Chapter 4: The First Mission Released

As Kaito Haruno went downstairs for dinner, he encountered his father, Jonathan Haru. A perfectly ordinary middle-aged man, Jonathan owned three hotels and a farm in the city of Nashinno. It's hard to imagine how he achieved this in America, a country notorious for its racial discrimination.

Despite being considered upper-class in Nashinno, Jonathan looked at Kaito, the boy who had taken over his son's body, with nothing but affection. Jonathan knew that all his hard work in this foreign land was for the sake of providing a better life for his wife and child. After their ancestors were sold as laborers to this place, they finally settled down. He had no intention of giving up the foundation he built to start over in his homeland.

Over time, Jonathan had let go of his thoughts of returning home, but the memories of his heritage remained alive within him. Apart from his status as an upper-class citizen, he was also the honorary president of the Chinese Association in Nashinno, helping Chinese workers find jobs and housing. Even in the underbelly of Nashinno, he had earned a bit of respect.

However, Jonathan had no plans to share this information with his wife or child, not even with Kaito, who was destined to inherit his legacy. Kaito, unaware of his adoptive father's influence, was nervously eating dinner, trying to avoid drawing attention from his new parents with any unusual behavior.

As the saying goes, no one knows a child better than their father. Kaito didn't want Jonathan to catch on to anything strange about his actions, as that would jeopardize his safety and comfort. He focused on matching his demeanor with that of the original Kaito while engaging in the casual dinner conversation.

After an awkward dinner, Kaito returned to his room and began exploring the items he had won from the system lottery: the Spider Memory and the TAKA Can. These were gadgets from the Kamen Rider W and Kamen Rider Gaim series. One would transform his phone into a spider-themed device, while the other could be used as a reconnaissance unit.

He pulled out the phone belonging to his new body. To his surprise, it was an iPhone 6s. This was unexpected and at least good news, as it was relatively modern. However, Kaito was puzzled about where to insert the Spider Memory. He recalled that most of the Heisei series Riders from the last decade had special version phones, not standard ones.

"Damn, I hope I don't have to insert it into the charging port!" Kaito thought, scratching his head. He cautiously tried inserting the Spider Memory into the phone's charging port.

Then, something incredible happened. The memory, which initially didn't fit, extended a small interface that connected to the phone's charging port. Suddenly, his iPhone transformed into a palm-sized mechanical spider, which animatedly greeted him. Watching the mechanical spider bounce around the walls, Kaito felt a strange connection, as if he could summon it back at will.

"Spider, return," he commanded. The spider fell from the ceiling, its eight mechanical legs gripping Kaito's wrist like a bracer. He pointed the spider at the wall and thought, *Silk.* A small white thread shot out, and the spider seemed to sense his intention, retracting the silk when he commanded it.

"Whoa, this is some next-level tech!" Kaito marveled. With his enhancements, he could easily become a high-tech version of Spider-Man.

At a loss for words to express his excitement, Kaito opened the TAKA Can, which turned into a small mechanical bird. He knelt in awe. The system's creations were remarkable; this technology could fit right into the DC universe. It was clear that the Kamen Rider world was filled with advanced tech.

Feeling grateful for his luck, Kaito decided to explore the last reward hidden in his mind: the training method for the three types of Haki from One Piece. *This is my key to survival,* he thought as he opened the final reward.

"Three Haki training methods unlocked. Due to the host's lack of Conqueror's Haki awakening, transformation of the Conqueror's Haki physique will begin," the system's familiar electronic voice echoed in his mind. Suddenly, a torrent of information flooded into his head, and before Kaito could react, he collapsed onto his bed, unconscious.

When Kaito awoke the next morning, it was already 8 a.m. After a night's sleep, his head felt unbearably heavy, filled with knowledge about Observation and Armament Haki. The process of transforming his physique for Conqueror's Haki left him feeling like he had stayed up for three straight days.

However, due to the influx of knowledge about Observation and Armament Haki, he felt his senses sharpened remarkably. Even from the second floor, he could visualize the movements of his adoptive parents downstairs, as if he were there in person. This new sensation intrigued him.

"So this is Observation Haki! It's definitely powerful, but I still don't know how to use Armament Haki." Kaito muttered, raising his right hand. Following the knowledge he had received, he infused a wave of heat into his arm, and a layer of black sheen quickly enveloped his right forearm. Grabbing a fruit knife from his desk, he pressed it against his arm.

Instead of injury, it only left a white mark. This unexpected phenomenon delighted Kaito. Though he was still at the initial stage of developing his Observation and Armament Haki, this was a tremendous surprise. At least now he had some means of self-defense against potential dangers in Nashinno, where superpowered beings could appear at any moment.

"Sorry, I don't know why I took over your life, but your parents are now mine too. I'll take good care of them."

He felt a twinge of guilt as he spoke to the consciousness of the body he inhabited. Kaito wasn't sure if there was any awareness left, but he needed to come to terms with this. As he said those words, he felt a lightness in his previously heavy mind, as if a burden had been lifted. "What a strange occurrence," he murmured, and then he went downstairs. After breakfast, he said goodbye to his parents and headed off to school.

Over the next few days, Kaito slowly became familiar with everything in the DC world. After all, the DC universe hadn't expanded too much in film, and he wasn't sure which version he was in—whether it was from the comics, TV shows, or an underdeveloped cinematic universe, be it the old or new 52.

After ten days of research, he grasped the general direction of the DC universe. First, the Justice League had already been formed, which meant Darkseid had visited Earth once, probably about two years ago. The original members remained the same: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Cyborg, and Shazam. The latest addition was Aquaman, while the Martian Manhunter seemed to be hiding out in Nashinno.

As for the Young Justice League that spun off from the Justice League, there were no signs of them yet. The only active members in the media were Robin from Gotham and Red Arrow from Star City, while the rest were in the shadows.

"Hmm, looks like this is the New 52 universe. But the timeline is so chaotic, it's giving me a headache!" Kaito groaned as he stared at the mess of lines he had drawn on his desk. The problem with DC was that whenever things got convoluted, the officials would reboot the universe entirely, leaving Kaito confused about the major events that could happen next.

This meant he wouldn't be able to fully utilize his prophetic abilities, leaving him with only a blank future. Just then, the system's notification chimed in his mind again: "The 15-day beginner protection period has ended. The first mission will now be released."

*(End of Chapter)*