Summer of 2010, Tony Stark disappeared.
Meng Ran learned about it from the news. He was at home with Liu Xiu, eating breakfast and preparing to go sell jianbing guozi.
They had earned quite a bit of money recently and weren't particularly busy. Every day, their ingredients would be completely sold out after the lunch rush.
Meng Ran was reading the newspaper, while the television played the news. "Today marks the third day of Tony Stark's disappearance. Stark Group was still claiming it was a rumor yesterday, but today a video has emerged from terrorists claiming to have kidnapped Tony Stark."
The host's voice on the television stopped, and a video with poor picture quality began to play.
In the video, someone ripped off the bag covering Tony Stark's head. The bright lights and dizziness caused him to squint his eyes and slowly shake his head, appearing somewhat dazed.
The sound of gibberish, an unknown language, could be heard in the video.
About a minute later, the video ended. The video has caused a huge uproar online, and Stark Industries' stock prices have been plummeting.
Buying stocks when they're low is a good way to make money, but Meng Ran isn't choosing to do that right now because he knows it's not the lowest point yet.
The lowest point for Stark Industries' stock should be after Tony returns, when he announces at a press conference that he's shutting down Stark Industries' weapons manufacturing division.
That's when it'll be a good time for Meng Ran to buy, because everyone will think Tony Stark has gone crazy.
Meng Ran had forgotten exactly how long Tony Stark was missing, but since he could build a mech, the time wouldn't be too short. Meng Ran estimated at least two months.
And since coming to this world, Meng Ran has realized that it might not simply be the Marvel Cinematic Universe he knew from his past life, because he's found a lot of different things, like Spider-Man.
In his hazy memory, he remembered that the Spider-Man in the Marvel movies didn't seem to be the one he knew now. The one in the movies seemed to have a deep connection with Iron Man, and he didn't appear so early.
Because it was different from the movies Meng Ran had watched before, he had even thought that the crises in the movies might not happen in this world.
But now it seems that Iron Man has already disappeared, and the movie plot he remembered is starting to advance. This means that although the world is a little different, those plots should still happen.
Meng Ran munched on a youtiao, his mind racing as he watched TV.
After breakfast, Meng Ran and Liu Xiu rested briefly before heading out. They needed to prepare their food cart and ingredients for the day's vending location.
It was another day of business. Meng Ran and Liu Xiu arrived at the base of Stark Industries.
They had seen the news earlier, and the mention of Tony Stark made them think of Stark Industries, so they decided to set up shop there today.
They set up the tables and prepared the ingredients and equipment. It was almost noon. Meng Ran, as usual, made a jianbing guozi for himself and Liu Xiu, and also prepared one for Venom.
When they first started the food cart, Venom scoffed at the jianbing guozi. According to him, "A tiny jianbing guozi isn't enough for anyone. I wouldn't even need two bites, I'd finish it in one. And there's not much meat. Braised ribs are much better, they have meat and bone, they're delicious and filling."
Venom didn't realize it wasn't the jianbing guozi that was too small, but his own mouth that was too big. Meng Ran didn't bother arguing with him; not eating meant more money to be made.
Venom had held out for a few days, but every time he smelled the enticing aroma, saw the crispy exterior and tender meat, and heard the satisfying crunch with each bite, Venom couldn't help but drool.
That was all well and good, but Venom was getting antsy just watching. Of course, that was assuming he even had a heart to be antsy with.
Venom didn't hold out for long, eventually succumbing to the allure of the jianbing. Or rather, the multigrain jianbing, as Venom decided that only the multigrain version was truly delicious. The jianbing guozi was too soft, not something a tough guy would eat.
Meng Ran disagreed with Venom's assessment, while Liu Xiu thought it was terribly rude.
Finally, the two of them shared a question: Did Venom even have a gender? Venom ignored them, burying himself in his meal and exclaiming how delicious it was!
Meng Ran quickly finished making the jianbing. The two of them, along with the symbiote, sat in the food cart, munching on the jianbing. To get a few more bites in, Venom shrunk down to his small, round form, taking each bite slowly and savoring it with squinting eyes.
The jianbing were soon gone, and it was now mealtime. A long queue began to form in front of the food cart.
Meng Ran, skillfully making jianbing, thought of the generous Tony Stark. He had come by not long ago, before his disappearance.
Tony Stark would always tip Meng Ran an extra hundred bucks. During that time, he had tried every flavor of jianbing Meng Ran offered, finally settling on his favorite: the deluxe, double-crisp, mega-cheese grilled beef.
This new model was made to Tony's specifications; after all, Tony was a major client, so a little special treatment was only natural.
And so, another month passed. After various manipulations, the stock price of Stark Industries finally stabilized and even began to slowly recover.
Meng Ran calculated the time. It had been almost two months since Tony Stark disappeared. Tony should have built most of the armor by now, perhaps even finished it if he'd been fast.
Under the bright moonlight, Meng Ran stood on a rooftop, watching the brightly lit streets and the bustling crowds below.
New York was no longer the city of sin it once was. With the Pentagram Alliance present, the crime rate in New York had dropped to an all-time low, and the city was actually becoming quite wholesome.
Meng Ran and the others patrolled different areas. Meng Ran could teleport, Harry had a flying vehicle, and Gwen and Peter each had their own personalized transportation. Harry had made both of their vehicles especially for them.
Gwen's was a sleek, black and white motorcycle, similar in color to her suit, with some pink lines outlining it.
This motorcycle could not only travel on the ground, but also retract its wheels and transform into a jet-powered flyer, capable of flight.
This cool motorcycle even made Meng Ran envious. He'd been pestering Harry, wanting a matching couple's motorcycle.
Harry was so annoyed he had to agree, but it would take some time because Gwen's had also taken a while to make.
Unlike Gwen's motorcycle, Peter Parker's mode of transport was a jetpack. Although it was called a jetpack, it was actually much cooler.
When worn, it only made Peter's back bulge slightly. Harry had also added eight spider legs to it. Combined with the backpack, it increased his mobility and added some skills and offensive capabilities.
Meng Ran also thought Peter's was very cool, after all, no man could resist a jetpack.
However, Meng Ran didn't pester Harry to make one for him. After all, he had his combat suit and Venom, so another jetpack wouldn't be appropriate.
And those spider legs weren't as useful as Venom's tendrils, so Meng Ran wasn't that interested.
Liu Xiu was currently staying at the base, working with Mary Jane on logistics and information.
Although he also wanted to be a masked hero like Meng Ran and the others, he was still too young. Besides, his workload wasn't that heavy right now, so Meng Ran and the others still wanted him to stay at the base.
Meng Ran had promised Liu Xiu that when he was a bit older and had better control over his powers, he would be allowed to join the team in battle. Then, the Pentagram Alliance would become the Hexagram Alliance, and he would be the sixth member of the team.
With Meng Ran's promise, Liu Xiu calmed down and slowly began to experience and understand his powers. He felt a new power awakening within him.
This also surprised and intrigued Meng Ran and the others. They hadn't expected Liu Xiu to have other special abilities.
Meng Ran stood on the rooftop, gradually returning to his senses. He felt someone approaching from behind.
"Since you're here, why not show yourself?"
"It's very impolite to always stand behind others, sir." Meng Ran said, his voice husky.
A figure in a long black trench coat slowly emerged from behind him.
"I didn't expect Mr. Evil's senses to be so sharp. It seems you're no ordinary person either," the figure said in a low voice.
Meng Ran chuckled softly, turned around, and looked at the figure blending into the night. He said coldly, "Don't you know if I'm ordinary or not?"
"I think you should know my special circumstances better than anyone, shouldn't you? Nick Fury!"
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(End of Chapter)