Chapter 1: The Fall
“Brother…”
“Brother…”
“Save me…”
The voice was as thin as a needle，stitching itself inch by inch into the depths of his consciousness.
“I’m so cold… it hurts…”
“Save me…”
A leaden，ash-grey sky.
A city in ruins.
Arthur Vance walked alone through the wreckage of a metropolis. Everywhere he looked were shattered walls and skeletal remains. A crimson haze drifted through the air，carrying a pungent，fishy sting of raw blood.
Looking out，floating corpses were everywhere.
Carcasses of monsters，
Carcasses of humans，
And even more things beyond imagination: some looked like twisted human skins; others like rotting snails; and pale worms carpeted in a thousand twitching mouths…
From the heavens，thick，tentacle-like appendages hung down in dense clusters，resembling either the gnarled roots of some alien plant or a curtain of human hair. Through the gaps in these “curtains” that choked the sky，there was only an infinite，absolute darkness.
And a single，colossal eye，staring down at everything…
The entire world was drowned in a dead silence.
Arthur couldn’t hear his own breath. He couldn’t hear his heartbeat. He couldn’t even hear the sound of his own footsteps on the rubble.
There was only the voice of a young girl.
A faint，frail sound，drifting incessantly from a great distance.
“Brother…”
“Save me…”
“It hurts so much…”
“Brother…”
This is a dream，right?
I must be dreaming.
Arthur thought this，yet he couldn’t stop himself. He moved toward the voice，compelled. He stepped over collapsed skyscrapers，crushed the carcasses of monsters，and tread upon the skulls of the dead，moving closer，step by step…
Nearer. Even nearer…
Suddenly，the entire world seemed to shudder.
A low，rasping voice hissed directly into Arthur’s ear:
“Four days left…”
……
……
Arthur sat bolt upright in bed.
He took several deep breaths，forcing his racing heart to settle.
He checked his phone：
September 4th，2026. 5:30 AM.
“Four days left… until the semester starts? Or what，the end of the world?”
Arthur let out a self-deprecating laugh.
It had been a long time since he’d had a nightmare that vivid. Usually，dreams faded into a blurred fog the moment he woke，but that twisted，eerie world remained etched in his mind，clear and inescapable.
“Just a dream…”
The summer break wasn’t over yet，and Arthur was the only one in the dorm.
As per his routine，he got up on time，washed，changed，and began his morning workout.
Forty minutes of strength training，followed by a twenty-minute run.
His earbuds played yesterday’s international news.
While eating breakfast，he skimmed a research paper on AI self-cognition and “slow-thinking” processes…
Finally，he headed to the library to begin his daily study session out of habit.
Arthur was a striver.
He had to be. Growing up in the Foster Care system，an orphan who relied entirely on state grants and student loans to get through university，he knew that if he didn’t work harder than everyone else，he wouldn’t survive.
He knew some people were born into wealth，pampered by doting parents and relatives，able to obtain anything they desired with a snap of their fingers.
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But he didn’t envy them.
Why do games always have difficulty settings?
Because a game isn’t necessarily more fun just because it’s easy.
For a pro gamer，the joy only comes from tackling the highest difficulty.
Arthur believed he was a pro gamer in the game of life.Even with the worst starting stats，the hardest mode，and the most formidable opponents，he intended to win.
By now，through sheer grit，he had gotten into a top-tier university. He’d cleared his student loans by maintaining a high GPA for scholarships and moonlighting as a freelance coder.
If all went according to plan，he would graduate with honors，find a prestigious job，and through strict self-discipline，distinguish himself in his field.
Years later，using the network and experience he’d accumulated，he would start his own firm. He would weather countless successes and failures，eventually overturning the hand fate had dealt him to create a beautiful future with his own two hands…
If all went according to plan，that’s how it would go.
Buzz—
An email popped up on Arthur’s phone.
It was a financial statement from Robert Ward，the attorney.
Arthur scanned the complex line items briefly before focusing on the final summary at the bottom.
Net Asset Value: Exceeding $40 Billion.
His head felt momentarily light.
Then，he let out a long，heavy sigh.
……
Just a week ago，
a prominent law firm had suddenly tracked him down.
With a fawning，oily smile，they had delivered the news——
Your mother is dead.
There is an inheritance here，conservatively valued in the tens of billions，that requires your signature.
Just sign here.
And you will be one of the wealthiest men on the planet.
Arthur’s first instinct was that it was a scam.
But billions in cash and massive blocks of shares had already been transferred into his name. He had personally investigated: the four hospitals and two pharmaceutical companies included in the estate were real，debt-free，and thriving.
……
……
“Your parents were world-class biologists. Their identities were classified as National Top-Secret，”
“Though your relationship isn’t in the public civil registry，it is documented in the government’s classified archives. Your claim to the inheritance is ironclad.”
“Don’t blame them. The research they conducted was extremely dangerous; they couldn’t risk contact with anyone.”
“Your parents spent their lives working for the betterment of humanity. Their only wish for you was that you lead a happy life…”
It wasn’t until he returned from the funeral of a mother who was a total stranger that the fog in Arthur’s mind began to clear—only to be replaced by confusion.
Before，he had spent every day trying to become powerful.
He dreamed of becoming rich through his own labor.
And now，before he had even done a thing…
He was already rich.
Perhaps it was something to be celebrated，but Arthur couldn’t bring himself to smile. He felt a profound sense of wrongness.
It was like playing a game on “Hell Mode.”
For twenty years，he had been cautious，grinding levels，honing skills，and collecting gear. Just as he was about to give it his all to face the Final Boss…
Snap.
Just like that.
The Boss self-destructed.
And dropped a floor full of legendary loot.
The game had jumped from “Hell Mode” to “God Mode” in an instant.
And now，he didn’t know what to do.
It wasn’t excitement he felt; it was a vast，hollow emptiness.
Over the past few days，he had continued his disciplined study routine out of sheer inertia，but he had lost his goal. He didn’t even know what he was doing anymore.
He had considered simply pretending the inheritance didn’t exist，continuing on the path he had planned.
But the devilish，seductive words of Robert Ward—the lawyer who handled the transfer—kept echoing in his mind like a persistent curse.
“Money is everything.”
“You are now one of the wealthiest people in existence.”
“If you want，you can sleep with Hollywood stars，you can run for President，you can watch planes fly into buildings just for the spectacle.”
“The world is your playground. You are the God of this world. You can do anything，be anything，indulge in any whim.”
“There is nothing money can’t solve. As for the minor inconveniences… me and my firm will handle those for you.”
Arthur knew it was the devil’s lure.
He knew the man saw him as a fat sheep to be fleeced，hoping he would become reckless so they could “extract coins” from his hide.
But even knowing that…
Looking at the staggering figures on the financial report.
Thinking of the ascetic，monk-like life he had led until now.
In the face of such gargantuan wealth，holding onto one’s original heart was proving to be an impossible task.
After struggling with his inner turmoil，
He decided to let himself go.
The poor have their own way of living，and the rich have theirs.
Now perhaps he should start learning to live like a wealthy man, and explore the pleasures of the games exclusive to the rich.
Swept his pile of study materials into the trash can, and walked out of the library，and dialed Robert Ward’s number.
“Hello，Ward? You said I could come to you for anything，right?”
“Of course! My dear Mr. Vance. You only need to pick up the phone，and I—along with my entire firm—guarantee to resolve any ‘complications’ you might have!”
“I want…a house，a car，and a girl.”
Arthur racked his brain but could only come up with those three things he might actually need.
There was a sudden，heavy silence on the other end of the line.
“Is there a problem?”
“…”
Robert Ward was simply stunned by the sheer mundanity of the request.
As one of the wealthiest individuals on the planet，calling the world’s most elite law firm… not for a clandestine assassination，not for offshore tax evasion，but for a house，a car，and a girl?
Well，Ward thought，he was a penniless nobody until last week. Probably just some dumb luck that made him a parvenu. It’s only natural he lacks vision. Ward should be celebrating.
An idiot like this was the easiest kind of “gold mine” to fleece. He couldn’t let this fat sheep wander off.
“Absolutely no problem，Boss! Consider it done. I’ll handle everything personally.”
“Oh，and a phone，” Arthur added.
“Get me a new one. The most expensive one you can find.”
Arthur looked at his $80 knockoff smartphone; the screen was cracked，and the battery was nearly dead. After hashing out a few more logistics，Arthur remembered one last thing before hanging up.
“Actually，forget the girl. Just the house and the car.”
Another beat of silence.
“Understood，Boss.”
The call ended.
Arthur felt ridiculous. It seemed he didn’t even know how to spend money properly.
Think about it—other tycoons had mansions scattered across the globe and more supercars than they could drive. Yet his parents，whom he had never met，possessed tens of billions but hadn’t left behind a single private residence or a vehicle in his name.
It was impossible to imagine how they had lived.
Arthur had tried to investigate his parents. But after a single，basic Google search，government agents had appeared at his door. A group of Men in Black，their expressions grim and humorless，informed him that Thomas and Evelyn Vance were National Top-Secret.
Even as their son，even after their deaths，he had no right to know. They commanded him to cease all inquiries immediately.
It’s truly infuriating，but as a sensible adult，I won’t throw a fit and insist that they’re my parents and I have every right to know everything.
I’ll just smile and say: Understood，sir. Thank you for the heads?up.
I know full well that the world is full of pits，mountains，and walls. To climb out of deep pits，scale high mountains，break through walls，and reach where we want to go，we need neither brute force nor wild emotions—only the right path and the right method.
As a matter of fact，this very incident has left me with a faint flicker of anticipation for the life of the wealthy.
I look forward to the day when the money I inherit turns into power and force，
so that I can uncover some truly interesting truths.
Arthur still remembered the scene at the funeral. The faces of the high-ranking officials weren’t filled with admiration or grief—it was fear. A deep，primal dread that everyone tried to hide but couldn’t quite mask.
…Whatever.
I’m just an ordinary guy. Why overthink it?
Even if the world really was ending in four days，he should be focusing on how to live these five days without regrets. How to be a decadent，extravagant，profligate “trust-fund brat” who lived for the moment… right?
“Time to enjoy the final radiance of human civilization，” Arthur mocked himself.
He began scrolling through his contacts. The reason he’d told Ward not to find a girl wasn’t because he lacked the urge. It was because a specific figure had emerged in his mind—one that had haunted his thoughts for years.
In that previous, high-difficulty life game where he had no one to depend on,Arthur had to give up many unnecessary things just to make sure he could clear the game.
But now...
Arthur found the name Clara Sterling in his contacts. He sent a message:
“Is this Clara? It’s Arthur Vance. High school. Remember me?”
Clara Sterling had been his high school classmate—a serene，quiet girl.
She was the type who would spend her breaks staring silently out the window. Once，when a boy confessed to her，she had calmly asked，“I’m sorry，who are you?”
Arthur liked her. Calling it a first love wouldn't be an exaggeration.
She was beautiful. Truly，hauntingly beautiful.
The first time Arthur saw her，he’d felt a strange sense of familiarity. His eyes would drift toward her involuntarily. She had a scent—a clean，intoxicating fragrance that gave Arthur a sudden，violent urge to... eat her.
He assumed that was just "love at first sight."
But back then，Arthur had chosen his books.
By a stroke of luck，they had ended up at the same university. During his summer part-time jobs，whenever they crossed paths，that heart-pounding sensation would return.
But again，Arthur had chosen his books.
Despite knowing her for years，their total conversation history didn't exceed ten sentences.
The reply came almost instantly.
“The Great Arthur Vance?”
“To what do I owe the honor，My Lord?”
“This lowly girl is overwhelmed by your attention. ~~>_<~~”
“Why call me 'My Lord'?” Arthur asked，confused.
“Ah? Because you always acted so cold and unapproachable. I never thought the day would come when you’d contact me first. Is the world ending?”
In Arthur’s memory，she was the one who was cold and unapproachable. The reaction he was getting now was worlds apart from the "Ice Queen" he remembered.
Of course，it didn't matter. When you’re that beautiful，you can do anything. Being silent is "enigmatic"; being talkative is "lively."
Should I ask her to dinner? A date?
Maybe I should drop a fortune，show off the 'God Mode' lifestyle，and then confess when the time is right…
But did he really want to "confess"? Was he looking for a relationship?
Arthur wasn't sure what that specific craving for her really was. He couldn't tell if the desire to "merge" with her was love，lust，or something else entirely.
Arthur thought about it for a moment，then decided to skip the flirting and the games. He sent a blunt message:
“Date me. $10，000 a day. What do you think?”
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