San Fernando Valley, Thomas Clinic.
"Wah, wah, wah..."
Accompanied by a burst of loud infant cries, a woman in her early twenties with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a maternity dress lay flat on the hospital bed, covered in sweat and completely exhausted.
"Rosalie, congratulations, it's a boy!"
Mark felt himself being scooped up into a warm embrace as a joyful female voice reached his ears.
"Daphne, please, please help me contact Hollywood Weekly. Tell them I have a blockbuster story that will shock the entire Federation..."
Another female voice spoke up, sounding somewhat weak and raspy.
"Rosalie, are you sure about this right now? You just gave birth and need a good rest!"
"No, right now! I'm fine, Daphne."
"Alright!"
Mark felt himself being laid back down, followed by the sound of footsteps gradually fading away.
"Baby, we're going to have money soon! I swear, I'll make sure you live the life of the upper class, and I won't let you cram into a cheap apartment with me..."
The raspy female voice from moments earlier leaned in close to his ear, her tone gentle yet firm.
"What, what is happening to me?"
Mark forced his eyes open, gazing at the modest hospital room around him and the unfamiliar yet pretty Western woman lying on the neighboring hospital bed.
Thanks to the English proficiency from his past life, he could actually understand the conversation between the two women just now.
Yet he remembered drinking with a group of colleagues just last night. How was it that upon waking up, he had arrived in such a completely unfamiliar place?
Moments later, Mark strained to lift his arms, only to catch sight of his two tiny, pink, delicate fists.
"I, I've been reborn as an infant!"
He stared with wide eyes, a look of utter disbelief on his face.
Mark never imagined that the kind of plot found only in novels would actually happen to him!
An infant's brain was not yet fully developed, and Mark soon felt his consciousness blur before drifting back into a deep sleep.
"Hello! Are you Ms. Rosalie Payne? I'm Marcus Dalton, a reporter with Hollywood Weekly."
"I wonder what major news you have? Rest assured, as long as the news you provide has sufficient value, our publication will certainly offer generous compensation."
A low, polite male voice rang out, waking Mark from his slumber.
If he were an ordinary infant, being startled awake from deep sleep would probably have caused him to wail loudly.
Yet Mark, lying in the crib, simply opened his eyes and quietly observed the middle-aged man in a tailored suit who had abruptly appeared before the hospital bed.
"Yes, I am Rosalie Payne."
With Daphne's assistance, Rosalie propped herself up into a sitting position, leaning back against the pillow behind her.
"Mr. Dalton, this is my child. His name is... Mark. Yes, his name is Mark."
Giving Mark a loving look, Rosalie turned to Marcus and said, "Mark's father is a wealthy man. He's a billionaire!"
"Oh, really?"
Marcus seemed to show a bit of interest. He pulled over a chair and sat down beside the hospital bed.
First casting a scrutinizing glance at Mark in the crib opposite him, he looked at Rosalie and asked, "Ms. Payne, could you tell me who little Mark's father is?"
"Tony Stark! Mark's father is Tony Stark!"
Rosalie said with a solemn expression.
"Who? Who did you say?"
Marcus seemed unable to believe his ears and asked again.
"That billionaire, the CEO of Stark Industries, Tony Stark!"
"Ms. Payne, what evidence do you have to prove that this child belongs to Tony Stark? You must realize there are easily eight hundred to a thousand women every year who claim in the papers to be Tony Stark's girlfriends, leak stories about being involved with him, or even bear his children!"
"Everything I'm saying is true!"
Rosalie grew somewhat anxious. "If you don't believe me, I can have Mark and Tony Stark take a paternity test!"
"What kind of man is Mr. Stark? How could he possibly spare the time for a paternity test just because of your word! If you can't produce evidence, I'm afraid I'll have to take my leave. Let's not waste each other's time."
Shaking his head, Marcus seemed to have lost all interest and stood up from his chair.
"Mr. Dalton, Mr. Dalton..."
Watching Marcus leave without looking back, Rosalie could only collapse back onto the hospital bed in resignation.
"Rosalie, you just gave birth and should be resting properly right now. You mustn't let your emotions fluctuate so wildly!"
Seeing Rosalie's dejected state, Daphne, who was dressed in a nurse's uniform, hurried forward to comfort her.
"Daphne, you have to believe me! Mark's father really is Tony Stark!"
Grasping Daphne's arm, Rosalie spoke in an agitated tone.
"Alright, alright, alright, I believe you, Rosalie."
Daphne offered soothing words in response.
Mark, lying inside the crib, had listened to the entire conversation between them from start to finish.
By this point, his mind was completely overwhelmed by shock: "I, have I been reborn into the Marvel Universe?"
Thinking of the supervillains wreaking havoc everywhere in the Marvel Universe, alongside the various fatal crises soon to come, Mark felt his heart fill with despair.
This world was truly far too unkind to ordinary mortals!
Compared to all of that, becoming Tony Stark's illegitimate child suddenly didn't seem like such a big deal anymore.
Anyway, if Rosalie couldn't produce concrete evidence, he probably wouldn't stand a chance in this lifetime to receive recognition from Tony Stark or inherit his multi-billion-dollar fortune.
"Hum!"
Right at that moment, as the afternoon sun slanted westward, a ray of sunlight shone through the glass window and landed directly upon Mark in his crib.
[Sunlight Value +1]
A line of information suddenly surfaced in Mark's mind.
Appearing alongside it was a comic book illustration of a figure dressed in a blue jumpsuit and red trunks, wearing a red cape over the back, with an "S" emblem emblazoned across the chest!
"Isn't this the comic book I bought for my niece before crossing over? I never expected it to come along with me, and even turn into my golden finger!"
Gazing at the glowing Superman image within his mind, Mark was simultaneously surprised and delighted.
Fixating on the mental image, he perceived even more information.
[Sunlight Value: 1]
[Unlocked Superpower: Super Brain]
[Super Brain LV0 (0/100)]