Liu Ziyang lay slumped on the creaking, broken sofa in his rented apartment, staring at the "Balance less than 100 yuan" notification on his phone screen. His temples throbbed. Just three days ago, he was a project manager at an internet company; now, he was part of the unemployed masses, without enough money in his pocket to even cover next week's rent.

"Grrrrumble—" His stomach growled at an inconvenient moment. He fished out the last packet of instant noodles from the fridge, three days past its expiry date. Just as he tore open the packaging, his phone screen suddenly went black, then a flashy, golden interface popped up.

[Ding! Host detected in a life low point, "Loss Rebate" System is binding...]