Lin Xiao returned to his room, took a shower, changed into shorts, and collapsed onto the bed shirtless. He couldn't fall asleep. Banner was going to make his move tonight. Lin Xiao watched through the system's detection as Banner, wearing a fake beard and carrying a bulging backpack, stealthily left the church where he was temporarily staying. He should prepare his backup plan. He picked up his phone, typed a message, and sent it to a mysterious number. "Tonight's action." After sending the message, he put his phone down.
He rolled over and started counting sheep. One sheep, two sheep, three sheep, until he reached one hundred and seventy-five. The flock of sheep became the string of numbers in the news, and his mind became even clearer. He simply sat up, put a pillow behind his back, and opened the system panel.
There was still a six-and-a-half-star "Battle Against Abomination " reward on the system panel that he hadn't claimed. Doupao had urged him a few days ago, saying that rewards wouldn't multiply if left unclaimed, so it was better to claim it sooner. Lin Xiao hadn't claimed it yet, not because he wasn't tempted, but because he felt the time wasn't right. Today, however, he couldn't sleep, so he decided to clear out this remaining reward.
"Go ahead and open it," he said casually.
A burst of golden light suddenly appeared before my eyes.
At first, only a few tiny specks of light appeared, then two, three, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands. These specks slowly gathered together, growing larger and larger until they filled the entire system screen. Lin Xiao squinted, not in a hurry to touch them. He had seen the purple light of Enma, the five-colored thunderclouds of the Five Thunder Spell, and the golden protective barrier of the Heartsteel, but those lights all gave him the feeling of "strength." This light was different; it gave him the feeling of "heaviness." So heavy that even before he reached out, his chest began to feel tight.
"What is this thing?" he muttered, but his finger was already poking at it.
The moment my fingertips touched that ball of light, it felt like my brain had been struck by lightning, and a blur of images forced their way into my mind.
On the ruins, a child knelt on the ground, his hands raised above his head, his voice hoarse from crying, yet his hands remained raised. In the field, an old man closed his eyes, his lips moving as he forced out the last bit of strength from his body, which transformed into a faint point of light. Then, throughout the entire city, the entire country, the entire universe, countless points of light drifted out of windows, floated up from the streets, and rose from the bodies of everyone standing on rooftops, on balconies, and in the middle of the road, converging into a luminous river, flowing in the same direction.
These lights coalesced into a massive energy blast.
A sphere formed purely from the will to "want to live," "want to protect someone," and "want to end it all."
Lin Xiao abruptly pulled his hand back, his forehead covered in sweat. He looked down at his fingers, which were trembling slightly.
"Holy crap," Lin Xiao's voice trembled slightly, "This skill even comes with a trailer?"
The panel then slowly appeared, with lines of text popping up one by one:
" Super Spirit Bomb. Floating rating: C~???. From the Dragon Ball universe. Skill description: Gathers the energy of all things in the world, transforming it into a pure energy body to inflict a devastating blow on the target. Its power depends on two conditions: 1. The user's own mental strength limit and life energy reserves; 2. The time and quality of energy collected. The longer the charging time and the wider the collection range, the greater the power. Current host's theoretical maximum power: Unknown."
Lin Xiao stared at the word "unknown" for a full five seconds.
Lin Xiao sprawled on the bed, his expression shifting from disbelief to shock. Then he laughed, laughing so hard the bed shook. He laughed until tears streamed down his face before finally turning over and sitting cross-legged.
"System, oh system," he said, wiping his eyes. "You've finally given me something decent. Before, you only gave me things like the Little Magic Fairy Transformation Wand and the Stand Arrow. This time, you've finally given me something that can be called a trump card."
"Ding--Host, both Blue Silver Grass and Heartsteel saved your life at crucial moments."
"That's different." Lin Xiao waved his hand, his eyes still fixed on the ball of light. "Those were passively taking hits, this one was me actively throwing things at people. Do you even know what initiative means?"
"Ding--According to this system's database, the Super Spirit Bomb in the Dragon Ball universe is mostly a last resort for turning the tide, not a primary attack skill."
"That's even better." Lin Xiao slapped his thigh, his eyes shining even brighter. "From now on, when I fight someone, I'll just unleash my skills first, and the opponent will know things are in big trouble just by looking at my starting stance. Then I'll shout: 'Righteous Earthlings, raise your hands!' Won't they piss themselves on the spot?"
"Ding--A reminder to the host: The Super Spirit Bomb requires collecting the spontaneous spirit energy of the target group. Collecting it by force or inducement is extremely inefficient. It is recommended to mobilize the target group in advance."
"That's easy." Lin Xiao leaned back, propping himself up on the bed with his arms. "I'll have Vought department do a global live stream later, teaching everyone how to properly use the knowledge of transmitting vital energy."
"Ding--This system advises the host to use this skill with caution. Given the host's current maximum mental strength and life energy reserves, if activated in New York, it is estimated that it can collect the vital energy of one-third of the permanent residents of Manhattan."
"One-third?" Lin Xiao asked.
"Ding--That's right, this is a group of people in New York Manhattan who have developed feelings for the host through television, radio, the Vought Group's public relations efforts, and everyday life."
"Wow, a third looks like a lot, but what about its power?"
"Ding--If the target is Abomination, you won't last even a second."
Lin Xiao remained silent.
He looked down at his hands, slowly clenching them into fists, then slowly releasing them. His mind began to automatically conjure up the image: himself standing on a rooftop, hands outstretched to the sky, all the light of New York flooding in from all directions, then he slammed one hand down, leaving not even ashes behind. That scene was certainly exhilarating.
"This skill is good, but it requires gathering life energy to unleash its true power. America is alright, but it would be bad if she hurt a fellow countryman from Dragon Country. Besides, I can't compare to Satan from Dragon Ball, who has that kind of cohesion. I'll just keep it as a trump card, and use it to defeat my enemy in one fell swoop when real danger comes."
"Ding--The host has matured."
"You're serious again now," Lin Xiao said with a laugh, jumping off the bed and walking to the window, pulling the curtains open a crack. The night breeze blew in, carrying the dampness of the rain. He took a deep breath, slowly suppressing the excitement in his chest.
"I know this thing can't be used carelessly." His voice lowered, the playful smile gone. "Once I use it, it means I really have no other choice. It means I can only stand there and let everyone give me their lives. If I can't handle it—"
He paused, his lips twitched, but he didn't smile.
"Then their lives were all for nothing."
Doupao didn't respond this time. The system was unusually quiet.
Lin Xiao stood by the window for a while, then walked back to the bedside and continued looking at the remaining rewards.
The second item was a silver-gray Cloak, neatly folded, with a tiny metal button at the collar.
"Ding, congratulations to the host for obtaining:"
Grade B item: Invisibility Cloak, from the Harry Potter universe.
Lin Xiao's eyes lit up.
He started muttering again, " Cloak! This thing is great! Later, when Hill... cough cough... don't overthink it, I'm a good person."
He was halfway through his sentence when he saw a line of text on the instructions, and his face instantly fell.
" Invisibility Cloak, Effect: Completely invisible after wearing, undetectable by ordinary optical devices. Current length: 1.8 meters. Note: This is an extended and widened version, suitable for most adult men."
Lin Xiao looked down at his legs, then looked up at the text, then looked down at his legs again. He then closed and reopened the panel to make sure he hadn't misread it.
"The extended and widened version," he repeated, emphasizing each word.
"Ding--The standard version is only 1.6 meters tall."
"Should I thank you for making me 1.8 meters tall?" Lin Xiao's voice was tinged with disbelief. "Do you know I'm over 1.9 meters tall? Wearing this thing on me is like wearing a cotton-padded coat over capri pants in the winter of northern Dragon Country. It's all covered up on top, but the cold wind is whistling into my crotch."
"Ding--The host's body size deviates from the average male height in the plane covered by this system. This system has selected the largest possible size."
"Maximum specification." Lin Xiao repeated, took a deep breath, and took out the Cloak, draping it over his shoulders.
The hemline just reached above his knees, completely obscuring his upper body while his two hairy legs were clearly exposed. He walked to the mirror, looked at himself, spun around, and became increasingly angry.
"Wearing this out, I might become invisible, but my legs will still be sticking out." He tugged at the hem, realizing it wouldn't cover his knees. "People can't see my upper body, they can only see my legs wandering the street. Is this some kind of Invisibility Cloak or a horror movie prop? Even those who sneaked out of Platform Nine and Three-Quarters didn't look this shabby."
He took off his Cloak, folded it neatly, threw it back into his System Space, and added, "I offered it to Peter as a bed sheet, but he thought it was too short."
Doupao wisely kept quiet.
Lin Xiao sat back on the bed and opened the panel again. Several numbers popped up, and Lin Xiao's gaze finally settled on a large red character.
Current host combat strength assessment: A+.
He leaned against the headboard, staring at the A+ for a long time. He neither smiled nor spoke.
From B+ to A-, and then to A+, every time he became stronger, it was out of necessity. He was thrown by the Hulk, blasted by Wenwu, and pierced through the chest by the Abomination. Every time he died, his rating jumped up, as if he was trading his life for points.
"This assessment," he said in a low voice, his voice a little dry, "I don't want it."
Doupao didn't reply. Lin Xiao didn't continue either. He crossed out the line of text from his eyes, as if that would erase the hole in his chest along with it. After a long while, he spoke again, his tone returning to its lazy manner:
"Forget about commenting on this for now. Let's change the subject. Can you take a look for me? In this timeline, besides characters like the Ancient One who have cheat codes, how many others can actually do something to me? There can't be a ton of them, right?"
The Doupao was silent for a moment, then a blue light flashed, and line after line popped up.
Lin Xiao tapped the bedside table with his fingers as he read.
" The Ancient One. He's cheating, so he doesn't count." He glanced at it and continued reading. " Hulk? My nephew, skip him. Phoenix Jean Grey... I really don't want to mess with this woman. Her eyes are like knives; she looks at everyone like trash." He chuckled to himself, "But the way she looks at me, I probably really am trash. That look... I got stabbed in the back at Xavier's School by her."
The panel continues to jump.
" Molecule Man, not awakened." Lin Xiao narrowed his eyes, his finger pausing for a moment. "Not awakened? If he were awakened, could he turn me into a carton of milk with a snap of his the Snap?"
"Ding--Theoretically feasible. If Molecule Man were to fully awaken, it could restructure matter and turn its host into a carton of milk within its capabilities."
"You're quite honest now." Lin Xiao clicked his tongue, his gaze shifting downwards to the last name.
Tao Yuhan. Collective Man. A+.
His fingers slowly tightened on his knee, then loosened.
"That kid, the last time we met in New York, he was still chasing Mutants, only slightly better than me. Now he's an A+? Does that make sense? I want to ask."
"Ding--The power of the Collective Man originates from the collective will of the people, and its growth curve is positively correlated with the size of the ordinary population. The host's actions in New York and Brazil have significantly enhanced the public's collective awareness of superheroes and mysterious forces, indirectly strengthening its abilities."
Lin Xiao remained silent for a few seconds, then slowly leaned back against the headboard and closed his eyes.
"I've created a rival of the same level for myself, but luckily he's from my hometown, so it's not a bad deal."
Doupao still didn't respond, but after Tao Yuhan finished introducing the information, he started showing new characters again. Lin Xiao's face darkened and he decided to stop watching. He was getting annoyed.
Lin Xiao swiped the panel, lay down on his back, put his hands behind his head, a smile playing on his lips, and fell into a deep sleep.
In a room at the other end of the hotel, Hill was still awake.
She had taken a shower, changed into a light gray nightgown, and sat on the edge of the bed, gently drying her half-dry hair with a towel. The window was half-open, and the night breeze made the curtains flutter slightly. She remembered Lin Xiao's words at dinner, "Don't let others see nights like this in the future," and stopped drying her hair.
"I actually hummed in response," she said softly, as if confirming something with the air, or as if judging herself from just a few minutes ago.
She draped the towel over the back of the chair, leaned back, and lay on her back on the bed. The ceiling light was so bright she could barely open her eyes. She raised her hand to shield her eyes, then lowered it again, turned over, and pulled the blanket into her arms. Her mind was filled with that meal, the way Lin Xiao stole glances at her while cutting the steak, and that barely audible "hmm." The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she became, and the more frustrated she became, the less she could sleep. Finally, she pounded the mattress twice, making two muffled thuds.
"What am I thinking?" She buried her face in the pillow, her voice muffled, as if the cotton had absorbed all her breath.
A moment later, she sat up again and picked up the blue-veined heart-shaped stone from the bedside table. The edges of the stone were warmed by her body heat, and the golden veins were so fine under the night light that they were almost invisible. She gently rubbed it with her fingertips, and then slowly placed it on her chest.
She knew that what Lin Xiao gave her might not have been given to only her.
She also knew that Lin Xiao's choice of her was more or less related to Fury and the S.H.I.E.L.D.. uniform she was wearing. It wasn't that she couldn't see through his intentions. She could dissect each of his clumsy, deliberate, and blatant attempts to please him and see what was inside.
But the stone felt warm against my heart.
She buried her face back in the pillow, but her fingers were still tightly gripping the stone, refusing to let go.