A Different Marvel World

Carol's battle and Li Feng's spell experiments did not prevent Fury from leading the remaining Skrulls in their escape.

On the fighter jet, Talos frowned at the closing hatch and said to Fury, "Where's Austin? Should we wait a little longer? If we leave him on the Cruiser, he'll definitely die."

Fury felt it was a pity. He still had not figured out Li Feng's exact identity, but his military instincts told him they should leave as soon as possible. Especially after Carol started glowing all over and could casually blast through the Cruiser's hull, staying any longer meant not only facing Kree pursuit, but also worrying that Carol might tear the Cruiser apart. This was simply not the time to wait for Li Feng to return.

Besides, his agent's instincts told him there was definitely something off about Li Feng. Perhaps Li Feng could make it back to Earth alive and kicking.

Shaking his head at Talos, Fury ordered Maria to return to Earth immediately.

As the Skrulls' commander, Talos knew Fury had made the correct choice under the circumstances. They could not throw the entire team into danger because of one person. Still, he felt a trace of guilt. As he watched the hatch steadily close, he silently prayed, My friend Austin, I hope you survive.

The instant the hatch closed, the Kree pursuers arrived as well. A shot struck Talos in the shoulder while he was still praying for Li Feng. Damn it, I'd better pray that I survive first.

Through the window, Li Feng quietly watched Maria fly away in the fighter jet, then watched two small spacecraft head toward Earth.

Li Feng curled his lips and muttered to himself, "Why'd they leave? I was planning to use an illusion to make Fury see me fake my death. It's all that blue-black Kree guy's fault. He ruined my plan."

Scratching his head, Li Feng happily ran toward the place where Carol had fought earlier. The Kree Elite squad lying there had left behind plenty of high-tech equipment. These were all energy-based weapons. With a little magical modification, they could save Li Feng quite a bit of money on magical materials.

Marvel Earth really did not have many magical materials, and most of them had been collected or monopolized by Kamar-Taj. A Wandering Mage like Li Feng, who had no money, no money, and still no money, did not even know where to buy spellcasting materials. Fortunately, Li Feng could smuggle materials over from other worlds. Otherwise, he would have to seriously consider how to join Kamar-Taj.

After wrapping the daggers, armor, clothes, bracers, and other items scattered across the ground in a tablecloth, Li Feng opened a Portal with a beaming smile and headed straight back to the outskirts of New York on Earth.

In the outskirts of New York, an orange-yellow Portal suddenly appeared beside an empty road.

After stepping out of the Portal, Li Feng poked his head around to see whether anyone nearby had noticed him.

Once he confirmed there was no one around, Li Feng glanced at the large bundle behind him, then felt the only ten thousand dollars in his pocket and muttered, "Carrying alien weapons and equipment around town would be way too conspicuous. Plus, practicing magic requires a quiet environment. I'd better honestly find somewhere in the suburbs to digest this haul. Once I turn my potential into actual strength, then I can go fool around in other worlds."

Touching the Kree Elite squad's skintight suit, Li Feng's mouth twitched. For the sake of having clothes to wear when crossing into another world, skintight suits it is. Going to another world naked is not easy, you know.

As Li Feng walked along the road, he looked up at the massive fireworks created when Carol effortlessly destroyed Ronan's warship in Outer Space, while searching through his memories and heading toward a lake in the distance. He hoped to use the lake water to sort out his messy hair and wash his body, which was practically about to grow lice.

It was not that Li Feng did not care about cleanliness. He had originally planned to buy an RV after reaching Louisiana, then properly take care of his personal hygiene. Who could have known he would somehow get dragged into the Captain Marvel incident? Even more outrageous was that freak agent Fury. Li Feng could tolerate Fury following him to the bathroom, but letting Fury watch him bathe for free the entire time? That was absolutely intolerable.

With no other choice, Li Feng, who had been wandering through the wilderness all along, could only deal with his hygiene after leaving the Kree Cruiser.

Perhaps heaven thought Li Feng was not filthy enough yet and could still evolve further into a complete roadside vagrant.

As he approached the already small lake, Li Feng stared speechlessly at two men in the distance working together to set up a large tent. A younger woman was playing by the lake with a child, while an older woman tended the barbecue on the charcoal grill.

Rubbing his slightly itchy scalp, Li Feng's eye twitched. I just want to take a bath. Why does someone always have to show up and watch for free?

Looking at the lake water, clean enough to serve as a mirror, Li Feng silently walked toward the other side of the lake. He planned to stay away from this family—no, these two families—and wait until nightfall before getting into the water to bathe.

The older woman tending the barbecue saw Li Feng, who looked like a vagrant, approaching the lake and instinctively called to the older man setting up the tent, "Ben~"

Ben kept his head down as he hammered the tent's guyline stakes into the soil. "May? What is it? Is the barbecue ready?"

The younger man beside Ben looked up at May, then followed her gaze and saw Li Feng approaching the lake with a huge bundle on his back and slippers on his feet. He instinctively patted Ben on the shoulder, signaling him to look at Li Feng.

Kind-hearted Ben glanced at Li Feng, stood up, and called out, "Hey, young man, do you need any help?"

Li Feng had not wanted to pay attention to the two families camping here, but then he remembered that he did not have a razor with him. And he certainly did not have the skill to shave with an alien dagger.

Looking at the bags of food beside May, Li Feng guessed the two families were planning to camp for another couple of days. After thinking for a moment, he walked toward Ben and said uncertainly, "If possible, I'd like to borrow a razor."

The man beside Ben had originally wanted to remind Ben to be careful around this vagrant, but he had not expected Ben to offer help directly. He felt somewhat displeased, but said nothing because he understood Ben's nature.

Seeing Li Feng walk over and state what help he needed, Ben walked toward him while calling to the younger man behind him, "Richard, bring me my razor. I'll keep him farther away from Little Peter, just in case anything happens."

Clearly, Ben was kind, but he was not blindly kind. He still knew to take proper precautions.

Before long, Li Feng and Ben reached the lake. Richard approached Li Feng with Ben's razor and handed it to him while he was washing his face.

Li Feng accepted the razor and glanced at Richard's slightly bulging waist. Probably a handgun for self-defense. What, do I look like a bad guy? I just saved the Earth, you know. Sure, Carol deserves most of the credit, but even if I mostly just stood around, I still personally killed several alien villains.

Li Feng smiled. "Thank you. My name is Austin. What are your names, gentlemen?"

"Ben Parker." After introducing himself with a smile, Ben pointed to Richard and said, "This is my younger brother, Richard Parker."

Li Feng was speechless. Could these be the parents of New York's friendly neighborhood Spider-Man? And Uncle Ben, the one who said, 'With great power comes great responsibility'?

Ben does look much younger now, though he still has that kind and benevolent face.

Glancing at the two women in the distance, Li Feng felt something was off. Judging by Ben's age, Aunt May should be the older one. But Aunt May in the movies was a fashionable beauty. What's going on? Did I get it wrong? Is this not Peter Parker's family?

Or is the woman playing with the little brat Aunt May? Is the older one Little Spider's mom?

When Ben saw Li Feng staring blankly at his wife, he assumed the vagrant Li Feng was hungry and had been drawn in by the scent of the food in front of his wife.

Looking at May with a blissful expression, he smiled at Li Feng and said, "Once you're done shaving, I'll treat you to something to eat. Trust me, you'll like my wife's cooking. May's cooking is first-rate."

Another matching name. So this really is Little Spider's family out camping, and that older woman really is Aunt May? What is going on? Where's the fashionable beauty we were promised? Could it be that after Ben died, Aunt May couldn't stand the loneliness, so she got cosmetic surgery, worked out, and transformed her image inside and out?

Wait. There are quite a few Spider-Man movie versions, and several Marvel Universes too. Could the Marvel world I'm in not be the one where Purple Chin snapped his fingers, but another Marvel Universe?

Li Feng felt his mind was a mess. He nearly shaved his own face up, but fortunately, he had been shaving while crouched beside the lake, so Ben and Richard behind him did not notice anything unusual.

After a while, once he had finished shaving, Li Feng returned the razor to Richard and probed, "Mr. Richard, you look somewhat familiar. I feel like I've seen you somewhere before. Let me think... Do you know someone named Connors? I vaguely remember seeing your photo at Connors's place."

Richard sized Li Feng up and down, then nodded slightly. "Curtis Connors? He's a friend of mine."

Lizard Connors? So this is the Marvel Universe with the Amazing Spider-Man version?

Although he now knew which version of the Marvel Universe he was in, Li Feng was still somewhat confused. He had watched the plots of Avengers 3 and Avengers 4 before; those events had taken place in the neighboring world. As for the differences between this world and that neighboring Marvel Universe, Li Feng had no idea. Maybe only the Spider-Man storyline was the same. Or maybe it was different too.

Damn it, who cares? I've got countless worlds at my back. As long as I become strong enough, I won't be afraid even if Purple Chin comes over from the neighboring world. Huh, it seems this world has a Purple Chin too. What kind of sparks would fly if two Purple Chins met?

Would they burst into tears and hug each other, pouring out the hardships of all these years—or start fighting the moment they met?

Li Feng declined Ben's dinner invitation. He didn't want to get too entangled with the Little Spider family, so after waving goodbye to Ben, he only walked to the other side of the lake.

Night had just begun to fall. Li Feng had planned to finish his rations and take a bath in the lake when he saw Ben walking toward him with a disposable paper plate holding a steaming piece of beef.

Li Feng blinked in confusion and asked, "Mr. Ben, is something wrong?"

Ben glanced at Li Feng's Shoulder Bag and the clean change of clothes on the ground behind him. Handing over the steak, he said, "Sorry, I mistook you for a homeless man earlier. Are you hiking?"