Urban System in America-Chapter 11 - : Shedding the Past, Embracing the Future

"Me? Honestly, I don't even know. Maybe we are just two sides of the same coin. Anyway, what I do know is that from now on, you are me, and I am you."

"Anyway, I gotta go, and this body will be in your care from now on."

"My time is done. But yours begins now. Shed the weight of my sorrow. Find your own path, unfettered.

Live with joy, live without regret, and let the past fade like a dream. Chase your dreams and make this life your own."

Rex reached out, but the figure dissolved into shimmering particles before he could grasp him.

The void around him collapsed in on itself, and in an instant, his consciousness was yanked back into reality.

When he slowly opened his eyes again, what came into view was the familiar yet unfamiliar ceiling of his room.

His memories seemed to have cleared up.

What was once blurred became vivid, and he finally accepted all those bittersweet moments, as if they were naturally part of him, without any disharmony or discomfort.

Compared to before, when different memories were jumbled together like a heavy load on his mind, he now felt free and coherent.

After processing all of this, he called out to the system.

"System, are you there?"

[Yes, host.]

"What happened to me? What was that place? And who was he?"

He asked several questions in a row.

[Host, you were having a mental breakdown due to the merging of your memories from both lives.]

[Seeing you in danger, the system deployed an emergency protocol and created a dream space to help you integrate all those memories. Otherwise, it could have led to disastrous consequences.]

"What is this dream space?"

[Dream space is a special place created by the system, where nothing exists. No time, no space, absolutely nothing.]

"Oh. So can I use that again?"

[Of course not. That was only possible due to the emergency protocol. If you want to use Dream Space again, work hard. Maybe you'll encounter it in the future.]

"Okay, okay. I just have to improve and complete more and more missions,"

Rex grimaced.

"And what about the other one? Was he real?"

[Yes and no, both.]

"What does that mean?" He was confused by the reply.

[You don't have enough permission to know for now. If you want to find out, complete more missions.]

"Okay, okay. Missions again." He sighed helplessly.

"So, is this the end of it? Or will something like this happen again?" He asked curiously, as he didn't want to experience that again.

[Don't worry, host. Something like this will not happen again. This only occurred due to the merging of memories, and now that they have completely merged, you don't have to worry about anything. You have now truly become Rex Lee.]

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

[Host should be thankful that it happened so soon. The merging of completely different memories was inevitable, and if something like this hadn't occurred, you could have developed personality disorder or bipolar disorder.]

Rex shuddered at the thought of having something like bipolar disorder.

The system continued, [If this had happened later, it would have been more difficult to resolve.]

[But since it was resolved so soon, the host doesn't have to worry anymore.]

Rex breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

Suddenly, his stomach protested, and a sense of weakness and hunger enveloped him.

He looked out the window and saw the pitch-black night sky dotted with stars. He was shocked to realize how much time had passed.

Checking the time, he found that it was already 10 o'clock. In the dream space, he hadn't felt the passage of time at all—as if time had been paused.

Casually flipping through his phone, he soon ordered a pizza. He wasn't in the mood for anything fancy; he just wanted to satiate his hunger.

Lying on his bed, he thought about the conversation in the dream space and came to a clear understanding of his new self.

He had been a typical good guy with a happy family and a simple life.

His parents were mostly busy with work, so he spent most of his time studying, playing with friends, or gaming at home.

"He graduated from high school with high marks and easily got admitted to UCLA, where he studied business management to inherit his parents' business in the future."

He had a girlfriend in high school though, she wasn't his first love or anything.

He just wanted to experience being in love. But maybe he was too dense to understand girls' feelings, or perhaps for some other reason, they eventually broke up without even sharing a kiss.

Because of this, he had felt sad for a long time.

He had been part of the "pure love party" and didn't waste time on random girls. Otherwise, with his handsome face, he could have easily had multiple girlfriends.

At university, he spent most his time studying and found some single dogs spending most of his time playing games and hanging out with them, which further reduced his chances of getting a girlfriend.

He didn't have grand ambitions or plans; he just wanted to live a simple and easy life.

But his parents' sudden deaths hit him hard.

And he spent most of his time frolicking around various bars and clubs, trying to drown his sorrow in alcohol.

As for his parents' company, he tried to take control since they were the majority shareholders.

However, they only held 70% of the shares, with the remaining shares distributed among close partners and employees.

After their deaths, the other shareholders teamed up, isolated him, and eventually forced him to sell his shares.

As a college student, he was naturally no match for the old foxes in the business world.

He also knew he didn't have the ability to manage such a business forcefully, so he sold his shares at a low price.

Just as he sorted out his past life, the doorbell rang.

He hurried downstairs and, through the peephole, saw a pizza delivery guy. He opened the door to receive his order.

After eating the pizza and filling his stomach, the image of Emma suddenly came into his him and he also remembered the first mission and reward he had received from the mission.

Thinking about Emma, his heart couldn't help but beat faster. He hadn't seen a girl more beautiful than her, and her looks completely matched his aesthetics.

Taking his phone, he saved her number. After some thought, he decided not to call her and instead sent a text message.

(Hello, I'm Rex Lee, the one you had breakfast with at the Four Phase Hotel.)

He also introduced himself just in case.

After waiting for a while, he didn't receive a reply. He couldn't help but feel disappointed, and his racing heart gradually calmed down.

He closed the message interface and decided not to dwell on it.

If they were destined to meet again, they would. There was no need to rush.

Honestly, if it had been his previous self, he would have sent dozens of messages.

But now, after travelling through, his mindset had greatly changed. It was as if his impetuous heart had calmed down, and he could see things from a different perspective.

Turning his attention back to the system interface, he excitedly opened the system warehouse where the ultimate potion was placed.

He clicked on the potion, and it immediately appeared in his hand.

Thinking about his miserable stats, he decided to consume it now.

After some hesitation, he made up his mind and drank it in one gulp.

It had a light and refreshing taste, but he couldn't pinpoint the exact flavor.

As soon as it reached his stomach, he felt a warm current rushing through every part, every pore of his body.

It was as if the gentle hands of an angel were caressing him lovingly.

He had braced himself for the excruciating pain he had felt before, but after waiting for a long time, nothing happened.

Confused, he asked the system.

[System detected that the host had dangerous amounts of toxins and impurities in his body due to excessive alcohol consumption and an unhealthy lifestyle. So, while improving your beauty, the system also helped remove them. That's why it was a bit painful.]

[After all, the system's products are top-notch and won't harm the host.]

"Okay, okay, you're the greatest and most omnipotent system," he said with contempt.

Hearing this, the system let out a satisfied hum.

After that, he turned his attention to his stats.

[ Host: Rex Lee

Age: 20 years

Strength: 9 (+2)

Mind: 13 (+2)

Health: 9 (+2)

Endurance: 10 (+2)

Cash: 100 million$

Assets: 5% shares of Roch industries, ownership of Arcanum security company

Remark: a bit handsome weak chicken with lots of money]

Seeing that most of his stats had finally reached a normal level, he couldn't help but jump up in excitement.

He clenched his fists and could feel the strength coursing through his body. His body felt light yet powerful.

Even though there were no visible changes, he felt incredibly refreshed and satisfied.

What excited him the most was his Mind stat—it had reached an absolute genius level.

His mind was sharper, faster, and clearer than ever before. He could feel a significant improvement in his memory and comprehension abilities. Now, he was on the road to becoming an academic bully.

However, when he glanced at the last remark, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

After all of this, all he had gained was becoming a bit handsome.

As he continued familiarizing himself with his newfound strength, time crept closer to midnight.

When he checked the time again, it was 11:50 pm.

Excitedly, he sat down, eagerly waiting for his first sign-in reward.

As anticipation built up and the time ticked closer and closer, he felt his heartbeat accelerate. And a thin layer of sweat even formed on his body.

(End of Chapter)