Chapter 16: Progress Bar 100%, A New World
A few minutes later, Jake lay in the bathtub of his new house, the warm water enveloping him completely, the effects of the drug wearing off.
The side effects of taking NZT-48 slowly began to appear: mental fatigue, headache, and even a slight difficulty concentrating.
Of course, these were only side effects that appeared ten minutes after the drug wore off, lasting only a few dozen seconds. But Jake knew that if he continued taking it regularly, the side effects would be prolonged indefinitely, potentially becoming permanent.
He took a few deep breaths, and only after the side effects subsided did Jake stand up from the bathtub.
He had agreed with Eddie to check results in a month, so he didn't need to rush back to the Limitless world within that timeframe.
But simply waiting wasn't his style.
Drying himself off, he lay on the bed in his room, picked up his phone, and feeling restless, decided to find another movie world to experience, at least to advance the progress bar.
Since entering the Limitless world, the progress bar had risen to 92% through his interactions with the protagonist.
He had to reach 100% as soon as possible!
Having made his decision, Jake quickly chose a world that was completely safe and where he could easily encounter the protagonist: the world of Forrest Gump.
Four hours later, he returned to the real world, his clothes unchanged.
Looking at the 100% progress bar on his phone, he smiled with satisfaction.
This world visit had been very simple. He'd encountered Forrest at a bus stop, lost in his memories, talked with him for four hours, listened to his life story, and thus successfully participated in the plot. Although he hadn't been part of Forrest's past experiences, he'd still played a meaningful role in the present.
After the progress bar reached 100%, as he'd suspected, a significant change occurred.
The 100% progress bar, like a fully charged battery, began flowing and swirling on the screen before reorganizing itself in the app.
A dazzling display; for a moment, Jake seemed to see an endless starry expanse.
When he refocused, the progress bar had returned to 0%, but the app had undergone a fundamental transformation.
A new category had appeared in the movie library!
Opening this new section, Jake discovered it contained a large number of films, and these movies were distinctly different from the previous category.
Léon: The Professional, Inception, National Treasure series, Kill Bill series, Fast & Furious series, Rush Hour series, James Bond series, Mission: Impossible series, The Expendables series...
The number of films in each series far exceeded the first category, and most were major action blockbusters.
Most importantly, the movies in this new category all shared a common feature: the addition of action and combat sequences.
Jake labeled the first category as "Level 1," and the second category as "Level 2."
The appearance of the Level 2 movie library was like an overall power increase from the Level 1 worlds.
"So if I increase the Level 2 progress bar to 100%, will it unlock a new tier? Greater challenges... superhero worlds, supernatural abilities, advanced technology?"
He felt he'd discovered the true potential of this app; as long as he kept participating in plots and advancing the progress bar, new movie worlds would continuously unlock.
And he could acquire resources from inside, just like in Limitless and The Day After Tomorrow!
This was a magical gateway, through which he could venture into increasingly extraordinary realms, not just making money or dating.
With continued exploration, humanity's age-old dreams of extended life and fantastic abilities might no longer be fantasy!
"Imagine the possibilities," he mused, envisioning incredible scenarios.
"But it's too early to get ahead of myself," he quickly regained his focus. Having experienced multiple worlds, Jake's mindset had become more grounded.
"Let's see which worlds are worth visiting first," he began browsing through the movies systematically.
The National Treasure series featured centuries-old treasures that required investigation and puzzle-solving to obtain. However, as someone who'd watched the films, Jake already knew where everything was—for example, the treasure in the first film was beneath Trinity Church in New York, and the City of Gold in the second was at Mount Rushmore.
He wasn't particularly interested in treasure hunting right now; a new level of movies had opened up, and that's what truly captivated him.
The image of sophisticated spies, cutting-edge gadgets, and tactical operations—that was genuine adventure.
However, he didn't think he could just waltz into spy movies without preparation; he wasn't a trained agent, and he'd be lucky to survive five minutes in those worlds.
He only glanced briefly at series like Rush Hour and Kill Bill; he had no interest in entering those particularly violent worlds unprepared.
Beyond those, the dream manipulation abilities in Inception were fascinating, but he wasn't quite ready to tackle something that complex yet.
Now that he had the opportunity, acquiring proper training and equipment was what Jake wanted most.
There were many movie worlds that could provide these things, but few met two essential criteria.
One criterion was relative safety—action movies without extreme danger eliminated about 70% of the films.
The second criterion was accessibility through money; if he could pay for what he needed, the other party would be willing to provide it, eliminating another significant portion.
Finally, only a handful of options remained.
Looking at the films before him, Jake had already made his choice.
"I don't just need equipment, I also need to learn how to use it properly. The next worlds might require real confrontation."
Learning these skills was a way of preparing himself for what lay ahead.
Having made his preparations, Jake didn't immediately enter the new movie world. Instead, he ordered takeout from a nice restaurant.
Life should be enjoyed; otherwise, what was the point of all this effort?
After a satisfying meal and a good night's sleep, the next day Jake dressed appropriately and entered the new world.
A flash of light appeared before his eyes, and then Jake found himself standing in a narrow alley.
The architecture was typical of 1990s New York.
"I'm practically a New York time traveler at this point," he muttered to himself. He pulled out a lollipop and popped it into his mouth. Candy helped calm his nerves, and it tasted good. With steady sugar intake, he even felt that the side effects of NZT-48 had lessened somewhat.
New York settings were common because many Hollywood productions liked using this iconic city as their backdrop, just as many films wouldn't choose remote locations. The lack of urban infrastructure and population density would diminish a film's visual appeal.
"But now I need to find that place, the one that trains people. Tony's shop." Finding it required asking the right people, and these street contacts would locate it for you quickly enough. Of course, you'd have to pay some cash for that information.
"This is it." Led by a guy wearing a Yankees cap, Jake arrived at his destination.
After paying fifty bucks, Jake went up alone and knocked on the door.
"Yeah, who are you looking for?" The person who opened the door was a middle-aged white man with a rough appearance.
"I'm looking for Tony."
The man looked Jake up and down, frowned, and said, "That's me."
"I heard you can train someone in tactical skills? I want to learn..."
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