"Mr. Erland, your father's operation will cost $50 million, including hospital fees. And I want to inform you that the operation requires payment in advance."
"50 million dollars? Can I pay in installments, Nurse? I promise I'll pay it off soon, just please operate on my father's leg! His leg must not be amputated!"
"Only if you pay in full, Mr. Erland."
"Please, allow me to pay in installments, Nurse."
"I'm sorry, but our hospital does not offer a credit system.”
One of the hospital visitors rushed forward and became angry.
"Damn you! This is a high-class hospital, you have to pay in advance, there's no negotiation. If you can't afford it, you should check the hospital's background before bringing your father here. If you're poor, you better take him to a county hospital that receives government subsidies. You're just making a fool of yourself!"
"Knowing that you are poor, why did you bring him to an elite hospital? Are you trying to act like a rich person? You should know your place. Remember, your father needs a major operation, it's urgent, and you want to pay in installments? Damn you! Your stupidity makes me sick!"
They looked at Erland with hate, whispering and sneering at him. The nurse, seeing this, tried to ask the other people to be quiet.
Erland Colvin ignored the insults. He kept pleading with the hospital staff. Erland held the nurse's hand, trembling, begging for mercy.
His financial situation was dire. He was just a factory worker with a small salary, not even enough to feed and support his wife. But now his father needed surgery urgently. If not operated on, his father’s leg would have to be amputated.
His father was a dry cake vendor at the small market, and his mother was just a laundry worker. His family was very poor.
"Erland, how is your father? Will he be okay? I'm very worried!" A shabby woman in wet, detergent-smelling clothes came running from a distance. Seeing her appearance, it was clear she had just finished washing clothes. She was his mother.
"Ma’am, tell your son! He's causing a scene at this hospital by begging the Nurse for mercy. If your family doesn't have the money, it’s better not to get sick at all!"
Windy was silent, looking at the group of women who were staring at her and her son with disdain. Fortunately, the hospital security staff soon arrived and helped calm the situation.
Erland looked into his mother's eyes, "I'm sorry, Mom, because I'm not a son you can rely on. I can't even help pay for Dad's surgery. The doctor said Dad's leg will be amputated if it's not operated on soon."
Windy closed her lips tightly, holding back her tears. She didn't want to look sad in front of her son. As a parent, Windy felt she had to stay strong to support her son.
While Windy was busy washing customers' clothes at the laundry, she received news from the hospital that her husband had been in a traffic accident. The driver who hit her husband had fled and refused to take responsibility.
"Why are you apologizing, Erland? It's not your fault. Let's find another way. I will find a loan."
Erland held his mother's hand to stop her from leaving.
"Where will you find a loan, Mom? From your employer? They won’t help. Or will you borrow from a loan shark? I won’t allow you to do that. Let me handle this. You stay here and take care of Dad."
Without wasting time, Erland left the hospital, taking his scooter from the parking lot. He was going to the Thompson residence, one of the richest families in Sinker City, who were also relatives of his wife.
***
A line of Lamborghini cars was parked luxuriously in the yard of the grand house. Many foreign guests kept arriving. The atmosphere was very lively, with bright lights illuminating the scene.
Erland could see the dazzling lights because they were too festive.
It seemed the Thompson family was hosting a big party, and Erland remembered it was his mother-in-law, Mrs. Brenda's birthday.
"Hey, wait! Who allowed you to enter? Mrs. and Mr. Thompson have instructed us to kick you out if we see you coming."
Four security guards stationed at the main entrance blocked Erland's path. They glared at him, their disgust and hatred evident as they looked him up and down.
Erland's brown shoes were covered in mud. The front of the shoes had been patched with cloth he had sewn himself because they were already damaged.
The pants Erland wore looked shabby and wrinkled, appearing ready to tear with each step. His shirt was just a dirty, black T-shirt covered in coal dust from loading coal into the factory furnace.
"This is my in-laws' house! I can come and go as I please! You can't stop me!"
The four security guards laughed, spitting on Erland's shoes, showing their contempt.
"Erland, you were never recognized as a son-in-law by the Thompson family. Don't brag about coming and going from this mansion as you please. Even Mrs. Brenda and Mr. Edie see you as a beggar."
Erland's fists clenched in anger. These guards dared to speak ill of him. They were just security staff, yet they were so arrogant.
"Why are you looking at us like that? Are you offended? But what we said is true. There's nothing wrong. You are just a poor man lucky enough to marry Miss Ainsley. Miss Ainsley has been sickly since birth, suffering from heart failure and will soon die. That's why the Thompson family married you to her. Miss Ainsley is just a stepdaughter from Mr. Edie's affair. She's a parasite living here and deserves to be thrown out."
Erland's neck veins bulged; his anger had reached its peak. He had endured insults, but when they insulted his beloved wife, Ainsley, he would never forgive them.
Bang! Two of the four guards received hard punches from Erland. Despite his skinny frame, Erland had enough strength to hit hard.
"Bastard! How dare you hit us!" The other two guards were about to hit back, surrounding Erland and grabbing his arms.
"Erland! Stop it, what’s going on here?"
The woman who had just arrived and separated them was Anne, his sister-in-law. She was the second child of the Thompson family. Anne was the only one who treated Erland and his wife kindly, like family.
"Who is it, Anne? Why is it so noisy? I'm getting a headache from all this commotion."
Mrs. Brenda followed, accompanied by her husband and their eldest son, Ronald. Ainsley had three siblings.
"Brother-in-law, Mother and Father-in-law, I can explain."
"What do you want to explain to Mrs. Brenda? Madam, look, Mr. Erland suddenly caused a commotion because we didn’t allow him in. He hit us out of frustration. We were just following your order. She instructed us not to let Mr. Erland into the house because of the party."
Erland was shocked. These guards were skilled at twisting the facts. "They’re lying! I just—"
Slap!
Before Erland could finish, a slap landed on his cheek. His mother-in-law had slapped him. Erland was surprised but used to such treatment. To him, this slap was nothing.
"Fool! Disrespectful son-in-law! Useless! You only humiliate me! Admit it! You came here to throw dirt on my face, didn’t you? You purposely made the Thompson family a laughingstock by coming in those shabby clothes!"
Mrs. Brenda pointed at Erland’s face as if he were the most disgusting pest.
"Look at you, looking like a beggar! Shabby, smelly, dirty, and poor! What else could you want here if not to beg for money for your sickly wife’s treatment? Did Ainsley send you to beg at the Thompson house?"
Anne held back her mother’s hand, stopping her from hitting Erland again. "That’s enough, Mom. There are many guests watching."
"Don’t stop me, Anne. Let me teach this foolish young man a lesson!"
Erland stood frozen. He hadn’t even voiced his intention to borrow money for his father’s surgery yet, and he was already being berated.
"Erland."
Erland's heart pounded at the sound of the soft, loving voice calling him. The woman looked deeply into his eyes. Erland widened his eyes as he saw her. The woman was wearing a servant's uniform.
Erland was shocked then asked his wife.
"What are you doing here? Didn’t I ask you to rest at home?"
"She is here for work," Ronald answered. "We are short of servants." "What do you mean, Ronald?" Erland probed, trying to connect their shortage of servants with his sick wife's presence in that place. Ronald smirked. "What else do you think? Of course, Ainsley is here being a servant!" Erland's hands clenched tightly. Ronald enjoyed making the poor man angry. "The Thompson family is not a charity organization, we can't give out free money. If Ainsley asked for money to buy medicine, she has to work for it." Erland's patience was wearing thin. He quickly stepped forward and grabbed Ronald by the collar, pushing his body against the wall until he almost fell to the floor. "My wife is not just anyone! She is a daughter of the Thompson family! Your family too! Giving her a little money for medicine won't make you poor! Especially since she's sick! How could you make your sick sister work? What if her condition worsens! Heart failure is not a trivial disease." Ronald just laughed.
The command kept appearing, refusing to disappear. Even the mission completion time continued to move.[Time remaining: 8 minutes. Complete your mission before the penalty is imposed.]Erland was confused. In this critical situation, the strange screen kept pressing him. Meanwhile, his father-in-law started approaching him. The man's face darkened, fists clenched, ready to hit him.Ding! A new notification flashed on the screen.[Warning! Player Erland Colvin, the penalty for your mission failure is being prepared. A 1000-volt electric shock will be processed. You will soon experience death. Countdown starts: one minute, 60, 59, 58, 57...]With each passing second, Erland's heart pounded. With courage and a determination to defend himself, he delivered a hard punch to Edie's cheek, sending his father-in-law flying several meters and crashing into an antique vase displayed near the window.Erland's powerful punch caused the vase to crack and shatter across the floor. Ronald, Anne, Bre
“What did he say? He got 50 million dollars?” Ronald suppressed his laughter. “Ainsley, your husband must be dreaming. Where would he get 50 million dollars from? Who would lend him that much money? And if anyone did, it must be a loan shark. Your husband has a small salary; it would take a lifetime to pay off that debt. Ainsley, I feel so sorry for you. Your life will only get harder with loan sharks chasing you.” Everyone joined in mocking Erland. Colleagues, officials, and the Thompson family business clients laughed at Erland's foolishness. “Hahaha, he must be out of his mind,” they jeered. Erland didn’t care; he held his wife’s hand. “Honey, let’s go!” Ronald, filled with anger, saw Ainsley and Erland heading out. “Stop! You can’t just leave like that! You both have to take responsibility! My father and mother are hurt because of you two!” Ronald shouted, intending to chase after them. “Ronald, I’ve contacted our family doctor!” Anne exclaimed. Ronald was furious, but seei
Erland's father's surgery was successful. Now, Edmund is undergoing treatment. The doctor has asked Edmund to stay in the hospital until the stitches from the surgery dry up."I'm sorry for being a burden to you,” said Edmund to his son, Erland."What are you talking about, Dad? It's my duty as a son to be devoted to you. Your recovery is the most important thing to me now."Edmund's wrinkled hand touched his son's head, gently stroking it.Windy and Ainsley entered, both women carrying a basket of apples."Dear, why are you forcing yourself to sit? Just lie down," said Windy to his husband.Edmund looked at the basket of fresh apples. Something was bothering him—where did his family get so much money from? After paying the $50 million surgery bill, his wife still had money left to buy him apples, which were very expensive."Honey, can we talk privately?" asked Edmund to his wife.Windy glanced at her son and daughter-in-law. Erland stood up first, "Ainsley and I will go to the pharm
[Run 10 kilometers, do 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 pull-ups.] [Completion reward: secret.] [Mission failure penalty: divorce from your wife.]Erland was stunned. Was this system a personal trainer? Why was it giving him tasks like an athlete's workout routine? The most annoying part of the mission was the penalty: divorce from his wife.[Player Erland Colvin, the system will start the countdown. Complete your daily mission target before the time runs out.]The screen turned into a timer. He had 24 hours to complete the mission. Erland didn’t want a divorce; even if he had to die, he would never let Ainsley go."Arghhh! Crazy system!""Erland!"Ainsley was shocked as Erland suddenly ran out of the room, sprinting at full speed. He hadn't even finished his fried rice."What’s going on?" Ainsley worried.Due to the daily mission, Erland spent his day exercising.Erland's breath was heavy, sweat pouring down his temples. He had run 8 kilometers in a marathon.Two more kilometers to c
[Player absorbed bronze combat mode. Defense and attack increased.] Erland could feel a surge of strength spreading throughout his body. He felt his power multiply several times over.Besides feeling lighter, his agility also increased significantly. "Damn! That loser hit us!" "Erland!" shouted the senior leader, enraged. He had just gotten up after being hit by Erland. "Boss! Your teeth are gone!"Two front teeth had fallen to the floor. The senior leader glared at his lost teeth with anger. "That bastard made me lose my teeth. You want to die!" Without thinking, he lunged at Erland, trying to punch him. But before his punch could reach Erland’s face, he was already kicked by Erland. This time, the senior’s body wasn’t just thrown back; his bones were broken.The senior's subordinates, seeing how strong Erland’s attack was, began to back away, keeping their distance out of fear. "Come at me, all of you! Don't be cowards! Haven't you been bullying me all this time because I st
Everyone stared at each other, then looked at Erland before bursting into laughter. The workers, including Teddy, thought Erland was out of his mind, crushed by the burdens of his family's life."Hahaha! Erland, you're so ridiculous! You're going to get 100 Bitcoins from Mr. Teddy?""Hey buddy, do you think Mr. Teddy will generously give you Bitcoins? He wouldn't even deign to give you a single dollar!""What does Erland know about Bitcoin anyway? He must be bluffing! Pretending to know about Bitcoin, when in reality he's too dumb to go to college! He only graduated high school! What does he understand?"Teddy, hearing Erland being mocked by the workers, just smiled contentedly, feeling superior because of his education. Teddy was a college graduate, which is why he was able to hold the position of factory foreman now."Enough, Erland, there's no need to be embarrassed to apologize to me. Stop your nonsensical talk. Let me tell you, Bitcoin is a type of cryptocurrency. Your salary i
Two hours ago, after the incident at the factory, Erland didn't go straight home. He decided to go to the nearest convenience store and buy a cup of ramen noodles and a bottle of soda. He had something to check."How much money did I get when I sold this coin?"Erland opened the system's cash-box menu. It was 160 bitcoins. Erland ruffled his hair, he felt dizzy. How do I convert these bitcoins into dollars?"System, do you know how? I want to exchange these coins for real money! Not virtual money!"[Go to sales menu].Erland was surprised when the blue transparent screen changed to the sales menu. There were many items to buy or sell. This menu was similar to an online store, except that not all items could be sold."Are you serious? There's a menu like that?"Erland tried to touch the cryptocurrency sales image. A wide variety of crypto coins appeared. The price of each coin was listed in world currencies, not just dollars."This is amazing!" Erland exclaimed in amazement. He searche