BEFORE THE WORLD FROZE, I BUILT MY OWN KINGDOM

Chapter 4: You Scared Me to Death! I Thought You Were a Legitimate Company!

When Ethan realized the lending app had scammed him, he felt no regret at all. What surged through him was pure excitement.

Following the same steps, he opened every loan app on his phone, registered on each one, and applied for loans one after another.

Soon his phone began chiming with notifications.

When his account balance climbed past $130,000, a grin spread across his face.

Even though the amount he had officially borrowed was nearly $300,000, he wasn't worried in the slightest. From the moment he took the money, he had never planned to pay it back. He already knew exactly how he would deal with these shady platforms.

Still, he was a little disappointed. The platforms were stingy, and none of them handed over very much.

The later the app, the lower the limit and the higher the interest. One of them had lent him only $3,000, left him with just $500 in hand, and demanded $3,900 back in a single month.

That wasn't lending. That was daylight robbery.

Ethan decisively gave up on squeezing them any further. His time was precious, and he couldn't be bothered with such small change.

He had $130,000 in his account now, more than enough to carry him until he "won" the lottery next month.

After tidying up and washing, he lay down on the bed.

Everything felt like a distant memory, almost unreal. The soft mattress and the warm blankets slowly settled his nerves.

A rough plan was already forming in his mind.

Twenty months remained until the end of the world. In that time, he had to build a bunker secure enough to survive it and stockpile enough supplies to last. If possible, he wanted a few reliable weapons too.

But with his current finances, the fortress was out of the question for now. His stockpile would be limited by money as well.

Then again, he had the extradimensional space. He had a bold idea in mind, one that meant he wouldn't have to spend money on supplies at all.

But the idea carried enormous risk, and the timing wasn't right. It would have to wait.

There were still twenty-eight days until the lottery draw from his past life, and he refused to waste them. With $130,000 in hand, he could start preparing for the bunker right away.

In the next few days, he would begin scouting for the perfect location.

"I'll rent a car tomorrow. That'll be more convenient," he murmured, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

…………

The next morning, at eight o'clock, Ethan was jolted awake by his alarm.

He shot upright. Only when he saw that everything around him was calm and quiet did he finally relax.

Yesterday hadn't been a dream. He had truly been reborn.

He took a deep breath, got up, washed, and began the second day of his new life.

After breakfast downstairs, he was just about to head for the car rental lot when his phone rang.

The call came from an unfamiliar number in the same city. He answered it with a flicker of suspicion.

A clear, polite woman's voice came through the speaker. "Hello, Mr. Cole. This is a customer service manager from Silverline Financial. Do you have any need for a loan?"

Ethan frowned. In his past life he had received his share of sales and advertising calls, but never one offering loans.

Then it clicked. Those shady platforms must have packaged and sold his information last night.

His first instinct was to hang up. But then he thought, if someone was offering to hand him money, why should he refuse?

"I recently received a shipment of goods, and my funds are a little tight," he said without blinking.

"Mr. Cole, we offer high limits and fast disbursement, perfect for working capital. May I ask what kind of business you run?"

The moment she learned he was a business owner, her tone changed. It became warmer, more respectful.

"Building supplies," Ethan said without hesitation.

"Mr. Cole, the building supplies industry has been quite difficult these past two years, so a temporary cash crunch is completely understandable. Many of our clients are building supply owners!"

"Yes, exactly. So how does the process work?"

"When would you be free to visit our office? Our manager will walk you through everything in person."

Ethan frowned. "That's so much trouble."

"Hehe, Mr. Cole, I think you may have misunderstood. We're a legitimate lender that partners with major banks. We're not one of those online lending apps. The process is a bit more involved, naturally, but the loan amounts are much higher and the interest rates are far lower than anything those apps offer," she explained.

When Ethan heard the words "legitimate loan," his frown deepened.

His rule was simple. Once he borrowed, he never intended to repay. But legitimate loans didn't fall within the loopholes he planned to exploit. They were reported to the credit bureau, so those debts would have to be paid.

And with nearly twenty months still left before the world ended, becoming someone who had broken his promises would only cause trouble for everything he planned to do before then.

"Mr. Cole, are you still there?"

"Um... what's your interest rate?" Ethan asked. He really was short of money, and if the rate was reasonable, he wouldn't mind borrowing for a short while.

"Our monthly rates range from 0.6% to 1.2%, depending on your qualifications."

"Six-tenths of a percent a month?" Ethan asked again. He ran the numbers in his head. That came out to 7.2% a year.

Last night, while searching for strategies, he had learned all the ins and outs of lending in detail. A 7.2% annual rate really wasn't that high. Compared to the online lending apps, there was no comparison at all, let alone the shady platforms.

"Yes, but to determine the exact amount, we'll need to assess your personal qualifications."

"No other fees?" Ethan asked, a little suspicious. Could there really be kind people in this world who would help someone in his time of need?

"Mr. Cole, I understand you may have doubts. But since you need funding, why not come and see our company in person? It won't take much of your time, and if you're not satisfied, you're free to leave," she said.

Hearing that slippery, evasive answer, Ethan's mind cleared at once.

He cursed under his breath. "You scared me to death! 'Legitimate loan'? 'Partners with major banks'? It's all a smokescreen. A complete rip-off!"

Now he was certain they were crooks, and every last worry vanished.

Fine. Let them come. He would fleece them.

"All right," he replied calmly. "Where are you located? I'll come by this afternoon."

"Let me send you my contact details on the chat app. Is this number linked to your account?"

"Mm-hm."

"Perfect, Mr. Cole. I'll add you now and send you our address shortly. Please accept my request."

…………

After hanging up, Ethan smiled wryly. There were scammers everywhere these days.

He shook his head and flagged down a taxi to the city center.

Originally, he had only planned to rent a cheap car from a nearby rental lot for a couple hundred dollars a day, just for getting around.

But since he was going to take advantage of these people this afternoon, he had to dress the part.

After all, he was "General Manager Cole" of a building supplies business. He had to keep up a certain air.