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Chapter 3
"Hi, sir! I'm a reporter from the New York Times. What's your name? Why are you here? Are you a mutant or a Kryptonian? Why do your powers resemble Superman from the comics? Could you share more on that?"
The questions hit Li Ye one after another, fired in rapid succession by a reporter who appeared out of nowhere, microphone and camera crew in tow. The barrage of questions caught him off guard, forcing him into a tense silence. How was he supposed to answer these? He wasn't even from this world.
"System," Li Ye murmured mentally, "are you sure my identity as a 'hacker' isn't about to be exposed?"
"Host, rest assured," the system replied smoothly. "An identity has been established for you in this world. To everyone here, you're as native to this place as they are. There's no need to worry about exposure."
"Everyone? Does that include... figures like Ancient One, Odin, Thanos—even ancient gods of this universe?" Li Ye whispered, a trace of concern etched on his face.
"Yes, host. Everyone."
The response caught him by surprise. If the system could mask him from even the mightiest beings in the universe, then he truly had nothing to fear. His worry faded, replaced by a quiet confidence as he flashed a slight smile for the camera.
"Hi everyone," he began, voice resonating with calm strength. "I'm just a hero… doing what I do best."
Chapter 4: Arrogant Ross
"Absolute power! Unwavering rationality! That's the weapon I've been seeking!"
General Ross's voice crackled with fervor as he watched Li Ye on the screen, a glint of greed in his eyes. He stood aboard a military helicopter, his expression twisted by the overwhelming desire to seize the power he'd just witnessed.
"Are you insane?" Betty Ross, his daughter and the Hulk's girlfriend, looked at him in disbelief.
"Insane?" Ross chuckled darkly. "This power could make our military untouchable. With him, I can create the ultimate weapon."
"He saved us!" Betty countered fiercely. "And you want to treat him like some… experiment?"
"You're too naive, Betty." Ross turned to her with cold determination. "It's not about gratitude or fairness. It's about power. Besides," he continued with a dangerous glint, "I don't intend to harm him. I only need him to cooperate."
"Do you think he'll go quietly? He's clearly more powerful than even Hulk! He's not some lab rat to be poked and prodded," she argued.
Ross sneered. "If he's living on American soil, I have ways to handle him." He motioned to a nearby soldier. "Take Betty to a secure location. I'll decide when she can come back."
"Sir, yes, sir!" The soldier took Betty by the arm, ignoring her struggles as she tried to break free.
"No! You can't just—" But her protests were drowned by the hum of the chopper's engine as she was dragged away.
Once she was gone, Ross turned to his team. "Do you have the file on our… 'Superman'?" he demanded.
"Yes, sir." A technician handed him a dossier. "His name's Li Ye. Born in China, raised in Queens. Orphaned. No known family or friends."
"An orphan, no attachments," Ross mused, flipping through the pages. He frowned slightly. Without anyone close, Li Ye would be hard to manipulate.
"Prepare the city. Get all available units ready," Ross barked. "We'll make him understand he has no choice but to obey."
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Li Ye stood among the cheering crowd, basking in the praise as people clamored to shake his hand. Then, the crowd hushed as a convoy of armored vehicles rolled down the street, flanked by helicopters in the sky, all converging on him. Soldiers, weapons drawn, filed out of the vehicles, forming a tight perimeter around him.
"What's happening?"
"The army? But the threat's already over!"
The people murmured in confusion and discontent as heavily armed soldiers ordered them to disperse.
An officer's voice crackled over a loudspeaker. "Citizens, please step back. This man is suspected of tampering with crucial government assets and endangering public safety. We're taking him into custody."
"He just saved us!" a woman shouted defiantly.
"Your accusations are absurd!" yelled another.
Their protests grew louder, but in the face of armed soldiers, the crowd reluctantly moved back.
Li Ye watched the scene unfold with a calm expression, a wry smile playing on his lips. So they wanted a fight. Fine, he thought, they'd get one.
The military chopper landed, and General Ross stepped out, his expression carefully neutral as he approached Li Ye. "Hello, sir, and thank you for your assistance. My name is Ross, a general with the U.S. military."
"Assistance? If surrounding me with troops is how you thank someone, then I'd hate to see your apologies," Li Ye replied coldly.
Ross's smile remained frozen, though his eyes narrowed. "You destroyed military property. You've endangered countless lives. We need to… debrief you. We'd appreciate your cooperation."
"Cooperation? With a scalpel in hand, perhaps?" Li Ye asked, voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Of course not," Ross replied, his tone mockingly friendly. "But as a U.S. citizen, you have a duty to cooperate. Refuse, and these soldiers will help escort you."
As Ross's words hung in the air, the soldiers raised their rifles, aiming at Li Ye. Helicopters overhead swiveled, their missile pods now pointed directly at him.
"This is outrageous!" someone in the crowd yelled. "Is this how you treat heroes?"
"Let him go!" The crowd, now packed behind a cordon of soldiers, began chanting. Tensions escalated, anger simmering beneath the surface.
Li Ye's expression hardened. "So this is your grand plan, Ross? Armed might? Missiles? If this is your show of power, it's a pathetic one."
Ross sneered. "Don't underestimate the U.S. military. The monsters just now were handled carefully because of civilians, but now that they're out of the way… this is your last chance."
Li Ye sighed, raising his hand. Immediately, every rifle in the soldiers' hands twisted free, yanked into the air by an unseen force. Each one turned, now aimed at the soldiers.
Above, the helicopters spun out of control, their weapons turning downward, trained on Ross.
"What's happening?!" Ross's bravado cracked, fear replacing his sneer.
"It's… it's him!" a pilot's frantic voice screamed through Ross's communicator.
Pale with terror, Ross stammered, "W-What do you want?"
"Me? I'm just here for fun," Li Ye replied, his voice like ice. With a quick, hard motion, he sent Ross sprawling backward, his face meeting the ground with a sickening thud as blood sprayed from his broken teeth.
Chapter 5: S.H.I.E.L.D.
The soldiers stood frozen as Li Ye walked toward the crumpled Ross, who gasped, clutching his shattered jaw.
"Keep screaming, Ross. Go ahead. Tell me who's going to save you now!" Li Ye's voice was calm, almost dispassionate as he delivered a series of brutal kicks, each one forcing another scream from Ross's bloodied mouth.
The crowd, which moments ago had rallied for Li Ye, now watched in stunned silence, fearful awe filling their faces as he exacted his wrath on the man they had long loathed. No one dared to move.
Li Ye stopped, casting his gaze over the soldiers, whose guns were still hovering above them, ready to fire at any moment. "Anyone else want to try me?"
Silence. And for the first time in his life, Ross—General Ross—tasted a fear he'd never known.