Prologue: The Accident

The night was still, the city a symphony of flickering lights and distant car horns. Lucas Evans sat behind the wheel of his old sedan, eyes heavy from exhaustion. The weight of the day pressed on his shoulders like an anvil. Another long shift at the tech firm, another paycheck stretched too thin. His mind wandered to Emily, his wife, probably tucking the twins, Leo and Liam, into bed. His heart ached at the thought of their tired smiles, always understanding, always patient, even when he couldn't be home in time to say goodnight.

“I’ll do better,” he murmured to himself, gripping the steering wheel tighter as he navigated the dark, familiar streets. "I’ll give them more. I have to."

But life, it seemed, was deaf to his promises.

The headlights of a truck appeared out of nowhere, blinding him. A screeching horn. The sharp sound of metal tearing through metal. Pain shot through his chest, the force of the impact crushing the air from his lungs. Time slowed to a crawl as the world around him spun and blurred. His mind struggled to comprehend the finality of what was happening.

This can’t be it, he thought, heart pounding in desperation. Not like this.

A distant memory flickered in the haze of his mind—Emily laughing, her eyes sparkling like the first time they’d met. The boys chasing each other across the living room floor, their giggles filling the house. He could almost hear their voices, feel the warmth of their small hands in his. He wasn’t ready to leave them. He hadn’t done enough for them.

But everything was slipping away. The world turned dark, the sounds around him faded, and the last thing he saw was the shattered glass glinting like stars against the black sky.

And then, nothing.

For a moment, there was peace. No pain. No worries. Just an endless void, calm and quiet, like drifting into a deep, dreamless sleep.

BEEP… BEEP… BEEP…

Lucas' eyes fluttered open to an unfamiliar sound a rhythmic, mechanical beeping. Slowly, the darkness lifted, replaced by a sharp light overhead. His body felt strange. Lighter. His chest, where he had felt the crushing blow, no longer ached.

As his vision cleared, Lucas realized he wasn’t in a hospital bed. He wasn’t even in his own world.

He blinked at the sight in front of him. Polished marble floors, towering glass windows that overlooked a city far grander than anything he’d ever known. The walls were lined with art that looked like they belonged in a museum, and the air smelled faintly of leather and fresh linen. He sat up slowly, staring at the massive room in confusion. The bed beneath him was soft, the sheets made of something finer than he’d ever touched.

Where am I? he thought, panic rising in his chest. This wasn’t his small, cluttered apartment. This wasn’t his world.

A strange voice echoed through the silence, crisp and mechanical.

“Welcome, Host. You have been chosen by the Ultimate Investor System.”

Lucas whipped his head around, trying to locate the source of the voice. There was no one there—just the pristine luxury of the penthouse.

“What—what is this?” His voice was hoarse, barely more than a whisper.

“You have been transmigrated to a parallel world,” the voice continued, indifferent to his confusion. “In this world, wealth is power. Your goal is simple: accumulate unimaginable fortune, spoil your family, and live the life you’ve always dreamed of. The Ultimate Investor System will guide you.”

Lucas’ heart raced. “A system? Wealth? What are you talking about?”

“Starting capital: $1 million. Use the system’s features to invest, manage assets, and dominate the financial markets. Do you wish to begin?”

He stared at the opulence around him in disbelief, his mind spinning. This had to be some sort of twisted dream, a hallucination. But the numbers on a sleek tablet next to the bed showed otherwise: a bank account with seven figures stared back at him.

A million dollars.

"Is this... real?" Lucas whispered to himself, feeling the weight of everything crashing down on him. He'd just been in an accident. He should be dead. But instead, here he was, in a penthouse with wealth he'd never imagined, with a voice telling him that he could have the life he'd always wanted money, success, security. A life where his family would never have to struggle again.

A second chance.

"Yes," he said, his voice trembling with both fear and hope. "I'll begin."

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