Everyone had a different story of legend, and each legend told the tale of a different person.
And now, this was the story of someone with countless legends.
Jiang Xin was currently a researcher at an institute in Japan, and so far, his life had been going smoothly.
That evening, at his colleagues' request, he headed to a certain restaurant for a bite to eat. It was there that his life underwent a miraculous change. Perhaps the world would change because of it, too.
Japan had many little eateries. As a Chinese person, Jiang Xin preferred places that served Chinese-style food. Perhaps that was why he accepted his colleagues' invitation. His coworkers at the institute treated him quite well, but because he was Chinese, he still faced some discrimination. Jiang Xin had clearly grown used to it. He had grown up in Japan, and although his parents had told him to say he was Japanese, he had never listened. Time and again, he had suffered for saying he was Chinese, but he remained stubbornly true to himself.
After grabbing a few snacks at home, he set off for the little restaurant where they had agreed to meet. He drove his own car, lost in thought, and soon arrived. He parked and went inside. The colleagues who had invited him were already there, chatting about something. When Jiang Xin walked over, they fell silent.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Jiang Xin went to his seat. His colleagues were all Japanese through and through. They had worked together for over a year, but had only gone out to eat together a handful of times.
Once Jiang Xin sat down, a red-haired colleague beside him said, "Xin, you're just in time. We were just talking about you."
Jiang Xin smiled as he replied, "Talking about me? I haven't done anything strange. What's there to say?"
Another colleague laughed and said to the red-haired man, "Murakami, stop teasing Xin. Xin, we were actually talking about the body that arrived recently. (The institute where Jiang Xin worked specialized in studying all kinds of corpses.) You've seen it, right? Didn't you find it strange?"
Jiang Xin furrowed his brow. That was exactly what he had been thinking about in the car. The corpse was unusual. Even after several hours, it still had body heat, and its internal organs were completely undamaged...
Coming back to himself, Jiang Xin nodded and said, "Of course it's strange. Have you ever seen a dead person who doesn't decompose?"
The colleague who had spoken earlier continued, "Yeah, it's weird. Today I saw a company commander from the Self-Defense Forces come to the institute. I didn't get a close look, but I'm sure it was him. He seemed to be talking with the director!"
Jiang Xin shook his head and began eating without saying anything more. His colleagues took the hint and changed the subject.
At another table in the same restaurant, two strange men glanced at Jiang Xin before leaving.
After saying goodbye to his colleagues, he drove home.
After starting the car, Jiang Xin casually checked the rearview mirror. Two strange men were sitting in the back seat. He was so startled that he nearly crashed into another car.
One of the men in the back spoke in flawless Mandarin. "Hello, Mr. Jiang. Please don't be afraid. Just keep driving and listen to me."
Jiang Xin looked in the mirror again, then let out a breath and nodded.
The man continued, "My name is Guangcheng Kuo Ming. The person beside me is Guangcheng Tianming. We're from the Pitch Black Organization in Portugal, and we're investigating a research report from your institute."
Jiang Xin gave a quiet "Oh," then said, "Is it the report on the corpse that arrived recently? If so, I can only tell you what I know. The report is submitted individually by researchers from different departments, so I can't access the reports written by anyone else."
Guangcheng Kuo Ming nodded slightly, then took a photograph from inside his clothes and asked, "I see. Is the corpse the person in this photo?"
Jiang Xin glanced back briefly and said, "That's him, the long-haired fellow. He even died with a smile on his face."
Guangcheng Kuo Ming shook his head. "Sigh... It looks like they failed on their end. Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Jiang. According to the customs of the Pitch Black Organization, anyone who willingly helps us can receive one special power of their choice. Tell me what kind of power you'd like."
Jiang Xin smiled and said, "No need. I want to live a normal life."
Guangcheng Kuo Ming took the hint. He left behind a single purple feather and then departed.
After getting out of the car, Jiang Xin put the feather in his pocket. He went inside and collapsed onto his bed.
He tried to sort through everything that had happened that day. Pitch Black was a famous video game and animation company, and in just one year, it had become one of the world's ten biggest companies. The Pitch Black Organization in Portugal was a group under the Pitch Black Company that specialized in investigating paranormal events. Its members used aliases beginning with Guangcheng as they operated around the world. The special powers they had mentioned were rewards the organization gave to people who helped them. Of course, not everyone could receive one. Today, I'd become one of those people, yet I'd refused. As for this feather, it seemed to grant a random special power. All of this had appeared in games made by the Pitch Black Company, but today, it had really happened.
Jiang Xin was curious. He wanted to live a normal life, but he loved strange things, and the feather was far too tempting. He thought about it for a long, long time. In the end, he still took the feather in his hand.
A miraculous flash of light appeared. A person wearing a black coat materialized in front of Jiang Xin and said, "You have obtained Copy Power. You can copy other people's powers, but only after they have died. You can copy a maximum of four powers, and you can't choose which ones you copy from the dead; they are completely random. You can only copy once from each corpse, and copied powers will be in their juvenile state. Your own Copy Power won't grow, but there's no limit to how many times you can use it each day. I hope you enjoy your new life."
The man in black disappeared. Jiang Xin gave a wry smile. He had actually obtained one of the fourteen hidden powers in the game.
The next day, Jiang Xin drove to the institute as usual. He didn't think much about anything on the way. He figured that as long as he didn't use his power, he could still be a normal person.
After arriving at the institute, Jiang Xin went to where the corpse was being kept. As usual, he examined it carefully. But when he placed his hand on the corpse to check its temperature, something strange happened: he inexplicably copied its power. Only after the process ended did he realize that he controlled it with his mind. Jiang Xin was at a loss. He checked the new information in his mind and discovered that the power was Regeneration.
The workday ended quickly. As he drove, he grinned at the rearview mirror. He'd only just decided not to use his powers yesterday, yet today he had somehow copied three of them. Regeneration could be called an accident, but the other two corpses he'd copied from later had been pure curiosity. He'd obtained Appraisal Power and Physical Power from two other corpses from abroad. He rather liked all three powers; they seemed like they'd be a great help in his future life.
When he got home, Jiang Xin found a sheet of paper on the floor. He bent down to pick it up and turned it over. There were a few words written on it.
"Hello, Mr. Jiang. The Self-Defense Forces have forcibly ordered the place where you work to blow itself up. Naturally, you and all your colleagues are to be sacrificed. So I hope you'll wait at home for me to arrive.
Guangcheng Kuo Ming"
Jiang Xin kept grinning. He was already prepared for this. After all, once someone encountered something strange, strange things were bound to keep happening.
Jiang Xin looked around his home. After his parents' deaths, there wasn't much left to keep him there. He lay on the bed and waited blankly for Kuo Ming to arrive.
At exactly midnight, Kuo Ming came in through the window. He was still wearing yesterday's casual clothes, and he still had a smile on his face.
When Jiang Xin saw Kuo Ming, he stood up and asked, "Where are we going?"
Kuo Ming looked him over carefully and said, "Don't worry. You can keep living under this name; you just need to move to another city. I'll go to work in your place tomorrow. No one will notice. Looks like you've already used the feather, right? Your power seems pretty unusual."
Jiang Xin gave a wry smile. "I didn't want to, but I got Copy Power."
Kuo Ming burst out laughing. "Ha ha, so you got the same power as me. Well, come with me. Tomorrow, you can start a real life." With that, he walked out ahead of him...
Jiang Xin glanced at the home he had lived in for many years and softly said, "Goodbye."