Warming Up

Brooklyn, New York. A Toyota riddled with bullet holes across its trunk sped recklessly down the avenue. Close behind, three police cruisers pursued with sirens blaring. "Fuck! Fuck! Goddamn pigs!" Behind the wheel of the Toyota, a young Black man who had wiped out his entire neighboring household just because they were too noisy glanced in the rearview mirror and slammed his foot down on the gas pedal. Wasn't police response time supposed to be terrible? Why the hell were they so fast on him? God was damn unfair! *Tap, tap, tap.* A polite knock sounded against the driver's side window. *What the hell?* The young man whipped his head around, only to see a figure in a blue-and-gold battle suit flying sideways just outside, keeping exact pace with the speeding car. "Sir, you're speeding. Please pull over immediately," Qi Li called out cheerfully through the glass. "Fuck you!" Without a second thought, the young man raised his handgun and fired twice through the window. *Bang! Bang!* Both shots punched through empty air. He stared in stunned disbelief out the vacant window. "Where'd he go?" "Right here." A voice came softly from his right side. A shudder ran through him. He jerked around, only to find Qi Li sitting comfortably in the passenger seat, flashing a grin and giving another friendly wave. "Your door wasn't locked." With that, Qi Li reached over. *Screeech—* The screech of rubber tearing across pavement shrieked through the air. The speeding Toyota ground to a violent halt. Before the pursuing officers could even exit their cruisers, Qi Li climbed out holding the unconscious young man by the collar and strolled toward them. He hadn't walked far before a crew of Vought reporters materialized out of nowhere, thrusting microphones forward in an expertly coordinated ambush. "Bronze! What just happened? Did you just apprehend another criminal?" "I was just flying by when I spotted our brave police officers in pursuit of a suspect, so I dropped down to lend a little hand." "That's hardly a little hand! As far as we know, you've been cracking down on crime every single day recently, saving countless lives. What's truly remarkable is that throughout all these incidents, not a single innocent civilian has been harmed. How do you pull that off?" "It's nothing special—I simply put the safety of the public first at all times." "Lord, that's the most heartwarming thing I've ever heard!" "Thank you... Everyone! Everyone, please, don't focus all the lenses on me. You should turn them toward the dedicated officers handling this incident. They're the real heroes here..." *** Still in Brooklyn. Inside a cavernous warehouse club, sporadic, ear-splitting gunshots echoed out. Qi Li dropped out of the sky. A precinct captain coordinating the perimeter cordon hurried over to brief him. "Two active shooters, of Middle Eastern descent, former special forces... Their marksmanship is lethal!" Qi Li understood at once. Another classic disaster cooked up by America's own hands. In all likelihood, whatever proxy faction they had backed in the Middle East had collapsed, and following standard protocol, loyal henchmen like these gunmen were brought stateside—only to be completely abandoned without any resettlement support, plunging them straight into destitution. Naturally, they put a lifetime of lethal training to use taking revenge on society. Qi Li asked, "How many civilians are still inside?" The captain wiped sweat from his brow. "We're not entirely sure. Probably... quite a few." Qi Li glanced at him, wasted no more words, stepped over the yellow tape, and slipped inside without making a sound. One minute later. *Thud! Thud!* Two corpses with grotesquely twisted necks were tossed out the front doors. Qi Li emerged behind them, leading at least thirty weeping, overjoyed survivors through the entrance. *Click! Flash! Click!* A flurry of camera flashes erupted instantly. It was the same Vought reporter, shouting into his microphone, "Bronze, you've saved lives yet again! Over these past few days, countless New Yorkers have become your devoted fans! Do you have anything you'd like to say?" Qi Li turned toward the camera with an earnest, solemn expression. "With great power comes great responsibility." *** *"The Bronze Storm has officially begun!"* *"Fifteen days! Twenty-seven violent felonies thwarted! Sixty-two innocent lives saved!"* *"That was the most hopeless day of my life! I prayed to God over and over, and finally Bronze showed up! He saved my life! In my heart, he is the greatest superhero in the world!"* *"Yes, our entire family loves Bronze! My son's bedroom is already plastered with Bronze posters, action figures, and toys. I heard they're releasing a collector's edition figurine soon, and I'm definitely buying it—not for my son, for myself!"* *"Bronze is the real deal! It was an absolute tragedy he didn't make the Seven last time! The selection had to be rigged—I demand a recount!"* *"The legend of Bronze continues! And we'll be right there to witness every step..."* *** Queens, dusk. A colossal display screen on the facade of a shopping mall looped news clips and interviews featuring Bronze. When Qi Li touched down on a nearby rooftop, the massive billboard behind him illuminated his back in brilliant, shifting colors. "Target acquired." He reported quietly into his earpiece to Vought's Crime Analytics department, then glanced over his shoulder at the screen celebrating his heroic rescues. Turning back, he fixed his eyes on the edge of the roof, where a middle-aged man visibly crushed by the weight of life stood perched. Over the past two weeks, to build anticipation for his upcoming debut in the Seven, Qi Li had run himself ragged hitting every corner of New York. Backed by real-time intelligence from Crime Analytics, he had ruthlessly stamped out criminal activity across the city, saturating social media feeds around the clock. By now, the hype was roaring at a fever pitch. In just one more week, the big reveal would arrive. Qi Li was genuinely looking forward to it. Of course, the task at hand still demanded a flawless finish. He looked at the man in the cheap, rumpled suit, who had edged a few inches closer to the drop upon seeing him land. Offering a gentle smile, Qi Li cautioned, "Sir, what you're doing is very dangerous. Whatever the reason, I wouldn't recommend going through with it." The man shook his head violently, his voice trembling with conviction. "No! I'm serious!" Qi Li gave an understanding nod. "I see... I admire your courage, sir, but life is a precious gift. For a Christian, taking your own life goes against God's will. You'd be damned to hell, wouldn't you?" The man blinked in surprise, then shook his head again and earnestly corrected him, "No, I'm a Buddhist. No matter how I die, I'm going to hell anyway." *A Buddhist?* Now it was Qi Li's turn to freeze. He stared at the man's distinctly Caucasian face. Well, talk about an endangered species. Qi Li held out his hands placatingly. "Fair enough, sir. But you must realize that with me standing right here, even if you jump, I can easily catch you on the way down. Or perhaps you just want to feel the thrill of a free fall? That's fine—I can grant you that wish." The man stared back at Qi Li, then nervously leaned forward to peer over the edge into the dizzying drop, visibly hesitating. Right at that moment, the giant billboard behind Qi Li suddenly cut away to breaking news. *"Breaking update! Tonight at the Believe Expo, Starlight publicly alleged that she was sexually assaulted!"* *"Starlight: 'If you've had premarital sex, that's not immoral. It's human! What's truly immoral is the sick bastard who shoved it down my throat!'"* Qi Li turned around to stare at Starlight's face on the screen, letting out a stunned murmur. "Whoa..." Remembering his manners, he turned back to comfort the suicidal man. "See? Even a superhero like Starlight has to deal with... setbacks that terrible. Sir, what could you possibly have that you can't let go of?" Instead of being consoled, the man grabbed his head with both hands, groaning in agonized despair. "No!! Not my goddess Starlight!!!" Without another word, in a state of far deeper desperation than before, he hurled himself off the roof. Qi Li: "..." What a wonderful day, wasn't it? He shook his head, and in a blur of motion, dove straight after him.