1 Rebirth

"Ah... Sister~ Don't... "

On the narrow wooden bed, Derick shouted loudly and suddenly jumped up, accidentally hitting the edge of the bed frame with a thud.

"Ouch..." Holding his slightly painful head, Derick opened his eyes in confusion. "Where am I?" He looked around and found the surroundings extremely familiar.

A cramped room with a small wooden bed, a stool and a small desk next to it, scattered with several books. The bed next to it was messy with clothes. Sunlight poured in from outside, somewhat uncomfortably bright.

Derick shook his head vigorously, finally waking up from the intense pain. The bloody scene before him slowly faded away, leaving a golden sunlight shining on the floor, shimmering with an unusual radiance.

"This... is at home? No, that can't be right," Derick widened his eyes. His back was still wet. He vaguely remembered that the last thing he saw before losing consciousness was his sister lying on the ground. How could he suddenly be back home? Could it be a dream?

Struggling to crawl to the bathroom, he splashed some water on his face. The icy cold water completely awakened Derick. "No, this isn't a dream, definitely not." With this thought in mind, he took out his phone, and it showed the date and time: July 3, 2023, 9:23 a.m.

This was the day when his sister Angelica returned by plane. He vividly remembered that he had overslept and failed to pick her up on time, causing Angelica to wait for an hour in the airport terminal.

When Derick rushed there in a hurry, what he saw was her waving goodbye with a gentle smile, without a hint of complaint. All she did was lovingly hold his hand, chattering about everyday life.

Derick replied absentmindedly, allowing his sister to lead him across the road. Little did he know, just as they were about to cross, a swaying truck came speeding towards them. In a critical moment, Angelica pushed Derick several meters away, causing him to be flung out.

When Derick climbed up with a mixture of confusion and anger, what he heard was the screeching brakes, the astonished and fearful cries of the surrounding crowd, and the red silhouette that had been thrown by the truck.

"No, no, Sister..." Derick rushed over, holding the barely conscious girl in his arms. He had never felt such fear before. The sense of impending loneliness, of losing his last family member, drove him to the brink of madness.

He held onto his sister tightly, unwilling to let go, as if by doing so, he could keep her with him.

However, despite his efforts, the girl in his arms only managed to open her mouth, as if trying to say something, but ultimately, no words came out. She trembled and touched Derick's cheek with her bloodstained hands.

"No..." Derick shouted, his fearful eyes watching his sister slowly lose her breath. In an instant, his anger overwhelmed his sorrow.

Seeing the intoxicated male driver who had gotten off the truck, swaying and holding onto the door, Derick walked over in anger. He grabbed the man by the collar and unleashed a series of punches—one, two, three...

The drunken driver screamed in agony, terrified, trying to escape, but Derick, consumed by anger, pinned him to the ground. With nothing but his bare fists, punch after punch, he beat the man mercilessly until he lost his breath...

As the explosive police surrounded him, wielding batons and shields, with a few armed police officers nearby, Derick had no reaction. He simply knelt beside his sister, holding her with her still warm hand, silently weeping...

"Sister, please, don't be like this... Okay? I'm begging you, wake up and look at me, please?" Helplessly kneeling on the ground, Derick watched the silhouette of his sister lying in a pool of blood, feeling an immense pain and sadness.

Coupled with the roller coaster of emotions, his vision slowly darkened, and he gradually passed out. The last thing he saw was his sister Angelica lying beside him...

As for why Derick remembered everything so clearly, it was because he had experienced it the day before, to be precise, in a parallel world.

The icy cold water fully awakened Derick. He wasn't dreaming; everything that happened before was real, including his sister's accident. It was just a matter of timing. He remembered leaving the house the day before at 10:47, and now it was more than an hour earlier.

"So, does that mean I've been reborn?" Derick looked at the time on the screen, astonished and somewhat incredulous. What followed was overwhelming joy and excitement.

He took a deep breath and tremblingly unlocked his phone. Finding the contact he was looking for, the first one on the list was his sister Angelica.

He tapped on it, dialed the number, and as he listened to the ringing on the other end, Derick's heart raced.

"Please pick up, please pick up..." Derick clenched his fist tightly. Before long, the call connected, and Angelica's clear and charming voice came through the phone.

Hearing that familiar voice, Derick almost cried. His shoulders trembled, and there was a long silence on the phone. Angelica on the other end seemed to sense that something was wrong. "What's the matter? Is something wrong? I just got off the plane. Should I come back directly?"

"No... no, don't..." Derick immediately became anxious and shouted into the phone. Although the timing didn't match, he couldn't let his sister take any risks. He had already lost her once, and he didn't want to lose her a second time.

Angelica was surprised by her brother's unusual tone and wanted to say something, but Derick quickly interrupted, "Sister, you're in the airport terminal. Don't come out. Wait for me to come and pick you up. Remember, don't come out."

On the other end of the phone, Angelica was very puzzled. She couldn't quite understand what Derick meant, but sensing his urgency, she agreed without hesitation.

After hanging up the phone, Derick heaved a sigh of relief. He wasn't sure if he felt joyful or excited. Although he had regrets in his previous life, fortunately, the heavens had given him a chance to make up for it. This time, he wouldn't lose his sister again, he silently vowed.

After tidying up a bit, Derick left the house directly, walked down the old-style residential building, glanced in a direction, and quickly headed towards the community gate.

At the same time, at Grizzly City Airport, Angelica, who had just disembarked from the plane, hung up the phone. She pursed her lips, lost in thought. A gentle smile seemed to appear on her cold cheek. The beautiful woman lightly shook her head and walked slowly toward the airport terminal.

The people around closely watched the girl in the striking red dress. Her flowing long hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her captivating face, rosy lips, all exuded her beauty and allure.

Yet, no one dared to approach her because Angelica's expression was too cold and proud, emitting an aura of "do not approach."