Lin Xiao has been acting very strangely lately, extremely strangely.
Mei noticed that he left home at seven every morning and didn't return until two or three in the morning. When he came in, he was humming " Good Days," and without even changing his shoes, he would lie down on the sofa and fall asleep immediately. For the first few days, Mei felt nothing but heartache and started to complain about S.H.I.E.L.D.. She wondered if S.H.I.E.L.D.. had given Lin Xiao some new mission. It was like treating him like an animal; could he even stand it? Should she persuade Lin Xiao not to go to work at S.H.I.E.L.D..? But she held back.
For half a month, Lin Xiao was like this, leaving early and returning late, always covered in dirt. She couldn't take it anymore and called Hill. She learned that S.H.I.E.L.D.. hadn't assigned any missions to Lin Xiao recently, so why was he Lin Xiao like this? She hung up the phone and stormed towards Lin Xiao.
"Tell me the truth about where you've been these past few days!" Mei stood by the sofa, hands on her hips, her eyes red-rimmed.
"Inspecting the area for security." Lin Xiao said with his eyes closed and a wide grin reaching his ears, " New York's security has been terrible lately. As Level 7 Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.., I can't just sit idly by."
Betty peeked out from upstairs and overheard Lin Xiao's words. She bit her lip, stopped at the top of the stairs, exchanged a glance with Mei, said nothing, turned around and went back to her room to send Jane a message.
Jane rushed home from the lab as soon as she received the text message. The three of them had a small meeting in the living room, and the conclusion was that Lin Xiao either had a mental problem or had gotten into trouble outside. Considering his "I've made a fortune" attitude and excited demeanor every night when he came home, the former was more likely.
So they hired Gardner, Gardner Lin Xiao's family's personal psychologist. The doctor was an elderly white man, the best psychologist in California, with his own three consulting firms. He had been practicing psychotherapy for thirty years. At that time, Lin Xiao had just received a $1.5 billion "fee" from Tony and had too much money to spend, so he decided to retaliate by hiring the best psychologist.
Gardner entered with a composed expression, but he was stunned when he saw the four people wrestling on the sofa. Lin Xiao, pinned down by three women, was moaning and shouting, "I'm fine, I don't need a psychologist."
Betty rolled her eyes dramatically. "You said you were fine, but you're out early and back late every day, like you're on steroids. You must have something wrong with your nerves. You better stay put and tell the doctor what you've been doing."
Jane bit her lip and nodded, looking at Lin Xiao with a serious expression. In the end, Mei raised her hand.
"Okay, the doctor is here. We'll feel more at ease if you talk to the doctor."
Seeing the three women's concerned expressions, Lin Xiao sighed helplessly and obediently sat down.
Dr. Gardner breathed a sigh of relief, placed his bag on the coffee table, and took out his notebook. "Mr. Lin, your family is a little worried about your recent routine. Would you like to talk to me about it?"
"Let's chat." Lin Xiao sat back on the sofa, crossed his legs, and said, "Doctor, would you like some water?"
Dr. Gardner picked up the water glass on the table and took a sip. The three women exchanged glances before going upstairs. After they left, Lin Xiao sighed and looked at the doctor, "Doctor, why do you think a man goes out every night and doesn't return until the early hours of the morning?"
The doctor wrote something in his notebook, "From a psychological perspective, there could be several reasons. It could be escaping family pressure, seeking external stimulation, or..."
"None of that is right." Lin Xiao interrupted him, "Because you have no idea about the bright future of New York, that Bullseye spat in Queens today, how could I sit idly by?"
The doctor stopped writing and looked at Lin Xiao with a surprised expression.
"Did you spit?"
"Yes, he vomited." Lin Xiao's expression was serious. "Right under my nose, a gangster thug spat in public. How could I tolerate that? If I don't make him lick the floor clean, my job as a special agent will have been for nothing."
Dr. Gardner opened his mouth.
"And then there's Electro," Lin Xiao counted on his fingers. "Yesterday he was stealing electricity in Brooklyn, stealing from an entire street. Residents couldn't watch TV, and all the meat in their the Fridge went rotten. I went up to him and asked if he'd paid his electricity bill, and he said no. Can you believe I tolerated that?"
"Mr. Lin, I'm here to..."
"The most outrageous one is the Hedgehog Man." Lin Xiao slapped his thigh, indignant. "He was dressed in a full suit of spikes, standing at the subway entrance, showing off to passersby. A girl carrying groceries almost got pricked by him. Do you think I should have punched him? Not only did I punch him, but I also straightened out every single spike on his body. Now he walks like a porcupine with its fur being stroked."
Dr. Gardner closed his notebook, picked up his cup, and took a large gulp of water. He put down the cup, stood up, and picked up his bag.
"Mr. Lin, I think you are in very good health and your spirits are excellent. Um, I just remembered I have an emergency patient. Let's talk another day."
Lin Xiao saw the doctor to the door, his face full of reluctance. "Doctor, you're leaving already? I haven't even talked about the Rhino yet."
The door closed. Mei peeked out from the kitchen, a rolling pin in her hand, her expression complicated. Betty and Jane leaned against the stair railing, their eyes fixed on Lin Xiao.
"What you just said, is it true?" Mei asked.
"Really." Lin Xiao nodded. "I go and cause them trouble every night. The bad guys in New York don't dare to go out at night anymore."
May bit her lip. "What do they have to do with you? Are you really doing this for the safety of New York? Aren't you in danger?"
Lin Xiao quickly shook his head and mimicked a bodybuilding pose.
"It's alright, it's alright, but protecting the people of America is the responsibility of my Homelander. They're all my little darlings, don't worry."
Mei opened her mouth as if to say something, then shook her head, turned around, and went back to the kitchen to make steamed buns for Lin Xiao.
Betty rolled her eyes, sighed, turned and went back to her room, leaving a comment before closing the door. "Can you sleep in a little longer these few days and not come back so late? Take some time to rest." Jane nodded in agreement and chimed in.
Your own health is the most important thing.
Lin Xiao obediently nodded, but only for two days before he resumed his "protecting justice" act.
After being reprimanded three times, the Electro couldn't take it anymore and turned himself in to the police station, confessing to a bunch of old crimes he hadn't mentioned before. The interrogating detective, looking at the statement, felt that the man was downplaying his crimes. He admitted to stealing electricity, but the man repeatedly emphasized, "I'll never steal electricity again, I really won't. Please lock me up, I beg you."
When Bullseye was cornered in the alley by Lin Xiao, he retorted with a few words, and Lin Xiao used Blue Silver Grass to hang him from a street lamp and sway him for half an hour. After that, he didn't dare tell anyone and secretly moved to another neighborhood.
The Hedgehog Man fared even worse. Lin Xiao smoothed out each of his quills one by one in front of everyone in the subway station, took a picture, and posted it on the New York vigilante forum with the title. "Today's Hedgehog."
The root of all this was Lin Xiao's desire to gain free allocation points. Watching the number jump up rapidly every day, Lin Xiao was extremely satisfied.
He spent his days scouting locations and his nights sweeping the streets, with system notifications ringing from morning till night. No matter the size of the B-level, C-level, or even D-level missions, if he caught someone with a bad habit, he'd give them a good Iron Fist. After these few days, he'd accumulated a full 120 points of freedom attribute.
But the warehouse also exploded. All sorts of loot were piled up like small mountains, and even the floor tiles that Bullseye had used to spit were identified by the system as "mission-related items" and stuffed in. Looking at the pile of junk in the warehouse, he couldn't help but sigh at how thrifty he was.
"Ding--Host, I must remind you."
Doupao's voice echoed in my mind, its tone flat and heavy. It was completely different from the usual mechanical broadcast; this time it carried a weariness that came from someone who had been holding back for a long time and could no longer bear it.
"In the past two weeks, you've completed sixty-two tasks in New York. Thirty-one of the reasons were: 'He glared at me,' 'He was walking too fast and seemed to be fleeing,' 'He doesn't look like a good person,' 'He just spat,' and 'He's showing off.'"
"It's all true." Lin Xiao said without changing his expression.
" The Hedgehog Man acted arrogant, so you went up and beat him up. The Electro stole electricity, so you chased him for three blocks, pinned him down in the substation, and lectured him for half an hour. Bullseye spat in the alley, so you hung him from a street lamp and swung him around for half an hour, making his accomplices stand below reciting the Eight Honors and Eight Disgraces."
Education should begin in early childhood.
"His accomplice was an adult."
Adults need education even more.
Doupao fell silent.
"You didn't even Rhino. He was just released on bail from the police station last week, and he was buying cigarettes at a convenience store when you stormed in and told him he 'didn't have the proper license to sell cigarettes to minors,' dragged him onto the sidewalk, and beat him up."
He's definitely not qualified.
"He wasn't selling cigarettes at all! He was buying them! It's true he's a minor, but he's the shop owner's son."
Lin Xiao leaned against the wall at the alley entrance, a freshly skewered kebab in his hand, his expression frank. "Well, it's his own fault for standing in front of the convenience store with that fierce look on his face. I couldn't stand it."
Doupao remained silent for a full three seconds.
"Host," the system's voice regained its usual calm, but with an overly restrained hardness, "You can't fleece people like this. If you keep doing this, all the villains in New York will have to flee to Mars to avoid the storm. And you can't even come up with a reason. What was your reason for kicking the Rhino three times yesterday?"
"His breathing is too loud."
"..." Doupao silent.
After a while, it spoke in an extremely cold tone, "Next time, make up a decent reason."
Lin Xiao grinned and threw the skewer in his hand into the trash can.
"Okay, whatever you say."
He reflected on what he had done over the past two days and felt that he had done enough. If he continued like this, the villains in New York might unite to sue him. Although there weren't many good people among these villains, it wouldn't be good if he caused any unnecessary trouble. There was also an important matter that needed to be discussed in advance. Lin Xiao narrowed his eyes as he thought about it.
He wiped the oil off his hands, took out his phone, and sent a message to Mei.
"Come home early tonight, I need to talk to you about something."
That evening, in the living room.
Mei brought the last dish to the table, took off her apron, and sat down. Lin Xiao looked at Mei, Betty, and Jane at the table and nodded in satisfaction.
Lin Xiao put down his chopsticks, sat up straight, and his expression became unusually serious. "I plan to send you to Kamar-Taj in two months."
The three exchanged a glance, but no one spoke. After a while, Betty spoke up, "What did you say?"
"A trip. The whole family. Gwen Stacy too, and Hill and Natasha as well. I mean, all of us." Lin Xiao counted on his fingers, his tone very serious.
Mei opened her mouth, looked at Betty, then at Jane. The girls had discussed countermeasures against Lin Xiao's recent behavior many times in private, but "the whole family going to Kamar-Taj " was clearly not one of their options.
"Why do we suddenly have to go there?" Betty asked.
" New York's been a bit turbulent lately, all sorts of messy things. I'll take you to Kamar-Taj for a while. It's quiet, safe, and the air's fresh." Lin Xiao paused, then added, "And while we're at it, let's visit the Ancient One. She's my godmother, after all. It must be so lonely up there all alone, with no one to look after her."
"So you're telling us to go and fulfill our filial duties?" Jane tilted her head as she looked at him.
"Yes. Filial piety should be shown in the family."
He finished speaking those four words without batting an eye, but his mind was filled with other thoughts. With the Ancient One in Kamar-Taj, even if Loki was arrogant, he wouldn't dare to cause trouble there. If the Chitauri arrived and he couldn't take care of things back home, at least these women would be ten times safer in Kamar-Taj than in New York.
But he couldn't say it out loud.
"Besides, Kamar-Taj is beautiful. Isn't this the kind of place you should like? Specimens, rocks, weather data—enough to keep you entertained for half a year." Lin Xiao gestured with his chin.
Jane's lips twitched.
"Alright," Mei put down her chopsticks. "We'll go. But we need to make it clear beforehand that we can't eat potatoes every day after we get there. Peter complained that when he first came home, he could wash potato starch off himself."
"What's wrong with eating potatoes? The potatoes at Kamar-Taj are grown at high altitudes in the pollution-free Himalayas."
I told you you can't eat this every day!
"Okay, okay, I'll have Wang do the shopping in advance. Get some beef, lamb, whatever. If all else fails, we can open a ranch on the mountain—"
Betty, unable to contain herself any longer, slammed her hand on the table.
"Finish your meal first."
Lin Xiao obediently shut up.
After dinner, Lin Xiao stood on the balcony, looking down at the brightly lit New York City. This city would soon be mostly destroyed by aliens. He needed to settle his family before that happened, and then have a good "talk" with the Chitauri.
He took out his phone, found Susan's number, but couldn't get through. The excuse that old bastard Doom gave him was ridiculously lame. " Susan is so busy with the Aether project that she's practically running around." The Aether is the Reality Stone. Doom using that as an excuse was clearly a cover-up, or rather, Susan was being controlled by him.
Lin Xiao sighed softly. In short, he should deal with the immediate matter first, lest Loki come and give him a hard stab in the back, and he have to go and sow discord with him.