Vivian feared Rover might get angry and quickly explained, "This property is owned by the government. Only after you pay at least 25 percent of its value will they allow you to receive the key to open that door."
Rover nodded lightly. "I understand. Let us return."
What he needed to see was the tunnel system. Since he could not see it today, there was no reason to stay here any longer.
Although this villa was excellent, he wanted to look for something even better. If he could not find anything superior to Sunset Villa, then this place would become his shelter when the apocalypse arrived.
Seeing Rover's indifferent expression, Vivian grew even more anxious. She quickly stepped forward and grabbed his wrist. "Mr. Rover, if you truly want to see it, I... I can try requesting the key from the government."
Rover shrugged. "No need. I will check a few other places first. If I cannot find anything better, I will come back."
"Ah... I understand." Vivian pressed her lips together, slowly releasing his wrist, disappointment flickering in her eyes.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
Suddenly, her phone rang.
Vivian took it out. When she saw the caller ID, she stiffened and glanced at Rover.
Rover gestured for her to answer, then walked a few steps away, showing no intention of eavesdropping.
Vivian nodded gratefully and answered the call.
Only two minutes later, she returned to Rover, her expression slightly hurried and uneasy, though she tried her best to remain calm. "Mr. Rover, I am very sorry. I suddenly have an urgent matter to take care of, so..."
"It is fine. I do not need to see anything else. Let us go back."
...
Vivian drove Rover back to the real estate company before leaving in a rush.
He watched her car disappear for a moment, then started his own car and drove away.
Rover headed to the warehouse he had prepared earlier. Seeing the trucks unloading all the things he ordered, he felt satisfied.
A fat man walked up to him, wiping sweat with a handkerchief. "Mr. Rover, we have finished preparing all 500 banquet tables for you. After deducting the 20 percent discount, the total is only 480,000. You already paid 100,000 earlier, so the remaining amount is 380,000."
Rover took out his phone and directly transferred the money to Billy.
When Billy saw the payment arrive in his account, he grinned so widely that the layers of fat on his face trembled violently.
"Hahahaha... Thank you, Mr. Rover. If you ever need to work with us again, just contact me. Depending on the quantity you want, I will give you an excellent price."
Hearing that, Rover rubbed his chin and asked softly, "Can you help me transport fruit here as well?"
"Fruit?" Billy was surprised.
"Yes. I will send you a list of the fruits I need. You only need to buy them in the correct quantities and deliver them here."
Originally, Rover had planned to buy them himself, but that would take too much time.
Billy, however, worked in the restaurant business and undoubtedly had connections with large orchards.
Just as Rover expected, Billy laughed. "Of course I can."
Rover sent the fruit list to Billy.
Billy frowned as he looked at the list. "Some of these fruits may not be available because they are out of season."
"If they cannot be purchased, you can find substitutes or skip them entirely," Rover said with a smile. "I need everything delivered within two days. Can you do it?"
Billy rubbed his chin, looking troubled. "Well... it might be a bit difficult..."
"5,000!"
"But..."
"10,000!"
"Hahahaha... Mr. Rover, this is very simple. I guarantee everything will be ready in two days." Billy immediately burst into laughter.
Watching Billy hurry off, Rover smiled in satisfaction.
'As expected... money can buy anything, even time.'
After everyone left, Rover began placing everything into his Storage Space again.
The work was easy yet exhausting at the same time.
After nearly an hour, he glanced at the now-empty warehouse and collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion.
His head throbbed. Today, he had stuffed far more things into his Storage Space than yesterday, so his mental fatigue was much worse.
Sitting on the cold floor, leaning against the hard wall, he closed his eyes, trying to rest for a moment.
...
"Kill him!"
"That's right! Kill that selfish bastard!"
"Damn it! He hid so much supplies in his house and refused to share with us!"
"That bastard! Kill him and take everything he has!"
"Trash! Stingy bastard!"
Countless familiar curses echoed.
Rover tried to open his eyes and jolted in shock at the sight before him.
"This is... my previous life." He saw a group of people surrounding a young man, beating him with everything they could grab.
They looked completely mad, beyond reason.
Blood poured from the young man's body, forming a large puddle on the ground.
"That is... me?" Rover whispered.
He looked down and saw his own transparent body floating in the air. His shock deepened.
"Could it be... my rebirth was fake? Am I actually dead?"
His face twisted in disbelief, unable to accept such an answer.
"Move! Leave me some food! I was the one who tricked him into opening the door!"
A familiar voice shouted. Rover frowned and saw Karen, just like the others, madly rushing through his house, clutching a box of instant noodles as she tried to flee.
But at that moment, a man at the doorway grabbed her wrist and spoke with a cold smile. "No need."
Karen instantly released the noodle box, but someone else snatched it and ran off within two seconds.
Seeing that man, a terrifying fire rose in Rover's chest.
"Kaito!" Rover gritted his teeth. He wanted to lunge forward and tear Kaito to pieces, but he realized he could not move at all.
Kaito was wearing strange clothes, like a combat suit from a superhero movie, his face twisted into a sinister and icy grin.
Rover was already dead, his body beaten past recognition. Everything in his house had been looted.
What was once a home filled with supplies was now empty, dusty, and hollow.
Karen looked at Rover's corpse on the ground, and not even a hint of sympathy appeared on her face.
Only disgust, as if she were looking at something filthy.
She turned toward Kaito with a submissive smile, her posture degrading to the level of a servant begging for favor.
"Young Master Kaito, I did it. He's dead. Can... can you take me to the safe zone now? This place is so cramped and filthy. Every day I stay here I feel like I'm suffocating."
"Young Master, as long as you take me to a safe place, I will become your woman. Whatever you want me to do, I will..."
Whoosh!
A sharp slicing sound cut through the air. Karen's voice stopped instantly.
Rover's eyes widened as he saw a thin red line appear across Karen's neck.
Then... from that line, blood gushed out like a fountain.
Karen's face still held that flattering smile, her eyes still full of desperate excitement, frozen in place as if time had stopped.
Her head slowly separated from her neck and then...
Thud!
Her head fell to the ground, rolled twice, and stopped right beside Rover's corpse.
Fresh blood sprayed from Karen's neck like a fountain, splattering all over Kaito's body.
Yet he did not dodge. On the contrary, he allowed the blood to drench him completely.
Seeing Kaito's face, that cruel grin, and the crimson liquid covering him from head to toe made Rover's soul tremble.
At this moment, Kaito looked like a demon crawling out of hell, a true monstrosity.
Kaito walked step by step toward Rover's corpse, smiling as he spoke. "Rover, heaven opened its gates and you refused to enter, yet even without a path, you still insisted on walking straight into hell."
"You are truly very stupid. But... don't worry, you won't die that easily."
Kaito moved his fingers slightly, and at that instant, Rover's corpse suddenly twitched.
"What?!"
Floating in midair, Rover stared wide-eyed as his own body began to move. His jaw dropped so far he could stuff a fist into it.
His corpse wobbled, stood up stiffly like a puppet, and then knelt on one knee before Kaito.
"Hahahaha... hahahaha..." Kaito laughed maniacally, his laughter echoing through the room and sending chills crawling down Rover's spine.
"I wonder... when Selvia sees you like this, what will she think? Hahahaha..."
"No!" Rover shook his head desperately. "Stop!"
"AGH!"
Ring! Ring! Ring!
Rover jolted awake, eyes wide open as he looked around.
"This place is..." he muttered, seeing the same warehouse as before.
He gasped for breath, cold sweat dripping down his face, soaking through his shirt.
"Ha... ha... ha..." Rover tried to breathe, but the sensation wasn't from suffocation.
It felt as if an invisible hand was squeezing his heart, making it impossible to draw air: "What the hell is happening? Was that a dream?"
He looked around, then down at his trembling hands, confusion flooding his mind.
A dream?
But why did it feel so real?
Could it be that his soul had returned to his previous life, forced to witness everything that happened after his death?
He didn't know. He only knew one thing... he could no longer tell what was real and what was an illusion.
But Kaito... That man was terrifying.
That smile, that power... he was no longer human. He was a demon.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
The phone rang again, snapping Rover back to his senses. He grabbed the phone, saw an unfamiliar number, and frowned.
'Could it be Karen?'
Since he had blocked Karen's number and also the number of the girl who usually accompanied her, she might be calling using a different phone.
He decided to hang up.
But a few seconds later...
Ring! Ring! Ring!
The phone rang again. Rover felt irritated, but he still picked up.
"Who is it?" Rover said, annoyed.
"Mr. Rover!"
"This voice... Vivian?" Rover frowned.
"Uhm! I... I need to meet you. Right now!"