Chapter 1: A New Life
Queens, New York
Midtown High School
Leo sat in the classroom, lost in thought.
"It's actually true... but, how is that possible?" he whispered to himself.
He suddenly sighed, feeling helpless as memories flooded his mind. In this new life, he had a house and a car, but both parents were dead. In his previous life, he was also an orphan—but poor. Now he was still an orphan, just not poor anymore.
"At least I can enjoy my life this time," he thought, trying to stay positive.
His happiness lasted until he scrolled through his phone and saw the news: Tony Stark Missing for Two and a Half Months in Afghanistan.
Leo's eyes went wide. "This...!"
He was shocked. The more he searched, the more shocked he became.
Tony had been kidnapped for more than two months. That meant it wouldn't be long before he became Iron Man.
Captain America hadn't appeared yet.
Bruce Banner was just a scientist somewhere, and there was no news about the Hulk—probably blocked by General Ross.
"So this is the Marvel Universe?" Leo felt a headache coming on. He was just a normal person. How could he survive in this world?
"The best way is to leave the West," he thought. "That way I can avoid many dangerous incidents."
Suddenly, he heard a voice from the side.
"Hi, Gwen!"
Leo looked over and saw a tall, beautiful girl walk into the classroom.
"Gwen? She's more beautiful than superstars from my previous life," he thought, staring.
Gwen sat down right in front of him. After a while, a red-haired girl walked into the classroom and greeted Gwen as she passed by.
Leo observed everyone around him and saw several familiar characters from his memories.
Looking at these beauties, he couldn't help but sigh. "They're all still less than twenty years old."
[DING!]
System Activation...
...5%...25%...55%...80%...100%
[Congratulations! Perfect Replication System is activated.]
Leo was shocked and joyful at the same time. In an instant, he understood how it worked.
The system was simple and powerful: he could copy or replicate the abilities or skills of anyone—or anything—he wanted.
"System... open my panel," Leo said curiously.
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Name: Leo Azmith
Age: 18
Race: Human
Strength: 72 kg
Speed: 4 m/s
Abilities: None
Skills: Driving (Mid), Boxing (High), Cooking (Mid), Swimming (Mid)
(Skills are divided into Low, Mid, High, Mastered)
---
Leo looked down and saw a carpenter ant crawling on the ground near his desk. A small screen appeared in his vision.
---
Race: Carpenter Ant
Age: Seven Months
Strength: 0.5 g
Speed: 0.1 m/s
Abilities: Super Strength (Can lift ×50 of its own weight), Super Speed (Can move ×10 of its own body length), Super Defense (Can withstand great force impacts), Wall Crawling (Can use claw pads to crawl on walls), Smell Navigation (Can navigate through smell), Night Vision (Can see clearly in dark environments)
---
"Copy Super Strength, Super Speed, Super Defense, Night Vision, Wall Crawling," Leo commanded mentally.
Abilities Copied Successfully.
Integrating Super Strength...
Leo clearly felt a warm sensation spread through his body. His strength increased incredibly.
Integrating Super Speed...
Integrating Super Defense...
Leo felt his whole body remain flexible, but his defense had greatly improved.
Integrating Night Vision... Successful.
Since it was still daytime, he couldn't confirm this ability yet.
Detected: Wall Crawling ability needs modification.
Modification in process...
Modification Successful
Wall-Crawling: Mentally controlled electrostatic force. You can instinctively manipulate the inter-atomic attractive forces between the molecular boundary layers of your skin and any surface you touch. This creates a "molecular bond" that effectively increases the coefficient of friction, anchoring you to the object. Because the force is field-based rather than physical, it can project through thin materials like clothes or thin-soled shoes. This skill works as long as you are consciously and mentally focused.
Integration...
---
Leo thought of an idea. He saw another ant and asked the system to copy Super Strength, Super Speed, and Super Defense from that ant too.
Successfully Copied.
Integrated Successfully with existing abilities.
Leo felt his strength double again. He felt much stronger now.
Originally, he weighed 75 kg. Now, after this strengthening, his strength was 7.5 tons. No one knew that just two minutes ago, this young man was an ordinary person with nothing special about him.
His height was 1.85 meters, so his speed was now 37 m/s.
His defense was strong enough to withstand pistol bullets and strong impacts.
"Is this a bug in the system?" Leo wondered excitedly. "Can I keep copying ants and become even stronger?"
He saw another ant crawling nearby and commanded the system to copy it.
But against his expectations, the system replied:
Target ability is much lower than yours. Copy Failed.
He sighed, but it was enough for now.
With this strength, even if he were placed in the Avengers, he would be a well-known figure.
But Leo was still not satisfied. He knew it wasn't enough to survive in this world.
"I can get stronger in the future," he told himself.
He opened his character panel again...
---
Strength: 7.5 tons
Speed: 37 m/s
Abilities: Super Strength(×100 times of own weight), Super Speed(×20 of own height), Super Defense, Night Vision, Wall Crawling
Skills: Driving (Mid), Boxing (High), Cooking (Mid), Swimming (Mid)
---
Leo stared at the screen, a satisfying smile forming on his face.
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