The next morning, Voss was jolted awake by his alarm. Seeing nine o'clock on the display, he leapt out of bed, buzzing with excitement.
"Tom! Jerry! Get up! We're paying the rent today!"
At the words paying the rent, Tom and Jerry shot upright. The fifteen hundred dollars they'd earned the night before was enough to finally escape their landlord's threats of eviction.
Voss carefully counted out eight hundred dollars, slipped it into an envelope, then divided the remaining seven hundred into two stacks: one for living expenses, the other for paperwork and documents.
"Let's go! First stop—the landlord's."
The landlord, an Italian-American man in his sixties, lived on the first floor. He was notorious for his stern demeanor, especially toward tenants who fell behind on rent.
Knock, knock, knock. Voss rapped on the door.
"Who is it?" came a gruff, impatient voice.
"It's me, Voss. I've got the rent."
The door creaked open, and the old man's face appeared. The moment he saw the envelope in Voss's hand, his expression softened.
"Oh, it's Mr. Nibbler. Did you bring the rent?"
"Yes, sir. Eight hundred dollars—every cent. Here you go." Voss handed him the envelope.
The landlord counted the bills carefully, then gave a curt nod. "Good. Make sure it's the same next month."
"Absolutely," Voss said with a relieved sigh.
With that burden lifted, the trio rushed to the pet hospital. Dr. Smith had already prepared Tom and Jerry's vaccination papers—two neat health certificates stamped with the hospital's red seal.
"Mr. Tom and Mr. Jerry are both perfectly healthy, and their shots are all up to date," Dr. Smith said with a smile. "They'll have no trouble entering public spaces from now on."
"That's wonderful! Thank you, Doctor!" Voss accepted the certificates as though they were priceless treasures.
Leaving the clinic, he checked his watch. It was only eleven. Tom's piano gig wasn't until the evening, and the permit for street performing would take at least two weeks to process.
"How about we walk through Central Park?" Voss suggested. "We've got nothing else to do for now."
Tom and Jerry eagerly agreed. They hadn't yet taken the time to really explore New York since arriving in this world.
Central Park, the green heart of the city, stretched across 843 acres of lakes, lawns, woods, and winding paths. Even on a weekday, it bustled with tourists and locals—joggers, picnickers, families with kids.
"Man, this place is gorgeous," Voss said, taking in a deep breath of crisp air.
Tom and Jerry, however, couldn't resist the call of the wide, green lawns. The moment they spotted the open space, they bolted.
"Hey! Don't go too far!" Voss shouted, chasing after them.
Tom rolled through the grass and leapt after butterflies, while Jerry dove headfirst into a flower bed, sniffing the blooms.
Watching them play so freely, Voss sat down on a bench, a rare peace settling over him. But soon his mind started turning.
Sure, Tom's piano shows brought in money, enough to keep them afloat for now. But depending solely on them? That wasn't a future.
"I can't just freeload forever," he muttered, eyes on the two chasing each other in the distance. "Relying only on their performances while I contribute nothing… that's not living."
Another thought gnawed at him. The summoning system—when would it activate again? If more characters appeared, their cramped little apartment wouldn't be nearly enough.
"I need a bigger place," he thought, rubbing his temples. "A house, ideally. Somewhere outside Hell's Kitchen."
But then reality hit him. This was New York, where even a halfway decent house could cost millions. A detached home? A villa? Out of the question with his current earnings.
"Forget it… one step at a time," he sighed. "First, I need to figure out what I can actually do."
Writing novels—that was all he had. In his past life, and now in this one, it was his only real skill.
Then it hit him. Novels… wait. Does this world even have web novels?
The thought made him leap to his feet. If this Marvel universe didn't have online serial fiction…
"Tom! Jerry! Come here!" Voss called out, eyes blazing.
Tom froze mid-roll in the grass, and Jerry poked his head out of the flowers.
"Hurry! There's something important I need to check!"
The three of them dashed out of Central Park. Voss scanned the streets frantically.
"Internet café, I need an internet café!" he muttered. "I don't have a computer, so that's my only option."
Finally, on a side street, he spotted one: Digital World.
"This is it!" Voss pushed the door open.
The place reeked of cigarette smoke. Dozens of computers buzzed as people played games, browsed forums, or streamed videos.
"Ten dollars an hour, prepaid," said the pierced, green-haired cashier.
"New York prices, huh? Figures," Voss grumbled inwardly as he handed over the cash.
He led Tom and Jerry to their assigned computer. "Stay quiet, you two. Don't distract me."
Sitting down, he cracked his knuckles and opened the browser. His fingers trembled as he typed: Battle Through the Heavens.
The results popped up—but none of them had anything to do with the novel.
Voss's heartbeat quickened. He tried again: Douluo Continent,Perfect World,Against the Gods.
Nothing. Not a single hit.
His hands shook. "No way… they don't exist here?"
To be sure, he searched "web novels."
The results were disappointing—digital versions of traditional literature, but no serialized online fiction, no voting systems, no reader rewards.
"Holy crap… there really aren't any!" Voss nearly jumped out of his chair, startling Tom and Jerry.
To double-check, he searched for classics. Journey to the West. Dream of the Red Chamber. Hamlet. Romeo and Juliet. All were here. Classical literature existed. But web novels? Completely absent.
Voss's eyes gleamed. "This is it. I can bring every legendary web novel over. I'll be the pioneer of an entire genre in this world."
He clenched his fists. "I'm going to be rich. Beyond rich. Battle Through the Heavens, Douluo Continent, Perfect World… they're all mine!"
Tom, worried by his manic grin, patted his arm gently.
"I'm fine, just—too happy," Voss said, taking a deep breath. "This is our ticket to a new life."
He dug deeper into the publishing industry here. Sure enough, there were online reading sites, but they only uploaded traditional books. No serialization. No interactive models.
"This is an open door—no, a golden door!" he muttered.
Jerry hopped onto the keyboard, his paws mashing random keys until the screen filled with nonsense.
"Not now, buddy," Voss said, scooping him up. "Big brother has work to do."
His mind spun with plans. First, he'd publish a novel—Battle Through the Heavens—online. If it took off, he'd launch his own platform.
Hours slipped by as he researched. Finally, he shut the browser, his path clear.
"That's enough for today. Time to start writing."
Tom and Jerry, bored after two hours of staring at a screen, perked up instantly.
"Let's head home," Voss said, energized. "Today might be the day everything changes."
On the way out, he was already muttering the story's opening lines: "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river—don't bully the young just because they're poor!"
Tom and Jerry traded puzzled looks, but smiled anyway.
"Just wait," Voss whispered, his eyes blazing. "This world is about to learn what a real web novel looks like."