I'm the Richest in the World

Adam carried the money back to the quiet park. He sat on the familiar bench and summoned the two duffel bags from his inventory. The reality of his new wealth was sitting right beside him. 

A million dollars in cash. He stared at the bags and wondered what he should do now. This money was a weapon a tool a key. But a key was useless if you did not know which door to unlock.

As he sat there surrounded by the morning calm a memory from his past life surfaced with perfect clarity. It was a piece of future knowledge a secret that could make him more powerful than any amount of cash. 

He remembered a small tech company a startup that would be founded in just a few days. In its beginning the company would struggle terribly. 

It would be on the verge of bankruptcy constantly searching for investors who believed in its vision.

That vision was revolutionary. It was an idea to completely replace the old clunky keypad phones with something new. A device that was all screen. A true smartphone.

Adam knew this because in the future this same small struggling company would grow into a global giant. It would dominate the entire smartphone market. 

Its operating system the Open World Operating System would become the standard for the entire world. Thinking of this lit a fire in Adam's mind. A genuine smile touched his lips. 

This was his path. He stood up put the bags and his few books back into his inventory and started to walk.

He was expelled from college a failure in the eyes of the world. But he possessed one million dollars and knowledge of the next ten years. He considered his skill. 

He could easily turn his million into two million then four. He could copy the bills endlessly. But a single critical detail stopped him. Every bill had a unique serial number. 

If he created a copy and both the original and the copy entered circulation a red flag would eventually be raised. A bank would notice. 

An investigation would begin. It was a ticking time bomb. The risk was too great. Adam decided he would earn his fortune a more direct way. His skill had uses far beyond simple counterfeiting.

He first thought about getting a room at the cheap hostel near the university. It was a logical place to lay low. But then he stopped walking. A new thought entered his head. 

That was the old Adam's plan. A plan born from a life of struggle and hardship. He was no longer that person. He had a million dollars and a power that defied logic. 

He would not hide in the shadows. He would not live a life of struggle even for a day.

He turned and walked in a new direction. He headed toward the city center toward the most expensive five-star hotel. He walked into the grand marble lobby and booked their best suite. 

The room cost two thousand five hundred dollars a single night. He devised a quick strategy. He paid the receptionist with half real cash and half perfectly copied bills. 

The one-time transaction with a mix of serial numbers was a low-risk way to use his power.

When he entered his suite he was stunned. The room was larger than his entire family home back in the village. It had floor-to-ceiling windows with a breathtaking view of the city. 

He had never even imagined a place like this existed. He walked over to the massive bed and fell onto it. The mattress was incredibly soft a cloud compared to the hard park bench. 

The sharp pain in his back from sleeping on the wooden slats began to fade into a dull ache finally easing.

He knew he could not rest for long. James Walker and his father Mayor Logan were out there. They were the ones who had destroyed his first life. 

They would soon start hunting for him in this life too. He could not live in peace until he had his revenge. To do that he needed power and money was the greatest power of all.

Adam left the luxurious hotel. He needed to build his empire. He went straight to the city's most high-end computer store. He walked in and immediately felt the eyes of the staff on him. They looked at his simple clothes with suspicion and disdain. Adam understood. To them he was just some poor kid who had wandered into the wrong place. He made a mental note. He needed new clothes immediately.

But first he had a business to start. A small venture to enhance his one million dollars. He walked through the aisles ignoring the staff. He looked at the best computer components. 

He focused on the latest generation of CPUs the most powerful ones on the market. He silently copied them into his inventory.

His eyes then landed on a special display. It was a new game console the GamingStation. It was incredibly popular but also very expensive. Next to them were several large arcade machines. 

The kind found in gaming centers. Adam saw them and a clever idea began to form in his mind. He walked past them casually copying each machine into his system. 

He checked his inventory. It was now filled with a treasure trove of high-end technology. He left the store empty-handed. The staff watched him go with looks of relief and contempt.

Adam did not go back to the hotel. He went to a high-end clothing store. He bought several sets of expensive designer clothes without even looking at the price tags. 

He changed into a stylish outfit in the store's changing room. He emerged looking like a completely different person. He no longer looked like a poor student. He looked like the son of a wealthy family.

Now he was ready.

He went straight to a crowded arcade in a busy part of town. The place was loud filled with flashing lights and the sounds of games. He knew from his future knowledge that the arcade trend would eventually die. 

But he also knew that for the next year or two it was at its absolute peak. The place was packed with young people.

Adam walked inside and looked around. The machines were all old. They were last-generation models. This was his opportunity. He searched for the owner and saw a woman sitting behind a counter looking down at a ledger. Adam walked up and knocked gently on the counter.

The woman looked up her expression tired and annoyed. She saw a young man standing before her. Adam. "Yes?" she asked.

"Ma'am are you interested in some new arcade machines?" Adam asked his voice calm and polite.

The woman raised a single eyebrow. She looked him up and down. "I don't buy second-hand machines. You can leave" she said dismissively.

Adam quickly raised his hands. "No no not second-hand. These are brand new. The latest generation. If you find they are second-hand in any way I will give you your money back."

The woman paused. She looked at Adam's expensive new clothes. He did not look like someone who would be selling old junk. His words sounded a little more believable now. She considered his offer for a moment. "Alright" she said slowly her interest now piqued. "Tell me. What kind of machines do you have?"

Adam smiled. He looked at the woman and thought to himself 'Now my first deal begins.'