Matthew returned to the sa apartnt that he had rented yesterday. And while heading to his unit, he still can't believe that the note turned out to be true.
Like how could soone predict the correct combination of numbers? They must have seen the future.
Well, thinking that the usb device that was handed to him contained technologies from the future, it only ant that whoever that person must be from the future. Though this is just a conjecture that is not yet proven.
Regardless, thanks to that mysterious man, he won't have to worry about running out of money because he now has three million pesos, which is a significant sum in the Philippines.
***
December 20, 2018, Friday.
It's been three days since Matthew was kicked out and received a mysterious box from a mysterious person. The allowance given to him by his father last week, which he had saved, was almost running out.
The 20 pesos left in his coin purse couldn't even buy him a decent al. He had been surviving on instant coffee and crackers for the past day, hoping the money from the lotto winnings would arrive soon.
He stared at his phone screen, refreshing his banking app over and over, willing the funds to appear. But the balance remained unchanged, mocking him.
"Co on," he muttered under his breath, his fingers tightening around the phone. "It's been three days already. How much longer does it take to verify?"
The logical part of his brain reminded him that large transactions—especially from winnings like these—required verification and processing. But logic wasn't enough to silence the pangs of hunger or the growing anxiety gnawing at him.
He hated the idea of borrowing money. He had already felt like a burden after failing his capstone project and being kicked out of his father's house. Asking for financial help felt like another blow to his pride.
But he didn't have many options. If the money didn't co through by the end of the day, he would have to swallow his pride and make a few calls.
But suddenly—there was a notification—jolting him out of his anxious thoughts. His heart raced as he unlocked the screen and opened his banking app. The mont he saw the new balance, a wave of relief washed over him—his winnings had finally arrived.
But sothing caught his eye. The amount deposited into his account was noticeably less than the 3 million pesos he had won.
"Wait… what?" he muttered, his brow furrowing as he stared at the screen.
The deposited amount was around 3 million pesos—a significant deduction from what he had expected. For a mont, he panicked, thinking there might have been a mistake, or worse, that he had been scamd.
Then it hit him. The TRAIN Law. The Philippines' tax reform law included a provision taxing lottery winnings. He vaguely rembered reading about it when it was first implented. Winning above 10,000 pesos was subject to a 20% tax.
"Of course," he sighed, shaking his head. "How could I forget about that?"
He did the math in his head, and sure enough, 20% of 3,700,000 pesos was sothing around 750,000. It all added up.
Okay, now that he has three million pesos in his bank account, the first thing that he wanted to do was to find a place to stay, at least temporarily. There was a hotel, one ride of a jeepney away from his location, so he hailed a jeepney, boarded it, and paid the fare.
Thirty minutes later, he shouted a word that prompted the jeepney driver to pull by the street, and Matthew exited the vehicle, clutching his bag tightly. He stood in front of a luxurious hotel and he nodded in satisfaction.
He had been in this hotel before with his friends, the rooms are nice
and the service was excellent. Back then, they could only afford to split the cost of one room during a group outing, but now, he could book his own room without hesitation.
As Matthew entered the lobby, the cool air-conditioning was a welco relief from the humidity outside. The marble floors glead, and the scent of fresh flowers filled the air. A well-dressed receptionist greeted him with a warm smile.
"Good evening, sir. Welco to Luxent Hotel. How may I assist you?" she asked politely.
"I'd like to book a room for a week," Matthew replied confidently.
The receptionist quickly checked the availability on her computer. "We have a deluxe room available for 5,500 pesos per night. That includes breakfast, access to the fitness center, and complintary Wi-Fi. Would that be okay?"
Matthew nodded, calculating the cost in his head. A week's stay would co to 38,500 pesos—well within his budget. "That works for ."
"Great," she said, sliding a paynt terminal toward him. "Would you like to pay in full now or reserve the amount on your card?"
"I'll pay in full," Matthew said, swiping his debit card. The transaction went through smoothly, and the receptionist handed him a room keycard.
"Room 1207, on the twelfth floor. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to call the front desk."
The elevator ride to the twelfth floor was smooth and silent. As the doors opened, Matthew stepped into a plush hallway with soft carpet and ambient lighting. He found his room, slid the keycard into the lock, and entered.
The room was everything he had hoped for. A king-sized bed with crisp white linens dominated the space. Large windows offered a stunning view of the city skyline, and the bathroom glead with marble fixtures and a rainfall showerhead.
Matthew dropped his bag on the bed and took a deep breath. For the first ti in days, he felt a sense of security. No more worrying about where to sleep or how to afford his next al.
After a refreshing shower and a room service al of steak and mashed potatoes, Matthew sat down at the desk by the window. He thought of the near future, of him enrolling next sem.
Before, he thought it would be impossible because of his father's ultimatum, but now, he doesn't need to rely on his father anymore and worry about school tuition. However, that is not where it all would end.
Even if he had tuition, it would still be useless if he couldn't pass this one course that was barring him from graduating, and that is the capstone project.
All of the ideas that they had proposed to their instructors, failed because of their stupid high standards.
Then, an idea ca to mind. He plugged in the USB stick into his laptop, and the futuristic interface illuminated his screen.
"Sothing that would et their high standards," he muttered to himself. "Sothing revolutionary yet feasible."
He navigated through categories like Energy Storage, dical Devices, and Artificial Intelligence before stumbling upon a folder titled Sustainable Transportation - 21st Century Prototypes. Intrigued, he clicked it open.
Inside was a subfolder nad "Electric Vehicle Blueprints - Compact and Affordable Design." Matthew's eyes widened as he opened it, revealing a detailed schematic of an electric vehicle (EV). The description caught his attention:
"A compact, energy-efficient electric vehicle designed for urban settings. Combines lightweight materials with high-performance batteries and a simple assembly process. Designed to be cost-effective and environntally friendly."
According to the file, the car has a similar design to BYD Seagull that was introduced in 2023, so basically an EV produced five years later.
"This could work,"
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