1 'Me', 'You' and 'I'
"Chuck, you're in the After-Life Realm now. You are just a fleeting little soul, standing right before 'Me'."
I have never been a devout believer in religions before. Sure, I do pray sometimes, and try my best to obey the commandments, but I have never entirely devote myself.
Fear suddenly struck my very soul.
It's pitch black all-around, I can't move any of my limbs, a voice is talking directly into my head.
At first, I thought I was dreaming, but after trying to 'wake up' from this weird situation, my heart knew…that I'm no longer alive anymore.
"I'll get you up to speed. Here's what happened when you were reading the latest 'Release That Witch' chapter."
Eh?! How does he kn-
Sh*t, Now I'm really convinced that I'm not on some sort of prank show. Nobody else knew that I read webnovels.
Immediately, a 360° degree video of a familiar bus popped up in my mind.
'Whoa, what tech is this? The video's playing right up in my consciousness!'
A white bus with blue and turquoise stripes appeared to be passing through an intersection. I looked up on the traffic light, and it was green.
'Cool feature, I can zoom-in and zoom-out of the video. Really, what generation of video-playback technology is this?'
"It's technically not a video playback. The mechanics behind this is complicated for you to understand, but I'll simplify it for you.
The information is in the form of atoms, and by relying on the axis of time and space, it is currently being projected into your soul. The information in turn, adapts to highest degree of comprehension by the receiver, which is you to be interpreted.
As a human, these are the information that could be perceived through your senses. In other words, your point-of view on what happened will be different from the point-of view of a dog or the point-of view of a housefly."
I immediately understood. This level of information technology…is far beyond our current understanding.
Without thinking any further, I watched the 'video' as if I was in a movie theater...
BLAM!
Screeeeeeech!!!!
What the f*ck? I got hit by a truck? How the f*ck…
Unconciously, I rewinded the video right before the collision. I played it in a super slow motion mode, zooming in on the truck driver's seat.
There was no one manning the truck! What on earth is going on?
I rewinded back and located the source of the incident.
Turns out, the truck is a Liebherr T 282B. It is an off-highway, ultra class, rigid frame, two-axle, diesel-electric, AC powertrain haul truck that is designed to carry up to 380 tons of weight.
After fully understanding the situation, my death could be explained as this: The construction company has bought the truck on 15th January 2008 for several mega projects. Once the projects are completed, the company stored the truck away for some time.
When a new project emerges, as a result of an unstable economic period and companies cutting down costs, no proper maintenance was done on the truck. It was operating more than 12-hours a day, more than what the standard industry practice could allow.
On that very day, the truck was loading up almost 450 tons of materials, more than what is permitted for the 2008 Liebherr T 282B model.
And at that particular moment, at 3.33 PM, its worn down brakes could not hold the truck's in place any longer and start moving down the hill.
The project was situated on a hill nearby the city, where the company is developing commercial buildings to accommodate the increasing demand for office spaces in Silicon Valley.
Weighing almost 1,000 tons and going down a 20° sloped hill, the truck gains more momentum as it cruises down and finally hit the back of the bus, which I was in, with a terrifying speed of 120 miles per hour.
As I watched the truck collided with the bus, and at the same time the moment my entire body received a whopping 53.6 million newton of force.
How did I knew all this stats and calculations?
Well, the video has that particular feature showing on every millisecond of the scene. Man this is some real hyper-tech sh*t.
I wasn't entirely happy, but at the very least I didn't have to suffer months of treatment or spend my life as a disabled person. Or worse, being in a coma for my whole life, resting the decision to euthanize me on my family's shoulders.
Just in a flicker of a second, my whole person was pulverized into nothingness. I had no time to react, scream or heck, even startle.
'I hope mum, dad, Clara and Christina is okay…'
I…just feel sad that I won't be seeing my family anymore. I had so many plans to give them a happier life, but it's true what they say; you'll not always get what you want in life.
Sigh. At least I've never done anything I'd regret to them…
'Um…hey uh, hi? Hello? Higher being? I'm sorry, I don't know your name. Can this playback to see what happens after I was hit by the truck?'
"Chuck, you call me 'You'. I will address myself as 'I' or 'Me'. Yes, it can."
As if 'You' can read my mind, he showed me the important parts, or highlights of the aftermath, if you will.
The street was packed with onlookers. Surprisingly, nobody else got hurt. Even the bus driver and the two passengers sitting in the near front.
Police, ambulance and firefighters cleared out and resolved the situation. There, I saw my body, or at least what 'remains' of it being collected and took out from various areas. I wasn't utterly disgusted or feel like puking, just…empty. To see that my life is now over. To think that a human life is so fragile.
The next scene was my parents and sisters looking devastated upon my death. The enforcers salvaged as much belongings related to me as they could. All they could find was my keys, my left shoe and my battered up cracked red iPhone 7-Plus.
Surprisingly, it withstood the impact. I guess I owe it to the O******* Company for making one of the toughest phone case ever.
Scenes of my burial, my family members sending lawsuits to the construction company, my mother crying every night holding my jackets and sweaters, my father coming into my room every morning as if I was there…was really heartbreaking.
I then paused the video.
'Hey, uh…'You'. What will happen to me now? Will I go to Heaven, o-or…Hell?'
"That's usually the case. But your contributions to the world has granted you a special 'privilege'."
Privilege? Contributions?
"Remember all the plans for the future that you have stored in your phone?"
'Yeah, why?'
"Well, your family members repaired your damaged phone and accessed into your future plans documents. Having failed to enact justice on your death, they decided to start up a tech company following your blueprints."
What? No way!
Mom and dad aren't really into tech! I mean, Clara might be, because she wanted to impress her then boyfriend, but Christina was a total klutz when it comes to technology.
''You', can the video show the future where my family members started the company?'
Immediately, a scenery where all four of them were in my room, each discussing about my future plan's implementation. I could feel their determinations, like a small spark of fire that was lit with considerable difficulty.
'Well, I guess I'm glad I registered their fingerprints in my Touch ID.'
Scenes where they started to learn programming, developing all the apps I have detailed inside my iCloud Account folders, led to the rise of a next generation of platforms all together.
My family's relentless effort and persistency finally paid off when their company went public. The apps I have devised in my head during my spare times actually went viral and propelled my family to become one of the tech giants among the big four: Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon.
I'm not sure if I am smiling right now, but my heart definitely is fluttering with happiness.
"Your family went on to exact justice to the company that caused your death. It turns out, after a hostile takeover from Chuck Tech Inc., Vigilio & Sons Constructions was bribing the justice court to avoid heavy penalties from your death. All the accounts and information showed leads of them dealing in shady businesses, utilizing underworld connections and tampering with the country's law and order."
I spewed a breath of relief. I wonder what did Clara, Christina, mum and dad went through that seven years while making the company a success.
The video then showed how most of the company's profits were channeled into research and development, spanning across multiple disciplines of studies.
"The most important of all, your family never forget the one reason why they started this company: To contribute to mankind in your behalf."
For a moment, I cried in silence. These 'tears' of joy and the proud feeling of their achievement would also equate to my achievement, although I did practically nothing.
"Chuck, because of your 'miniscule' ideas for a better future to all mankind, 'I' decided that you should be given another chance in life. Or rather, several lives."
'Several lives? What do 'You' mean?'
"Practically, throughout your 27 years 11 months 20 days 4 hours 16 minutes and 13 seconds of your life, you've never done notable good deeds to earn you a place 'Upstairs'. Nor did you commit enough grave sins to be sent 'Downstairs'.
Therefore, Chuck Adams Browne, 'I' bestow upon you a new opportunity to perform direct contributions to humanity, in a new life!"
Another chance at life?
YES!
Aww yeah, this is so unexpected! I don't even want to know what happens when a soul that is totally neutral (no good deeds or bad deeds) will go.
"Well, in actuality, a soul that has no particular good deeds or misdeeds would also be reincarnated."
'....'
I was speechless. But whatever, I've been given another chance! Isn't that a good enough opportunity to start over?
And so thus, my first life as a reincarnated person will soon begun!
