For the next two days, Gu Ziming accompanied Zhao Xiaoyu as they toured Kyoto.
These were among the few moments of relaxation he had since discovering he had transmigrated into the villain of an apocalyptic novel.
Ever since learning his identity, two things had weighed constantly on his mind: the protagonist’s hostility and the coming apocalypse.
They pressed against his chest like two mountains, leaving him breathless.
After this trip, if nothing unexpected occurred, Gu Ziming would remain busy until the apocalypse arrived. And once it did, carefree outings like this would never be possible again.
The abnormally active sun would release extreme heat and ultraviolet radiation capable of killing a person within fifteen minutes.
[Ding! The second female lead Zhao Xiaoyu has changed her view of the host. Destiny Points +1,800.]
Gu Ziming glanced at Zhao Xiaoyu, who was leaning against his shoulder with her eyes closed, pretending to be drowsy.
So she was still putting on an act.
They had just finished their final day of sightseeing and were riding the bus back to the hotel.
Gu Ziming activated the Villain’s Eye to scan her.
[Name: Zhao Xiaoyu
Faction Identity: Villain (original protagonist faction)
Favorability: +70
Primary Abilities: Master-Level Island Language Skill, Master-Level Archery Skill, Beginner-Level Aviation Service Skill, etc.]
A favorability score of 70 directly placed Zhao Xiaoyu into the villain faction. No wonder he had gained so many Destiny Points.
[Once favorability toward the host exceeds +60 and reaches friend level, the target may be counted in the villain faction.]
She also possessed archery skills accurate within 10 meters, able to hit precisely where she aimed. That was exactly why she became the primary combat force of the protagonist’s harem in the original plotline.
Unfortunately, she now belonged to him.
Gu Ziming reached out and lightly pinched Zhao Xiaoyu’s cheek.
Her fair face immediately flushed red, and her long eyelashes trembled slightly, though she continued pretending to sleep.
…
At Lin Fan’s apartment.
Over the past few days, Lin Fan felt that everything had gone wrong.
Online loan agents called him nonstop. After he blocked them all, they began contacting his former workplace, the residential property management office, and even some distant relative he barely knew.
Then there were the credit card repayment reminders. Lin Fan had maxed out three credit cards, each with a 10,000 yuan limit, and the banks were calling relentlessly.
As for the house he had intended to mortgage, an inspector had already come to evaluate it and promised the funds would be released the next day.
Yet the second and third days passed with no transfer.
When Lin Fan called to inquire, the staff told him it was still under review.
Originally, he planned to mortgage the house and use the funds to renovate it.
Without that money, he could only purchase cheap insulation materials online and make minimal modifications himself.
Recalling his recent misfortune, Lin Fan cursed, “You stingy bastards. I only borrowed a little money. Do you have to chase me like this? The apocalypse is coming soon. Those numbers in your accounts will be useless anyway.”
After speaking, he examined the supplies stored in his space.
Old-fashioned pickled vegetable instant noodles.
Braised beef instant noodles.
Stacks of instant noodles formed small mountains.
He had initially planned to order fried chicken, luxurious banquet dishes, red wine steaks, and spicy hot pot.
But one bucket of fried chicken cost over 100 yuan.
That meal had felt satisfying, yet when he realized that 100 yuan could buy nearly 30 packs of instant noodles, enough to last at least ten days, his heart ached.
After that one indulgence, Lin Fan began living frugally.
He spent 40,000 yuan on renovating the apartment and another 10,000 yuan stockpiling oil, rice, flour, and large piles of cheap cabbage.
He dared not buy too many ingredients that required cooking.
First, cooking during the apocalypse would be inconvenient.
Second, the smell of food might attract hungry neighbors.
The current renovations were only basic insulation and would not withstand desperate neighbors driven mad by hunger.
Today, instead of eating the instant noodles he was nearly sick of, Lin Fan cooked egg fried rice and added one boiled cabbage leaf.
“Damn it. Why do other people who reincarnate live comfortably? Why is my life so miserable?”
“I refuse to accept this!”
Suddenly, bang bang bang—
Urgent knocking came from the door.
Lin Fan did not respond immediately. He quietly peered through the peephole.
A middle-aged man holding what looked like a ledger and a young man resembling a maintenance worker stood outside.
“Mr. Lin, are you home? I’m from property management. We’re here to check the water meter,” the middle-aged man shouted while waving the ledger.
The water meter?
That reminded Lin Fan of another method he had prepared against extreme heat: bathing.
Over the past several days, he had kept the faucet running constantly, filling buckets with water. Once a bucket was full, he stored it directly in his space along with the bucket, then took it back out and continued filling it again.
He had considered more efficient methods, such as draining an entire lake.
However, his space could only store complete objects that he had physically touched. The object also could not exceed three meters in size. Anything larger than that could not be stored.
He found the limitation understandable.
If he could simply touch anything and store it, flipping upside down might allow him to store the entire planet.
He had accumulated quite a bit of water recently.
Property management had likely noticed abnormal water usage.
His previously tense heart relaxed slightly.
In the apocalypse, knocking on the door meant interacting with people, and interacting with people meant danger.
“Mr. Lin, hello. I’m from the residential property office. We noticed a significant increase in your water usage and came to check if you need assistance,” the middle-aged representative said.
“Is that so? I’ve been doing a major cleaning at home lately. Perhaps I’ve used more water than usual. Don’t worry. I’ll pay the water bill on time,” Lin Fan replied with a smile.
“Understood. Would you like us to inspect the meter for abnormalities? Your usage has exceeded 90 metric tons recently,” the man asked with curiosity.
“No need. Thank you,” Lin Fan refused immediately.
He knew there was nothing wrong with the meter. If they entered and inspected, they might notice the unusual renovations.
Now that he no longer believed himself invincible, Lin Fan no longer wished to behave arrogantly.
“Very well. We have no authority to interfere with usage. We only came to rule out abnormalities. If you require assistance, please contact property management.”
After asking Lin Fan to sign a document acknowledging the abnormal usage notice, the property staff and maintenance worker left.
If Gu Ziming could witness this visit, he would be pleasantly surprised.
It meant the protagonist’s intelligence-suppressing halo had weakened.
Which meant the protagonist’s Destiny Points were steadily declining.
In the normal plotline, property management also discovered Lin Fan’s unauthorized renovations and abnormal water usage.
But they either ignored it or mocked him.
“Lin Fan, why reinforce your apartment like that? Do you think the apocalypse is coming? Hahaha!”
“Lin Fan, why buy so much food? It’s not like it’ll run out. Eat and buy more later. It’ll be fresher!”
“Hahaha! Look, a doomsday fantasist!”
The protagonist being mocked was typical.
This time, it was simply a standard abnormality check.
…
Far away in Island Nation, Gu Ziming.
[Ding. Protagonist Lin Fan’s apocalypse preparations are severely insufficient. Destiny Points significantly decreasing.]
[Host Destiny Points +188, +188, +188…]
Gu Ziming had just escorted Zhao Xiaoyu to her room before turning to leave.
Unfortunately, their relationship had not progressed far enough for her to invite him inside.
As he walked back toward his own room, the system chimed repeatedly.
A glance confirmed several thousand Destiny Points had been credited.
Lin Fan’s preparations were insufficient? Severe loss of Destiny?
It seemed Wang Qu had taken effective action.
But this was not enough.
Gu Ziming still intended to eliminate the protagonist entirely. He hoped to accumulate a substantial amount of Destiny Points before the apocalypse arrived, making final preparations.
Standing before the floor-to-ceiling window in his hotel room, gazing at the dazzling night view of Kyoto Tower, Gu Ziming murmured softly, “It’s time to add more fuel to the fire.”