〈Parallel Universes〉 平行時空

3. “The Meteor Man”
The odds of being struck by lightning at some point in a person’s lifetime are one in 1.9 million. So what would be the odds of being hit by a meteor?
“Those who survive a great disaster are bound to have good fortune afterward.” Is that really true?
In the past, whenever bird droppings landed on my head or I accidentally stepped in human feces on the street, I would buy myself a lottery ticket to drive away the bad luck. You can laugh at me for being superstitious, but actually, many people around me react in exactly the same way!
Ever since I was struck by a meteor and woke up from a coma, I gradually discovered that my body had developed several “supernatural abilities,” such as X-ray vision, the ability to hear what other people were thinking, the ability to activate electrical appliances simply by gripping a power cord with my hand, and even the ability to foresee the future.
But instead of making my life better, these abilities plunged me into a terrifying nightmare. Almost everything around me began to change.
Every day, as soon as I left my apartment, I started seeing things I was never supposed to see, such as female coworkers walking toward me without wearing underwear. I also heard things I was never supposed to know, such as my boss’s female secretary silently cursing him in her mind, calling him a heartless crocodile.
I did not dare reveal these supernatural abilities to anyone around me because I did not want them to regard me as a “freak.”
I decided to break up with my girlfriend of two years. She was the kind of woman who planned everything in advance and kept her life meticulously organized.
I foresaw what my life would be like after marrying her. She would turn me into a flawless money-printing machine, using every possible means to pressure me into climbing the corporate ladder, earning more money, and becoming a successful man.
And then I would receive treatment not much different from that of the sheepdog, Lassie, kept by her family. My daily living allowance would be only ten dollars, and the only property under my name would be the used heavy motorcycle I was riding at the time.
How could I possibly set myself up for that kind of misery?
So, I first lied to her that I was infertile.
But she simply told me that it did not matter. If necessary, we could adopt children after getting married.
When that plan failed, I deceived her again, telling her that I had hereditary amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
She knew that my father suffered from ALS, but she did not know that I had been adopted.
This time, I had finally hit her where it hurt.
She asked me to give her one month to “think it over.”
She disappeared for an entire month and one additional day.
I thought I had finally managed to get rid of her.
But then she suddenly appeared in the lobby of my company and told me that she had thought it through.
She was willing to withdraw all of her savings and accompany me to Europe and the United States to seek out renowned doctors.
That plan failed too.
So I hardened my heart, secretly quit my job, left Taipei, and fled to Shanghai under a new name.
In Shanghai, where I knew no one and no one knew me, I applied for a job as a casino dealer.
The job came naturally to me.
The gamblers who were skilled at counting cards were repeatedly crushed by me. All I was doing was making use of my X-ray vision and mind-reading abilities.
My boss gave me an imposing nickname: “The House Cleaner.”
He treated me like his most valuable asset.
But no one can remain lucky forever.
作者：accident, I overheard two high-ranking underworld gamblers plotting to kidnap me. They intended to force me to reveal the truth and explain exactly how I had acquired my gambling skills and what my background was.
If I refused to tell them the truth, they would kill me.
So I grabbed a handbag stuffed with cash and fled Shanghai overnight, returning to Taipei.
I immediately found a plastic surgery clinic and had myself “change my face and start a new life.”
With a substantial amount of cash in my possession, I wanted to find a place where I could enjoy a carefree life.
So I went to Taitung and bought several acres of hillside land. I built several wooden cabins and started running a bed-and-breakfast.
Every day, I lived a quiet rural life, working at sunrise and resting at sunset, spending my time farming and reading.
I tried my best not to use my supernatural abilities anymore, gradually forgetting that I was a “freak.”
But one night, my employee, a young Amis woman named Qiuping, saw something strange.
I had just returned from the city when she told me that she had seen a blue glow emanating from my body.
She said I looked like a firefly walking toward her from the far end of the alley.
At first, she thought she was “seeing a ghost.”
I repeatedly warned her not to tell anyone that my body could glow.
To keep her from revealing my secret, I decided to marry her.
I had already seen the future Qiuping.
She really was the kind of boss’s wife who was “tough, capable, and built to last.”
4. “Bungee Jumping”
Unable to withstand my roommate’s repeated persuasion and relentless coaxing, I finally agreed to accompany him on the long holiday weekend to experience bungee jumping.
Riding our heavy motorcycles, the two of us arrived at a site upstream along the river, where an arched iron bridge hung high above a deep valley.
The owner was a foreigner with blond hair and blue eyes, a typical muscular guy. His assistant had strongly defined features, and judging from his accent, he was probably an Indigenous man. He was just as powerfully built. The two big men worked quickly and efficiently, coordinating with remarkable teamwork.
As I watched the thrill-seekers ahead of us jump into the deep valley, some screamed at the top of their lungs, while others closed their eyes and pretended to remain calm. Their various expressions of excitement and fear were so entertaining that I could not help thinking these people were clearly paying money to torture themselves.
My roommate was ahead of me in line. When he jumped, he spread his arms and legs like a Formosan flying squirrel. He bounced up and down several times over the deep valley, and in less than three minutes, he had burned through three NT$1,000 bills.
I suddenly felt a little heartbroken. Those three thousand-dollar bills would have been enough to let me enjoy good hot pot for both lunch and dinner for ten straight days.
Then it was my turn.
I calmly put on the chest harness, waist belt, and crotch harness myself, skillfully wrapping them around my body and fastening all the buckles.
The Indigenous instructor asked curiously, “Have you done this before?”
I nodded with a smile, too lazy to offer any further explanation.
The instructor reminded me, “You can hold a pillow to help ease your nervousness.”
I thought to myself, “LOL, you really must think I’m a total amateur. I served in a special forces unit during my military service. I received parachute training and mountain warfare training. This is nothing.”
I jumped headfirst, upside down, like a dolphin with its eyes wide open. The riverbed quickly rushed toward my eyes.
In an instant, everything in front of me went completely black.
The sound of the wind behind my ears suddenly disappeared.
Just as I was beginning to wonder what was happening, a few seconds later I heard the ringing of an alarm clock beside my ear.
“Huh? Am I dreaming?”
I turned over and sat up, looking around the room.
Judging from the delicate furnishings, this appeared to be a girl’s bedroom. More than a dozen empty beer cans were scattered across the floor.
I muttered to myself, “How did I get back here? Wasn’t I just bungee jumping? Where am I?”
Then the bathroom door opened.
A young woman walked out, wrapped in a towel around her lower body, with another towel wrapped around her head.
I stared at her in stunned disbelief.
The girl, who had a prominent pair of breasts, walked toward me and said, “Xiaoli, you’re awake! I told you, just let your boyfriend go. There are plenty of other fish in the sea!”
“Xiaoli? I’m Xiaoli?”
I immediately realized, “This is serious.”
I lowered my head and looked down, only to discover that beneath the robe was a prominent pair of breasts, shaped like papayas.
I gathered my courage and asked, “Who is Xiaoli? And who are you?”
“What? Is this some kind of post-breakup trauma syndrome? Are you seriously pulling this on me? Here, this is today’s newspaper. You’ve been asleep for more than half a day. It’s almost noon.”
The girl picked up a newspaper from the desk and handed it to me.
“After you finish reading the newspaper, remember to meet me at the restaurant. We’ll have lunch together.”
The girl turned around and walked over to the wardrobe beside the bed. She removed her bath towel and, with her back toward me, put on her bra and underwear.
“See no evil.”
I immediately shifted my gaze back to the newspaper.
A headline and photograph on the front page left me completely stunned:
“Tragedy Follows the Thrill: Bungee-Jumping Accident Claims Life of Male Graduate Student in Dahan River Valley.”
I slapped my forehead several times, completely unable to figure out what was happening.
How had I ended up here, living under a stranger’s identity?
Just then, my cell phone rang.
I picked it up and answered.
“Sir, I’m sorry. It wasn’t your time to die. I accidentally selected the wrong person.”
3、〈流星人〉

人的一生被雷擊的機率是190萬分之一，那麼被流星擊中的機率會是多少呢？
「大難不死，必有後福」，真是這樣嗎？以前我被鳥糞淋頭，或者踩到地上的人屎，都會買張彩券給自己去霉運，你可以笑我迷信，可周遭許多人的反應模式其實跟我一樣啊！
自從被流星擊中，昏迷醒來後，我逐漸發現自己的身體出現一些「特異功能」，比方透視能力、聽見對方心裡的想法、手掌握住電線就能啟動電器以及能夠預見未來，但我的生活卻陷入了可怕的噩夢中，許多現狀都跟著改變了。每天我離開租屋處，就開始看見許多不該看的，比方迎面而來沒穿內褲的女同事；聽見許多不該知道的，比方老闆的女秘書，在心裡痛罵老闆是隻沒有眼淚的鱷魚。我不敢把這些特異功能透漏給身旁的任何人，因為我不想被他們當成「異類」。
我決定和拍拖兩年的女友分手，她是個凡事都會先擬定計畫，生活井然有序的女人。我預見了未來和她結婚後，她把我變成一部零故障的吐鈔機，軟硬兼施要我往上爬多賺些錢，當一個有出息的男人，然後我所受的待遇跟家裡養的那條牧羊犬萊希差不多，每天的生活費只有10美元，而我名下的唯一財產就是我現在騎著的這部二手重機車。我豈能搬石頭砸自己腳盤嘞？於是，我先跟她謊稱我罹患不孕症，她卻說無所謂，婚後必要時可以領養孩子。一計不成，我又誆騙她說我有家族性的漸凍人症，她知道我父親是漸凍人症患者，卻不知我是被收養的，這一計果然擊中要害，她要我給她一個月時間「想清楚」。她失聯整整一個月又一天，我以為終於可以擺脫她時，她卻又出現在我公司大廳裡，跟我說她想清楚了，她願意拿出戶頭裡全部的積蓄，陪著我到歐美尋訪名醫。這一計又破功，於是我把心一橫，偷偷辭掉工作，離開台北跑去上海，改名換姓躲起來。
來到人地生疏的上海，我去應徵賭場的荷官，這份工作我做起來得心應手，那些會算牌的賭棍們紛紛被我痛宰，而我只不過善用我的透視術和讀心術，老闆給我了一個霸氣的綽號：「通吃」，把我捧在手心裡。可人不可能一直走好運，我意外聽見有兩個黑道大哥級的賭棍，同謀要聯手綁架我，逼我吐漏實情，交代清楚我的賭技和底細，如果我不吐實交代，他們就會做掉我。於是，我帶著一手提袋的現金，連夜逃離上海跑回台北。隨即我找了一家整形診所，讓自己「改頭換面
、重新做人」。
身上有了一筆現金，我想找一處地方，悠哉地享受人生，於是我去台東買了幾甲的山坡地，修建幾間木屋，做起民宿生意，每天過著日出而作日落而息的田園耕讀日子，盡可能不再使用我的特異功能，逐漸淡忘自己是個「異類」。可我的員工阿美族的秋萍姑娘，有天晚上當我剛從市區回來，她說她看見我身上發出一團藍光，像一隻螢火蟲從小巷那頭走來，起初她還以為自己「看見鬼魂」。我再三叮嚀她，別把我身體會發光的事情給說出去。為了封住她的口，我決定娶她，我看見未來的秋萍，的確是個「耐操好用」的老闆娘。