"Welcome to the Huaqiangbei System."
"What the hell?"
A voice rang in his ear, abruptly waking Ethan Chen from unconsciousness.
"Where... am I? I'm not dead?"
Staring at the unfamiliar room before him, Ethan stood there stunned and confused.
"Did someone save me?"
He touched his face, still trying to wrap his head around what had happened.
Ethan Chen hadn't exactly had the easiest life. Right after graduating college, he'd started his own business and had seen a little success. At one point, his net worth was in the millions.
But when he hit a financial crisis, he made a desperate move—borrowing money from a loan shark. Naive and trusting, Ethan had no idea how ruthless the real world could be. His business crumbled, and soon, he couldn't repay his debt. To make matters worse, news of his failure reached his parents.
They were just humble farmers—simple, hardworking people who had never been exposed to this kind of stress. As the pressure from the loan sharks intensified, Ethan's aging father secretly went to work at a construction site, trying to raise enough money to help his son pay off the debt. Tragedy struck when he died in an accident on that very site.
And his mother, crushed by grief and anxiety, passed away not long after from depression.
Ethan, now completely alone and tormented by guilt, spiraled into despair. He drank himself into oblivion, hoping to forget everything. But now, somehow, he had woken up—everything that had happened felt like a distant dream.
"Welcome to the Huaqiangbei System."
"..."
That voice again. Ethan blinked, wondering if he was still hallucinating.
"The Huaqiangbei System?"
"I am here!"
"..."
Ethan's face twisted with disbelief. What was this? It sounded almost like a virtual assistant—like Siri or Alexa.
I am here!
"Huaqiangbei System, what are you?"
Ethan asked, a little cautious but more curious.
"I am not a 'thing.' I am the Huaqiangbei System Elf—an advanced AI system, here to assist you."
"..."
"Are you sure you're artificial intelligence? Not some prank or glitch?"
"Please do not question my capabilities. I possess supercomputing power and represent the pinnacle of Huaqiangbei Industries."
Huaqiangbei products…
Ethan couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
"Huaqiangbei? You mean that place in Shenzhen that's famous for knock-off phones and electronics?"
"Please don't underestimate Huaqiangbei's capabilities."
The system elf's tone shifted, almost as if offended.
"Wait a minute—how do you even know what I'm thinking?"
Ethan's eyes widened. He hadn't said anything about knock-offs out loud. It was just a thought!
And now that he thought about it, he still couldn't see where this "system elf" even was.
If someone else were in the room, they'd think he was talking to himself like a lunatic.
"The Huaqiangbei System resides within your private cognitive space. You can communicate with me directly through your thoughts."
The voice calmly explained.
"Our connection exists at a soul level, so verbal communication is optional. And don't worry—unless you allow it, I can't access your private thoughts."
"Oh… okay…"
Ethan let out a breath of relief. Then, the more pressing question hit him.
"Where am I? I was drunk, wasn't I? Why am I here now?"
Despite how strange this all was, the idea of communicating with the system via thoughts didn't frighten Ethan. Someone who had lost everything wasn't exactly afraid of the unknown.
"This is China, but not the China from the Earth you knew."
The system elf continued:
"You're now in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. You didn't die—but your soul merged with your counterpart in this world."
"The Marvel Cinematic Universe?"
Ethan finally snapped out of his daze. Superheroes? Aliens? That Marvel universe?
"Isn't this all fiction? And what do you mean I've merged with another me?"
"You existed in this world as well. That version of you nearly drowned some time ago. In that moment of crisis, your soul merged with his."
"Another me?"
Ethan stood frozen, then felt a wave of memories flood his mind.
"Ah!..."
This body belonged to Ethan Chen too—but this version of him had a totally different life.
Same name, same personality, same appearance—even the same parents. The only real difference was in how they grew up.
This world's Ethan was a rich second-generation kid. His parents weren't farmers—they were entrepreneurs who owned a factory that made electronics, small appliances, even electric toys.
They were loaded. Ethan here had never known hardship.
A while back, this version of Ethan had tried to save someone from drowning while walking along the beach. He jumped into the water without hesitation… but forgot one important thing:
He didn't know how to swim.
Fortunately, the person he tried to save survived. Ethan was rescued too, but he'd been in a coma ever since. Now, his soul had fused with the Ethan from the other world.
"..."
Saved someone without knowing how to swim? Who does that?
"So this world is… basically a movie world?"
Ethan threw off the covers, climbed out of bed, and walked to the window. Looking out at the bustling street below, his expression turned complicated.
Two lives. Two sets of memories. Two Ethans in one mind.
It gave him a pounding headache.
"No. This world feels real. At least to me—it is real."
He took a deep breath, recalling scenes from the Marvel films. This place was more thrilling than he'd ever imagined.
But also much more dangerous.
At some point in the future, Thanos would snap his fingers and wipe out half of all life. Ethan didn't know if he'd make it through.
Even though the Avengers would eventually fix things, Ethan didn't want to leave his fate up to chance.
"I can't just wait around to die!"
"System Elf, tell me—what should I do now?"
After wrestling with his thoughts, Ethan decided to focus on the Huaqiangbei System.
With two versions of himself fused together, surely the system had some unique abilities?
Maybe, just maybe, he could use it to achieve something incredible.
"You are now burdened with a historic mission."
"What?"
"This world—China's great revival—depends on you to lead it."
"..."
Ethan gave the ceiling a deadpan look. Me? Lead China's revival?
Wasn't China already a superpower? What could someone like him possibly do?
"Wait a second… this isn't the real world—it's the Marvel Universe!"
Ethan's eyes lit up in realization.
In this version of Earth, China was mostly in the background. None of the world's superheroes hailed from this ancient civilization.