System

Han Lin asked Steve if he wanted to go to the hospital. Steve probably thought he was making too much of a fuss and asked Han Lin to take him home.

At Steve's doorstep, Han Lin met James Barnes.

Seeing Steve injured, James Barnes hurried over to support him. "Steve, what happened? Who did this? Do you like getting beaten up or something?"

Steve smiled. "That guy was probably worse off than I was. This skinny-looking Asian guy, who's about the same size as me, threw him more than ten meters away. Brother, I haven't asked yet—what's your name? What should we call you?"

Rolling his eyes, Han Lin said, "Han Lin. You can call me Lin. Also, I'm not considered skinny among Asians. This is a normal build."

James Barnes looked unconvinced. "Buddy, are you kidding me? This Asian guy doesn't look threatening at all."

"If I were you, I definitely wouldn't want to test that!" Steve gave Bucky a warning in advance.

"Forging enlistment papers is illegal. How many times has this been now? I don't want to see you in prison." Bucky looked baffled, then turned to Han Lin. "Lin, right? Thanks for saving Steve. I really can't imagine why Steve is so afraid of you. Can you tell me?"

Han Lin looked at the burly man. "Honestly, I don't know why I suddenly got so much stronger. I still can't control it properly. I think I need to run some tests." As he spoke, he punched a roadside warning-sign post.

Boom... A thunderous impact rang out, and a clear fist mark appeared in the metal.

Bucky's mouth hung open. Everything he had just said could go straight to hell. "Brother, how did you do that?"

"I don't know either. I need to test it. There's something else—I'm not from the United States. I only arrived today. Could you take me in for a while? I have no money and no friends."

Seeing the stunned looks on their faces, Han Lin asked, "Is that inconvenient? Or do I need to do something?"

"No, no... You don't need to do anything. You saved me, and I was still wondering how to repay you!" Steve replied hurriedly. "But, buddy, you need to get yourself a legal identity as soon as possible. Otherwise, if you get caught, they might think you're a spy."

"Do you have any good connections? Like the ones you used for your enlistment papers?" Han Lin revealed his purpose.

"Can you wait a day? I feel like I'm about to ache myself to death. I need a day of rest." Steve looked at the undocumented man who had saved him. His instincts told him Han Lin was dangerous. Yet the humble look on his face gave no sign that Han Lin was a bad person.

And so Han Lin stayed at Steve's house. After Bucky helped the beaten-up Steve into bed, Steve never came out of his room again. Han Lin took a few of Steve's clothes, washed up, and changed into clean clothes. Looking at the night outside the window, Han Lin quietly considered his future. Right, the system. Why hadn't the system reacted?

He called out, "System, are you there?"

A mechanical voice came through. "Welcome to the auxiliary system. Due to an unknown energy loss in the Blacklight System, it has entered dormancy. This system cannot provide the host with Blacklight Virus form mutations, but it can provide skill learning in firearms, close-quarters combat, vehicle operation, and more. Due to Blacklight Virus enhancement, the host now possesses physical qualities four times greater than those of an ordinary human. The virus energy within the host can enhance the host's skills. The host must seek energy carriers, which may be humans or energy sources. The Blacklight System can be restarted with a large amount of energy, at which point bodily mutation skills may be unlocked."

Han Lin listened to the lengthy explanation with a dazed expression. "Can you explain it more simply? Or show me some kind of physical stats?"

"System optimization in progress. Interface generation complete. The host may summon the system through thought projection onto the retinal nerves."

Open physical stats. Han Lin hurriedly said in his mind.

Host: Han Lin

Race: Human (Blacklight Virus-enhanced body), physique approximately 4 times that of an ordinary human

Height: 185 cm Weight: 65 kg

Form: Locked

Skills: Can be obtained through learning

Abilities: Locked

Mutation (Attack): Locked

Mutation (Defense): Locked

Mutation (Mobility): Locked

Mutation (Predation): Locked

Mutation (Weapons): Locked

Mutation (DIC):

Rapid Learning: Experience gained from killing enemies +25%

Mutation (Evolution):

Movement Lv. 1: Sprint speed +10%, jump height +50%

Vitality Lv. 1: Maximum health +25%

Regeneration Lv. 1: Health can recover to 50% after leaving combat

Disguise Lv. 1: Alert level decreases 50% faster

Looking at his physical stats, Han Lin secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "If my physique is about four times that of an ordinary person, does that mean my physical condition is the same as Steve's after he became Captain America? But that's only physical ability. How am I supposed to survive in this world without any skills?" Han Lin grew increasingly troubled.

The system said, "Host need not worry. According to available records, only the little guy you met during the day and the Red Skull, whom you have not yet met, pose a threat in the host's current state. The host possesses a series of hidden skills, including Crisis Sense, which may be gradually experienced in future life. With proper study and training, the host can become the strongest man in the current stage of this world."

"Current stage? You had to bring me here of all places. This is a world where Earth gets destroyed at the drop of a hat. I might not even live to see that day, but it's dangerous enough already! That's the Red Skull, a big boss stronger than Captain America. I'm not Alex Mercer. I don't even have a single body-mutation skill right now. Do you expect me to fight them with my fists?"

"The host may have forgotten something. I said the host can master knowledge through Rapid Learning. Here, Rapid Learning does not simply mean allowing the host to study knowledge. Although the host's brain has developed to a new level due to Blacklight Virus enhancement, allowing the host to control the body far more quickly than others, plundering is the original purpose of this system. Therefore, going to the battlefield will allow the host to become stronger as quickly as possible."

"Plundering? You mean devouring people? I'm a Young Pioneer from twenty-first-century China. You want me to become a monster that devours others? Give me a break, will you? If I just keep a low profile, the Red Skull can't kill me. Why do I have to go to the front lines? As long as I get an identity, I can live out my life in peace. As for Iron Man and the others, whether I can even make it to eighty is another question!"

"The host may rest assured. Due to an unknown issue with the Blacklight System, the auxiliary system cannot devour others. It can only function normally after Blacklight is activated with energy. There is another point the host has forgotten: the host's physique is four times that of an ordinary person, including all physical attributes. Therefore, the host cannot possibly fail to reach eighty unless the host seeks death. Given the host's physique, the host can live for more than two hundred years. Thus, the host should rapidly become stronger in order to face future enemies."

Han Lin stood there in a daze. In his previous life, he would have been overjoyed to live two hundred years. But this damned system had made him live for two centuries in a world where gods walked the streets and disasters were everywhere. Wasn't that too unfair to him? Was dying really going to be this difficult?

"System, let's make a deal. Can you send me back? Back to my Earth. I'm really just a slacker."

The system said, "Sorry, this system cannot do that. The greater cosmic consciousness detected this system when it entered. Traveling through worlds again would cause the greater cosmic consciousness to erase this system completely. Therefore, the host must strive to become stronger."