NOVEL WEB Chapter 1: Chapter 1: The Unexpected Invasion – Welcome to the Chaos (REMAKE)
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Chapter 1: The Unexpected Invasion – Welcome to the Chaos (REMAKE)
The last thing Adam Stiels remembered was the comforting glow of his laptop screen, the faint scent of stale coffee, and the triumphant "ding!" of a new achievement unlocked in his ridiculously niche indie game. He'd just successfully navigated a pixelated badger through a minefield using only interpretive dance. It was, he thought, a peak life moment.
Then, everything went… not peak.
One moment, he was in his slightly-too-cramped apartment, the next, he was face-first on something suspiciously gritty, the air thick with the smell of burning rubber and a distinct ozone tang. A cacophony of screams assaulted his ears, followed by what sounded suspiciously like a building collapsing. His brain, still clinging to the last vestiges of gaming glory, briefly wondered if he'd somehow glitched into a hyper-realistic war simulator.
"Okay," he muttered, pushing himself up, his head throbbing like a bass drum solo. "Either I had way too much caffeine, or someone decided to remake 'Cloverfield' without telling me. And without, you know, a heads-up that I was going to be an extra."
He blinked, trying to clear the haze. Towering structures, not quite like anything he'd ever seen, loomed overhead. The sky was an alarming shade of bruised purple, streaked with impossible green lightning. And the people… oh, the people. They weren't just running; they were fleeing with a primal terror that made his stomach clench. Cars were overturned, fires raged in the distance, and there was a low, resonant thrum in the air that vibrated through his very bones.
" This isn't good. This is 'run for your life and pray you don't become collateral damage' kind of not good. And considering my athletic prowess peaks at 'competitive napping,' I'm already at a disadvantage."
His eyes finally focused on a news broadcast flickering on a shattered storefront window. The headline blared, half-obscured by static: "CENTRAL CITY UNDER SIEGE! UNKNOWN FORCES… INVASION…!"
Invasion. Central City.
A cold dread, far more potent than the chaos around him, settled in Adam's chest. His mind, a chaotic vault of pop culture references and obscure comic book lore, began to piece together the terrifying puzzle. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me," he whispered, his voice cracking. "This isn't 'Cloverfield.' This is… this is like, 'Smallville' meets 'Avengers,' but with less Hemsworth and probably more angst. And I'm in it."
He stumbled backward, bumping into something solid. He whirled around, expecting a panicked civilian, but instead found himself staring up, way up, at a towering, metallic monstrosity that looked like it had escaped from a bad B-movie, only it was very, very real. It had multiple glowing eyes, spindly limbs, and a general aura of "I'm here to ruin your day."
" Well, hello there, ugly. You're definitely not from around here, are you? And you look suspiciously like a Dominator. Or maybe a really disgruntled toaster oven with ambitions."
He knew this. He knew this. This was the "Invasion!" event from the Arrowverse, specifically the one that predated Barry Allen getting his powers. It was a chaotic, universe-spanning alien attack, usually relegated to a few quick flashbacks or exposition dumps in the shows. He was smack dab in the middle of it. And he, Adam Stiels, proud owner of exactly zero superpowers, was about to become a very crunchy statistic.
The alien thing, which was clearly not impressed by his internal monologue, extended a limb towards him. It moved with terrifying speed, an almost casual flick of its wrist. Adam, still reeling from the sheer absurdity of his situation, barely registered the glowing tip coming straight for his chest.
Then, there was pain. Blinding, searing, all-consuming pain. It felt like every nerve ending in his body simultaneously decided to host a rock concert. His vision swam, the sounds of the invasion fading into a dull roar. He gasped, falling to his knees, his hands clutching his chest, as if that could somehow stop the inevitable.
" Oh. This is it, isn't it? This is how I go out. Not saving the world, not even getting a cool origin story. Just… alien zapped. My obituary is going to be incredibly boring."
As darkness threatened to consume him, a voice, calm and detached, echoed in his mind, cutting through the pain like a laser.
[SYSTEM ALERT: FIRST DEATH DETECTED. HOST MORTALITY MECHANISM OVERRIDDEN.] [WELCOME, HOST ADAM STIELS, TO THE IMMORTAL SYSTEM!] [INITIALIZING SYSTEM PROTOCOLS… COMPLETE.]
Adam blinked, his eyes snapping open. The pain was gone. Not lessened, not dulled, but gone. He was still on his knees, still clutching his chest, but there was no wound, no singed clothes, nothing. The alien was still there, but it was further away now, turning its attention to a fleeing car.
[IMMORTAL SYSTEM STATUS:] [LIVES REMAINING: 0/1 (Current Life Activated)] [DEATHS ACHIEVED: 1/1 (Initial Death Requirement Met)] [NEXT SYSTEM LEVEL: LEVEL 2 (Requires 5 Deaths)] [CURRENT FUNDS: $0 (Acquire funds to unlock System Shop)]
[SKILL ACQUISITION: 'MINOR PAIN TOLERANCE' HAS BEEN UNLOCKED!] [DESCRIPTION: Reduces the perceived intensity of minor physical pain. May allow for continued function in discomfort.]
Adam stared blankly at the floating text, then at his perfectly intact body, then back at the alien which was now vaporizing a streetlight.
" Okay. So, recap: I'm in the Arrowverse. I just got zapped by an alien. I should be a smoking crater. But instead, I have… a system? And apparently, I'm immortal? Or at least, I have 'lives'? What is this, a video game? Because if so, the tutorial level is aggressively terrible."
He scrambled to his feet, feeling an odd lightness in his steps, a faint dullness to the aches that should have been screaming at him. Minor Pain Tolerance, huh? He'd definitely earned that one. His heart hammered in his chest, not from pain, but from a dizzying mix of fear, confusion, and a burgeoning, utterly unhinged excitement.
"Right," he mumbled, dusting off his non-existent wounds. "So, I guess the plan 'die heroically' is officially off the table. The new plan is… 'die strategically'? This is going to be a weird life. Or, you know, a weird series of lives."
He looked around at the chaos, the dying screams, the collapsing buildings. This wasn't some abstract concept anymore. This was his new reality. And he had a system. An Immortal System. The implications were staggering, terrifying, and utterly, hilariously absurd.
"Okay, System," he said aloud, a manic grin starting to spread across his face despite the genuine terror in his eyes. "Let's get one thing straight. If you expect me to go out there and be some cape-wearing superhero, you've got the wrong guy. I'm more of a 'hide behind the actual heroes and provide sarcastic commentary' kind of guy. But if you want me to, you know, survive this mess, then we might just be able to work something out. But seriously, 'Minor Pain Tolerance'? What, did I level up by stubbing my toe? This is going to be a long game."
He took a deep breath, the acrid smell of smoke filling his lungs. The invasion raged on, but Adam now had a secret. A very, very big secret. And with it, a newfound, albeit reluctant, purpose. His first death was over. His first life had begun. Now, he just had to figure out how not to use up his next one on something stupid, like, say, tripping over a particularly aggressive sidewalk crack. The Arrowverse was officially more dangerous than he'd ever imagined, and he was officially its newest, most unwilling, and most sarcastic participant.