Kaiden surveyed the decaying walls of the police station's holding cells. The air hung heavy with the stench of despair, and the flickering fluorescent lights cast eerie shadows on the faces of those confined within. The inmates looked at him enticingly as if coaxing him to enter their territory.
Officer Huang slammed his fist on the table, jerking Kaiden from his uneasy observations.
"Are you really not going to give us an answer, kid?" Officer Huang asked, already appearing tired of the situation.
Kaiden sighed shakily.
"I told you, Mr. Officer. I really don't know what happened. I just woke up, and I was being ganged up on by three unfamiliar guys claiming I stole one of their girlfriends. But I didn't! I don't even know how I got to that place," he honestly explained.
Officer Wang, Officer Huang's unofficial partner, sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose.
"Oh, who's going to believe you, Kai?" he asked. "This is your third fight this year. It's even a wonder how you're still standing with all your injuries."
"Right?" Kaiden beamed. "It's unbelievable how I'm standing right now. It's a miracle!"
Huang and Wang looked at each other before sighing in unison.
Just then, a worried woman's voice was heard inside the station, causing all of them to turn toward the entrance.
"Kai! Oh goodness. You're really here again," an old woman who had a sack of what seemed to be onions exclaimed, "You already promised me you won't get into any fights this year!"
Kaiden looked at her with wide eyes before pointing to himself.
Was this old woman talking to him?
The old woman clicked her tongue and poked the back of his head, causing him to flinch.
"Of course, I'm talking about you. Do you see another idiotic boy in these cells? Gosh, how did you end up as my grandson?" she asked.
To be fair, there seemed to be quite a lot of idiotic men inside.
Kaiden frowned, feeling more confused than he already was. Didn't his mom say her parents died before he was even born?
The old woman sat next to Kaiden and bowed her head in front of the police officers.
"I apologize once more for my grandsons' actions, officers," she humbly said, even going as far as kneeling on the cold, dirty floor.
Kaiden's eyes widened, and he quickly assisted her to go back to her seat.
"You don't have to apologize for your grandson's actions, Grandma Bingbing," Officer Wang said, looking pitifully at the old lady.
"But he is my responsibility," Grandma Bingbing said.
"We only need some information about the incident. Kai's just not cooperating," Officer Huang remarked.
Grandma Bingbing clicked his tongue. "Answer their questions sincerely, boy."
"I am, though," Kaiden sighed. "I told them the truth. I didn't do anything wrong. I didn't even fight with those guys."
"Didn't fight?" Officer Huang scoffed. "Look at yourself," he said, turning the small mirror on the table toward Kaiden's way.
Kaiden glanced at the mirror; then he exclaimed loudly as he caught a glimpse of the boy staring back at him. He was so shocked that he fell off his chair, causing Grandma Bingbing and the officers to look at him with concern.
"Who—Who is that?" he asked, stunned.
Kaiden wasn't too fond of looking at himself in the mirror. However, he was a hundred percent sure that the person in the reflection wasn't him.
Officer Wang sighed. "I think it's best you take him to the hospital for now."
Grandma Bingbing frowned, sluggishly getting up before holding onto Kaiden's arm.
"Then, we must go," she said. "Thank you, and sorry once again for the inconvenience."
Officer Huang nodded. "Anytime, Grandma Bingbing. Come by our neighborhood so I can buy some onions. And you," he said, pointing at Kaiden. "Don't get into any more trouble. There's only much this town can tolerate."
Kaiden wordlessly nodded and let himself be dragged away by the old lady.
She continued to lecture him on their way to the hospital, but Kaiden couldn't internalize any of her words. He just stared at the complete stranger in the taxi's rearview mirror.
Kaiden was still lost in his thoughts even after the diagnostic tests had been conducted in the hospital.
"Wait here a moment," Grandma Bingbing sighed. "I'll talk to the doctor."
With that, the old woman left Kaiden behind, finally snapping him out of his thoughts.
He frantically looked around the room before his eyes landed on the window.
The night sky outside painted a thousand stars, and in the reflective glass, Kaiden gazed at the unfamiliar face that stared back at him.
At the age of 17, he had never imagined seeing himself like this. The boy in the reflection looked more mature. His long black locks cascaded down, almost touching his neck and obscuring his eyes beneath a veil of bangs.
His fingers instinctively reached up and pushed his hair back.
His dark eyes felt a little bit familiar, a faint connection to his past self. However, his nose stood taller, his lips were more plump, and his eyebrows arched more prominently. He also had black stud earrings on his left ear, adding to his entire look.
With slow, deliberate movements, he assessed his changed form.
"He's over six feet," he muttered.
Standing at an impressive 6'3, Kaiden marveled at the height he only wished to reach. A hint of muscle defined his silhouette beneath the loosely fitting shirt, a sharp contrast with his original lanky form.
As he peered out of the window, the cityscape also presented a foreign panorama. Where once stood the towering skyscrapers of Beijing, now only spaced-out houses dotted the landscape.
This was not the familiar world he knew, not the home he remembered.
[System Binded]
Kaiden sat in shock when he saw the holographic screen appear before him. It was reminiscent of the VR games Rui pestered his aunt to buy.
The door opened, and his grandma, accompanied by a doctor, entered while conversing.
"Based on his results, there's really nothing wrong. He has minor contusions, but these are superficial. He must have a really hard head," the doctor chuckled.
"Oh, my grandson has the hardest head in the world. He's such a stubborn duck that I sometimes don't know what to do!" Grandma Bingbing exclaimed.
"Well, his hard head saved him. There's nothing wrong with the results," the doctor assured.
[Welcome to the Rise to Legend System, where you can make your basketball dreams come true!]
Kaiden let out a scream, and he fell down to the floor as he looked at the vibrant spectacle before him.
The doctor and Grandma Bingbing looked at him with confusion.
"Alright, there might be something wrong with him."