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?"