By day, Gotham was orderly.
"Quack! Imperial Shocking World Palm!"
"Sea Tiger Egg Burst Fist!"
"Heir-Severing Leg!"
"..."
Inside a cramped rental room.
Dressed in a white tracksuit and drenched in sweat, Bai Lang stood beside the bed, focused on practicing one martial art after another.
He felt stronger than ever. Every punch and palm strike cut through the air with a whoosh.
With a thought, a pale blue panel appeared before his eyes.
[Name: Bai Lang] [Lifespan: 23/120] [Abilities: Level 1 Firearms Mastery (71%), Level 1 Combat Mastery (12%), Bionic Superpower 97% (Advanced Abilities: Current Propulsion, Magnetic Field Rotation)] [Ability Points: 0 (Earned by causing ripples of influence in the world)] [Spend 50 Ability Points to draw another ability or unlock a feature]
Looking at the blue panel before him, Bai Lang's face brightened.
"Heh... Just 3% more and I'll unlock Current Propulsion."
He had been a fine young man from Blue Star, but after waking up one day, he found himself in America.
After spending some time getting his bearings, he discovered that this city was called Gotham.
That's right, the Gotham City known for its "wholesome" citizenry and the world's largest concentration of psychopaths.
And judging by various events, it seemed he was in the DC Main Universe.
Any ordinary person transported to the DC Universe, where the universe could be rebooted at any moment, would have panicked.
Fortunately, though, he had gotten lucky.
He had awakened a superpower and a pale blue panel.
According to the panel, he could earn Ability Points by influencing events or people in the world.
He could also use those points to improve his current abilities.
"Brrring! Brrring!"
The phone on the table suddenly rang.
Bai Lang stopped what he was doing and answered it.
"Fuck! Bai Lang, it's been days! Still haven't found any leads on the murder on Apollo Street?" a middle-aged man roared from the other end.
He carefully recalled his predecessor's memories.
He seemed to be a junior officer with the Gotham Police Department, investigating a robbery and murder.
The man on the phone was his superior, Deputy Chief Mark. He had a short temper and often cursed out Bai Lang's predecessor.
"I've found a few leads. I'm going to gather more evidence over at the Red Rose Bar," Bai Lang replied, recalling the clues his predecessor had found.
"Pick another place. Kevin's off-limits!" The man's tone left no room for argument.
"But..."
"No buts. You're a junior officer. Do as I say!"
With that, the call ended.
Bai Lang held his phone and looked at the screen. A text message reminding him to repay a loan had appeared.
If he couldn't investigate the case, then he wouldn't. He felt calm about it.
His current strength should be about on par with Batman's usual level.
But Batman wasn't the only one in this world.
Superman, The Flash, Wonder Woman...
He still had a long way to go. He couldn't even stop a bullet.
He shook his head as hunger pangs hit him.
He was hungry and wanted something to eat.
There was no food left at home, so Bai Lang went out and found a restaurant downstairs.
After eating, he planned to head back to the station and continue working on the case his predecessor had been investigating.
"Hmm?"
As he walked along, Bai Lang suddenly sensed something was off.
He glanced at the windows of a nearby building. In the crowd behind him to the left, two people seemed to have been watching him.
On the right, three more people were following close behind, carrying a bag.
What was going on?
Bai Lang's gaze sharpened.
Was he being followed?
He walked a few more blocks and realized they were still behind him.
Someone had their eye on him!
Gotham certainly lived up to its reputation.
He carefully searched his predecessor's memories. Apart from the case he'd been investigating lately, there was nothing else that should have gotten him into trouble.
Bai Lang hurried forward, then suddenly turned left into an alley. The five people behind him followed close on his heels.
Several homeless people lay huddled against the alley walls, glancing around nervously.
Bai Lang saw that they were covered in bruises. It looked as if someone had just beaten them up.
As soon as he entered the alley, he quickly turned around and stared coldly at the tall Black men facing him, each holding a club.
"Who are you? What do you want?"
He wasn't carrying his service weapon, so even with his superpower, he was worried they might have guns.
The tall Black man in front grinned, his face twisted into a hateful, lecherous sneer.
"What do we want? To mess you up, of course!"
"Kid, blame yourself for digging into things you shouldn't!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the four muscular Black men beside him charged forward, clubs raised to smash into Bai Lang's head.
The wind from the blow tousled Bai Lang's hair. He suddenly reached out and caught one of the clubs aimed at him.
With bear-like strength, he ripped it away, then used the immense power of his bionic superpower to smash it into the leader's head, splitting it open and drawing blood.
Then he swung the club and knocked the other men to their knees in just a few blows.
Bai Lang remained expressionless as he gripped the club and slowly walked toward them.
The lead man immediately dropped to his knees and begged for mercy.
"Officer, we had no choice! We're just trying to earn a living... I've got kids at home waiting for me..."
When he saw that the cold look in Bai Lang's eyes hadn't changed, he gritted his teeth.
"If you have to... beat me up, but don't hit my face! Or, hell, rape me!"
Bai Lang stared at him, momentarily stunned.
Then he grew angry. Did he look like the kind of man who'd take anyone, man or woman?
Rape you, my ass?!
He was so furious he nearly brought the club down on him.
But the man's face was full of fear, and Bai Lang hesitated.
He saw that the clothes on the five Black men were tattered and patched.
Their bodies were swollen, making them look stronger than they were.
Old scars marked their hands and feet, and their faces were sallow.
They all looked malnourished.
After a pause, he kept hold of the club, handcuffed all five men, and took them back to the station.
After questioning them, Bai Lang finally learned who had ordered them to attack him.
Kevin, the gang boss who owned the Red Rose Bar.
Deputy Chief Mark was a fat, middle-aged white man, his height of five foot nine making him much shorter than Bai Lang, though he carried himself with an imposing air.
He stood off to the side, his expression stern as he warned Bai Lang.
"Bai Lang, I told you not to go after Kevin. He works with most of the chiefs in our department. Otherwise, they wouldn't have just sent a few guys to teach you a lesson."
Bai Lang remained expressionless and said nothing.
Bribery was still bribery, no matter how they dressed it up as "cooperation."
He felt stifled.
If he hadn't awakened a superpower, he would have been in serious trouble today.
But he couldn't do anything to them yet.
Crime was what sustained Gotham and its mid-level gang bosses, but he was only a junior officer.
Even when he investigated cases involving gangs, he was targeted by both the gangsters and his superiors.
This city was at odds with him. It wasn't his city, and it had no place for someone like him.
A strange emotion welled up inside Bai Lang, and the cells in his body began rubbing against one another.
Zzz...
A faint, inexplicable sound seemed to ring in Bai Lang's ears.
He felt that his cells were several times more active than usual.
This strange emotion drove his cells to keep rubbing against one another.
Friction. His cells kept rubbing, gradually picking up speed.
Then a spark of blue electricity slowly emerged from the friction between his cells.
Suddenly, the panel before Bai Lang flickered.
[Bionic Superpower 100%]→[Current Propulsion 1000/500,000 volts]
The power inside him had evolved.
"Current Propulsion?!"
"My vision, my senses... They're getting stronger!"
His vision sharpened. His eyes were as keen as an eagle's, letting him clearly see the skyscrapers of a city a thousand miles away.
He could also sense several human-shaped heat sources moving beyond the walls outside.
His ears could clearly pick up conversations within a thousand meters, as well as the sound of someone talking on the phone in the next room.
"Yes, he's alive. Don't worry. I'll send him over right away. Have your men lie in wait at those spots. Do whatever you want with him!"
It was Deputy Chief Mark's voice. Who was he talking to?
Could it be Kevin from the Red Rose Bar?
At the thought, Bai Lang's heart sank.
He felt his strength surging... His muscles gradually growing thicker...
His whole body began to tingle. It was a strange, wonderful feeling, just like when he'd first awakened this superpower.
His power had evolved. By driving his will, he could make every cell in his body rub together at high speed, generating powerful currents.
He had reached the realm of Current Propulsion!
He could clearly sense that the current inside him was currently about a thousand volts, and it was still stimulating every cell in his body.
The upper limit of Current Propulsion was 500,000 volts. Once he surpassed that, he could advance to the next stage.
His cells would rotate and rub together faster and with greater force, turning the current into a pure force that could alter his own magnetic field and the magnetic fields around him.
That was... Magnetic Field Rotation!
Magnetic Field Rotation was a powerful superpower, with a maximum limit of one million horsepower for an individual.
At 50,000 horsepower, a light punch could smash a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to pieces.
At 100,000 horsepower, one could fly and absorb the life force of plants or the blood of animals to heal injuries.
At 200,000 horsepower, one could withstand a nuclear blast unscathed; at 250,000, one could shatter Destiny's Star.
At 750,000 horsepower, one could reassemble matter and create objects out of thin air at will.
Above 900,000 horsepower, one could easily destroy a star system with a single hand.
At the individual limit of one million horsepower, destroying a star system with one hand was nothing. Rebooting the universe was well within reach.
Before you continue