The piercing screech of twisting metal.
The packed bus slammed into his red-gloved hand as if it had hit an immovable mountain.
The front of the bus visibly crumpled in an instant, the engine was wrecked on the spot, while Wu Yanzu... did not even have a hair out of place.
He even had the leisure to flash the terrified passengers inside a perfect eight-toothed smile.
"Is everyone all right?"
With a casual motion, he "tore open" the bus door, lifted the driver out as easily as a chick, and set him on the ground.
"Ding! Popularity Points gained: +54!" "Ding! Popularity Points gained: +31!" "Ding! Popularity Points gained: +36!"
Better than nothing... Wu Yanzu curled his lip inwardly.
Three more days passed. Two in the afternoon.
"Robbery! Someone's robbing a bank!!"
A black Dodge Charger roared out from the entrance of a bank. The robbers inside sprayed wildly with automatic weapons, pinning down the arriving NYPD officers.
"Move! Get the fuck out of the way!"
"We've got heavy firepower! If you don't want to die, then—"
Boom—!!!
The three robbers did not even see what had happened.
"Boss... what's that in the sky?"
The leader looked up in confusion, then immediately cursed. "Shit! It's that caped freak! Open fire! Take him down!"
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat—!!!
Three AR-15s spat fire at once, dense 5.56mm bullets raining toward the figure descending from the sky.
Clink... clink... clang... clang...
The instant every bullet touched Homelander's body, it bounced away and dropped limply to the ground.
"D... demon..."
"Keep going." Wu Yanzu smiled and crooked a finger at them.
"Fuck!! Die!!" The leader snapped. He pulled the trigger, trying to empty every last round.
Sizzle—
A faint red glow lit up in Wu Yanzu's eyes.
The next second, two precise beams of Heat Vision instantly swept across the weapons in the three robbers' hands.
Screech—!
The intense heat instantly turned the metal parts of the guns red-hot.
Aaaaaahhhhhh—!!!
The leader let out a scream that barely sounded human.
That AR-15 was melted on the spot by the heat of the Heat Vision! Molten steel and plastic directly... stuck to his hand!
"My hand! My hand!!!" Robber A looked at his palm, now a charred mixture of flesh and metal, and rolled around on the ground in madness.
The other two robbers were scared out of their wits. They immediately threw down their half-melted guns, raised both hands, and dropped to their knees.
"Don't kill us! We surrender! We surrender!!"
Wu Yanzu withdrew his gaze in satisfaction.
"That's more like it."
He drifted down from the air, the Stars and Stripes Cape spreading elegantly behind him.
Only then did the police arrive, staring dumbfoundedly at the scene.
"Homelander!!"
"Oh my god! He's so cool!"
"I love you, Homelander!!"
Fans and reporters from all around surged forward.
"Please maintain order, everyone." Wu Yanzu immediately switched back into perfect-hero mode, wearing a warm and gentle smile.
He skillfully struck a hands-on-hips pose and took photos with several excited female fans.
"Mr. Homelander! What are your thoughts on this robbery?" A reporter squeezed through the crowd.
"I'm glad no New York City residents were hurt." Wu Yanzu faced the cameras with righteous solemnity. "But I must also remind any potential criminals... with me here, your good days are over."
"Ding! Popularity Points gained: +1250!" "Ding! Popularity Points gained: +825!" "Ding! Popularity Points gained: +762!" "Ding! Strength slightly increased!"
Feeling another warm current flow into his body, Wu Yanzu narrowed his eyes in comfort.
Four in the afternoon, Queens.
"Meow... meow..."
On a tall oak tree, a tabby cat clung to a branch, trembling.
Below the tree, a little girl with pigtails was so anxious she was nearly in tears.
"Mimi! Come down, Mimi!"
"Sweetheart, stop crying. We'll find a firefighter..."
"That won't be necessary, ma'am."
A gentle voice came from above.
The mother and daughter looked up and saw that godlike figure bathed in sunlight.
Homelander slowly descended and reached out a hand. Mimi, who had been struggling desperately just moments ago, obediently crawled onto it and licked his glove.
Holding the cat, he landed before the little girl and crouched his tall body down.
"Is this yours, little sweetheart?"
"...Yes." The little girl was stunned.
"Here you go." He handed the cat back to her. "Keep a closer eye on it from now on. It was very scared."
"...Thank you, Mr. Homelander!" The little girl looked at him with worship in her eyes.
"Wow, he even saves kittens!"
"Now that's a hero!"
The neighbors around them immediately began snapping photos with their phones again.
Ding! Popularity Points gained: +920! Ding! Popularity Points gained: +1152! Ding! Popularity Points gained: +1163!
Wu Yanzu thought, Fucking cat! I even have to grind this trash popularity. But... it actually seems pretty effective. The popularity is almost on par with taking down robbers? What a magical country.
However, just as Wu Yanzu thought he was about to become New York's most popular man, negative numbers began appearing one after another in the system notifications.
"Ding! Popularity Points gained: -15." "Ding! Popularity Points gained: -40." "Ding! Popularity Points gained: -22."
At the rooftop outdoor pool of his apartment building, Wu Yanzu had been enjoying the sun when he suddenly opened his eyes.
"Hmm?"
"My popularity is dropping... Not by much, but steadily."
He frowned. This was not a good sign.
He casually checked social media on his phone. Before long, he found the source...
Wu Yanzu looked at the headlines on his tablet and laughed in anger.
Daily Bugle: "Is Homelander a Hero or the Next Tyrant?"
New York Post: "A Demon Draped in Stars and Stripes: Does Homelander's Power Need Oversight?"
Fox News (Guest Commentator): "We Don't Need a god Telling Us How to Cross the Street! When He Put Out That Fire Yesterday, He Destroyed Half a Floor! Who's Paying for That?"
He picked up the remote and turned on the television.
On the screen, a man with a neat square mustache and an agitated face was roaring on TV:
"...He's a threat! A threat wearing the national flag!!"
The man's left hand pointed at a high-definition photograph.
The photo showed the robber whose hand had been "welded" by Heat Vision being carried away by medical personnel. That hand was completely ruined.
"Look at this! A hero?!" Jameson's spittle practically sprayed through the screen. "Would a real hero do this?! This is vigilante justice! This is torture! This is abuse!"
"And this!"