"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.
"Pfttt, hahaha, you married a woman who's going to die soon. Erland, I pity you, buddy."
"Bastard!" Erland swore, throwing a punch at Ronald's nose, but Ainsley managed to stop him.
"Erland! Please, don't hit him." Ainsley hugged Erland's waist from behind. Her face was very pale, she coughed, and her breathing sounded labored.
Erland lowered his fist, more worried about his wife's health. "Ainsley, why do you have to work? I will earn the money. I told you, your health is more important. You need to rest. Your heart can't handle strenuous activity. The doctor has often warned you."
Ainsley's warm, gentle eyes looked at her husband's face. She softly touched Erland's cheek, then held his hand.
"How can I just sit still without helping at all? My husband has tried his best to take care of me."
"Ainsley?" Erland's heart ached.
His wife was so kind, patient, and gentle. She was the woman who made Erland fall in love. Just two weeks after their marriage, Erland had fallen for Ainsley's kind nature.
"Ronald, I am here working as a servant. But my husband and I are not begging for your money. You haven't spent a penny on my medical expenses. Instead, Erland works day and night for my recovery. You shouldn't insult my husband."
Brenda felt offended. "How dare you rebuke my son, Ainsley! What right do you have to say that! You said you haven't used our money! Hah, don't forget! You've been eating at the Thompson family's table since you were a child!"
"It was my father's duty to raise me! If the Thompson family had a problem feeding me, they should have never impregnated my mother in the first place!"
Slap!
"Ainsley! You wretch! Disrespectful child!" Brenda grabbed Ainsley's hair and slapped her.
Erland tried to help his wife, but the four guards beside him held Erland tightly. His thin body didn't have the strength to fight them off.
"Don't hit my wife! Let her go!" Erland shouted, struggling.
"Shut up, you scum! Miss Ainsley deserves a lesson for daring to defy Madam!" shout the security.
Erland's neck veins bulge, his anger peaked, and his blood pressure rose. He could see his weak, helpless wife being slapped by his mother-in-law.
Meanwhile, his wife could only call out to her father-in-law for help, but the man just turned his face away, indifferent, as if letting his daughter die being tortured.
Erland tried to help, but before he could act, a punch landed on his cheek. His vision blurred, his head spun. He tried to stay conscious even though he felt like fainting.
Ronald's laughter echoed, he was the one who hit Erland. As Erland insisted on standing up, fighting the dizziness in his head, a strange object appeared.
A thin board resembling a transparent computer.
Ding!
[The Greatest Wealth System has been activated. Among billions of people, you are the lucky one chosen to be a player. Does Mr. Erland Colvin agree to accept it?]
Erland's eyes widened. What is this? He was trying to save his wife, but suddenly a strange, transparent blue screen appeared, blinking right in front of his face.
[Waiting for player consent. Yes or no?]
"What is this screen blocking my view of? Move away! Don't joke around! My wife's life is at stake!"
[Because the player is taking too long, the system will be activated automatically. Please prepare yourself, Mr. Erland, to become a player. Player verification will begin shortly.]
Ding!
Erland saw a small bolt of lightning start to spread to his ten fingers. The electrical current caused a shocking sensation.
Erland's blood felt like it was on fire. His body heated up. His heart pounded so hard that it caused Erland pain.
Everyone in front of him suddenly stopped moving. Brenda's act of hitting Ainsley also froze like a statue.
Erland clenched his hands as a strange program started to appear in his head. He vomited blood from enduring the excruciating pain.
[Player verified. The body's metabolism responded well. Risk of death avoided. New player rewards added. Muscle mass increased by 1%, body strength increased by 5%, agility increased by 3%. You will experience physical shock. Your ears will ring. Please endure for one minute.]
"Argghh!" Erland screamed.
His entire eardrum felt like it was about to tear. The loud ringing from an unknown source suddenly deafened Erland's ears.
[Player endured successfully. The body will recover. Congratulations on surviving.]
Erland took a deep breath, panting. It felt like he had almost died.
"What is really happening? This is crazy!" Erland opened his eyes again.
The pain that had previously tortured his body suddenly vanished. Erland felt revitalized. Even his arm muscles seemed thicker.
"Stupid bastard! Wretch!"
Erland saw his wife being beaten again. Everything was moving; they were no longer statues. The situation had returned to normal.
"My wife!" Erland broke free from the grip of the four guards beside him.
He only shook his hand, but the four guards fell to the floor as if pushed. They groaned in pain. Honestly, Erland was quite surprised to see it, but he didn't have much time to marvel at his strange newfound strength.
Erland quickly ran to his wife. He grabbed his mother-in-law's hand and shielded Ainsley's body behind his back.
"Are you tired of being a Thompson family son-in-law that your filthy hand dares to defy your mother-in-law, Erland!" Brenda shouted angrily.
Erland checked Ainsley's bruised face. He was furious that his wife was hurt.
"Worthless son-in-law! Family parasite! Poor!" Brenda's hand moved to slap Erland's cheek, but Erland's reflexes were so quick.
Skillfully, Erland grabbed Brenda's arm, deflecting it so that the woman lost her balance, almost hitting her daughter Anne.
"Mother, that's enough. Stop being angry; Ainsley is sick."
"Anne, don't defend that wretch. I've told you! You don't need to be kind to her! She's not your sister! You don't have a wretch of a sister like her!"
"Stop insulting my wife!" Erland warned, not accepting it.
"Heh, you started shouting at me, Erland! My husband, this man hurt me! Look at my arm; it's bruised because of his grip! He intentionally hurt me!" Brenda said, looking at her husband.
Acting like a victim of abuse. Erland was disgusted; his mother-in-law was so vile.
"Hit Erland, Father! This ungrateful son-in-law indeed needs to be punished. If necessary, report him to the police and imprison him for hurting Mother," Roland provoked to anger Edie.
"No, Father, please don't report my husband to the police," Ainsley begged.
Ding! The strange screen appeared in front of Erland.
[Player Erland Colvin, hit your father-in-law and slap your mother-in-law.]
[Mission reward: 50 million dollars.]
[Mission failure penalty: death by electrocution.]
[Time to complete the mission: 15 minutes.]
Erland froze, thinking he might be crazy for seeing this screen again.
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
"You must be lying! How could Erland have such a large balance! His salary as a factory worker is very low!""If you don't believe me, you can check."Anne's two friends looked at the computer screen in front of the cashier, their eyes perfectly round at the balance of $8,800,000. They were embarrassed.'Did this poor man secretly have a second job all this time? How does he have that much money?''Maybe Erland is lying to us with his shabby appearance. He's actually a rich man hiding his identity.'Erland who could read their hearts smiled, “Count all the groceries of my wife and these two women. It looks like they're daydreaming because they can't pay for their groceries.”“We don't need your money. We'll pay for it ourselves!”The two women hurriedly gave their credit cards, but strangely enough, their credit cards suddenly became unusable."Sorry, your credit card cannot be used for payment. Your card has been blocked by the bank.""What?""Maybe you owe a lot of money to the bank.