The Belittled Husband Now A Trillionaira Boss.

Chapter 3

[ACCEPT OR DIE]

At that moment a timer appeared below the words. It started counting down.

[10]

Immediately Ethan's heart slammed against his ribs.

[9]

“What the hell is this?”

[8]

He didn't understand. He didn't have time to understand, all he knew was he was dieing, he was losing blood.

[7]

At that time Emma's face flashed in his mind again, he couldn't want to die, not after hearing what Sophia had planned for her, she was too innocent to experience such life.

[6]

“I have to save her, matter what, no matter what the timing was heading to.

[5]

“I have to live.”

[4]

At that moment his hand twitched. His fingers moved, trembling, reaching out toward the glowing screen even though it wasn't real.

[3]

“I can't die here, not when Emma is waiting for me”

[2]

“Not like this.”

[1]

Immediately he pressed yes.

The screen flashed white. Blinding. Then it vanished.

For a second, nothing happened, then the pain hit.

It felt like his entire body was being ripped apart and put back together all at once. His bones cracked. His muscles tore. His skin burned. He tried to scream, but the water filled his mouth, choking him.

Then the voice came. Cold. Mechanical. Emotionless.

[SYSTEM ACCEPTED.]

CONFIGURATION IN PROGRESS.

At that moment the pain intensified. His back arched. His hands clenched into fists behind him.

[CONFIGURATION COMPLETE.]

[SYNCHRONIZING IN PROGRESS.]

His vision flashed white again. Images flooded his mind. Symbols. Words. Things he didn't recognize but somehow understood.

[SYNCHRONIZING COMPLETE.]

[COMPARTMENTALIZATION COMPLETE.]

The pain stopped. Just like that. Gone. Replaced by something else. Something warm. It spread through his chest, down his arms, into his legs. It felt like fire, but it didn't burn. It healed.

[WELCOME TO THE FAMILY INHERITANCE REVENGE SYSTEM.]

The words appeared on the screen again, this time in gold.

Then the screen changed. A list appeared, scrolling down fast.

[HOST HAS UNLOCKED]

[ACUPUNCTURE ABILITY]

[ MARTIAL ARTS ABILITY (ADVANCED)]

[X10 MULTIPLIER ABILITY (APPLIED TO ALL PURCHASES AND INCOME)]

[HEALING REWARDS: 1,000 POINTS PER PERSON HEALED]

[SYSTEM FUNDS CAN BE WITHDRAWN ANYTIME, ANYWHERE]

[ALL INJURIES RESTORED]

At that moment Ethan's eyes widened.

[INJURIES HEALED: 100% COMPLETE.]

The warmth in his chest exploded outward. His broken kneecap snapped back into place. The cuts on his face sealed shut. The bruises faded. The rope around his wrists disintegrated, falling away like ash.

He gasped. Water rushed into his lungs, but this time, he didn't choke. His body moved. His legs kicked. His arms shot upward, breaking through the surface of the water.

He sucked in air, deep and desperate. His lungs expanded, filling with oxygen. His vision cleared.

He was alive.

He swam toward the shore, his strokes strong and steady. His body felt different. Lighter. Stronger. Like he'd been asleep his whole life and was finally awake.

When he reached the edge of the river, he pulled himself out and collapsed onto the dirt. His chest heaved. Water dripped from his hair, his clothes. He lay there for a second, staring up at the gray sky, trying to process what the hell just happened.

Then he sat up. His hands moved to his leg, the one that had been shattered. He pressed down on the kneecap. Nothing. No pain. No swelling. He bent it. Straightened it. Perfectly fine.

He checked the other leg. Same thing. No injuries. No scars. It was like the beating had never happened, even his ribs were all good.

“What the hell?” he whispered.

His hand moved to his chest, then to his face. Everything was fine. Better than fine. He felt… good. Better than he had in years.

Then his eyes dropped to his hand. The ring was gone.

The family ring. The one his father's parents had given him when he was just a child. They'd told him to never take it off. Ever. It had been with him his whole life.

And now it was gone.

“Could it be…” Ethan stared at his empty finger. “Was it the ring?”

He remembered the moment his blood had touched it. The way it had flared bright before vanishing. The way the system had appeared right after.

He didn't understand. But he didn't need to. Not yet.

All that mattered was that he was alive. And if he was alive, Emma was safe.

“Thank God,” he whispered. His hands shook. “Thank God. Emma's safe. I'm still here. I can still protect her.”

He stood, his legs steady beneath him. His soaked clothes clung to his skin, heavy and cold. But he didn't care. He had to move. He had to get back to her.

Then the system screen appeared again.

[MONEY DOUBLED]

Ethan blinked.

“What?”

Another notification appeared below it.

[CURRENT BALANCE: $300,000]

His jaw dropped.

“Three hundred thousand?” He stared at the number. “How?”

Then he remembered. The buyer. The one who was supposed to transfer $30,000 for the car and the property he'd sold. It must have gone through while he was… while he was drowning.

But $30,000 shouldn't have turned into $300,000.

Unless…His eyes moved back to the list on the screen.

[X10 MULTIPLIER ABILITY (APPLIED TO ALL PURCHASES AND INCOME).]

“It multiplied it,”he whispered. “By ten.”

He laughed. It came out shaky, disbelieving. But it was real. The money was real. He could see it right there on the screen.

$300,000.

Enough for Emma's dance class. Enough for the international competition. Enough for everything she needed.

He could give her the life she deserved.

“Thank you,” he said, his voice cracking. “Thank you.”

He wiped his face with the back of his hand, then turned and started walking. His shoes squelched with every step, water dripping onto the dirt path. He didn't care. He had one hour. One hour before Emma's dance practice started. He'd promised her he'd be there. And he wasn't going to break that promise.

He walked across the dirt path, then onto the main road. Cars passed by, their headlights cutting through the gray evening. He kept his head down, moving fast. 

Then he heard voices.

He slowed. Up ahead, a small crowd had gathered on the side of the road. Five men in black suits stood in a tight circle, their backs to the crowd, blocking the view. People were craning their necks, trying to see what was going on.

Ethan stopped. His eyes narrowed. Through the gaps between the men, he could see someone lying on the ground. A woman. Her clothes were stained red. Blood. A lot of it.

She'd been shot.

Ethan's jaw tightened. He could see it clearly now. The way her chest rose and fell, shallow and weak. The way her hand pressed against her side, trying to stop the bleeding. She didn't have much time.

He took a step forward. Then stopped, this isn't my problem.

Emma was waiting for him. He'd already lost too much time. If he got involved now, he'd miss her practice. He'd break his promise.

He turned away and took a step down the road.

Then the system screen flashed in front of him. Bright red. The color of blood.

[WARNING.]

[HOST MUST SAVE HER.]

Ethan froze.

“What?”

A timer appeared below the message. It started counting down.

[20]

[19]

[18]

[HOST MUST SAVE HER OR FACE PUNISHMENT.]