The Scumbag’s Redemption Manual: A Cross-World Journey

Business elite Lu Zeyan never imagined that his long-standing neglect of his wife would end with her accidental death.

Consumed by endless guilt, he is bound by the “Redeemer System 073” and forced to enter three thousand small worlds. From a Republic-era opium den owner who drains his wife's dowry to a doomsday hoarder who keeps all the supplies for himself, from a star commander who discriminates against civilians to a young celebrity who uses a body double, he must take over the lives of these “scumbag men,” make amends with sincerity, and soothe the resentment of their victims.

Each attempt to redeem himself involves more than a simple apology. In the Republic era, he kicks his opium habit and shuts down the den, helping his wife fulfill her dream of teaching. In the apocalypse, he gives up his supplies and protects the antibody samples, trading his life for the survivors' chance to live. In the stars, he breaks down aristocratic prejudice, pushes for legislation promoting equality among the races, and helps his lover rebuild their home.

Along the way, he gradually sheds his coldness and develops empathy. He also discovers that the person he must make amends to in every world resembles his wife, and that the sharp-tongued System 073 is the part of his heart that was torn away.

When the resentment in the final world reaches zero, Lu Zeyan returns to reality. Before he can deliver his letter of remorse outside the ICU, his wife slowly opens her eyes in her hospital bed and places her hand in his. “In my dream, I saw you save so many people.”

It turns out that the purpose of redemption across worlds was never to make amends to others, but to find the self he had lost and the beloved he had almost forgotten.