chapter 4

Yona stayed silent, absorbing my words. I could see the gears turning in her mind, her fingers unconsciously tapping against her knee.

"You're right," she finally said. "I don't think anybody would believe this. Because at this moment, everything is… perfect. It's too unrealistic to believe."

I nodded. "Exactly. If we go to the government now, they'll think we're just crazy conspiracy theorists. The satellite is functioning normally, and there's no sign of a meteoroid. There's no proof—just my words."

I sighed, leaning forward. "But I do have an idea. Once we're ready—once we've secured everything we need—we'll send an anonymous tip."

Yona raised an eyebrow. "A tip?"

"Yes. We'll describe everything in detail—when and where the meteoroid will hit, what will happen after that. By then, the government might have already detected abnormalities in the orbit. They'll see the meteoroid coming, and maybe… just maybe… they'll take action."

She frowned. "But that still doesn't guarantee they'll do anything."

I gave a small, bitter smile. "It doesn't. But at least we'll have tried. I won't go marching into a government office and risk getting locked up. If they believe the tip, they might evacuate the area. If they don't… then we move forward with our own plan."

Yona exhaled deeply, rubbing her temples. "This is insane. Absolutely insane."

I smirked. "And yet, here you are, sitting beside me, considering it."

She chuckled dryly. "Yeah, because you're my best friend and I trust you, even if this sounds like a sci-fi movie plot."

I placed my hand over hers. "Then let's make sure this 'sci-fi movie' has a different ending this time."

I leaned back against the bench, letting the cold air fill my lungs. This moment—this simple, peaceful moment—felt almost unreal. After spending five years in a world where trust was a luxury and every second meant fighting to survive, sitting here, laughing with Yona, was something I never thought I'd experience again.

In the apocalypse, sleep was never restful. You had to sleep with one eye open, your hand always near a weapon. It wasn't just the mutants or the mindless zombies that kept you awake—it was the people. Desperate, ruthless people who would kill just to stretch their survival by a day or two.

That's why this warmth, this laughter, felt so overwhelming. It reminded me of everything I had lost… and everything I was fighting to keep this time.

Yona nudged me. "Hey, you okay? You got that faraway look again."

I blinked, snapping back to reality. "Yeah. Just… taking it all in."

She studied me for a moment before giving a small smile. "You know, if this crazy future of yours is real, I guess I should be grateful that you came back. Otherwise, I'd be walking blind into a world I'm not prepared for."

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "That's why I'm here, Yona. This time, I'm not letting us die."

Walking back into the apartment, I let myself loose on my bed. Yona and I had a brief discussion. Now we need to include Emma, which I left for Yona because I have yet to find the courage to see Emma again. From my past life, her death has traumatized me. And now, I need to think about a plan to get money.

I mentally listed my assets. My savings added up to around my $50000 only get me $575,000 in Y currency, but that wouldn't be enough. Not for what I had in mind. I needed a stronghold, not just a house. Buying land was the only option—it would allow me to custom-build a fortified base instead of relying on a flimsy, pre-existing structure. The walls had to be strong enough to withstand both natural disasters and human threats.

But construction would take money—a lot more than I had.

I turned over, grabbing my phone. My parents' farmland and our two-story house back in my hometown… If I could convince them to sell, I might get around $1 to $1.5 million. That would be enough to buy the land, materials, and stockpile supplies without worrying about running out too soon.

But convincing them wouldn't be easy.

Our land and house were everything to them. Even though they weren't rich, they had built their lives there, poured their sweat and blood into that soil. To them, it wasn't just property—it was home.

How was I supposed to ask them to leave it all behind… based on nothing but my word?

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. First step—go back home. Face them.

And somehow, convince them to let it all go.

The next morning, with this thought in my mind, I woke up early. It felt like I had slept this comfortably after a long time. After freshening up, I took a leave from my office for the day and decided to take a trip to my hometown.

It is a day-long trip to the northwest of our country, around seven hours by bus and three by train. So, I decided to take the earliest train and reach my house around 11 o'clock.

Walking through the city, I saw the bustling streets, everyone busy with their work. In my previous life, when the disaster struck, the city was not affected at first. When the satellite clashed, it was two countries away from ours, but the area up to my hometown was impacted. It covered a huge radius, and the country where it crashed lost its entire population without even having the chance to fight for survival.

I took my seat and opened my phone to check for any news related to the meteoroid or anything about the upcoming situation, but as expected, there was nothing on the news. Maybe government didn't find any abnormalities yet or they have but didn't made them publicly know.

I really hope in this life it would be different, after watching too many deaths I want people to live, bad or good humanity is still humanity.