Chapter 1

I awoke with a start from a cold dream, my nostrils still tinged with the bloody smell of a blizzard from my past life.

The raucous barking of his wife's brother, Dmitri, could be heard coming from the living room .

I glanced at the calendar on the bedside table—January 15, 2029.

seven days left until that once-in-a-century blizzard arrives .

I was reborn?!

"Ivan! Get the hell out here!"

I slowly sat up, and I could still feel the bloodstains on my throat from the rope I had been strangled in my past life.

At this time in my previous life, the world was urgently reporting the arrival of a cold wave, and there were even many rumors that an extreme cold apocalypse was coming.

Dmitri, a doomsday enthusiast, was incredibly excited upon hearing that the apocalypse was coming. He even planned to mobilize loans to build safe houses, wanting to replicate the actions of protagonists in online novels.

As a meteorologist, I knew that the bureau's data showed the cold wave would last for a maximum of one month, so I firmly stopped my family's crazy plan to borrow money at high interest rates.

When the blizzard struck, my family was crammed into our drafty old house, starving and freezing, while Dmitri's friends who had taken out loans to build safe houses were eating steak and drinking red wine in their basements.

Dmitri was insanely jealous and blamed everything on me, saying that I had thwarted their "get-rich-quick scheme".

Finally, this greedy brother-in-law and his parents tied me up in the yard and left me to freeze to death in the minus forty degree Celsius wind.

Unexpectedly , fate gave me a second chance.

"Ivan! Did you hear that?!"

Dmitri's voice came from the living room, sounding more impatient than in his previous life.

I slowly got up and walked towards the living room .

On the sofa, Dmitri was waving a document around, while a contract printed with Cyrillic letters lay open on the table.

Those are loan shark documents from the Russian mafia.

"Ivan, you're finally out." My mother-in-law's eyes were red and swollen. "Our whole family had a meeting and decided to apply for an emergency loan from the bank to renovate the basement."

"What?" I feigned a shocked expression.

Dmitri put down the documents: "Brother-in-law, you've seen the news too. This blizzard is no joke; the government is already evacuating residents from remote areas. The Thomsons started renovating their basement yesterday, and the Smiths are stockpiling supplies."

The father-in-law nodded: "Xiao Yi, you're a meteorologist; you should know the power of this extreme cold better than we do. Dmitri's idea is right; we must consider the safety of the whole family."

I sneered inwardly.

The cold wave will last for at most a month . It was the media's apocalyptic hype that caused panic among apocalyptic enthusiasts , while Dmitri's "survival instinct" cultivated by his apocalyptic games made him smell an opportunity to make money.

"But renovating the basement will cost a lot of money..."

"That's the problem," Dmitri said, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Bank loan processes are too slow; by the time they approve it, the blizzard has already passed. But I've found a much faster way."

He pointed to the contract on the table: "These Russians can lend us five million within 24 hours, enough for us to buy the best materials and equipment."

"A Russian?" I deliberately took a step back. "Dmitry, he's a loan shark from the mafia !"

Natasha emerged from the kitchen, tears welling in her eyes. "Darling," she said, "I know it's risky, but we have no other choice. Think about it, what will happen to families without safe houses if the blizzard really lasts for months?"

Her voice trembled, and she seemed to be worried about me, but in reality, she was worried about her own comfortable life.

The mother-in-law also began to cry: "Ivan, Dmitry has thought about this family for a long time. He said that after the renovation, we can not only safely get through the disaster, but also help our neighbors and collect some reasonable fees. This way, we can save lives and pay off the loan."

What a high-sounding reason.

They convinced themselves of this in their past lives, until they discovered that I was hindering their "get-rich-quick scheme".

"But this house..."

"Although the house is in your name, the down payment was made up by the whole family." His father-in-law's tone was gentle but firm. "Xiao Yi, this is a life-or-death situation for the whole family. You won't let us down, right?"

Dmitry came over and patted me on the shoulder: "Brother-in-law, I know you're worried about the risks. But think about it, if we do nothing, isn't the risk even greater? Can you bear to watch Natasha suffer in the freezing cold? Can you bear to see Mom and Dad worrying about their lives at our age?"

What a perfect example of moral blackmail.

They disguised greed as love and risk as responsibility.

Looking into their expectant eyes, I felt a surge of anger from a past life welling up inside me.

But this time, I will not repeat the same mistake.

"You have a point." I nodded slowly, "but..."

"But what?" Natasha asked nervously.

"Since we're going to spend so much money, and since we're using our house as collateral, then I have to be in charge of the procurement and renovation work." I looked at them. "I'm a professional; I know which materials can withstand extreme cold and which equipment is truly useful. Letting me oversee things will ensure that every penny is spent wisely."

Dmitri frowned: "This..."

"Dmitri," his father-in-law interrupted, "Ivan is right. He's a meteorologist; he knows this disaster best. Let the professionals do what they do best, that's how we can truly be safe."

"And," I continued, "if the reformation fails, the responsibility will fall on me. I don't want to see my family suffer more than anyone else."

A look of gratitude flashed in Natasha's eyes: "I knew my husband was the most reliable."

The mother-in-law smiled too: "That's for the best. Ivan will be in charge of the technology, and Dmitry will be in charge of coordination. Our whole family will work together."

I took my bank card out of my wallet, ran my finger lightly across the card as if bidding a final farewell: "The password is Natasha's birthday."

Natasha took the card, tiptoed, and gently kissed my cheek: "Thank you, Ivan. For this family, for our future."

Dmitry came over and shook my hand tightly: "Brother-in-law, we'll definitely succeed this time. Once this disaster is over, we'll be heroes to the whole community!"

I forced a smile, but in my heart I had already sentenced each and every one of them to death.

"Then I'll prepare the purchasing list." I stood up. "Time is tight; we need to start tomorrow."

"Go ahead," the father-in-law waved, "Remember to buy the best materials; safety is the most important thing."

Dmitri added, "Don't forget to buy plenty of food and drinks; I don't want to be eating biscuits in the basement."

I walked towards the basement, and behind me I could hear their excited discussion.

Dmitri is describing the wonderful life after the transformation, his mother-in-law is calculating how much money she can make, and Natasha is thanking God for giving her a good husband.

In the basement, I turned on my computer and started making a shopping list.

On the surface, this is a standard emergency supplies list : high-end food, premium building materials, and advanced equipment. Each item is quite expensive, enough to satisfy the group upstairs.

But in my heart, there is another list, a list that only I know.

I opened another encrypted folder, which contained my real plan.

My phone suddenly vibrated, and a text message popped up:

"The contract is now in effect. Funds will be prepared within 72 hours, and our team will regularly check on the progress."

The sender is a string of Russian characters.

The text message ended with the message: "Remember, this is not a game."

I turned off my phone, a cold smile creeping onto my lips.

Yes , this is not a game , this is revenge.

In my past life, you pushed me to my death for money. In this life, I will make you experience what despair truly means.