Chapter 1: Exchange

Just three months after I was reunited with the Harrington family, I won a £5 million jackpot at the Royal Ascot.

"Alex, we need to talk." The Duke of Charles, the father, pushed open the study door, followed by the mother, Lady Victoria, and that imposter Damian.

All three of them had serious expressions, as if they were about to announce some important news.

"What's up?"

Damian spoke first: "We've been reborn."

I almost burst out laughing.

Rebirth?

These three idiots actually tried to fool me with such childish lies?

"What do you mean?" I asked, feigning confusion.

"The apocalypse is just a month away," Mother Victoria said gravely. "Alien parasites will infect all of humanity through a rain of spores; only a very small number will survive."

"The three of us were all reborn from the apocalypse," Charles added, "and we know how to survive that catastrophe."

Damian nodded excitedly, "Mom and Dad are right! I remember it clearly, there were parasitized monsters everywhere, and the government was completely powerless!"

idiot.

If they really were reborn, why would they come to me for £5 million?

When the true end times arrive, money will be worthless.

What do you want?

"Your lottery ticket," Damian laid it all out. "5 million pounds can buy a lot of essential supplies for the apocalypse."

"In exchange," Charles pulled an ancient bronze bracer from his pocket, "this is a sacred heirloom of our family, which can only be activated by those of the Harrington bloodline. It can protect your life in the apocalypse." 

I took the wristband and examined it carefully.

The appearance is indeed old-fashioned, but the material is clearly a modern artifact. These three scammers couldn't even be bothered to make their props look decent.

"Is this just a counterfeit?"

"Absolutely not!" Damian exclaimed anxiously, "This is a genuine relic! I survived to the end in my previous life because of it!"

Victoria chimed in, "Alex, money is meaningless in the apocalypse, but this bracer could save your life. We're doing this for your own good."

For my own good?

I remember perfectly how these three people treated me in my past life.

Charles and Victoria never treated me like their real son; all their love was given to Damian, the imposter. After the apocalypse, they used me as bait to lure away the parasites and let Damian escape.

When I was finally torn to pieces, Damian was still clapping and cheering.

They actually dare to put on an act in front of me now?

"Okay, I trust you guys." I nodded in agreement. "You can have the lottery ticket, but I'll keep the wristband."

Damian's eyes gleamed with pride: "Brother, you're so smart! This was absolutely the right choice!"

I took the lottery ticket out of my wallet and handed it to Charles, while simultaneously accepting the "heirloom."

The moment I touched it, I felt a strange energy fluctuation.

interesting.

"Transaction complete." Charles pocketed the lottery ticket, his fatherly expression vanishing instantly. "Now you can leave."

"What?"

"The manor needs to prepare for the apocalypse and can't accommodate any more people," Victoria said coldly. "You've obtained the life-saving relic; you should find your own way to survive."

Damian went even further: "Since you're not a true Harrington bloodline, why should you stay here?"

I had expected this outcome.

These three people never intended for me to live; they just wanted my lottery ticket.

"I understand." I stood up. "Then I'll leave now."

"Wait," Charles called after me, "Leave those emergency supplies in your room; they're more useful to us."

Emergency supplies?

Over the past three months, I have indeed bought a lot of canned goods, drinking water, medicine, and the like, ostensibly to prepare for possible natural disasters.

Actually, I'm preparing for the real apocalypse.

"Of course," I readily agreed. "I already have wrist guards for protection, so I don't need those things."

Damian smiled with satisfaction: "That's right, brother, you've finally figured it out."

idiot.

I went back to my room and started packing my luggage. I did it quickly and only brought a few changes of clothes.

On the surface, I did leave all the emergency supplies in the room.

But in reality, I had already moved the truly important supplies to other places.

The things in this room are just bait I deliberately left for them.

The real emergency supplies, including large quantities of food, medicine, and weapons, were all hidden in another warehouse I rented.

"Goodbye." I dragged my suitcase out of the manor without looking back.

Damian shouted from behind, "Brother, remember to protect that bracer! It's your only chance of survival!"

I got into the taxi I had booked and watched the manor recede into the distance through the rearview mirror.

The driver asked curiously, "Sir, are you moving?"

"I guess so."

"Didn't your family see you off?"

"They are very busy."

As the car drove away from the estate area, I took out my phone to check my bank account.

The £5 million has indeed arrived in the account; Damian, that idiot, acted quite quickly.

However, this amount of money is nothing to me.

My true assets are the knowledge I accumulated from twenty years of experience in the end times of my previous life, and this genuine sacred relic that I now possess.

The true power of this wristband is far greater than those three con artists imagined.

The car was parked downstairs at my rented apartment building, and I paid the fare and went upstairs.

Upon entering the room, I immediately locked the door and drew all the curtains.

Then, he carefully took out the wristband and placed it on the coffee table to examine it closely.

Made of bronze, with intricate patterns engraved on the surface, it certainly looks quite old.

But most importantly, I can feel the powerful energy contained within it.

In my past life, I heard about this kind of sacred relic during the apocalypse. It is said that only specific bloodlines can activate it, and once activated, one will gain various supernatural abilities.

At the time, I thought it was just a legend, but I never expected that the Harrington family would actually have such a thing.

And those three idiots actually mistook it for an ordinary antique and used it to cheat me out of lottery tickets.

This is truly a stroke of luck!

I bit my finger and dripped the blood onto my wristband.

The moment the blood droplet touched the wristband, the entire room lit up.

The patterns on the watch face began to glow, and a warm current spread from my arm throughout my body.

I can feel changes in my body; my strength, speed, and reaction time are all improving rapidly.

More importantly, information about the wrist guard's abilities came to mind.

Item duplication.

I can copy any inanimate object I have touched, and the copy will be exactly the same as the original.

This ability is practically a god-tier skill in the apocalypse!

I immediately took a bottle of water from the refrigerator and tried to replicate it.

Concentrate and imagine another bottle of the exact same water.

The next second, a second bottle of water actually appeared in my hand.

It was a success!

I excitedly replicated more than a dozen bottles of water, each one exactly the same as the original.

Now I am completely certain of the wristband's true capabilities.

With this ability, I can infinitely replicate food, medicine, and weapons, establishing an absolute survival advantage in the apocalypse.

Those three idiots thought they got a good deal and used the £5 million to buy luxury goods.

When the end times truly arrive, they will know what despair is.

I turned on my computer and began to develop a detailed plan for preparing for the apocalypse.

The first step is the procurement of supplies; I need a large number of basic items as templates for replication.

Then came the choice of shelter. I remember there were a few relatively safe places in my previous life.

Finally, there's the revenge plan; I'll make those three who betrayed me pay the price.

My phone suddenly rang; it was a message from Damian.

"Brother, I just bought a Ferrari! 5 million is such a good spender! How's your wristband? Remember to take good care of it!"

The accompanying photo is a selfie of him sitting in a red sports car, with a smug smile on his face.

idiot.

After the apocalypse, this Ferrari was less than scrap metal.

I didn't reply, but instead continued to refine my plan.

With only a month left until the end of the world, I must make full preparations.

In this life, I will become the king of the apocalypse.

And those three who betrayed me will die in despair.