Chapter 2
1457 Words
Eric had always believed that information was everything.
Fear, failure, and disadvantage all boiled down to the lack of information.
In his previous life, Sofia easily outmaneuvered him, exploiting his ignorance to kill him without a second thought.
But this time, things were different. Eric was the only person in the world who knew a secret that could change everything: in just half a month, the zombie apocalypse would begin.
When that happened, the world's political systems, economies, social structures, and even morality would collapse overnight.
This wasn't just a disaster. It was an opportunity.
With this knowledge, he could turn the information gap into endless advantages, if he played his cards right.
Eric slapped a property deed onto the counter in front of the bank teller. "I need a loan of five million dollars."
The property was in a prime location with a high valuation, and Eric had a spotless credit history. The loan was approved without much hassle.
When it came time to sign the agreement, he only skimmed the terms. The interest rate was around six percent, and the repayment period was three years. He didn't bother to read the rest.
Why would he? The world would be in ruins in two weeks. Who cared about paying it back?
With the money in hand, Eric left the bank feeling satisfied. He checked the time. There were five hours left.
"This should be enough to deal with Sofia, that ungrateful gold digger," he muttered. "But she's not the real problem. The apocalypse is. I can't let myself get too caught up in her schemes. Survival comes first."
He clenched his fists. "There's so much to get done in two weeks. Stockpiling supplies, securing weapons, and reinforcing the apartment... Everything takes money. And five million dollars might not even cover it all."
But aside from the house, Eric didn't have anything else to use as collateral.
He frowned, thinking.
Then it hit him. "Oh, how could I forget about this?"
He pulled out his phone and dialed a number that had been spamming him with messages for weeks.
A few minutes later, a young man with a tattoo on his arm appeared from around the corner. He scanned the area, making sure no one was watching, before leaning in and speaking in a low voice. "Hey, dude, you're the one looking for an unsecured loan, right?"
Eric put on a desperate look. "Yeah, I'm strapped for cash right now and..." He gestured vaguely toward the bank down the street.
The man's eyes lit up. "Let me guess. The bank wouldn't give you what you needed, huh?"
"Exactly. They wouldn't approve the amount I wanted, and their process is so strict that you'd think I was planning a heist," Eric said with a frustrated sigh.
The man grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. "Well, buddy, you've come to the right place."
He continued, "We're legit, with super lenient approvals, high limits, and instant cash. We can solve your problem, no sweat."
He handed Eric a business card as he spoke.
Eric glanced at it. 'SafeLoan Financial Services Co., Ltd.' He had heard of them before. They were notorious for their shady practices. Rumors said they'd even harvested borrowers' organs for repayment.
He raised an eyebrow. "Really? Is it safe and reliable?"
"Of course, buddy! We're an honest company," the man said with a smile. "Now, how much do you need?"
Eric leaned in, lowering his voice. "Can you handle this much?" He made a hand gesture. "Five million dollars."
"What?" The man took a step back, staring at Eric like he'd just grown a second head.
Ten minutes later, in a run-down office building, Eric leaned in closer to the president of SafeLoan, Mike Anderson, whose face was etched with suspicion and caution.
"Mr. Anderson, to be honest, I'm here to borrow money because I've got a rock-solid insider tip. Cryptocurrency is about to explode again," Eric said, his tone confident.
"I want to invest all my liquid assets, but my principal's just too small. I need more to really make it count. That's why I'm here."
As Eric spoke, he swiped his credit card through the reader. The screen lit up with a seven-figure balance, and Mike's expression softened completely.
"Eric... Oh, I mean, Mr. Whitman, where did you hear this from?" Mike asked.
"It's not something I can share right now, but trust me, it's reliable," Eric replied smoothly. "I just need five million dollars for one month. I'll pay you back seven million. So, Mr. Anderson, are you in or not?"
Mike hesitated, though not because he doubted Eric's ability to repay.
If anything, he wouldn't mind if Eric defaulted. It'd give him the perfect excuse to squeeze every last penny out of him, even his family. Mike was an expert at that sort of thing.
What really worried Mike was the possibility of Eric making a quick buck off him and then fleeing the country by using a fake identity to sign the contract.
Five million wasn't pocket change, and the risk wasn't small.
But Eric seemed to read his mind. With a calm smile, he pulled out his phone and began scrolling through photos.
"Mr. Anderson, you're worried I'll run off, right? Don't worry. I'm a local, born and raised here. Everything I have is tied to this city," he said, showing Mike his screen.
"I used to be a screenwriter and have made quite a bit of money. Now I'm a freelancer. This is me discussing a project with a client in the Eastside," Eric explained, pointing to a photo.
"And look at this one. That's me as a kid playing at Tranquility Square, back when the tower was still there."
He swiped again. "And here's a picture of me and my wife, Sofia. We've been married for years. If you can't find me, you can always go to her. Give her a little scare. Maybe break her arms and legs, or take out a kidney or two."
Mike shot up from his chair, waving his hands. "Mr. Whitman, you're joking, right?"
Mike said with a satisfied smile, "Alright, since you put it like that, I won't hesitate anymore. Alex, bring over the agreement for Mr. Whitman to sign and get him the funds!"
Five minutes later, Eric strolled out of the office building with ten million sitting in his account. He ordered the most expensive business car on Uber and headed to the next loan company.
In just over two hours, hopping from one lender to the next, his account balance had ballooned to 60 million dollars.
Of course, he now owed nearly 100 million in loans, all due next month.
But that didn't bother him.
"Using five million to leverage 60 million—a twelve-fold margin. Guess I'm playing the financial shark today," Eric murmured with a smirk.
"This should be enough. Borrowing from any more places would be dangerous. If they start connecting the dots, I'll end up in serious trouble."
He glanced at the time. It was 3:30 in the afternoon. "Perfect. Time to handle that meeting with that b*tch!"
Eric headed to the city's most upscale mall to prepare for his meeting with Sofia.
'So, she's all about materialism and gold-digging, huh? Fine,' he muttered under his breath.
He went to Aureb Hair Salon and spent 800 dollars on his haircut.
He bought Tom Ford cologne at 600 dollars.
He spent 10,000 dollars on an Armani three-piece suit.
Then, he bought a 340,000-dollar Rolex watch.
***
An hour later, Eric stood in front of a mirror, inspecting his reflection. His hair was perfectly styled, his suit sharp, and the Rolex on his wrist sparkled under the store lights.
Satisfied, he rented a Porsche 911 and parked it across the street from the Starbucks where they'd agreed to meet.
Just as he was about to step out of the car, he spotted a woman with flawless makeup and towering heels storm into the Starbucks. Her expression was icy as she scanned the crowd, then yanked out her phone with a scowl.
A moment later, Eric's phone lit up with an incoming call.
"Eric, where the f*ck are you?" Sofia's voice barked through the line.
"Almost there. Relax," Eric replied, his tone calm.
"You're not trying to back out, are you?" she snapped.
"If you keep yelling, I'll get there even faster," he said, smirking.
Her voice rose another octave. "I'm telling you, this divorce agreement is getting signed today, no matter what!"
Inside the Starbucks, heads turned as the other patrons stared at the rude woman, their faces full of curiosity.
Eric's smirk widened. 'Perfect, she's already drawn all the attention.'
"Alright, alright, I'm coming now."
- Writer
