When Liam opened his eyes, the night sky was filled with stars.
Under the pale glow of moonlight, a quiet patch of overgrown woods stretched out before him.
His sudden appearance startled a rabbit grazing beneath a tree.
It froze for a split second, then bolted into the darkness.
Liam recognized the place instantly.
This was the small wooded area just a few hundred yards from his house.
So the system didn’t return him to his room.
He pulled out his phone.
12:10 AM.
Only ten minutes had passed.
[Ding.
Congratulations, host.
Mission completed.] [Completion Rating: Perfect.] [Your dedication in training and advanced driving comprehension have satisfied the client.] [Reward transmission in progress…] Liam’s heart began to race.
For nineteen years in this world, he had never received anything like this.
Not when he needed it most.
Not until now.
“Come on…” he muttered under his breath.
“Give me something good.” [Ding.] [Reward: Dominic Toretto’s modified Dodge Charger from The Fast and the Furious (2001).] [Next crossover time: Pending.
The system will notify you.] [Note: Cinematic universes are persistent.
Future entries into this franchise will retain all memory and impact from your previous actions.] The system fell silent.
Liam understood immediately.
When he returned to this world again, everything he did tonight would still matter.
He wouldn’t be starting over.
But right now… None of that compared to one thing.
The reward.
Dom’s Charger.
For anyone who knew the franchise, that car wasn’t just iconic.
It was legendary.
A classic American muscle car, rebuilt into something monstrous.
Supercharged.
Brutal.
Unforgiving.
A machine that defined power.
Liam broke into a run, heading straight for home.
His house sat on the edge of a quiet rural stretch.
Dirt paths, open land, scattered trees.
Even in the dark, he knew every step by instinct.
He reached the yard.
And there it was.
Under the carport, partially hidden beneath a black cover.
His taxi sat off to the side.
This… was new.
Liam walked over slowly, then pulled back the cover.
The black Dodge Charger revealed itself.
Low.
Aggressive.
Alive even at rest.
A beast waiting to be unleashed.
Liam exhaled slowly, unable to suppress the surge of excitement rising in his chest.
It wasn’t just the car.
It was what it meant.
The system was real.
The rewards were real.
And if this was only the beginning… Then everything could change.
“I’ll fix everything,” he said quietly to himself.
“Dad’s legs… Mom won’t have to work like this anymore.” His gaze hardened.
“I’m not stopping here.” After a moment, he covered the car again carefully, hiding it from sight.
Not yet.
Especially not from his father.
Racing had already taken too much from him.
Liam went inside, but sleep didn’t come easy that night.
…
Early the next morning, Liam stood in the yard brushing his teeth.
Behind the house, his father sat in a wheelchair, eyes closed, letting the sun warm his face.
His mother was already out working.
The quiet didn’t last long.
Crunch.
A car pulled up outside.
Liam’s father slowly rolled his wheelchair toward the front.
“Liam,” he called out.
“Someone’s here for you.” “Got it.
I’m coming.” By the time Liam stepped out front, he already had a guess.
But seeing them still surprised him.
His boss, Daniel Hayes.
And beside him, a company HR rep, Emily Carter, dressed neatly in a light summer dress.
“Liam,” Hayes snapped the moment he saw him.
“Why haven’t you been answering your phone?” “I took a couple days off,” Liam replied calmly.
“Days off?” Hayes scoffed.
“Your entire paycheck this month is gone from complaints, and you’re taking time off?” His tone sharpened.
“I told you to bring the car back two days ago.
Instead, you disappear.
No calls.
No check-ins.
Are you even serious about this job?” Hayes stepped closer, his usual managerial arrogance on full display.
Truth was, he needed Liam back.
Traditional taxi companies were getting crushed by rideshare apps.
Drivers were hard to find.
Losing even one hurt.
“I had to track down your address myself,” Hayes continued.
“Thought something happened to you.
Get your stuff.
You’re coming back with me.” He gestured toward the car outside.
“We’re short on drivers.
Peak hours are killing us.” Liam stood there, silent for a moment.
The world he left… And the one he just stepped into… They didn’t feel the same anymore.