007 A Hint of Growth

In a person's lifetime, countless choices await. Some are simple, like deciding what to eat for breakfast. Though some may agonize over such trivial matters, rarely does anyone skip breakfast when time and circumstances allow simply because they cannot choose.

Other choices are far more difficult—such as the infamous dilemma: if your girlfriend and your mother both fall into a river, and only three people are present including yourself, with you alone capable of swimming, whom do you save? Many have faltered before such a cruel question, for there is seldom a perfect solution in this world.

At this moment, Li Daniu faced a difficult choice, one so grave it might even cost him his life.

In the film "Battle of Wits," during this particular sequence, the protagonist Ho Shangsheng, played by Sean Lau, enters a bowling alley. It signals the onset of a pivotal scene, the film's climax.

Andy Lau's character, seeking vengeance for his father's death, wants Baldy—the criminal responsible for the murder—to be arrested. He proposes to trade the stolen necklace with Baldy, convincing Ho Shangsheng, eager for merit, to arrange a sting operation at the transaction, aiming to catch both the man and the loot.

The site of this arranged trade is a bowling alley.

In the movie, the sting goes off without fatalities; only a policeman and one of the robbers are knocked unconscious. Andy Lau disguises himself as a woman, hands Ho Shangsheng a fake necklace to trade with Baldy. Baldy, believing Andy Lau to be Ho Shangsheng's woman and remaining vigilant, keeps Ho Shangsheng with the fake necklace and sends Andy Lau with his henchman to verify the money.

Unexpectedly, Andy Lau knocks out Baldy's henchman and a tailing police officer, and absconds with the cash. Ho Shangsheng, thinking Andy Lau has betrayed him again, watches as Andy Lau sheds his disguise, returning as a handsome man, and arrives at the transaction point with a briefcase, claiming Ho Shangsheng has the fake necklace while he possesses the real one.

A dispute ensues among the three parties. Amid the chaos, Baldy snatches Andy Lau’s briefcase, only to find inside a bowling ball. Furious, he smashes it to the ground, and the ball breaks open, revealing the diamonds Andy Lau had stolen from the financial company.

Thus, Baldy is caught at the scene, with evidence in hand, and Andy Lau escapes during the commotion.

According to the film’s plot, this scene contains no real danger—no fighting, no gunfire. Even after Andy Lau’s escape, when Ho Shangsheng intercepts him, nothing perilous occurs.

Yet Li Daniu, unwilling to miss this scene, found himself unable to decide.

Though he had watched the film and remembered the plot and its outcome, what was about to happen was a live action far more immersive than any 3D or virtual reality technology—a reality show one could witness in person. In real life, how could you possibly see Andy Lau and Sean Lau performing right before your eyes?

Moreover, this world felt utterly real. Each person’s emotions were genuine; the Andy Lau and Sean Lau of this world were not the famed actors of his past life, but real individuals. For them, everything was authentic, not an act.

Li Daniu wanted to go in and watch.

But precisely because this world was so real, he feared to witness it.

Films economize by compressing expensive scenes, so this particular scene contained no gun battle. But in reality, would desperate criminals surrender so easily?

Hong Kong has never lacked fierce robbers. In both the real world and movies, there are plenty who dare to engage in shootouts with police with nothing but a gun. Baldy, the criminal to be apprehended, was a major player—accompanied by a dozen gun-toting henchmen in the film. In this real world, how many might he bring? When the police attempt to arrest them, would these people with real emotions choose to engage in a gunfight rather than be caught?

"Battle of Wits" was the first film world Li Daniu had traversed through his system. So far, only the two heists reported in the news had occurred exactly as in the movie, confirming the plot matched his previous life. Yet he knew none of the details of those heists and whether they truly mirrored the film.

Li Daniu worried: if he went in to watch the drama unfold, and dozens of criminals and police exchanged gunfire in the confined space of the bowling alley, would he be struck by a stray bullet? At present, Li Daniu possessed no special abilities; before bullets, he was utterly defenseless.

Was it worth risking his life to witness this scene?

"System, are the events in this world precisely identical to those in the movie?" Li Daniu, indecisive, probed his mind for some hint from the system.

"Time, place, characters, and causes are identical. Details are optimized to a certain degree compared to the movie."

Hearing the system’s reply, Li Daniu relaxed a little; after all, not every question received an answer. For instance, when he asked whether the world was created by the system or was a real parallel universe, the system only responded, “No comment.” Yet his relief was short-lived.

"Optimized details—what does that mean?"

"For example, in some movies, a seriously wounded character is at death’s door, and their loved ones pick them up, shake them violently, and shout 'Don’t die!' Such obviously foolish behavior would be optimized. Shouting 'Don’t die' may happen; picking up the person is possible, but violent shaking would never occur."

"What if the loved ones actually want the person to die, and shake them to worsen their injuries?" Li Daniu was dissatisfied with the explanation—it felt pointless.

"...Final interpretation belongs to the system!"

"Will the optimization of details lead to a gunfight?"

"No comment!"

To advance or retreat—that was the question.

As the proverb says, a wise man does not stand beneath a dangerous wall. Li Daniu would not claim to be wise, but he certainly wished to avoid danger—who isn’t afraid of death?

If Li Daniu had Wolverine’s superpowers, he’d go in without hesitation for a close-up view. What would a gunfight matter? If even nuclear bombs couldn’t kill him, why fear pistols?

But he possessed no such powers. Still, he didn’t want to miss the spectacle. More importantly, he wished to see firsthand what “optimized details” meant in this world’s plot.

Compared to scenes he’d seen in other movies, the imminent sequence in "Battle of Wits" was relatively safe. If it were a Hollywood blockbuster, misunderstanding the degree of detail optimization could mean certain death.

Sean Lau had already gone in about five minutes ago. Li Daniu couldn’t judge how the few seconds of film translated to real-world time; he didn’t know how long Sean Lau would wait for Andy Lau, but he knew his time to decide was running out.

For Li Daniu, who believed he had risen above mediocrity for several days now, the acts of heroism—facing adversity without flinching, overcoming danger while staying true to oneself—were fantasies he’d only ever imagined. His ordinary life had never afforded him the chance to prove himself, and he was uncertain whether he could act decisively in a true crisis.

Everyone’s blood runs hot, but how many truly deserve the phrase “full of passion”?

Would he begin being his own hero from this minute, or continue shrinking from the difficult and dangerous path ahead?

Li Daniu felt no sudden enlightenment, no instant elevation of spirit. He simply realized—he’d already enjoyed several days of excitement in this life, so why should he fear possible danger?

Only possible danger, after all. If he were to travel to movie worlds where danger was inevitable, would he surrender or, like a villain, commit suicide?

Let them witness the courage of a proud underdog from the Celestial Empire!

After shouting this bold declaration in his heart, Li Daniu ran to the nearest shop, bought the thickest-bottomed frying pan he could find, and, under the bemused gaze of the bowling alley staff, strode inside.

"You know, where I come from we use non-stick pans, but I hear those aren’t healthy. So when I came to Hong Kong and saw this pure iron pan, I couldn’t help but buy it—planning to take it back to America," Li Daniu awkwardly explained to the staff at the counter, though even he found his excuse absurd.

"No worries, sir. I’ve seen someone bring a rice cooker with rice and water inside to bowl. He said he was afraid he’d get home too late to cook, so he bowled while using our electricity to make dinner," the staffer replied, smiling and sharing a story to ease the awkwardness.

Was this person a lunatic? Or a comedian from 1999?

Li Daniu felt even more awkward after hearing the story. He could read in the staffer’s eyes the next unspoken line: "Even if you brought oil, salt, and vegetables to cook while bowling, I wouldn’t mind as long as you paid."

Not daring to say more, Li Daniu completed the formalities and firmly refused to leave his frying pan in the locker, claiming it was too small to fit.

Of course, the lockers weren’t designed for frying pans.

Holding his frying pan, Li Daniu chose a seat, pretending to wait for an available lane, all the while secretly observing his surroundings. As he turned his head, he locked eyes with Chief Inspector Wong Kaifa, disguised as a customer.

"Is my clumsy acting failing to conceal my ulterior motives?"

Though Li Daniu’s identity in this world was that of a journalist, he lacked any investigative skills, and had never studied acting. Strictly speaking, he had no acting ability at all.

In the movie, Wong Kaifa seemed somewhat incompetent—almost foolish—but that was only to highlight Sean Lau’s brilliance. Li Daniu absolutely refused to believe that a city like Hong Kong would let such a person become Chief Inspector of the Serious Crimes Unit in the real world.

So as Wong Kaifa stared at him expressionlessly, Li Daniu grew increasingly nervous, his courage waning.

Just then, Li Daniu caught sight of a beautiful woman in a black business suit entering.

"Andy’s disguise... is truly remarkable," Li Daniu thought, inwardly mocking Andy Lau’s comical makeup in the film. In this real world, Andy Lau looked identical to his movie self, yet here his disguise was so convincing.

No, not convincing—she was genuinely a woman!

If Li Daniu hadn’t known the plot, he would never have guessed that the woman in black was Andy Lau.

Watching Andy Lau sit beside Sean Lau, Li Daniu sighed. If he hadn’t known Andy Lau was a man, he would have thought they made a perfect couple—a talented man and a beautiful woman.

After sighing, Li Daniu suddenly remembered Wong Kaifa was still watching him. Turning his head, he saw Wong Kaifa’s gaze had just shifted from Andy Lau back to himself.

Muttering something under his breath, Wong Kaifa turned and caught Li Daniu staring at him. He awkwardly smiled and pointed at the frying pan next to Li Daniu.

"Huh? What does that mean?" Li Daniu had no idea what Wong Kaifa’s action implied.

Are you saying you also have a pan? Good grief, I worried for nothing. Li Daniu ignored the baffling Wong Kaifa, for the show was about to begin.

After exchanging a few whispered words, Sean Lau picked up the case Andy Lau had brought and walked toward Baldy.

With this movement, the atmosphere in the bowling alley suddenly tightened.