"Miles, I'm sorry..."
With a searing pain immobilizing him, Miles clung desperately to two packs of biscuits. The tearful, trembling voice in his ear only deepened his despair.
Nearby, a voice sneered impatiently, "You useless wench! Can't kill someone properly? Just stab him again, or I'll deal with you myself!"
It was Andrew, a notorious local gang leader. Today, for two packs of biscuits, he turned his cruelty upon the helpless, aided by none other than Miles's beloved girlfriend, Ella.
"Ella..." he whispered.
A sharp blade plunged into his heart, and Miles looked up in horror at his girlfriend one last time.
"Miles, don't hate me...don't hate me...it wasn't intentional. They forced me, I had no choice. I was starving… I really was."
Only Ella's sobbing and pitiful pleas filled his ears: "Brother Andrew, I've already slept with you! You promised to share if I found food…"
"Hah! You want half? Get lost, you shameless witch! Open your mouth again, and I'll kill you!"
As consciousness slipped from him, the biscuits fell from his hands.
…
"Miles!"
Ella's voice called from downstairs, rousing Miles from his nightmare.
"Ha!" he gasped, springing up from his bed, disoriented.
"Where am I?"
Examining his surroundings, he recognized his home, and that voice from downstairs... was it Ella?
Despicable woman!
Miles leaped from the bed, heading for the window, where he spotted Ella in her seductive black stockings and white dress.
It was she who had betrayed him at a critical moment, opening the security door for Andrew and his men to raid his home.
That stab! No, two stabs...
One tore open his abdomen, the other pierced his heart.
That memory was unforgettable—not a dream, but a brutal reality.
And now, he had returned?
Miles looked uncertainly at the digital clock on the bedside table.
International Time: July 11, 2030!
The day Ella betrayed him was September 11, just over a month away!
Breathing in the warmth of the air, facing the glaring sunlight, Miles fell silent.
In just a month, a supernova GH, twenty light-years from Earth, influenced by planetary orbits, would alter its trajectory and hurtle toward Earth at faster-than-light speed.
Although nations worldwide would mobilize to counter this disaster, utilizing advanced H-weapons to preemptively trigger the supernova, the fallout would severely disrupt Earth's ecological balance.
This would mark the dawn of the Ice Age.
With it, the climate would become severely hostile, temperatures plummeting, ecosystems collapsing—claiming countless lives.
The planetary explosion's radiation would penetrate Earth, affecting most life forms. Humanity would not be spared, with nearly 80% of the population perishing.
The few who survived fared no better.
Strange mutations caused by radiation would swiftly spread new viruses. Some people would transform, losing their minds to become the undead.
And even those who narrowly escaped this catastrophe would not escape misfortune.
With dwindling resources and depleted energy supplies, survival rules altered drastically.
Survival of the fittest became the grim anthem of the post-apocalyptic era, where human depravity and brutality flourished.
Miles was a bloody testament to that truth.
One month later, the world would freeze, blanketed in snow, reaching even tropical regions near the equator.
Following that came a drastic resource scarcity and rapid energy depletion.
People sacrificed everything, including their lives, for a morsel of food!
Miles gazed at the radiant Ella downstairs, her face filling him with bitterness.
Two months from now, this seemingly pure, beautiful woman would murder him with her own hands.
And all for a single pack of biscuits.
Why?
Miles still couldn't understand. He'd promised Ella they'd share those biscuits. So why did she join others to kill him?
"This time, you won't fool me again!"
Taking a deep breath, Miles smiled at Ella below, then grabbed his coat and went downstairs.
"Miles, I thought you were angry with me."
Seeing him descend, Ella pouted, clinging to his arm.
Her affectionate display, which once melted his heart, now filled him with disgust.
She was an expert at deception, a master of feigned innocence. If not for his rebirth, he'd still be captivated by her pure, alluring exterior.
Ella, unaware of his thoughts, continued with a sorrowful look, "I was wrong yesterday. I shouldn't have let you leave, but it was Zeki's party, and I couldn't refuse. After all, we're all friends, and nothing happened. Don't be mad, okay?"
Last night, Miles had learned from friends that Ella had gone to the Buckingham Palace club with several wealthy playboys.
What goes on in that place is no mystery.
Sure enough, when he arrived, Ella was there, drinking with Zeki and two other men, her smile nearly splitting her face.
Yet in his previous life, Miles loved this woman deeply.
Even knowing her words were lies, he chose to forgive, believing his devotion would bring her back to him.
"Ella..."
Miles's voice softened, feigning tenderness. "Do you love me?"
"Of course I do!"
Ella replied without hesitation, her wide, doe-like eyes brimming with affection.
"Then… could you lend me some money?"
Ella froze, momentarily speechless.
If not for Miles standing right there, she might have checked her ears.
"Is your company short of funds?"
She'd entered the relationship for his status as an overseas-returned entrepreneur, head of a start-up, a man of both wealth and prestige.
If his company was in trouble, she'd need to cut her losses.
So, lending him money was out of the question.
As expected.
This woman had been after his money from the start.
Sighing with feigned helplessness, Miles replied, "I planned to transfer this house to your name, but given current property transfer rules, it can't be done for less than 20% below market value. So I thought a loan arrangement might work, but if you're not..."
"Are you saying you'll transfer this house to my name?"
Ella seized on that point.
Miles's property wasn't just a standalone villa; it was in downtown Chicago, valued at over thirty million dollars.
Twenty percent below market value meant six million.
Trading six million for thirty million was a bargain!
Ella wasn't foolish. She quickly shifted her tone, smiling brightly. "Darling, don't worry. I'll get that money for you, not for the house, but because I don't want your company to suffer, and I don't want you to worry about it."
Miles embraced her, his voice full of emotion. "Thank you, Ella. I knew you loved me."