Chapter 23
1306 Words
The Shattered Dream of a Superhero
In that fleeting moment, Li Xin's confidence soared to unprecedented heights.
Even the mightiest weapons of the nation were powerless against him. He felt invincible, the world's true superhero, the epitome of strength!
Who hasn't dreamt of being a hero?
He believed he was the chosen one, heaven's anointed hero!
"Ha ha ha ha!!" Li Xin's laughter echoed through the air.
Hao Jingye, eyes wide with worry, turned to Sheng An, "Sister Sheng!"
With a calm demeanor, Sheng An loaded her gun, aimed it at Li Xin, and spoke in a composed voice, "Li Xin, the idea of an indestructible body originates from Buddhist scriptures, while Iron Man is a Western comic book character. Mixing these cultures just makes you look less cultured!"
As she finished her words, Sheng An pulled the trigger.
This time, the sound was not that of metal clashing.
It was a different sound—
"Aaah!!"
Li Xin's scream pierced the air, a cry of agony.
Following the scream, he plummeted from the sky, crashing heavily onto the ground.
"Bang!" The impact resounded loudly.
Sheng An stepped back with composed grace.
Li Xin writhed on the ground, clutching his hand in agony. A large hole marred his metal arm, emitting a "sizzling" sound, as if something corrosive was eating away at the metal.
Li Xin's cries of pain filled the air.
"Ah! What is this?! What did you do to me?!" His voice was a symphony of agony and confusion.
Sheng An crouched beside him, looking down with a serene smile, and said leisurely, "If I were you, I'd deactivate my powers and break off the metal from my hand right now."
Upon hearing this, Li Xin's helmet and mask vanished, and the golden glow enveloping his body dissipated.
A section of his mechanical arm detached, reverting to his hand, allowing him to recover.
His appearance was fully exposed to Sheng An.
A rather handsome sixteen-year-old boy, with a face full of youthful defiance, eyes wide with anger, hair slightly long and partially covering his brows, stood there in—bear pajamas.
Li Xin panted heavily, about to speak.
The next moment, a gun was pointed at his forehead.
Above him, Sheng An's smile remained unwavering.
Li Xin froze, not daring to move.
Moments later, the spot under the gun's barrel turned to metal.
He was about to resist.
Sheng An's smile didn't waver: "If it's skin, my gun might not work, but if you turn to metal, this gun will be effective..."
Li Xin froze again.
The next moment, the metal under the gun's barrel disappeared, reverting to his ordinary flesh.
In the end, he was still afraid of death and pain.
Around them, the SWAT team surrounded them, guns aimed at Li Xin.
At this moment, whether he turned to metal or not, he was under control.
Li Xin gritted his teeth: "What kind of gun is this?!"
How could it hurt him?
It was impossible.
He was supposed to be invulnerable!
Sheng An: "Metal element ability users can manipulate metals and turn their bodies into metal. You've already become a metal element. Judging by the color, the metals you produce are mostly copper and gold. Copper is easy to handle, gold is a bit more troublesome. Your confidence in being bulletproof suggests your metal contains other elements to increase hardness."
Li Xin: "?"
What was she talking about?
Sheng An: "But it doesn't matter. Your knowledge level is limited, so the metals you produce are mostly common elements. Common metal elements are not hard to deal with. The bullets contain a chemical substance I made, a mixture of concentrated nitric acid and hydrochloric acid in a 1:3 ratio, commonly known as aqua regia."
Li Xin: "??"
His eyes were unfocused, his face bewildered.
She seemed to be mocking him, but he had no proof...
Sheng An: "Aqua regia can dissolve most metal elements, especially your metal shell made of common elements Cu and Au. They're easy to handle. If you had produced some rare elements, it would indeed be troublesome. We might need to call in a chemical expert."
Li Xin: "???"
Sheng An smiled slightly, tapping his head with the gun barrel, "So, young man, read more books before trying to be a superhero."
Li Xin: "........"
—Was she mocking him?!
His mind was buzzing, he was a bit dazed, completely stunned.
He believed he was the chosen one, believed his superpower was invincible. He never expected Sheng An to defeat him using basic high school chemistry.
Copper, gold, concentrated nitric acid, concentrated hydrochloric acid... such familiar content.
Li Xin was completely dazed.
In front of him, Sheng An crouched, aiming the special "bullet" gun at his forehead.
Surrounding them, the SWAT team was ready.
—He couldn't escape.
Li Xin gritted his teeth: "I won't cooperate with you. If you have the guts, kill me!"
Defeated, the young man felt frustrated, but mostly angry.
He was furious, making his last stand.
Sheng An's smile didn't change: "Oh really? You won't cooperate? Then I'll have to get your parents and family to cooperate."
She looked up at the building entrance.
Li Xin was startled, looking over quickly.
The elevator was already controlled by the SWAT team, but the Song family could come out.
At this moment, they stood at the entrance, looking at the scene in fear.
Song Linwei felt his head was about to explode.
They had witnessed Li Xin's arrogance and Sheng An's actions.
If the situation weren't inappropriate, he would have lost control and beaten Li Xin.
Of course, Song Linlin and Li Huai were even more eager to act.
"You're threatening me?!" Li Xin's eyes were bloodshot.
If it were just Sheng An, he would resist, even consider taking down this "villain."
But the SWAT team could easily control his parents.
Sheng An: "You can think that way, but I believe I'm analyzing the situation for you."
Li Xin clenched his fists, cursing: "Sheng An, you're shameless!!"
—At this moment, she resembled a villain blocking the hero.
Sheng An: "Yes, I'm shameless."
Her smile didn't change: "But you stole a kid's Ultraman action figure?"
Li Xin: "......"
He felt inexplicably guilty.
Sheng An stood up, looking at the Song family with a kind attitude:
"Children shouldn't be too spoiled, or they'll become lawless and cause big trouble. What just happened was literally 'tearing the roof off.'"
Li Xin had climbed down from the 17th floor.
After provoking Sheng An, he climbed to the 11th floor, crawling around like a gecko in public, shouting arrogantly...
The Song family had witnessed it all.
Li Huai, breathing heavily, had grabbed a broom before coming down.
Unable to hold back, he charged forward with the broom, "Li Xin! If I don't beat you today, I'm not your dad!!"
"Aaah—"
Li Xin screamed, forgetting to turn to metal.
"Dad, why are you hitting me?"
"Aah! They were stopping me from saving the world."
"It hurts, stop hitting!"
...
Sheng An calmly put away her gun, no longer looking at the father-son scene.
She turned to Hao Jingye, instructing: "I'll take him away first. You handle the aftermath."
Hao Jingye nodded silently.
He had countless plans in mind. Today's commotion was significant, and cleaning up wouldn't be easy.
Of course, it was all because of this wall-crawling, attention-seeking teenager.
Hao Jingye watched Li Huai beat Li Xin, smiling in satisfaction.
—Want to be a superhero?
—Ask your dad first.
After being beaten, Li Xin left dejectedly with Sheng An. The Song family followed, escorted by the SWAT team. Hao Jingye stayed behind to handle the aftermath.
And the dream of being a superhero for the metal element user Li Xin...
was shattered before he even left the neighborhood.
- Writer
