A week flew by quickly. Carn was stuck alone in a small studio room while his parents stayed in a separate residence. For the entire week, his only activity was watching TV.
At 5 AM on the eighth day, Carn was jolted awake by loud noises outside. He peeked through his window and saw military personnel going through their morning workout routines.
Having beco accustod to the rigid schedule of life within the military installation, Carn found himself unable to sleep past 5 AM. Moving instinctively, he grabbed the TV remote and switched to a news channel, then glanced at the digital clock next to his bed.
It was December 10th, 2019.
Carn sat on his bed, deep in thought, trying to recall mories from his life as a human before his gargoyle transmigration.
On the surface, the world seed calm, but he knew COVID-19 had already begun to spread in Wuhan, China. At that point, news outlets hadn't reported anything related to the outbreak or the virus as it wasn't yet seen as relevant to the U.S.
Carn wondered if COVID might exist in this world. If so, he figured it might be wise to start stocking up on supplies like masks, alcohol, oxygen tanks, and other essentials.
He also considered the spike in hate cris, which targeted Asian communities in the months that followed, realizing he should prepare for similar tensions.
His mind began to wander with ideas. He imagined investing in dical companies that would soon be producing COVID-19 vaccines.
However, unfamiliar with the financial world, he wasn't sure where to start. Not wanting to lose the inspiration, Carn grabbed a chair, sat down with a pen and paper, and began jotting down his thoughts.
A few minutes later, he finished organizing his short-term life plan for the coming months and quietly reviewed the points in his mind.
…
December Goals
- Borrow cash from parents or get paid?
- Adapt to the new school and stay low-profile.
- Stock so sanitary, food, water, and dical masks.
- Verify on the Internet about COVID
January Goals
- If a COVID event happens, stock more items. Otherwise, consu or use the stocked items.
- Get a smartphone with the ECD salary?
- Accumulate Aether (Not priority)
February Goals
- Investnt in pharma companies? Need consultants in finance.
- In case of COVID, stock so oxygen tanks for his parents, just in case?
…
As Carn beca absorbed in planning for future events, he montarily forgot about Aether.
Noticing he hadn't prioritized Aether or rift exploration, he crumpled up his paper and tossed it in the bin. Scratching the back of his head, he leaned back and turned his gaze to the TV, trying to get so inspiration.
The news droned on with the usual weather reports, cri stories, Hollywood gossip, and conspiracy theories, which bored him.
Carn picked up the remote and flipped through the channels, hoping to find a good movie or drama. His finger slipped, pressing the wrong button, and the TV nu popped up.
Since it was a smart TV with access to internet apps and in-house Wi-Fi, Carn saw an opportunity to check sothing different.
Changing his mind, he opened a dia app and scrolled through UTube, looking for uncensored news and unbiased political channels. His search stopped on a video thumbnail showing a supernatural scene.
A dinsional crack appeared in Wuhan, China. A narrator's voice played over the looping footage.
[Today, authorities have placed Wuhan Market under strict quarantine following the ergence of a mysterious dinsional crack spreading across the area. Witnesses report sightings of a strange green gas seeping from the fissures overnight, and a local market stall owner was admitted to a nearby hospital just yesterday.
Despite growing concerns, governnt officials have yet to issue an official statent on the situation.]
Carn raised an eyebrow, surprised by the altered version of the Wuhan virus.
"A dinsion crack instead of a virus?"
He explored further, searching for the keywords 'Wuhan Rift' and 'Wuhan Dinsional Crack'. Over a thousand results erged, showing videos taken by citizens' phones.
It was worse than the silent virus. The green gas, which ca out at night, looked similar to a certain gas that Carn knew. They were not Aether haze or pure Aether in the air but the miasma of rotten beings—Undead beings.
Carn tossed the remote and lay on the bed, tilting his head in amusent.
'Not epidemic but a zombie apocalypse? Well, that's new. Didn't the heroes purge the lich king and his minions? Are they coming from sowhere else?'
He paused to think. A minute later, Carn jumped up from his bed and rushed to the desk. He picked a new paper and started jotting down his idea.
'If it's the undead miasma, everything changes. I need to collect more Aether ASAP! I also need Holy Power to deal with liches and those… abominations.'
Carn redrafted his future goals from scratch, getting ready for the upcoming zombie apocalypse or the invasion of undead legions.
As he considered the implications, Carn's thoughts drifted to Rosa. He wondered if he could revisit her and bring her out before things took a darker turn.
…
December 11th, 2020, Noon
A knock alerted Carn from his trance. He closed the TV and rushed to the door. Peeking through the peephole, Carn found his parents and Eric waiting outside with their luggage.
Han yelled, "Carn, pack your luggage. We're moving to our new house!"
Carn opened the door and asked them, "We're moving today?"
"Yeah, get your stuff ready in 10 minutes."
Carn nodded and closed the door. In a hurry, he shoved all his belongings into his suitcase and packed leftover sodas in the fridge into a plastic bag. Then, he rushed out to et Han at the parking lot.
Arriving at the parking lot, Carn found his family loading their belongings in a luxurious black van with a three-point star logo. As it was a spacious transport, his mother's three giant suitcases fit in easily.
Carn walked around the vehicle and dropped the suitcase for his father. He whistled.
"A rcedes? How much is this? Is this a rental car or your friend's car?"
Han raised an eyebrow, "I thought kids your age are more interested in sports cars."
Carn paused to think. In his previous world, he sotis dread about a truck, an SUV, or a spacious transport to carry supplies and his subordinates in a skirmish. The desire for social status was no longer in his mind.
"Well, it seems useful," Carn muttered while he peeked at the back, checking the interior.
Han smirked, "It's our family car now."
As soon as Carn heard that, he flinched, "You bought it using my signing bonus, I assu."
Both Han and Wong widely grinned without saying anything. Carn tilted his head and rolled his eyes in response. He also declared, "As you got this with my money, I get to drive this around whenever I want, alright?"
"You don't have to worry about that. We bought not one, but TWO! We got these cheap! Usually, these cost $42,000, but thanks to a military discount, we snagged them for $35,000 each!"
"#@$%!!"
Carn's eyes widened as he tried to hold back a curse. He couldn't believe his dad had dropped $70,000 on two luxury vans, especially when one would have sufficed.
"I thought the pay was next month?" Carn glared at Han, wondering how he got the money so fast.
Again, Han read Carn's expression and chuckled, "Of course, credit cards exist for a reason, kid."
Carn sighed, resigning himself to his family's materialistic tendencies. He took a ntal note not to involve them in any of his future financial planning.
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