Just then, someone entered the alley. He was a man from Dragon Country, lean and in his early thirties, wearing a dark gray Chinese-style stand-collar jacket and black cloth shoes. He walked into the alley at an unhurried pace, but every stride was exactly the same length, as though measured with a ruler.
"Doupao, you told me too late. He's here," Lin Xiao muttered under his breath.
The man stopped in the middle of the alley. His gaze first settled on Heartfire, who was curled into a ball, lingered for a second, then shifted to Lin Xiao and swept him up and down. His expression barely changed, though his brow moved almost imperceptibly when he glanced over the burn marks on Lin Xiao's arm that had yet to completely fade.
The instant Heartfire saw the man, he collapsed to the ground like a puddle of sludge. He buried his face in his knees, trembling like a leaf.
Lin Xiao looked at Heartfire, then at the man.
"You two know each other?"
The man did not answer. He cupped one fist in his other palm before his chest, the salute crisp, clean, and textbook-perfect.
"S.P.E.A.R., Tao Yuhan." His voice was neither loud nor soft, every word clearly enunciated. "This individual has violated Dragon Country's laws and has been classified as a dangerous mutant. I've pursued him across three countries. Please leave to avoid any unnecessary trouble."
Lin Xiao's expression turned solemn, and he returned the cupped-fist salute.
S.P.E.A.R. He knew the organization; Doupao's database had information on it. Dragon Country's S.P.E.A.R. was the counterpart to S.H.I.E.L.D., specializing in supernatural incidents and mutant affairs. Tao Yuhan, standing before him, had been born in Dragon Country and was the eldest of quintuplets-the future Collective Man, an embodiment of Dragon Country's will, and a formidable figure who could go toe-to-toe with Infinite Hulk.
Lin Xiao shifted half a step to the side, placing himself directly in front of Heartfire.
Heartfire raised his head, a momentary look of bewilderment appearing on his tear-blurred face. He did not understand why this unfamiliar giant would stand in front of him.
Tao Yuhan's gaze refocused on Lin Xiao. His expression remained as bland as plain water, but a trace of scrutiny entered his eyes.
The corners of Lin Xiao's lips curved upward. "Before you arrest him, I want to see how big the gap between us is right now. Does half a realm make that much difference?"
Tao Yuhan found this rather baffling, but he brought his hands out from behind his back nonetheless. His fingers spread slightly, faint golden light flowing around his fingertips.
"Now?"
"Yeah, now."
Lin Xiao's expression grew solemn. He reached out and pushed Heartfire farther aside. The push was gentle, but Heartfire slid more than half a meter and slammed back-first into a pile of battered cardboard boxes at the foot of the wall, grimacing in pain.
Lin Xiao rolled up his sleeves, exposing his forearms. "Let me say this first: I'm fragile. Go easy on me."
Tao Yuhan looked at those forearms, each thicker than an ordinary person's calf, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
Tao Yuhan moved first.
With a light tap of his toes against the ground, he shot forward as though launched from a slingshot, appearing before Lin Xiao in the blink of an eye. His right palm struck toward Lin Xiao's chest, a visible pale golden vortex swirling in its center. An extremely low, muffled boom sounded in the air.
Lin Xiao did not dodge. He stood where he was, took a deep breath, and thrust out his chest.
Thud! It sounded like someone had struck a solid wall with an iron hammer. The vortex exploded against Lin Xiao's chest, blasting a palm-sized hole straight through his newly tailored dark gray shirt and exposing the completely unscathed skin beneath.
Tao Yuhan frowned slightly and withdrew his palm. The golden light at his fingertips flickered a few times, then brightened again.
"This defense of yours isn't normal."
"Thanks for the compliment." Lin Xiao glanced down at the hole in his chest and continued.
"But you're paying for the shirt."
Tao Yuhan ignored Lin Xiao's complaint. With a turn, he appeared beside him, pressing his left index and middle fingers together. A crimson thread of flame condensed at their tips as he jabbed toward Lin Xiao's waist. The movement was almost too fast to see, leaving only a red afterimage.
Lin Xiao felt a searing heat at his side. Another hole appeared in his clothes.
"Tch." Lin Xiao finally moved.
There was nothing fancy about it-he simply turned, raised his right hand, and slapped at Tao Yuhan. It was exactly the same motion he had used to extinguish Heartfire's flames, as casual as swatting a mosquito.
But Tao Yuhan's expression changed.
He saw the wind stirred up by that slap-loose plaster peeled off the walls on both sides of the alley in great patches, while gravel and scraps of paper spiraled away to either side. The palm had yet to reach him, but its wind alone was already pressing down on him hard enough to catch his breath.
Tao Yuhan crossed his arms in front of himself and kicked hard against the ground, launching himself backward. But Lin Xiao's palm still grazed his arm-just a graze, yet Tao Yuhan felt as though a truck had clipped his forearm. He flipped through the air and, even after landing, slid back three full steps before steadying himself.
He looked down at his arm. A tear had opened in the sleeve of his stand-collar jacket, revealing a patch of skin visibly turning blue.
Tao Yuhan studied the bruise in silence for a moment, then raised his head and sized Lin Xiao up again. His cool expression barely changed, but something more had entered his eyes.
"A strength type, but not purely a strength type. Your skin's toughness, muscle density, and neural reaction speed are all far beyond the range of conventional strength-type mutants. Your regeneration is also very strong."
He flexed his wrist. The light at his fingertips shifted from gold to pale blue, and the temperature around them plummeted.
"But strength alone isn't enough."
Before he had finished speaking, a ring of blue frost rose from the ground, spreading beneath Lin Xiao's feet and climbing up his shoes. Lin Xiao looked down at the frost and stamped-the ice shattered. He stamped again-it shattered again.
"This ice of yours," Lin Xiao said, looking up at Tao Yuhan with a sincere expression, "can't freeze me in place. Could you try another move?"
A subtle change finally appeared on Tao Yuhan's face. He withdrew the frost, lowered his hands again, and extinguished the light at his fingertips.
"Who exactly are you?" Tao Yuhan asked.
"A kindhearted ordinary guy," Lin Xiao replied offhandedly.
Silence fell over the alley for a second.
"You're interesting." Tao Yuhan put his hands behind his back. "If you were in Dragon Country, I'd recruit you into S.P.E.A.R."
"Sorry." Lin Xiao spread his hands. "I'm currently a Level Six S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. It's a permanent position. Do you guys offer the five social insurances and housing fund? What's the take-home pay? If it's high enough, I could consider it."
Tao Yuhan was silent for roughly two seconds, then decided not to answer. He turned to Heartfire, huddled in the corner. One glance from him set Heartfire trembling again. His mouth opened, but no sound came out.
Lin Xiao stepped to the side, placing himself in front of Heartfire again.
"This kid," Lin Xiao said, his tone finally becoming more serious, no longer as flippant as before, "said he didn't hurt anyone on purpose. He loses control when he gets worked up. You saw it yourself-he's much more stable now than he was earlier. I don't know what S.P.E.A.R.'s policy on mutants is, but if you take him back, his life will be ruined."
Tao Yuhan looked at him for a long while.
"Article Seven of Dragon Country's mutant management regulations stipulates that dangerous mutants who cause harm abroad must be escorted home by S.P.E.A.R. to undergo compulsory supervision and rehabilitation training."
Lin Xiao blinked.
"Rehabilitation training?"
"Yes, rehabilitation training. Dragon Country has a far more enlightened attitude toward mutants than America does. We teach them to control their abilities. Some can return to society, and some can't. But at least he'll have a chance."
Lin Xiao froze for a moment.
He turned to Heartfire. Heartfire's eyes were wide, filled with confusion, fear, and the tiniest glimmer of hope, as though he had found a straw to grasp in his despair.
"Is he telling the truth?" Lin Xiao asked.
Heartfire's lips trembled several times before he finally managed to squeeze out a sentence. "I... I don't know... They all say you get locked up if they catch you and take you back... That's what the TV said..."
"What they say on TV isn't necessarily right." Lin Xiao crouched down and met his eyes. "I grew up watching TV, and it said everyone in the United States lived in a big house. I believed that for over twenty years. Then I came here and found out they were all pigeonholes."
Heartfire could not help bursting into laughter, then started crying as he laughed.
Lin Xiao patted his shoulder very gently-at least, Lin Xiao thought it was gentle; Heartfire felt as though he had nearly been patted to pieces. Then he stood and turned to Tao Yuhan.
"All right. You can take him. But if he gets bullied over there with you-I'll..."
"You'll what?" Tao Yuhan asked.
"I'll come to Dragon Country and find you. Then we'll fight again."
The corners of Tao Yuhan's mouth curved slightly once more. He nodded. "Anytime."
He took a pair of silver-gray metal handcuffs from inside his jacket and crouched before Heartfire. Heartfire shrank back but did not struggle, obediently holding out his hands. The cuffs clicked shut. The orange glow at Heartfire's wrists flickered twice, then went out completely.
Tao Yuhan pulled Heartfire to his feet and took two steps toward the alley entrance before stopping.
"Your strength and defense really are impressive. In pure strength, I wouldn't be your match, but your spirit is far too low. You'll be in serious danger against opponents with mind-control abilities. You need to pay attention to that."
Lin Xiao paused, then smiled.
"Thanks, brother."
Tao Yuhan turned and glanced at him without saying anything, then strode toward the alley entrance. Heartfire stumbled along behind him. When they reached the entrance, he looked back at Lin Xiao, his lips moving as he silently mouthed two words.
Thank you.
Lin Xiao waved at him.
The two figures disappeared into the light at the alley entrance. Silence returned to the alley. Standing in its middle, Lin Xiao looked down at his shirt: a large hole in the chest, a scorched hole at the waist, and a tear in one sleeve.
"...Can I still take this back to Tony's tailor? Can I get a refund?"
Lin Xiao was silent for a moment. He leaned against the wall, caught his breath, and brought up the system panel again. The combat rating field was still flashing a glaring red.
"Ding-combat assessment activated. Combat footage has been recorded at the host's request. The current interface displays comparative combat data for the host and the target 'Tao Yuhan.' Would you like further explanation?"
"Give me the details."
A blue screen of light unfolded before him, rows of data appearing one after another. Lin Xiao scanned them from top to bottom. His expression went from curious to serious, then from serious to thoughtful, before finally settling into something complicated that defied description.
Tao Yuhan's personal data: Strength: 220 Intelligence: 16 Charisma: 12 Spirit: 200 Agility: 50 Abilities: Five elements manipulation (basic mastery), basic fusion ability (locked), hive mind and teleportation (advanced mastery; can share thoughts and vision and switch abilities among the five brothers), billionfold divine power form (locked), legion clones (locked)
Lin Xiao stared at "Spirit: 200" for several seconds, then looked at the pitiful 13 on his own panel. The corner of his mouth twitched.
Lin Xiao took a deep breath and continued reading.
Host's current combat rating: B- Tao Yuhan's combat rating: B Gap between the two: Though only half a rank apart, there is a clear disparity in overall combat power. Comprehensive assessment system (an overall evaluation encompassing destructive power, the five attributes, abilities, and other dimensions): F-rank: Ordinary human (example: Tony Stark in his normal state) E-rank: Strong ordinary human (example: Happy Hogan) D-rank: Peak human (examples: Agent Coulson, Natasha Romanoff, Nick Fury) C-rank: Mutates/mutants/new superhumans, beyond human limits (example: Captain America) B-rank: Superhuman (example: Doctor Doom) A-rank: Transcendent (ordinary Hulk, Thor) S-rank: Human will (example: Ancient One) SS-rank: Dimensional demon gods, cosmic overlords SSS-rank: Creator gods
Lin Xiao stared at the screen for a long time, then slowly moved his finger and put all 10 free attribute points into spirit.