Teleportation

Zhang Xuan had no idea how he got back to his new home. He was completely dazed, lying on the sofa with unfocused eyes fixed ahead as countless scenes spun through his mind—some belonging to Zhang Xuan, others to Alex.

In his previous life, Zhang Xuan had been one of the most widely distributed species on Earth: a shut-in. The only thing that set him apart was that he had also been an Ability User, one with Teleportation.

Relying on his Teleportation, Zhang Xuan had never feared being discovered. He had done many things, such as bringing back Chinese artifacts from the British Museum, or going to Japan and burning down the Yasukuni Shrine.

Later, Zhang Xuan had finally provoked someone he should not have. He was surrounded and hunted down. His Teleportation was blocked by a special device, leaving him unable to escape. In the end, his physical body was utterly destroyed.

But what Zhang Xuan could not understand was this: how had he traveled to 1940, and to the Marvel Universe's 1940 at that?

"Right, my ability!" Unable to make sense of it no matter how much he thought, Zhang Xuan suddenly sprang up from the sofa. Three days ago, he had tried to use Teleportation, but it had failed. He had fallen unconscious and slept for three days. He had been too busy and overwhelmed all day to try again, but now that he had time, he had to test it. The Marvel Universe was not the real world. There were countless powerful people here, so having a life-saving skill would be best.

But after his first experience, Zhang Xuan did not dare try recklessly. He had no desire to endure that drill-boring-into-his-brain pain again. So instead of attempting a long-distance teleport, he set his target within the room.

Zhang Xuan stared hard at the cabinet a meter away, his mind racing. His head suddenly felt as though it had been pricked by needles, and the pain brought sweat to his forehead. Zhang Xuan did not stop. He knew this was a process Teleportation had to go through. Once he gradually adapted, the needle-prick pain would disappear.

All of a sudden, the stabbing pain vanished. Zhang Xuan realized that he was already standing in front of the cabinet, less than a centimeter away from it!

"Success!" Zhang Xuan was somewhat excited, and an unconscious smile blossomed across his face. With a little thought, he understood why.

Teleportation was not a Mutant Ability. It was an innate special ability engraved upon Zhang Xuan's soul. Since his soul had traveled to this world and remained intact, his Teleportation naturally had not disappeared. Moreover, because his soul was whole, the experience from his previous life greatly helped him cultivate Teleportation again.

That night, Zhang Xuan did not sleep. He devoted himself entirely to training Teleportation. With more than a decade of experience from his previous life, he quickly grasped its secrets. His Teleportation had basically recovered to the level of his previous life. He no longer needed photographs; as long as he imagined a place, he could reach it.

The only drawback was that, perhaps because of the transmigration, Zhang Xuan's Psionic Power had been greatly weakened. It was nowhere near as powerful as in his previous life, and both the range and intensity of his Teleportation were severely limited. At present, he could only teleport a thousand meters at most, and only once every three minutes. Otherwise, his soul would not be able to bear the strain.

As dawn broke, Zhang Xuan used Teleportation once more. When he reappeared, he was in the movie theater from the night before. The theater was empty in the early morning, without a single person inside. The huge screen had been put away, exposing the red stage beneath it. After looking around, Zhang Xuan's lips curled into a faint smile. Then he vanished from where he stood, reappearing in his new home.

Filled with excitement, Zhang Xuan lay on the bed and soon fell deeply asleep.

When Zhang Xuan was awakened by a series of crisp knocks at the door, the sun outside had already risen halfway into the sky. Sunlight streamed through the glass window onto his chest, carrying a fierce heat. Summer sunlight was still brutally scorching.

"Alex, time to get up!"

Hearing Bucky shout from outside the door, Zhang Xuan sprang out of bed. He glanced out the window and said in a low voice, "Marvel Universe, here I come. Superheroes, here I come!"

After tidying himself up, Zhang Xuan vanished from the room in an instant and reappeared by the door. He straightened his still-wrinkled clothes slightly, then opened it. Looking at Steve and Bucky outside, he smiled faintly. "Good morning, Steve, Bucky!"

"It's almost afternoon already!" Bucky curled his lip and cried out strangely. "Alex, don't tell me you slept until now?"

Alex shrugged indifferently. "I was too tired yesterday. I cleaned all afternoon, then stayed up playing so late at night. I'm still sleepy!" As he spoke, Zhang Xuan let out a huge yawn.

"Alex, you've only just recovered. You need to rest properly." Steve looked Alex up and down, warning him with concern.

Zhang Xuan knew his own condition very well. The beating he had taken three days ago had not been serious. The reason he had fallen unconscious was entirely because he had rashly used Teleportation while lacking sufficient Psionic Power. After sleeping for three days, he had long since recovered.

Still, Steve was concerned for him. After thanking him, Zhang Xuan ushered the two men into the room. "Make yourselves comfortable. What did you two come to see me about?"

"The Stark Expo. You didn't forget, did you?" Bucky sprawled on the sofa, tilting his head as he watched Zhang Xuan prepare to pour water. "It starts tonight. We have to head over now, or we won't get good spots."

Zhang Xuan nodded. "I remember, but do we need to go that early?" He had originally planned to take some time that afternoon to write down the plots of several classic movies from his previous life, then sell them to Hollywood to make money. He still remembered that he owed Steve money.

"Of course we need to go early. You have no idea—every year, the Stark Expo is packed with people. If you go late, you won't be able to see anything." Bucky spoke with a serious expression, afraid Zhang Xuan would not believe him.

Zhang Xuan hesitated. All the advanced designs displayed at the Stark Expo seemed extremely primitive to him, so he had no interest in attending. But he could not refuse Bucky's invitation. Just as he was wavering, Zhang Xuan suddenly remembered something Bucky had mentioned yesterday. "Bucky, is Vivien Leigh really coming to the expo?"

"Of course! The posters are already up!" Bucky sat up, his face full of excited smiles as he spoke eagerly.

"Then let's go now." Zhang Xuan nodded with a smile, already considering how to approach Vivien Leigh at the expo. He did not necessarily need to write the stories down. Perhaps telling them directly to Vivien Leigh would work even better.

P.S. I'm really powerless over the formatting issue. I changed Chapter One and Chapter Two the same way, so why did Chapter Two get fixed while Chapter One stayed the same? Why?