Superman Premieres, Drawing the Man of Steel

The summer of 2008 was a hot one in the Marvel Universe.

A group of reporters crowded around a handsome young Asian man, practically trying to shove their microphones into his mouth.

"Mr. Li Chen, why did your company, Starlight Pictures, want to bring Superman to the big screen?"

Should I tell you I have a system? Li Chen thought.

He smiled faintly, an impeccable smile on his face. "You know, Superman is a powerful guy. To us, he's more than just a comic-book character. He's almost like someone who really exists, just like Captain America decades ago."

As soon as he finished, another reporter asked, "Why did you make Superman so dark? Aren't you afraid of ruining the character?"

"With great power comes great responsibility. Superman is an incredible character. Of course we couldn't portray him as a cheerful young man who does nothing but grin foolishly. As for whether we ruined him, won't the box office tell us?"

Li Chen waved his hand, ending the interview, and hurried into the Starlight Pictures office building.

As an outsider in Hollywood, he knew perfectly well they were deliberately giving him a hard time, but he was in a good mood now and didn't care.

As a transmigrator, he had been delighted at first. After all, his new identity came with a substantial family fortune, and it looked as though he could do whatever he pleased in America.

Actresses, models—he'd have a different one every day.

But he soon discovered that this world wasn't the one he knew. Many things were different. For instance, several of the Hollywood giants were slightly different, and even the president's name didn't match his memories.

Most importantly, this world had Captain America, and he actually existed...

Now, Captain America statues could be seen all over America.

Li Chen had been numb with shock. He'd thought he could finally enjoy life, but who knew it would be so dangerous?

He didn't want to be halfway through having fun with a beautiful girl, only to see her turn to ash and crumble away...

Of course, he might be the one who turned to ash.

Just as he was feeling lost, the system arrived as promised.

[Entertainment System].

The system was simple. As long as he made films or comics, or even published novels or made games, he could earn reputation points, which he could use for draws.

The prizes were items and superpowers from the works he produced, and he could even summon characters.

So Li Chen had gotten excited and immediately set his sights on the character Superman.

Who wouldn't want to become Superman?

Thus, he took his fortune to Hollywood and founded Starlight Pictures. He acquired MGM, one of the Hollywood giants that was gradually going bankrupt, and went to great lengths to secure a partnership with DC Comics.

Because this world had Captain America, DC Comics was doing well and hadn't fallen into a crisis. Naturally, it hadn't become a subsidiary of Warner Bros. either.

DC Comics was also very ambitious. They had long wanted to bring characters like Batman and Superman to the big screen, and then they met Li Chen, their "sucker."

Li Chen gave up a lot of benefits to make the movie. In any case, the system didn't require him to create an original work.

Didn't a movie adapted from a comic still count as one he produced?

So, before filming began, he secured himself a producer credit, and sure enough, it met the system's requirements.

Of course, he made sure the movie was properly filmed. Not only did he raise over a hundred million dollars, but he also specifically sought out Zack Snyder in the advertising industry and kept control of the script, leaving him free to focus on the visuals.

For the role of Superman, he found Henry Cavill, who had yet to become famous in this world.

Sure enough, Superman had burst onto the scene that summer and set it ablaze. Now it was time to reap the rewards.

"Mr. Li."

"Boss!"

As soon as Li Chen walked in, the pretty blonde at the front desk immediately pulled her neckline down a little.

Everyone else greeted him warmly too.

It was a stark contrast to their indifference before the movie's release. The taste of success really was different.

The women cast flirtatious glances at Li Chen, but he ignored them all and quickened his pace toward the conference room.

The conference room was already full.

The DC Comics representative sat in his chair, his face glowing. Zack Snyder, who had just succeeded with his first Hollywood film, was beaming even more broadly.

When they saw Li Chen enter, they all said with a smile, "Mr. Li, you're really something."

The DC Comics representative gave him a thumbs-up.

They had invested heavily in the movie. Besides the more than one hundred million spent on production, they had put tens of millions of dollars into publicity and distribution.

Li Chen had made a wise decision in insisting on acquiring MGM, one of the Hollywood giants.

With no film library left, MGM was worthless in many people's eyes, since a Hollywood giant's most important asset was its film library.

Warner Bros. and Disney, for example, had countless old movies in their libraries and made plenty of money from them every year.

Back in the nineties, MGM had sold off its film library for lack of money, leaving it looking like an empty shell.

But Li Chen knew perfectly well that MGM had distribution channels and the status of a major studio, things a newcomer like him lacked.

A starving camel was still bigger than a horse. After a tussle with a Sony-led consortium, he had finally succeeded in taking control and given it a new owner.

Li Chen smiled faintly, while Zack said enthusiastically, "Boss, we can bring Batman to the big screen now. I can't wait to see Superman and Batman face off."

Zack Snyder's words gave Li Chen a bit of a headache.

In Li Chen's opinion, Zack really was a good director, but he didn't understand buildup at all. He was too aggressive.

"There's no rush. We need to take our time and develop it into a universe, not try to do everything at once."

Li Chen motioned for him to calm down. "Batman will certainly appear on the big screen, and he will face off against Superman, but not now."

Zack nodded, showing that he understood, and calmed down.

Li Chen then looked over the financial report. He didn't pay attention to how much they had spent; his mind had actually sunk into his system.

[Calculating.]

[Superman: Man of Steel is currently generating intense discussion across the United States. 2,300 reputation points earned.]

[1,000 reputation points can be used for a ten-draw.]

"Only a little over two thousand reputation points?"

Li Chen was annoyed, but fortunately, the draws were cheap: just 100 reputation points per draw, or 1,000 for ten.

That was reasonably fair.

With the executives not all present yet, Li Chen decided to do a ten-draw.

[Perform a ten-draw?]

"Yes!"

[Drawing. The only work currently available for the draw is Superman: Man of Steel.]

Perhaps because there were too few works, the first several draws in a row came up as "better luck next time."

Li Chen's eyelid twitched.

But soon enough, he actually got something.

[Congratulations, host. You drew Superman Glasses.]

[Congratulations, host. You drew the Kryptonian Bloodline.]

[Superman Glasses: Wear them, and strangers won't recognize you.]

[Kryptonian Bloodline: After undergoing modification, you will possess a Kryptonian's physique—a true man of steel!]

"Holy shit, I hit the jackpot!"

Li Chen was thrilled. Did he have a man of steel's body just like that?