Opening his eyes, the curly-haired young man found himself back in the lobby of Houston Airport. Was the plane crash he just experienced all a nightmare? His suitcase was nowhere to be found, and both his ticket and passport had disappeared. Had he been drugged and robbed?
Something felt off. On the constantly changing flight display board, not a single flight was heading to TPE (Taipei).
No, that wasn’t it. There was an intense sense of unease that had been nagging him since he woke up, like an itch he couldn’t scratch, a desperate need to scream and vent.
What was his name? He suddenly realized a terrifying blank space in his mind—he had no recollection of what he had been wearing five minutes ago. A worn sand-colored flight jacket, with a tear on the right sleeve! A military green chest bag, a black sports t-shirt, and knee-ripped jeans. On his feet were a pair of cheap, black-and-blue striped sneakers, nothing special compared to the tourists around him.
December in Houston was pleasant—by American standards, at least. The temperature at night was in the single digits, and he felt a chill creeping through him. His limbs were stiff. As a native of Taiwan, even now, the terrifying memory of being dominated by the brutal cold wave in 2016 lingers. Back then, the temperature had barely been five degrees Celsius. Anyway, there’s a kind of cold that only people from Taiwan understand—below fifteen degrees, we’re freezing.
If he really had flown from Taiwan to Texas in winter to meet up with his guildmates, he would’ve definitely worn a waterproof, windproof jacket and a down vest.
Moreover, he hadn’t worn jeans in at least ten years! At home, he wore pajamas, sports pants when he went out, and uniforms for work. Without any dress code restrictions, he would just throw on a pair of casual trousers for easy movement.
“Excuse me, where’s the bathroom?” he casually stopped a passerby and asked.
After getting directions, he hurried off, barely sparing a thought for the missing documents or tickets. At this point, he urgently wanted to check his appearance.
Was this real, or was it a dream? Worse, was he awake but not quite all there? The time displayed in the lobby was December 29, 2027. Had he somehow traveled nearly four years into the future?
He rushed to the bathroom sink, leaning in close to the mirror.
“Is this really me?” He was surprised. Not only had he not aged into his forties, he looked a little younger than when he last shaved—more like a 32-year-old than a 35-year-old. This face was definitely his own.
This definitely isn’t a case of the body traveling to a future world. The problem was, was he in the future, or had he entered a parallel world? His physical age had reversed, which proved that the timeline here was different from the Earth he knew.
“Right! My phone!” He pulled out his tablet phone from his chest pocket, instinctively flipping it over to examine the brand. It wasn’t the usual Apple with a chipped corner. Instead, there was a three-pronged crown logo?
“W? Wayne Enterprises?” He couldn’t help but mutter, remembering just the other day how he had killed time flipping through superhero comics at a friend's place. Of course, the vast business empire from the dark knight didn't control the American smartphone market of 2027.
The curly-haired young man’s crown phone was from a Finnish budget brand called "VV" known for being shockproof, waterproof, and having a long battery life. It was a lot like Nokia, beloved by illegal immigrants and gang members. Later, he learned that while Apple was still dominant, Nokia had completely disappeared.
He wasn’t an Apple fan. His HTC phone was enough to deal with the boss, and its main function was as an alarm clock. He relied more on his desktop for browsing the internet.
Not locked—thank goodness! Another one of his habits. The phone’s memory was empty, with only landscape and stray cat photos. There was no need to worry about security.
He was about to search for his current identity in the phone when an incoming call startled him, almost causing him to drop the device, he gripped it tightly and took a deep breath.
The caller ID read “Waiter and Delivery Guy.” That was funny. Another version of himself.
“Nemo? Damn, were you abducted by aliens? Boss said he’ll hang your head on the back door.”
He flipped through missed calls and ten consecutive murder messages in simplified Chinese. The sender was “Manager”.
What kind of code name was that among assassins? It seemed his alternate self was called Nemo. Well, that saved him the trouble of picking a fake name.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“I think I’ve lost my memory. I don’t know where I should go.” Fortunately, he had read enough novels to be prepared with the right script.
“Old injury acting up?”
“My head hurts a bit, especially the back of my skull, but the sides hurt too.” That was the truth.
“Who from the store came to the US without getting their head smashed by a police baton? You should’ve told me earlier! If boss had found someone to cover for you, he’d have given you a couple more days off!”
“I just woke up a little while ago.”
“Good grief!” A sympathetic sigh came from the other end of the phone, followed by the sound of distant voices discussing. “I told boss about your condition. He wants you to go home and sleep immediately. You’ll work tomorrow. Hey, whatever you do, don’t quit. I still need you to help pay rent! Hang in there, roommate! I’ve sent you the apartment address. I checked the bus schedule for you. Do you have cash ?”
The serious tone on the other end of the phone sounded as if even if he were a vampire, he’d still have to split the rent. Fine, a single penny can crush even the bravest of men.
He pulled some green bills out of his chest bag.
“Yes, I have enough for the bus. I’ve got a lot to figure out. I’ll check the internet on the bus. See you later.”
“Boss called his wife over to help. I’ll go to the bar later to have a drink, hoping a kind girl will comfort my broken soul. Don’t worry about me. Go rest at the apartment! Maybe a good sleep will fix everything! The spare key is in the shoe outside the door. There’s a bunch of painkillers on my table, take some if you want. Honestly, I hope I don’t have to go home tonight!”
“Uh, thanks.” The casual tone from his roommate gave the curly-haired young man the feeling that this person had problems far worse than amnesia—like rent, living expenses, painkillers scattered all over the table, or even a potential insect invasion. Maybe sexual frustration too? Nevertheless, nice roommate still seemed to think hitting the bar was more important than facing his amnesiac coworker.
When the call ended, he realized the entire conversation had been in English. The roommate’s thick accent was clearly not from a native speaker, but certainly not from Taiwan or China. Maybe Russia?
Summarizing the current clues: His name is Nemo, and he works as a chef at a Chinese restaurant in the suburbs of Lone Star City (does such a place exist on the U.S. map?). The shared apartment mentioned by his roommate is about five blocks away from the restaurant. Business hours are from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., but the chef have to start working by 10 a.m. to prepare meals, with a break in the afternoon.
Having just crossed over into this world, Nemo finds himself with an established identity, a job, and a friendly roommate. Even his boss, despite his sharp tongue, seems to have a soft heart. As cynical as Nemo is, he can't help but agree that fate does occasionally have its kinder moments.
While waiting for the bus to arrive, Nemo continues browsing his phone and is pleasantly surprised to find that his parallel-world counterpart has made progress—his VV smartphone can access the internet without relying on the free Wi-Fi at the bus station.
Still, to save data, he opts to use the free Wi-Fi first.
The urgent task now is to investigate the eastern city where he's headed, a place whose name never appeared in history books, movies, or American comics—a completely unknown location.
Lone Star City sits between Texas and Louisiana but belongs to neither. It covers about 600 square kilometers—roughly two-thirds the size of Taoyuan City—and has a population approaching two million. It borders the Gulf of Mexico, featuring a medium-sized cargo port and a private airport.
A large river to the west serves as a natural boundary with Texas. Lone Star City derives its name from the surrounding coastal mountain range, where five peaks connect to form a star-like shape, leaving the city geographically isolated. It is connected to the outside world through east-west highways and boasts lush subtropical vegetation.
The warm, humid Gulf winds are trapped by the mountains, making Lone Star City perpetually rainy and misty. Developed later than New Orleans, it’s often referred to as a dry version of New Orleans, with fewer swamps and more stretches of pristine forest.
"A city that appeared out of nowhere in a parallel world, it can’t possibly be normal." Nemo mutters as he runs his finger over Google Maps, zooming in on details. The street views look impressively prosperous.
Lone Star City is America’s largest independent city, but accustomed to the crowdedness of Taiwan, Nemo struggles to grasp its scale, imagining it as somewhere between Taoyuan and Taichung.
"Since I’m here, I might as well settle in. What other choice do I have? The cold, damp winter probably feels just like Taipei!" Right now, he desperately needs a warm room and a bed.
The bus still hasn’t arrived, so Nemo resumes his search about his homeland. Before the 2024 Taiwanese presidential election, Taiwan and the U.S. seemed inseparable, yet four years later, even flights had stopped. How could he get back for a visit?
The search engine bombards him with smoky, blood-soaked images, discussions on social media still raging. Nemo stares at the screen, his fingers clenching unconsciously.
In June 2027—just six months ago—the Taiwan Strait War erupted.
Nemo massages his temples, feeling hollow inside. He stifles the urge to retch, holding back a dry gag.
So far, the biggest divergence in this parallel world’s timeline is that the Russia-Ukraine war was delayed until February 2027. In May of the same year, Earth was struck by a mysterious meteor shower that NASA hadn’t predicted. Strange, highly magnetic objects appeared suddenly in Earth’s orbit, exploded, and crashed down.
At the same time, abnormal solar flares triggered a global electromagnetic pulse attack. Facing the sun, the United States was hit hardest, while subsequent solar storms, though weakened, continued to wreak havoc. This immense catastrophe is recorded in history as the Meteor Shower Event. Rumors spread that the meteorites carried cosmic bacteria, which would trigger an incurable plague.
In June, Western intelligence agencies speculated that the Chinese leader had likely perished during the Meteor Shower Event. A body double seemed to maintain appearances, but behind the scenes, factions fought fiercely for control. Amidst disaster relief and suppression of domestic uprisings, the PLA unexpectedly launched an attack on Taiwan, and missiles flew back and forth across the strait.
However, the United States failed to fulfill its promises to Taiwan. In the first week, first month, and second month of the Taiwan Strait War, the U.S. was absent—not entirely unhelpful, but far from the savior Taiwan had imagined.
the Meteor Shower Event left America on edge, declaring a state of national emergency while managing massive domestic relief efforts and stabilizing its plunging currency. Allied nations focused inward, seemingly hiding the strange side effects of the meteors. As a result, the PLA successfully landed and crushed resistance forces in Taiwan.
What to do with these defiant locals to achieve the historic dream of unifying Taiwan?
The Chinese government finally realized that adhering to the concept of Taiwan Province kept them trapped in the framework of the Republic of China. Taiwan would keep stalling until U.S.-Japan-Australia forces regrouped and launched a counterattack. Meanwhile, India was seizing territory in South Tibet, and a Crimea-style fake referendum was out of the question—acknowledging Taiwan as a nation first would contradict their unification logic.
With Chinese leadership incapacitated during the Meteor Shower Event, power was shared among political factions and victorious military leaders. Fearing further delays, they pressured Taiwan’s president to sign a peace agreement, declaring the Republic of China an illegitimate regime. Taiwan’s ruling DPP president and cabinet resigned en masse.
The benefits? Taiwan became a new autonomous region of China. China promised to urgently amend its constitution to guarantee Taiwan’s rights. Taiwan would be recognized as a single ethnic group, the Taiwanese Tribe.
Referencing the One Country, Two Systems model, Taiwan retained its existing military and defensive weapons, with elections for a new governor and local government. For five years, tax revenues wouldn’t be submitted to Beijing, but Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) had to set up factories in China and prioritize trade with the motherland. The peace agreement would be formally signed once China’s constitutional amendments were complete.
Nemo muttered to himself as he read, " It seems like China's ass has really been poked painfully by India."