"Ah!!!"
Qin Xiao jolted upright in bed, drenched in cold sweat.
"Where… is this?"
Everything around him was completely unfamiliar.
He clearly remembered watching a movie on his phone at home before falling asleep. That was one of his bad habits—watching movies late at night until he drifted off. Because he worried his phone might run out of battery, he always kept it plugged in while watching.
He didn't know whether it was because of the summer heat or a problem with the phone's cooling system.
But while he was spacing out, his phone exploded.
Yes—exploded.
Then what about him?
Had he… traveled through time?
Qin Xiao racked his brain, trying to understand what had happened. Suddenly, a massive flood of memories surged into his mind.
After a while, he finally grasped his situation.
Time travel was real. This was a parallel world similar to Earth.
The body he now occupied belonged to someone with the same name—but a far more tragic fate.
His parents had died in an accident. The family assets were swindled away by relatives. Later, he gathered all his courage, mortgaged his house, and partnered with friends to start a business.
He was betrayed—by both his closest friend and his girlfriend.
Not only did he lose everything, but he was also left with crushing debt.
Then…
Qin Xiao glanced at the bottle of pesticide on the bedside table—commonly known as paraquat, an extremely toxic substance.
A tiny, dilapidated rental room. Converted from a garage on the ground floor. Damp. Stifling.
Over three million yuan in debt.
All his remaining assets combined were worth barely five hundred yuan.
Betrayed by the two people he trusted most.
How bad was that?
So bad that even Qin Xiao—the one who had transmigrated—briefly felt the urge to die.
What kind of hellish opening was this?!
If I died again… would I transmigrate once more?
Qin Xiao glanced at the bottle again.
Forget it.
Dying wasn't better than living. Death wouldn't solve anything.
It was just debt. He could think of a way—slowly. This body was only twenty-three years old. He still had an entire lifetime.
He comforted himself.
Just as he was thinking about his next step, a voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
"World gateway detected. System binding in progress…"
"Hm?" Qin Xiao's spirits lifted. He sat up and lit a cigarette.
About twenty seconds later, a beep sounded in his mind.
"Binding successful. System activated. Host Qin Xiao has discovered a world gateway. Do you wish to travel immediately?"
"Wait—hold on. Don't rush into time travel. First tell me what functions you have. And what exactly does a 'world gateway' mean?"
Qin Xiao asked quickly in his thoughts.
"This system provides world-travel services. By completing missions, the host earns points. Points can be exchanged for items in the system store."
"Can I open the store now? What can I exchange?"
"Insufficient permissions. The store will unlock only after the host completes missions and earns points."
The system's voice was emotionless.
"Then at least tell me what's inside."
"Skills. Genetic enhancements. Currency. And more… Please unlock the store for full details."
Though vague, Qin Xiao understood—this was his cheat.
"Then what about the world gateway?"
"Travel between worlds requires coordinates. Residual coordinates from another world have been detected on the host."
This time, the system even projected an image into his mind.
A familiar scene appeared—
A massive, heavy steel suit standing at the mouth of a cave, right arm raised, flames blasting outward.
Endless desert all around.
Iron Man.
Qin Xiao's reaction was instant—just like the moment before his phone exploded while he was watching that very movie.
"So the world gateway leads to Iron Man's world?"
"The Marvel Cinematic Universe?"
A world filled with superheroes.
If he entered with his own body… what kind of missions would he face?
"System, that world is dangerous. Can you at least give me some benefits before I go? Otherwise, I might not survive long enough to complete anything."
Qin Xiao tried to bargain.
"Reward follows effort. Does the host truly not understand this? Besides, given the host's current situation—what is there left to lose?"
"My dignity!"
Qin Xiao was startled. For a moment, he almost sensed a hint of disdain in the system's voice.
But it wasn't wrong.
What was there to fear?
He had already transmigrated and gained a system. How could he not seize this chance?
"Confirmed! Time travel—begin!"
Qin Xiao didn't hesitate.
This place was a mess. Without the system, he'd be stuck working to pay off endless debt, with no hope of reclaiming justice for the original Qin Xiao.
"Congratulations, host. Your courage is admirable. Please note: during your journey, the real world will be paused. You may return after completing designated missions. Travel begins in 3… 2… 1…"
As the countdown ended, Qin Xiao's vision went dark.
When he opened his eyes again, he was standing on a rundown street.
No people.
Trash and dead leaves littered the ground.
Rows of old, two-story buildings lined the street, all in poor condition.
Clearly, this was a very impoverished neighborhood.
"System, where am I?" Qin Xiao asked.
"Identity data loaded. Memory package generated. Please review."
The implanted memories felt strange.
Unlike the memories of the deceased Qin Xiao, these didn't feel lived—they were like a book he needed to read rather than experiences he had felt.
Qin Xiao, age 22.
Graduate of UCLA, outstanding academic performance.
Recipient of a Stark Industries scholarship, which earned him an internship opportunity at Stark Industries.
Not bad.
At least the system had given him a reasonably fitting identity. Even if the chance of meeting Tony Stark as an intern was slim, there was still hope.
As Qin Xiao continued reviewing the memories, something caught his attention.
When he was thirteen, a neighboring Black family was attacked by a group of Hydra terrorists. The battle spilled into his own home.
His parents were killed in the incident.
Out of guilt—or something else—the neighbor supported Qin Xiao's education and living expenses afterward. They stayed in contact for years.
This time, Qin Xiao had come to Baltimore to find him—to share the news of his Stark Industries internship.
That man's name was Isaiah.
Isaiah Bradley.
The first super soldier before Steve Rogers.
(Trivia: Isaiah Bradley first appeared in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. During World War II, he was modified into a super soldier. After a failed mission, he was imprisoned for thirty years and used for human experimentation. Even after his release, he was hunted relentlessly by Hydra—including the Winter Soldier.)
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