Chapter 1: The First Jump
"The Truman Show?"
Jake Mitchell's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the massive flat-screen TV mounted on his apartment wall. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.
A reality show was playing, starring Jim Carrey as the unwitting protagonist. But the really strange part? Jake was somehow inside it—not as Jim Carrey the actor, but as Truman Burbank himself, the poor guy who had no idea his entire life was a television production.
That was the character's name!
The tragic part was that Truman didn't know any of it was fake—his friends, family, wife… all actors following a script.
Jake found himself standing in a picturesque 1990s seaside town that looked like it had been pulled straight from a postcard. The town seemed modest, but everyone there appeared to be part of the elaborate production of "The Truman Show."
In the series, only Truman was kept in the dark. He looked like a fool, oblivious to the fact that thousands of hidden cameras tracked his every move, and that his entire existence followed a director's carefully written script.
The whole world was entertained by this massive deception—an accomplice to the greatest reality show ever conceived.
After watching the scene unfold for another twenty minutes, Jake shook his head and muttered, "This is messed up," before walking away.
He couldn't help Truman, and he had no idea how he'd ended up in this bizarre situation.
Checking his pockets, Jake discovered that besides his casual clothes, all he'd brought to this world was his custom Android phone with a massive 6.0-inch screen—perfect for watching movies.
He'd downloaded a sketchy free movie streaming app right after buying the phone. "The Truman Show" was the first film he'd opened!
Suddenly remembering this, Jake quickly pulled out his phone and unlocked it.
The app's name was "Movie World"...
"Could this app be the key to traveling between movie worlds?" Jake wondered, tapping the exit button.
What happened next shocked him. A faint light suddenly burst from the phone screen, surrounding him in a soft glow, and then his consciousness faded.
When he woke up again, he was back in his cramped studio apartment.
He pinched his left arm; it hurt. This definitely wasn't a dream.
"Did I actually enter The Truman Show?"
Opening the app on his phone, Jake could see in a small preview window that everything in The Truman Show was still happening in real-time.
To find out if this was really happening, he needed to try again. The best way to confirm it was to select another movie and jump in.
Opening the "Movie World" app again, Jake was surprised to find only one folder in the library, containing hundreds of films. There were coming-of-age movies like "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," "Lady Bird," and "The Edge of Seventeen."
And classics like "Forrest Gump," "Home Alone," "American Pie," "Into the Wild," and "The Princess Diaries."
The selection was vast, from various decades and genres—historical dramas, contemporary stories, high school comedies—but they all shared one characteristic: they were all set in peaceful, realistic settings. Some had elements of business drama or psychological tension, but none crossed into fantasy, sci-fi, or action territory.
Could he only enter these types of movies?
Jake tentatively used the search function, typing "Iron Man." If he could really enter movie worlds, a suit of Iron Man armor would let him dominate reality.
A second later, the movie appeared in the results, but the title was grayed out—unwatchable, with no option to play it.
He wasn't disappointed that he couldn't access it now. Maybe there was a way to unlock it later.
The most important thing right now was to test entering another movie world.
Jake was a serious film buff; otherwise, he wouldn't have blown his paycheck on an expensive smartphone. He quickly selected another film.
He clicked play...
Instantly, everything went black. When Jake regained his senses, he found himself standing on a busy city street.
"New York City..." Jake looked around at the towering buildings and yellow cabs. This was real.
He was standing on an actual street in what appeared to be Manhattan, surrounded by people going about their day—professionals in suits, tourists with cameras, street vendors calling out.
Jake's eyes widened. "I can really enter movie worlds..." He knew what this meant. This was an opportunity—a massive opportunity.
He could use his knowledge of movie plots to make money, prevent disasters, or even meet his favorite characters.
So many possibilities, so many ideas. It was like winning the cosmic lottery, leaving Jake dizzy with excitement.
But after the initial euphoria, a disturbing thought crept into his mind.
Could he be like Truman in The Truman Show? Could he be unwittingly acting in some elaborate production? Maybe not created by ordinary people, but by some higher power—gods, advanced aliens, interdimensional beings?
This thought only lasted a moment before he dismissed it. It wasn't that the fear went away, but rather that he felt it didn't matter. Whether it was some cosmic game or not, he'd just treat it as an adventure and enjoy the ride.
Being able to travel into movie worlds—that's something money couldn't buy, not even for billionaires!
Another reason Jake abandoned his paranoid thoughts was the appearance of a man before him.
A tall man, dressed disheveled and out of place among the crowd, walked past. Jake recognized him immediately—Bradley Cooper. Of course, in this world, his name was Eddie Morra, a struggling writer going nowhere fast.
"Right, what movie is this? I think it's 'Limitless,'" Jake thought, his mind racing.
Recalling the plot, Jake quietly began following Bradley Cooper's character from a distance.
He'd seen this movie years ago, but the "miracle drug" from the film had stuck with him.
The miracle drug: NZT-48, a pharmaceutical game-changer.
After taking it, it instantly unlocked the brain's full potential, turning an average person into a genius rivaling Einstein.
The movie's plot was straightforward: Eddie, a complete failure, uses this drug to break through human cognitive limits and embark on an underdog's journey to success.
Such a miraculous drug naturally had serious side effects.
Eddie himself experienced severe withdrawal symptoms, and his ex-wife was seriously harmed by the drug.
However, Jake had watched the entire film and knew how to mitigate these side effects.
This drug was exactly what Jake needed right now. Without it, how could he survive in movie worlds? He'd need enhanced cognitive abilities to navigate complex situations.
Following Eddie, Jake soon spotted Eddie's ex-wife's brother, Vernon.
He wisely didn't follow them into the bar, waiting outside instead. He knew Eddie would soon take NZT-48, and with his observation abilities off the charts, he'd definitely spot someone tailing him—that would be dangerous.
The better approach was to let Eddie go and instead follow Vernon. Jake remembered that Vernon had several hundred pills stashed at his apartment.
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