At the plaza, a desperate plea pierced the chaotic night. "Help me, sir!" a lady cried, her voice laced with terror and tears.
"This is the Metro Police! Take your knife off that woman!" a police officer commanded.
The man holding the lady screamed back, "This is my girlfriend, and this is our problem! Get away!"
Ronaldo stumbled into the scene, clutching his bleeding side, his umbrella still in hand. His eyes scanned the commotion: patrol lights flashed everywhere, almost blinding him through the drizzle. The umbrella, still unfurled, almost completely obscured his view of the plaza, but he managed to glimpse the lady. Behind her, a man in a leather jacket held her by the neck, a knife in his other hand, threatening to slice her throat.
Ronaldo turned back. The rain continued to drizzle, mixing with the cacophony of the crowd. They were so engrossed in the hostage situation that they didn't notice another crime about to unfold. The man chasing Ronaldo, oblivious to the hostage crisis, didn't care about anything but his pursuit. He just kept running, intent on catching Ronaldo.
Ronaldo didn't hesitate. To save himself, he jumped into the middle of the hostage scene. The man chasing him stopped, hiding in the corner of a building's wall, his eyes red with anger. He then left. Meanwhile, Ronaldo had captured the attention of the crowd and the police.
"Sir, please step out of the scene!" a police officer shouted.
Ronaldo's umbrella was still at his side. The crowd began to murmur. "Look, there's blood," a man whispered to his friend. Another lady screamed, "Blood! Blood!" A noise echoed through the entire plaza. Some police officers aimed their guns at Ronaldo, while others remained focused on the hostage situation.
"Sir! This is the Metro Police! Drop your umbrella! And kneel on the ground!"
Just as Ronaldo was about to kneel, he saw the lady's face a familiar face. He recognized her instantly as the one who had offered him an umbrella the day before. "Oh-sir! Help me!" the lady screamed to Ronaldo.
Ronaldo took his stance, standing still, looking at the man. "It's about ten steps if I walk towards their direction and six steps if I run towards it" Ronaldo analyzed, then looked around. He saw a curve in the wall. He gazed back at the police and the man holding the lady. Suddenly, his umbrella popped open, a mere decoy. Ronaldo ran in a circle. While the man was distracted by the umbrella, Ronaldo grabbed the shoulder of the man holding the knife, then kicked the lady, making her drop to the floor. Ronaldo tightened his grip on the man's shoulders with both arms on either side.
The man head-butted Ronaldo, hitting his forehead, then turned back to him and stabbed him in the chest. Blood spurted from Ronaldo's mouth.
"Ugrhhhhhhhhhh!" Ronaldo screamed, not in pain, but in anger. "If you can do this to me, I can do this to you too!" Ronaldo head-butted the man. The man was hit squarely on his forehead and leaned backward. Ronaldo then pulled the knife from his own chest and stabbed the man in the neck. But the man resisted; he hugged Ronaldo and stabbed him with a hairpin in his neck too.
"What's the police doing?" someone in the crowd yelled. "What are you doing? Help him!"
A gunshot rang out in the air. By a stroke of ill luck, Ronaldo was shot in the back. The crowd scattered after the gunshot. Ronaldo fell to the ground, his eyes open. He saw the stars in the sky. "Why are there stars in the sky even if it's raining? Haaa, what a night to live". He turned his head towards the lady on the ground, then smiled. "I hope you keep offering umbrellas to other strangers," he whispered, then his vision blurred.
The police officer who shot him saw the umbrella clearly. Later, he realized it was the same guy he had offered help to, with that umbrella and a tray eggs. The realization froze him, shocked by what had just happened. Everything on the scene was in chaos. The lady was crying, the ambulance rushed in while the man was captured, cuffs placed on his hands. The police officer who shot Ronaldo was stunned, his comrades scratching their heads at what he had done. The crowd was shouting at the police.
Everything went black.
Ronaldo's consciousness slowly blurred. "How could my death be this tragic?" he thought. Suddenly, a system-like chirping sound began. "Eh, what is this sound?"
Then, his surroundings transformed into a full-screen cinema, a globe shape. Little by little, glimpses of human civilization flashed through it, followed by unfamiliar places, all moving faster and faster. It faded out like dust of light, changing into a heavenly, cosmic place.
[Initiating Control Core...]
[Control System: ONLINE]
[Scanning for compatible manual input...]
[Input recognized: Ctrl + C]
[Skill Module: Copy acquired]
You have unlocked the skill: [Copy]
→ Effect: Allows you to copy any non-unique ability, object blueprint, or memory within range.
→ Range: Direct contact or visual line of sight
→ Duration: Permanent until overwritten
Passive Ability Unlocked: [Soul Link - Share]
→ Allows you to share a copied ability with one target through a bound soul connection.
Warning: Use of this ability may cause instability if abused or copied from incompatible sources.
You cannot copy living organisms. [Evolution Required]
You cannot use or access any abilities once they are shared with others.
[Opening Gift Package...]
You have received: [Infinite Storage]
→ You are now limitless in copying all non-living forms of abilities, knowledge, and structures.
[Activating: Control C Protocol...]
Searching for compatible manuals...
[Initializing...]
[Control V Protocol: Located]
You have unlocked: [Control V – Paste Protocol]
→ With [Paste], any copied ability or form will be activated upon application.
→ [Paste] also allows shared transfer of copied data to another user via Soul Link.
[Merging Protocols...]
[Synching: Copy + Paste...]
[Core Integration in Progress...]
[Finalizing Built-in Control Core...]
GAYA SYSTEM has been ACTIVATED.
→ [Embedding GAYA SYSTEM into User's Soul Signature...]
→ [Integration: Successful]
[Copying: Past Memories...]
[Analyzing: Capable Memories...]
[Copy Completed — Memories retained meaningfully]
[Pasting Memories... 90%...100%]
[Structuring Personality Alignment...]
[Copying: Original Appearance...]
[Original Form successfully replicated]
[Finalizing Structure...]
Scanning for viable alternate realities...
→ [New Type of Universe: Confirmed]
→ [Alternate World: Stable]
Spawning in...
5...
4...
3...
2...
1...
He squinted his eyes against the brightness of the sun, glimpsing through large leaves and huge tree branches. "Ehh, what is this? What happened? Is this the afterlife?" He touched his body, checking for the wounds he had received when he was shot and stabbed, but he couldn't see anything. His body looked like transparent dust. "Ahhhhhhhhh!" Ronaldo screamed, making the birds fly away. "What is this? Am I a ghost?" He looked around but only saw a wide, green forested area. The clouds were so near.
Suddenly, he saw a shadow. Curious, he turned around and saw a large dragon. Ronaldo trembled and screamed, running. "What on Earth is this!" The dragon flapped its wings so strongly that rocks and small trees were uprooted. Ronaldo's bodiless soul tumbled along with it and got stuck between a huge stone wall, gliding on the ground. "Ah, I'm so dizzy. Am I going to die again? I wish I could die formally." Then, he was knocked out.