Midtown Manhattan-
A man as scruffy as a beggar stepped out of a car. He looked so out of place.
It wasn't about whether his appearance was polished, but that lingering air of an old relic.
Soldier Boy, Benjamin, walked along the unfamiliar streets, looking at the gleaming, towering world full of advanced technology. Bewilderment, unfamiliarity, confusion-all these emotions overwhelmed him.
Especially when he saw a bald Black man with his arm around a bald white man, walking down the street in broad daylight. The sight filled him with mixed feelings.
When that Black man even kissed the white man's bald head as though no one else existed, Benjamin actually laughed in anger.
What the fucking hell! Had the world gone this crazy in the years he'd been asleep? A nigger actually dared do this with a white man in full view of everyone!
Back in his day, they'd have dragged that nigger into an alley and shot him long ago!
Since when had this trash gained so much status? And weren't there a few too fucking many Black people on this street?
As someone who had lived through an age of extreme racism, when Black lives weren't worth a thing, Benjamin couldn't understand it at all!
And that bearded fucker in a colorful skirt and colorful makeup, with a mohawk dyed rainbow colors-was that a fucking man or a woman?!
What the hell had happened to this damned world?
Benjamin walked the streets, searching hard for any scrap of information that might feel familiar.
And sure enough, he actually found something!
He rounded a corner and passed a fruit stand, where a cheerful Russian song played from a tape recorder. Those familiar Russkie tones immediately stirred up bad memories for Benjamin!
His PTSD flared up, searing energy involuntarily surging from his chest. The trembling rubble on the ground and the kind inquiries of passersby would all be swallowed by the torrent of energy about to erupt.
"You old popsicle, you're having an episode right here?! Get up!"
Just as Benjamin roared and was about to unleash all the fury in his chest, a hand suddenly grabbed his hair, which hadn't been washed in who knew how long, and yanked backward!
The tremendous strength forced him to arch backward, redirecting the nuclear shock wave from his chest into the sky. It didn't cause much damage, only gouging a channel through the surface of a building.
A few seconds later, once Soldier Boy had finished firing his chest cannon, Lu Wen released his hair.
Lucky me. Made it in time for an iconic scene, Lu Wen muttered inwardly, quietly taking out a tissue to wipe his hand.
Benjamin staggered two steps before regaining his balance. The dark orange glow in his chest was rapidly fading. He turned around, his gaze settling on Lu Wen, his expression somewhere between offended and enraged.
"You motherf-"
Before he could finish, Lu Wen's fist slammed into the bridge of his nose.
He put considerable strength into that punch. It felt like hitting a thick steel plate, but Benjamin's head still jerked backward.
He retreated half a step and raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. After confirming it wasn't broken, Benjamin shook his head, and the look in his eyes changed as he stared at Lu Wen.
"You fucking bitch, where did you come from?"
"What's it to you?" Lu Wen rolled his wrist. "You almost blew up everyone on this street."
"I didn't do it on purpose."
"And that makes it fine? Forty fucking years locked up, and you still haven't learned how to talk like a human being?"
Benjamin's expression turned cold. Without another word, he threw a punch, considerably faster than before. The wind from it made the flesh on Lu Wen's face tremble.
Lu Wen didn't dodge. He raised his hand to meet it, and their fists collided in midair with a dull thud, their feet leaving two cracks in the asphalt beneath them.
Lu Wen retreated two steps and shook out his numb hand.
Benjamin also stepped back. He looked down at his knuckles, where a layer of skin had broken and red beads of blood were slowly seeping out.
He frowned, as though he hadn't seen his own blood in a long time.
Because of the earlier explosion, the street was now empty of pedestrians. Only the two men facing off remained.
"You've got a pretty hard fist. Are you another Vought supe?" Benjamin shook his hand, sweeping an appraising gaze over Lu Wen.
"Like I said, none of your fucking business."
Anger in his eyes, Benjamin charged again, this time with a considerable increase in both speed and strength!
His fists came crashing down with a rush of wind, every blow carrying enough force to smash an ordinary person to pieces.
"Who the fuck are you?!" Benjamin's fist slammed into Lu Wen's shoulder.
"Your daddy!" Lu Wen drove his knee into Benjamin's abdomen.
"You have a fucking death wish!" Benjamin roared.
Lu Wen met him and caught the first punch, driving his knee into Benjamin's abdomen. Both men swayed, then crashed together like two beasts wrestling for dominance.
Lu Wen's fist landed on Benjamin's shoulder, while Benjamin's fist slammed into Lu Wen's ribs. Both grunted, but neither retreated! Rubble sprayed beneath their feet, and fresh cracks kept appearing in the ground.
"Your old bones really are fucking tough!" Lu Wen punched Benjamin in the jaw, knocking him a step sideways.
"You're not fucking bad yourself!" Benjamin swung back into the side of Lu Wen's face, and a rusty taste filled Lu Wen's mouth.
He spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva and grinned. "That punch was a lot stronger than those earlier ones, you old bastard."
Benjamin didn't answer. He stepped back to readjust, and this time he no longer simply competed in raw strength, instead adding some fighting technique! His punches came at trickier angles, his footwork more agile.
Lu Wen took a moment to adapt and soon adjusted his rhythm as well. The two traded punches and kicks on the empty street, each collision producing a dull thud and a spray of rubble.
Since Lu Wen had never learned combat techniques, he began falling somewhat behind. Even if Soldier Boy had never been on a battlefield, he had at least learned some real skills.
"Is this all you've fucking got?" Benjamin twisted Lu Wen's arm with one hand and punched him in the back with the other. "Weren't you running your mouth a minute ago?"
The blow sent Lu Wen stumbling forward a step, but it only left his back numb. His bones were fine! His technique might have been lacking, but his stats were still there.
"Fuck you, you old popsicle!" Lu Wen cursed back, launching another punch!
Benjamin immediately raised his fist to strike back!
Their fists crisscrossed as they slammed into each other's bodies. The dull impacts carried far down the street, like someone hammering a thick steel plate.
Lu Wen punched Benjamin in the chest. Benjamin stepped back and swung a punch into his shoulder, knocking him down onto one knee.
Lu Wen used the momentum to lunge forward, wrapping his arms around Benjamin's waist and tackling him to the ground. They rolled through broken glass and gravel, swapped positions, then climbed back up and continued hammering each other.
After exchanging a few more punches, they separated again, both panting heavily from three or four paces apart.
Benjamin's coat was torn in several places, and the bleeding at the corner of his mouth hadn't fully stopped. Lu Wen's T-shirt had also split, and a mark on his shoulder was turning red. But both remained standing, neither showing any intention of falling.
Police sirens sounded nearby, rapidly approaching. With such a commotion, how could the police not have been alerted?
Lu Wen had no desire whatsoever to get tangled up with the American police. He immediately retreated a step, putting some distance between himself and Soldier Boy.
His gaze swept over the roadside-a shared bicycle lay overturned beside a trash can.
He walked over, picked up the bicycle with one hand, dusted off the seat, and swung himself onto it. He pedaled forward, the chain giving a dry clatter.
"Bye-bye, you little punk~ I'll play with you next time. I'm out!" Lu Wen arrogantly raised his middle finger beside him and started riding away.
"Bastard, don't you leave! I'll twist your head off and shove it up your ass!" Benjamin roared, breaking into a run after him.
But...
His movement speed really was laughable~ (o▽｀o)
"Catch me first, bitch!" Lu Wen put in a little more effort, and the bicycle picked up another considerable burst of speed!
A dozen or so seconds later, Benjamin stopped, seething.
He hadn't caught up. He'd lost him~
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"
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