Marvel World

"Welcome to the Huaqiangbei System."

"What the hell?"

A voice rang in his ear, jolting Chen Mu awake.

"Where am I? I'm not dead?"

Chen Mu stared blankly at the unfamiliar room before him.

"Could someone have saved me?"

Chen Mu touched his face, his expression strange.

Chen Mu had a particularly unsuccessful past. After graduating from college, he had started his own business and achieved modest success, amassing a net worth of several million.

But later, when he desperately needed money, he borrowed from loan sharks. Poor Chen Mu had no idea how treacherous society could be. His business failed, he could not repay the debt, and the matter even reached his parents.

His parents were simple, honest farmers. How could they have ever encountered something like this? The loan sharks pressed them step by step. Without Chen Mu knowing, his elderly father had even gone to work at a construction site, hoping to help repay the money. Sadly, an accident occurred at the site, and his father died.

His mother, battered by blow after blow, passed away in grief not long afterward.

Left all alone, Chen Mu had lost all will to live. Feeling deeply guilty toward his parents, he had forced himself to drink heavily and fallen into a deep sleep. Yet now, he suddenly woke up, and everything from before felt like a dream.

"Welcome to the Huaqiangbei System."

The voice sounded in his ear again. Chen Mu blinked, unsure whether he was hallucinating.

"The Huaqiangbei System?"

"I'm here!"

Chen Mu's face darkened. Why did this thing sound so much like the "artificial idiot" on a phone?

Siri?

I'm here!

"Huaqiangbei System, what exactly are you?"

Chen Mu asked curiously.

"I am not a thing. I am the Huaqiangbei System Spirit, possessing highly advanced artificial intelligence. I am your system assistant."

"Um, are you sure you're artificial intelligence? And not..."

Artificial stupidity?

"Please do not doubt my intelligence. I possess extraordinary computational power and am the finest product of Huaqiangbei industry."

A Huaqiangbei product...

Heh.

"Huaqiangbei? You mean the one in Shenzhen from my memories?"

The one famous worldwide for making knockoff phones?

"Please do not question Huaqiangbei's capabilities."

The System Spirit seemed to speak angrily.

"Oh, all right. Wait, you know what I'm thinking?"

Chen Mu suddenly remembered that his mockery of "Huaqiangbei" had only been in his mind. He had not said it aloud at all, so how did the System Spirit know?

Moreover, Chen Mu had yet to see where this "System Spirit" even was.

If anyone else had seen him, they would have thought he was an idiot talking to himself.

"The Huaqiangbei System resides in your exclusive space. You can communicate with me directly through your thoughts."

The System Spirit's voice continued.

"Our communication takes place on the level of the soul, so there is no need to speak aloud. Also, your concerns are unnecessary. As long as you do not want me to know your thoughts, I will have no way of knowing them."

"Whew, I see..."

Chen Mu could not help letting out a sigh of relief. Then he asked with renewed curiosity, "Where am I now? And wasn't I drunk? Why am I here?"

Though Chen Mu found it surprising that the System Spirit could communicate with him on a "soul level," he was not particularly afraid. A man who did not even fear death would worry about being tricked by some system?

"This is China, but not the China on the Earth where you used to live."

The System Spirit explained, "This is the Marvel Cinematic Universe you know. You did not die. Instead, you fused with the you of this world."

"The Marvel Cinematic Universe?"

Chen Mu was finally shocked. Was this that world where Super Heroes were everywhere and aliens were as common as dogs?

"Isn't this world supposed to be a movie? And what do you mean, I fused with another me?"

"You also exist in this world. However, you nearly drowned some time ago and were on the verge of death. In your final moments, your soul fused with his."

"Another... me?"

Chen Mu froze, then calmed down. A huge flood of memories abruptly surged into his mind...

"Ah..."

This body was also Chen Mu, yet he was completely different from the original Chen Mu.

They looked alike, had the same personality, and even had the same parents. The only differences were their family circumstances and the paths they had taken growing up.

The Chen Mu of this world could be considered a rich second-generation heir. His parents were not farmers but entrepreneurs. His family owned a contract manufacturing factory specializing in electronic components, small appliances, and even electric toys...

With a factory at home, his family was quite wealthy. Thus, the Chen Mu of this world had never suffered much hardship.

Some time ago, Chen Mu had been walking by the sea when he saw someone drowning. Without hesitation, he jumped into the water to save them, forgetting one crucial thing: he could not swim...

Fortunately, the drowning person was saved. Although it caused some extra trouble, Chen Mu was rescued as well. However, he had remained unconscious until now, when the Chen Mu from another world finally fused souls with the Chen Mu of this world.

He had tried to save someone but forgotten that he could not swim? Was anyone really that stupid?

"So the world I'm in is actually a movie world?"

Chen Mu threw back the covers, got out of bed, and stood by the window, watching the bustling traffic outside with a conflicted expression.

Two worlds, two Chen Mus, and two sets of memories intertwined in his mind, giving him a headache.

"No. This world truly exists! At the very least, to me, it is real!"

Thinking back on everything in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Chen Mu took a deep breath. This world was even more exciting than he had imagined!

Of course, it was also full of danger!

In the future, Thanos would snap his fingers and erase half the life in this world. Chen Mu did not know whether he would be able to escape that fate.

Although the Avengers would later bring everyone back, Chen Mu did not want to leave his fate to chance!

"No matter what, I can't just sit here and wait to die!"

"System Spirit, tell me, what should I do?"

After struggling and thinking it over, Chen Mu turned his attention to the Huaqiangbei System.

Since it had fused his two selves together, this system must have unique abilities, right?

Perhaps he could rely on it to make something of himself!

"You now bear a great historical mission!"

"Huh?"

"The great rejuvenation of China in this world needs you to lead it."

Chen Mu's expression turned strange. It wanted him to lead China toward its great rejuvenation?

Hadn't China already risen? What could a nobody like him possibly do?

"Wait, China in this world has not risen!"

Chen Mu suddenly remembered that this was the Marvel World!

China had always been nothing more than a supporting character. Not a single Super Hero came from that ancient civilization of the East!