Through the recent tests, Gao Ming could confirm that his cheat ability was the power of the twelve talismans from *Jackie Chan Adventures*.
Just moments ago, he had silently recited the words “Astral Projection” in his mind.
Then, his soul detached from his body and floated in mid-air.
Astral Projection was the power of the Sheep Talisman.
The invisibility and sudden surge of strength he had experienced earlier were the powers of the Snake and Ox Talismans, respectively.
The thought of possessing the powers of all twelve talismans sent a jolt of excitement through Gao Ming.
He was so thrilled he felt an irresistible urge to use every single one of them.
However, glancing around his cramped living space, he forced himself to hold back.
He knew all too well that the Dragon Talisman’s power was “Explosion” and the Pig Talisman’s was “Laser Eyes.” If he unleashed those, his home would be reduced to ashes in an instant.
“The Rat Talisman can grant life to inanimate objects, but I don’t have any dolls or models here, so it’s useless for now. I’ve already experienced the Ox Talisman’s super strength. The Tiger Talisman balances the internal forces of the body. The Rabbit Talisman’s super speed… that’s something I can try…”
His eyes lit up.
Gao Ming opened his bedroom door, took a deep breath, and crouched into a starting position.
Then…
*Swoosh—*
*BAM!*
Using the Rabbit Talisman’s power for the first time, he failed to control his speed and slammed straight into the wall.
“Hmm, the Horse Talisman is awesome. No pain at all.” Gao Ming stepped out of the dented wall as if nothing had happened, without a hint of embarrassment.
*Well, the first time is never smooth.
This is understandable…*
The Rabbit Talisman’s Super Speed allowed Gao Ming to exceed the speed of sound in just a few steps.
It reminded him of the American TV show *The Flash*.
Aside from the lack of lightning effects, the Rabbit Talisman’s Super Speed was on par with The Flash’s.
With the Horse Talisman’s purification and healing abilities, Gao Ming’s injuries were healed instantly, before he could even feel a trace of pain.
Combined with the Dog Talisman’s gift of eternal youth and immortality, Gao Ming could proudly declare, “I am immortal!”
Though he was eager to test the other talismans’ abilities, he knew it was too early to reveal them before mastering them.
Gao Ming wasn’t arrogant enough to underestimate this world full of advanced technology.
It was even possible that a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent would show up at his door the next second.
While they might not pose a direct threat to his life, Gao Ming didn’t want to attract a constant stream of trouble.
To avoid drawing unwanted attention, Gao Ming suppressed his inner urges and decided to return to his room to study them slowly.
*Whoosh—*
*BAM!!!*
*Looks like I still need a lot of practice…*
***
Back in his room, Gao Ming practiced Invisibility and Astral Projection for a while.
Once he had basically mastered them, he began planning for his future.
With the power of the Twelve Talismans at his disposal, he no longer had to worry about his personal safety.
It could be said that, aside from the Infinity Stones and the cosmic entities, there was no one on Earth—well, except for the Ancient One, that sorcerer (lol) with her many strange tricks—who could pose a threat to him.
As for Captain America, Iron Man, the Hulk, and Thor, although Gao Ming had no reason to antagonize these superheroes, if a conflict did arise, what could they possibly do against a monster like him who simply refused to die?
(Deadpool: Are you talking about me?)
Since he possessed such a cheat-like ability as the talismans, Gao Ming naturally intended to make good use of them to improve his living conditions.
Now that he had superpowers, Gao Ming decisively decided to quit his job at the pizza shop and use the power of the talismans to pursue some high-paying work.
Huh?
You’re saying Gao Ming now has superpowers, so why does he still need a job?
Please, food, clothing, housing, and transportation—which one of those doesn’t cost money?
Gao Ming wasn’t about to be like those villains, letting water get into his brain and trying to conquer the world.
He didn’t have the energy for it, nor the ambition.
Think about those powerful villains.
Did any of them end up well?
He’d learned the lesson well: *No zuo no die*…
Gao Ming rested his chin in one hand, striking a thoughtful pose.
“I can’t find a high-end, high-class job. The low-paying ones are just exhausting. Why not start my own business? What would I even do?”
Even with the power of the Twelve Talismans, Gao Ming was still very troubled by the issue of finding a job.
He wanted to use the talismans to solve his employment problems, but his lack of imagination left him completely clueless.
The Ox Talisman gave him infinite strength.
Go move bricks?
The Rabbit Talisman gave him speed and agility.
Go deliver packages?
The Dragon Talisman gave him explosive flames.
Go do demolition?
The Snake Talisman gave him invisibility.
Heh heh… it seemed he could do a lot of gentlemanly things?
***
He’d hoped to use the talismans to cheat his way to success at work, but all the ideas he came up with were those of a total loser.
Still unable to think of a suitable job, the easygoing Gao Ming decided to put the matter aside for a moment.
Watching the news broadcast on TV, Gao Ming stroked his chin and muttered to himself, “Should I go rescue Mr. ‘Shidak’? I recall Mr. ‘Shidak’ is a super-rich guy. If I save him, I should be able to get a decent reward, right?”
Money was what Gao Ming needed most right now.
Both his former self and the Gao Ming of this world were just ordinary people.
His total assets consisted only of the money from selling his grandfather’s food truck and his wages from working at the pizza shop.
Although Gao Ming was now immortal and didn’t need to eat or drink thanks to the power of the Dog Talisman, that didn’t mean he had no desire for material things.
He still wanted to eat good food and do fun things, all of which required a certain financial foundation.
For Gao Ming, rescuing Tony Stark and then asking for a monetary reward might not look great, but it was a fast way to get rich.
Besides, he could also get to know the future Iron Man.
No matter how he looked at it, it was a win-win.
“Alright, I’ll go rescue Tony Stark.”
Though he had decided to save the man, Gao Ming didn’t set off immediately.
There were still more than two weeks before Tony Stark’s eventual rescue, leaving him plenty of time to familiarize himself with the talismans’ power.
Besides, Gao Ming wanted to rescue Iron Man, not that hedonistic, cynical playboy.
Without those three months of captivity, Tony Stark would never have reflected on his mistakes.
It was that ordeal that had tempered him, forging the self-sacrificing Iron Man he would later become.
“I’ll wait a while before saving him. For now, I’ll focus on practicing.” The thought excited Gao Ming.
He had a new plan: fight crime as a superhero and train his abilities in the process.
Every man had a dream of becoming a hero.
Since childhood, Gao Ming had longed for the life of a righteous warrior, vanquishing evil and championing justice.
In the past, he lacked the power to intervene.
But now, with superhuman strength at his fingertips, how could he just stand by and watch?
*Well, maybe he just wanted to show off a little…*
In the Marvel Universe, it would be a shame not to moonlight as a superhero, wouldn’t it?
Imagining his own heroic figure fighting crime, Gao Ming couldn’t help but let out a sinister chuckle.
“The first step to becoming a superhero, of course, is… designing a personal combat uniform!” Gao Ming snapped his fingers, speaking to himself with great solemnity.
Clothing and appearance were crucial factors in shaping how others perceived him.
If he dressed too low-class or tacky, his first impression wouldn’t be good at all.
For instance, Teacher Saitama was mistaken by the public for some bald pervert in a weird costume.
Unless you were a beloved warrior of justice like Captain America, copying his costume would only make you look like a circus clown.
However, designing a combat uniform was no easy task, especially for someone like Gao Ming, who lacked any artistic talent.
It was pointless to expect him to come up with something cool; his best bet was to simply plagiarize some of the virtual characters he remembered.
Rummaging through his memory, a flood of character images instantly surged forth.
Saint Seiya, Saiyans, A-G, Golden Flash, Teacher Saitama, Bone Emperor, Kirito, Shadow, Magical Girl…
Uh, it seemed some strange things had slipped in.
More and more bizarre characters flooded his mind, making his thoughts even more chaotic.
Gao Ming immediately stopped reminiscing and turned his attention to Marvel’s rivals—the superheroes from DC.
After all, the Marvel Universe didn’t have a DC Comics, so he didn’t have to worry about being sued for copyright infringement.
Superman (red underwear worn on the outside), Batman (pitch black), Aquaman (bare-chested?), Green Lantern (the color of forgiveness), Green Arrow (also the color of forgiveness), The Flash…
When he thought of The Flash, a sudden idea struck him.
“The Rabbit Talisman’s Super Speed should be just as good as the Speed Force. Maybe I could cosplay as The Flash? Knocking down villains before they even realize what’s happening… that sounds pretty cool.”
Recalling The Flash’s performance in the TV series, Gao Ming felt a surge of excitement.
However, he wasn’t too fond of The Flash’s signature “big red suit,” so he reviewed the costumes of other Speedsters.
Besides The Flash’s red suit with yellow accents, the original comics also featured Reverse-Flash’s yellow suit with red accents, Zoom’s dark blue suit with black accents, and Godspeed’s white suit with gold accents.
Comparing the four Speedster suits, Gao Ming felt that Godspeed’s suit better suited his preferences.
The combination of white and gold, symbols of nobility, made it look more mysterious and imposing.
After carefully comparing the designs of the two suits, Gao Ming finally made his choice: he would use the Speed Suit as his combat gear.
“But how am I supposed to make it?” Gao Ming groaned, his frustration returning at the thought of the suit’s construction.
A hero’s combat uniform often required a custom design tailored to their specific needs.
In the *The Flash* TV series, the Flash’s suit was made of a high-molecular-weight polymer that was both fireproof and wear-resistant, allowing it to withstand the friction generated by moving at super-speeds.
The same applied to other Speedsters.
If Gao Ming planned to make a Speed Suit, he would have to consider the materials.
The problem was, Gao Ming wasn’t a genius capable of inventing a suit that met a Speedster’s requirements!
Setting aside his lack of technical skill, if he simply used ordinary materials, the suit would definitely burn up while he was running.
“Damn it, where am I supposed to find a professional to make this suit?” Gao Ming tugged at his hair in frustration.
It was a cruel irony: a man who possessed twelve magical abilities was being defeated by the simple task of making a piece of clothing.
“Hmm? Making a costume? I remember someone who makes clothes… that guy who appeared in *Daredevil*. The Daredevil uniform seemed to be made by him.” A flash of inspiration struck Gao Ming, and he recalled a specific person.
Melvin Potter, a highly talented costume designer skilled in design and tailoring, who had crafted a high-performance battle suit for Daredevil.
Gao Ming only knew of such a figure because he had been binge-watching the *Daredevil* series recently.
Since Daredevil was a character from the Marvel Universe, he should be able to find him in this world, right?
With a candidate for crafting his battle suit in mind, Gao Ming breathed a sigh of relief.
As for whether Melvin would agree to cooperate, Gao Ming wasn’t worried.
Melvin had a daughter, and she was his greatest weakness.
In the show, Kingpin had threatened his daughter to force Melvin to make him a protective suit.
If that was the case, as long as Gao Ming helped him eliminate the threat posed by Kingpin, Melvin should be willing to help him make the battle suit.