Chapter 2

I rented the cheapest room I could find in an urban village way out on the edge of town.

After paying the deposit and first month's rent, I was left with 60 dollars in my pocket.

The place was tiny and reeked of years-old mildew, but at least it was all mine.

I dropped my backpack, cracked open the bottle of water and sipped it slowly. Then I pulled out the bread and nibbled away at it until it was gone.

Only after my stomach stopped growling did I feel like I'd come back to life.

[System energy is critically low. About to enter sleep mode. Host, please earn points to restore energy.]

A cold, mechanical voice sounded in my head.

I closed my eyes and summoned the system panel.

It was a blue virtual screen only visible to me, with my personal info displayed in sharp detail.

[Host: Andrea Duncan.

[Points: 0

[Energy: 3%

[Tasks: None at the moment]

I remembered it all too well. When I died in my previous life, Sandra had somehow torn the system right out of me.

I still had no idea how she pulled that off,

But now that I'd been given a second chance, the system was still with me. Its energy was almost drained, and it was about to go dormant, but it was still here.

This was the only hope I had after all those mess. It was my trump card for revenge.

As long as I finished the tasks the system gave me, I could earn points. Those points could be traded for money, food, information, or even skills that regular people could only dream of.

In my previous life, it was with the help of the system that the Duncan family managed to keep food on the table after the family went broke.

But those missions were seriously risky.

The toughest one I ever took on was sneaking into an underground fight club to secretly take incriminating photos.

I nearly got my legs broken and ended up bedridden for two weeks. That helped me earn enough points to keep the Duncans fed for half a month.

But while I was stuck in bed, all I could hear was Sandra basking in the praise out in the living room.

"Sandra, you're our lucky star. If it weren't for you, we'd have starved to death by now.

"Seriously, Andrea stays holed up in her room all day, never bothering to help out."

Back then, my heart felt like it was being stabbed with a knife.

Thinking about it now, I couldn't help but find it laughable.

My phone buzzed with a text from Tony.

[Where the hell did you go? I'm warning you. Hand over the food you've been hiding, or I'll break your legs when I find you!]

Then a few more texts came in.

[You bitch. Do you really think you're all grown up now?]

[Reply now!]

I stared at those nasty texts, expressionless, and blocked the number without hesitation.

Meanwhile, over at the Duncan house.

They'd been waiting since noon, but Sandra's prayers hadn't done a thing for them.

Their stomachs were growling, and the atmosphere in the room was almost suffocating.

"Sandra, are you sure this god of yours is for real?" Melissa finally couldn't help but ask, a hint of doubt in her voice.

"Mom, how can you doubt Sandra?" Tony immediately jumped to her defense. "It's all Andrea's fault. She's a total jinx. Ever since she left, all our fortune went with her!"

Sandra bit her lip, tears shimmering in her eyes. "It's all my fault. I'm useless. The god said we have to be truly sincere...

"But every time I think about Andrea leaving like that, my heart gets all tangled up..."

She was once again pinning the blame on me.

Maurice slammed his fist on the table. "That ungrateful brat. When I catch her, I'll show her a lesson."

Then, Tony suddenly shot to his feet, like something had clicked in his head.

He said, "Dad, Mom, I remembered. That bitch Andrea was always sneaking out.

"Every time she came back, there'd be more food in the house. She must've been hiding it somewhere outside!"

The more he talked, the more convinced he became, a vicious grin spreading across his face.

"She thinks we can't do anything about it after she runs away. I'm going to find her right now. I'll dig up every last thing she's hidden!"