---
It's midnight.
I'm standing in the back alley of MegaMart, dressed in all black.
Snowflakes fall gently from the sky, dusting my shoulders and the ground beneath my feet like nature itself is trying to keep things quiet for me.
Fitting.
The whole world is asleep — completely unaware of what's coming.
Not just the freeze.
But me.
I stare up at the massive building in front of me. Cold concrete walls. Motionless security cameras.
Empty loading docks.
The same place where I was treated like trash every single day.
Now it's just… mine.
I exhale slowly, watching the breath fog in the air.
The chill doesn't bother me.
Not when I've got something burning hotter inside.
"Time for revenge," I mutter, and place my hand on the back wall.
With a flicker of thought — blink — I pass through it like smoke slipping between cracks.
My body reforms on the other side, inside the dark, empty corridor of the warehouse.
I crouch low and listen.
Nothing but silence and the hum of backup lights.
Perfect.
I smirk and summon my Storage System.
A faint glow swirls behind me as the space opens — the endless white expanse, now shaped like a clean, high-tech storage facility.
Rows of shelves stretch forever, each neatly labeled A to Z
A masterpiece… that only I can see.
Time to fill it.
I walk slowly between the MegaMart aisles, sweeping my hand across shelves.
Cans of food — gone.
Medical kits — gone.
Water filters, vitamins, thermal blankets — all gone.
Each item vanishes the moment I touch it, sucked into my private dimension.
It's beautiful.
Quiet.
Efficient.
Two hours later, all the warehouse is already mine.
And not a single soul knows.
But they will.
Soon.
Because when the world starts to freeze,
When the panic hits,
When supplies vanish overnight and the rich claw at each other for survival…
They'll remember the name they ignored.
They'll remember me.
Alex.
The man who was betrayed, broken, left to die…
And came back with a system.
"Fuh~"
I let out a quiet sigh, my breath steaming in the cold night air as I stepped out through the back wall of MegaMart.
Gone.
Every shelf wiped clean.
No alarms. No witnesses. Just silence.
And I knew…
This would sting.
My old boss, that smug piece of trash who used to yell for no reason, who thought yelling made him powerful —
He'll come in tomorrow and find nothing.
No food.
No medicine.
No supplies.
No everything.
Just empty shelves and frozen shock.
I could already picture the panic on his face.
The anger.
The confusion.
And worst of all — the blow to his pride.
I smiled.
"Four more to go," I muttered under my breath.
There were five major marts in this city.
MegaMart was just the start.
I tightened my gloves and pulled up my hood as snow began to fall harder.
This wasn't theft.
This was preparation.
And I wasn't stopping at one.
The city had no idea what was about to hit.
But I did.
I lived through it once — barely.
Not this time.
---
Hours passed like a dream.
No… like closure.
Now it's dawn.
The city is quiet, still asleep, unaware of the chaos that's waiting just one day ahead.
I stood on a bridge, resting my arms on the railings as snow gently falling around me, painting everything in soft white.
The sun peeked through the clouds, golden and cold.
I let out a long, satisfied breath, watching it fog up the air.
Everything was done.
MegaMart, GigaGoods, QuickBasket…
All of them — emptied.
No alarms, no footprints.
Just… gone.
I reached into my Storage System and pulled out a cold can of soft drink.
Pssht!
The sound echoed a little in the still air as I cracked it open.
I took a sip.
Cool. Sweet. Carbonated.
Fizzy vengeance.
"Ahh~"
I exhaled deeply, letting the flavor settle in.
Vengeance is truly sweet.
Of course… only for those who deserve it.
And they all did.
I leaned against the railing, watching snow gather slowly on the streets below.
Tomorrow… the world would freeze.
---
Not just the necessities.
Not just food, water, or medicine.
I took everything.
Luxury cars, gold bars, crates of jewelry, entire gas tanks, power tools — anything that could give me an edge.
All of it, tucked safely inside my Storage System, categorized and protected.
But above all... the most important thing I took?
Snowmobiles.
Yeah. Laugh all you want.
But in my past life, after the freeze hit and buried the world under meters of snow, those machines became legends.
When cars froze solid and people could barely walk through the storm without collapsing, snowmobiles were lifelines. They could travel fast, carry supplies, save lives — or end them.
I still remember how gangs raided each other just to steal a single one. Turf wars, ambushes, blood in the snow... all for one snowmobile that barely worked.
But now?
I've got dozens. Fully fueled, finely tuned, and stored in pristine condition.
This time, I'm not crawling through the snow hoping to survive. This time, I'm riding across it like a king.
"Wait a moment… why stop at this point?"
That thought just popped into my head as I stared out over the snow-covered city.
Then—
Ding!
Another sharp sting in my head. But this time, it wasn't painful. It was like… a gate opening.
A rush of information poured into my brain, as if some hidden function was just unlocked.
Take anything within range.
Wait, what?
My eyes widened.
"You're kidding..." I muttered under my breath, glancing around.
I focused on a nearby vending machine across the alley. It was tall, rusted a little on the edges, and still humming faintly in the cold.
I simply thought about it. No gesture, no chant, just willed it into my Storage System.
In an instant—
Shwush!
Gone. Like it never existed.
The spot where it once stood was now empty, not even a sound left behind.
My lips parted in disbelief… then curled into a grin.
"Okay, yeah. This is broken."
And I love it.
---
Taking out a bicycle from my Storage System, I smirked.
"Yeah… let's do this."
The air was cold, snow gently falling, but I didn't feel it. My blood was pumping with purpose.
I started pedaling, casually, like some average guy doing a midnight ride. But in truth—every time I passed by a convenience store, every item, every can of food, every bottle of water, every last packet of noodles—vanished.
Straight into my storage.
It was effortless. Silent. Beautiful.
Not just convenience stores. Pharmacies too. Rows of medicines, bandages, first aid kits—mine.
All mine.
And no one had a clue.
I couldn't help but chuckle. It was funny. Too funny.
Back in my past life, I was begging for scraps, fighting over a can of beans with stray dogs.
And now? I'm just riding a bike and taking everything I want like some post-apocalyptic Santa Claus.
Suddenly, I saw it.
The most valuable thing anyone could ever have in the apocalypse.
A gas station.
Not the building. Not the snacks inside. But the real treasure—the fuel.
My eyes widened.
"Wait… can I—?"
I focused, mind locked onto the underground fuel tanks.
Shwush!
Just like that, the entire tank's worth of fuel vanished—sucked into my Storage System.
No explosion, no alarms, no resistance.
Gone.
I stood there in stunned silence, blinking as if reality needed a moment to catch up.
"...Holy sh*t."
Do you understand what this means? Fuel is life in the apocalypse. Heating, travel, power—everything.
In my past life, people murdered over a single jerrycan. Now?
I had enough fuel to outlast winters for decades.
I wasn't just surviving anymore.
I was becoming a king.
"Wait… this is such a game changer…" I muttered, still in disbelief.
And just like that—after only two hours—I had enough gas fuel to last me hundreds of years. Maybe more.
It was morning now.
The city was waking up, clueless. The snow was light, like a warning whisper from the sky.
And somewhere out there, I imagined chaos stirring—officials panicking as they realized massive amounts of goods, fuel, and supplies had simply vanished.
Especially the gas.
They'll probably think it was some large-scale heist. Maybe even terrorism.
But really? It was just one man on a bicycle, passing by with a smirk.
Me.
I stretched my arms and looked at the sky.
Let the governments panic. Let the systems break. Let them send drones, investigations, news alerts.
Because none of that will matter tomorrow.
Once the world freezes, it's survival of the smartest.
And this time, I'm not just smart—
I'm prepared.
I laughed under my breath as I pedaled back to my apartment, the morning air biting at my face. I looked like any other guy biking around in the cold.
If only they knew.
Once I got inside, I locked the door behind me, dropped the bike into my Storage with a flick of thought, and flopped onto the couch. The silence didn't last long.
I grabbed the remote and turned on the TV.
Bingo.
Every channel was the same. Red banners, frantic reporters, live helicopters circling places I had "visited."
> "Massive shortages reported across multiple districts—" "Authorities are urging calm as investigations are underway—" "Gas stations report missing underground fuel reserves—"
Despite the obvious panic brewing, every official they brought on wore that same tight smile, the same desperate calm in their voice.
> "We'd like to assure everyone that everything is under control. Please remain calm."
I scoffed. "How cute."
It's not going to be alright. Not even close.
They don't know it yet—but tomorrow, the world freezes over.
And everything they think they control?
Gone.
---
Deciding to enjoy the last day of humanity, I reached into my Storage and pulled out a bottle of wine—some ridiculously expensive vintage I wouldn't have been able to afford even if I sold my soul back in my old life.
With a dramatic pop, I uncorked it and took a straight swig from the bottle like some medieval noble.
Blegh.
I gagged slightly. "Disgusting."
So bitter. So... grown-up. Definitely not for me.
Still, I shrugged and took another sip. Once in a lifetime, right? Or rather—once before the end of the world.
Next, I pulled out two frozen pizzas from the mountain of food I'd stockpiled, ripped open the packaging, shoved them into the oven, and set the timer.
No more gas station sandwiches, no more instant noodles eaten in the dark during snowstorms. This was actual luxury.
I kicked my feet up, leaned back on the couch, and let the warm scent of melting cheese and tomato sauce fill the room.
Tomorrow, the world dies.
But today?
Today, I live.
I looked outside the window. The snow was falling a little heavier now, painting the streets in white. Heh. Just the appetizer before the real blizzard rolls in tomorrow and swallows the world whole.
"I'll live leisurely with my couch for the rest of my life! Hahaha!" I raised the wine bottle in a mock toast and took another swig.
Blegh.
Still awful. Still bitter. Still not soda.
But I was starting to enjoy it in a weird way—maybe because it tasted like victory.
I turned my attention back to the TV. The news anchor was trying to stay calm, but the panic was already leaking through their fake smile.
Then came the part I was waiting for: my boss. Mr. Bigshot MegaMart himself, looking like someone just punched his pride in the gut.
"All of our citywide warehouses... gone. Even our emergency storage was emptied. We're investigating a possible large-scale coordinated theft," he said, sweat practically dripping from his forehead.
I laughed. A low, satisfied chuckle at first… then full-on evil villain mode.
Serves you right. All those years of treating me like trash? Of stepping on my back to boost your fragile ego?
Now you've got nothing.
And me?
I've got everything.
---
As tomorrow came, it was exactly what I predicted.
A full-on whiteout.
I stood by the window, arms crossed, sipping a hot drink I actually enjoyed this time—vanilla latte from one of those fancy machines I liberated yesterday. Warm, sweet, comforting.
Outside, it was chaos.
The streets were buried. Snow climbed halfway up cars, their outlines barely visible under thick, white blankets. Some vehicles were completely swallowed. The city was suffocating under the sheer weight of it.
And the people?
They were out there, struggling. Shovels scraping uselessly against the ever-piling snow, wind howling in their ears like a beast unleashed. Their efforts were laughable. For every inch they cleared, two more returned in minutes.
I smirked.
They had no idea this was only the beginning. No amount of community effort or government protocol would save them. No salt trucks. No snowplows. No help.
Just a slow, creeping frostbite wrapping around their lives.
I leaned back, tapping the side of my mug. "How does it feel," I muttered to the glass, "to finally know how powerless you all really are?"
Not that I blamed them.
They didn't know what I knew. They hadn't seen what I saw.
But I did.
"I wish I could see the face of my boss and my girlfriend," I muttered with a grin, sipping the last of my vanilla latte.
Then suddenly—ding!
Another wave. Another flood of information jammed straight into my brain like a USB stick plugged into my skull.
I staggered for a second, blinking, gripping the window frame.
Far Observation.
I froze.
Wait—what?
I focused on the words echoing in my mind. The meaning. The function.
I could observe anything.
Anywhere.
As long as I imagined the target clearly in my mind... I could see them. Through walls, across cities, even across countries.
My jaw dropped a little. Then I genuinely laughed—hard, loud, from the gut. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me."
I closed my eyes, smirking.
Let's start with him, shall we?
My mind conjured the face of my old boss—Mr. Lionel Hart. The man who belittled me daily, treated me like dirt, and made my life hell for minimum wage.
The vision flickered... then locked in.
And there he was.
Sitting in his luxury office… wrapped in blankets, holding a cup with shaking hands, surrounded by his panicking staff. His lips trembled as he barked useless orders. The power was out. The heaters were dying. The warehouse supplies? Gone.
By my hands.
I snorted. "Still think I'm just some loser now, Mr. Hart?"
Then I switched.
Her.
Madeleine.
My ex.
The betrayer.
She was in some gang hideout now, curled beside that brutish gang leader like a little lapdog. The heat wasn't working there either. Their smug confidence had already cracked. The gang was arguing. Supplies were low. She looked miserable. Pathetic.
I whispered to myself, "You chose wrong, Madeleine."
And I laughed again, this time softer.
Deep, satisfied.