In my past life, I worked at a secret research lab abroad. From there, I learned the pyro-calypse was approaching, so I quit my job, intending to gather my family to stockpile necessities and hide out in the mountains. However, my evil mother, her lover, and my brother killed me.

When I next open my eyes, I find myself reborn on the day I return home. This time, I keep the news to myself and stockpile necessities in our mountain villa. At the same time, I get revenge on my evil family and make them get the punishment they deserve.

I was an employee at a secretive research lab located overseas, and I accidentally discovered an impending apocalypse known as the pyro-calypse, so I resigned from my job immediately.

But before I left, I signed an NDA with the research lab that stated I must never leak any details about the apocalypse to other people to prevent mass panic on a global scale.

After getting off the plane, I went home with my luggage in town. I hoped to convince my mom, Dorothy Locke, and my younger brother, Nicholas Kennedy, to head to the mountains, where we could stock up on supplies and tough out the apocalypse there.

My mom, Nicholas, and my brother's wife, Millie Sanders, were quite shocked to see me returning home.

While living overseas, I often wired money to my mom's account so I could pay for my family's living expenses. She also managed all three housing properties I had bought in Chernia.

Mom, Nicholas, and Millie lived in a duplex apartment. The other two properties were rented out to others. All these years, those three had been living relaxing lives. Obviously, it was difficult for them to accept the fact that I had returned.

One glance at my room told me that it was completely filled with junk.

My mom's expression darkened when she saw me. "Why did you come home all of a sudden?"

Millie looked down and began scrolling through her phone. When she looked at me again, she decided to probe me for answers.

"Tamara, I saw the news saying something about your research lab going through a global mass firing phase. Did you get fired, by any chance?"

Upon hearing Millie's words, Nicholas stopped playing his phone game and turned to look at me as well.

News of widespread layoffs at the research lab I worked for had recently made its way online. Clearly, Millie and the others had seen the news.

Since I had already signed an NDA, I didn't want to explain the actual reason behind my return. So, I went along with the flow by claiming that I got fired and wouldn't leave Chernia anymore now that I was back.

My mom's expression completely faltered this time. Still, she pretended to be elated about my return by whipping up a few dishes to welcome me home.

I was pretty dense, so I couldn't tell that my mom was just putting on a façade for me. Moreover, I was exhausted due to jet lag. Believing I still had a week to stock up on my supplies, I figured I should just rest for the time being. After dinner, I retired to a guest room and slept the night away.

But when I woke up, I discovered I was all tied up. The one who tied me up was my neighbor of many years, Brandon Welkin.

Shocked, I was about to cry for help when he stuffed a rag into my mouth.

My mom glared at me coldly before she began threatening me. "You brat! I can't believe you're shameless enough to come running back here now that you've lost your job! You don't have a place in this family at all!

"I want you to go to the Department of Housing and Urban Development with me later to transfer all your property deeds to me! We'll only let you go once all three properties are listed under my name!"

A trace of hope flared up in my heart. I wasn't able to speak at that time, so I could only stare at Mom pleadingly. It was my way of telling her that I'd agree to all her conditions as long as I could escape from the family as soon as possible.

But those bastards ditched me at home and went on a vacation instead. They were away for five days before finally returning home. By then, I was already on the brink of death.

At that time, there was already news about the upcoming heat wave. The temperature was already hitting 104 degrees Fahrenheit. The scientists predicted that the temperature would soon soar to 113 degrees Fahrenheit, the maximum heat humans could endure.

My family received the vital supplies I had already ordered via the Internet, but they chose to leave me gagged and bound on the balcony on the first day of the pyro-calypse.

It was so hot that I could barely breathe. My skin was literally searing because of the insane heat.

I begged pathetically, "Please let me go! I'm willing to give you my properties and all of my savings!"

My mom just grinned maliciously. "Just die! Once you're dead, all of your assets will go to me and Nicholas! We get to kill two birds with one stone if we let you die! That way, you won't be able to cause trouble for us ever again!"

Nicholas was cursing me out as well. "Since you no longer are of any value to us, you should just hurry up and die already! Stop wasting our time!"

Millie added, "Rest in peace, Tamara. May you have better luck in your next life."

Mr. Welkin stood amidst the Kennedies, his expression smug. "Now that the pesky fly is gone, we can finally reunite as a real family!"

Just like that, I was scorched to death by the temperature, which rose rapidly throughout the day.

To think that I only got to see my mother and Nicholas' true colors during the final moment of my life…

…

I snapped out of my hate-filled trance, only to realize that I was already in a cab.

After winding down the car window and feeling the scorching heat from the bright sun, I was finally conscious that I was reborn.

It was an extremely hot day. Then again, we were in the middle of summer right now, so the temperature was still within the tolerable margin.

Today happened to be the very day I came back to Chernia and went home. It was also the week before the pyro-calpyse's arrival.

This time, I told the cab driver a different destination. Some time later, I checked into a motel with my luggage in tow.

But I had already called home when I came out of the airport, which meant my mom already knew I was back. If I didn't go home, I'd rouse her suspicions.

I spent some time settling down in the motel room. This time, I chose to go home with only a sling bag. My explanation was that I was back in Chernia on a business trip, so I'd like to drop by for a quick visit before leaving. In fact, I had a colleague waiting for me downstairs as I spoke.

I did all this just to prevent the Kennedies from drugging me and imprisoning me like what happened in my previous life. My so-called colleague was a person whom I hired earlier.

My mom stole a glance at the first floor, soon noticing a tall and burly man waiting at the apartment's entrance. She was instantly wary of me, so she was a lot more polite to me now.

"It's rare for you to visit home. Why don't you have a meal with us before leaving? Millie, be a dear and go grocery shopping, will you?" My mom instructed Millie right away.

Millie aimed a kick at Nicholas before clutching her stomach on purpose. She whined coquettishly, "Oh dear, I'm still in my first trimester! I'm pregnant with your grandchild, Mom. The doctor told me to rest as much as I can. I can't carry heavy stuff, you know!"

My mom was instantly concerned about Millie. "It's my fault for forgetting about your pregnancy! Nicholas, go buy some groceries!"

Nicholas just sat before his computer, clearly immersed in a game. He had no intention of getting up and buying groceries.

I pretended to be surprised by the news. "I didn't expect you to be pregnant, Millie! What wonderful news! In that case, you shouldn't bother yourself with cooking, Mom! I'll treat all of you to a nice meal at Sealestia Hotel to celebrate the pregnancy!"

Sealestia Hotel was the best hotel in town. Of course, Mom and Millie were immediately intrigued by that idea. They acted courteously before me for a few moments before dragging Nicholas out of the apartment.

I told them to head to Sealestia Hotel first. My reason was that I had already reserved a private room and a feast for ourselves via a phone call earlier. I'd join them at the hotel once I was done sorting out everything with my colleague.

Of course, Mom and the others didn't doubt my words. They were quick to head toward the hotel right away.

Now that they were gone, I pulled out the surveillance equipment I had bought in advance from my sling bag and began installing it in various hidden corners of the apartment.

I was an outstanding science and engineering student in the past. In a way, I was considered a pro when it came to handling electronics. After grabbing a wrench from my bag, I dismantled the air conditioners, fridge, freezer, as well as the electric fans and tinkered with specific parts. That way, they'd only function for another six days before breaking down.

Once the time was up, all of the electronics in this apartment wouldn't function at all, save for the oven.

After that, I headed to Sealestia Hotel to have lunch with my family. I found out that my mom had invited Mr. Welkin over. The excuse she used was that he had been our neighbor for so many years and had helped us out far too many times, so he was like family to us. That was why he was here for the celebration.

I was secretly amused by my mom's excuse.

Oh, yeah. Mr. Welkin was definitely a helpful neighbor, alright. He was so helpful that he even volunteered to sleep with her at night. Also, Mom only invited Mr. Welkin but not his wife. In a way, this meal was an opportunity for the actual family to have a reunion.

I didn't skimp out on the meal, though. Instead, I ordered the most expensive dishes and alcohol. I was very certain that Mom and the others wouldn't be able to eat such a luxurious meal in the future.

After making small talk with everyone, I told them that I was busy with work and that they should take their time savoring the meal. Then, I left the hotel hurriedly.

I had spent so much time and effort on my family. Now, I needed to use the limited time I had to start stocking up on supplies.

While living abroad, I had already rented a villa tucked away in the mountains from a real estate agency on the Internet.

The next day, I headed over to the agency and signed the one-year rental contract with them. Since I had the appropriate license to drive large vehicles, I went to a car dealership and rented a truck.

After that, I began my mass shopping spree at a large-scale supermarket.

First, I bought all sorts of grains, pasta noodles, instant ramen, cooking oil, frozen food, as well as various daily necessities in boxes before having them moved into the truck. The amount I bought could last me for one year.

After that, I went to the electronics section and bought two standing air conditioners, a fridge with double doors, two freezers, five ice makers, five small generators meant for home usage, and two air conditioning fans. I even contacted a workshop that specialized in installing solar-powered panels and made an appointment for technicians to drop by and install the solar panels for me.

Once I left the supermarket, I saw a pharmacy right across from me. So, I took the opportunity to buy the necessary medication such as heatstroke medicine, flu medicine, painkillers, antiseptics, antibiotics, allergy medication, and various mineral supplements. I also bought five boxes of medical products consisting of bandaids, bandages, cleaning alcohol, iodine, first aid kits, and even cooling pads meant for fevers.

I already considered the possibility of violent conflict breaking out during the apocalypse, so I ordered self-defense gadgets online. Some of them included electric batons, stretchable bo staves, switchblades, and alarms.

These supplies cost me almost a million dollars, which made up nearly half of my savings. But they'd be able to ensure that I could live comfortably for one year.

The mountain villa that I rented was 5,300 square feet wide. It was a three-story building with an underground cellar that was over 1,100 square feet wide. That cellar was big enough to store all of my supplies.

The biggest surprise was the well I found in the villa's courtyard. I could draw cool and refreshing spring water from the well right away, so I no longer needed to allocate any budget for mineral water. Soon, I quickly filled all the water tanks in the villa, including the bathtub.

After that, I hired some people to paste thermal insulation films all over the villa's windows. That way, I no longer had to fear the strong sunlight.

At that moment, a courier company called me on the phone—apparently, the huge batch of supplies I had ordered for my family while overseas had reached Chernia.

Naturally, I would never give those supplies to my family. I was quick to detain the supplies on the spot. Then, I added an extra surcharge to the delivery fees by having the supplies delivered to my villa as soon as possible.

Since the villa was located in a rural area that no one ever visited, no one took notice of the amount of people coming to the villa over the past few days.

Considering I'd be living in the villa alone, I took my personal security very seriously. A ring of electrified fence was installed around the villa, some of it overlapping the heavy iron gates.

The external doors of the first floor were swapped to blast-resistant doors. Meanwhile, the second and third floors had extra security doors installed in front of every entrance. All of them came with fingerprint locks of their own. My fingerprint was the only thing that could unlock them.

Then again, I was the only one living in this place. Moreover, I had a finite amount of energy and stamina to allocate the supplies. It took me a few days to finally get everything sorted out.

Now that a week had passed, I sat on the chaise lounge chair while digging into a tub of ice cream. At the same time, I activated the security cameras I had installed in my mom's apartment.

The sight of blood-red water flooding the apartment stunned me on the spot. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe the scene as a literal bloodbath.

Blood could be seen covering the floor no matter which camera I looked at. I could imagine just how heavy the scent of blood was despite not being there in person.

Oh? Could it be that my family had already died before the arrival of the pyro-calypse?