Lille felt like he was going to die—he just wanted to sleep.
This was one of the symptoms of radiation sickness, where the brain couldn't think, and the eyelids were as heavy as lead, unable to open. The brain felt like it had been turned to mush, unable to think of anything.
But perhaps this was the least fatal and most comfortable symptom.
He had worked in the nuclear industry for decades, always at the forefront because he firmly believed atomic energy was the future.
But, unfortunately, now atomic energy was going to take away his future—after it took away his mother's future, it was his turn.
But did he have any regrets?
He did not regret working in this field. On the contrary, he was very grateful for taking each step ahead of everyone else. It was just the feeling of almost grasping the sun's radiance that destined him to leave with regret.
But he did regret going home to have dinner with his mother every now and then; if it wasn't for that, maybe she could have lived a bit longer, even if it was just for one more meal.
But even so... he might not have cherished that extra time.
If people knew how to cherish what they already had, how would there be any regrets?
He also regretted not bravely taking on work responsibilities at the right time. Maybe some decisions should have been made by him, but maybe he couldn't have made the best choices, still regretting making the wrong decisions.
He also regretted... not getting married—but if he had gotten married, he might have implicated his wife and children.
He still regretted...
Life's revolving lantern suddenly stopped, and Lille smiled bitterly—
Maybe he did have some regrets.
Then he closed his eyes.
...
Hiss——
The sharp sound of brakes pierced Lille's eardrums, followed by a loud crash as if the car had overturned.
Boom—boom—boom—boom—
Then came the sound of metal barrels hitting the ground, followed by screams, shouts, and a familiar voice—
It sounded like his mother's voice.
"Lille, the weather is nice today, and the sun is shining in. I've taken your quilt out to air it. When you wake up, you can go back to sleep. Do you remember the smell of sunshine?"
Beside the hospital bed, a middle-aged woman with white hair gently massaged Lille's body, speaking softly.
"It's good that the sun here is nice; it can dry your quilt so it won't get moldy and turn into a little sootball—just like Luna. When you wake up, you'll see how handsome it has grown by now...
And your good friends, they're all about to go to college now, skateboarding on the streets every day and looking very happy. You would definitely get along well with them..."
As she spoke, the woman's smile trembled, and tears squeezed out from the corners of her eyes.
Bang bang!
Someone knocked on the door; it was a nurse: "Mrs. Lee, you need to move your son; someone else needs this room."
"Oh, I know, I know—can I just have two more minutes? Just two minutes..."
The nurse looked at her, hesitated, then checked her watch: "Just two minutes, it's against the rules, ma'am—and you've forgotten again, you can't get too close to him; it's not good for your health."
"I know..." The woman turned her head, unable to maintain her smile, covering her face as she continued, "You can go out and play with your friends. I won't spoil your fun anymore, just..."
Lille's heart trembled; this woman's voice sounded just like his mother's—
He opened his eyes with all his strength, eyes that hadn't opened in years, and air flowed through his parched throat, making a hoarse and strange sound as he responded to his mother's unfinished sentence.
"Was I that... playful? Mom?"
It was strange, seeing the woman in front of him, Lille noticed she looked a bit different from his memory of his mother, but she was indeed his mother.
He had been reborn—it must be so.
His mother's sobbing suddenly stopped, and seeing those open eyes moved her as if seeing them for the first time—
"Lille—you're awake!"
...
Lille was reborn. This was his mother, Maya Morgan, a Latin immigrant who had taken her husband's surname, Lee, after marriage following custom.
Three years ago, while he was playing on the street, a truck full of waste drove by, overturned, and spilled its contents.
Since then, Lille had never woken up.
His vital signs had steadily declined over these three years until yesterday—Lille believed that the original Lille was already dead.
Lille looked at his frail body; just now, the doctor had finished checking on him, and his mother was talking with the doctor—
But Lille could feel his body still very weak, growing weaker and weaker, just like he was in his previous life on the brink of death.
But guessing like this wouldn't solve anything, so Lille quietly got out of bed. His body, unused for years, immediately fell, but luckily, it wasn't too loud.
He crawled to the door and vaguely heard the doctor and his mother on the other side—
"Lille's body is too weak—Mrs. Lee, I'm sorry, we don't know why he suddenly woke up, but I really don't recommend continuing treatment."
"What do you mean?! You suggest my child to die? Is this a doctor's advice?!"
"Mrs. Lee, please calm down..."
"Your child has not only been harmed by chemicals but is also showing some radiation sickness symptoms. Not just us, even the Osborne Group can't treat him. His body has absorbed some harmful waste, and radioactive elements are already part of his body."
"You..."
Click.
Lille pushed open the door, interrupting the argument.
His mother hurried to the door when she saw this, squatting down to support Lille.
"Mom, let's go home first."
His mother's red eyes froze for a moment, but she finally just wiped her tears and squeezed out a smile.
"Alright, let's go home first."
...
Lille's home in this world was in Queens, a typical slum—the good news was it was a small standalone house.
After returning home, his mother told him many things, but Lille was somewhat distracted.
Rebirth brought a lot of information—firstly, he was dying; various incurable diseases might be on him.
Secondly—he heard a word: "Osborne Group."
This was a typical Superhero World, a high-tech company only existing in the Marvel World.
This meant his illness might not be incurable.
Lastly, Maya Lee, his mother, was indeed his mother—he didn't want to see her sad.
Touching the soft cotton quilt with the smell of sunshine, Lille's memory of his two mothers overlapped.
"Since I've been reborn, nothing is impossible... I can touch the mysteries of the atom, I can break through biological challenges.
I will absorb all the knowledge of this world like a sponge. I know everyone here, I know their stories and accomplishments, so I can naturally gain an advantage.
With advantage and effort, I can do it—science changes life, starting by changing my fate."
Lille lay in bed, cheering himself up, reflecting on all the incredible things that had happened today.
As an engineer who had overcome countless challenges, he quickly adjusted his mindset—because there was a problem, he would overcome it.
Suddenly, a window popped up before his eyes.
[Yes, you can save yourself.]
[Personal panel is now online, your firm will shall be rewarded.]
[Trait: Evolution Heart activated.]
[Name: Lille Lee]
[Trait: Evolution Heart]
[Evolution Heart: You are now ready to master everything. Your learning ability is greatly enhanced, and you won't be mentally affected by technological artifacts.]
[Note: Great scientists are pioneers of creation, not weak-willed people who are beguiled by their creations—you won't even get addicted to playing on your phone.]
Lille was stunned for a moment, then excitedly waved his fist—
His mother then pushed open the door.
"Lille?" his mother whispered softly, "I..."
"Mom." Lille tried to make his voice sound steady and strong, "Tomorrow will be better."
His mother froze; she had intended to comfort Lille but found that her son was actually comforting her.
This might be the biggest turning point in her life.
Lille's voice was still incredibly weak, but Maya felt it was very warm, just like Lille had been all these years.
"Yes, tomorrow will be better. I... I have an early shift..."
"Just put the breakfast on the table, trust me."
"Alright... Lille..." Maya wanted to cry again, but she didn't, "Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Mom."
The door closed, and the panel continued to pop up frames.
[Unstable energy may erupt at any time, be prepared to welcome the new world.]
Lying in bed, Lille closed his eyes—
It was just another new world; let's see what can help.