Lin Xiao spotted Bullseye as he flew down.
The guy was huddled behind the row of bent metal frames at the edge of the field, practically wishing he could squeeze himself into a sheet of paper and slip into a crack in the wall. He held a phone to his ear, his lips moving nonstop, probably reporting to someone. Lin Xiao hovered in midair and watched for a moment, in no hurry to descend. A small fry like Scar-Eye wasn't going anywhere. He would check the situation on the field first.
In the middle of the field, Gwen Stacy was holding her own against the three-meter-tall green lizard, weaving between the Lizard's swinging claws.
The giant lizard, otherwise known as Dr. Connors, slammed a palm into the ground, spreading a web of cracks across the concrete. Gwen Stacy used the force to leap onto his arm, flipped up onto his shoulder, then kicked off backward, somersaulting through the air and landing firmly atop a nearby basketball hoop.
"Hey, big guy!" Her voice was much lower than usual, clearly lowered on purpose, probably because she was afraid of being recognized. "Keep this up, and someone will come give you a lesson in ethics and the law. I won't be able to stop him."
As she spoke, she glanced back toward the flower bed nearby. Peter was crouched there, the grains of sand beside him bouncing restlessly across the ground. Occasionally, they surged up to try to snare the Lizard's ankles, but he shook them off with a kick every time. Gwen Stacy gestured for Peter not to rush, then flipped out of the way of another swipe, looking remarkably graceful.
Not bad. Lin Xiao nodded to himself. These two kids were actually holding their own against a mutated lizard monster. It seemed Gwen Stacy's training lately hadn't been for nothing. She was getting more and more proficient with her spider powers, and Peter's The Fool had gone from being out of control at first to providing support now.
There was nothing for him to do here for the moment, then. Satisfied, Lin Xiao withdrew his gaze and turned toward Scar-Eye.
Lin Xiao flew down, shook out his flag, and cleared his throat, startling Bullseye so badly he nearly dropped his phone. He looked up to find a strange, burly man in an Arabian robe holding a flag standing right before him.
"...Who the fuck are you?" Bullseye instinctively retreated half a step, his back hitting the metal frame with a dull thud.
Lin Xiao planted the flag in the ground, bent down, and extended his right hand to Scar-Eye, palm up, his tone exceedingly gentle.
"Bro, give me your phone. I'll apply for an online loan for you. Ahem..."
Bullseye reacted quickly, too. He hung up, stuffed his phone into his pants pocket, and pulled a switchblade from behind his waist. The blade sprang out with a crisp click. A cruel smile curved his lips as he answered Lin Xiao's request with action, driving the knife straight at his chest.
Lin Xiao looked down at the knife tip piercing his robe, then back up at Bullseye. The switchblade had stabbed through the robe, only to stop against his skin with an exceptionally crisp ding.
Bullseye looked down at his knife, then back up at Lin Xiao. The tip had snapped in two.
Lin Xiao sighed.
"Why does it always come to this? I try to reason with you, and you just won't listen, huh?"
He reached out and lightly patted Bullseye's shoulder.
"Lightly" was Lin Xiao's subjective impression. The objective reality was that Bullseye felt as though a dump truck traveling at full speed had hit him. His whole body sank, his knees buckled, and he fell straight forward, landing facedown with a dull thud. His phone slipped out of his pants pocket and spun twice on the concrete before stopping.
Lin Xiao bent down, picked up the phone, and wiped the dust off the screen with his sleeve. The screen was still lit, and the first entry in the call log was labeled "Boss."
The corners of Lin Xiao's mouth slowly rose.
He tapped the number and called back.
It rang twice before connecting. There was no voice on the other end, only heavy, slow breathing.
"Moshi moshi," Lin Xiao said into the phone, his voice relaxed and his words brisk. "Are you Kingpin?"
The other end fell silent for a few seconds.
"Who are you?" the voice finally spoke. It was deep and steady, without any emotional fluctuation.
"Good question." Lin Xiao leaned against the metal frame and crossed his legs. "My identity is a little complicated. You can call me-Super Earthling. I'm a crimebuster and an envoy of peace. My main responsibility is to change the world through love, and collect a little compensation for my trouble on the side."
Another silence.
"Your subordinate," Lin Xiao pointed his toe at the unconscious Bullseye on the ground, "probably admired me so much that he got excited and passed out. I'd suggest paying a ransom. Otherwise-I'll kill the hostage."
Kingpin didn't answer. The silence lasted about five seconds.
Then he hung up.
Lin Xiao looked down at the words "Call ended" on the screen. His brow creased slightly, then relaxed, replaced by an even bigger smile.
"He just hung up?" He turned the phone over and examined it a couple of times. "How rude!"
Lin Xiao slipped the phone into the inner pocket of his robe, patted the pocket, and nodded in satisfaction. Extra loot. Nice.
Leaning against the metal frame, Lin Xiao went over the call in his head. He had deliberately given his name-"Super Earthling." In the three eastern provinces of Afghanistan, that name was a legend that could stop children crying at night, but few people in New York's underworld knew him. This was probably Kingpin's first time hearing it, too. But that didn't matter. What mattered was that he had given Kingpin a direction, a target. A target who could be angered, provoked, and lured out of hiding.
"Stir up trouble myself, and the missions will come," Lin Xiao muttered, a hint of smugness in his voice. "Saves me running around over and over. Let the missions come to my door. Earn rewards without lifting a finger. Perfect!"
Just then, Lin Xiao narrowed his eyes. The situation on the nearby battlefield had changed.
Gwen Stacy was riding on the Lizard's back, her legs clamped around his neck and her hands clutching his scales as she tried to force him to the ground. As she pushed, she shouted at Peter, "What's his weakness? This guy's hide is too thick!"
Peter stood behind the flower bed, The Fool manifesting behind him as grains of sand slowly gathered around him. His forehead was covered in sweat, and his glasses sat crooked on his nose. His lips trembled several times before he finally shouted.
"Don't hit his head! He's Dr. Connors! A teacher at my school! Someone did this to him-that's why he turned out like this-"
Gwen Stacy froze for a moment.
Just that one moment.
The Lizard violently shook his shoulders, launching Gwen Stacy into the air. She barely managed to turn herself over, trying to retreat to the nearby wall, but the Lizard had no intention of giving her that chance. His tail was already swinging toward her. The long, scaled green tail swept through the air with a whistle, coming at a tricky angle and incredible speed. Gwen Stacy hadn't fired her webs yet, and she had nothing to push off against in midair.
A blue afterimage landed in front of her.
Lin Xiao still held the Blink Dagger between his teeth. His left arm shielded Gwen Stacy while his right fist slammed into the Lizard's tail. The punch sent the tail flying sideways, spinning the Lizard's entire body half a turn and knocking over a nearby row of basketball hoops. Steel pipes struck the ground with an ear-piercing metallic screech.
Lin Xiao took the dagger out of his mouth, twirled it, and slipped it back behind his waist. He turned to look at Gwen Stacy, whom he had shielded behind his arm.
Gwen Stacy came to her senses and scrambled out from behind his arm, thanking him as she moved aside. Lin Xiao turned toward the flower bed.
Peter stood there with his mouth open, his gaze darting between Lin Xiao and the distant Lizard. His expression mixed worry, confusion, and a trace of guilt that even he hadn't noticed.
Lin Xiao walked toward him.
His pace wasn't quick, but every step was firm. Peter instinctively retreated half a step, his heel striking the edge of the flower bed, leaving him nowhere else to go. The Fool manifested behind him, its eight legs curling slightly. Two faint lights appeared in the eye sockets of the human-face pattern on its back, as though it were bearing some impending judgment on its master's behalf.
Lin Xiao looked down at the frail boy. This was the first time he had spoken to Peter in such a tone.
"Did you think that warning you just gave was helping her?" His voice wasn't loud, but in the empty field, Peter felt as though every word struck his eardrums directly.
"I... I just wanted her to know..."
"To know that he's Dr. Connors, so she shouldn't hit too hard. I know." Lin Xiao cut him off, his tone still level. "But did you think about what would happen after she heard you say that?"
Peter froze.
"This was her first time facing this monster in battle. She didn't know who he was, what his weaknesses were, or why he'd turned out like this. She knew only one thing-a three-meter-tall green lizard was rampaging through her school and could trample classmates she knew to death at any moment." Lin Xiao took a step forward. "And you, her teammate, suddenly shouted not to hit his head while she was in the thick of the fight."
Peter's face visibly drained from red to white.
"She got distracted for that instant. Because you told her not to hit his head, she really did hesitate-how should she attack, where should she hit, how much should she hold back? On a battlefield, even a fraction of a second's hesitation can get you clawed." Lin Xiao pointed to where the Lizard had just been. "You saw it. Her opponent wasn't going to give her time."
Peter opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but nothing came out.
"If you'd calmly told her what you knew before the battle started-who Connors was, what his weaknesses were, how you suggested dealing with him-that would have been sharing intelligence. Teamwork. If you suddenly shout, 'Don't hit his head,' halfway through a fight, you're distracting your teammate." Lin Xiao bent down until his eyes were level with Peter's. "Sometimes, someone else's life hangs on that one shout you just let out."
Peter lowered his head. His fists were clenched tightly, his knuckles white. The Fool lowered its head behind him as well, and the eye sockets of the face on its back closed.
"I understand." Peter's voice was muffled, trembling uncontrollably. "It was my fault."
"Then fix it." Lin Xiao straightened, his tone suddenly becoming a little lighter. "But there's one thing I do approve of. You thought to warn your teammate, which means your heart's in the right place. Remember this next time, and mind when you say things." He reached out and patted Peter's shoulder.
"When you can't help, quietly do your own part. Protect yourself, and don't cause trouble for your teammates. Can you do that?"
"I can." Peter raised his head, his eyes a little red, but his voice was steadier than before.
Lin Xiao nodded and turned away in satisfaction, then a smile curved his lips. "Of course, special circumstances are another matter."
Peter looked up in confusion, and Lin Xiao continued, "When your teammate is at a disadvantage, remember: sneak attacks, blows from behind, throwing hidden weapons, distracting the enemy-if it's within your ability, you should still do it."
Peter: ...
Lin Xiao reentered the battlefield. Seeing Gwen Stacy and the Lizard fighting away, he charged forward and suddenly grabbed the Lizard's tail. Before the Lizard could react, he hurled him over his shoulder and slammed him into the ground. With a thunderous crash, a huge pit over two meters deep appeared in the ground. The Lizard lay inside, twitching violently. Lin Xiao straightened, rolled his neck, and said to Gwen Stacy,
"Did you hear everything I just said?"
Gwen Stacy didn't answer. She simply took a step forward.
Lin Xiao glanced at the Lizard, then back at Gwen Stacy, his lips moving slightly. "The lecture wasn't meant for you-"
Gwen Stacy interrupted him.
Her voice squeezed out through gritted teeth, each word coming separately. "Fuck! You're Lin Xiao! You bastard! I've been looking for you forever! Eat my fist!"
Lin Xiao moved. He turned sideways to dodge Gwen Stacy's straight right. The Lizard in the pit had actually recovered, too, and charged forward to attack Lin Xiao alongside her. His sweeping tail came straight at Lin Xiao's face. The human and lizard worked together with surprising coordination-as soon as Gwen Stacy's punch missed, the Lizard's claws were already reaching for his lower body. Lin Xiao raised a foot and pinned his claw, only for Gwen Stacy's web to shoot over and wrap around his right arm.
"You two-" Lin Xiao tore the web off his right arm and jumped back a step. "-when did you form an alliance?"
"What alliance? I just can't stand you! You scumbag! You lowlife!" Gwen Stacy threw another punch.
The Lizard beside her gave a low roar and attacked at the same time, coordinating with Gwen Stacy. Peter crouched by the flower bed with an exceedingly complicated expression, unsure who he should help.
Lin Xiao dodged left and right, grabbed Gwen Stacy's ankle, and lifted her upside down, giving her a shake. At the same time, he stepped on the tip of the Lizard's tail, making him spin in place. Even while dealing with two opponents at once, he still had time to turn and shout to Peter, "Peter! See this? This is what a negative example looks like! Sometimes you can't completely trust your teammates, either! You have to keep your guard up!"
"Shut up!" Gwen Stacy drove an elbow into his shoulder. Lin Xiao didn't budge, but her own arm went numb from the impact.
Lin Xiao looked at Gwen Stacy and sighed softly. Is she being tsundere? Wasn't it just that one time I spanked her? But that was for her own good, and I stood her up because I was in a hurry to check my rewards. That made this girl lash out in embarrassment? Still, she's pretty cute, isn't she?