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1076 Words
According to Memphis’s speculation, it was possible that the actual competition venue did not take place at the same time as the moment he died. Perhaps, while he was moving through the passage to the second round, it was actually a temporal-spatial corridor.
And that temporal-spatial corridor led him back into the past, and at that moment, the system registered the incident as his death. So, his body was thrown out of the temporal-spatial corridor and he returned to the past. Coincidentally, that point in time overlapped with when he was five years old, so he merged with his younger self and came back to life, retaining the memories of the period he had just experienced. Right now, his mind was a chaotic jumble of memories, possibly the result of the merging process, leaving some gaps, he couldn’t remember everything in detail.
“If that’s the case, if the passage had moved faster, or if the organizers had advanced the second round, maybe I wouldn’t have been able to reincarnate.”
Maybe it was luck, or maybe it was because he had struggled to survive alone on Blue for so many years, battling countless zombies and monsters. In the end, the heavens had shown him mercy, granting him a second chance at life. So thought Memphis, clenching his fists tightly.
“Now that I’ve been given another chance, I swear I will never let my parents die like that again.”
This year was only the beginning of the apocalypse game, but that didn’t mean it would immediately descend upon reality, at the moment, it was just a highly popular virtual reality game. No one knew where the game company’s headquarters were located, nor how the game had first appeared. But because of its realism, it was beloved by many. Who wouldn’t want to experience living in a virtual world where they could do whatever they wished?
But in reality, most players hadn’t truly understood the game, assuming it was just another ordinary one, when in fact, the game was training people in how to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. One could say that, for now, the game was merely a trial version allowing people to experience the life of the apocalypse. Many people entered the game just for fun, but once the apocalypse descended for real, only then would they realize how terrifying that world truly was.
Memphis sat up and checked over his body. At this moment, he was still just a five-year-old child, his face soft and youthful, his voice bright and clear, not at all affected by years of smoking. Adjusting to his new body, the first thing he thought about was setting up a shelter for the disasters to come. But he needed his parents’ approval for that; if he said that the apocalypse would come in twelve years, no one would believe him, especially coming from a five-year-old.
The first thing he needed to do was gradually train his body. Though he wouldn’t achieve much immediately, anything was better than nothing. At the same time, he could enter the apocalypse game to adapt and develop essential survival skills.
After figuring out what he needed to do over the coming years, he left his room. The very first thing he needed to do was ask his parents about studying. In preparation for the years ahead, he intended to build a solid foundation for his physical strength, so he had to get his parents’ permission to take classes that would improve his fitness.
In the past, his parents had never forced Memphis to do anything. Although they hoped he would one day take over their company, they always let him decide his own life.
Downstairs, his parents were sitting at the dining table, chatting happily. Their relationship had always been good. Seeing this, he felt a pang of emotion at the thought of the tragedy that might come in the years ahead, which only strengthened his resolve regarding the choices he was about to make. To protect his family, he had to keep striving and never lose heart.
Hearing footsteps coming down the stairs, his parents turned to look at him:
“You’ve only just recovered, why aren’t you upstairs? I was going to bring you some food in a bit,” his mother said.
He smiled at his mother and replied, “I just woke up. I’m already all better, Mom.”
As he spoke, he ran quickly down the stairs to show that he had truly recovered, but since he still wasn’t used to his new body, he almost tripped and fell.
His mother cried out in alarm, “I know you’re better now, but stop running!”
He grinned and walked over to the dining table. Uncle Harry, the housekeeper, helped pull out his chair, lifted him up, and adjusted the height so he could eat more comfortably. Uncle Harry had worked for their family since before Memphis was born, always helping to keep the house tidy. When the apocalypse struck, Uncle Harry had been out somewhere, so Memphis had never known what happened to him.
Trying to sound as serious as possible, he said, “Mom, Dad, there’s something I need to talk to you about!”
But for a five-year-old to use a serious tone was just funny, especially when Memphis’s cheeks were still round and his expression so earnest that anyone would find it amusing.
His father did his best not to laugh. “What is it, son? Is there something you need to tell us? Or did you break another toy?”
Memphis felt a little embarrassed, remembering that he really had just broken a toy while playing and had planned to ask for a new one. But he forced himself to keep a straight face and answered, “It’s not that. I wanted to tell you both that I want to be an athlete.”
That’s right, he needed an excuse to avoid spending too much time on academics, so he could focus on physical training. This was the best reason he could think of to get his parents’ approval.
They didn’t think much of it, just assumed their son had watched some movie or sports match and got inspired to become an athlete. Every kid dreams of doing something great when they’re little, but how many actually realize those dreams?
“Alright, if you want to be an athlete, we’ll support you.”
- Writer
