2 Chapter 2: Get started

Jude stared blankly at the news broadcast on TV and realized he hadn't traversed to a beautiful country in the real world, but a fusion of DC and Marvel universe.

In comparison to the real world, the Marvel and DC universe was perilous, filled with superheroes, supervillains, and countless powerful beings spanning the vastness of the universe and multiverse. Villains like Darkseid and Thanos, along with god-level threats such as Dormammu, Celestial Group, Anti-Monitor, Blanque, Black Death, Primal Transcendence, and more, roamed freely, causing chaos and casualties.

In such a dangerous world, self-preservation became the top priority to avoid being collateral damage in battles between powerful beings.

"No wonder I merged with Grandpa Rick. I crossed into this perilous world. How can an ordinary person survive such a fusion?"

His fear dissipated as he thought about his extraordinary brain. What was so great about a superhero? As a scientist, if he is unsatisfied, he would change it. If unchangeable, he would destroy it, daring anyone to stop him. Even gods could perish!

Touching his mouth, he dropped twenty dollars, stood up, and left the restaurant. As he was about to depart, the boss, Seres, called out, "Herbert, Bigfoot's people came yesterday. They mentioned you owe them a lot, and in a few days, if you can't repay, they'll take your 1957 Chevrolet."

"What? That's more valuable than my life!"

"That's what I said. Don't borrow from them; they want your car."

"Thanks, Seres."

Jude, frowning, exited the restaurant. The old Chevrolet was an antique, museum-worthy. Selling it for $3,000 was inconceivable!

He wasn't sure what the original host was thinking, borrowing money when Bigfoot coveted his car. Returning to the apartment, he gathered car repair tools. Consulting his memory, he found his vintage car in the adjacent parking lot, standing out.

Jude patted the hood and muttered, "Your original owner had an obsession. He didn't want others to ruin you, but I'm not a car lover. You might be ruined by someone else. Let me do it first."

Armed with a wrench and pliers, he dismantled the engine, tires, chassis, and body. In less than half an hour, the antique classic car transformed into scrap iron. Jude collected the necessary parts and returned to the apartment with a bag.

Gears, distributors, spark plugs, transmissions...

"Perfect; it's just the right size for a small laser weapon rack."

Jude sipped beer and expertly assembled and disassembled with Grandpa Rick's exceptional technological talent. Emptying the remaining gasoline, he neutralized water, filtered it with a sanitary napkin, and added a fraction of Coke, and three drops of cod liver oil. The concoction turned the gasoline into barely usable liquefied petroleum gas.

Connecting a rubber tube to the oil pump drive and ventilation valve, he created a simple spray gun. Finishing his beer, Jude declared, "Time to work!"

Lighting his pocket lighter, the liquefied gas spewed out, melting and connecting auto parts at high temperatures. In less than an hour, a palm-sized laser transmitter frame emerged.

"Now I need an energy battery."

Jude examined the room and settled on the wall-mounted TV. In five minutes, the TV lay dismantled. He assembled a two-finger-wide black battery from the picture tube, power supply board, and standby power supply.

The battery charged fully in two hours of sunlight, enough for twenty or thirty launches. Relieved, Jude realized the small laser transmitter was limited. Grandpa Rick's melee combat abilities were unparalleled, but his frail body hindered him. The laser transmitter, however, leveled the playing field.

Jude decided it was time to explore the host's memory, though Grandpa Rick's powerful mental presence had nearly overwhelmed and fragmented the original owner's memories. After an hour, Jude gathered some clues—Gotham City, notorious for its high crime rate in the United States.

Superman once claimed that Gotham's criminals were more frightening than his enemies, given their insane and psychopathic nature. Jude, now understanding the city's perilous reputation, sighed.

Bigfoot Gang information surfaced. Although not much was known about the newly emerged gang, it was clear that they were trouble. The original host borrowed $3,000 to bail out Ivy, a childhood friend jailed for theft.

Driven by sentiment, the original host borrowed from Bigfoot, but the deputy warden took the money without releasing Ivy, revealing she had been transferred. In despair, the original host returned to the apartment, and Jude took over.