Qin Xiao didn't understand why the system had assigned him such an identity.
He didn't even know why he had ended up here.
When he asked the system, it merely told him to explore on his own.
Still, judging from his current identity and background, this arrangement was far from useless.
To better adapt to his role, Qin Xiao continued reviewing the memories related to Isaiah as he walked through the neighborhood.
After circling the block, he stopped in front of an old house.
He hesitated briefly, then raised his hand and pressed the doorbell.
"Who is it?"
An elderly man with dark skin stepped out. His hair and beard were streaked with white, yet nothing about his appearance suggested that he was eighty-eight years old.
At most, he looked to be in his sixties.
(For reference, Qin Xiao had arrived in 2008—Tony Stark hadn't been kidnapped yet.)
"Oh! Qin Xiao, my child! Are you alright?"
Seeing him, Isaiah immediately opened the door and pulled Qin Xiao into a tight embrace.
Qin Xiao hesitated for a second before placing his hand on Isaiah's back and hugging him in return.
"What's wrong, son? Did something happen?" Isaiah asked, sensing something off.
"Oh, it's nothing," Qin Xiao replied calmly. "It's just… you've always been like this. I've graduated from college now, but you haven't changed at all. It made me emotional."
"You know, I age more slowly than normal people," Isaiah said with a helpless shrug. "And my body is stronger too, so…"
The power granted by the super-soldier serum had brought him nothing but suffering.
For thirty years, he had been deprived of sunlight, locked away, and used as a human test subject. The trauma never left him.
"Come inside," Isaiah said, waving it off. "Let's not talk about unpleasant things."
According to the system's arranged background, Qin Xiao had witnessed Isaiah's superhuman abilities when he was still a child.
After Qin Xiao's parents died, he lived with Isaiah for a long time. There were no secrets between them.
Later, fearing Hydra's return, Isaiah sent Qin Xiao to a welfare institution for his safety, supporting him only in secret.
"You said you were looking for work in Los Angeles," Isaiah said as they sat down. "Why did you suddenly travel all the way to the East Coast to see me?"
Though happy, Isaiah clearly disapproved of the visit—for safety reasons.
"I got an internship at Stark Industries," Qin Xiao said, trying to sound proud. "I thought you should know."
"Oh my God! Stark Industries!" Isaiah jumped to his feet, delighted. "That's amazing! I knew you could do it! We have to go out tonight—buy some food and have a proper drink!"
Boom!
Before Qin Xiao could say anything else, Isaiah suddenly moved two steps to the side.
A gunshot tore through the night.
The bullet smashed through the window, passing straight through the spot where Isaiah had been standing—then through Qin Xiao's torso, between his chest and abdomen.
Caught completely off guard, Qin Xiao felt only a numb sensation before warm blood began soaking into his clothes.
"Damn it… that hurts…" he muttered weakly before his head tilted and he lost consciousness.
In the darkness, he felt every cell in his body begin to boil.
An unbearable itch seeped into his bones, as if countless ants were crawling through his veins.
Then came the pain—crushing, overwhelming—like his entire body was being ground apart by a massive hydraulic press.
His consciousness drifted, trapped in endless darkness.
Agony and itchiness alternated endlessly, each more unbearable than the last.
He didn't know how long had passed.
When Qin Xiao finally opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Isaiah's bloodshot gaze.
"You're awake… thank God," Isaiah said hoarsely. "Damn it. I told you never to come back to see me."
Shock, guilt, and regret were all written across his face.
"What happened?" Qin Xiao asked weakly. "Was I shot?"
He tried to sit up.
The room was dim, resembling a basement.
A heart monitor sat beside the bed. A tray held scalpels, forceps, and blood-stained gauze.
A bullet, still smeared with blood, lay nearby.
"I… I feel fine," Qin Xiao said, pushing himself up.
Strangely, there was no pain—none at all.
"Huh?"
He looked down and saw that the wound had already scabbed over.
No pain—only a faint itch.
The kind that came when a wound was nearly healed.
"How long was I unconscious?" he asked in disbelief.
"Less than three hours," Isaiah replied, glancing at his watch.
"My wound?" Qin Xiao pointed at his chest.
"You lost a lot of blood. After I killed the attacker, there was no time to get you to a hospital. I had to operate on you myself," Isaiah said quietly. "Luckily, I had some equipment prepared."
"As for your injury… I told you there was no time. Your blood type is the same as mine. I knew it was risky—but you survived."
"You endured the serum transformation."
Isaiah's voice trembled with guilt.
Qin Xiao's heart skipped.
Did that mean… he had been injected with a version of the super-soldier serum?
His heartbeat quickened. His strength felt unstable.
Without realizing it, he squeezed the metal railing of the bed—and bent it.
"I… I became a super soldier?"
He stared at his hands in disbelief.
I wasn't prepared for anything. I got shot—and now I'm like Captain America?
"I'll get you some water," Isaiah said quietly, standing up.
Unlike Qin Xiao's excitement, Isaiah only sighed and left the room.
"System? System!" Qin Xiao shouted in his mind. "Don't tell me this has nothing to do with you!"
"A beginner's gift," the system replied calmly. "This world is too dangerous. The system always provides survival resources for its host. Surprised?"
"I—%&!"
Qin Xiao nearly coughed up a mouthful of old blood.
A super-soldier body was great—but couldn't you warn me first?!
Did it really have to be this extreme?
He didn't hold back as he questioned the system directly.
"This method allows the host to integrate perfectly into the world and provides a reasonable origin for your abilities," the system replied. "Please understand my good intentions—and refrain from hostility."
"You damn system…" Qin Xiao snarled. "If you've got the guts, show yourself! I'll see if I can cut you down!"
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