"I am Iron Man."
Staring at the man on the front page of an online archived newspaper, Ryan Cole, seated in a business suite of a luxury hotel, finally confirmed which Marvel world he had landed in.
Iron Man existed in many Marvel universes—but the Robert Downey Jr. version existed only in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, also known as Earth-199999.
Of course, Ryan knew this was still just an educated guess.
After all, if world-hopping was real, who knew whether this universe—supposedly the MCU—had been altered by that so-called god.
Still, based on online reports about Iron Man, Ryan was confident he wasn't just in the MCU, but specifically in the gap after Iron Man 1 and before Iron Man 2 properly began.
For Ryan—currently operating in an "overclocked" mental state—this timing was more than acceptable.
At the very least, it was far safer than being dumped straight into The Avengers.
After confirming both the world and the timeline, Ryan didn't rush to do anything flashy.
Just like in the Limitless world, he submerged himself completely in knowledge.
The Earth of the MCU might look normal, but it was riddled with black-tech and traces of the supernatural.
Take Tony Stark, for example.
His father had built a maglev car back in the 1940s.
Sure, the demo failed spectacularly—but the tech level was still absurd.
And that was before mentioning that Howard Stark not only laid the groundwork for the Arc Reactor, but also created an entirely new element.
Under these circumstances, jumping straight into contact with major plot characters—especially someone as unreliable as Tony Stark—without first absorbing this world's technology and strengthening himself would be incredibly stupid.
Ryan wasn't stupid.
The $300,000 he'd made selling jewelry was more than enough to support a very comfortable long-term study plan.
As for identity, Ryan had already solved that back in the Limitless world.
Through certain channels, he had obtained a real, fully legal Singaporean citizenship.
Thankfully, the MCU Earth closely mirrored his original timeline.
With a Singapore passport—visa-free entry into the U.S.—Ryan easily checked into a five-star international hotel.
The visa-free stay had limits, of course.
But for Ryan, it was more than enough.
Unlike in the Limitless world, Ryan didn't just study while in the MCU.
Using his foreign nationality, he opened an international account and began investing directly in the U.S. financial market.
In just two weeks, an initial investment of $200,000 ballooned to nearly $8 million.
That return wasn't even that outrageous.
In Limitless, Eddie Morra had turned $12,000 into $2 million in ten days using NZT.
Compared to a nearly 200-fold return, Ryan's deliberately slowed money-making—done to avoid attention—was downright conservative.
With that capital, things moved fast.
Using his Singaporean identity, Ryan acquired a nearly bankrupt small biotech company, instantly securing permanent legal residency in the United States.
Out of sheer malicious nostalgia, and after confirming the name didn't already exist in this world, Ryan renamed the company:
Umbrella Corporation.
Yes.
That Umbrella.
He even shamelessly copied the iconic logo.
Umbrella Biopharmaceuticals—that was now the official name of the company.
After taking full control, Ryan immediately launched two new products he had casually developed during his NZT-50 research back in the Limitless world.
One was an enhanced male performance drug.
The other was a charisma-boosting perfume.
Though marketed like Viagra, the red liquid—officially named Dragon's Blood—had absolutely nothing to do with it.
Effect-wise, however, it was 50% better.
Not only did it significantly improve endurance, long-term use also resulted in noticeable size enhancement.
With Ryan's molecular formulas, creating an even stronger version would have been trivial.
But business wasn't about dumping the best product on the market immediately.
Just like tech companies, phone manufacturers, or car brands, what hit shelves were always "mature" products.
The perfume—named Succubus—was synthesized from pheromonal data extracted from animals, plants, and humans.
Love and attraction, scientifically speaking, were just biochemical tricks.
Succubus artificially amplified that effect, making it far easier for the user to gain goodwill.
Given the obvious potential for abuse, the version released to market was heavily nerfed—a "safe" edition.
Neither product was classified as a drug.
Or more accurately—not entirely a drug.
With enough money smoothing regulatory paths, both products—classified under adult wellness and cosmetics—received sales approval within a week.
Since Umbrella had zero brand recognition, Ryan didn't care about cost.
He chose the most direct—and effective—marketing method:
Free trials.
Good products were universally appreciated, no matter the world.
Within a week, the results were explosive.
Nearly 100% positive feedback.
Even before official launch, massive orders and partnership offers flooded in.
Though surprised by the overwhelming enthusiasm, Ryan didn't dwell on it.
The one-month mark was approaching.
After handing off operations to highly paid professional managers and lawyers, Ryan entered the specially modified Transit Zone beneath his company's laboratory.
This time, his destination was a movie world called Lucy, also known as Limitless Potential.
The plot was simple.
Lucy, a 25-year-old American living and working in Taipei, was tricked by her boyfriend and forced by a Korean crime syndicate to act as a drug mule.
A synthetic drug called CPH4 was surgically implanted into her abdomen.
After being kicked, the drug packets ruptured.
Large quantities of CPH4 flooded her bloodstream.
Instead of dying, Lucy's physical and cognitive abilities skyrocketed.
Telepathy.
Telekinesis.
Extreme intelligence.
Technological control.
But the side effects were fatal.
To survive, Lucy was forced onto a desperate path—eventually evolving into an omnipresent godlike entity through massive CPH4 exposure.
This time, however, Ryan's goal wasn't just CPH4.
Opening his eyes, he found himself standing beside the fountain outside Regent Taipei Hotel.
At the entrance, a white couple was arguing.
Blonde Lucy and her boyfriend were clearly fighting.
The man held a white alloy briefcase—the container holding CPH4.
Ryan didn't act immediately.
He pretended to make a phone call, letting the argument continue.
Soon, betrayed and handcuffed to the briefcase, Lucy was forced into the hotel lobby.
When the timing was right, Ryan approached Charlie, Lucy's boyfriend.
Before Charlie could open his mouth to chase him away, the words died in his throat—staring down the barrel of a gun.
Knowing the Korean mob could appear at any moment, Ryan forced Charlie into a taxi that had just pulled up.
Thirty minutes later, after dealing with Charlie, Ryan calmly returned to the hotel entrance.
The game had officially begun.