The morning sun streamed through the window in Queens, New York, and landed on Meng Ran's face.
Perhaps sensing the warmth, Meng Ran opened his eyes.
He stretched languidly in bed, then lay back, arms spread like the character "大," staring blankly at the ceiling.
"New surroundings really take some getting used to," Meng Ran thought to himself, as memories of the past decade flooded his mind.
His name was Meng Ran. In his previous life, he was just a nobody.
He grew up in an orphanage and struggled for over twenty years, finally accumulating enough wealth to enjoy life.
But fate, as if playing a cruel joke, saw him stabbed by a thug during an act of heroism, bleeding out and dying.
The feeling… the blood flowing out, his body growing cold, his consciousness slowly fading… Meng Ran would never forget it.
Most importantly, Meng Ran hadn't had a chance to format his computer or phone.
Even though he was about to die, he still felt incredibly ashamed.
The thought of his acquaintances seeing the ahem educational materials inside made Meng Ran restless even in death.
Unfortunately, all thoughts were useless in the face of death, and his consciousness gradually sank into darkness.
When he regained consciousness, he had become a baby. This family was different from his past life; it was a warm and harmonious family of three.
His father, Meng Huo, was a chef and owned his own chain of restaurants, making him quite wealthy.
His mother, Zhao Li, was a senior executive at a company, with an annual salary approaching eight figures, making her a very successful career woman.
Before Meng Ran realized he was in the Marvel Universe, he was living a very comfortable life, feeling that fate had finally smiled upon him, giving him a happy family and a happy life.
Until he learned a different version of World War II history and saw news about Tony Stark, Meng Ran finally realized that his previous thoughts had been a bit too optimistic.
But afterward, he understood. After all, he was in China, a good half a world away from the dangerous center of America.
But reality is often like this; you never know which will come first, tomorrow or an accident.
Because of a change in his mother's job, their family moved to Los Angeles, America.
Although Meng Ran was somewhat distraught, he still tried to comfort himself. After all, Los Angeles was in the west, a considerable distance from the most dangerous New York.
As a result, a little over a year later, their family was moving to New York.
Third time's the charm, Meng Ran was already numb. He could only accept this miserable fact while thinking of ways to persuade his parents to go back before the New York battle.
Today was the second day after moving to their new home in New York, Meng Ran was lying in bed, spacing out.
He stared at the ceiling, worry gnawing at him about his and his family's future.
"Son, come down and eat!"
His mother's voice pulled Meng Ran from his chaotic thoughts.
He got up to wash, replying to his mother as he did so.
I must protect my family, even if it costs me my life. Meng Ran looked at himself in the mirror and made a silent vow.
He wasn't afraid of death. If he died, he'd just be a hero again in eighteen years!
Meng Ran finished washing up and went downstairs to sit at the table.
Meng Huo was still busy in the kitchen. Zhao Li saw Meng Ran at the table and put a youtiao in his bowl.
"Eat it while it's hot, your dad just took it out of the fryer."
"Alright, I helped move furniture all day yesterday, I'm starving," Meng Ran said.
He picked up his chopsticks and blew on a youtiao, then said to Zhao Li, "Mom, you eat too."
Zhao Li watched her son eat with enjoyment and smiled, "You eat first, Mom will wait for your Dad to come and eat together."
At this moment, Meng Huo also walked out of the kitchen. He put the side dishes he was holding on the table and sat next to Zhao Li.
"I'm here, you eat quickly too. This is the shredded radish you like."
After Zhao Li sat down, they started to eat as well.
Watching his parents show their affection so early in the morning, Meng Ran suddenly felt that the youtiao in his mouth didn't taste as good anymore.
He looked at the shredded radish on the table, then said to Meng Huo, "Dad, I want to eat side dishes too, I want to eat cucumber."
Meng Huo glanced at his son and gestured with his chin towards the shredded radish, saying, "Here it is, you try some too. Don't eat too much, save some for your mom."
Meng Ran heard his father's words and immediately felt a little dejected, saying, "But I don't like eating radish, Dad, you're so biased."
Meng Huo didn't say anything in response to Meng Ran's complaint, just slurped down some porridge, then smacked his lips and said, "Kids shouldn't be picky eaters. If your mom didn't like it, you wouldn't even have radish, and you're still being picky."
Meng Ran was speechless and could only dejectedly slurp his porridge and munch on his fried dough sticks.
Watching his calm father drinking porridge and his mother suppressing a laugh beside him, Meng Ran felt like he'd not only eaten a mouthful of dog food but had also suffered a critical hit.
"I really am just an accident, aren't I?" Meng Ran grumbled inwardly.
After a simple breakfast, Zhao Li went to work, and Meng Huo also had to go to the restaurant to check things out. After all, it was newly opened, and there were many things that needed his attention.
In the past few years, their family had been moving around with Zhao Li.
Zhao Li worked wherever she went, and Meng Huo moved his restaurant there too.
Over the years, Meng Huo's restaurants not only flourished all over the country but also expanded overseas.
There was one in Los Angeles and a new one in New York.
Meng Ran sometimes thought his old man was amazing. Not only did he open a restaurant wherever his mother went, but the business was also always booming.
If one day his mother went to the moon to work, his father would definitely open a restaurant there too.
Both his parents were out, leaving Meng Ran alone at home.
It was still a few days before school started, leaving him with several days of free time.
After a period of boredom, Meng Ran went back to sleep, only waking up again near noon.
Just as Meng Ran washed his face again and sat down in front of his computer, ready to start a thrilling game of Red Alert, the phone suddenly rang.
Meng Ran immediately paused the game when he heard the sound and picked up the phone.
After the call connected, Meng Huo's voice came through: "Son, I forgot to take a bag on the sofa when I left this morning. It contains the secret seasoning I just made."
"I can't get away right now. Can you bring it over for Dad?"
Meng Ran responded after hearing Meng Huo's instructions: "I'll set off now. Oh, right, Dad, send me the address again. I'm afraid I won't remember the route and will go the wrong way."
Meng Huo heard this and replied, "Okay, I'll send it to you right away. I'll make you Braised Pork Ribs tonight, son."
"Then I'll hang up first. Remember to be careful on the road and watch out for cars."
After hanging up the phone, Meng Ran turned off the computer. He found the bag containing the seasoning on the sofa and then went to the garage, carrying the bag.
Meng Ran put his bag on the passenger seat of his little black car and then sat in the driver's seat.
He got his driver's license last year after turning sixteen. This car was bought with the money he earned from working during a vacation, plus a little help from Meng Huo.
Although this little black car wasn't a fancy, high-end model, it looked pretty good. After all, Meng Ran was a sucker for looks, especially when it came to cars.
Meng Ran started the car and glanced at the navigation. Soon, he arrived at the new restaurant.
After he delivered the bag, it was almost lunchtime, so he mooched lunch there. Then, he helped out at the restaurant for the afternoon.
When there were fewer customers in the afternoon, Meng Huo told Meng Ran to head back.
So, Meng Ran drove his little black car back home, meandering along the way.
Just as the car rounded a corner, a Black Cat suddenly darted in front of his car.
Seeing this, Meng Ran instinctively slammed on the brakes and quickly got out of the car to check the situation.
He first walked around to the front to take a look, then checked the side of the road.
After circling around a few times, Meng Ran neither found any collision marks nor saw the Black Cat.
Seeing this, Meng Ran scratched his head in confusion and then got back in the car.
"Strange, could I have been seeing things?" he thought to himself, shaking his head.
"Forget it, maybe I'm just seeing things. I should just go home."
Pushing away the chaotic thoughts, Meng Ran restarted the car and drove towards home.
Just as the car was driving smoothly, a blob of black, liquid-like stuff moved out from under the chassis and stuck to the back door.
Not long after Meng Ran got home, Meng Huo also returned from the restaurant.
Meng Ran went upstairs to continue his Red Alert game from noon, while Meng Huo went to the kitchen to prepare dinner, so that it would be ready when Zhao Li got home from work.
Just as Meng Ran was sitting in front of the computer playing the game, that blob of black liquid also quietly squeezed in from the crack of the door, then quickly moved along the wall.
It burrowed behind the host under the computer desk, then started moving towards Meng Ran, who was sitting on the chair.
Just as it was about to touch Meng Ran's ankle, there was a sudden knock on the door.
Meng Ran heard the knock and immediately stood up to open the door. The black liquid quickly retreated, hiding behind the host.
The door opened, and it turned out to be his mother, Zhao Li, returning home from work. At this time, Meng Huo had also just finished preparing dinner.
Zhao Li came up to call Meng Ran downstairs to eat.
Zhao Li had only intended to call out from downstairs, but because Meng Ran was wearing headphones and didn't hear her, she came upstairs to knock on the door.
Dinner today was four dishes and a soup. Ordinary ingredients became incredibly delicious thanks to Chef Meng's extraordinary culinary skills.
Meng Ran, who had just come downstairs, couldn't help but swallow as he smelled the aroma. He immediately sat at the table, ready to eat heartily.
After Meng Huo placed the last dish, Braised Pork Ribs, on the table, the already impatient Zhao Li and Meng Ran began to "devour everything."
Chef Meng sat at the table, watching his wife and son happily eating, a happy smile also spreading across his face.
After dinner, the family of three sat on the sofa and started chatting.
Zhao Li talked about her work for the day, while Meng Ran and Meng Huo listened quietly. Somehow, the conversation drifted to Meng Ran's studies.
Thinking of this, Zhao Li turned to Meng Ran and asked, "Son, you'll be going to the new school in a few days. How prepared are you?"
Meng Ran spat out the orange seed he'd been chewing on, then said casually, "There's nothing much to prepare. High school courses are the same old stuff, and I've already mastered them."
Zhao Li wasn't worried about her son's studies. Meng Ran had been smart since he was a child, and they'd never had to worry about his schoolwork.
What Zhao Li was concerned about was Meng Ran's social life. Frequent moves meant he'd rarely stayed in one place long enough to make lasting friendships.
Thinking about this, Zhao Li looked at Meng Ran with a pang of sympathy. "It's Mom's fault, honey. Because of my job, you haven't been able to make good friends."
Meng Ran saw the tears welling up in his mother's eyes, and he dropped his casual attitude.
He looked at Zhao Li earnestly and said, "Mom, it's not like that. I just haven't met any friends who share my interests."
Meng Ran was telling the truth. Although he'd died in his early twenties in his previous life, he had graduated from university. It didn't feel right for him to socialize with a bunch of middle schoolers.
Even though he was reliving his childhood in this new life, he still felt young at heart.
But he really wouldn't be playing with Ultraman cards with his classmates anymore.
Compared to middle schoolers, high schoolers were easier to talk to, and the boys and girls in high school were still relatively innocent, with simpler relationships.
For Meng Ran, who had already experienced the pressures of society, this was indeed a rare chance to relive it. After all, everyone only gets one youth, but he had two.
Meng Ran's honest words sounded to Zhao Li like a sensible child trying to comfort his parents while holding back his grievances, which undoubtedly made Zhao Li feel even more heartbroken.
Meng Huo saw this and also comforted Zhao Li by hugging her. He also felt that his son was comforting them, and couldn't help but sigh, "What a good child, we really made you suffer."
Zhao Li wiped away her tears and said to Meng Ran, "Son, don't worry. I should be here for a long time after this transfer, so you can get along well with your new classmates."
Meng Ran, who had been thinking about how to comfort his mother, suddenly felt a bit off when he heard this.
He was actually going to be in New York for a long time? That didn't feel very good.
Meng Ran wanted to say something to Zhao Li, but he didn't know how to start without sounding awkward. After thinking for a moment, he swallowed his words.
"The more I refuse, the more guilty Mom and Dad will feel. Ah, whatever. Things will work out. There's still time, maybe I'll be gone by then."
Then the family of three chatted for a while. Seeing that it was getting late, Zhao Li urged Meng Ran to go to bed.
"School starts in a few days. You need to adjust your sleep schedule and get into the habit of going to bed early and getting up early."
Meng Ran heard this and had to get up and say, "No problem, I'll follow your instructions, Mother."
At this moment, Meng Huo came out of the kitchen with a glass of milk and stopped Meng Ran.
"Come and drink the milk. You're still growing. Drink more milk and try to grow another ten centimeters this year."
Meng Ran saw this and had to turn back to drink the milk. Hearing Meng Huo's words, Meng Ran also laughed, "I'll try to grow to 190 this year, and surpass you, Dad."
Meng Huo heard this and took the cup with a smile, saying, "Then you have to work hard, I also hope you can surpass me soon."
Meng Huo was a burly man, standing one meter eighty-seven tall. Zhao Li was also one meter seventy tall.
It was also because of good genes that Meng Ran was already one meter eighty tall at the age of 17.
After finishing his milk, Meng Ran went back to his room. He brushed his teeth in the bathroom and then lay down on the bed, closing his eyes and trying to fall asleep.
The black liquid hidden behind the host finally got its chance.
Seeing Meng Ran come back, it immediately started crawling forward from behind the host and soon reached the bedside.
After arriving at the bedside, it stretched out a tentacle and grabbed Meng Ran's ankle.
Then it began to wriggle, and then instantly disappeared in place, all of it entering Meng Ran's body.
Lying in bed, Meng Ran felt nothing unusual. He was still closing his eyes, trying to fall asleep.
"Detecting unknown consciousness intrusion!"
"Resisting consciousness intrusion!"
"Counterattacking!"
A crisp, electronic voice suddenly echoed in Meng Ran's mind, accompanied by a splitting headache that jolted him awake.
He instinctively clutched his head, his body curling up like a shrimp, as though that would somehow ease the pain.
After what felt like an eternity, the same electronic voice returned to his mind.
"Crisis resolved, unknown intrusion eliminated!"
"Detecting Symbiote Venom!"
"Fusing Venom!"
"Super Venom System generated!"
As the voice continued, the agonizing sensation in his head gradually subsided.
In just a few moments, cold sweat had soaked Meng Ran's clothes.
He swore that in his entire life, no, in two lives, he had never felt such pain.
As time passed, Meng Ran's brain gradually returned to normal. Not only did the pain disappear, but there was also a cool sensation, making his mind much clearer.
Coming back to his senses, Meng Ran recalled the voices that had constantly appeared in his mind just now.
"What was that thing?" he wondered, puzzled.
"Venom?"
"System?"
"Could it be that I have a Cheat from a transmigration?" Meng Ran suddenly became excited.
"But where is this thing? How do I use it?" As the sudden excitement faded, doubt began to creep back into his mind.
Meng Ran pondered for a moment, then tried to call out to the System in his mind.
Sure enough, with his call, an electronic voice rang out in his mind.
"Super Venom System activated!"
"Host, please carefully review the instructions!"
Hearing the System's prompt, Meng Ran calmed down and carefully examined the System in his mind.
After a while, he understood the basic situation.
It turned out that the black cat he encountered while driving this afternoon wasn't a black cat, but Venom.
It followed him home and only just now found an opportunity to merge.
As a result, Venom, which was in the process of merging and invading his consciousness, was unlucky enough to touch the "Cosmic Fire" hidden within Meng Ran's body.
It was this treasure that allowed Meng Ran to be reborn, and it also prevented him from having his consciousness invaded by Venom.
Now, the "Cosmic Fire" had combined with Venom, forming the Super Venom System.
The biggest function of this system was Venom's ability to merge with others.
The Host could control Venom to merge with others, and after merging, could also receive feedback on the other person's physical qualities and abilities.
Furthermore, there were system-specific Points. These Points were based on his reputation value and then obtained through a special conversion method.
At this stage, Meng Ran couldn't see the specific use of the Points yet, because the System reminded the Host that when the Points reached a certain value, the system could be upgraded, and more functions would be unlocked after the upgrade.
After understanding the System's current functions, Meng Ran focused his mind, and a panel visible only to him appeared before his eyes.
Host: Meng Ran
Age: 17 Height: 180 cm Intelligence: 30 (Average is 20. A relatively intelligent young man)
Strength: 80-110 kg (A strong young man)
Speed: 10 (A relatively agile young man)
Current Abilities: None
These figures displayed Meng Ran's physical attributes, and he nodded as he looked at them.
He was well aware of his own capabilities.
Besides being a bit smarter, stronger, and more handsome than the average person, he didn't have anything particularly outstanding.
"There's still a lot of room for growth," Meng Ran thought, looking at his stats.
I wonder what changes Venom's bonding will bring.
Thinking this, Meng Ran's mind stirred again. Instantly, black liquid covered his body, fully manifesting the Venom Suit!
Meng Ran turned to the mirror and saw a black figure appear.
The black "bodysuit" tightly enveloped his body, making his already defined muscle lines even more pronounced, with a unique aesthetic of power.
The white eyes were long and narrow, reflecting a cold gaze, adding a touch of evil to the suit.
Meng Ran looked at himself in the mirror, and a strong fighting spirit suddenly surged within him, along with a feeling of invincibility.
After feeling this illusion, he quickly calmed himself. This feeling was, in fact, an illusion brought about by the increase in strength.
The full coverage of the Venom Suit doubled Meng Ran's physical attributes and all his stats.
If the ordinary Meng Ran was a strong, ordinary person, then the Meng Ran wearing the Venom Suit now was more like a special forces soldier who had been through a thousand trials (in terms of physical fitness).
Meng Ran looked at himself in the mirror, and a trace of excitement welled up in his heart.
"Perhaps, I can strive to grow, to face the dangers of the future head-on, rather than just running away." Thinking this, Meng Ran clenched his fists.
"After all, only my own strength is the most reliable. I must protect Dad and Mom, and if possible, nip those dangers in the bud."
With his mind made up, Meng Ran turned his gaze back to the Venom Suit.
Looking at himself in the mirror, he touched his head and thought to himself, "This suit is cool, but my head is bald, like a shaved head."
So, Meng Ran again activated Venom, creating a hood on his head, and at the same time, he adjusted the Venom Suit, based on the combat suits he had seen in his memory.
After the adjustments were complete, Meng Ran looked at the mirror again.
Unlike the skin-tight suit from before, the current Venom Suit was much cooler.
Overall, it looked like a black combat uniform with a hood that concealed the entire face in shadow.
Beneath the hood, only a pair of long, pale eyes were visible, sending chills down anyone who looked at them.
Meng Ran looked at the improved Venom Suit with satisfaction, then couldn't resist striking a few poses he thought were very cool.
Suddenly, a knock came at the door.
"Son, are you still awake? Why is the light on?" Meng Huo asked from outside the door.
Meng Ran quickly retracted the Venom Suit upon hearing his voice, then replied, "No, I was a little thirsty, so I got up to get a drink of water."
Meng Huo outside the door, after hearing the response, then urged, "Okay, then drink up and go to bed. It's late."
"Got it," Meng Ran quickly agreed.
After hearing the voice fade away, Meng Ran looked at the Venom Suit again before crawling into bed and going to sleep.