Back home, Carl made a phone call.
"Wow, isn't this a great love saint? Why did you suddenly remember to call me?" An annoying voice rang from the other end of the line. Carl replied, his expression cold, "Less nonsense, David. Haven't you always wanted my shares?"
"Two billion for a one-time sale. Do you buy it or not?"
"You're going to sell shares?" David's excitement was palpable. "I'm sure I'll buy it! But your shares are worth a billion. Isn't it too much to sell them for two billion?"
Carl stood firm. "Just two billion, not a single cent less. If you don't buy it, I'll contact someone else."
"Don't, brother! You're my brother; we can discuss this," David pleaded. "You must not sell this share blindly. Two billion is two billion."
"In five days, all the formalities will be completed, and the money will be remitted to my account. With your connections, it shouldn't be a problem, right?" Carl said slowly.
David hesitated for a moment. "It's no problem, but with such a large amount of cash, it's definitely necessary to go through the proper channels. This money will depreciate, plus taxes..."
Karl interrupted, "That's your problem. In five days, I want to see the money. You won't get the shares for two billion or less." With that, he hung up, unperturbed by the potential collapse of the deal.
Carl knew very well that no one wanted those shares more than his cousin. Everyone in Jiangcheng knew Carl as a rich second generation with a family fortune of hundreds of millions. But what no one knew was that his true identity was far more complicated. The now-famous Jiang Group, a leading enterprise in the Great Xia Kingdom, was founded by Carl's parents and was worth hundreds of billions.
Seriously, even if you searched the entire country, it would be hard to find a few rich second generations more arrogant than Carl. However, an accident ten years ago claimed the lives of his parents. At just eight years old, Carl couldn't hold onto the massive consortium, which was quickly divided among relatives and friends. All that remained for him was a small portion of the equity and property that his parents had arranged, totaling over a billion.
If nothing else, that amount would be enough for him to live comfortably. Unfortunately, in his past life, he met Anna...
Perhaps it was precisely because of the lack of family affection that Carl went to great lengths to be good to someone, attempting to fill that void. Even after Anna hurt him repeatedly, he still found joy in it. Had Carl's parents been alive, and had he enjoyed a happy family life, he would not have acted so inexplicably.
"But..."
"It's all gone." Carl touched his heart, his expression resolute. It was precisely because he craved affection that he faced a tragic end in his previous life. This time, Karl would not repeat his past mistakes. He would ascend to the throne alone. Whether the accident was truly an accident would also be investigated.
Currently, the battle for the Jiang Group was at its fiercest. Whoever secured Carl's stake would hold the greatest influence in the company. Because of this, even two billion was more than double the value of Carl's equity. But Carl was confident that David would not hesitate. If it weren't for the requirement that the funds be guaranteed within five days, Karl could have offered a higher price. To be honest, it felt like a bit of a loss. But that loss paled in comparison to the advantage these two billion could bring in the early days of the game "The Last Days."
With the experience from his previous life, Carl was confident he could turn those two billion into a thousand or even ten thousand times their value.
As Carl had predicted, within five days, David rushed to complete the trade and all the formalities. After confirming the funds arrived, Carl signed dozens of documents one by one.
"Although I don't know why you suddenly figured it out, this must be the most correct choice for you in this life," David said, in a good mood after successfully acquiring the equity. With this, his faction would have absolute authority in the Jiang Group.
"In the future, just be a poor rich worm and don't have unrealistic dreams. The Jiang Group used to belong to your parents, but that's all in the past," David continued. "Any relationship between the group and you will now rest solely in my hands."
"I will do my best to give you this money," he added, taking the equity power of attorney and leaving satisfied.
"Oh yes." Before exiting, he seemed to remember something and turned around. "For the sake of all relatives, I remind you: don't waste time with that white lotus named Anna. She is not worthy of you."
"Anyway, you're my brother. If you don't want to be ashamed, I still have to keep face!" Carl chuckled, finding it ridiculous. Yes, even the sworn enemy who had always coveted his equity could see that Anna was a white lotus. Why couldn't he see through it in his past life? As for David's advice, Carl didn't take it to heart.
He looked at the long string of zeros in his account and smiled. Soon, when "The Last Days" launched, it would be interesting to see who was truly qualified to look down on whom.
[Welcome to the game 'Apocalypse']
[The current version of the game is in the closed beta stage. Player 'Carl', you are lucky to have obtained the qualification for the closed beta.]
[This test will only last for three days, and after three days, the open beta version will be launched.]
[Player 'Carl', please choose your starting class.]
On Sunday, just like in his previous life, Carl clicked on the mysterious website and entered the closed beta version of the apocalypse. There were many starting classes available: Warrior, Knight, Warlock, Farmer...
In his past life, Carl had chosen the Knight class because he naively thought it was romantic to guard a princess. At first glance, that idea seemed strangely silly. But upon reflection, it was not as noble as it appeared.
Carl felt disgusted, nearly vomiting his breakfast. He felt shame as an adult reminiscing about the melancholy of his sophomore years. What did it mean to be a knight on a horse guarding a princess? Wasn't that just an iron spare tire? Besides, what kind of princess was Anna? Even if she was one, it was Carl who carried her into the castle, but now he just wanted to send her to the private room.
"A dog is better than a knight. Whoever wants to be one can be!"
"I want to be a Beastmaster!" Carl declared and chose that class. The reason for this choice was well-considered. The Beastmaster class had the highest recognized potential in the entire "End Times," and there was no equal!
In his previous life, Carl had heard of a top-level guild in the Great Xia Kingdom that had offended a god-level Beastmaster due to their reliance on numbers. In a fit of rage, that Beastmaster summoned the god-level imperial pet 'Abyss Dragon' and single-handedly destroyed the guild until it disbanded. The guild leader was killed too many times, causing his attributes to drop to critical levels, resulting in his demise in reality. This was an achievement unmatched by any other class.
However, the downsides of the Beastmaster were also clear: the cost of raising a beast was exorbitant, far beyond what ordinary players could afford. The resources needed to maintain a god-level royal pet like the 'Abyss Dragon' were unimaginable for most. But for Carl, this was not a concern. Money was not an issue.
[Class selection complete. Please set your game nickname.]
"It's cold at night." There was no hesitation. Everything was set, and with a flash of white light, Carl appeared in the game. Without checking his surroundings, he immediately summoned the properties panel and anxiously glanced at the lower right corner.
Sure enough, he saw a golden button with two large words clearly written on it: Recharge!
Carl let out a long sigh of relief. It seemed that after his rebirth, the game's direction had not changed. Now it was time for the fun part!