At that moment, a translucent screen appeared in front of Eric Bennett. He could see it clearly, but Brian Carter and Adam Clark seemed completely oblivious and didn’t notice a thing.

Heavenly Reward System.

Host: Eric Bennett, 22 years old.

You reap what you sow—effort brings reward.

Skills:

Cooking, average, (297/500).

Assembling and repairing computers, beginner, (89/100).

Fitness, average, (272/500).

Architectural design, beginner, (42/100).

Driving, excellent, (237/1000).

Fishing, average, (222/500).

…………

The sudden appearance of the system startled Eric Bennett, but on the surface, he just flicked the cigarette between his fingers and quickly calmed down. As an experienced driver, someone who often drove his sedan hundreds of kilometers on the highway to the provincial capital, he had to stay steady behind the wheel.

Eric Bennett smiled and said, “When are we heading out? Just so you know, I only know a bit about assembling computers. If you get ripped off, don’t blame me.”

Brian Carter waved his hand confidently. “No way, definitely not. I heard that some shops in Hailong Building are super shady. A friend went to build a PC, the shop talked a big game, but gave him a second-hand CPU and refurbished RAM.”

“You can get scammed out of a thousand or two. Even if you just know a little, you’re way better than us total newbies.”

Eric Bennett almost spat out his food. In his previous forty years before transmigrating—his past life?—he majored in advertising design in college, played around with PS and 3DsMAX, graduated and was immediately unemployed, hung around internet cafes and computer malls, worked all kinds of sales jobs.

Including running a stall at the night market. Later, in 2016, he started driving long-distance routes professionally, using a private car without an operating license to take people from the county to the provincial capital. It looked profitable—four passengers per trip, each paying 50 for a one-way ride of over 100 kilometers, 200 per trip, and picking up two or three people on the way back for another hundred-plus.

Two trips a day, grossing six or seven hundred.

But with traffic fines, getting caught for running an unlicensed car and facing huge penalties… plus needing rest, car repairs, fuel costs, highway tolls, and so on, it was all just hard-earned money. And he was out of work for a long time because of the pandemic.

So, the system showed his driving as excellent.

As for assembling and repairing computers, that must have been left over from his days as a computer assembly salesman in the provincial capital’s computer mall before transmigrating.

Eric Bennett’s current identity after transmigrating was also a recent graduate, still hadn’t found a place to move out of the dorm. Whether it was Brian Carter, Adam Clark, or the late David Cooper who committed suicide, they were all locals from the capital. All with architecture degrees, yet none had found a job in their field.

And him? In 2007, it was the last golden age for assembling desktop computers. In another two or three years, they’d be swept away by ever-advancing branded laptops, tablets, smartphones, and so on.

These days, if you don’t know what you’re doing and go to Hailong Building or other computer malls, it’s standard to get scammed out of a few hundred on a big CRT monitor and a desktop tower.

If a shop doesn’t make over a thousand on a custom build, they’re considered honest!

As for David Cooper, who committed suicide, he just couldn’t find a job paying even 800 a month, and the pressure drove him to take his own life.

Chapter 2: First, Lay Low and See How Things Go

A moment later, the three of them were walking through the campus of Beijing University of Architecture. Adam Clark smiled and said, “Old Wang, when are you planning to move out of the dorm?”

“How much longer can we stay in the dorms?”

Eric Bennett shook his head. “Let’s wait and see. I’ll stay as long as I can.”

Brian Carter grinned. “If you don’t have a place, come stay at my place! I’m renting a one-bedroom near Honglingjin Bridge on the East Fourth Ring, 1,500 a month. Living alone is great.”

Eric Bennett, “……”

He didn’t even know how to respond. There were countless people fighting over jobs that paid 800 a month, and no one could find a job in their field after college.

And you’re telling me about a place that rents for 1,500 a month?!

Then he remembered, Brian Carter’s adoptive father Jason Carter was an unremarkable mid-level official. That explains it.

Even Adam Clark’s dad was a cop—two bars, three stars. He could just go home, no problem.

That’s the struggle of the post-80s generation. Luckily, he had the system.

As the three of them walked toward the bus stop outside campus, Eric Bennett smiled and said, “I haven’t found a job yet, can’t afford rent. Not having to live in a basement is already good enough.”

Brian Carter joked, “Help me build a good PC today, and I’ll spread the word for you. How many graduates want to save up for a computer? There are plenty of freshmen too.”

“If this business works out, it’ll pay better than a regular job.”

Eric Bennett nodded. “Thanks for the good word.”

He had experience selling custom PCs in the provincial capital’s computer mall in his past life. Thinking about the trends of the times, this really could be a temporary way to get by.

The rest of the trip was smooth. The three of them took the bus from school to Hailong Building. Seeing the sea of people, Eric Bennett was especially moved—he’d never been to the capital in his previous life.

Who would’ve thought that on his first day after transmigrating, he’d be touring Beijing?

The three of them made their way through the crowd toward the building’s entrance. A figure approached with a smile and handed over a business card. “Looking to buy a computer, bro? Whether it’s a brand-name or a custom build, you can’t go wrong with me…”

Zhongguancun’s Hailong Building was, at this stage, one of the most famous new landmarks in all of Beijing. Before smartphones took over the world, whether it was laptops or desktops, this was one of the largest retail centers.

2007 was also its peak golden era.