Chapter One: Reborn in the Marvel Universe?

“Beep, beep, beep—”
The military pager tumbled to the ground. The Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. stared in disbelief at his body, which was rapidly turning to ash. After uttering a single “Damn it,” he dissolved into dust, carried away by the winds of a New York street.
Finally, the screen of the pager displayed what seemed to be Captain Marvel’s emblem.
This was the post-credit scene of Avengers: Infinity War.
As the movie reached this point in the projection room, the list of crew members began to scroll from bottom to top, signaling the film’s end.
“That’s it? Thanos isn’t even finished yet.”
Many audience members grumbled, gathering their belongings and leaving the screening room one after another.
Lu Ming, a high school student, sat dumbfounded in the best seat in the house, hugging his bucket of popcorn, still completely immersed in the Marvel storyline.
“No wonder they spent over ten solo movies building this up.”
“Doctor Strange saw millions of possible futures, but in the end, it was Star-Lord who screwed things up.”
“Cap and Iron Man are still top-tier, fighting on opposite ends of the universe.”
“Thanos truly is the final boss of Marvel’s first era—a snap of his fingers, and half the universe’s life is wiped out.”
“Spider-Man, freshly returned; Black Panther, at the height of his popularity… and more than half the heroes are just dead. Will they come back? Too bad we have to wait until next year for Avengers 4.”
Lu Ming shook his head in regret. For a die-hard Marvel fan like him, waiting a whole year was torment.
Pure torture!
“Might as well watch it again,” Lu Ming muttered, rising from his seat. Just then, the film’s credits finished rolling, and a line of text leapt up from the bottom of the screen.
“Do you want to enter the world of Marvel?”
“YES/NO”
Seeing the mysterious words appear on the screen, Lu Ming froze. He couldn’t tell if it was a 3D effect, but the words seemed to float in midair, as if they’d come off the screen and were now hovering before his eyes.
What the hell, is this a second post-credit scene?
Lu Ming looked around in confusion. The other moviegoers had already left, leaving the vast theater silent, with only him remaining.
He glanced back at the screen. The words still hovered dead center, their color fading from black to white, about to disappear entirely.
I don’t believe it. As if you could really send me to Marvel.
Lu Ming chuckled, reaching out to tap the option. But as soon as his finger lifted, a jolt of electric pain shot through his body from his fingertip.
Damn! Is this some kind of forced option?
He didn’t have time to complain. His vision went black, and he lost consciousness.
…
Lu Ming didn’t know how long he was out. When he came to, still dizzy and disoriented, he found himself half-sitting on a single wooden bed in a spacious room. Above him hung a vintage-style lamp, and all around were rows of identical military bunks.
“Where… am I?” Lu Ming was startled, rubbing his eyes as if doubting their truth, then quickly scanning the room again.
No mistake. He was in a camp—more precisely, a military barracks with a distinctly medieval European flair.
No way, did I really travel to another world? The Marvel universe?
He couldn’t make sense of it all. Waking up in a strange army camp, he desperately needed to confirm his suspicions.
He immediately unzipped his pants and checked himself, breathing a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness, everything’s still here. Not just present—maybe even bigger.
“Seems this isn’t just transmigration, but full-on reincarnation.”
Though he couldn’t see his face, Lu Ming could tell from his fair skin and other features that he now inhabited the body of a foreign youth about the same age as his former self.
Perhaps he’d read too many novels in his past life, but Lu Ming accepted the reality of his reincarnation quite easily.
Since he was here, he might as well make the best of it. Complaining or resisting would only spell his own doom.
More importantly, as a member of the vast legion of reincarnators—and in a world like Marvel’s, where ordinary people had a high mortality rate—he must have a cheat!
With that thought, Lu Ming was about to check for any built-in system or power. Just then, the door suddenly opened, and a thin blond youth with blue eyes walked in.
Seeing Lu Ming awake, the youth paused, then hurried over with obvious delight.
Lu Ming reacted quickly, realizing that this was probably the original body’s friend.
If he could fool him, he could learn the original owner’s identity and gather information about his environment and this world.
Adapting to the new body and blending in was the first hurdle for any reincarnator.
Lu Ming curled his lips into a friendly smile, but the youth’s first words froze his expression in place.
“Kyle, are you all right?” the young man asked.
Perfect, native English.
Lu Ming stared at the other’s concerned face, his smile vanishing as he pressed his lips together, cursing silently inside.
Damn it! I thought everyone in the universe spoke Chinese! Novels and comics totally lied to me!
He’d only been a high school student in his previous life; no matter how good his English was, there was no way he could converse fluently with a native. Even if he tried to stammer something out, he’d be exposed. Right now, he couldn’t even understand what the other was saying.
Seeing Lu Ming’s face turn pale, the blond youth grew even more worried, pouring out a string of English questions.
Lu Ming managed a forced smile, his fists sweating cold, never having imagined that a language barrier could be such a nightmare.
Just as he was about to risk everything and bluff his way through, several translucent white cards appeared, floating and spinning behind the blond youth’s head.
The young man seemed completely unaware of the cards hovering around him, still voicing his concerns.
Four white cards?
Like a drowning man glimpsing a lifeline, Lu Ming’s attention instantly shifted to these cards.
“U.S. Army Training Uniform Set”
“Bicycle Riding”
“Street Fighting Skills”
“English: Basic Mastery”
The first card was labeled as an ‘Item Card’ and couldn’t be drawn. The other three were ‘Ability Cards’ and currently available.
Without hesitation, Lu Ming ignored the rest and focused on the last card: “English: Basic Mastery.”
“English: Basic Mastery”:
Allows one to master common spoken and written English. White Ability Card.
Current status: Available to draw.
Would you like to draw it?