This remote neighborhood called Neust in Hampton, Virginia, never seemed to understand the meaning of the word "quiet."
At this very moment, the sudden wail of sirens set off the entire neighborhood like a powder keg, triggering an endless cacophony of screams, roars, and cries.
Separated by nothing more than a paper-thin wooden wall, Qin Zheng's bleary eyes snapped open. He sat up abruptly, running his hands through his thick black hair in frustration, looking almost unhinged.
"Five o'clock? It's only five in the morning! Can't a person get some sleep?!"
Qin Zheng was a transmigrator who had crossed over just five days ago—from the year 2025 to this chaotic 1991.
The 9800X3D + 5080 PC he had just built a week earlier was gone. No more roaming through games or chasing achievements he hadn't yet unlocked.
His iPhone 11, which he had used for six years, was also gone. No more scrolling through those "goddesses" whose filtered beauty still managed to stir his heart.
And that IG vs. T1 World Championship match—he had been waiting for it all week. It was just about to start…
Life after transmigration had become unbearably dull and tedious. But that wasn't even the worst part.
What he truly couldn't stand was this—
He was now living in one of the most chaotic, bottomless slums in the United States.
Gunshots echoed regularly. Violent shouts filled the air. White powder drifted everywhere.
Compared to other slums, Neust had one unique "feature": it was built directly over sewage pipes.
Whenever a pipe burst, the entire neighborhood became an extension of the sewer. The walls were damp with mold, and the air carried a constant stench of rot and decay.
Such a filthy and miserable environment was naturally difficult for Qin Zheng to adapt to. He came from a modern era—he wasn't someone who could endure suffering for no reason.
In the five days since his transmigration, he hadn't had a single good night's sleep or even one decent meal.
Holding up his heavy eyelids, he realized the noise outside wasn't going to stop anytime soon.
Completely unable to sleep, Qin Zheng let his thoughts drift, reflecting on the past five days that felt like years—and the twenty years before that, when this body had belonged to another soul.
The original owner of this body had been an illegal immigrant.
Twenty years ago, his biological parents, chasing the American Dream, brought him across the ocean when he was just five years old.
But tragedy struck almost immediately.
Just as they began breathing the air of "freedom," his unreliable parents were killed by stray bullets.
Orphaned at a young age, Qin Zheng was taken in by immigration authorities and later adopted by a white family in Virginia.
On the surface, it sounded like the beginning of a better life.
In reality—
The family that adopted him was rotten to the core.
His adoptive father, Walter Jackson, was an irresponsible alcoholic with no stable job. His adoptive mother, Mrs. Eliza, appeared respectable but was secretly a drug addict.
Five years after Qin Zheng was adopted, Mrs. Eliza died from a drug overdose.
After that, Walter rarely came home. He only showed up occasionally to deal with immigration inspections.
Besides Qin Zheng, the Jackson family had three biological children.
The eldest daughter, Ashley Jackson, was three years older than Qin Zheng. After their mother's death, she took on various odd jobs to barely keep the family afloat.
The second child, a boy named Ben, was three years younger than Qin Zheng. After the family fell apart, Qin Zheng often took him out after school to collect trash and earn a little money.
The third child, Carly, was the result of Walter's reckless behavior—born after he got drunk and had a one-night stand with a Black woman.
Despite everything, life had slowly begun to improve.
Ashley worked tirelessly. Qin Zheng had graduated from college, though he hadn't found a stable job yet. Ben had been accepted into Hampton University and worked part-time.
Only Carly remained fully dependent.
The original Qin Zheng had been optimistic about the future.
But Neust was a place where hope rarely survived.
Five days ago, the Chinese restaurant where he worked was destroyed by a group of violent men. He was caught in the chaos and knocked unconscious in the filthy streets.
When he woke up, the soul inside this body had changed.
The current Qin Zheng—from 2025—had taken over.
In his past life, he had been a basketball content creator, talking big online but never experiencing real hardship.
Naturally, he couldn't adapt to this brutal life.
For the past five days, he had been lying around like a corpse, using the restaurant incident as an excuse.
Even though he hated it, he understood one thing clearly—
2025 was gone forever.
All he could do now was survive and adapt to 1991.
Two days ago, the old black-and-white television in the living room broadcast exciting news:
"The Chicago Bulls have defeated the Los Angeles Lakers! With a 4–1 victory, Michael Jordan has finally won the championship!"
When Qin Zheng later saw a newspaper photo of Jordan crying while holding the trophy, something clicked inside him.
He had found his direction.
"With my height barely reaching 180 cm, playing professionally is unrealistic… But becoming a basketball coach? That might work."
"Basketball… I'll walk the path of a coach."
—
"Something happened!"
The wooden door creaked open, and a curly-haired head peeked inside. It was Little Ben.
"Something happened? This place is always chaotic. It'd be stranger if nothing happened…"
Qin Zheng didn't care much—until he noticed Ben's serious expression.
"This time it's different. It's Michael next door. The police took him."
"Michael? Michael Freeman?!"
—
A few minutes later, the two stood outside on a weed-filled roadside.
Police lights flashed red and blue across the crowd.
Michael Freeman was being restrained by officers.
Nearby, a furious woman shouted curses at the police, threatening them loudly.
But the officers ignored her.
Another officer calmly explained that Michael had been caught with drugs.
The woman suddenly fell silent.
Qin Zheng's gaze shifted past the chaos—to a thin teenage boy standing nearby.
His eyes were filled with anger and defiance.
That boy was Allen Iverson.
A future basketball legend.
At that moment, Qin Zheng felt as if fate itself had given him a sign.
"In this life… I will walk the road of basketball."
—
"Stop staring."
Ashley's cold voice interrupted his thoughts.
"They have their problems. We have ours."
"Come back. We need to talk."
—
Back home, Qin Zheng immediately noticed something unusual—
A baby crib.
Inside it, a crying infant.
"This… where did this baby come from?"
He quickly realized the truth.
"This isn't Walter's child again, is it?"
Ashley confirmed it.
Walter had another child with an illegal immigrant woman, who had just been deported.
Now the baby had been sent here.
Qin Zheng was furious.
"If he won't raise it, we won't either! Throw it out!"
But both Ben and Carly shouted, "No!"
Qin Zheng sighed.
"Fine… let's discuss who's going to take care of this burden."
Ashley looked directly at him.
"Swann, since you're free lately…"
Qin Zheng shook his head.
"I'm going to find a real job."
Ashley frowned.
"People like us don't get real jobs."
But this time—
Qin Zheng had already made up his mind.