Arthur's fingers moved mechanically across the keyboard, the monitor's blue light glaring unnaturally bright at 3 AM. His vision had blurred—48 consecutive hours of overtime left his brain feeling like it was filled with lead.

  "Just one more revision..." he muttered to himself, instinctively hitting Ctrl+S, unaware the client had already rejected this proposal seven times.

  A sudden, sharp pain pierced his chest—like iron pliers crushing his heart. Arthur tried to scream, but his voice caught in his throat. The coffee cup on his desk toppled over, dark liquid slowly soaking through the overtime request form.

  "Beep—"

  The heart monitor flatlined.

  "Resuscitation failed. Time of death: 3:27 AM."

  When Arthur opened his eyes again, the first thing he felt was bone-chilling cold. The stench of rotting wood and damp straw invaded his nostrils, making him sneeze. Murky water droplets leaked through the thatched roof, landing on his cracked lips.

  "Brother! You're finally awake!"

  A small figure threw herself at him. Arthur squinted in the dim moonlight filtering through the roof and saw a girl of about fifteen or sixteen. Her straw-like hair was tied haphazardly with twine, her bony frame swimming in a tattered linen dress. Dark bruises circled her wrists like shackle marks.

  Memories flooded in—he had transmigrated, becoming another Arthur, a destitute youth in a fantasy world. The girl calling him "brother" was Lily, an orphan he'd picked up during a famine five years ago.

  "Lily..." Arthur tried to speak, but his voice came out as a rasp. His throat burned like sandpaper—dehydration and malnutrition had taken their toll.

  "Don't talk, brother," Lily said hurriedly, handing him a chipped clay bowl. "Drink some water first..."

  Arthur took the bowl and grimaced. The water was murky, floating with suspicious bits of debris. But thirst overpowered disgust, and he gulped it down—only to choke on the grit.

  Then, the rickety wooden door burst open.

  "You little bastard! Done playing dead?"

  Three hulking men barged in. The leader wore filthy leather armor, a vicious scar running across his face. Arthur noticed fresh blood staining his boots.

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  "G-Grume, sir..." Lily immediately dropped to her knees, trembling. "Please, just a few more days..."

  Grume—the scarred man—grabbed Lily by her hair, forcing her head up. "A few more days? I’ve given you three months! Pay five silver coins today, or..." He drew a dagger, pressing it against Lily’s cheek. "I’ll sell this brat to the Red Lantern brothel to settle your debt!"

  Arthur’s fists clenched. Though his body was too weak to stand, years of corporate endurance kept his expression neutral.

  Ding! Host’s vital signs stable.

  Cross-dimensional Online Shopping System activated successfully.

  A translucent orange interface unfolded before Arthur’s eyes—the UI was unmistakable. It was the exact shopping app he’d just uninstalled before dying!

  Product Categories:

  ? Food: Instant noodles, compressed biscuits, self-heating hotpot...

  ? Daily Necessities: Lighters, flashlights, folding knives...

  ? Tools: Multi-tool, first-aid kits, pepper spray...

  A notification blinked at the top: Newcomer Gift: 10 System Coins.

  "I’ll count to three!" Grume’s roar snapped Arthur back to reality. "One!"

  Arthur’s fingers flew across the interface. By the time Grume shouted "Two!", he’d already selected two items:

  ? Pepper spray (2 coins)

  ? Stun baton (8 coins)

  "Three!"

  The whip came down—but Arthur yanked Lily behind him and unleashed a full blast of pepper spray into Grume’s eyes.

  "AAARGH! MY EYES!"

  While Grume writhed, Arthur jammed the stun baton into the other two thugs. Blue-purple arcs lit up the darkness as they convulsed and collapsed like fish on a dock.

  "Y-You…" Grume staggered back, clutching his face. "What kind of black magic—?!"

  Arthur didn’t answer. He pressed the baton to Grume’s neck.

  "ZZZT—"

  With a final scream, Grume joined his men on the floor.

  Lily stood frozen, her mouth hanging open.

  Panting, Arthur assessed his remaining strength. He’d been an office drone in his past life, but mandatory university military training had taught him basic combat. Combined with modern tools, overpowering a few muscle-headed thugs wasn’t hard.

  "Now," he said, grinding his boot into Grume’s hand, his voice icy. "Take your men and get out. I’ll deliver the rent tomorrow."

  When the thugs finally scrambled away, Arthur noticed Lily staring at him with a mix of awe and confusion.

  "Brother… since when did you…?"

  Arthur didn’t explain. Instead, he reopened the system. He was down to 0 coins, but survival came first.

  He selected a pack of Braised Beef Instant Noodles (2 coins).

  When the familiar orange packaging materialized in his hands, Arthur nearly wept. He tore it open, dumped the seasoning into the broken bowl, and told Lily to boil water.

  "What is this?" Lily poked the noodle brick curiously.

  "Overtime fuel," Arthur said wryly. "I ate this all the time before."

  The moment hot water hit the noodles, rich aroma flooded the shack. Lily’s eyes widened, her nose twitching like a rabbit’s.

  "S-So… good…"

  Arthur let her have the first bite. She slurped a spoonful of broth, and her entire face lit up like the night sky.

  "This is amazing!" she mumbled through a full mouth. "Even better than Old John’s tavern stew!"

  Watching Lily devour the noodles, Arthur’s nose stung. In his past life, he’d hated this cheap junk food. Now, it was a delicacy.

  "Slow down. It’s all yours."

  He ruffled Lily’s straw-like hair, silently vowing: This time, I won’t let her starve.

  Moonlight streamed through the roof, illuminating a moldy pile of potatoes in the corner. Arthur stared at what should have been their staple food—and realized something.

  In this world, instant noodles could sell for a fortune.

  A bold plan began forming in his mind.