Greer had always thought he was the protagonist of a transmigration and rebirth urban novel. At worst, he'd be in the World of Kamen Rider, where with the Diqi Armor, he could still make a name for himself. He never expected he'd be the protagonist of a doomsday survival novel.
Yes, in Greer's view, the Marvel World should definitely be categorized as a doomsday crisis, and it's a hell-level World where World-ending crises happen frequently. Even he, a pseudo-Marvel fan who had only watched the movies and never touched the comics, could list a string of names that would put immense pressure on Earth-kun: Sentinels, Galactus, Thanos, Celestial Group...
Not long before transmigrating, he had just watched 'Avengers 3' in the cinema, where Thanos, the director of the Universe's Family Planning Committee, wiped out half the life in the Universe with a snap. In the movie, the big purple potato alone could easily defeat the entire Avengers team. What use was his Diqi Armor? With his current strength, let alone Thanos, there was more than one person in the entire Avengers who could easily defeat him.
Greer suddenly felt this golden finger seemed very weak. Was there a return and exchange service? Or could he just go back to being a homebody programmer? Who would want to be this protagonist who would probably only live for eight years?
His mind was filled with countless thoughts, which could be summarized in eight words: 'I want to go home, I want my mom.' Everyone wants to be a glamorous protagonist, but the protagonist of the Marvel World is destined to be weary and miserable. Captain America went from a spiritual symbol to a wanted fugitive with just a civil war and an agreement. Iron Man went from a billionaire to a heartbroken and helpless mortal on Titan with just a snap. Thor went from a high and mighty prince of Asgard's Divine Realm to a one-eyed, down-and-out man with just a sister.
Looking back at the nineteen Marvel movies in his previous life, none of the protagonists had a perfect ending. If they didn't lose this, they'd lose that. In the end, a snap simply turned everyone to ash. In such a World, let alone being a protagonist, even just passing by might lead to encountering a battle between heroes and villains.
Uncle Jimmy noticed Greer staring intently at the TV screen, seemingly frozen. So he followed the news on TV and said, "In April, when Tony Stark was kidnapped, the TV and newspapers were full of news about him. The most discussed topic was what to do with his hundreds of billions. Now it's all good, Stark is back, and no one can get a single cent. But rich people are just capricious, aren't they? He shut down the weapon department, which was like laying golden eggs, just like that. He must have been stimulated by the kidnapping. A billionaire like him usually has a retinue, fancy cars, and beautiful women when he goes out. He's never experienced kidnapping before, so it's no wonder he was scared."
Greer forced a smile, agreeing with Uncle Jimmy's topic. His mind was in a mess, and he had no idea how to respond. The chopsticks in his hand were poking at the fried rice aimlessly. The fragrant fried rice from before had lost all its appeal.
Seeing Greer like this, Uncle Jimmy didn't continue the topic and instead asked, "Do you have a place to stay? If not, you can stay with me for a few days. A tenant just moved out a few days ago. In these few days, you can look around nearby to see if there are places with better conditions and cheaper rent than mine before deciding whether to rent my place. If you're looking for a job, there's a lot of work to do in my shop. We can settle it daily or monthly, as you wish. If you think the salary is low, you can leave anytime. We're fellow countrymen, so we should look out for each other."
Uncle Jimmy said, standing up and carrying the empty rice bowl towards the back kitchen. His unique loud voice could be heard even through two walls: "Although I don't know why you came here, you must have difficulties. Who would be willing to travel across the ocean to come here if they were happy and well-off? When I first came here, I couldn't speak English and was completely lost. I slept under bridges and picked up trash; I don't even know how I survived. What I wanted to eat most was fried rice from my hometown. When I earned my first money, I went to Chinatown and bought a bowl of fried rice. Tears fell as soon as I took a bite. I ate while crying, and people looked at me like I was an idiot. Alas, I don't know how I got through it..."
Uncle Jimmy spoke with deep emotion, walking from the kitchen to the stairwell, wiping his hands with a towel, and said to Greer, "Come on, I'll take you up to see the room. If you want to stay, you can stay here for a few days. Our meeting is fate. You can eat and stay here for free these few days. We're fellow countrymen, there's nothing to be embarrassed about."
"Thank you!" Greer's myriad words finally turned into a single expression of gratitude. He wasn't good with words to begin with, and though this enthusiastic and kind uncle was a bit overwhelming, his heart felt warm. Meeting such a kind person in this strange place was truly his greatest fortune.
Leading Greer, who was still eating the fried rice, to a door at the end of the third floor, he opened the door with a key and then threw the key to Greer, saying, "The toilet and bathroom are next to the stairs. You probably didn't sleep well on the roof last night, so rest for a while. I'm going downstairs now, the restaurant is about to open."
Amidst Greer's profuse thanks, Uncle Jimmy smiled and closed the door for Greer. Completely abandoning the image of a middle-aged man who waddled with every step, he walked towards the stairs with a brisk pace, covering the ten-meter long corridor in just three or four seconds. Although he descended the stairs quickly, his feet made no sound on the tiled steps. In a few steps, he reached the second floor and entered a room in the middle.
He closed and locked the door, then walked to the wall beside the bed. He aimed his left eye at the center of the dartboard hanging on the wall. The next second, the dartboard split in the middle, and the wallpaper also moved sideways, revealing a display screen inside. The lit screen showed a constantly rotating icon of an eagle soaring with outstretched wings. Surrounding the eagle was a long line of English text, which translated to Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, the famous S.H.I.E.L.D. in the Marvel Universe.
After the eagle icon disappeared, what appeared were the driver's license and social security card that Greer had shown to Uncle Jimmy. At this moment, Uncle Jimmy no longer had that smiling expression, but was instead solemn, his eyes as sharp as an eagle's. Looking at the verification results on the screen, his brows were almost furrowed into a knot.
"It's real, how is that possible?" Uncle Jimmy immediately clicked on the screen to perform a second verification. He had been observing Greer the entire time. From his subconscious Chinese when he first woke up, his demeanor and speech, and the later probing during their conversation, the young man acted as if he had just arrived from China. But why were these documents real?
Unless they were specially trained Agents, their eyes, speaking habits, and so on would reveal a lot of information and couldn't be faked. But if he were an Agent, there were many ways to infiltrate, and there was no need to pretend to be a stowaway.
The results of the second verification quickly came out. Both the driver's license number and the social security number were real, but there were no records of the driver's license written test or road test, no birth records, no bank card information, and no parents or relatives could be found. No information before yesterday could be found at all, as if he had just popped out of a rock yesterday.
"084!" Uncle Jimmy murmured the three numbers in a low voice, quickly creating a file. Just as he was about to save Greer's information in it, he hesitated and stopped, frowning deeply and thinking hard: "Could this be a test from the Rising Tide organization? If it's them, it's not difficult to add simple information in some government department databases. Let's observe him further."
After making the decision, Uncle Jimmy put a question mark after 084, completed the save, and restored the wall to its original state. Only then did he walk out the door, his serious expression replaced once again by a smiling one. He waddled his overweight body, humming an old tune, and walked downstairs.
Note: 084 is S.H.I.E.L.D.'s intelligence code, representing things of unknown origin, including objects, energy, and even people.