Reborn Three Days Before the Apocalypse

Chapter 5

The two-mile journey was nothing. The Hummer reached Crownview Residences within minutes.

When they stopped at the entrance, Ethan handed the man $400.

“Thank you—for saving me back there, and for taking the risk of driving through the storm.”

The man glanced at the money but didn't take it. “Keep it. I was coming this way anyway.”

Ethan didn't insist. Before getting out, he looked at him seriously.

“The typhoon could knock out the water and power. While you still have the chance, stock up on rice, flour, oil, and other basics.”

The man gave him a brief nod.

Ethan grabbed his package and hurried into the complex. The wind slammed against him the moment he opened the door, while heavy drops of rain struck his face like pellets. He pushed through the lobby, reached the elevator, and rushed upstairs.

When the doors opened, however, he stopped dead.

Marcus and Claire were standing outside his apartment.

They had clearly been waiting for him.

Marcus looked irritated, while Claire stood beside him in a pale dress, wearing the same sweet expression she had always used whenever she wanted something.

“What took you so long?” Marcus demanded. “We've been waiting forever.”

Seeing them brought back memories Ethan had tried to bury. He remembered the final years of his previous life, the hunger, the betrayal, and the moment Marcus had abandoned him to save himself.

Ethan's expression became cold.

He had been foolish once. That was his mistake.

He wasn't going to make it twice.

“What do you want?”

Marcus hesitated. Ethan had once treated him like the center of his world, yet now there wasn't even a trace of warmth in his voice.

“It's my birthday,” Marcus said irritably. “Why didn't you come to my party?”

“We're not close. Why would I?”

Marcus stared at him.

Claire stepped forward with a gentle smile. “Hey, Ethan.”

“We don't know each other,” Ethan interrupted. “So don't speak to me like we do.”

Her smile stiffened.

“It's Marcus's birthday,” she said softly. “We're all from the same university. Why don't you come upstairs and spend some time with us?”

Ethan almost laughed.

The party had ended hours ago.

They weren't here for his company. They wanted something from him.

“You heard me the first time,” Ethan said. “We're not close. Why does his birthday concern me?”

Marcus's face darkened. “Ethan, what's wrong with you?”

Ethan glanced at the matching rings on Marcus and Claire's fingers.

“You two are wearing matching couple rings, yet you keep inviting me over. What is this? Are you trying to make me part of some ridiculous three-person relationship?”

“Don't flatter yourself!” Marcus snapped, his face turning red. “I've never been interested in you like that. Claire, let's go.”

Claire didn't move.

Instead, she looked at Ethan and forced a nervous smile. “Actually, the storm caught us outside. We can't get back home. Could I stay here tonight?”

“Are you serious?”

Ethan laughed coldly. “I already told you we're not close. Why would I let you stay in my apartment?”

Marcus stepped forward. “Watch your mouth.”

“This is how I talk. If you don't like it, stop coming to my door.”

Marcus grabbed Claire's arm, but she suddenly looked past Ethan's shoulder.

Her eyes landed on the silver pendant around his neck.

“That pendant is beautiful,” she said. “Where did you get it?”

Ethan's gaze sharpened.

So that was it.

He slowly removed the pendant.

“Do you want it?”

Claire's eyes brightened. “Would you sell it? I really like it.”

Ethan dropped it.

The pendant struck the floor.

Then he raised his boot and stomped on it.

Once.

Twice.

Again.

The silver casing cracked beneath his heel until the pendant shattered completely.

Claire's face went pale.

Ethan looked down at the broken pieces.

“Because you like it,” he said calmly, “I suddenly find it disgusting.”

Claire stared at him in shock.

Marcus exploded.

“You bastard! How dare you—”

“Get lost.”

Ethan's voice was quiet, but his eyes were cold enough to stop him.

“And don't ever come back here.”

Marcus's face turned ugly as he pulled Claire away. Ethan waited until they disappeared around the corner before unlocking his reinforced door.

The moment he stepped inside, he tore open the package.

The polar-grade suit was thick but surprisingly soft, trapping heat the instant he put it on. The expedition sleeping bag was even more impressive, layered with dense insulation that could withstand temperatures no ordinary sleeping bag could handle.

Ethan finally felt a little safer.

Outside, the wind screamed harder.

He immediately began filling large plastic barrels with water, placing several inside the storage space. Once the storm intensified, the building's water supply and electricity would become unreliable.

Then he went into the kitchen.

For hours, Ethan cooked.

He made braised beef, roasted chicken with mushrooms, baked fish, root-vegetable stew, rice, bread, dinner rolls, and pastries. He packed everything into stainless-steel containers and stored the finished meals inside the storage space.

While the storm was still young and everyone still had access to food, cooking was easy.

Later, even lighting a stove could attract desperate people.

Ethan continued until well after midnight before finally showering and collapsing into bed.

His sleep didn't last long.

A drilling sound woke him.

Ethan pulled the curtain aside.

The world outside had disappeared behind gray rain and violent wind. He reached for his phone and frowned when he saw the time.

It was already past nine in the morning.

His W******p notifications were overflowing. The neighborhood group and university group both had hundreds of unread messages.

At first, people were celebrating the typhoon.

Office workers joked about their unexpected break, while students were thrilled about the school closure.

Then the pictures started appearing.

Uprooted trees.

Crushed cars.

Flooded roads.

A factory torn apart by the wind.

The mood quickly changed.

People who had gone shopping too late were complaining that supermarkets had been emptied, leaving them with little more than a few packets of instant noodles.

The drilling beside Ethan's apartment continued.

He frowned.

There were three apartments on each floor, and the neighboring units were supposed to be vacant.

In his previous life, floodwater had eventually reached the second floor. People who lost their homes began searching abandoned apartments for food and shelter. At first, everyone cooperated. But as supplies disappeared, desperation turned neighbors against one another.

More than once, people had tried breaking into Ethan's apartment.

This time, he had a fire axe.

If anyone tried again, he wouldn't hesitate.

Then Ethan heard something else.

A child's voice.

He opened his door.

The entrance to Unit 1801 stood wide open. A new stainless-steel door leaned against the wall while a young man in light-colored clothes worked on the frame with a power drill.

The moment he heard Ethan's door open, the man turned around.

Ethan's expression changed.

He recognized him immediately.

“It's you?”