The first rays of dawn illuminated the Ashford Mansion.
Julian slowly opened his eyes.
For a brief moment, he thought he was still inside Genesis.
But the familiar ceiling of his bedroom greeted him instead.
He immediately sat upright.
"It wasn't a dream..."
Raising his right hand, he focused his mind.
A tiny flame flickered to life above his palm.
Its crimson glow reflected in his sapphire-blue eyes.
Julian smiled faintly before extinguishing it.
Genesis was real.
His powers were real.
Everything had changed.
This life...
He finally had the strength to fight back.
Julian entered the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face.
As he stared into the mirror, he barely recognized himself.
The pale, grief-stricken young man from yesterday was gone.
His eyes were sharper.
Colder.
More determined.
He no longer looked like a spoiled billionaire heir.
He looked like someone who had survived hell.
"I won't cry anymore."
"My tears died with my previous life."
After changing into a fitted black suit, Julian headed downstairs.
The mansion's staff immediately bowed.
"Good morning, Young Master."
Julian simply nodded.
He wasn't interested in small talk.
His mind was already racing through dozens of plans.
The apocalypse was fifty-nine days away.
He had no time to waste.
Inside the dining room, Alfred had already prepared breakfast.
"Please eat before you leave, Young Master."
Julian smiled slightly.
"Thank you, Alfred."
The elderly butler froze.
Julian...
Had smiled.
It was small.
Almost imperceptible.
But after the funeral, Alfred hadn't expected to see even that much.
His eyes became slightly moist.
"The young master is finally beginning to move forward..."
Little did he know...
Julian wasn't moving on.
He was preparing for war.
After breakfast, Julian entered his study.
Several executives were already waiting through a video conference.
Each of them looked confused.
Some even looked nervous.
Julian didn't waste a second.
"I want reports."
The first executive adjusted his glasses.
"Young Master, we've purchased approximately twenty-seven food processing factories."
"Good."
"The pharmaceutical acquisitions are almost complete."
"Continue."
"We've rented over three hundred warehouses across the country."
"Double it."
The executives exchanged shocked looks.
Double?
"Young Master... storing so much food will cost billions."
Julian's voice remained calm.
"Do it."
Nobody dared argue.
The meeting continued for over two hours.
By the end...
Julian had ordered the purchase of:
Millions of tons of rice
Wheat
Flour
Sugar
Salt
Cooking oil
Bottled water
Canned food
Instant noodles
Medical supplies
Surgical equipment
Antibiotics
Generators
Solar panels
Fuel tankers
Construction materials
Heavy machinery
Seeds
Livestock
Fishing boats
Portable water purifiers
Blankets
Clothing
Camping gear
The total cost...
Exceeded six billion dollars.
Even the Ashford executives were speechless.
Everyone secretly wondered the same thing.
Has the young master gone mad?
Julian didn't care.
In sixty days...
Money would become meaningless.
Food...
Water...
Medicine...
Those would become the true currency.
That afternoon, Julian changed into casual clothes and drove alone.
His destination...
One of Ashford Corporation's largest logistics warehouses.
The warehouse stretched across several acres.
Mountains of supplies filled every corner.
Forklifts moved continuously.
Workers loaded truck after truck.
Nobody paid attention to the young man walking quietly through the building.
Julian looked around.
Perfect.
No cameras in this section.
He raised his hand.
"Genesis."
A faint golden light flashed.
The mountain of canned food disappeared instantly.
Gone.
Not a single box remained.
Julian checked his surroundings.
No one noticed.
He smiled.
"So... I can transfer objects directly."
He continued walking.
With every thought...
Entire shelves vanished.
Boxes of medicine.
Bags of rice.
Crates of bottled water.
Frozen meat.
Cooking oil.
Everything disappeared into Genesis.
Within half an hour...
An enormous warehouse that had once been packed to the ceiling stood almost empty.
Julian entered Genesis.
The supplies were neatly stacked on an endless green plain.
Thousands upon thousands of boxes stretched toward the horizon.
Even Julian couldn't help smiling.
"This is only the beginning."
Meanwhile...
Outside the warehouse...
A young employee frowned.
"Wasn't this place full earlier?"
His coworker scratched his head.
"I thought so too..."
The two looked around in confusion.
Neither could explain what had happened.
That evening...
Julian returned to Genesis.
He wanted to see how large his world truly was.
Hours passed.
He flew over forests using his telekinesis.
Crossed endless rivers.
Climbed towering mountains.
Yet...
He never found the edge.
"This place..."
"Just how big is it?"
Orion suddenly appeared beside him.
"There is no edge."
Julian turned.
"What do you mean?"
"Genesis expands."
"As its Master grows stronger..."
"So does the world."
Julian's eyes narrowed.
"So even this planet isn't its final size?"
Orion smiled.
"No."
Julian remained silent.
A world larger than Earth...
Could still grow.
Genesis was even more mysterious than he had imagined.
As night fell over the mansion, Julian stood on his balcony, looking at the peaceful city lights.
People laughed in restaurants.
Families walked together.
Music drifted through the streets.
Everything seemed normal.
Too normal.
He knew the truth.
In less than two months...
Those same streets would run red with blood.
The first screams would echo through the city.
The dead would rise.
And humanity would begin its darkest chapter.
Julian slowly closed his eyes.
"Enjoy your peaceful days..."
"They're almost over."
Far away...
In a hidden underground laboratory...
A glass containment chamber suddenly cracked.
Inside...
A pair of blood-red eyes slowly opened.
To be continued...