Matthew returned to the same apartment that he had rented yesterday. And while heading to his unit, he still can't believe that the note turned out to be true.
Like how could someone predict the correct combination of numbers? They must have seen the future.
Well, thinking that the usb device that was handed to him contained technologies from the future, it only meant that whoever that person must be from the future. Though this is just a conjecture that is not yet proven.
Regardless, thanks to that mysterious man, he won't have to worry about running out of money because he now has three million pesos, which is a significant sum in the Philippines.
***
December 20, 2018, Friday.
It's been three days since Matthew was kicked out and received a mysterious box from a mysterious person. The allowance given to him by his father last week, which he had saved, was almost running out.
The 20 pesos left in his coin purse couldn't even buy him a decent meal. He had been surviving on instant coffee and crackers for the past day, hoping the money from the lotto winnings would arrive soon.
He stared at his phone screen, refreshing his banking app over and over, willing the funds to appear. But the balance remained unchanged, mocking him.
"Come on," he muttered under his breath, his fingers tightening around the phone. "It's been three days already. How much longer does it take to verify?"
The logical part of his brain reminded him that large transactions—especially from winnings like these—required verification and processing. But logic wasn't enough to silence the pangs of hunger or the growing anxiety gnawing at him.
He hated the idea of borrowing money. He had already felt like a burden after failing his capstone project and being kicked out of his father's house. Asking for financial help felt like another blow to his pride.
But he didn't have many options. If the money didn't come through by the end of the day, he would have to swallow his pride and make a few calls.
But suddenly—there was a notification—jolting him out of his anxious thoughts. His heart raced as he unlocked the screen and opened his banking app. The moment he saw the new balance, a wave of relief washed over him—his winnings had finally arrived.
But something caught his eye. The amount deposited into his account was noticeably less than the 3 million pesos he had won.
"Wait… what?" he muttered, his brow furrowing as he stared at the screen.
The deposited amount was around 3 million pesos—a significant deduction from what he had expected. For a moment, he panicked, thinking there might have been a mistake, or worse, that he had been scammed.
Then it hit him. The TRAIN Law. The Philippines' tax reform law included a provision taxing lottery winnings. He vaguely remembered reading about it when it was first implemented. Winning above 10,000 pesos was subject to a 20% tax.
"Of course," he sighed, shaking his head. "How could I forget about that?"
He did the math in his head, and sure enough, 20% of 3,700,000 pesos was something around 750,000. It all added up.
Okay, now that he has three million pesos in his bank account, the first thing that he wanted to do was to find a place to stay, at least temporarily. There was a hotel, one ride of a jeepney away from his location, so he hailed a jeepney, boarded it, and paid the fare.
Thirty minutes later, he shouted a word that prompted the jeepney driver to pull by the street, and Matthew exited the vehicle, clutching his bag tightly. He stood in front of a luxurious hotel and he nodded in satisfaction.
He had been in this hotel before with his friends, the rooms are nice
and the service was excellent. Back then, they could only afford to split the cost of one room during a group outing, but now, he could book his own room without hesitation.
As Matthew entered the lobby, the cool air-conditioning was a welcome relief from the humidity outside. The marble floors gleamed, and the scent of fresh flowers filled the air. A well-dressed receptionist greeted him with a warm smile.
"Good evening, sir. Welcome to Luxent Hotel. How may I assist you?" she asked politely.
"I'd like to book a room for a week," Matthew replied confidently.
The receptionist quickly checked the availability on her computer. "We have a deluxe room available for 5,500 pesos per night. That includes breakfast, access to the fitness center, and complimentary Wi-Fi. Would that be okay?"
Matthew nodded, calculating the cost in his head. A week's stay would come to 38,500 pesos—well within his budget. "That works for me."
"Great," she said, sliding a payment terminal toward him. "Would you like to pay in full now or reserve the amount on your card?"
"I'll pay in full," Matthew said, swiping his debit card. The transaction went through smoothly, and the receptionist handed him a room keycard.
"Room 1207, on the twelfth floor. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to call the front desk."
The elevator ride to the twelfth floor was smooth and silent. As the doors opened, Matthew stepped into a plush hallway with soft carpet and ambient lighting. He found his room, slid the keycard into the lock, and entered.
The room was everything he had hoped for. A king-sized bed with crisp white linens dominated the space. Large windows offered a stunning view of the city skyline, and the bathroom gleamed with marble fixtures and a rainfall showerhead.
Matthew dropped his bag on the bed and took a deep breath. For the first time in days, he felt a sense of security. No more worrying about where to sleep or how to afford his next meal.
After a refreshing shower and a room service meal of steak and mashed potatoes, Matthew sat down at the desk by the window. He thought of the near future, of him enrolling next sem.
Before, he thought it would be impossible because of his father's ultimatum, but now, he doesn't need to rely on his father anymore and worry about school tuition. However, that is not where it all would end.
Even if he had tuition, it would still be useless if he couldn't pass this one course that was barring him from graduating, and that is the capstone project.
All of the ideas that they had proposed to their instructors, failed because of their stupid high standards.
Then, an idea came to mind. He plugged in the USB stick into his laptop, and the futuristic interface illuminated his screen.
"Something that would meet their high standards," he muttered to himself. "Something revolutionary yet feasible."
He navigated through categories like Energy Storage, Medical Devices, and Artificial Intelligence before stumbling upon a folder titled Sustainable Transportation - 21st Century Prototypes. Intrigued, he clicked it open.
Inside was a subfolder named "Electric Vehicle Blueprints - Compact and Affordable Design." Matthew's eyes widened as he opened it, revealing a detailed schematic of an electric vehicle (EV). The description caught his attention:
"A compact, energy-efficient electric vehicle designed for urban settings. Combines lightweight materials with high-performance batteries and a simple assembly process. Designed to be cost-effective and environmentally friendly."
According to the file, the car has a similar design to BYD Seagull that was introduced in 2023, so basically an EV produced five years later.
"This could work,"