In a parallel universe, unrelated to our reality...
"Rejected again? Seems like fate doesn't want me to be a wage worker!"
Zhang Kai gazed at the rejection email from the company he applied to, his face etched with worry.
How many rejections had it been? If this continued, not only would his quality of life decline, but he might even have to move to a more dilapidated and remote house.
Was his only option to work on a construction site? Although the pay was decent, Zhang Kai had his reservations. He could endure the hardship for the sake of money, but the thought of his parents learning that their son, for whom they had spent a fortune on university education, ended up working on a construction site, might just kill them with disappointment.
Scratching his head, Zhang Kai pulled out his phone and launched the game 'Honor of Kings'. Forget it, he thought, a game might ease his worries and let him vent his frustration on the virtual enemies.
As he entered the game and started a match with his favorite character, Luban, he focused intently on the battle, slowly getting into the zone and dominating the field.
"Damn it, does this Yao even know how to play? Can't she see I'm slaughtering everyone? Why follow Lu Bu? That idiot has already fed the enemy five kills!"
"Whoa, Kay, misunderstanding, let me go!"
"Aargh, so close, don't kill me, get away!"
He was cursing at his support player when suddenly, Kay burst out of a nearby bush. Zhang Kai frantically tried to escape with Luban, but Kay, already having been killed thrice by Zhang Kai, seemed determined to finish off Luban at all costs.
Sweat formed in Zhang Kai's palms as he desperately manipulated his character. Just as Kay was about to land a killing blow, something incredible happened. Zhang Kai's thumb pressed into the phone screen and, with a swipe, the attacking Kay was pushed away by an unseen force, missing his attack.
Stunned by what he just witnessed, Zhang Kai forgot to counterattack.
Did I just push Kay away? But how did my hand go into the phone?
His thumb moved again, reaching into the phone's interface as if dipping into water, without any resistance. The charging Kay was blocked by his finger and couldn't get close to Luban.
What the hell? Is this real?
Could this be the legendary 'golden finger' power?
A moment of shock was quickly replaced by exhilaration. With this golden finger, who needs games? Experimenting with this newfound ability was far more crucial.
Ignoring Luban, Zhang Kai started to explore this phenomenon with his phone. He discovered that not only his thumb but his entire right hand could enter the phone. He could even touch the virtual battlefield of 'Honor of Kings', feeling the texture of Luban's face, which felt surprisingly real.
As Kay charged at him again, Zhang Kai instinctively withdrew his hand, and the next moment, something magical happened. Luban was pulled out of the game and into the real world, transforming into a one-meter-tall figure before dissolving into a stream of data and vanishing.
Shocked and thrilled, Zhang Kai could only think of one thing: he had just pulled a character out of his phone!
This was incredible!
Laughing at the confused Kay left in the game, Zhang Kai exited and opened Tencent Video, his eyes shining with excitement.
He had an experiment in mind, a gateway to untold riches, if it worked. He searched for the movie "Hello Mr. Billionaire", a film about sudden wealth that had once been a sensation.
The scene that had left the biggest impression on him was the mountain of cash in the bank's vault. It was an unforgettable sight, something he had often fantasized about. If only he had that much money...
What was once a dream might now become reality.
Hoping the money wouldn't disappear like the game characters, Zhang Kai fast-forwarded to the scene where the characters were in the vault with the wheelchair. Despite having seen the movie multiple times, the sight of those stacks of cash under the lights still stunned him.
Ten billion in cash, the visual impact was unparalleled.
If only it were all his...
His mouth went dry, his palms sweaty, and his heart raced as he reached into the screen towards the red banknotes. His hand easily penetrated the screen, and he grabbed a stack of cash, pulling it out swiftly.
Sure enough, he held real cash in his hand. Chairman Mao's portrait was familiar and comforting. Zhang Kai waited nervously. One second, two seconds, a minute... The notes stayed real in his hand!
This was it, he had struck gold!
His hands trembling, Zhang Kai counted the money - ten bundles, ten thousand each, a total of one hundred thousand.
Just a stretch of the hand, and he had made a hundred thousand!
The feel of the money, its smell, was intoxicating. After calming his excitement, Zhang Kai inspected the bills. They were a few years old but still usable.
But a hundred thousand was not enough. He could get more! He looked at his phone, where the movie plot continued as if nothing had happened. Even if someone noticed, what could they do? Could the character come out of the phone and demand the money back?
Smiling smugly, Zhang Kai paused the movie at the same scene and began pulling out more cash. He kept extracting bundles of notes, eventually emptying the movie's vault.
His small apartment was soon filled with a mountain of cash. After a while, he realized there was no more space to put the money.
Just a moment ago, he was worried about finding a job, and now he was worried about where to store all this cash? Life's ups and downs were truly thrilling.
But with the money gone from the movie, would it still play?
Curious, he resumed the movie, only to find it glitching and crashing. Had his actions ruined this blockbuster for everyone?
Eager to find out, Zhang Kai dug out his old, sluggish laptop. He opened Tencent Video and searched for "Hello Mr. Billionaire". To his surprise, it played normally, the vault full of cash.
Pausing the movie, he extracted another bundle of notes. It seemed his golden finger only affected one device at a time. He could plunder the same movie across multiple devices for endless wealth.
Understanding more about his golden finger, Zhang Kai couldn't contain his excitement. He threw himself onto the cash mountain, rolling in ecstasy.
After calming himself, he pocketed two bundles of cash and stepped out. Now it was time for the second experiment: to see if the money was usable. If not, it was just fancy toilet paper.
At a nearby ATM, Zhang Kai inserted his bank card. His balance was a mere 1750.42 yuan.
But now, if this cash was real, he would be a billionaire.
His heart pounding, he deposited a bundle of cash. After a long wait, the deposit was successful, and his balance showed 11750.42 yuan.
From this moment on, Zhang Kai was a billionaire!