Jayson had just gotten back from working overtime at the factory, it was currently 12pm. He checked his fridge which hadn't been working for a a while now.
'Ha what did I expect when that selfish boss of mine gave it to me as a gift 2 weeks ago' Jayson thought as he sighed.
He took out the cup of noodles, which he had bought a few days back, as it was the only thing in the fridge
As he prepared the noodles he began to recall what had happened at his job earlier in the day.
His boss had asked him if he could stay a "little" late and write some reports on the factory's productivity for the month.
"I think it's high time I start looking for a new job, I can't continue working for that man" Jayson said as he sat down to eat his noodles.
'I was so cheated when I started working there, I don't even have any health insurance and when I mentioned that I was having some serious chest pains he acted like it was nothing and refused to give me leave to carry out a checkup. He even dared to threaten me'Jayson thought in anger as he slowly slurped his noodles.
"Not like I even have money for a checkup" Jayson mumbled in melancholy.
Jayson was an orphan who suffered from amnesia, he was found walking along some alleyway by a kind homeless woman who later brought him to the police.
After a series of investigations they suddenly dropped the case claiming to have a more pressing case at hand. So he was taken to an orphanage.
Jayson grew up at the orphanage and at the age of fifteen he left. After wondering the streets and doing some minor jobs for a few years, he later got a job working at a steel factory, and he had been working there for 10 years now.
"Well atleast with the money he's paying me I'll be able to cover my rent, and can put some food in my belly" Jayson said as he slowly shook off the unpleasant memories.
"Ha, I'm so tired, and my body aches" Jayson said as he flops onto the bed.
While Jayson was sleeping, he slowly began to feel pain all over his body and also his chest began to feel tighter making it difficult for him to breathe.
"Haaa haaa ugh" Jayson panted and coughed as he woke up and tried to get some drinking water.
This wasn't the first time he felt this pain, but there was nothing he could do as he didn't have any money to go for a checkup at the hospital.
As Jayson stood up to reach for the bottle of water on the stool that was close to his bed, he suddenly collapse.
When Jayson opened his eyes he saw the ceiling of his room and knew that he was still in his room. But when he turned his face as he tried to get up from the floor he was met face to face with another 'Jayson'.
"Oh my god!!!!!!!!" Jayson screamed as he backpedaled in fear and shock.
As Jayson stopped moving away, he realised after awhile that the stool in his room was currently inside his body.
"Wait, what?!!!" Jayson screamed again but this time he was able to calm down a little as his mind slowly came to a conclusion on what was happening.
"Wait a minute, another me on the floor, body capable of going through solid objects, I've read enough light novels to know that it's either I had awoken some supernatural ability or I'm dead, I hope it's the former" Jayson said as he calmed down and analysed
"After a complete body scan Candidate number 2346 appears to be dead"
Jayson was startled by a strange robotic voice that sounded inside his mind.
"Who's it!" Jayson exclaimed as he turned around to search for who was speaking
"Time left before the soul of Candidate number 2346 is taken under the rules of your world is 5mins 43secs" The strange voice said
"Huh, what rules of world and why do you keep calling me Candidate number 2346"
Jayson asked as he finally noticed that the voice was speaking in his mind. He decided to play along as maybe he might get some answers to what was happening to him.
'I hope I haven't finally lost it after all the stress I've been through' Jayson thought.
"Answering candidate number 2346; candidate number 2346 is currently not eligible to know the rules of the world he is in"
"The title candidate number 2346 refers to you being the 2346th candidate for the invasion project"
"Does candidate number 2346 wish to participate in the invasion project?"
"Wait a second what is this invasion project you're asking me to participate in" Jayson asked as he was beginning to get confused and a little doubtful.
'This was never how I imagined the afterlife to be' Jayson thought.
"Candidate number 2346 currently does not have enough clearance to know about the invasion project"
"If candidate number 2346 participates in the project he will gain; another life, power, adventure, riches and an opportunity for revenge"
"Huh" Jayson said as he was not expecting to get any straight answers from this machine sounding voice.
"Wait why will I want to seek revenge, I mean my boss had been terrible to me but that is not enough for me to want to come back from the afterlife just to seek revenge from him" Jayson said as he could not understand were this talk of revenge was coming from.
"Also how come did I suddenly become so calm" Jayson asked in confusion.
As he realised that even though he was a little calm after knowing he had died he was still very panicky and confused because he never expected to die so suddenly, but since he started hearing this voice talking in his head, he suddenly became soo calm almost to the state of being relaxed.
"Candidate number 2346 currently does not possess a material body for a memory transfer to be carried out"
"Candidate number 2346 was put in a state of calmness according to existing protocols"
"Does candidate number 2346 wish to participate in the invasion project; Time left: 1min.15secs."
"Wait a minute, you haven't explained what is even going on, okay since you can't tell me what this whole project is about. Can I atleast know what you would need me to do?" Jayson asked as he was completely flabbergasted.
"Candidate number 2346 currently does not possess the right to know"
"Can I even reject participating in this project?" Jayson asked
"Candidate number 2346 can reject and according to protocols your soul and body will be completely erased so as to hide our existence"
'In other words no, ha, I'm doomed' Jayson thought in frustration
"Time remaining 58secs"
'What happens if I just wait for the timer to run out and then be taken by the rules of the world as this weird voice calls it, I mean if souls exist then there is an after life right?' Jayson thought.
"Candidate number 2346 will be erased once the timer reaches 10sec according to protocols"
"What??? You can read my mind?!"Jayson said in fear
"Okay okay I'll participate in this project of yours" Jayson said
Because although the deal sounded very suspicious he didn't have a choice and seeing as the voice promised him revenge, as even though he did not know from whom he will be seeking revenge, he could not help but think about the fact that a large part of his memories were missing as apart from his name he didn't know much else about himself, so he was hoping to discover more about who he was. Atleast that was the reason he gave himself.
"Definitely not because I'm afraid of dying twice in one day" Jayson murmured
As Jayson was waiting for the system to reply to him, a blue see-through screen appeared in front of his face as a new robotic sounding voice said in his head.
"Welcome Candidate no. 2346 to the invasion project, wishing you a pleasant trip"
The voice said as Jayson could hear a countdown like those seen in movies before a rocket launch
"5....4.....3.....2....1" As soon as the countdown ended a black void suddenly appeared behind him
"Ahhhhh, what is going on!!!" Jayson screamed as he was sucked into the portal.
A few seconds after Jayson disappeared into the portal and the portal closed, Jayson's body began to turn into light particles and disappeared into thin air.
A while later, a strange figure appeared in Jayson's room, it was covered in a long dark robe and it looked as if the shadows and darkness in Jayson's room were connected to it.
"Strange, I thought I sensed a soul in this location" said the figure as it searched around Jayson's room but didn't find anything.
The strange figure then stretched out it's hands from under the robe and as it waved it's hands, the dust in Jayson's room gathered and formed his image in the palm of the figure's hand
"Yes there was a soul here a few seconds ago, were did it go" said the figure.
"What, vanished? That's impossible unless" exclaimed the figure after it had tried searching for Jayson by emitting some rader-like sound waves.
"Whoever is stealing my souls better hope I don't catch them, if not, Hm" the figure said in anger as it slowly faded from Jayson's room.