A Different Kind of Entrance

December 16, 1991, United States, night.

Beside a forest road, a Long-Haired Man sat coldly on a motorcycle without moving. Head lowered, he seemed to be waiting for something.

After a long while, a car drove down the forest road.

The cold Long-Haired Man instantly started his motorcycle and sped after the car.

During the chase, the cold Long-Haired Man suddenly overtook it and threw a grenade directly into the car ahead.

With a bang, the car lost control, slammed into a tree by the road, and came to a stop.

At the crash site, the Long-Haired Man stylishly turned his motorcycle around and stopped behind the car. After a smooth series of movements, he prepared to head for the trunk.

He seemed to sense something suddenly and looked up at the sky.

A meteor glittering with golden light came hurtling straight down at him. His puzzled eyes seemed to make out a little boy wrapped inside it.

At the instant the meteor touched him, he might still have been wondering what was happening.

As the meteor violently crashed into the cold Long-Haired Man—

With a bang... splat. Flesh and blood scattered everywhere.

"Damn system, did you throw me into outer space because you were afraid I wouldn't die fast enough? Good thing this Fairy Force has some real juice. I actually survived falling from space."

Qin Yi raised a hand and rubbed his head. The pure white glow of Healing Spell instantly enveloped his body. After repeatedly confirming that his arms and legs were all still there, he turned to look at the pool of blood behind him.

"Holy shit... I killed someone the moment I showed up. Which unlucky bastard was running around in the middle of the night? This metal arm... why does it look so familiar?"

Qin Yi walked toward the metal arm in confusion. After observing it for a long time, he still could not remember where he had seen it.

"Save my wife..." A weak voice suddenly rang out.

Qin Yi walked over to the car in confusion.

Inside the nearly totaled old sedan, a mustached man covered in blood sat in the driver's seat. He breathed weakly, his unfocused eyes pleadingly fixed on Qin Yi.

The inexplicably familiar man before him, plus that metal arm from earlier.

Qin Yi muttered inwardly.

Howard Stark? Is this the scene where the Winter Soldier assassinates Howard?

Could that damn system have sent me into the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Thank goodness, as long as it isn't the Zombie Universe. Compared to the comics, the movie universe should be much safer.

Then that unlucky guy I just crushed to death was Captain America's best friend—the Winter Soldier, Bucky. If that's the case, then I've gotten myself tangled up in some huge karma.

I haven't even had time to develop yet, and I've already forcibly changed the storyline. But, Captain, I saved one of your friends and killed another. We're even now.

Qin Yi raised his hand and placed it on Howard's head.

The pure white glow of Healing Spell spread across Howard's entire body. Howard, who had been on the verge of death, recovered instantly and hurriedly grabbed Qin Yi's hand.

"Please, save my wife."

Qin Yi then placed his hand on Howard's wife, Maria Stark's head.

After casting Healing Spell, Qin Yi's vision suddenly went dark. A heartburn-like hunger surged through him, and he collapsed to the ground.

Just the energy expenditure from using Healing Spell had made him hungry? That should not have happened. It must have been because his fall from outer space had consumed too much energy.

Damn it, 89757.

There were so many ancient energies in the Marvel Universe, yet it had chosen this one to merge with his body. Would he eventually become something like Galactus?

Eating wherever he went?

He really envied those people who started out by merging with the Phoenix Force or Chaos Force.

Qin Yi looked at his tiny arms and legs. How was he supposed to survive a lifetime of hunger?

Beside him, Howard Stark, who had helped his wife out of the car, asked anxiously.

"Maria, how do you feel?"

"I'm fine, Howard. Did we hit this child?"

Seeing Qin Yi slumped on the ground, Maria hurriedly stood and clasped his hand. "Child, are you hurt anywhere?"

Howard looked at Qin Yi, whose hand his wife was holding, and recalled the accident just now.

Was that motorcycle rider chasing us because he was after the Super-Soldier Serum in the trunk?

I had only just replicated the Super-Soldier Serum and hadn't even had time to test it. Was there a leak from inside?

Or was this simply an assassination attempt? Hydra? Or another competitor? And this superpowered child happened to appear at exactly the right moment... does he have some kind of motive?

"Howard, hurry and take this child home to get checked out." Maria looked at her brooding husband and spoke urgently.

Howard immediately called his butler, Edwin Jarvis.

"Thank you for saving Maria and me, child. What is your name? Where is your family? Why are you out here alone?"

After finishing the call, Howard sat beside his wife and asked Qin Yi.

Qin Yi looked up at the unharmed Howard and Maria.

He had only just arrived in the Marvel Universe and had already forcibly changed the storyline. The Winter Soldier was dead, while Iron Man's parents were still alive.

The chances of the Avengers Civil War happening later would be much lower. If so, the Time Variance Authority and Ancient One, who possessed the Time Stone, would definitely notice him.

His Fairy Force fusion rate was only 6%, and the system was still dormant. Could he deal with people like them? Where was he supposed to find energy to devour and increase his fusion rate?

And there was also that family-planning director's snap. Could he really gamble on that fifty-percent chance?

Then there was this damned hunger caused by the Fairy Force. Was he going to have to keep eating forever?

In this Marvel Universe filled with danger, in this suffering-ridden United States, the pressure to survive was enormous.

Thinking of that miserable future, Qin Yi could not help making a troubled expression as he answered, "Qin Yi."

Howard stared at Qin Yi, who had suddenly become sorrowful.

He recalled reports from several years ago about the military gathering Mutant children for experiments. Looking at Qin Yi's frail body and the superpower he had used to save them earlier—

Could this child be a young Mutant who had escaped from a military laboratory? Had Howard's question just reminded the child of his tragic past?

Then they could not stay here. The military might find this place.

As one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s founders,

Howard Stark knew perfectly well how important a superpowered person who could bring the dead back to life was. Not to mention that this child had saved him. This child's ability was far too important to anyone.

After thinking this through, Howard hurriedly stood and said,

"Maria, let's take the child away from here first."

With that, Howard walked over to the car by the tree and tried to start it, only to find that it would not turn on. He shook his head. It seemed they could not drive away.

Qin Yi watched Howard, who had suddenly begun acting strangely beside the car.

He then waved a hand. The mangled car instantly turned into flowing, molecule-like particles before reassembling into a brand-new car right before Howard and Maria's stunned eyes.

The two remained silent for a long while before hurriedly getting Qin Yi into the car.

"Child, try not to use these superpowers outside in the future. Those military lunatics will probably try to capture you for experiments again."

Howard sat in the driver's seat and spoke to Qin Yi in the back.

Well, he would not need to explain anything himself.

Howard had apparently mistaken him for a Mutant child who had been taken away by the military for experiments.

But Qin Yi remembered that there had been no Mutants in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Could this be a merged universe? Qin Yi lowered his head in thought.

After hearing her husband's words, Maria recalled those reports from years ago. She quickly hugged Qin Yi.

"Poor child, do you remember where your home is?"

"I don't."

The helpless voice of a six-year-old boy stirred Maria's sympathy, and she gently patted Qin Yi's back.

Inside the quiet car, everyone was lost in their own thoughts.

After a long while, the car stopped at a luxurious estate.

Maria took Qin Yi's hand and said,

"Child, stay here for now. We'll see if we can help you find your parents later."

Looks like I won't have to worry about going hungry for now.

Looking around the luxurious estate, Qin Yi muttered inwardly.

"Jarvis, arrange some food first. This child must be starving."

After Howard spoke to the butler who had been waiting for some time, the two walked aside, seemingly discussing something.

After Maria led Qin Yi into the living room, Qin Yi curiously examined the decorations around him.

After a while, Maria brought over some clothes and held them up against Qin Yi.

"These were my son Tony's clothes when he was little. I don't know if they'll fit. Child, go take a bath and change clothes first. We'll have something to eat afterward."

Qin Yi declined Maria's offer to help bathe him.

In the bathroom,

Qin Yi looked at the clothes stained with the Winter Soldier's blood.

Would clothing made by the system be like Hulk's green shorts in the future? Forget it. I'll study that later.

For now, I need to lie low and develop. Once my fusion rate with the Fairy Force gets higher, I'll go to Wakanda and see if I can devour Vibranium. That stuff should provide quite a bit of fusion rate.

And I still don't know whether the Fairy Force can devour Infinity Stones like the Space Stone and Reality Stone.

The energy provided by the Infinity Stones should be enough to wake that damn system from its dormancy, right?

I'll find a chance to test it later.

In this dangerous Marvel Universe, not having a cheat ability really doesn't give me much of a sense of security.

Though this system does seem a little unreliable.

At this point in time, the Space Stone—the Tesseract—was still inside that Kree spaceship in Earth's outer space. He would have to wait until Captain Marvel returned to Earth several years later to get it.

The major villains had not made their appearances yet. If he devoured the beginner-village villains of the Marvel Universe, it might be easier.

"Child, dinner's ready." Maria's voice interrupted Qin Yi's thoughts.

"Okay, Auntie."

Qin Yi answered after getting dressed.

At the dining table,

Qin Yi spoke to Maria somewhat embarrassedly.

"Thank you. I might eat a little more than usual."

Maria smiled at Qin Yi.

"It's all right, child. I should be the one thanking you for saving my husband and me. Don't worry about such things. It seems Tony's childhood clothes fit you perfectly."

"Then I'll dig in."

After running around all night, he wondered whether this food could ease the damned hunger caused by the Fairy Force.

An hour later, Maria looked at Qin Yi's still-flat stomach and watched him continue to wolf down food.

"Child, won't eating like this be bad for your health?"

Maria had clearly underestimated what he meant by "a little more."

During that time, she had no choice but to have the chef prepare more food.

Qin Yi stuffed food into his mouth, watching his hunger slowly decrease, then looked up and answered,

"It's okay, Auntie. It's a side effect of using my superpower."

Just then, a young voice rang out from outside the room.

"Uncle Jarvis, is Mom back?"

Qin Yi looked outside. Had the protagonist of the Marvel Universe's opening story finally made his entrance?