Kirin clenched the crumpled banknotes and coins until his knuckles turned white. A wave of bitter indignation—the feeling of being screwed over in a one-sided deal—surged through him, nearly causing him to black out. He wasn't some tragic novel protagonist who would meekly accept a fate forced upon him. In his old life, he was the Game Master. He was a fighter who never yielded!
"You incompetent celestial hack!"
He shouted at the empty ceiling, launching into a fiery diatribe as if tearing apart a rival executive in a boardroom.
"You botched the job, and now you're botching the recovery! This is a clear violation of rights! Your Spirit Management Department is utterly incompetent! Your KPI is negative! This performance review gets a straight F! If Heaven were a corporation, you'd have filed for bankruptcy ages ago!"
He took a deep breath before stabbing a finger into the empty air.
"And what is this compensation package? It's like forcing a defective product on a customer and handing them a discount coupon! A weak constitution plus a biological liability attached? This is the most disadvantageous contract in the history of existence!"
The mind of a businessman versed in litigation and loopholes raced. "Just you wait! If I die in this insane world again, I will sue you into oblivion! I'll claim damages for spiritual distress! Opportunity cost for lost life expectancy! I'll sue you until you're personally bankrupt, you inept angel!"
After venting his fury for a good while, Kirin slowly calmed down. He collapsed onto the creaky wooden chair, his ragged breathing competing with the sound of the dilapidated fan spinning lazily overhead.
The anger dissipated, leaving only the cold, hard reality before him.
Time... He didn't have much of it. Cursing at invisible entities was an inefficient use of resources. Every drop of energy in this body was valuable.
Kirin closed his eyes. Inhaled deeply. Slowly. Forcing the brain that once managed a billion-baht empire to operate at peak efficiency again. He was no longer in an air-conditioned conference room, but the principles remained unchanged: Analyze the Situation, Strategize, Execute.
He began listing everything in his mind systematically.
One: The Immediate Crisis - Capital.
87 Baht could buy a few packs of instant noodles. It was insufficient to secure any strategic advantage before the apocalypse arrived. He needed a significant injection of capital, and he needed it fast.
This was the only viable option. Low investment, maximum return, short timeframe. The Lottery. specifically, the Government Lottery.
He accessed the old Kirin's memories and found that this world had a similar lottery system. And the next draw date was... Tomorrow! It seemed Heaven (despite the incompetence) was at least leaving a door open for him.
The problem? He didn't even have enough capital to buy a single ticket.
Two: Resource Acquisition & Data Gathering.
Once the funds were secured, how to allocate them for maximum utility? He needed a procurement plan.
He glanced at an old smartphone with a cracked screen resting on the table—one of the few assets the previous owner possessed. He tried powering it on... Fortunately, it still functioned and had a small amount of mobile data remaining.
Kirin wasted no time. He opened the map application, dropping pins on critical locations to visit within the next 6 days.
Three: Secure a Safe House.
He needed a location to survive the initial chaos. It had to be sturdy, have limited entry points, and be distant from high-population density zones. He zoomed in on the suburban areas, memorizing potential routes.
With the rough plan drafted, Kirin felt his strength returning. Despair was replaced by clear objectives.
He scanned the room again for any liquid assets and his eyes landed back on the smartphone. It wouldn't fetch a high price, but it should cover the cost of a few lottery tickets and perhaps enough for food to sustain him until tomorrow.
Kirin picked up the wallet containing the 87 Baht and shoved the smartphone into the pocket of the previous owner's worn-out trousers. He took another deep breath, ready to face this unfamiliar new world.
The rotting door of the rental room opened. Afternoon sunlight flooded in, revealing dust motes dancing in the air.
The boy in the frail body stepped out of the cramped room and into the outside world, which was filled with noise and chaos. The afternoon sun of Thailand in this dimension wasn't different from his old world... it was hot enough to melt asphalt. But for this weak body, the heat induced a slight spell of dizziness.
I need to adapt... and fast.
Objective 1: Liquidate the cracked smartphone into cash.
The original owner's memories guided him to a small commercial district nearby. He walked into a second-hand phone shop run by a pudgy man who looked shifty.
"What can I do for you, little brother?" the owner asked, eyes still glued to a soap opera on a small TV.
"I'm here to sell this phone," Kirin said, gently placing the device with the cracked screen onto the glass counter.
The man glanced at it briefly before picking it up and flipping it over dismissively. "Oho, the screen is shattered like this... given the condition, the best I can do is 300 Baht." He spoke as if he were doing Kirin a massive favor.
Kirin smirked. It was the same smile he used to close multi-million baht deals.
"Brother, I've checked the model specs. The screen is cracked, yes, but the motherboard is pristine, and the battery health is still optimal. Other shops would offer me 450, easy. But I'm in a rush for cash. You give me 400 flat, and we close the deal right now. I won't waste time walking to another shop."
His voice was calm but firm. The look in his eyes wasn't that of a desperate boy needing money, but the gaze of a man who knew exactly the value of the asset in his hand.