The crossroad

Mahn Li opened his eyes.

"What? Was that… a dream?" The memory was still fresh in his head. The chaotic battle. The suffocating feeling. The call… The stunning revelations. The anger. All of it was so real!

He turned his body…

…And saw a face just inches away, staring at him.

F*ck!

He almost jumped out of his skin before realizing it was just a celebrity poster stuck on the wall.

"What the hell?" Li rubbed his chest to calm down his heart. He massaged his temples, trying to clear his head.

He shut his eyes and opened them again to focus his vision. He realized he is not in the hotel room. This room looked… somewhat familiar?

It was a tiny room, no larger than fifteen square meters. In one corner was a small wardrobe. On the other was a small table and a small desktop computer. The third corner was the designated kitchen - with a tiny fridge, portable stove, a plastic rice bucket and a shelf with pots, pans, several bowls and chopsticks and spoons.

This was his apartment he had rented when he was in college!

Grabbing the key chain on the table he unlocked his apartment door and walked to the corridor. It was still early - only 5.30 a.m. The whole place was quiet, only the noises of the cicadas were heard.

"What the actual f*ck?"

Mahn Li spent the next half hour pacing around the room, poking at the items, looking at himself in the mirror. He wracked his brain, trying to determine which was true.

- The 32 year old him was dying and hallucinating this whole thing.

- His life as a 32 year old had been a very elaborate dream. He was still 22 years old and in college.

- He had gone insane.

- He had time travelled (?) into the past.

Then his phone rang. He noticed that it was the uPhone he used to have while in college. Or still had - he was holding it right now. 'This is crazy!' he thought.

Mahn Li looked at the Caller ID: "Mouse."

He pressed answer "Hello?"

"Eeey bro? It's me, Mouse!" an excited voice sounded on the other end.

"Yeah, Mouse. Wassup?"

"What 'cha mean 'wassup'? I got the money, bro. I'm coming over to your place right now! Next week we'll go buy those rigs huh?"

"What money? What rig?" Mahn Li wanted to ask, but the memory surged like a lightning bolt through his brain.

Ignoring Mouse' chatters, he quietly looked at the calendar.

Circled with a red marker was the date October 13th 2031, with a scribble next to it:"EoL pilot! Deposit VR rig!"

Epoch of Liberty's pilot launch was due on October 13th with over 10 million players. The official launch would come one month later, on November 13th.

Li was able to secure two slots to buy the Virtual Reality connection rigs. The deposit was US$10,000 per rig. He had to take out every loan possible to scrape together that amount. It was sitting securely in his account. Next week, he would transfer it to his contact and get the VR rig within the day.

Then more memories came back. Mouse' family, like his, was dirt poor. One year from now, Mouse's father would succumb to cancer. He would need money for treatment, money which they didn't have. At that point, Mouse and Li would still be slaving away in the game, getting nowhere. Mouse's father would die a slow and painful death, much like Li's father several years later.

Come to think of it, Mouse and he all have parents who would die from cancer. That's saying something about the village they grew up in. People always said that the battery factory was burying toxic material and polluting the water supply, but no one really cared.

"Hey bro? Ya still there?" Mouse's voice shook him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah. I'm still here."

Li considered his options.

'Let's say this is real, then I should try to help Mouse,' he thought 'or at least try not to drag him down with me.'

"Listen, Mouse. There's something wrong with the deal," Mahn Li said.

"What d'ya mean, bro?"

"The seller seems dodgy. I called off the deal. You should pay back the money you borrowed." Mahn Li lied through his teeth. Explaining the real reason would take too long and just lead to more questions.

"Oh… Okay!" Mouse sounded deflated. He was hoping to live his dream - making money while playing games with his bro.

"It's gonna be okay, Mouse. I'll look for another way in. Once I'm set, I'll reach out and help you in too. Okay?"

"For real, bro?" Mouse brightened.

"Of course!" Li assured him. "Now promise me one thing. You go back and you pay back all the money you just borrowed. You hear me?"

"Alright. I'm on it!"

"Good boy. Tell your pa I said hi!"

"Will do, bro!"

Mouse hung up, and Li was deep in thought again.

Things were happening exactly like they did in the past. He did not quite believe in time travel, but it was the most plausible thing he has going right now.

"Alright! If that's the case, then I'll just roll with it!"

In his previous life / dream, when Mouse's father died, it devastated the kid. And Mouse never talked to him again.

Just now, he helped Mouse avoid the biggest regret of his life. But what about him? Does he want to avoid this path? Should he go ahead and buy the set?

Before, he staked all his money on the VR rig. Ten grand. He could have used it to fund the rest of his college education.

Or pay his brother's tuition.

Or pay for his father's cancer treatment.

In his previous life, after his family found out he squandered the money on the VR set, they practically disowned him. He never met his family again. Not even when his father died. Only until his mother's funeral did he meet his brother, who treated him like a stranger. At that point, he had a decent income, but he had no family left.

Should he step on the same path again?

Mahn Li wavered.

What should I do?

Should I find a job? A real one?

Be a good, contributing member of society?

Live a meaningful life?

He remembered the betrayal… The pain and desperation of his own death... Fatty Fu's smug face. And the decision was made for him.

F*CK THAT!!!

'I'm gonna wreck all the bastards responsible for my death! And that bastard Fatty Fu! Wait until I get my hands on you!'

'Whatever this is, time travel, a dream, a hallucination!! I don't give a sh*t.'

'I'll consider this my second chance!'

His mind made up, Mahn Li gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. He would join the world of Epoch of Liberty once again.