Chapter 5

Time flies, and ten years can pass by quickly.

This year, Liu Nan is fourteen years old, or at least that's what his documents say. When John and his wife adopted Liu Nan, they reported his age as four. Moreover, Liu Nan's name is no longer just "Liu Nan"; it is now "Liu Nan Scott," following John's surname. John's full name is John Evans Scott. To ensure Liu Nan wouldn't forget his original name, John used it as his first name.

In the first year, Liu Nan figured out what John and his wife did for a living. John is a bank manager, and Lina is a senior lawyer at a law firm. One could say they are part of the upper class in America, living a very affluent life. Since being adopted, Liu Nan has never suffered. While he hasn't feasted on delicacies every day, each meal has been rich and varied. His clothing has never been neglected, and Liu Nan thinks Lina would have been a great fashion designer. Liu Nan has always been the focus of everyone's attention, and since starting school, he has never been short of love letters. Liu Nan believes this is all due to Lina, who dresses him so well.

Liu Nan gradually learned why John and Lina had no children. In his youth, John was a very athletic young man. After graduating from college, he was seriously injured during an adventurous trip. Although he could still have a normal married life after recovery, he had lost his ability to have children. The couple had no children and had planned to adopt one, but Liu Nan appeared, becoming the angel sent by God in their hearts.

These ten years have been like a nightmare for Liu Nan, not because John and Lina mistreated him, but because this world has made him feel a bit overwhelmed.

Over these ten years, Liu Nan has heard many incredible things. For example, in another major city, Gotham City, Batman regularly takes down criminal gangs; every few years, there is a Captain America memorial event; a medicine Liu Nan once took was produced by the Umbrella Corporation, and he never took it again after that; the charges against Blade on the wanted list have increased, and his sentence has been extended by several hundred years; there have been protests against mutants on the streets; and he has heard many familiar names, such as Tony Stark, Oliver Queen, and even the name of a monster like Godzilla.

This made Liu Nan feel as if he had entered a chaotic and complex world where all kinds of supernatural beings exist. He has complained more than once that his wish was to make his life a bit more exciting, but now, according to what Liu Nan knows, this seems to be far more than just a little bit. It's a world of chaos, and who knows if Optimus Prime and Megatron will appear next?

Even if they do, Liu Nan won't be surprised. Even if a monkey suddenly jumps out and claims to be the Monkey King, Liu Nan will smile and shake hands in respect.

Fortunately, Liu Nan has a good adaptability. After the initial shock, he gradually became numb and less surprised. Besides, Liu Nan is not an ordinary person.

Over the years, the dimensional exchange system has given Liu Nan many tasks, mostly involving minor characters with mild punishments, such as being deaf for a month or having a fever for a week. The most difficult task was to take down three armed criminals, with no punishment. Liu Nan knew that failing would mean certain death, but he managed to take them down one by one using the terrain. It was bad luck for those three criminals to rob Liu Nan.

Liu Nan has always tried his best to complete every task. Although the points earned were not many, they accumulated over time. However, he has used them all up.

Liu Nan's biggest expenditure was on the Dragon Elephant Bodhimanda, a high-level external martial art. He couldn't afford high-level internal martial arts, which required too many points, and he found low-level internal martial arts unsatisfactory. He had to make do with external martial arts for now and wait for a major task or a good reward to exchange for internal martial arts.

Liu Nan's martial arts training has gone smoothly. In America, parents give their children a lot of autonomy. Liu Nan used his age to his advantage, requesting to learn martial arts and practicing openly in the backyard. He also asked John to set up a small gym for him, which John also used.

After more than ten years of training, Liu Nan may look slim, but under his clothes, he has well-defined muscles that can knock down a bull with one punch.

Liu Nan recently checked his attributes with the dimensional exchange system: Strength 12, Agility 9, Stamina 13, Intelligence 10. His strength, agility, and stamina are the result of his training, while his intelligence was enhanced with points.

At fourteen, Liu Nan is like a T-Rex among normal people. In school, when bad students tried to bully him, they all ended up being subdued by him, and no one dared to provoke him.

"Sweetie, today is your first day of high school. You must try your best and make some friends."

Lina has always called Liu Nan "sweetie," even though he is now fourteen and as tall as she is. She never changed her way of addressing him.

"I know, Mom."

Lina's advice is something Liu Nan has to follow. After all, he has almost no friends, and how can a soul over forty years old make friends with a bunch of kids?

Liu Nan's lack of social skills has always worried Lina. In Western countries, cooperation is the norm. If you can't integrate into a group, even if you are excellent, you will be seen as an outsider. Lina doesn't want her child to be seen as a freak, so on his first day of high school, she repeatedly reminded Liu Nan to make some friends.

Liu Nan understands Lina's concern, so he has decided to at least pretend to have some friends. Besides, Americans generally mature early, and high school students already behave like adults. Liu Nan is no longer averse to making friends.

Riding his bicycle, Liu Nan arrived at Brook High School, which Lina chose for him. The school has a high enrollment rate, and Lina wanted Liu Nan to meet more friends.

According to his class schedule, Liu Nan found his classroom. In American high schools, there are no fixed classes. Students choose different courses, and their class times, locations, and teachers vary, similar to college life.

The classroom was already filled with many students, all introducing themselves to those around them. In America, introverts don't fare well.

Liu Nan looked around and saw that there were about ten students in the class, almost all present. The population in America is not large, so there are no classes with fifty or sixty students like in his previous life. He found an empty seat at the back and sat down.

"Hi, I'm Peter Parker. You can call me Peter. Nice to meet you."

As soon as he sat down, a thin boy next to him extended his hand.

"Oh, hi, I'm Liu Nan Scott. Just call me Liu Nan."

Liu Nan is not a cold person. When someone extends a friendly hand, he naturally responds.

"Beep, main mission issued: Become best friends with Spider-Man. Mission time: one week. Mission reward: 10,000 exchange points. Mission failure: All heroes will have a natural aversion to the host, and the host will be classified as a villain. Future missions will change accordingly."

As Liu Nan shook Peter's hand, the voice of the dimensional exchange system sounded in his head. Spider-Man? Who is Spider-Man? Wait, what did this kid introduce himself as? Peter Parker? That's Spider-Man! But he probably hasn't been bitten by the spider yet. When shaking hands, Liu Nan felt that Peter was just an ordinary person, and even a bit weaker.

Regarding the mission penalty, Liu Nan, with his high intelligence, quickly understood the implications. Previous missions were mostly temporary and minor, with the first failure resulting in elimination and the rest being minor punishments. This main mission is like a game, determining the character's future.

Liu Nan feels that this main mission is to define his nature—whether he is a good person or a bad person. If he succeeds, he will be a good person, and future missions will be from a good person's perspective. If he fails, future missions will likely involve robbery and murder. Although Liu Nan doesn't consider himself a good person, he doesn't want to be a bad person. This main mission seems to be unavoidable.

But how to become Peter Parker's best friend? A best friend is not just a friend; it means a close and loyal relationship. It implies sharing both good and bad times, and Peter Parker's enemies will also be his enemies.

In the movies, Peter Parker's best friend is Harry Osborn. Although they later became enemies, they were very close before Peter became Spider-Man.

"Liu Nan, Liu Nan, what's wrong?"

Peter Parker's voice brought Liu Nan back from his thoughts.

"Oh, nothing, I was just spacing out. What did you say just now?"

Liu Nan quickly dismissed his wandering thoughts and focused on Peter Parker.