with many side dishes. It was basically a huge feast.

"Hazel has just finished her SATs today, and we were planning to celebrate it with her," Aunt Katie said as she began to carve the meat for me. "You can eat first, Vi. There's no need to wait for Hazel."

I happened to be hungry then, so I did as I was told and ate first without waiting for my cousin, Hazel Dawson.

"Mom! Dad! How could you all start dinner without me?"

I suddenly heard a sweet voice complaining loudly at the door. It was none other than Hazel.

Uncle Adrian and Aunt Katie immediately greeted her at the door, looking worried about her. "How could you have come back on your own with the heat so unbearable outside? Didn't we tell you that your dad would be coming to drive you home?"

"How did you do in the exams? I believe that you did the best you could, didn't you?"

I watched the loving family before my eyes and suddenly felt my appetite disappear.

"Uncle Adrian, I'm actually here to discuss something with you. I want to reclaim this villa."

The smile on his face vanished at once. "Are you joking with me, Vi?"

"My parents had left me this villa, though the property deed was still in their names. After their passing, I should be the rightful heir.

"I'm already being generous by not charging you rent after all these years of living here for free. However, I'll need you to move out in three days, along with the rest of your belongings."

Uncle Adrian's face turned serious at once. Aunt Katie also looked furious. "Lettie told us that she was giving this villa to us! And we've already lived here for more than a decade! How could you kick us out? Why should we even move out?"

I sneered coldly. Back then, Uncle Adrian had helped with Mom and Dad's funeral, and Scarlet had promised to give them this villa in return.

But she was still young at the time, and she never got around to changing the names on the property deed.

"If you refuse to move out, I'll report you to the police and tell them you've been illegally trespassing and squatting in my house," I said, smiling. I let out a soft chuckle before adding, "If you end up in jail, Uncle Adrian, I'm sure that Hazel's future would be ruined as well."