Apocalypse Survivor

Chapter 5: The First Investment

Ethan and Claire sat opposite the clerk, and a stack of documents lay neatly between them.

The clerk adjusted her glasses and began going through the divorce settlement.

“After reviewing the financial records, we have determined that Mrs. Claire possesses several assets acquired during the marriage, including her business interests and associated properties.”

Claire's jaw tightened.

The clerk continued. Under the applicable marital property rules, Mr. Ethan would be entitled to a portion of those assets.”

Claire's fingers curled into fists beneath the table. 

Ethan simply shook his head. “I don't want any of it.”

The clerk glanced between them. “Are you certain?”

“Yes. I said I don't want anything.”

“Then this makes things very easy.” She pushed the documents towards him and handed him a pen. “Sign them”

Claire stared at him. Claire looked at him. She had expected Ethan to fight for it or demand money as a settlement.

Claire's expression hardened. “You'll regret this.”

Ethan leaned back after signing the documents and whispered back. “But I'll regret staying married to you more.”

The clerk continued with the remaining procedures. After a few signatures and some stamps, the marriage was officially dissolved.

Ethan stood immediately. “Thank you.”

He walked out. Claire remained seated for several seconds, staring at the divorce certificate in her hands before she followed after him. 

Outside, her family immediately surrounded her. Her mother hugged her as they all looked at Ethan walk towards his car.

Robert sneered toward Ethan's departing figure. “That jerk will probably blow whatever money he has left.”

Claire wiped the corner of her eye. “He'll surely regret this.”

Her mother snorted. “He'll probably end up alone in some tiny apartment.”

Claire looked toward Ethan's car. “Nobody will want him.”

A faint laugh escaped Ethan as he heard them from a distance, but he didn't bother turning around.

He was done here and had successfully dropped the dead weights. Whatever happens to them he didn’t care anymore. 

Ethan drove to a nearby hotel. He checked in, selected a comfortable standard room, ordered room service, and finally allowed himself to relax.

For the first time since his rebirth, he had nothing immediately demanding his attention.

He ran a bath, but the television remained on in the background. It was tuned in to financial channels that filled the room with noise.

Ethan leaned back in the bathtub and closed his eyes. It was exactly as he remembered.

The analysts were discussing the upcoming movement in the gold market. Charts appeared across the screen while the experts debated the possible direction of prices.

Every prediction, every resistance level.  Ethan had already seen this play out once. He knew the exact moment was the best time to make the entry and he was just waiting for it. 

He checked the time. 9:47 p.m.

He remained still.

Then— 10:00 p.m. His alarm rang, and his eyes flew open. “That’s it.” He stepped out of the bathtub, dried himself, and slipped into a robe.

He picked up his phone and opened his brokerage app. His newly funded investment account was ready, and he had transferred the available capital.

His finger hovered over the screen. 

He clicked Buy and confirmed the order. The position opened instantly.

Ethan placed the phone face-down on the nightstand and leaned back against the bed. There was no reason to spend the entire night staring at a chart.

He already knew what was coming. The market would fall hard enough to make ordinary investors panic and start cutting their losses. But Ethan knew that was only the beginning.

The real surge was coming. And when it arrived, he intended to be sitting on the other side of it. Ethan climbed into bed. His eyes sparkled as he stared at the ceiling. Tomorrow he was going to wake up filthy rich. With that thought, Ethan turned off the lights and went to sleep.

The next morning, his phone was filled with notifications.

Ethan picked it up. His portfolio was down 70%. He stared at the number, but then he calmly placed the phone back on the table. In his previous life, seeing a loss like this would have left him in a terrible shape.

Ethan simply smiled. The market had taken the first brutal swing. The real movement would happen in an hour. In his past life, that one hour had been called the hour of death in the gold market. 

A lot of investors had chosen to hold positions, thinking the market would go down only for it to skyrocket and break the all-time high. He had also been a vicytim in his past life.

He got dressed, checked out of the hotel, and drove into the central part of the city. He needed land. Not just any land. He needed a property large enough to become his survival base.

And he knew exactly where to look. An old military facility. Large, Isolated. Most importantly, it sat behind a network of waterways that would make it difficult for ordinary people to reach once society collapsed.

Ethan drove toward one of the city's major commercial property centers. The building itself was enormous and its glass exterior reflected the morning sun, while massive property advertisements covered the lobby walls.

This was where serious investors came to purchase some of the most expensive properties in the city.

Ethan walked inside and approached the receptionist.

“Hello, good day. I want to buy a property.”

The receptionist glanced at him, then pointed toward a section of the building.

“Property sales are over there.”

Ethan thanked her and walked over. A massive model of the city occupied the center of the room.

Roads, buildings, industrial zones, rivers, waterways, vacant land.

Ethan leaned over the display. His eyes scanned every section. He wasn't looking for luxury but something suitable to serve as a forte.

“Ethan? Did Claire send you on an errand?”

He turned, and a woman stood several feet away.  She looked him up and down. Then glanced around the expensive property section.

She was dressed as a porter and had a name tag on her chest, Ethan knew her, she was a close friend of Claire. 

Ethan shook his head. “No.”

He pointed toward the model. “I'm here to buy a property.”

The woman blinked. “You?”

“Yes.”

She looked him over again but then started laughing. She looked at his plain clothes with disdain.

“Maybe you should check the other property section. This side isn't for you.”

She folded her arms and her tone became openly condescending. “The cheapest property in this section is over a million dollars.”

She smiled. “I doubt you can afford that.”

Ethan said nothing.

She turned around. “Come on. Don't waste your time and also don’t embarrass Claire, go check something of your class.”

She emphasized the word ‘class’ and walked away, laughing with two of her colleagues.

As she reached them, her voice carried across the room.

“Claire is going to laugh when I tell her this.”

Another woman chuckled. “What did he come here for?”

“Maybe to take pictures.” They laughed.

Ethan ignored them but continued studying the model. He had already spotted what he wanted. 

“That seems to be a good location.”

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Ethan glanced at his phone. The moment the screen lit up, his eyebrows rose. His notifications were coming in. Social media was going crazy.

Every financial account seemed to be talking about the same thing.

“BREAKING NEWS: GOLD SHATTERS ITS ALL-TIME HIGH AS PRICES SURGE”

Another notification appeared. “GOLD HITS RECORD HIGH AS MARKET ERUPTS”

Ethan's lips slowly curled upward. “Right on schedule.”

He opened his trading account, although he expected it. The impact was still heavy. The number displayed on the screen made even him pause.

Account Balance: $15,000,000. A 50x return.

Ethan stared at the figure for several seconds. Then he let out a quiet laugh. “Not bad.”

He clicked Close Position. Ethan immediately transferred the money into his bank account.

A few seconds later—Transfer Successful.

He stared at his bank balance and a strange feeling filled his heart. For years, money had been something he constantly worried about. He had always needed to calculate what he could afford.

He looked at the balance again with a sense of freedom. Then a grin appeared on his face. “So this is what being filthy rich feels like…”

“Ethan?” A familiar feminine voice came from behind him. He turned and froze.

A familiar figure was walking toward him.

Her footsteps were soft and measured, each click of her delicate heels echoing across the polished floor. There was a faint look of surprise on her face, as though she hadn't expected to see him there.

Ethan's gaze slowly sharpened. That walk and those delicate features. The woman stopped in front of him, her eyes widening in surprise..

She tilted her head slightly, as if trying to make sure she wasn't mistaken. “Is that really you?”

Ethan stared at her. A faint smile slowly appeared at the corner of his lips.

Of all the people he could have encountered after his rebirth, he never expected to meet her here.