Lin Xiao was in a great mood when he left the S.H.I.E.L.D. Building.
How great? So great that he even forgot to take issue with the system over those twenty points of strength.
Coulson had told him to report next Monday and go home to get ready. Lin Xiao thought Coulson was a pretty decent guy, worthy of his reputation as "Marvel's number one nice guy."
Lin Xiao folded the acceptance letter and stuffed it into his pants pocket. He pulled up his hoodie, hiding most of his face, shoved his hands into his pockets, and headed back through the streets of New York.
New York in March. Pedestrians hurried along the streets bundled in thick coats, but Lin Xiao wore only a thin hoodie, not even zipped up. He didn't feel cold. Ever since his strength had gone off the charts, his metabolism had been like a furnace running twenty-four hours a day. He could go out in short sleeves in the dead of winter without so much as a shiver.
After walking for who knew how long, he rounded the seventh intersection and heard a commotion coming from an alley.
"The bag! Hand over that bag!"
"Please, there's nothing valuable in my bag-"
"Shut up!"
Lin Xiao paused. He turned his head and glanced into the alley. The light was dim, but he could still make out the scene: three Black men surrounded a woman, one of them holding a switchblade, its tip glinting coldly under the streetlight. He had forced the woman against the wall, where she clutched a cloth bag that didn't look particularly valuable.
Three robbers, one knife, and a woman who looked terrified.
A standard alley mugging, the standard hero-saves-the-beauty script in the land of the free.
Lin Xiao looked away and kept walking.
He wasn't a cop. Why stick his nose into everything? All he wanted now was to go home, take a hot shower, then lie in bed and sleep until noon tomorrow. He had finally managed to latch onto S.H.I.E.L.D. He deserved to treat himself.
"Ding-midnight has passed. Today's daily good deed mission has been triggered. Mission objective: stop the crime currently in progress. Mission reward: a random increase to the five attributes."
Lin Xiao stopped.
"...You did that on purpose, didn't you?"
"Ding-system missions are triggered automatically. No deliberate intent is involved."
"Then why didn't you trigger it earlier?"
"Ding-the host has entered the mission area."
Lin Xiao took a deep breath, turned around, and headed into the alley.
Fine. One good deed a day. Consider it building up virtue.
Inside the alley, the three Black guys had yet to realize how serious their situation was.
The one closest to Lin Xiao noticed him first. With the light behind the alley entrance, all he could see was a figure approaching, the hood pulled so low that his face was hidden. All he could judge from the skin and clothing was that this was an Asian man.
Asian. Alone. Walking at night.
Those three pieces of information instantly completed the risk assessment in the guy's head. The conclusion: zero risk. He almost wanted to laugh. They were lucky tonight. They had barely finished one small job, and another mark was delivering himself right to them.
"Hey!" He jerked his chin toward Lin Xiao, his tone outrageously arrogant. "Yellow monkey, this ain't your business. Get lost!"
Lin Xiao said nothing and kept walking. His pace wasn't fast, but every step was steady. Under the streetlight, his shadow stretched longer and longer, until all three Black men were engulfed in it.
"Didn't you hear me?" The Black man grew annoyed and advanced, waving his switchblade. "Are you trying to-"
The switchblade froze in midair.
The man holding it swallowed.
He could finally see. He could finally see just how huge this "Asian man" was-explosive muscles, over two meters tall, that ordinary-looking hoodie stretched over him like a sausage casing. Every inch of fabric was strained to its limit, leaving the outlines of his pecs, the curves of his deltoids, and the grooves of his abs plainly visible.
His neck was thicker than their thighs.
His wrists were thicker than their arms.
His fingers-emerging from his pocket one by one-were as thick as five little radishes.
The switchblade fell to the ground with a sharp clatter.
Lin Xiao glanced down at the knife, then looked up at the three ashen-faced robbers and gave them a friendly smile.
"Relax." Lin Xiao sounded as sincere as a community mediator. "I'm not here to cause trouble."
All three Black men took a step back at the same time.
"I just want to give you a free lesson in morality and the rule of law." Lin Xiao rolled his wrists, his joints cracking, the sound echoing through the alley like stones striking stones. "So you won't endanger society again."
"W-we-"
One of the unarmed Black men reacted first. Without another word, he turned and ran. His legs were fast, and his survival instinct was even stronger.
He had barely run two steps.
Lin Xiao's hand landed on his shoulder. It felt like being lightly brushed by a steamroller. He pitched forward and fell facedown, his teeth striking the concrete. With a muffled grunt, he stopped moving.
The second Black man picked up the switchblade and stabbed at Lin Xiao.
This was probably the biggest mistake of his life.
Lin Xiao didn't even dodge. The blade struck his abs with a sharp ding. Instead of piercing him, the tip snapped! The Black man stared at the broken switchblade as though he had seen a ghost.
"You-"
Lin Xiao looked at him apologetically. "This brand makes lousy knives. I'll give you another one sometime."
Then came a punch.
He hadn't even put any strength into it, really, hardly any at all. About as much as he normally used to swat a mosquito. His fist didn't even touch the man's face-the wind from it arrived first. A blast of air slammed into the Black man, snapping his head backward and sending him flying. He crashed between two trash cans, his eyes rolled back, and he passed out.
The blast even sent a trash can lid spinning twice before it landed over his face.
Now only the one who had shouted the loudest was left.
He stood rooted to the spot, both legs shaking like a sieve, a large wet patch already spreading across the front of his pants. He wanted to run, but his legs wouldn't obey. He wanted to beg for mercy, but after working his mouth for ages, all he produced were a few broken syllables. As Lin Xiao approached, that sky-blotting shadow swallowed him completely. He even forgot to breathe.
"D-don't kill me-"
"I don't kill people." Lin Xiao crouched down and met his eyes, his tone as gentle as if he were chatting with a neighbor. "I just want to tell you that robbery is wrong. What do you think?"
"Yes, yes, yes, robbery is wrong!" The man nodded frantically, like a woodpecker. "I was wrong! I'll never dare do it again!"
"Really?"
"Really, really, really!"
Pleased, Lin Xiao patted his shoulder.
The Black man felt as though half his body had been dismantled. His eyes rolled back, and he passed out from the pain.
Looking at the Black guy slumped on the ground, Lin Xiao rubbed his nose awkwardly. "Sorry. Didn't control my strength properly."
As if suddenly remembering something, he said, "You wasted so much of my time. I ought to get a little compensation for all the effort of 'teaching' you, right?"
Lin Xiao fished three wallets off the three unconscious men, pulled out all the cash, and stuffed it into his own pocket. Then he tossed the empty wallets onto the ground, dusted off his hands, and walked toward the woman still huddled in the corner.
From beginning to end, the woman had remained in the same position, pressed against the wall, both hands clutching her cloth bag, eyes wide and mouth open far enough to fit an egg.
Lin Xiao stopped in front of her and bent down, trying to make his voice sound as friendly as possible.
"Are you all right?"
The woman abruptly snapped out of her daze and instinctively recoiled, banging the back of her head against the wall with a hiss of pain.
"D-don't come any closer-"
Lin Xiao stopped. He raised both hands, palms outward, in an "I'm no threat" gesture. But he forgot one thing: when he raised his hands, his hoodie sleeves slipped down, exposing his arms. Those weren't arms. They were two concrete pillars wrapped in human skin. Veins coiled across the surface like earthworms, and every line of muscle was clearly visible.
The woman went even paler.
"Don't worry, I'm not a bad guy." Lin Xiao tried hard to explain, keeping his voice extremely soft for fear of frightening her again. "I was just passing by and happened to see someone getting robbed-"
"You... you..." The woman stammered, pointing a trembling finger at the three unconscious robbers on the ground. "Did you b-beat them to death?"
"No, no." Lin Xiao hurriedly waved his hands. "They're just unconscious. I know my limits. At most, a concussion and minor fractures, plus a visit to a therapist. Anyway, they're not dead."
The woman said nothing.
She stared straight at him, a complex succession of expressions crossing her face in an instant: fear, confusion, suspicion, hesitation, reason and instinct fighting furiously.
Lin Xiao could tell she was afraid. He was very familiar with this situation. Over the past three months, almost everyone had reacted this way upon first seeing him. At first, it had hurt his feelings, but later he got used to it. He had even developed a response procedure: keep his distance, lower his voice, smile more.
So Lin Xiao bared his teeth in a smile at her.
Frightened, the woman shrank another three inches backward.
"...All right." Lin Xiao dropped his smile and rubbed his nose awkwardly. "My name's Lin Xiao. I live nearby. If you're scared of me, I can leave."
"N-no need." The woman took a deep breath, finally moved her back away from the wall, and straightened up. Her legs were still weak, but at least she could speak normally. "Sorry, I just... I've never been in a situation like this." She managed a smile. "Thank you for saving me."
"You're welcome." Lin Xiao let out a relieved breath. "It was nothing."
The woman glanced at him, then down at the broken switchblade on the ground, the corner of her mouth twitching. Nothing. His idea of "nothing" was snapping a blade with his abs?
"Who... who exactly are you?" she couldn't help asking again.
"A kindhearted ordinary person," Lin Xiao said sincerely.
The woman fell silent for a moment. Her gaze swept over his physique, which turned a hoodie into skintight clothing, over the old scar stretching from his brow bone to his cheekbone, and over the three robbers sprawled motionless at his feet.
"You call this an ordinary person?"
"I really am an ordinary person." Lin Xiao grew a little anxious. "I'm just... a little more muscular, a little taller, and a little stronger. But I have a great personality, honestly. I don't even step on bugs."
Lin Xiao spoke very sincerely, so sincerely that he almost believed it himself.
The woman stared at him for a long time before the corner of her mouth finally stopped twitching. Her reason told her that however frightening this man looked, he had indeed saved her. And judging by his behavior just now, he was at least reasonable.
Her instincts still wanted to scream, but reason had gained the upper hand.
"My name's May Parker. Just call me May." As she spoke, she shakily extended a hand, and Lin Xiao hurriedly reached out to shake it gently.
He had been too focused on saving her to look closely before. Only now, by the light of the streetlamp, did he notice that this woman named May was genuinely beautiful.
Her long brown hair lay somewhat disheveled over her shoulders. She had blue eyes and features of a delicacy and gentleness rare even among Western women. A few fine lines at the corners of her eyes only added a soft charm. She wore a wool coat that looked several years old, simple in style, but her figure more than made up for it-curves and fullness in all the right places. Its buttons strained tightly, rather like Lin Xiao's hoodie.
Lin Xiao froze for a moment, then quickly looked away and cursed himself inwardly.
"Um, May." He cleared his throat. "Why were you walking down this street alone so late?"
May sighed and hugged her cloth bag closer. "To save a little on cab fare. I usually take the main road, but I worked late today and thought I'd take a shortcut... Who knew something like this would happen?"
"You can't risk your safety just to save money," Lin Xiao said seriously. "Let me take you home."
May's face visibly paled again.
"N-no need!" She backed away two steps, her voice rising half a pitch. "I've already put you through enough trouble. I can take a cab home myself. Really, you don't need to take me. Thank you so much. Goodbye!"
The words flowed out smoothly, without a trace of her earlier stammer.
Lin Xiao was just about to say, "It's no trouble," when she jogged out of the alley and began waving frantically beneath a streetlight. A yellow taxi pulled over in response. May opened the door and darted inside so quickly that even Lin Xiao failed to react.
The door slammed shut. The taxi hit the gas and sped away.
Lin Xiao stood at the mouth of the alley, watching its taillights disappear around the corner, speechless for a while.
"Got treated like a monster again."
Lin Xiao shook his head, took the crumpled bills from his pocket, and counted them. Thirty-two dollars in total.
"Seriously. A bunch of broke bastards."
Lin Xiao folded the money and stuffed it into his scuffed black wallet, which held four cents, then turned to head home.
"Ding-daily good deed mission complete. Reward: strength +5."
Lin Xiao stopped abruptly.
"...Say that again?"
"Ding-reward issued. Strength +5."
Lin Xiao stood there, feeling his blood surge up from the soles of his feet, past his chest and up his neck.
"Motherf-"
He raised his hand and punched the wall beside him, leaving a terrifyingly large hole.