Chapter 7: The Power of Narrative Momentum

By mid-morning, Lin Xiao had completely familiarized himself with the game system. He’d figured out the various functions, which were largely similar to those in the actual game, save for a few minor differences that were hardly worth mentioning. All in all, the system was incredibly powerful, but much like in DNF, it still required energy—instead of cash, though, the system consumed Source Power.

It wasn’t hard for Lin Xiao to guess that the system siphoned off a portion of the Source Power for itself. For example, if defeating each demon dog allowed him to absorb two points of Source Power, the system likely skimmed off three points. That much was obvious. He still didn’t know where the system came from or why he had crossed into this world, but he understood one thing: there’s no such thing as a free lunch. If you wanted something, you had to give something in return. He could only hope that the system’s true aim wasn’t to seize his body or destroy the world.

Later that morning, Joey came home looking utterly exhausted and immediately asked Lin Xiao whether Will had returned. When Lin Xiao told her no, she slumped onto the sofa, her eyes vacant and lifeless.

The two of them headed into the forest behind the house, searching Will’s secret base—a dilapidated shack adorned with the Stars and Stripes. But just as expected, there was no sign of Will.

Soon after, the local police arrived. The chief, Sheriff Hopper, showed up with a battered bicycle. In the original story, Sheriff Hopper was practically the adult protagonist, playing a crucial role in fighting the monsters from the Upside Down. He was a loving man, and later took in the heroine, Number Eleven, as his adopted daughter.

By afternoon, Sheriff Hopper had rallied the townsfolk to search the woods near Jonathan’s home for Will.

Following the crowd, Lin Xiao couldn’t shake a strange feeling. He knew exactly where Will was, and yet he had to pretend to search for him with everyone else. There was a surreal sense of detachment—not just from pretending, but from inhabiting Jonathan’s life in this new world. Was he still himself, or had he become someone else entirely?

The search yielded nothing. By midnight, everyone returned home empty-handed. Joey went around thanking the neighbors, with Lin Xiao following suit. Unlike the cold indifference of big cities, American small towns were like villages in China—familiar, neighborly, everyone at least recognized each other, especially within the same community.

Lin Xiao cooked dinner and brought it to Joey, but she couldn’t eat a bite, staring blankly into space. Lin Xiao didn’t eat either, choosing to share her hunger in silent solidarity. They sat quietly, lost in their own thoughts.

“Jonathan, bring me some of Will’s photos. Tomorrow I’ll print missing person flyers,” Joey said wearily. Lin Xiao went to his room and fetched a box full of photographs—the originals were all taken by Jonathan, wandering with his camera.

As she sorted through the photos, the story returned to its familiar path. For the first time, this mother realized just how little she’d paid attention to her eldest son after the divorce, and a sob caught in her throat.

Lin Xiao felt a pang of sorrow himself. Dying suddenly and crossing into this world, he imagined his own parents must have wept just as bitterly at his loss. There’s nothing more heartbreaking than parents burying their child.

As mother and son shared a quiet moment, the phone suddenly rang. Joey rushed to answer, but all she heard was static and heavy breathing—faint, urgent, and unintelligible.

Lin Xiao, standing nearby with the knowledge of a god, knew this was Will calling from the Upside Down. Will had managed to reach their home in that parallel world and was dialing the phone.

Same phone, different worlds. Such was the eerie magic of the Upside Down.

After a few moments, a spark flashed and the receiver was burned out. Joey nearly lost her composure, frantically dialing over and over, her words dissolving into desperate nonsense.

“Mom, calm down. Will is going to come home safe,” Lin Xiao said, grabbing Joey’s arm and speaking with such confidence it was as if he believed it with every fiber of his being.

His steady tone soothed Joey, and for the first time, she realized her eldest son had truly grown up—he was now the pillar of the family, someone she could lean on.

That night, neither of them slept. As dawn broke, Joey called the police again, asking Sheriff Hopper to come over. She told him about Will’s phone call and how the phone had burned out. Hopper, skeptical, chalked it up to the previous night’s storm and urged her to calm down. Joey, on edge and near a breakdown, snapped back at him so sharply that Hopper was left speechless.

Hopper then inquired about Joey’s ex-husband—Will’s father—asking if he’d received any calls. When Joey said no, Hopper left, intending to look for Will’s father himself.

According to the story, Jonathan should have chased after him, offering to go instead, but Hopper would always refuse, insisting Jonathan stay home with his mother.

Already knowing the outcome, Lin Xiao had no intention of wasting his time. Besides, the thought of tracking down a stranger and calling him “Dad” was more than a little uncomfortable. So he agreed to stay.

Soon, Joey returned from the print shop with the flyers. Mother and son split up, posting them around town.

Lin Xiao drove to Hawkins High School. The original Jonathan was a junior there, but had taken time off after Will’s disappearance.

At the bulletin board, as he was putting up a flyer, a group of familiar faces appeared: Nancy Wheeler—the so-called “Poster Queen”—her boyfriend Steve Harrington, his crony Tommy, and Tommy’s girlfriend Carol.

They watched Lin Xiao and laughed openly. Tommy pointed at him and said, “Wanna bet this guy killed his brother and hid the body?”

“Shut up,” Steve said, punching his friend in the arm. Lin Xiao’s gaze shot toward Tommy, cold and sharp.

In the story, Jonathan was an introverted, honest kid—often bullied at school. But later, because of Nancy, he finally stood up for himself and gave Steve a well-deserved beating.

“What are you looking at? It’s not like I killed your brother. Maybe he got snatched by traffickers. I hear there are some sickos out there who like pretty boys like him. Maybe you should ask among them,” Tommy jeered, laughing. If there was anyone truly despicable in the whole show, it was Tommy and his girlfriend Carol.

Lin Xiao approached, expression calm, and said quietly, “Take back what you said. Apologize now.”

The group was momentarily stunned. Jonathan was usually so withdrawn and an easy target; he was the softest touch at school. When did he become so tough?

“Oh, sorry. My mistake. They like mouths as much as they like butts," Tommy sneered, laughing with Carol. Their antics drew a crowd of students, all whispering and pointing.

Lin Xiao could only shake his head. Why were there idiots like this everywhere in the world?