The Apocalypse Rebate System: I Became King by Giving

CHAPTER 2 THE WORLD GOES COLD

The first car crash occurred less than three minutes after the emergency alert. Jack saw it happen with his own eyes.

One moment, traffic moved normally beneath the dark summer sky. Next, a delivery truck suddenly skidded sideways through an intersection.

Its tires lost traction as though the asphalt had instantly transformed into ice.

The truck slammed into two nearby vehicles.

The sound of twisting metal echoed through the street as glass shattered in every direction. People immediately began shouting, and panic rippled through the crowd.

Jack stood frozen on the sidewalk with his phone still clenched tightly in his hand as the red emergency notification remained on the screen.

WARNING. GLOBAL CLIMATE ANOMALY DETECTED. SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.

The message felt surreal, like something pulled from a disaster movie. Unfortunately, the fear spreading through the city was very real.

Another gust of wind swept through the street. Jack instinctively zipped his jacket higher; his breath appeared again in front of him as a thin white cloud.

The sight should have been impossible.

It was July, traditionally the hottest month of the year, yet the temperature seemed to be dropping with every passing minute.

Around him, people were finally beginning to realize that something was terribly wrong. "What the hell is happening?

A woman wrapped her arms around herself and shivered violently. "I don't know."

A man glanced nervously toward the sky. "Maybe it's some kind of storm."

Another person shook his head. "No storm does this."

The temperature continued to fall at an alarming rate. Jack looked toward a digital thermometer mounted outside a nearby pharmacy.

Ten minutes earlier, it had displayed thirty-one degrees Celsius. Now it showed twenty-two. The number flickered, twenty-one, twenty, and now nineteen.

Jack felt a chill crawl down his spine.

What he was witnessing was neither normal nor scientifically possible. A city-wide emergency siren suddenly erupted across the district.

The warning echoed between skyscrapers, causing people to stop in their tracks. Cars slowed, conversations died, and fear became visible on nearly every face.

Then every giant outdoor screen in the district switched simultaneously. Advertisements vanished, A government seal appeared, A woman in a dark suit filled the screen.

She looked composed and professional at first glance, but her eyes told a different story.

They were filled with fear. "My fellow citizens..."

Her voice trembled slightly. "We are currently investigating an unprecedented climate event."

Jack frowned.

The explanation sounded absurdly inadequate.

The woman briefly glanced downward, as though she were reading instructions she did not fully believe herself. "We urge everyone to remain calm."

A nervous laugh escaped someone nearby.

The request felt almost insulting.

The temperature had dropped nearly fifteen degrees in less than half an hour, and there was nothing calm about the situation unfolding around them.

The anchor continued. "Emergency response teams have been deployed nationwide."

The screen flickered unexpectedly.

For a fraction of a second, another image appeared. People were running through crowded streets, and military vehicles moved through smoke-filled roads.

Then the broadcast immediately corrected itself. The anchor returned to the screen, but she looked noticeably paler than before. "We urge citizens not to panic."

Jack stared at the screen. Everyone could hear it. The fear hidden beneath her words was impossible to conceal, and desperation and uncertainty lingered behind every sentence.

His stomach tightened. "If they're scared," he muttered, swallowing hard, "we're already in trouble."

The realization settled heavily inside him.

Governments lied, Companies lied, Politicians lied, but genuine fear was difficult to fake; every official appearing on television looked terrified.

A scream suddenly erupted from farther down the street. People turned toward the sound. A crowd had gathered outside an electronics store.

The television display inside was showing a live helicopter news feed; the footage made Jack's blood run cold, the camera overlooked an airport.

Chaos consumed the scene. Smoke rose into the sky while emergency vehicles raced across the runways.

The reporter's voice shook with anxiety. "We have unconfirmed reports of multiple aircraft incidents across the country."

The camera zoomed in, and Jack's heart skipped a beat as he looked at the screen.

A passenger plane lay broken across a runway. One of its wings had been completely torn away.

Nearby pedestrians gasped in horror. Someone dropped a phone.

The reporter continued. "Authorities believe severe atmospheric disturbances may be interfering with navigation systems."

Jack did not believe that explanation for a second, and judging by the expressions around him, neither did anyone else. The panic intensified. People began running.

Others desperately called loved ones. Voices rose as frightened citizens shouted into their phones.

Traffic became gridlocked almost instantly. Then another emergency notification appeared. This time, it arrived with a piercing alarm.

EMERGENCY WEATHER ADVISORY

RETURN TO YOUR HOMES IMMEDIATELY

AVOID NON-ESSENTIAL TRAVEL

A collective wave of unease swept through the city. Jack watched as a mother grabbed her child's hand and hurried away. Others quickly followed. Within minutes, the streets transformed completely. Order gave way to confusion, confusion evolved into fear, and fear rapidly became full-scale panic.

The anxiety spread through the city faster than wildfire. Jack knew he should have gone straight home. Instead, his attention shifted toward a nearby supermarket.

The parking lot was already filling. People were rushing through the entrance. His instincts immediately sounded an alarm. Something was wrong.

And if conditions continued to deteriorate, food, water, and basic supplies would suddenly become priceless.

Without wasting another second, he started running. By the time he reached the store, the situation had descended into chaos. Shopping carts collided. People shoved one another.

Arguments erupted throughout the building. Entire shelves were already being emptied. Jack grabbed a basket and pushed through the crowd. Water came first. The bottled-water aisle looked like a battlefield.

Half the shelves were already bare. A man shoved past him. Another customer nearly knocked him over.

Jack managed to secure several cases before moving toward canned goods. He filled his basket with beans, soup, vegetables, and anything else with a long shelf life.

Some people stared at him as though he were overreacting. One man openly laughed. "Dude thinks the world's ending."

His friend snorted. "It's just weather."

Jack ignored them; his pulse continued to rise because nothing about the situation felt normal. He trusted his instincts.

Those instincts had helped him survive years of bullying, humiliation, and betrayal. They had taught him how to read people and recognize danger before others noticed it.

Every instinct he possessed told him that something catastrophic was approaching; he could feel it. The checkout lines stretched across the entire store.

Customers argued with cashiers while overwhelmed employees struggled to keep up.

Televisions mounted near the ceiling continued broadcasting updates. Each report sounded worse than the last. Roads were freezing unexpectedly, Power outages were spreading, Communication networks were failing, Aircraft incidents continued to increase, and military forces were mobilizing.

None of the pieces fit together unless the situation was far worse than officials were admitting.

When Jack finally reached the register, his heart sank. The total consumed nearly every dollar left in his account. Weeks of savings vanished in a matter of minutes.

The cashier raised an eyebrow. "Stocking up?"

Jack nodded. "Something like that."

She scanned the final item. "You're lucky."

Jack almost laughed. Nobody had ever called him lucky before; he certainly had not felt lucky when he lost his job, he had not felt lucky when his work was stolen, and he had not felt lucky while enduring years of ridicule.

Yet somehow, standing inside a supermarket during what looked increasingly like the beginning of the end, someone believed he was lucky.

Jack paid for his supplies and wheeled them outside. The city had changed again. The temperature display now reads eight degrees Celsius in the middle of summer.

People were finally noticing the severity of the situation. Fear had become impossible to hide. Store owners hurriedly locked their doors. Police officers attempted to direct traffic. Sirens echoed endlessly through the city.

Above it all, dark clouds churned across the sky like a living creature. Jack loaded his supplies into a borrowed cart and began walking toward his apartment complex. His hands ached from the cold. Every breath stung his lungs.

Despite that, the temperature continued to fall, the streets grew quieter, while the collective panic grew louder. Everything about the world felt wrong. Halfway home, he passed a group of former coworkers standing outside a café.

Ryan was among them; he was laughing, smiling, and acting as though nothing had changed.

Jack's jaw tightened.

Ryan spotted him immediately. "Look who it is."

The group turned toward Jack. Several people laughed. Ryan pointed at the overloaded cart. "What is all that?"

Jack kept walking.

Ryan stepped directly into his path. "Seriously."

His eyes dropped toward the supplies. "Damn."

The familiar smirk returned. "You really think the apocalypse is coming?"

More laughter followed. Jack stared at him. A familiar anger burned beneath his calm expression.

Ryan had stolen his work, humiliated him, and helped destroy his career, yet somehow he still found time to mock him. "You should buy some supplies too."

Ryan blinked.

Then he laughed even harder. "See?"

He pointed toward the others. "I told you, he's paranoid."

The group erupted with laughter again. Jack simply walked away. Behind him, Ryan shouted one final insult. "Don't hide underground, Jack!"

More laughter followed, but something about it sounded different now; the laughter carried a nervous edge.

An uneasy uncertainty lingered beneath the mockery, as though even Ryan no longer fully believed everything would be fine.

The sky darkened further. Jack increased his pace. At last, the apartment complex came into view. Relief washed through him. He was almost home, almost safe.

Then something cold touched his cheek. Jack stopped walking. Confused, he brushed at his face.

A second later, another icy sensation landed on his hand. His eyes widened slowly, and he lifted his gaze toward the sky.

The entire street had fallen silent.

Hundreds of people stood motionless, staring upward. Nobody spoke. Nobody moved. Tiny white flakes drifted downward from the dark clouds overhead. For a moment, Jack could only stare. It was snowing in the middle of summer.

As the first flakes touched the ground, every survival instinct in his body began screaming the same terrifying message: humanity was running out of time.