Chapter 39: Return to New York, Super Soldier Serum
A 16x scope locked onto Whiplash's head.
Through the lens, the tall, thin Reincarnator could clearly see the mottled marks on the enemy's rough exoskeleton.
As a seasoned sniper and assassin, he smoothly calculated wind speed, distance, and air humidity—data swiftly integrating in his mind.
Just a few seconds later.
The elite Reincarnator locked onto the angle, his index finger slowly resting on the trigger.
But just as he was about to pull it—
Zing!
A blinding beam of light suddenly tore through the sky, scorching energy like a high-temperature blade accurately slashing across the hand holding his gun.
---
"Ahhh!"
A shrill scream tore through the air.
The tall Reincarnator's face contorted in terror, his hand rapidly melting under the heat, leaving behind only a charred stump.
The priceless sniper rifle also melted quickly under the intense heat.
Bright red molten metal dripped from the rooftop, forming deep, smoking pits on the ground below.
The excruciating pain made the Reincarnator's vision go black—he nearly collapsed.
His heart surged with rage and fear. Who the hell ruined his perfect plan?
The thought had barely formed.
When a dark figure descended from the sky, jet thrusters emitting bluish flames, leaving a long trail across the clouds.
A two-meter-tall steel suit hovered—
---
—at the edge of the rooftop.
"I–Is that... Iron Man?"
The tall Reincarnator widened his eyes, his voice stammering, while the charred stump continued radiating pain.
Upon seeing the sci-fi styled armor, he instinctively assumed Iron Man had arrived.
But on closer inspection—
The suit's design was entirely different. It lacked Tony's iconic red-and-gold palette, and the all-black exterior clearly didn't match his usual aesthetic.
In fact, the suit resembled the heavy armor worn by Whiplash during the final battle in the movie.
But Whiplash was still getting pummeled at the racetrack.
Where could he have gotten a full Iron Man suit?
If he had it, he would've already killed Tony.
The Reincarnator's thoughts were a tangled mess. He recalled the movie's scenes of Iron Man and Whiplash's suits—
Only to reject each theory.
---
Besides Tony and Whiplash—
Who else in the current Marvel timeline could possess a fully functioning Iron Man suit?
The Reincarnator racked his brain, unable to figure out the identity of this intruder.
"No... it might not even be a character from the storyline."
The Reincarnator muttered to himself.
A terrifying idea exploded in his mind like thunder.
Could it be... this guy is a Reincarnator!
In that instant—
The tall Reincarnator even forgot the pain, overwhelmed by shock. His heart pounded in his chest.
As fellow rookie Reincarnators—
While he and the others were still relying on firearms and brute strength—
---
This guy was already donning a suit of steel armor, easily taking lives.
It was unbelievable.
After all—
Reincarnators who enter the same trial world usually become Reincarnators around the same time.
In theory, this guy should be a rookie too.
But wasn't the gap between them way too huge?
That damned ambusher was already using a full-on Iron Man suit. How could he still be called a rookie?
The tall Reincarnator clenched his teeth in hatred and envy.
Staring at the mountain-sized armor, he recalled the massacre of gang hideouts in Hell's Kitchen—
And finally understood—
---
Why someone could overturn the world like that.
Otherwise losing just a hand—
Would be getting off easy.
This operation had clearly failed. The tall Reincarnator immediately chose to return—if he stayed, he'd lose his life.
But unexpectedly—
Even after initiating his return, his body remained in place. He never re-entered the Reincarnation Space.
"How is this possible?!"
The Reincarnator's face turned pale. This situation was unheard of.
The rooftop—
A formless force blanketed it like a spiderweb—
Even cutting off the Reincarnation Space's perception. With his current level, he couldn't detect the force at all.
And in the midst of his fear and confusion—
A searing beam consumed him.
---
The Reincarnator's body dissolved into countless light particles, vanishing into the air.
Only a softly glowing orb remained, rolling to the foot of the armor.
The helmet slowly lifted—
Inside was completely empty. There was no pilot at all. Just a hollow shell.
A mechanical arm picked up the orb from the ground and tucked it into its chest cavity—like a storage box.
"Master, the mission is complete."
Linglong's voice transmitted from the armor.
The Iron Man suit's operator was not Jiang Feng, but his intelligent assistant.
Earlier—
To craft a blue-grade armor set, Jiang Feng had produced a large number of armor components—
Enough to piece together several full green-grade suits. The one Linglong piloted was just one of them.
At this moment—
---
Jiang Feng was sitting in first class on a flight back to New York, chatting with Linglong via smart glasses.
"Well done."
Outside the porthole, clouds churned.
Jiang Feng gazed at the skyline, unconsciously rubbing the armrest.
The blue-grade fuel cell he had forged, while a significant improvement, still didn't meet his standards.
It was more than enough for ordinary humans or weaker superhumans—
But to roam across countless worlds, facing powerful enemies from different dimensions?
It still wasn't enough.
Thus—
Arc Reactor technology remained part of Jiang Feng's long-term plan.
Until he acquired it—
No other Reincarnator was allowed to kill Whiplash. Once he got what he needed, Jiang Feng would personally—
---
—end his life.
"My next goal is the Arc Reactor. Once I master that tech, the armor's module functions can expand drastically, and endurance will skyrocket."
After that—
His thoughts drifted deeper.
"I don't know how much longer I can stay in the Reincarnation Space. When will the Lord God notice something's off?"
Thinking of the tall Reincarnator just now, a strange glint flashed in Jiang Feng's eyes.
The fact that he couldn't return—was no accident.
Jiang Feng had tampered with him remotely. To be precise, it was the Infinite Class System that did it.
That system was immensely powerful—
So powerful it could hijack a Reincarnator's return permissions, and it seemed to harbor hostility toward the Reincarnation Space itself.
According to what the Infinite Class System told him—
---
When Reincarnators kill beings in a trial world—
They provide energy to the Reincarnation Space.
This energy is called fortune (气运).
The more important the character in the plot, the more fortune they yield.
However—
The system needs fortune too. And in reality—
Every bit of fortune Jiang Feng gained from kills—
Was intercepted midway and absorbed by the system—
Not a single point went to the Reincarnation Space. ①
Between the two—
There's a deeply entangled relationship that Jiang Feng hasn't yet unraveled.
But at this stage—
He lacked the power to explore it, so he didn't dwell on it.
His priority now—was to strengthen himself as fast as possible.
Soon—
---
The flight arrived in New York.
Jiang Feng didn't return to the research lab but went straight back to his rented apartment.
There—
A vial of pale blue liquid awaited him.
[Name: Super Soldier Serum]
[Quality: Green]
[Type: Human Enhancement Drug]
[Effect: Elevates the user's physique to the human limit, while amplifying personality traits to a certain extent. Slightly improves learning ability and potential.]
[Description: A human enhancement drug from the Marvel Universe that once created a legend in superhero history.]