The Broke Billionaire's System: Spend to Survive

Intense Night at a Five-Star Hotel

"Do not press that button," the voice echoed again, this time feeling like an ancient vibration crawling up from the base of Johann's spine.

Johann was transfixed. His fingertip hovered a few millimeters from the surface of the blue-glowing credit card. In front of him, the Auditor woman took a step back. Her once-cold face turned deathly pale. She no longer cared about Freya lying on the floor; her attention was fixed on something behind Johann's shoulder.

"Who are you?" Johann asked again. His voice cracked, filled with deep anxiety.

Before the mysterious voice could answer, the bullet from the sniper in the building across the street erupted. The sound broke the silence of the night like a giant whip. Johann didn't have time to dodge.

However, instead of piercing his flesh, the bullet stopped in mid-air right in front of his face, locked within a transparent energy bubble he had never seen before.

"Too slow," whispered a heavy voice.

Johann turned his head. Freya still had her eyes closed, her breath coming in ragged gasps from the wound in her shoulder. Johann couldn't let this woman die. He took a deep breath, ignoring the warning voice in his head, and pressed the payment confirmation button.

[CREDIT BALANCE DEDUCTED: $50,000,000. CELLULAR RECOVERY ACTIVE.]

A warm golden light enveloped Freya. The wound on her shoulder closed in an instant, leaving behind a reddish mark that slowly faded. Freya opened her eyes, gasping for air, then immediately lunged upward with a knife in her hand. She scanned her surroundings, searching for the threat.

"What happened?" Freya asked. She stared at Johann, who now stood with a limp, exhausted body.

"I just went fifty million dollars into debt with a digital loan shark," Johann replied flatly, trying to hide his fear behind a bad joke.

The female Auditor snorted. She roughly picked up her silver briefcase. "You just triggered the wrong kind of attention, Keller. That voice you heard earlier wasn't from the system. It was the residual consciousness of the original owner of the Wealth Core you stole."

"I didn't steal anything!" Johann shouted.

"Of course you didn't," the Auditor woman replied as she walked toward the shattered door. "We'll see how long you last before that soul takes over your body entirely."

After the woman left, Johann's apartment felt even quieter and more chilling. Freya approached Johann, cupping the man's face with hands that still felt cold. She looked into Johann's eyes with an intensity that made his heart beat wildly, like a drum being struck repeatedly.

"You're a fool, Johann," Freya whispered. Her voice was full of frustration and an undeniable love she could no longer hide. "Why did you sacrifice so much money for me?"

"Because you're the only thing that makes me feel like a human being, not just a janitor picking up corporate trash," Johann answered.

Freya fell silent. She took a long breath, and then, without warning, she kissed Johann. It wasn't a tactical kiss. It was a kiss loaded with desperation, longing, and a passion that had been suppressed for a long time. Johann responded, his hands wrapping around Freya's waist, pulling her closer until there was no space left between them.

In the middle of the apartment's ruins, beneath the moonlight streaming through the destroyed walls, they lost themselves in the moment. The smell of dust and gunpowder slowly faded, replaced by Freya's intoxicating scent. Johann felt the world stop turning. For a moment, he forgot about the debt, about Viktor, and about the threat of the ancient soul in his head.

"We have to get out of here," Freya whispered after they broke the kiss. Her breath was still shallow. "They'll send more Auditors. We need a safe place. A place where there are no sensors, no systems, and no corporate bosses watching."

"Where should we go?" Johann asked.

Freya gave a thin smile. She pulled out a luxury access card with the logo of the most exclusive five-star hotel in the city. "I have a stash at The Grand Ozymandias hotel. It's a neutral zone. The system can't reach the top floor of that building."

The two of them walked out of the apartment, avoiding the crowds of police officers beginning to close in on their block. Using a taxi paid for with Johann's last credit card, they reached the grand hotel in no time. The hotel lobby was incredibly opulent, with crystal chandeliers reflecting a golden light that reminded Johann of his system notifications.

As soon as they entered the private suite on the top floor, the luxury welcomed them. The room was vast, with giant glass windows displaying the glittering city lights below. A bottle of expensive wine sat on an ebony wood table, seemingly prepared by someone who knew they were coming.

Johann stepped inside, feeling incredibly small in the middle of a room whose price could probably buy his entire apartment block. Freya went straight to the bar, pouring wine into two crystal glasses. She handed one to Johann with a look that was hard to decipher.

"Drink," Freya commanded.

Johann downed it in one gulp. The taste of the expensive liquid burned his throat, yet it made him feel calmer. He watched Freya as she took off her leather jacket, revealing the shoulder that had been wounded earlier. There was a faint scar there, a testament to Johann's sacrifice.

"Why did you choose me?" Johann asked. "You're an elite mercenary, Freya. You could have any man who has everything. Why would you want to get stuck with me?"

Freya walked closer, her steps slow and teasing. She stopped right in front of Johann, her hands beginning to toy with the buttons of his dirty shirt. "Because other men only have money. They don't have the guts to blow up their own system just to save one woman they only met a few days ago."

Johann felt his face flush. "I just didn't want to see you die."

"That's more than enough of a reason," Freya replied.

She pulled Johann toward the soft velvet sofa. The atmosphere in the room became deeply intimate. Soft instrumental music drifted from somewhere, adding a strange romantic touch to their flight. Freya leaned her head on Johann's shoulder, her finger tracing the line of his jaw.

"Johann," Freya whispered, her voice now sounding very soft and trembling. "Are you afraid? Afraid that one day, that balance will run out and the system will take your life?"

Johann closed his eyes. He felt Freya's warm touch on his skin. "I'm afraid of not being able to protect you. I'm afraid that one day, when I open my eyes, I won't see the golden notifications anymore, but I won't see you either."

Freya lifted her head, looking at Johann with teary eyes. She kissed Johann's neck, a warm sensation that made the man shiver. "Then don't let me go. Keep spending, keep being crazy, and make sure we stay alive."

They spoke no more. Beneath the city lights that looked so far below, the passion that had built up over days of running finally overflowed. Johann felt every touch from Freya was a statement, a promise that they would both keep fighting this insane system.

However, in the midst of their intimacy, the phone on the suite's table suddenly rang with an incredibly loud chime. It wasn't a normal ringtone. It was the sound of a system notification appearing in Johann's vision.

[WARNING: ENERGY IMBALANCE DETECTED WITHIN SUITE. CREDIT BALANCE REACHING CRITICAL POINT. PAYMENT OVERDUE. TARGET SOUL: FREYA SCHNEIDER.]

Johann flinched, immediately pulling away from Freya's embrace. He stared at the golden screen now appearing in the air, obscuring the beautiful view outside the window. His credit balance hadn't just hit zero; it now showed a massive negative number.

"What is it?" Freya asked, her face filled with anxiety.

Johann didn't answer. He pointed toward the notification flashing red. "They're not just coming for my money balance now, Freya. They're coming for your soul as payment for the debt I made to save you."

Freya fell silent, her face that was previously full of passion now turning very serious. She reached for her weapon lying near the table, then stood up with defiance. "So, they want to play dirty? Let them come. I want to see what price they've set on my life."

Suddenly, the door to the luxury suite burst wide open.

It wasn't a hotel guard, but a man who walked in calmly, surrounded by a chilling aura that froze the air in the room. It wasn't Viktor, but this man possessed a gaze that was far more dangerous.

"Good evening, Mr. Keller," the man said with a thin smile. "I've come to collect the debt you incurred at the apartment earlier. And it seems I must take what rightfully belongs to the company."

The man raised his hand, and all the furniture in the suite began to lift into the air, held by artificial gravity created from high-level corporate magic. Freya tried to fire, but her bullets stopped mid-air, turning into grains of sand before they could even hit the target.

Johann felt his Wealth Core vibrate violently. He stared at the man, then realized that the notification in his eyes was now displaying the name of the enemy before him: [TARGET: SENIOR LEAD AUDITOR. STATUS: UNBUYABLE.]

"What do you want?" Johann asked, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

"I merely wish to negotiate," the man replied in a tone that was very polite yet deadly. "You can give Miss Schneider to us as collateral for your debt, or you can watch this building collapse with both of you inside."

Johann looked at Freya, who was preparing to attack, then back at the Auditor. He knew this was the turning point where he had to make a decision that could never be undone. He gripped Freya's hand tightly, then looked at the Auditor with a defiant gaze.

"Get out of here," Johann said in a calm but threatening voice. "If you dare touch her, I will blow this system to its very roots, even if I have to die as the poorest man in the world."

The Auditor laughed loudly, a laugh that filled the room and caused the suite's window glass to begin to crack. "Truly heroic, Keller. It’s a shame that courage holds no value in our capital market."

The man snapped his fingers, and the floor beneath their feet suddenly vanished, dropping them both into the darkness of an endless hole that appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the luxury suite.