146 Another Crossing

Setting a direction, having subordinates handle the details, and then executing—that is the benefit of being the boss.

Li Daniu, having been busy for several days, finally had some downtime and time to travel through time. Of course, even if he were still busy, the system would ruthlessly toss him into a random movie world once the fixed time arrived.

"System, which movie world is this trip to?"

When Li Daniu asked this, he didn't actually expect a response from the system, as he had never received information about his destination in advance before.

"The movie world for this trip is *Limitless*."

"Oh, that movie. I suppose it's a staple for time travel, isn't it?" Li Daniu nodded. Since every movie world he had visited so far was one he had seen before, it was no surprise that this one was on the list.

Wait, something wasn't right.

Li Daniu suddenly startled. The system had actually answered his question. Damn, what was going on?

"System, have I already traveled?" Li Daniu looked around at his room, which was exactly the same as before. He wondered if this destination was the Tuvalu Royal Palace in another world. But the half-eaten piece of chocolate he had just been eating was still sitting there, with the same bite marks.

"You are three minutes and 47 seconds away from the travel time."

"Then why did you tell me the movie world in advance?"

"You asked. If you do not need to know, I can reply with 'no comment' to your next inquiry."

"No, what I mean is, why are you willing to tell me now? Wasn't that impossible before?"

"No comment!"

Damn it, that phrase again...

Li Daniu recalled the recent changes in Tuvalu. Could it be because... there were immigrants?

Although the 3,000 immigration slots had been opened, processing them was not something that could be done in a short time. It involved various issues: personal records, background checks, signing agreements, and so on. So far, Tuvalu had only added 370 immigrants.

Could a mere 370 immigrants be enough to allow the system to reveal the movie world in advance? Or was it due to the development of New Tuvalu?

Forget it. As long as it forces the system to provide more features, that's all that matters.

"System, can you tell me the time node of this trip in advance?" Li Daniu asked with great anticipation. The timing was crucial; if he arrived after the plot had already concluded, he wouldn't be able to reap the maximum benefits.

"No comment."

"I..." Li Daniu felt choked. He thought for a moment and asked, "How many more immigrants do I need to add to know the time node, or... to control it?"

The system didn't reply with "no comment" this time. Instead, after a moment of silence, it said, "Please continue your efforts to improve the national strength of Tuvalu."

"No problem!" Li Daniu jumped off the bed in high spirits. However, he didn't land on the soft mattress as expected, but on the cold floor.

With his high level of martial arts, Li Daniu naturally didn't feel any pain, but the sudden change still left him feeling a bit disoriented.

Without time to complain to the system, Li Daniu looked around. Just like every previous trip, he appeared in a very secluded place where no one else was present.

"Another alleyway," he muttered. He checked his pockets. Before looking, he hadn't held much hope beyond his identity documents; given the system's nature, he expected to be a homeless drifter again.

But to his surprise, he found keys in his pocket.

"System? Are these the keys to my home?" Li Daniu couldn't believe his status had suddenly improved so much.

"Yes. Would you like to return home now? Your residence is at 7th Floor, Ross Apartments."

Go home? That wasn't really his home; it was just a temporary place to rest. Besides, now that he was in this world, how could he stay at home? He had to race against time to get that little pill that could turn a loser into someone with an IQ higher than Einstein's.

"System, how long is my stay this time?"

"Four months and ten days!"

As long as it was an improvement, it was fine. Li Daniu didn't need to worry about the formula the system used to calculate Tuvalu's national strength or how it determined the increase in travel time. He just needed to know that the better Tuvalu did, the more benefits he would receive.

Stepping out of the alley, the bustling New York streetscape rushed to meet him.

"In such a huge place, how am I supposed to find the protagonist?" Li Daniu recalled the plot of the movie.

The film was very popular in China, mainly because many time-travel novels had featured it. Li Daniu had watched the movie before, and after reading those novels, he had reviewed it several times.

It was one of the most classic "loser's comeback" stories. A writer who had run out of inspiration, unable to write a single word, refused to find a job while dreaming of one day producing a masterpiece that would stun the world. He lived on tobacco and alcohol, and the only thing that made him slightly better than a homeless person was having a place to stay—a place for which he owed months of rent and risked being kicked out of at any moment.

He was in such a miserable state that he only managed to regain his energy and talent by obtaining a small pill that had not been approved by the FDA.

According to the movie, the pill allowed a person to utilize a much higher percentage of their brain's potential. An average person uses at most 20%, but with this pill, one could access nearly all of it.

While the protagonist's brother-in-law had exaggerated the effects, reaching 40% or 50% was likely possible.

It was an incredible number. To put it simply, after taking the pill, one could recall every page of a book they had glanced at twelve years ago. One could learn to play the piano in a day and earn a professional Grade 6 certificate, or learn a foreign language in a few hours and speak it more fluently than a native speaker.

The protagonist used this pill to go from a loser to being hired by a major conglomerate boss to assist with a world-class acquisition.

Of course, the pill was not without side effects. Beyond the mental instability and intermittent memory loss that occurred if one missed a dose, the biggest side effect was the rapid acceleration of aging. Simply put, it was trading health and lifespan for genius.

The side effects were severe. One of the greatest tragedies in life is dying before you've spent all the money you earned.

In the movie, everyone besides the protagonist who took the drug long-term either ended up bedridden and unable to care for themselves or died within a short period. One person even used the pill to climb the world's rich list, only to be unable to escape the side effects; when the protagonist discovered the truth, that man was trapped in an intensive care unit, using his fortune just to stay alive.

But even with the side effects, would he pass up the chance to grab the pill?

The greatest treasure of this movie world was the pill itself; how could he give it up?

Although Li Daniu didn't rely on the pill to develop his own brain usage, it could serve as a vital combat stimulant.

Li Daniu possessed martial arts like the Nine Yang Divine Skill, Tai Chi, and the Tathagata Palm, but it would take him many years to truly push them to their limit. According to the movie's description, if he took just one pill, he could instantly unleash the true power of all these skills. While his internal energy would still need time to grow, his mastery of techniques like Tai Chi or the Tathagata Palm would reach their peak instantly, and he would be able to utilize his internal energy with maximum efficiency.

Others rely on faith to trigger a burst of power; I rely on popping a pill. Who has a problem with that?

So, the critical question now was how to find the protagonist and determine the timeline.