Chapter 14: Chapter 14
The residents began whispering among themselves.
"Dad, didn't you say that the police would definitely win?"
"Well... it must be because that mutant is too powerful, such a powerful mutant is indeed rare!"
"But in the end, he still ran away, didn't look that powerful, hahaha..."
The father quickly laughed it off to mask his embarrassment.
Although what he said did make some sense, the power of the mutant had still left a deep impression on the girl's mind.
Not just them, other residents also started discussing.
"We lost, huh? Those officers are too weak, they are just a waste of taxpayer money."
"Yeah, really useless, where is all the taxpayers' money going!"
The recent events had shocked them deeply; their perception of powerful, armed officers being defeated by a single mutant? Even though the young mutant seemed to have been driven away in the end, it didn't change the fact of their defeat and heavy losses.
In the crowd, a young man in a suit holding a camera was all lit up.
"Big news! A video of a mutant battling the police, this will definitely make waves online!" Denim said excitedly.
Especially since the police didn't win, it was even more sensational! He decided to edit the video a bit and then upload it online, he even thought of a title already.
'Mutant Youth Battles Police, Police Outmatched!' Denim's eyes sparkled.
As he prepared to upload the video, and the residents were shocked by the police's defeat and the youth's strength, Chris, among the crowd of onlookers, was also in shock.
Earlier he had been worried, afraid that the kid might have died, but now...
He could hardly believe that the youth, who he thought only had the ability to absorb sunlight and engage in hand combat, actually possessed such strong abilities! Oh, now he understood everything.
"The basement before, and suddenly appearing upstairs..."
Chris pieced everything together in his mind, shocked.
Energy comparable to armor-piercing rounds, and instantaneous movement...
So, the kid really did fly up to the bedroom before...
Chris couldn't help but laugh and cry.
"So this is the 'little bit of power' the kid said he was hiding?"
He initially thought the kid was only hiding one ability, but it turned out he was hiding two more? Thinking back to how he had earlier praised the other party, thinking they were doing the right thing, Chris felt a bit embarrassed.
However, speaking of which, the kid did have quite a variety of powers.
Instantaneous movement, black energy, the previously revealed solar absorption, and that mirror-like ability—did the kid have a total of four powers?
"Four abilities, indeed not bad, although each isn't very strong, it's rare among mutants," Chris mused.
While the other's abilities were still not as strong as those of powerful mutants, relying on four abilities gave him a decent combat capability, and overall utility was good.
"Did the kid just slip away because he couldn't use his powers anymore, or was he running out of stamina?"
Chris thoughtfully, drawing on his rich experience, sensed something amiss.
It seems the kid's abilities weren't as convenient as he thought...
Finally, Chris's bearded face broke into a smile, "I wonder what Magneto would look like if he knew he had a son with decent abilities."
"And that Professor X..."
"I remember those two are still at odds right now, really interesting. I'd love to see their faces when they find out, haha..."
As a former member of the mutant Brotherhood, he naturally knew some things about the two, aware that they had once been very close friends, only to part ways later due to differing ideals.
Professor X believed mutants could coexist peacefully with humans, whereas Magneto thought mutants were superior and that humans, who had always harmed mutants, should be eliminated.
The two continued to fight for their respective ideals, Professor X's X-Men and Magneto's Brotherhood still often clashed.
But, even now, when the two met, they could still talk like friends, each deeply trusting the other.
Chris couldn't help but imagine the expressions on their faces once they knew the identity of the kid.
As he fantasized, police sirens sounded in the distance, several police cars and ambulances gathered around.
Captain George watched as his team members were loaded into ambulances, hate flashing in his eyes, as well as anger towards those who provided incorrect intelligence.
He began organizing data, preparing to report the details of the battle and the intelligence error to the base chief, Alexander.
At the same time, he planned to question Captain Kenny about why he provided incorrect intelligence that led to the death of five of his team members!
That brat, clearly not as weak as the intelligence indicated. If it weren't for the faulty intel, they wouldn't have underestimated the enemy and suffered such losses...
As he organized the reportable information, Syd Castell, who had fled into a dark alley, walked without knowing where to go.
Leaving Chris's house, he only then remembered that he seemed to have nowhere to go.
Not only did he not have a place to stay, but he also had no money...
Memories of his foster family came back to him.
"No, I can't go back there."
Syd shook his head.
Maybe the moment he arrived, he'd be captured by the authorities.
As he frowned and pondered, the sound of soft footsteps came from nearby.
"Who's there?" he looked over.
He was momentarily stunned at the sight; three disheveled black men holding sticks and other objects were looking at him with ill intent.
"What do you want?" Syd frowned.
Seeing that he noticed them, the three black men chuckled.
"What do we want, hehe..."
They glanced at each other, a malicious gleam in their eyes.
"Kid, hand over your money and belongings, don't make us get rough."
"Don't think about resisting…" The tall Eli smiled broadly, swinging his stick.
The three looked at him menacingly, their eyes filled with scorn, not believing the skinny young man in front of them could do anything about it.
Just this little arm and leg, they could handle him with one hand, haha...
Syd had an expression of 'just as expected'.
At this point, he was too lazy to complain. Who knew walking through a dark alley could actually lead to encountering thugs?
He had wondered where all those thugs for superheroes to fight came from, turns out he was overthinking it; this place was a mix of prosperity and chaos?
Thinking this, he coldly said, "I have no money or possessions on me, I advise you to leave, otherwise…"
With his current fragile body, naturally, he was no match for the three tall, strong black men; to resist, he would have to use his powers...
Eli and the others were startled, then all somewhat laughed, thinking the young man in front of them must be crazy to talk like that.
(End of Chapter)