Marvel: Reincarnated as Superman

Massachusetts, Smallville Town.

It was a quiet, ordinary little town.

The air was fresh, the roads were clean and wide, and life moved at an unhurried pace.

The residents lived calmly and simply. They woke with the sunrise and rested after sunset, living peaceful, content lives.

There weren’t many entertainment spots in town. No dazzling nightlife districts like the big cities, no noisy midnight clubs filled with music and dancing. Once night fell, most people simply stayed home and rested early.

Even the movie theater in the center of town was old and worn down, mostly screening films from years ago.

The town itself was remote. Outside of the surrounding area, almost nobody had even heard of it. But despite that, the people here laughed often, greeted each other warmly, and lived in a peaceful atmosphere that rarely changed.

On the southwest side of town lived the Danvers family.

John Danvers had two children, an eight year old daughter, Carol Danvers, and a five year old son, Daniel Danvers. Along with his beautiful and gentle wife Mary, John felt his life was already perfect.

At that moment, in the backyard of the Danvers house, Daniel was lying on the grass with his hands behind his head.

It was noon in the middle of summer.

Cicadas chirped noisily in the trees while birds called in the distance.

The weather was scorching hot, yet Daniel didn’t feel uncomfortable at all under the blazing sun. If anything, he felt strangely comfortable.

He stared directly at the sun without squinting in the slightest. His eyes were unfocused, blank.

Anyone familiar with him would immediately know, the kid was spacing out again.

Everyone in town knew that John’s little boy liked sitting under the sun in a daze. He wasn’t afraid of sunlight at all, and unlike other five year olds, he wasn’t energetic or mischievous.

Most of the time, he just quietly sat there thinking about things nobody else understood.

’Five years already...’

Daniel thought silently to himself.

He was five years old this year.

And he had also transmigrated into this world five years ago.

That’s right, he was a transmigrator.

At first, it terrified him. But after the initial panic faded, he gradually adapted to it.

This life honestly wasn’t bad at all.

His parents treated him very well, and he had an older sister who cared about him deeply despite constantly messing with him every single day.

It was a happy family.

And for someone who had spent years struggling through the fast-paced chaos of city life, the quiet atmosphere of this small town was oddly addictive.

The calm between people. The harmony between people and their surroundings.

That slow, peaceful rhythm of life fascinated him.

Ever since coming to this world, Daniel had spent most of his time in a hazy state.

A child’s brain simply wasn’t fully developed yet. Whenever he tried thinking too much, he would quickly become tired and sleepy.

Only sunlight made him feel energetic.

So after discovering that being under the sun somehow refreshed him, he started spending more and more time basking in it while thinking.

Over time, the whole town learned about his strange habit.

After all, Smallville was tiny. Any amusing little story spread through town almost instantly.

Daniel continued thinking about the future.

He knew the current year was 1978.

That meant the timeline was still early, there were opportunities everywhere.

Especially America, in this era was full of golden possibilities, and it would have even more opportunities in the future.

Sure, life in town was comfortable. But what man wouldn’t want to accomplish something great?

Especially when he was a transmigrator with knowledge of the future.

That alone made Daniel feel a little inflated with confidence.

’First, I need to save money. Every bit counts. Once I turn sixteen, I’ll head out and make something of myself.’

Daniel clenched his tiny fist with a serious expression.

On the face of a five year old child, that determined look was almost unbearably adorable.

Any woman seeing it would probably melt on the spot.

The more he imagined it, the happier he became. He couldn’t help laughing out loud.

For the first time in a while, he actually looked forward to growing up.

Being a child was honestly too boring.

’What a shame I’m still so small. I still need more than ten years to grow up... Who knows how many chances to make money I’ll miss during that time.’

The moment he thought about money, his eyes practically lit up.

He had been poor for too long.

In his previous life, he had struggled for years in the city, desperately stretching every dollar into two before finally managing to afford a tiny place of his own.

’This time, I’m making real money.’

’A mansion. I’m living in a damn mansion this life.’

After lying there a little longer, Daniel glanced at the sky and figured it was getting late.

He stood up, patted the dirt off his clothes, and headed back inside.

The moment he entered the living room, he saw his father sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper.

The Smallville Daily.

’A painfully boring newspaper.’

That was Daniel’s personal review of it. The articles were always about trivial nonsense.

Somebody’s car broke down.

Somebody’s cat wandered off.

Utterly pointless things.

What annoyed Daniel even more was that he himself had been featured in it.

Twice.

The first time was when he was born. Fine, whatever.

But not long ago, he had appeared in it again.

The headline literally read.

"John Danvers’s Son Daniel Enjoys Sunbathing."

Daniel still couldn’t believe it.

How desperate for content did they have to be to print something like that?

"Dad, I’m back," Daniel said casually.

"Done sunbathing?" John asked without looking up from the paper.

"Mm..."

"I seriously don’t understand why you enjoy lying under such strong sunlight."

Even after years of seeing it, John still found it bizarre.

"Haha... even I don’t know it Dad, anyways, I’m heading back to my room."

Daniel awkwardly laughed and started walking away.

"Wait a second," John called out.

"It’s getting late. Go bring your sister Carol back home."

"She ran off to play again?" Daniel asked.

"Yeah. She’s probably at Pamela’s house. Go check."

Although Daniel was only five, he had always been unusually obedient and mature. Besides, almost no outsiders ever came to town, so it was extremely safe.

John never worried about him. In fact, he had gotten used to asking Daniel to help with small errands.

And Daniel was more than happy to help, because helping meant getting paid.

Right now, he desperately needed money for his future grand plans.

"Okay."

Daniel agreed instantly.

But after answering, he didn’t move.

Instead, he simply stood there staring at John expectantly.

John immediately understood.

"Haha! Mary, look at your son. The brat’s such a little money grubber."

Laughing, John pulled out a nickel and handed it over.

"Here."

The moment Daniel got the coin, he happily dashed out the door.

"Slow down! Don’t trip!" John shouted after him.

"Five cents acquired!"

Daniel muttered excitedly while running.

By now, he had already saved nearly ten dollars.

Ever since turning three, he had been doing small chores around the house in exchange for money from John.

Each payment was tiny, just a few cents at a time, but after years of saving, it had almost reached ten dollars.

That was a huge fortune to him.

After jogging for a while, Daniel finally arrived at Pamela’s house.

Before he even reached the yard, he could already hear Carol’s loud laughter.

"Carol! Dad said come home!" Daniel shouted from outside.

A moment later, Carol and Pamela walked out together.

Each of them held a fried chicken drumstick from the town’s only KFC.

"Whoa! Daniel’s here!"

The second Pamela saw him, her eyes lit up.

Without even bothering to wipe the grease off her hands, she immediately reached toward his face.

Daniel was adorable, and pretty much everyone in town loved teasing him.

He dodged Pamela’s greasy hands successfully, only to get betrayed by Carol.

Carol grabbed him immediately and pinched his cheeks hard before shoving him toward Pamela.

"Here, you can pinch him too."

She completely ignored Daniel’s desperate resistance.

"So cute! Carol, your little brother is way too adorable!"

Pamela happily squished Daniel’s face while talking.

Normally Daniel never let anyone touch his cheeks, so now that she finally had the chance, she clearly didn’t want to stop.

Watching Daniel’s face get kneaded back and forth, Carol suddenly felt a little protective for some reason.

"Hey, be gentler. That’s my little brother."

Apparently she had already forgotten she was the one who handed him over in the first place.

"Alright, alright."

Pamela finally let go.

"We’re leaving!"

Carol waved casually before turning around and walking home with Daniel.

"Come play again next time!"

Her movements were carefree and energetic.

That was just how Carol was, careless, loud, and constantly bullying Daniel for fun.

Daniel silently wiped the grease off his face with a blank expression.

Then he turned and walked away.

"Come on, hold my hand."

Carol reached her hand toward him.

"No."

"You mad?"

"No. I just don’t want to hold hands."

"Fine then."

Carol shrugged.

"Want some chicken?"

She waved the drumstick in front of him smugly.

"Where’d you get the money for that?"

Daniel narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

He knew perfectly well that Carol had no money.

In fact, she frequently eyed his savings like a thief planning a robbery.

"Uh... mm... Pamela treated me! Yeah, Pamela bought it for me!"

Carol answered awkwardly, clearly stumbling over her words.

Daniel immediately felt something was wrong.

Without another word, he quickened his pace dramatically.

The moment they got home, Daniel rushed straight into his room.

Watching him dash away, John looked confused.

"What’s with him?" he asked Carol.

"No idea."

Carol avoided eye contact.

"I’m going back to my room too."

Then she hurried off as well.

"Strange..."

John muttered to himself.

The second Daniel entered his room, he dropped to the floor and reached beneath his bed.

That was where he hid his money.

The moment his hand touched the box, his expression changed.

Something felt wrong.

The position had clearly been moved. The uneasy feeling in his chest instantly intensified.

He quickly opened the box. Inside were still coins and bills.

But after one glance, Daniel immediately realized the amount was wrong.

He counted everything again carefully.

Three dollars were missing.

Originally, he had ten dollars.

Now only seven remained.

Someone had stolen his money.

And judging by those chicken drumsticks...

Daniel suddenly remembered how suspicious Carol had acted earlier when he asked where the money came from.

In an instant, he understood everything.

"CAROL!!!"