The Chosen of the Successor God

Everyone has a different legendary story, and the people described in these various legends are all unique.

Now, this story tells of a man with countless legends to his name.

Jiang Xin is currently a researcher at a certain institute in Japan, and his life has been very smooth up until now.

One evening, at the request of a colleague, he went to a certain eatery to grab a bite. It was at that very moment that his life underwent a miraculous change—perhaps the world itself would change because of it.

There are many small eateries in Japan. As a Chinese person, Jiang Xin preferred those with a Chinese flavor. Perhaps that was why he accepted his colleague's invitation. Although his colleagues at the institute treated him quite well, he still faced some discrimination for being Chinese, but it was clear that Jiang Xin had grown accustomed to it. He had grown up in Japan since he was a child; although his parents told him to claim he was Japanese, he never complied. Time and again, he suffered for insisting he was Chinese, yet he remained just as stubborn.

After having a snack at home, he set off for the agreed-upon eatery. He drove his small car, lost in thought, and soon arrived. After parking, he entered the shop. The colleagues who had invited him were already there, chatting about something, but they stopped as soon as Jiang Xin walked over.

Jiang Xin exchanged some perfunctory pleasantries before taking his seat. His colleagues were all pure-blooded Japanese; they had worked together for over a year, yet they had only eaten out together a handful of times.

Once Jiang Xin sat down, a red-haired colleague beside him said, "Xin, you've come just in time. We were just discussing you."

Jiang Xin replied with a smile, "Discussing me? I haven't done anything strange, so what is there to talk about?"

At this, another colleague laughed and said to the red-haired man, "Murakami, stop teasing Xin. Xin, we were actually talking about the corpse that was delivered recently (the institute where Jiang Xin worked was specifically dedicated to studying various corpses). You've seen that body, haven't you? Don't you find it strange?"

Jiang Xin furrowed his brows. That was exactly what he had been thinking about in the car. The corpse was very special; even after dozens of hours, the body still retained its warmth, and the internal organs were completely undamaged...

Jiang Xin snapped back to reality and nodded, saying, "Of course I find it strange. Have you ever seen a dead person who doesn't rot?"

The colleague who had spoken earlier continued, "Yeah, and the weird thing is, I saw a company commander from the Self-Defense Force come to the institute today. Although I wasn't close by, I'm certain it was him. It looked like he was chatting with the director about something!"

Jiang Xin shook his head and began to eat, saying nothing more. His colleagues tactfully changed the subject.

At another table in the same eatery, two strange individuals glanced at Jiang Xin before leaving.

After saying goodbye to his colleagues, he drove home.

Once the engine started, Jiang Xin glanced casually at the rearview mirror. To his shock, two strange people were sitting in the backseat. His car nearly collided with another.

One of the two people in the back then spoke in perfect Mandarin, "Hello, Mr. Jiang. Please do not be afraid. Just keep driving and listen to what I have to say."

Jiang Xin looked at the mirror again and let out a breath, then nodded.

The man continued, "My name is Kuo Ming, and sitting beside me is Guangcheng Tianming. We are from the Pitch Black organization in Portugal. Our goal is to investigate a research report from your institute."

Jiang Xin gave a light "Oh" and said, "Is it the report on the corpse that was delivered recently? If so, I can only provide a portion of what I know, because we researchers in different departments submit our reports individually. I have no way of knowing the reports of others."

Kuo Ming nodded slightly after hearing this, then took a photograph out of his clothes and said, "I see. Then, is that corpse the person in this photo?"

Jiang Xin turned his head slightly to look and said, "That's right, it's this long-haired guy. He was even smiling when he died."

Kuo Ming shook his head and said, "Sigh... it seems they failed on their end. Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Jiang. According to the custom of our Pitch Black organization, anyone who voluntarily helps us can obtain a special power of their choosing. You may state the power you wish to receive."

Jiang Xin smiled and said, "No need. I want to live the life of a normal person."

Kuo Ming was tactful; he left behind a purple feather and departed.

After Jiang Xin got out of the car, he put the feather into his pocket and walked into his house, collapsing onto his bed.

He sorted through the events of the day. Pitch Black was a famous game and animation company that had become one of the top ten companies in the world in just one year. The Pitch Black organization in Portugal was a branch under the company that specialized in investigating strange events. Everyone in this organization used aliases starting with "Guangcheng" to operate around the world. The special power mentioned earlier was a reward the organization gave to those who helped them. Of course, not everyone could obtain such a power. He had actually become one of them today, yet he had refused. As for this feather, it seemed to grant a random special power. These things actually appeared in games produced by the Pitch Black company, and today, it had truly happened in reality.

Jiang Xin was very curious. Although he wanted to live as a normal person, for someone who loved strange things, the temptation of this feather was simply too great. He thought for a long, long time, and finally, he grasped the feather in his palm.

A miraculous flash of light appeared, and a person wearing a black coat appeared before Jiang Xin. That person said, "The power you have obtained is the Power of Replication. You can replicate the powers of others, but the requirement is that the target must be dead before you can replicate them. You can hold a maximum of four replicated powers. The powers replicated from the dead are completely random and cannot be chosen. Each corpse can only be replicated once, and the replicated power will be in a larval state. Your own Power of Replication does not grow, and there is no limit to the number of times you can use it per day. Now, I wish you happiness in your new life."

The man in black vanished. Jiang Xin gave a wry smile; he had actually obtained one of the fourteen hidden powers from the game.

The next day, Jiang Xin drove to the institute for work as usual. On the way, he didn't think too much about it, feeling that as long as he didn't use the power, he would still be a normal person.

Upon arriving at the institute, Jiang Xin went to the storage room for the corpses. He examined the body carefully as he always did, but when he placed his hand on the corpse to check its temperature, something strange happened. He had inexplicably replicated the corpse's power. After the replication was finished, he realized the method of use was controlled by the brain. Jiang Xin was helpless; he checked the new addition in his mind and found it was the power of recovery.

The day's work ended quickly. He drove his car, smiling foolishly at the rearview mirror. He had decided yesterday not to use his powers, yet today he had inexplicably replicated three. The power of recovery could be called an accident, but the other two corpses should be attributed to curiosity. He had replicated the power of identification and the power of physical enhancement from two other foreign corpses. However, he quite liked these three powers; they seemed very helpful for his future life.

Returning home, Jiang Xin found a piece of white paper on the floor. He bent down to pick it up, flipped it over, and saw some words written on it.

"Hello, Mr. Jiang. The place where you work has been forcibly ordered by the Self-Defense Force to self-destruct. Naturally, you and your colleagues will all become victims, so I hope you can wait at home for my arrival.

Kuo Ming"

Jiang Xin continued to smile foolishly, for he had already prepared himself mentally. After all, once a person encounters one strange thing, strange things will naturally follow.

Jiang Xin looked at his current home. After his parents passed away, there was nothing worth lingering for. He lay on his bed, blankly waiting for Kuo Ming's arrival.

At exactly twelve o'clock, Kuo Ming entered through the window. He was still wearing the same casual clothes from yesterday, and a smile still lingered on his face.

Seeing that Kuo Ming had arrived, Jiang Xin stood up and said, "Where are we going?"

Kuo Ming looked at Jiang Xin carefully and said, "No need to rush. You can still live under this name, you just need to change cities. I will take your place at work tomorrow; no one will notice. It seems you have already used the feather? Your power does not seem simple."

Jiang Xin gave a wry smile and said, "I didn't want to, either. What I obtained is the Power of Replication."

Kuo Ming laughed loudly, "Haha, it's actually the same as mine! Well, come with me. By tomorrow, you can start a real life." After saying this, he walked out first...

Jiang Xin took one last look at the home he had lived in for many years and said softly, "Goodbye."