First Day of School

September 4, 2000. It was the first day of the school year at Midtown High School in New York.

Lin Hai stood at the school gates, looking up at the red-brick building. At sixteen, he was half a head taller than most of the surrounding students, and his black-haired, black-eyed Eastern face stood out prominently in the crowd.

Another new semester, another batch of new faces. He muttered to himself, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Hey, new kid?" A slightly raspy voice came from behind.

Lin Hai turned to see a small, bespectacled boy looking up at him. The boy had a mop of messy brown curls, a few prominent pimples on his face, and cradled several intimidatingly dense science magazines in his arms.

"Yeah, first day." Lin Hai nodded, trying his best to keep his English accent-free.

After transmigrating, the enhancement of his brain had simultaneously amplified the memories stored within it; thus, the English learning memories from his two lives coupled with this period of living in the United States allowed Lin Hai to master the language quickly, though slight imperfections in his spoken accent were still inevitable.

Despite a few flaws, it was already very good. Originally, he had even planned to stumble through awkward conversations using junior high school English first.

"Peter Parker." The boy pushed up his glasses and extended his right hand. "I'm a new student too, though I spent two years in the middle school division, so I'm still somewhat familiar with here."

"Lin Hai." He shook Peter's hand. Lin Hai felt a little excited, because he never expected to meet Peter in this way. On the first day of school, the very first classmate to speak to him—the coincidence felt just like... destiny?

Moreover, this Spider-Man looked somewhat like Tom Holland. Lin Hai heaved a sigh of relief inwardly; for now, the universe he inhabited should be the MCU Film Universe.

If this Peter Parker looked nothing like any of the three generations of Spider-Man he knew well, it would mean that this world might be the Marvel Comics Universe, and it would also mean that Lin Hai was in big trouble!

Lin Hai figured that Peter was equally nervous, because he could sense that this future Spider-Man's palms were slightly damp. "Thanks, I'm looking for Classroom 201 in Building A."

"What a coincidence, I'm heading there too!" Peter's eyes lit up. "Where are you from?"

"Huaxia, came to New York not long ago." Lin Hai answered briefly, while noticing the flash of excitement in Peter's eyes when he heard "Huaxia".

"Whoa! I've always wanted to learn about Eastern science and technology, especially research regarding bioengineering." Peter suddenly sped up his tempo. "Did you know that Huaxia scientists have some breakthrough developments in gene editing..."

Lin Hai couldn't help but smile. This talkative, enthusiastic boy gradually overlapped with the image of that Spider-Man in his memory. Peter Parker, not yet bitten by a spider, was currently just a science-loving nerd. Speaking to him was probably just a feeling of their mutual loneliness intertwining, and perhaps they belonged to the same kind of people.

They walked toward the classroom talking all the way. Peter could rattle on endlessly about almost any topic, from quantum physics to the latest biotechnology, while Lin Hai responded with just the right amount to keep the conversation flowing.

He found that Peter's scientific knowledge far exceeded the level of an ordinary high schooler, while Peter praised Lin Hai's "Eastern perspective" to high heaven.

Classroom 201 was already more than half full of students. The homeroom teacher, Mrs. Johnson, was a stern middle-aged woman. She checked the roster, asked for some simple personal information, and then pointed to two empty seats by the window.

"Parker and Lin, you two sit there." Lin Hai and Peter became desk mates.

The first class was mathematics, and the material was far too simple for both of them. Peter was undoubtedly a genius; he could even comprehend college-level material, and Lin Hai had lived two lives, so American high school math knowledge was nothing to speak of for him.

Peter doodled some complex formulas in his notebook while Lin Hai pretended to take notes, actually practicing the control of his supernatural ability.

He was communicating with Mint hidden in his schoolbag, feeling that faint yet clear vitality flowing through his fingertips.

"What are you doing?" Peter suddenly leaned over and asked in a low voice.

Lin Hai was startled. He turned his head to see Peter staring intently at his hand, the eyes behind his lenses shining with a curious light.

"Nothing, just..." Lin Hai hesitated for a moment, deciding to reveal just a sliver of his ability, because Peter Parker was a good person—a person who could be called a good person in every sense of the word.

He gently opened his schoolbag, letting Peter see the leaves of that mint plant curling and pulsing around his fingertips. "A little trick."

Peter's eyes widened. "This... this is unscientific! How did you do that? Some kind of chemical reaction? Or some sort of superpower?"

Lin Hai smiled faintly, ending his communication with Mint. "An ancient Eastern art," he said mysteriously.

"That's incredible!" Peter's voice raised a few decibels in his excitement, drawing a warning look from the teacher. He immediately lowered his voice: "You have to tell me the mechanics after class!"

The morning classes passed uneventfully. At lunchtime, Lin Hai bought a fairly decent-looking lunch from the cafeteria, though compared to American school lunches here, he still preferred the Chinese medicinal diet cooked by his master.

With limited conditions, there was nothing to be picky about. Lin Hai found a quiet corner and sat down. He had just taken a bite when he saw Peter carrying a food tray, looking around anxiously for something.

"Over here." Lin Hai raised a hand to signal.

Peter walked over quickly with a look of relief and sat down across from Lin Hai. "I've been looking for you forever," he said. "The cafeteria is too noisy. I originally wanted to hide in the library to eat, but I also wanted to chat with you about that—you know, the ancient Eastern art thing."

Lin Hai took a bite of an apple, observing this future superhero. The current Peter Parker was thin and clumsy, yet the eyes behind his glasses flashed with the light of wisdom.

"You're very interested in this?" Lin Hai asked. "I'm interested in any phenomenon I can't explain," Peter said excitedly.

Lin Hai pondered how much to reveal. He knew that in this world full of superheroes and villains, superpowers were not uncommon, but currently, the vast majority of superpowered heroes and villains had not yet appeared in the public eye. Even if there were a few unusual supernatural incidents, S.H.I.E.L.D. handled them well enough that the general public remained unaware in the end.

"I don't have a particularly clear understanding of my abilities either." Lin Hai carefully chose his words. He said, "I can sense the life of plants and influence them."

Peter put down his fork and stared intently at Lin Hai. "You mean... superpowers?"

"Yes, but... no, it still feels a bit different." Lin Hai nodded and shook his head, because he had no impression of information stating that Marvel's superpower users could grow stronger through explicit cultivation pathways.

For instance, people like Sandman, Electro, and the Hulk—individuals who gained superpowers through mutation—could not enhance their own abilities through cultivation the way Lin Hai did.

"Although it certainly looks very similar, it feels more like the result of ancient cultivation. I'm still in the exploration phase myself."

"That is so cool!" Peter was so excited he almost knocked over his drink. "Can you demonstrate more? Not that I don't believe you, but as someone with a scientific mind and scientific thinking, I want to witness all of this with my own eyes." Peter looked at Lin Hai, his eyes full of thirst for knowledge and anticipation.

"Alright then." Lin Hai glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention to them. He fished a seed out of his pocket and placed it in his palm. Closing his eyes, he felt the energy within his body and guided it toward the seed.

Peter held his breath, watching as the shriveled seed slowly swelled and split open in Lin Hai's palm. A tiny white bud poked its head out, followed by two miniature cotyledons.

This was a phenomenon Lin Hai had discovered during this period: the non-attribute energy he obtained through cultivation could not only be fed as a tonic to unhealthy plants to give them a new lease on life, but could also be fed to seeds, causing them to sprout rapidly.

"Gosh!" Peter gasped softly. "This violates all known laws of plant growth! Where does the energy come from? Photosynthesis obviously couldn't happen this fast!"

Lin Hai felt a little tired and stopped the energy output. The small bud stopped growing, but still maintained its vitality. He said to Peter, "This is indeed amazing, but it really drains my energy."

Peter pushed up his glasses, his eyes gleaming with the light of scientific inquiry: "Have you ever thought about measuring the output efficiency of this energy? Or testing the upper limit of the plant species you can influence? This could be a completely new form of bio-energy!"

Lin Hai laughed. "You really talk like a scientist."

"Of course! I'm in high school now, but I will definitely become a real scientist in the future," Peter said proudly, before his expression turned bashful. "Though right now I'm just a freak that classmates call 'Nerd Parker'."

"Geniuses are always misunderstood by the mediocre." Lin Hai shrugged, comforting Peter with his words. However, some of Peter's daily behavior did indeed seem a bit strange from the perspective of an ordinary American middle schooler.

In the afternoon, during biology class, when the biology teacher explained plant cell structures, Lin Hai secretly made a withered flower on the lab table bloom again for a few seconds. Only Peter noticed this change, and he was so startled he almost fell out of his chair.

After class, while putting on his backpack, Peter whispered excitedly, "This is simply amazing! You can control it down to the cellular level? That's not just accelerating growth; that's reversing the decay process!"

Lin Hai rubbed his temples. "I feel tired every time I use it, but I'm feeling much better now." Lin Hai said as he walked out toward the teaching building.

"Conservation of energy..." Peter followed closely, deep in thought. "You consume your own energy to promote plant growth, which requires a lot of experimentation to quantify."

"Hey, Peter, making friends with the new freak?" As Peter and Lin Hai walked out of the teaching building, a tall, blonde boy suddenly blocked their path, followed by a few snickering lackeys.

Lin Hai immediately recognized Eugene "Flash" Thompson—Peter's future "number one fan" and current school bully.

"Don't mind them," Peter whispered to Lin Hai, trying to walk around them.

"Does the Oriental kid know any kung fu?" Thompson mimicked clumsy martial arts moves. "Ha! Ha! Bruce Lee!"

Lin Hai looked at him expressionlessly. With the Tai Chi skills accumulated during the vacation plus his enhanced physical fitness, he was confident he could put this big guy down in an instant. But he didn't want to stir up trouble on the first day of school.

"Let's go, Peter," he said calmly, turning to leave.

"Oh, the two freaks are running away!" Thompson mocked, reaching out to grab Peter's schoolbag.

At that exact moment, Lin Hai moved. Utilizing the "Cloud Hands" technique of Tai Chi, he pulled and guided Thompson's arm, causing the bully to lose his balance and crash heavily to the ground.

"What the fuck—" Thompson scrambled up looking disheveled, staring at Lin Hai with anger and bewilderment. He didn't know what Tai Chi was; he only knew that after Lin Hai gently touched his arm, he had fallen down inexplicably, which made Thompson feel somewhat unsettled.

Peter was very surprised, while Lin Hai only gave a slight shake of his head. "Let's go," Lin Hai said, glancing at Thompson, who was standing in place looking somewhat suspicious and alarmed, and pulled Peter away from the school.

"Did you do that?" As soon as they were out of school, Peter asked impatiently. "Of course, I actually know a little Eastern kung fu," Lin Hai admitted.

"Oh! Gosh! You're amazing!" Peter said excitedly, because Nerd Parker was always getting bullied by others. Especially Thompson, who had even given Peter a nickname—"Insignificant Parker".

"Not at all, I'm still just a beginner and not that impressive yet." Lin Hai scratched his head, feeling a bit shy from the praise, his words carrying the traditional modesty of a Huaxia person. Though I probably will be pretty awesome in the future! Lin Hai didn't say that last part out loud.

"Do you want to come with me? The place I'm going to has more plants to do experiments with," Lin Hai continued, since he was heading to the medicinal herb shop next.

"That's awesome! I still have so many hypotheses to verify!" Peter said excitedly, though he hesitated a moment later. "I have to call Aunt May first, though. She always worries I'll get into trouble outside."

Watching Peter pull out an old feature phone to call Aunt May, Lin Hai looked at Peter as he made the call. He felt the cozy atmosphere of Peter's family, but he didn't feel envious, because his own home here could likewise bring him enough warmth.