The "Wall-Crawler"'s Silhouette

The late-autumn wind carried the smell of rust, sweeping dead yellow leaves through the streets of Queens. Lin Mo crouched outside the repair shop, patching an old bicycle tire. The smell of glue mingled with Carlos's cigarette smoke, lingering beneath his nose like a familiar scent.

The wristband rested quietly against his wrist. Since strengthening its invisibility branch, it had rarely popped up on its own, like a well-behaved child that only lit up when his abilities broke through.

Creak— The old air conditioner overhead let out a piercing groan, blowing out a blast of dusty hot air. Lin Mo looked up at the sky. Lead-gray clouds hung low, like a waterlogged rag, heavy and oppressive overhead.

"It's going to rain," he muttered, speeding up the repair. It was Ted's bicycle, and Ted still had to ride it to the logistics company that afternoon to make deliveries.

Just then, a pungent burnt smell drifted over on the wind. It was like scorched plastic, with a cloying, bloody sweetness to it. Lin Mo frowned and looked toward the apartment building next door. It was even older than Martha's building, its peeling walls resembling scaly skin. The hallways were piled with discarded furniture, making it a notorious fire hazard in the neighborhood.

"No way..." Lin Mo's heart sank. He dropped the glue and ran toward the building. The moment he reached the corner, he saw thick black smoke billowing from a third-floor window, like a black dragon standing out sharply beneath the lead-gray sky.

"Fire!" someone shouted, terror in their voice.

"Call the police!"

"Is anyone still on the third floor?"

"I think there's an old lady up there. Her legs aren't good, and she never goes out!"

The frantic cries surged in like a tide. Residents rushed into the building carrying buckets and fire extinguishers, only to be forced back by the blast of heat. Flames had already licked up to the fourth-floor windowsills. The wooden frames crackled, and shards of glass rained down.

Lin Mo's heart began pounding. An old lady? Was it Irene, the elderly woman who always sat outside in the sun? He had seen her a few times. She had a head of silver hair, needed a cane to walk, and always held an old cat named Snowball II in her arms. Martha had said she had gotten a cat because everyone else was doing it.

"How long until the fire trucks get here?" someone yelled into their phone.

"Dispatch says traffic is backed up. Ten more minutes!"

Ten minutes. For a raging fire, ten minutes was enough to reduce the whole building to ashes.

Lin Mo instinctively stepped back, hiding in the shadows at the street corner. Reason told him he should wait for the firefighters. His Phasing Ability could get him through walls, but he had never used it in such high temperatures. Who knew whether something might go wrong? Besides, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents might be nearby. The risk of exposing his ability was too great.

"Someone's still inside!" A man in pajamas stumbled out of the building. A patch of his hair had been scorched away, and his face was covered in soot. "Mrs. Irene refused to leave. She said she had to wait for her cat!"

"The cat already got out!" someone said, pointing at the corner of the wall. A black cat was curled up there, trembling in terror. It was Snowball II.

Lin Mo's nails dug deep into his palms. Through Irene's window, he saw a blurry figure swaying like a dead leaf in the wind. Martha's words suddenly exploded in his ears: "My son said abilities aren't toys. They're meant for plugging the hole where bullets fly!"

"Damn it!" Lin Mo cursed under his breath and crushed his reason beneath his heel. He circled around to the back of the building, where the fire was less intense. Only a few streams of black smoke seeped through the window cracks. He took a deep breath and activated his Phasing Ability. His body instantly turned translucent, like ink diluted in water.

The instant he entered the wall, the heat struck him like countless needles, making his skin sting. The crackling flames, the bursting wood, the distant shouts—all of it became amplified countless times in his phased state, making his eardrums ring. Lin Mo gritted his teeth and charged toward the third-floor bedroom, relying on his memory of the layout.

The smoke in the hallway had already become a wall of fire. The scorching air made it difficult to breathe, and even his phased state began to fluctuate. His translucent body flickered like a faulty lightbulb. Hold on... Lin Mo repeated to himself, forcing his ability to remain active as he passed through one burning door after another.

In the bedroom, Irene was curled up in a corner, clutching a pillow tightly to her chest. She had probably mistaken it for her cat. Her face was streaked with tears and soot, and her lips trembled soundlessly. Flames had climbed to the ceiling, while strips of wallpaper curled down like burning snakes.

"Mrs. Irene!" Lin Mo rushed over. His phased state instantly ended, and the searing air made him cough violently.

The old woman raised her head. A flicker of light crossed her clouded eyes before quickly fading. "My cat... my cat..."

"Your cat is safe!" Lin Mo grabbed her arm, and it was scorching hot beneath his hand. "I'll get you out!"

"I can't..." The old woman shook her head and pointed at her legs. "I fell earlier. I can't move."

Lin Mo's heart sank. The firefighters had not arrived yet, and the stairway was already blocked by flames. The only way out was... through the wall.

He took a deep breath and activated his Phasing Ability again. His translucent hand gently supported the old woman's back. "Trust me. We can get out."

The old woman's eyes widened in terror as she stared at Lin Mo's translucent body as though she had seen a ghost. "You... you're..."

"Don't talk. Close your eyes!" Lin Mo hoisted her onto his back. Her body was as light as a feather, yet she felt unbearably heavy. He closed his eyes, refusing to look at the flames around him or think about what would happen if phasing failed. Only one thought remained in his mind: Get through. Get outside!

He felt the resistance of the wall against his back. It was harder than any wall he had ever practiced on, still scorching hot from the fire. Lin Mo could feel the old woman trembling, her breath coming in rapid gasps like a bellows. He clenched his teeth and pushed his ability to its limit. His translucent body became like a blunt knife, slowly but resolutely cutting through brick and stone.

"Ah—!" The old woman let out a brief scream the moment they passed through the wall. The experience had probably terrified her beyond reason.

Lin Mo staggered forward several steps before steadying himself. They stood in an open space behind the building, less than five meters from the blaze. The heat was still blistering, but at least they were safe.

"I... how did I come out of the wall?" The old woman stared at her hands in shock, then looked back at the wall behind her as though trying to confirm it was not a dream.

Lin Mo gave no explanation. He simply wiped the soot off his face, sweat mixing with black ash and carving streaks across his skin. He helped the old woman to safety and handed her over to the neighbors rushing over. Then he turned to leave, only for her to grab his wrist.

"Who are you?" Her voice trembled, but it was unusually clear.

Lin Mo smiled and pointed toward the approaching fire trucks, their sirens growing louder. "A neighbor." With that, he activated his Phasing Ability. His body became translucent once more, and he passed through the fence, vanishing into the alley.

He did not see the bespectacled boy behind a trash can at the alley entrance, raising a camera and pressing the shutter. On the camera screen, only a blurry silhouette remained—half inside the wall and half outside, like an unfinished ink painting.

By the time Lin Mo returned to the repair shop, his back was still burning. Using his Phasing Ability in such high heat had left behind a faint, prickling pain. Carlos was smoking in front of the television, where the news was already showing footage of the fire. The anchor spoke excitedly: "...The fire is currently under control. An elderly woman trapped inside was rescued by a mysterious individual. Witnesses claim the rescuer appeared capable of passing through walls..."

"Where'd you go?" Carlos glanced at him, his eyes probing. "Why is your face covered in ash?"

"I went to watch the excitement," Lin Mo said, picking up a towel to wipe his face and avoiding Carlos's gaze. He did not want to lie, but he could not tell the truth either. At least not yet.

That night, Lin Mo could not sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the fire: burning curtains, exploding glass, Irene's terrified face... and the stabbing pain that had felt as if his soul were being torn apart when he passed through the wall. For the first time, he realized that abilities brought not only convenience and amusement, but heavy responsibility as well.

Early the next morning, Lin Mo went to the community center to repair computers as part of his side job. He had barely reached the entrance before a group of children surrounded him. The leader was a little girl with pigtails, waving a newspaper and shouting excitedly, "Wall-Crawler! Are you Wall-Crawler?"

Lin Mo froze for a moment before taking the newspaper. It was the morning edition of the Queens Post. The front page displayed a blurry photograph: a silhouette disappearing into a wall. The resolution was so low that only its outline was visible, but the headline was especially eye-catching—Mysterious "Wall-Crawler" Rescues Victim From Fire, Superpowered Hero Appears in Queens.

The article read: "Yesterday afternoon, an apartment building on 37th Street in Queens caught fire, trapping a woman in her seventies. Before firefighters arrived, a mysterious man passed through a wall and rescued the elderly woman before vanishing into an alley. Witnesses claimed the man could pass through solid objects and was suspected to be a mutant..."

"It wasn't me." Lin Mo handed the newspaper back to the little girl, his cheeks growing slightly warm. Being seen as a hero felt strange. He felt a little secretly pleased, but also uneasy.

"It was you!" The little girl pointed at his wrist. "When you helped me get my kite last time, you passed through the tree like that too!"

Lin Mo smiled and did not deny it again. He crouched down and looked into the children's sparkling eyes. "Whoever it is, if you see someone in danger and can help, then you help them. Right?"

The children nodded as if they understood, then surrounded him and chattered away. "Can Wall-Crawler fly?" "Do you know Iron Man?" "Can you get my robot out of the drain?"

Lin Mo agreed to every request, but something seemed to fill his heart. He thought of Peter's "Superhero Observation Diary," the Spider-Man web-shooter under Ted's bed, and the photograph of Martha's son. It turned out that everyone had a hero living in their heart. They simply expressed it in different ways.

When he went to Aunt May's house to mooch a meal, Peter came over holding his camera and acting mysteriously. "Lin, look at this photo!" The screen showed the silhouette from the fire scene. It was identical to the one in the newspaper, only clearer. The corner of a repair shop uniform could be seen.

"Nice shot." Lin Mo's heart skipped a beat, but he pretended to stay calm as he picked up a piece of roasted potato.

"I took it!" Peter said proudly. "I was nearby and wanted to photograph the fire, but I caught this instead! Do you think Wall-Crawler might be an X-Man? Or maybe a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent?"

Aunt May came out of the kitchen carrying soup and shot Peter a glare. "Don't talk about that nonsense while we're eating." She placed a bowl in front of Lin Mo, concern in her eyes. "People outside are saying S.H.I.E.L.D. is looking for this Wall-Crawler. Don't wander around too much, or you might end up being targeted."

Warmth spread through Lin Mo's heart. Aunt May was always like this. She never said much, but she knew everything. "I know, Aunt May."

That afternoon at the repair shop, Carlos suddenly tossed him an envelope. "Someone sent this to you." There was no name on it, and the stamp had Spider-Man on it.

Lin Mo opened the envelope. Inside was a thank-you card written in crooked handwriting. It was from Irene: "Thank you, Wall-Crawler. My cat asked me to thank you too, though it was so frightened that it didn't eat for three days. P.S. Homemade cookies, as a small token of appreciation."

There was also a note tucked inside the card, written in Peter's handwriting: "The old lady asked everyone in the neighborhood. You're the only one who fixes things and is always helping people. She didn't say it outright, but she knows it was you. Don't worry. I'll keep your secret!"

Lin Mo's eyes grew a little hot. He picked up the cookies on the table—Martha had brought them over since the old woman's legs had not fully recovered—and took a bite. The buttery fragrance melted across his tongue, with a faintly burnt bitterness. It tasted exactly like life.

"Carlos," Lin Mo suddenly asked as Carlos worked on an engine, "if there were someone who could pass through walls, what do you think he should do?"

Carlos had a cigarette between his lips and did not even look up. "What the hell do I care? As long as he doesn't phase into my repair shop and steal parts." He paused, blowing out a smoke ring. "But... if my little girl were in danger, I'd hope he'd stick his nose in."

Lin Mo smiled. Even a tough guy had a soft place in his heart.

That evening, he went to Martha's home to return her repaired microwave. She said it always burned the cookies when she reheated them. The moment he stepped inside, Snowball tripped him. The fat cat rubbed against his pant leg, the titanium alloy bell around its neck jingling.

"How does it feel to be treated like a hero?" Martha sat on the couch smoking. The television was replaying the fire report, paused on that blurry silhouette.

"Not great." Lin Mo took apart the microwave and activated his Phasing Ability to inspect its internal wiring. "It's too much trouble. Everyone keeps watching me."

"Trouble or not, you have to bear it." Martha flicked ash from her cigarette. "My son said abilities are like guns. You can choose to hide them, or you can use them to protect people. But once you fire that gun, there's no going back."

Lin Mo's hands paused. He knew what Martha meant. From the moment he saved someone from that fire, he could no longer treat his ability as nothing more than a joke or a convenience.

After fixing the microwave, Lin Mo had just reached the door when he saw Phil Coulson standing in the hallway. He held a copy of the Queens Post, a gentle smile on his face. "Wall-Crawler?" He gave the newspaper a small shake. "That's quite the distinctive nickname."

Lin Mo's heart suddenly sank. He instinctively wanted to activate his Phasing Ability and run.

"Relax." Phil Coulson raised both hands to show he meant no harm. "I'm not here to arrest you. In fact, someone at the agency suggested recruiting you, but I turned them down."

"Why?" Lin Mo's voice tightened.

"Queens needs you." Phil Coulson's gaze fell on the distant community square, where children were flying kites and their laughter rang out brightly. "Not every hero needs to stand at the center of the world. Sometimes, protecting one street is more important than saving the world." He paused and handed Lin Mo the newspaper. "But next time you rescue someone, remember to change clothes. That repair shop uniform is too conspicuous."

With that, Phil Coulson turned and left as if he had never been there.

Lin Mo watched his retreating figure, then looked at the newspaper in his hand and suddenly smiled. He folded it and tucked it into his pocket. Perhaps it was the most special recognition he had ever received.

Back in the basement, Lin Mo wrote new entries on the final page of his "Ability Practice Schedule": "Practice phasing in high temperatures, phasing while carrying weight—at least enough to carry one person—and rapid consecutive phasing for emergencies."

[Host's sense of responsibility has awakened. Ability proficiency has increased to 70%.]

[New function unlocked: Emergency Phasing. Can be activated instantly in dangerous situations, ignoring cooldown time, but consumes a large amount of stamina.]

Lin Mo clenched his fist, feeling the power flowing through him. He knew that from now on, the silhouette of Wall-Crawler would not only appear in newspapers. It would also appear in every corner where help was needed—whether it was a burning apartment building, an old locust tree with a kite stuck in it, or even a child's robot that had fallen into a sewer.

Moonlight shone through the small window outside, falling over the Queens Post on the desk. In the darkness, that blurry silhouette seemed to come alive, walking step by step, steadily toward the other side of the wall.

Lin Mo knew this was only the beginning. There would be many challenges ahead: S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attention, Carlos's mysterious clients, Peter's coming transformation... But as long as he could continue guarding this rundown apartment building, these noisy neighbors, and the somewhat cheesy title of Wall-Crawler, there was nothing to fear.

After all, heroes need no pedigree, and phasing needs no concern for thickness.