Infinite Metaverse

Chapter 2: The Reincarnation World

A month earlier.

Fu Qinghai was not from Qinghai, but his grandfather had once been sent down to Qinghai during the Revolution. Perhaps it was his grandfather's experience that gave him a special affection for the plateau, naming his grandson Fu Qinghai.

As an ordinary corporate worker, Fu Qinghai, who spent his days figuring out how to slack off more efficiently, never imagined that sudden death would happen to him.

Yet, here he was, having crossed over.

Or at least, he thought he had crossed over. The vast, white space he found himself in was beyond his understanding. He didn't consider reality shows or pranks, because when he looked down and couldn't see his feet or even his body, he was certain he had crossed over.

Floating in this boundless space filled with soft white light, Fu Qinghai thought, "Where am I? Who kidnapped me?"

No one answered.

Suddenly, a stream of information appeared in his mind.

{Name: Fu Qinghai (Real Name)

Reincarnation Number: 60731920

Race: Human (Earth Human)

Height: 183cm

Weight: 70kg

Abilities: None

Reincarnation Equipment: None

Assimilation Points: 0

World Anchor: X1

Reincarnation Lives: X3}

Fu Qinghai stopped questioning and pondered this information. Although many terms were unfamiliar, the familiar style made it seem like an infinite flow world. "Have I crossed into an infinite flow world?"

{Reincarnation Begins!}

The information appeared again in his mind. Before Fu Qinghai could understand, a suction force dragged his consciousness into a vortex that appeared out of nowhere.

Darkness enveloped his consciousness.

*****

"Clang... clang... clang..."

The sound of the tracks outside the window woke Fu Qinghai from his slumber.

"Hmm..." Fu Qinghai rubbed his head and frowned as he sat up in bed, seeing a light rail passing by outside the window, then he looked around the room. Probably a shabby, dirty little hotel room.

On the bedside table, there was an old newspaper, a few cigarette butts, and an empty wine bottle. And a social security ID card.

Fu Qinghai picked up the blue and white social security card, which read: Albert Fu, 078-XX-XXXX.

So, my name is "Albert Fu," a Chinese-American. The string of numbers is probably the social security number, similar to an ID number, Fu Qinghai thought silently.

{Welcome to the main Reincarnation World, Marvel Cinematic Universe (Earth-199999 Universe) - SSS Level}

The familiar information appeared in his mind again.

{You have obtained a new identity, automatically loading skill: English Proficiency}

{Before starting your Reincarnation adventure, you have received a newcomer exclusive gift pack - one free choice of main storyline faction}

{Please choose}

{A. Avengers Faction, B. Loki Faction, C. Dark Elves Faction, D. No Choice}

From this prompt and the date on the bedside table newspaper, it could be roughly deduced that it was the second half of 2013 in the MCU timeline, the time period of the movie "Thor: The Dark World."

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Fu Qinghai stroked his chin and pondered. In his previous life, he had slacked off at work and read many infinite flow novels. Although he hadn't figured out which one this was, it didn't stop him from thinking about his current situation.

The main plot of "Thor: The Dark World" took place in the mythical world, the home of the Norse gods - Asgard, with secondary plots in the UK. New York was not a plot location.

And now, Fu Qinghai was in New York.

As a Reincarnation participant, should he get involved in the main storyline? Fu Qinghai wondered.

But the more pressing issue for Fu Qinghai wasn't how to get involved in the plot of "Thor: The Dark World," but rather -

As an ordinary human, how could he possibly get involved in the mythical war between Thor and the Dark Elves?

On the other hand, Fu Qinghai wasn't even an astronomy enthusiast, let alone an astronomer. He couldn't even fit into the circle of Thor's girlfriend, Jane Foster.

Getting involved would probably just make him a cannon fodder extra.

"Even if I squeeze in... I'd still be an outsider." Fu Qinghai sighed.

{Please make your choice} The voice in his mind prompted again.

"I choose A. Avengers Faction."

Without a doubt, after realizing he was just an ordinary human with no ability to alter the plot, Fu Qinghai chose the side that was victorious in the original storyline.

Maybe he could win by association, right?

Choosing Loki? Would Loki even want him? Moreover, Loki was often in a precarious situation in the MCU.

Choosing the Dark Elves? As a pure Earth human, why would he want to be a Dark Elf? The Dark Elves were openly racist.

As for the last option: D. No Choice, it probably wouldn't be a good option either.

{Faction choice confirmed, after the Reincarnation participant makes a move to promote the expected ending of their faction and succeeds, Assimilation Points will be awarded}

Understood, I need to help the good guys defeat the villains! Fu Qinghai quickly grasped.

But this brought him back to the original question - how could the weak Fu Qinghai participate in the battles of the superheroes?

By working hard and actively paying taxes to the state and federal governments in a roundabout way to defeat the villains?

That would be too roundabout.

{Please begin your Reincarnation adventure}

Take it step by step, first find a place to go online. Fu Qinghai got up, packed his few belongings, money, and credit cards, and left the room.

*****

In a dimly lit internet cafe in Queens, New York, the faint glow of the screen illuminated Fu Qinghai's face.

A common strategy many crossovers think of: making a splash in the US stock market in the MCU.

For example, shorting Stark Industries before Tony Stark was kidnapped by the Ten Rings, then going long on Stark Industries before Tony Stark returned and announced he was Iron Man.

Although the timeline had already reached 2012 and the Battle of New York was over, there were probably still similar opportunities. The key issue was that Fu Qinghai didn't have enough money to live until next month, let alone invest in stocks.

First, find a job. Retail investors can play the US stock market, but not the destitute.

Fu Qinghai browsed and noticed an ad for an internship in a project group under Stark Industries, narrowing his eyes. Hmm?

This is an opportunity!

As probably the most popular figure in the MCU, Tony Stark's company was naturally the birthplace of countless Marvel technologies. If he could infiltrate Stark Industries, he might find a way to get involved in Iron Man's storyline and then further seek corresponding Assimilation Points.

Even without considering the storyline, Stark Industries was an endless treasure trove. Inside, there were the miniaturized Arc reactor of the first-generation Iron Man armor, a powerful and clean energy source; various advanced and powerful micro-missile technologies; small propulsion technologies superior to modern turbofan engines and rocket propellants, and other things...

Thinking about it, Fu Qinghai's mouth watered, and his mind fast-forwarded to becoming the CEO of Stark Industries and marrying a wealthy New York socialite.

From the ground up, glory can only be achieved through one's own efforts. All of this must start with becoming an intern at Stark Industries!

Determined, Fu Qinghai carefully reviewed the specific requirements in the job advertisement. He then typed a familiar URL into the address bar, intending to use a configurator. Next, he would enter the deep web.

First, he needed to find a forger in the deep web who could create fake certificates and IDs. He also needed to find someone who accepted offline cash transactions, as he didn't have any digital currency.

As a newcomer, Fu Qinghai lacked information about these gray market channels and had to rely on the deep web.

This was the deep web, not quite the dark web, and not illegal, so he didn't have to worry about "FBI open the door" just yet.

The job posting only required applicants to be undergraduates from top 10 universities according to US News. However, Fu Qinghai decided to go all out with an "energy oversaturation attack"—he would get a Ph.D. to significantly increase his chances of getting hired.

Plan approved!

After a month of tinkering, Fu Qinghai finally obtained what he wanted. It had almost drained all his savings.

In the taxi, Fu Qinghai adjusted the collar of his newly tailored suit again, thinking that if this plan failed, he might end up begging on the streets or washing dishes in a restaurant.

"I won't be the first Reincarnation participant to starve to death, will I?" With this anxiety, Fu Qinghai stepped out of the taxi.