You Are the True Heroes

“This is Los Angeles Channel 7 news helicopter! We're bringing you live coverage... Boom!!!” “Whoa! Dear viewers, I solemnly declare, this is not special effects! Not special effects!” “A fierce police chase is underway on Westwood Boulevard! The robbers in the black Ford SUV just pulled out an RPG. God protect that police car that just got hit.” “Look! The robbers actually have a second RPG! The police are done for. Who can...” “Oh my God!!! The superhero is here!!” Clang!! A bronze sword, trailing a deafening sonic boom, shot across a hundred meters of sky in an instant. As the reporter on the helicopter shouted excitedly, it caught up with the speeding Ford SUV and sliced it in two. The vehicle's body flipped violently to both sides. The robber sitting in the middle of the back seat didn't even have time to scream before he was cut clean in two along the slash, blood spurting out like a spring. Then a young man wearing a blue-and-gold battle suit, with an antique-style bronze breastplate over it, descended swiftly from the sky, dropping to one knee and cracking the ground in a ring around him. “It's Bronze! Our superhero, Bronze!” People nearby recognized him. For a moment, whistles, applause, and cheers rose all around. Hearing fans shout his name, Qi Li turned around as soon as he rose, facing the crowd and flashing the smile that People magazine had ranked among the world's ten most masculine, setting off a wave of screams. “Relax, everyone. Now that I'm here, the danger is gone.” Qi Li waved to the bystanders with reassuring confidence. Then he lifted his chin slightly and, with professional ease, turned the best angle of his profile toward the live camera on the helicopter. Only after doing all that did he calmly walk toward the scene, watched by countless eyes and cameras. By then, the surviving robbers had struggled to their feet. Seeing Qi Li approach, two of the hardened criminals raised their AR-15s with savage eyes and pulled the triggers without hesitation. Rat-tat-tat... Muzzle flashes erupted wildly as dense bullets poured toward Qi Li like a storm. Clink-clink-clink... One distorted brass bullet after another bounced off him and dropped limply to the ground with crisp sounds. Qi Li kept smiling and didn't slow his steps at all. “Fuck! Fuck!” Seeing this, the two criminals completely lost it. They screamed, threw down their rifles, and turned to run. But it was too late. Qi Li was already in front of them. He brought his hands together. With a dull thud, the two criminals' heads smashed together. Their eyes rolled back, and they collapsed on the spot. He turned to the last criminal. That man's face was full of terror. Trembling, he picked up the RPG launcher from the ground, aimed it at Qi Li, and cried out: “Don't come over here!!” Qi Li shook his head. Before the other could pull the trigger. Whir— He instantly appeared at the criminal's side, clamped his fingers around the man's wrist, and gave it a casual twist. “Ahhhh!!!” A shrill scream tore through the sky. The criminal's arm was twisted at a bizarre angle, and a stark white bone spur broke through the skin at his elbow, jutting out. With a clatter, the RPG launcher fell to the ground. The crisis was over. Afterward. The police captain, who had almost met his maker, came to Qi Li with a group of officers and said gratefully, “Thank you, Bronze! We owe you this time for coming so quickly! You're the best superhero!” “No, Captain,” Qi Li said with a serious expression, patting the captain's shoulder. He looked solemnly at all the police present. “It wasn't me. It was you.” “You are the true heroes!” Click! Click! Click! Camera shutters clicked nonstop. Reporters from various news outlets, like sharks that had smelled blood, had arrived and were circling Qi Li. Qi Li put an arm around the captain's shoulder and, before all the large and small cameras, showed his best side just as his agent had instructed. “Bronze, here! Here! Smile this way.” “Bronze, do a cool expression.” “Perfect! Bronze, strike a pose drawing your sword.” “......” After a round of photos, a Vought TV reporter was first to ask, “Bronze, why can you always arrive at crime scenes first?” Qi Li was prepared. His tone was sincere. “Los Angeles is my hometown, the place where I grew up. I love this city deeply. As long as nothing keeps me away, I patrol the city, help the weak, and fight crime. Today was no exception.” The Vought TV reporter's eyes lit up. “Bronze, do you mean you spend most of your day protecting this city?” “Exactly. It's my duty.” Qi Li nodded without hesitation, then changed tack and said with a relaxed smile, “Of course, I still have my own time now and then. You know, like dating.” As he finished, he winked at the camera with his left eye. “Wow! Bronze is so responsible!” “This is what a true superhero looks like!” “I really want to date him!” Whether reporters on the scene or viewers watching the broadcast, everyone felt Qi Li's words were sincere and couldn't stop praising him. The Los Angeles Times reporter had the loudest voice. Raising it over the others, he asked, “Bronze, you're not the city's guardian and don't receive a single cent from the city government, yet you selflessly keep fighting crime. In contrast, Steelclaw Man, who signed the 400-million security contract, is often nowhere to be found and has even been involved in more than one scandal over accidentally killing civilians. What do you think about this?” Hearing this, the Vought reporter's expression changed. Qi Li's expression didn't change. “Steelclaw Man is an excellent superhero and a senior I've always admired. He has made great contributions to this city, and I still have much to learn from him. As for those unpleasant rumors, the facts have already been clarified. There's no need for me to repeat them.” “Next.” With that, without waiting for a reply, Qi Li casually pointed to another reporter. The Fox News reporter was cooperative and asked, “Bronze, your first film, Bronze: Deadly Weapon, has grossed 100 million worldwide. Will there be a sequel? Have you started planning it?” This time Qi Li's smile was absolutely genuine. “Thank you very much to the audience and fans for your support, which made my first film such a success. There will of course be a Bronze 2. In fact, we are carefully polishing the script now. It can be released next year.” He paused and emphasized, “Trust me! This time our film team will put in even more effort. Bronze 2 will definitely be better than Bronze: Deadly Weapon!” The Fox News reporter asked again, “The female lead of your first film, Anya Taylor-Joy, publicly expressed her love for you in an interview yesterday. Bronze, what is your response? Will Anya continue as the female lead in the second film?” “I'm honored. As for the female lead of the second film, the script isn't even finished yet.” Qi Li answered briefly and pointed to the next reporter. “Bronze, I heard you're planning to attend Godkin University? Why?” “Yes. In this superhero profession, I still have a lot of specialized knowledge to learn. Also, if I don't enjoy my college years, it will be a regret in my life.” “Bronze, Lamplighter has officially left the Super Seven. Are you willing to join?” “Of course. Becoming a member of the Super Seven is every superhero's dream.” “Bronze...” Qi Li answered a few more questions and was about to end the interview. Suddenly, the roar of a jet engine came from the sky. Two blazing exhaust trails cut across the sky. Soon, a burly man wearing a yellow battle suit and carrying a jet pack descended from the sky. With a full beard and reeking of alcohol, it was Los Angeles's guardian, the superhero Steelclaw Man. “It's Steelclaw Man!” “He finally found the time to come.” “It's too late now.” Steelclaw Man had arrived late. By the time he landed, the people around could clearly smell the alcohol on him. The media, who had been about to wrap up, crowded around him without hesitation and demanded: “Steelclaw Man, why are you late again?” “In your view, is drinking more important than saving lives?” “What do you think of Bronze, a superhero more dutiful than you?” “The Los Angeles city government is considering not renewing the security contract with Vought. As the person involved, Steelclaw Man, what do you think...” Steelclaw Man, whether because he had drunk too much or because the reporters' questions had made him agitated, immediately flushed red from his neck to his face. In another setting, he would have taught these loudmouthed bastards a lesson. But now, facing the cameras, he could only force a smile and raise his voice to explain, “Everyone! Everyone! In the two years I've served as Los Angeles's guardian, the crime rate in this beautiful city has fallen by 24 percent! That's 24 percent! Data doesn't lie. It proves everything. Okay?” “But that's Bronze's credit, isn't it?” someone retorted loudly. Anger flashed in Steelclaw Man's eyes, then he forced a hearty laugh. “Bronze is a good superhero. I have a good relationship with him. We've always been close partners, even the best comrades. Like this time, Bronze was closer and arrived first.” “Hey, my friend, thanks to you this time.” Saying this, Steelclaw Man strode up to Qi Li and spread his arms with a hearty look, about to give him an enthusiastic hug. A smirk flickered at the corner of Qi Li's mouth, then quickly disappeared. He did not refuse and hugged him back. Click! Click! Click! Under countless camera flashes, Qi Li and Steelclaw Man embraced like superheroes fighting side by side in a movie, full of comradeship. After that, the two became even more like brothers, throwing their arms around each other's shoulders and striking various poses for the cameras. When the noise died down. After signing autographs one by one for the fans who had waited so long, Qi Li bent his knees slightly and leaped into the air amid gasps, vanishing in an instant. Before long, however, the roar of a jet pack came from behind him. Steelclaw Man caught up to him. His tone was hard and cold, all the earlier warmth gone. “Kid, we need to talk.” “Sure.” The corner of Qi Li's mouth curved. Boom! Dust from the ground hung in the air in an instant and swept outward in all directions. Qi Li descended from the air and looked around. This was an abandoned factory district. All around were only waist-high weeds and rust-covered old warehouses. It was so remote that not a soul was in sight. Steelclaw Man landed right behind him. As soon as they were in an empty place, he dropped his earlier act. His eyes burning with anger, he closed in and grabbed Qi Li by the collar, saying viciously: “Kid, you crossed the line!” Qi Li glanced expressionlessly at the bulging knuckles of the hand gripping his collar, then raised his head and asked in confusion: “What do you mean, I crossed the line?” Hearing this, Steelclaw Man became even angrier. Three steel claws immediately extended from his knuckles, the sharp tips pressing against Qi Li's neck. Feeling the cold touch against his neck, Qi Li reminded him, “Hey, buddy! Calm down! Calm down!” Steelclaw Man didn't listen. His rough, bearded face leaned close with a ferocious expression. Emphasizing every word, he said, “This city is mine! This place is my territory alone! I've tolerated you long enough. From today on, you are not to save anyone! You are not to fight crime! And you are absolutely not to appear before the media anymore! Understand?” Qi Li, of course... understood. Although he had already come to understand how humanlike the superheroes in this world were, hearing Steelclaw Man, the city's guardian, state it so plainly, he still shook his head slightly. “I don't understand. Saving the dying and healing the wounded, fighting crime, saving the world—aren't these the things we superheroes should do?” As Qi Li said this, the hidden camera on his battle suit had already silently turned on. Hearing this, Steelclaw Man seemed to have heard a huge joke and couldn't help mocking, “A baby who hasn't been weaned! Naive! Stupid!” “Superheroes? Haha! Remember, our fucking responsibility is not to save those idiots high out of their minds. It's to fucking make money! Make money for the Vought Group! Make money for ourselves! Do you understand now?” At this moment, Qi Li believed that if he argued any further, Steelclaw Man, whose eyes were now full of malice and killing intent, would definitely tear him in two. As expected. This guy wasn't Wolverine. He wasn't even Sabretooth. When Qi Li first heard about his abilities, he had even asked around about him out of curiosity. As it turned out... He drank heavily, did drugs, slept around, was hypocritical, hot-tempered, irresponsible, and had even committed numerous indiscriminate killings. You could say he had accumulated too many flaws. He was the complete opposite of the radiant Wolverine-like image he portrayed in his own films. Of course, Qi Li's own personality also differed somewhat from his movie persona. But then again... He thought: This gives me a reason to kill you. Qi Li's eyes flickered. With the most righteous tone, he replied, “No! I don't understand! What you're saying is not what superheroes should do. You've completely fallen, Steelclaw Man!” “Then go to hell!!” Steelclaw Man felt no burning from the light of righteousness. He only felt an intense irritation. Now he was going to kill and dismember Qi Li! Qi Li moved faster. He kicked Steelclaw Man in the knee. Steelclaw Man couldn't dodge. With a heavy thud, he fell to one knee and smashed a deep pit into the ground. The three sharp steel claws that had been about to pierce Qi Li dropped along with him.