Chapter 1: After Losing My Job, I Take Care of My Brother's Wife

"I can't stand this damn job anymore!"

Faced with endless overtime and trivial tasks piling up daily, Lin Feng, with panda-like dark circles under his eyes, was full of complaints about his professional life.

Just then, an email from the company's internal system announced a need to cut costs and improve efficiency due to declining profits. Employees were given a choice: "voluntarily" accept a pay cut and more overtime, or agree to leave the company. Panic spread among the long-time employees.

However, Lin Feng, standing alone with clenched fists, decided he would no longer tolerate such conditions. Gathering evidence, he decisively chose the latter option to rectify his work situation.

In the end, he received a compensation of twenty thousand yuan and returned home unemployed.

His home was located on the outskirts of Haicheng, in a rural area that had been redeveloped. Although it was an old neighborhood, it still held significant value in the land-scarce city of Haicheng.

After his parents passed away a few years ago, Lin Feng, with few relatives left, lived there alone and had gradually gotten used to it.

Without the nuisance of work meetings, Lin Feng turned on a game he hadn't touched in ages, diving into the latest challenge map called "Star Sea Insect Tide" in a tower defense battle.

The game's backdrop featured an alien outpost of the Human Federation under attack by a swarm of insects. As the defense officer, players had to upgrade various tower defense equipment to protect the base.

Recalling the joy of playing pixelated tower defense games under the covers, Lin Feng excitedly started a match.

Time flew by, and by 9 PM, Lin Feng, who had forgotten to eat, was still engrossed in upgrading his in-game equipment when the doorbell suddenly rang.

Removing his headphones, Lin Feng, a bit dazed, walked to the entrance and opened the door.

Standing there was a beautiful woman in yoga pants and a black camisole, holding a pot of stew. Her cheeks were glistening with sweat, trickling down to her ample chest.

"Xiaofeng, have you eaten dinner?" 

The woman had large eyes, fair and delicate skin, and exuded a youthful vitality, making it hard to believe she was already in her thirties.

She was Zhang Yurou, the wife of Lin Feng's neighbor. A former city-level track athlete, she came from a family with some standing.

Because they were from the same village before the redevelopment, her husband, Lin Youzhi, was a distant relative of Lin Feng's. Thus, he had to call them "big brother" and "sister-in-law."

Due to this relationship, after Lin Feng's parents passed away, this neighbor family took good care of him, occasionally sending meals over.

At the moment, Zhang Yurou, panting slightly and in tight clothing that showcased her curvaceous figure, made Lin Feng, a 24-year-old young man, swallow involuntarily.

Despite being eight years older than him, her regular exercise routine kept any signs of aging at bay, her body full and well-proportioned, exuding a mature charm.

"Look at you drooling, you must be starving. Come on..."

Zhang Yurou, holding the pot of hot soup, walked into Lin Feng's home.

Watching her slender back, Lin Feng took a deep breath to clear his thoughts and sat down at the dining table.

"I just reheated this for you; come and eat."

Zhang Yurou served him a bowl of fragrant chicken soup with a big chicken leg.

Lin Feng, unable to resist, dug in immediately.

The soup and chicken were incredibly sweet, but the pot was filled with goji berries and a few ginseng roots...

Does Lin Youzhi usually eat such nourishing food?

"Sister-in-law, is Brother Youzhi not coming back again?"

Zhang Yurou wiped her face with a couple of tissues, shook her head with some helplessness, and said:

"He said there's something with the project today and needs to entertain a client. Otherwise, the engineering payment delayed for half a year can't be settled."

Lin Feng made a noise of acknowledgment, unsure how to respond, and buried himself in scrolling through the latest news on his phone.

Neighbor Lin Youzhi was once the village big brother. Later, he became a live-in son-in-law after marrying Zhang Yurou and, leveraging his wife's family connections, made a lot of money in engineering over the years.

He went from running a dirt truck team to being a contractor, and now many construction sites in Haicheng outsource to his team.

But since becoming successful, his visits home became less frequent.

Despite nearly ten years of marriage, 32-year-old Zhang Yurou still hadn't conceived.

Thinking about this, Lin Feng inadvertently brought up:

"Brother Youzhi recently bought a new car, a latest model Benz, right? Sister-in-law, maybe it's time you both think about having kids."

"With a child, Brother Youzhi might settle down and focus more on home."

Lin Feng, unaware of the sensitivity of his words, hit a sore spot for the woman in front of him. Zhang Yurou blushed awkwardly, explaining:

"Your big brother wanted to earn more money in the earlier years and wore his body out, leaving some health issues. He's been recuperating recently."

"You don't need to worry about this..."

Lin Feng looked at the half ginseng in his bowl and gave a sheepish smile.

Quickly changing the subject, Zhang Yurou said:

"By the way, Xiaofeng, how come you're back so early today? Didn't you go to work?"

Lin Feng hesitated for a moment but eventually shared the news of his resignation.

Zhang Yurou frowned slightly, concerned:

"That's not good at all. Without a decent job, how will you marry a wife in the future? Do you plan to remain single forever?"

"How about I have Brother Youzhi arrange something for you?"

Thinking about life on the construction site, which seemed even less appealing than his previous office job, Lin Feng quickly declined:

"No worries, sister-in-law. I've already found something, starting in a few days. Right now, I just want to take a break and relax."

"Oh, and the news said there's going to be a once-in-a-century solar eclipse tomorrow morning. If you're out for a morning run, remember not to stare at it directly; it could damage your eyes."

Zhang Yurou nodded, her gaze lingering on Lin Feng, her lips pursed as if in thought.

"Sister-in-law?"

Lin Feng called out when he noticed Zhang Yurou had been lost in thought for a while.

Startled, Zhang Yurou shivered slightly, feeling a chill after sweating a lot from her night run, making her susceptible to catching a cold.

"Uh, got it... You enjoy your meal; I'll go take a shower."

"Don't eat too much instant noodles when you're home alone. Come over to my place for meals these days if you have time; there's always an extra pair of chopsticks for you."

With that, she got up and left.

Watching Zhang Yurou's departing figure, Lin Feng finished his soup and sighed. Despite being such a virtuous and perfect woman, she was left alone at home...

It seems every family has its own struggles.

Lin Feng rubbed his temples, and after eating his fill, sleepiness overcame him. He rubbed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

Meanwhile, across the way, Zhang Yurou lay alone on her soft bed, feverish and unable to sleep all night.

…

The next day, Lin Feng abruptly woke up at 6:30 AM, washed up, and got dressed. As he stood at the door, he realized that he didn't have to go to work anymore.

Suddenly, the sky outside turned dark.

When Lin Feng checked his phone, there was only one signal bar, and the time was 7:30 AM.

The solar eclipse was supposed to start after 8:00 AM—why was it early?!

Puzzled, he walked to the window and looked up.

At that moment, the sun appeared ink-black, with only a ring of blood-red, eerie light around its edge.

Lin Feng felt a sharp pain in his eyes and quickly looked down, closing his eyes. When he opened them again, a string of unknown characters appeared in his vision, like floating electronic floaters.

Before he could figure out what was happening, a luxury car suddenly crashed into a pillar in the driveway, stopping with a bang.

It was Lin Youzhi's new car!

Lin Feng's expression changed, and he hurried downstairs, calling for an ambulance on the way.

Opening the car door, he saw Lin Youzhi clutching his stomach, covered in blood, his face pale.

Upon seeing Lin Feng, Lin Youzhi grasped his wrist tightly:

"Cough... Lin Feng, take this..."

He pulled out a blood-stained handgun and pressed it into Lin Feng's hand.

"Take care of your sister-in-law for me, and take her... take her away... Bugs, so many bugs..."

Before he could finish, Lin Youzhi's eyes widened, and he died unwillingly.

Amid the sudden chaos, Lin Feng was at a loss. Then a scream came from the back of the car. Looking up, he saw a young woman in black thigh-high stockings and a tight skirt suit, her hair disheveled and trembling.

"What exactly happened?"

Lin Feng urgently asked, but before the woman could answer, more horrifying screams echoed nearby!

In the dim light, five or six giant red beetles, each about two meters in size, had stormed through the community gate, attacking and tearing at people on electric bikes.

What... what the hell are these things!?

Lin Feng's pupils contracted sharply, adrenaline surging as he sprinted back to the stairwell. The woman in the car finally snapped out of it, quickly opening the door and following Lin Feng into the residential building.

After locking the iron door, Lin Feng, holding the hefty gun, panted heavily, drenched in sweat.

As he stared at the gun, the characters floating in his vision began to change:

"Identifying..."

"Low-quality handgun lv1/9, white quality"

"Upgrade points: 6/10, Damage: 3, Effective range: 15 meters, Remaining bullets: 6/12"

"Evaluation: This is a crudely made replica gun, but it doesn't affect its lethality. Hit targets to earn corresponding upgrade points."

"Bind as equipment to activate character attributes."

Lin Feng's eyes lit up as if seeing a lifeline. Just then, the voice of the tall woman in the business suit, slightly trembling, reached his ears:

"You're Lin Feng, right? President Lin just said you should take care of me..."

"Yes, I am your sister-in-law."