Chapter 1: Billion-Dollar Luck
"Elana, open this door! Don't think I don't know you won the billion-dollar lottery! How dare you hide it from your father? Just wait until I get my hands on you!"
The violent pounding on the door mixed with furious roars pierced through her dreams, jolting her awake.
Elana opened her eyes, staring around in confusion.
The familiar yet strange surroundings left her momentarily stunned—this was her old, rundown apartment, the place she'd rented before the zombie outbreak.
But she was supposed to be dead. How could she be back here? Before she could process this fully, the cursing outside grew more vicious, accompanied by the metallic scraping of lock picks. The already flimsy security door was shaking violently, as if it might collapse at any moment.
"Think you can defy me? Forgot how I used to discipline you when you were little? Think you're too grown up for me to beat now, huh! You little b***h, just like your mother! Hand over every penny of that lottery money right now! Not a cent left behind!"
Hearing that familiar voice, Elana's eyes instantly turned cold.
Frank—her alcoholic, abusive father, the nightmare that had haunted her entire life.
After the zombie crisis erupted, he'd stolen her house, seized all her survival supplies, and even while she was unconscious, tied her up and sold her to a place worse than hell.
If she hadn't awakened her abilities later, she would have died without even leaving bones behind.
But why was he going on about lottery money? That had happened over a month ago, and the apocalypse was still...
Elana's heart jumped as she frantically grabbed her phone. The date on the screen made her pupils contract sharply:
January 26, 2024.
Exactly one month before the full zombie outbreak.
She had been reborn.
She pinched her arm hard, and the clear pain that shot through her pulled her back from the edge of wild joy.
It wasn't a dream. She was really back—back to before everything began.
Before she could fully absorb this shock, the door finally gave way, kicked open by Frank.
He burst in with bloodshot eyes, his gaze filled with nothing but greed. "Run! Keep running! Think there's nothing I can do to you? Hand over the money, or I'll beat you to death today!"
He gripped an axe in his hand, its cold metallic gleam reflecting on Elana's face, yet her expression remained unchanged.
A crowd of neighbors had gathered outside the collapsed doorway to watch the spectacle, but none dared step forward to stop the crazed Frank. Only a few quietly pulled out their phones to call the police.
Elana calmly settled back onto the sofa, meeting his gaze with defiant eyes.
"What? Planning to kill me with that axe?"
Her fearlessness completely enraged Frank. He hurled the axe straight at her—aiming for her head without the slightest hesitation.
Elana casually tilted her head to dodge. The blade embedded deep into the wall, paused for a moment, then clattered to the floor.
"You bastard! I'm your father! Where would you be without me? You only won that lottery because of the life I gave you! This is all thanks to me! I'm telling you, transfer all that money to me right now, or you'll end up just like your mother!"
At the mention of her mother—who had hanged herself unable to bear the domestic violence—Elana shot up from the sofa and kicked Frank hard in the chest, effortlessly knocking him to the ground.
"What are you to dare mention my mother?"
Her eyes blazed with fury. She'd used all her strength in that kick, though unfortunately, in this life she hadn't awakened her abilities yet and couldn't kill him with one blow.
Thinking of how he'd been beaten and begged for mercy in her previous life, Elana found it almost laughable.
Bullying the weak and fearing the strong—Frank embodied these traits perfectly.
The scene froze momentarily. The onlookers at the doorway all gasped, and when they met Elana's gaze, they unconsciously stepped back.
This girl was no ordinary person.
"Frank, I have things to do today, so I'll spare your life for now. But you'd better stay far away from me, or next time it won't be just a kick."
She sneered and sat back on the sofa, opening a shopping app on her phone.
With today's commotion, the police would definitely come, preventing her from going to the market personally. But at least she could start ordering basic supplies online.
In her previous life, though she'd won the lottery, the apocalypse had arrived before she could enjoy it, rendering all the money in the bank worthless.
This time, that money would be her capital for survival. With enough supplies stockpiled, she could avoid many dangers.
Whispers continued around her, but Elana remained completely focused, carefully selecting items she needed:
Water, crackers, toilet paper, instant noodles, canned goods...
She added everything to her cart, but before she could check out, she heard rapid footsteps coming up the stairs.
Several police officers appeared at the doorway. After briefly questioning the onlookers, they took both Elana and Frank to the station.
Frank wailed the entire way, clutching his chest and cursing Elana:
"Officer, this b***h tried to kill me! You need to arrest her and sentence her to death! This slut actually attacked her own father—she should be shot!"
Hearing his string of profanities, the police officers frowned in displeasure.
Was this really what a father would say? Not only was he hurling insults at his own daughter, but he'd also burst into her home with an axe.
"Shut up! You think you can yell and scream wherever you want? Frank, you're being charged with unlawful entry, disturbing the peace, and creating a public disturbance. You're hereby detained for fifteen days and fined one thousand dollars!"
Elana snorted with laughter: "Serves you right."
Frank flew into a rage and stood up, but under the stern gaze of the police, he grudgingly sat back down.
"Officer, she's my daughter—isn't her house my house too? How is this unlawful entry? I was disciplining my daughter! Why are you arresting me? She won the lottery but won't give me a penny, just watching her father live in misery! She should be the one in jail! What does this have to do with me?"
He was on the verge of a breakdown, grinding his teeth, wanting nothing more than to kill Elana on the spot.
"She's my daughter! Without me, there'd be no her! Her house and money all belong to me! How can you police officers twist the facts like this! Did this b***h bribe you? Are you all ganging up on me?"
