Rover could not believe he was seeing Kaito here, but the sensation was far too strange. Everything felt both real and unreal at the same time…
As if he were trapped inside a dream.
"Hahaha… I didn't expect you to possess a system." Kaito crossed his legs, his expression fixed in a cold smile as he looked at Rover.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to rip that system out of your head. On the contrary, I'll let you keep it… so you can be my dog."
"You…" Rover clenched his teeth, but for some reason he couldn't force a single word out of his mouth.
"Don't rush…" Kaito sneered. "This little game won't end anytime soon."
He waved his hand, and two familiar silhouettes slowly approached Rover.
'That's…' Rover's eyes widened. 'Rosie, Vivian… why are they here?'
But something was terribly off about them. They were standing right in front of him, yet their eyes were empty, hollow, like two puppets without souls.
Then, Rosie and Vivian suddenly removed their clothes, revealing their stunning figures and seductive curves.
After that…
Rover could only watch in disbelief as Rosie and Vivian began having sex with Kaito. They moved like two serpents, wrapping around him, provoking him, indulging him with the lewdest, most depraved motions.
"See that?" Kaito pulled Rosie and Vivian into his embrace, laughing. "You're nothing but my puppet."
"Don't worry, I'll let you witness this every single day, until these two sluts die. Once your value and that damned system of yours are used up, I'll let you die as painlessly as possible."
"Hahaha… hahahaha…"
Rover stared at Kaito, utterly stunned. His mind kept circling around the same question—how could Kaito possibly know he possessed a system?
But the scenes kept changing.
Kaito turned Vivian and Rosie into sex tools. When he grew bored, he tossed them to a group of men to use.
By the time they died, Kaito hung their corpses, along with Rover's, at the front gate of the mansion.
Even in his final moment, Rover still couldn't understand how Kaito knew he had a system, or why he subconsciously kept using the system to provide value to Kaito.
He didn't understand anything…
And this endless dream finally ended with his death.
…
"Ha… ha… ha…" Rover's eyes snapped open, filled with terror and shock as he stared at the ceiling.
It was still his small bedroom. Rover let out a long, shaky breath of relief.
"How strange…" he muttered. "Why have I been dreaming about Kaito these past two days? And everything felt so real… not like a normal dream at all."
He thought for a long while but couldn't find a single clue, leaving him even more confused.
"What the hell is happening? On the first day, I dreamed about what happened after my death in my previous life. Yesterday I dreamed of a completely different scene. Could it be…"
Rover suddenly thought of a possibility that was both reasonable and terrifying.
If he combined the two dreams… it was as if he had witnessed his own endings in different universes.
He wasn't insane. If he could reincarnate, then what else in this world was impossible?
If my guess is right, then the first dream belonged to my previous life. The second dream took place in another universe, where I was also reincarnated, bought the mansion Vivian introduced, and lived there with her and Rosie. Yet in the end, I still couldn't escape dying at Kaito's hands.
Worse, before killing me, he did horrifying things… he somehow knew I possessed a system, and he drained every bit of value out of me before ending my life.
Rover shuddered. At this moment, Kaito felt more terrifying than ever, so terrifying that even after reincarnating, even with all his foreknowledge and preparations, Rover still felt deeply shaken.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
Suddenly, his phone rang. Rover glanced at the screen and saw Vivian's name, so he picked up.
"Rover?!"
"Mm. What is it?" Rover asked coolly.
"You… I… I want to quit my job, but about that mansion…"
Hearing her voice, Rover actually wanted to tell her to come over so he could vent a bit of his desire.
But right now, he wasn't in the mood for that, especially after the dream he'd had last night.
Besides, he had more important things to do.
Rover thought for a moment, then said, "Today, you'll come with me to look at a few more places. If none of them are better, I'll choose that mansion."
However, in his heart, Rover already knew that mansion was likely the best choice, because in his dream, he had chosen it.
He took his old car to the hospital, teased Nana a little, then brought Vivian to another real estate agency.
As he expected, he couldn't find anything better after searching the entire day, so he ultimately decided to buy that mansion.
Back at Vivian's company, he sat inside her office while she prepared all the necessary paperwork for him.
Rover couldn't think about anything anymore. His mind was filled only with images of Kaito and that cruel smile.
He shook his head and murmured, "If I can't think of anything, then I'll let someone else think for me."
He opened his phone and entered the chat interface.
[Apocalypse]: Are you there?
[FNC Driver]: Huh?! What's up?
Seeing how quickly [FNC Driver] replied, Rover felt a strange sense of suspicion, almost as if this person were online 24/7.
Still, he didn't dwell on it and continued typing.
[Apocalypse]: Besides food, what else should the main character prepare? I plan to give the protagonist in my novel a mobile motorhome. Do I need to stock up on fuel as well?
[FNC Driver]: Hm… That's a good idea too. A mobile motorhome can help you move around and gather supplies more efficiently, but it also has its weaknesses.
You need to be careful, because although a motorhome is large and fully equipped, its speed isn't great, and its defense is pretty low. If the protagonist wants to use it, he needs overwhelming strength, enough to handle monsters and other survivors.
Or… you could give the protagonist a system that allows him to upgrade the vehicle, making it sturdier and more powerful.
[Apocalypse]: I suppose there will be a system.
[FNC Driver]: Good, then everything checks out.
[Apocalypse]: One more thing. What if I add a detail where the main character stockpiles medicine?
[FNC Driver]: Ah! That issue… is quite tricky. It'll become a plot hole in your novel. If the main character is an Evolver or an Awakened One, then you can use that to cover the problem of illness.
But if the protagonist is just an ordinary human, sickness is unavoidable. However, medicine can't be used carelessly, even fever reducers require proper guidance from specialists, doctors, or pharmacists.
That's why you can use the idea I mentioned earlier, or simply add a girl who's a doctor into the protagonist's harem. That way, the problem can be patched up.
[Apocalypse]: Is there anything else I need to pay attention to?
[FNC Driver]: There's one thing almost all authors and readers overlook: domestic waste.
People rarely think about it or simply don't care. But if you want your novel to feel realistic, that's a detail worth exploring.
You've seen how much household garbage accumulates. Even with daily cleaning services and waste-processing systems, it's still an enormous amount.
Just imagine the day when all waste-processing systems disappear—how horrifying would that be? How many times a day do you pee? How many times do you poop?
Even the water used for basic living would become a huge issue. So the protagonist's base should have a system to manage domestic waste.
[Apocalypse]: I understand. Thank you.
Rover transferred another 200 credit points to [FNC Driver].
[FNC Driver]: Hehehe… Thank you. If you ever need anything, just message me. I'm always free to reply.
[Apocalypse]: I know.
Rover closed the chat interface and fell into deep thought. Everything [FNC Driver] said was extremely accurate.
In his previous life, his private home had an underground waste-storage tank. It took five to seven years before he had to call a cleanup team to drain it.
After the Apocalypse began, he didn't think about that issue at all, until the water supply stopped and the stench from the toilets began leaking outside.
Other households and apartments were even worse. On the first floors, wastewater overflowed like mud, spreading everywhere. Even from the tenth floor, people could smell the stench. Those living on lower floors fainted or even died directly from it.
Even though Rover had Pandora and the System, he didn't know whether his System would be able to handle that issue.
However, since the System Holder in his previous life managed a zone with nearly three hundred people without ever running into problems, Rover assumed the System must have built-in functions to process waste.
He let out a sigh. What troubled him most was the issue of medicine.
Crack!
"Rover!" Vivian walked in holding a stack of documents, smiling brightly. "There are a few papers you need to sign. Don't worry, I checked everything thoroughly. There's no danger at all, and I made sure all the benefits were maximized for you."
"The original price was around six million, but now it's only 5.8. After deducting my commission, you only need to pay 5.7."
"Hm?!" Rover raised an eyebrow. "You're not taking your commission?"
Vivian smiled and gently placed her hand over his. "You've already given me so much. This is the only thing I can give you in return. But I'll work hard, I'm not useless."
Rover glanced at her and chuckled. "You're still very useful."
"Ah!" Vivian gasped softly when Rover suddenly took her hand and pulled her into his embrace.
She ended up sitting on his lap, her head resting against his chest. The masculine scent she inhaled made her heart pound wildly.
Rover wrapped one arm around her waist, holding her tight, while his other hand clasped hers. He whispered with a smile, "We should continue what we left unfinished yesterday, shouldn't we?"
Vivian bit her lip, her cheeks flushing red. "But… this place…"
"Does this place have security cameras?" Rover asked with a playful grin.
Vivian shook her head, then lifted her face slightly, her eyes half-closed.
Rover lowered his head, pressing his lips against hers. And then…