Sorry, I'm in a hurry

"Crack... crack..."

The crisp sound of shattering was especially piercing on the silent street.

The magnificent crystal cage Jiang Li had created was now letting out a groan of unbearable strain. Fine cracks spread wildly in every direction from where Hulk was trapped, like a spiderweb.

"Roar... Hulk... get out!!"

A low, violent roar came from deep within the crystal, and the entire crystal mountain shook violently.

Jiang Li, in his Diamondhead form, understood the situation perfectly well. Petrosapien crystal was extremely hard, but it was not Adamantium. Against Hulk, whose rage was still rising without end, collapse was only a matter of time.

"About ten seconds left."

Jiang Li made his judgment. He turned toward the black Audi R8 parked several meters away.

The car door opened, and Natasha Romanoff stepped out in a skintight black leather suit. She did not draw her gun, her hands hanging naturally at her sides—a tactical posture indicating that she meant no harm.

Her signature red hair was particularly striking amid the smoke and dust. She might have been beautiful, but Jiang Li knew this red rose had thorns.

"Impressive performance."

As she spoke, Natasha slowly approached. Her emerald eyes remained fixed on the alien creature shining with a diamond-like luster, trying to read something from his featureless crystal face.

"Though I don't know who you are, I think we share the same goal—stopping these two big guys from tearing apart New York."

"A shared goal?"

Jiang Li's voice resonated through his diamond body, carrying a metallic chill. "No. My goal is simply to keep that little girl from being smashed into pulp. As for whether New York gets torn apart, that's S.H.I.E.L.D.'s concern."

Natasha's eyes flickered slightly.

He knew about S.H.I.E.L.D.? And he did not seem particularly awed by them. That meant he possessed not only immense power, but also an exceptional ability to gather intelligence.

"Listen, big guy." Natasha stopped at a safe distance and spoke in an extremely professional negotiating tone. "That green guy is about to break out, and General Ross's armored units are sealing off the block. If you don't want to get bombarded by a bunch of jumpy soldiers, perhaps you should come with us."

"S.H.I.E.L.D. can offer protection, as well as... a chance to explain yourself."

"Protection? For whom? Me?"

As if he had heard a joke, Jiang Li lightly tapped his indestructible diamond chest, producing a clear dinging sound.

"Tell that one-eyed director hiding on the Helicarrier not to try finding me, and not to try controlling me."

Jiang Li slowly raised an arm and pointed at the crystal mountain that was about to crumble. "When the world truly needs a hero, I will appear. But not as an 'agent.'"

Boom—!!!

The moment he finished speaking, the enormous crystal cage completely exploded.

Crystal fragments filled the sky, spraying outward like a torrential downpour.

A green figure charged out with a roar—it was Hulk, completely out of control! His eyes were bloodshot, and like a demonic beast from hell, he locked onto Jiang Li's position.

"Hulk!! Smash rock man!!"

At the same time, the roar of tanks drew closer in the distance. General Ross had clearly run out of patience and was even prepared to blanket the area with firepower, Jiang Li included.

"Looks like the party's over."

Jiang Li watched Hulk charge at him, a faint curve lifting at the corner of his mouth.

"How do you plan to escape?" Natasha's fingers silently closed around a smoke grenade. "With this kind of encirclement, even if you can fly, heat-seeking missiles will lock onto you."

"Escape?"

Jiang Li shook his head, a trace of disdain appearing on his crystal face.

"I never run away. I'm just... in a hurry."

When Hulk's fist was less than five meters from his face, close enough for Jiang Li to smell the foul stench from Hulk's mouth, Jiang Li pressed the badge on his chest again.

"Switch!"

Bzzzt—whoosh!

This time, there was no explosive sound effect and no blinding flash.

Only a streak of blue-black lightning shot past.

The bulky diamond giant standing there vanished in an instant.

In his place stood a lean, slightly hunched, swift figure. He had blue-black skin, a streamlined black pointed helmet, and instead of feet, two rapidly spinning black wheels!

This was one of the fastest species in the universe.

"Kineceleran—XLR8!"

At that moment, time seemed to have been switched to extreme slow motion.

In Jiang Li's vision, the world became a frozen painting.

Hulk's furious charge slowed to a snail's pace. Dust floating in the air hung motionless before his eyes, while Natasha's hand, just beginning to throw the smoke grenade, froze in midair.

"So this is the world of a speedster?"

Jiang Li took a deep breath. The windproof mask over his face snapped shut, blocking the airflow generated by high-speed movement.

"Too slow, too slow! You're all like a slow-motion replay!"

The wheels beneath his feet spun fiercely, letting out a sharp screech of friction.

"Whoosh!"

In the real world, Natasha only saw a blur before her eyes.

A violent gust of wind struck her head-on, forcing her to squint.

When she opened her eyes again, there was already no one in front of her.

Hulk missed completely and crashed awkwardly into a pile of crystal fragments, pounding the ground in impotent fury.

"Where is he??"

Nick Fury's shocked voice came through the communicator. "Satellite lost the target! Thermal imaging lost the target! Damn it, how did he do that?"

Natasha did not answer. She simply stared blankly at the tank formation several hundred meters away.

There, the dozen or so M1 main battle tanks that had looked so menacing moments ago were now in complete chaos.

Every single tank tread had been removed in an instant and stacked neatly to one side! Without their treads, the tanks were like turtles with broken legs, stranded where they stood.

And on the barrel of the lead tank, someone had drawn a huge smiley face with a marker.

"Was that... a prank?"

Natasha touched her red hair, which had been blown into disarray by the wind. A rare, bitter smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

He possessed not only strength and defense, but also such terrifying speed.

And his personality was as awful as that of a big kid.

"Sir, I don't think we can stop him," Natasha said into the communicator. "His speed may be even faster than the Quicksilver in our database."

Five kilometers away.

Queens, an empty, dark alley.

A blue afterimage shot into it in an instant, the gale it created sending newspapers on the ground swirling into the air.

"Whew..."

Jiang Li leaned against the wall, his chest heaving violently.

With a flash of red light, the alien form disengaged. He returned to being the sixteen-year-old boy with black hair and black eyes.

A powerful wave of dizziness and hunger struck him at once, making his legs go weak. He nearly collapsed to the ground.

"Urgh..."

Jiang Li braced himself against the wall, feeling as if his stomach were on fire.

He had switched through four forms in rapid succession—Heatblast, Four Arms, Diamondhead, and XLR8. Though the Omnitrix's energy was endlessly recyclable, the mental strain on him as a human had reached its limit.

"This is more exhausting than running ten marathons... Figures. Looking cool comes at a price."

With trembling hands, Jiang Li pulled out a chocolate bar he had bought earlier at Starbucks and shoved it into his mouth. At that moment, the cloying sweetness tasted like the finest food in the world.

After recovering a little, he eagerly summoned the system interface.

That series of actions had been exhausting, but the rewards were absolutely enormous.

[System settlement in progress...]

[Mission: First Appearance (Completed).]

[Rating: S-rank (Shocked the entire scene, toyed with S.H.I.E.L.D., humiliated General Ross).]

[Reward issued: Ultimate Evolution Trial Card ×1 (stored in inventory).]

[Special gains:]

[Successfully analyzed "Gamma Mutate" genetic sample.]

[Gene database updating...]

[Congratulations, Host! Four Arms genetic template enhanced: Strength limit increased by 30%, skill "Rage Strike" unlocked.]

[Congratulations, Host! New alien hero DNA unlocked: To'kustar—Way Big!]

Note: Due to the Host's current lack of mental energy, Way Big transformation time is limited to 30 seconds.

"Holy shit?!"

Seeing the final notification, Jiang Li sprang straight up from the ground, forgetting his exhaustion entirely.

He had not unlocked Hulk, but he had unlocked Way Big?

That was Way Big—the giant over a hundred meters tall, capable of surviving in space and crushing monsters beneath one foot!

Even if it only lasted thirty seconds, it was definitely the greatest trump card he had at the moment!

"S.H.I.E.L.D. thinks I'm a mutant, and Ross thinks I'm an alien monster."

Jiang Li looked at the plain, unremarkable watch on his wrist, ambition gleaming in his eyes.

"But in reality, I alone am an army."

"Grrr..."

His stomach growled again, utterly uncooperative.

"Forget it. I'll find somewhere to eat first. Heroes need to fill their stomachs too."

Jiang Li pulled down the brim of his cap, walked out of the alley, and blended into New York's bustling crowd.

His achievements and fame hidden away.

Behind him, the massive screen was still replaying footage of the battle in Harlem.

The mysterious hero with four arms, who could turn into diamond and finally become blue lightning, had at that very moment utterly set the entire world ablaze.