In a filthy street, a boy with a vacant expression was rummaging through a trash can, searching for something to eat.
He was wearing a gray long-sleeved shirt and pants, covered in stains that obscured the numbers on them. In this cold winter, his worn clothes seemed thin, but he didn't seem to feel cold at all.
The boy looked to be around fourteen or fifteen years old, like a mixed-race child. He had black eyes and black hair, but his features were as defined as a European's. These two characteristics combined to create a handsome and dashing face that was both beautiful and spirited.
(I hope no one will criticize me for this description of his appearance. I know that Asians can also have defined features.)
The boy's face was dirty from his time on the streets, covered in dirt and grime. Despite this, his delicate skin was still visible.
The boy finally found half a stale loaf of bread in the trash can. His vacant eyes brightened. He quickly and carefully wrapped the bread in its packaging to avoid getting his hands dirty.
Then, he quickly stuffed the bread into his mouth, swallowing it in two or three bites. The dry bread was a bit choking, and coupled with the boy's speed, he started coughing.
"Cough, cough, cough!" The boy quickly patted his chest and picked up the water bottle beside him, which contained another of his recent trash-diving finds: half a bottle of mineral water.
The boy quickly unscrewed the cap and drank several mouthfuls of cold water to stop the choking.
The boy had forgotten why he was here, forgotten his name and everything about his past.
He only remembered waking up on the coast, then wandering aimlessly until he ended up on this street, because the garbage bins here often had leftover food.
The boy devoured the food, wolfing down half a piece of bread and some water in a few gulps. This small amount of food wasn't enough to fill him up, so he started rummaging through the trash again.
Just as the boy was getting into it, a voice suddenly rang out.
"Hey! You damn yellow monkeys, hand over your money if you don't want to eat lead!"
The boy looked up at the sound and saw that three people had appeared in the alley at some point. One of them was holding a gun, shouting at a middle-aged couple across from him.
The couple were both yellow-skinned Asians, and both looked honest and simple.
It seemed they were just coming off work and passing through the alley when they were suddenly robbed.
The man looked very honest. He nervously shielded his wife behind him and then tremblingly fished out his wallet.
The woman also stood behind the man, very nervous, clutching his clothes tightly.
The man pulled out his money, resigned to his bad luck. Who told him he had to run into a robber? This situation used to be common, but now, because of the Evil Spirits and those masked heroes, it wasn't so frequent.
Although the crime rate had dropped a lot, it didn't mean it was completely gone. There were still some people blinded by money who would take risks.
The robber looked at the dawdling man, impatiently shouting, "Damn it! Do you have Parkinson's? Why are you so slow? I'll give you ten more seconds. If you don't get the money out, I'll let you taste what a bullet feels like!"
Meng Ran, hearing this, became even more nervous. He and his beloved ran a Chinese restaurant, and they did take the money they earned home to deposit regularly.
But because they had lost money once before, Meng Ran had sewn an inner pocket into his pants, so the money wouldn't be easily lost.
Now the money was indeed not easy to lose, but it was also not easy to take out. That's why he had been so slow. Now, startled by the robber's loud shout, his movements became more chaotic.
The robber's expression turned impatient as he watched the man continuously rummage through his pockets.
In his opinion, this detestable Asian man was deliberately stalling for time. Since the man was toying with him, he'd teach him a lesson.
The robber's face turned cruel; he lowered his gun and aimed at the man's leg, firing a shot.
The man fell to the ground, groaning in pain. The woman beside him was terrified, holding him and weeping uncontrollably.
Finally, the woman produced the money. Seeing this, the robber snatched it away.
"Heh heh heh, what a great haul today! It's worth the risk I took." The robber grinned, his ugly face twisted into a gruesome expression as he looked at the thick wad of money.
The robber put the money in his pocket, then raised his gun at the man groaning on the ground and the crying woman, saying, "Since you're so sad, I'll be merciful and send you on your way. After all, there are so many of you yellow-skinned monkeys; one or two deaths won't matter."
With that, the robber revealed a vicious smile, aimed his gun at the man and woman on the ground, and prepared to pull the trigger.
The man on the ground watched the robber's actions, feeling only despair and regret. He should have resisted earlier, allowing his wife to escape.
Initially, he'd planned to sacrifice some money to avoid trouble, fearing that fighting back might harm his wife.
But he hadn't anticipated that this lunatic of a robber wouldn't be satisfied with just taking their money; he wanted their lives.
Alas, there's no undoing the past. The man couldn't foresee the future. Now, he could only shield his wife, taking the consequences upon himself, hoping to give her a chance to survive.
The robber, sneering, raised his gun to shoot, but then a sudden kick sent him slamming into the wall. Every bone in his body shattered, and his life swiftly faded away.
The robber had been kicked into the wall, his bones breaking and puncturing his internal organs, leading to his death.
The couple, slumped on the ground, looked up at the sound. They saw the robber lying dead by the wall, spitting blood.
A boy with red eyes and covered in dirt was panting heavily, glaring fiercely at the dead robber.
Suddenly, a dark shadow descended from the sky, landing between the boy and the couple. The shadow was none other than Meng Ran.
As soon as Meng Ran landed, the boy's crimson eyes immediately locked onto him, and then he kicked out once more.
Meng Ran, ignoring the approaching boy, turned to check on the man's injuries.
Just as the boy was about to attack Meng Ran, a thick, long black tentacle appeared behind Meng Ran and whipped the boy away.
Meng Ran, still crouching on the ground and attending to the man's injuries, didn't stop his actions at all, completely ignoring the boy who had just tried to attack him and was then whipped away.
Soon, Meng Ran finished treating the wounds and bandaged the man. He then helped the couple to their feet.
"Thank you! I know you're an Evil Spirit, but thank you so much!" The man, his face pale from blood loss, revealed a smile of relief, sincerely thanking Meng Ran.
The woman was no longer afraid and thanked Meng Ran along with her husband.
Meng Ran replied in a hoarse voice, "Don't mention it. Go home quickly. Remember to go to the hospital first and get a blood transfusion. He's lost a lot of blood."
"I'll handle the dead person and that boy. You don't need to worry about them."
The man and woman nodded in agreement and then helped each other out of the alley.
Just a few steps later, the woman turned back to face Meng Ran, looking somewhat embarrassed. "I know this is presumptuous, but I'd like to ask you to spare the boy's life. I can feel that he was trying to protect us."
"He didn't mean any harm to you, he was just a bit impulsive. I'm truly sorry for the trouble," the woman said, apologizing to Meng Ran.
Meng Ran paused, then said, "I understand."
Hearing this, the woman also helped the man and left the alley.
Meng Ran watched their departing figures and thought to himself, Looks like you didn't save the wrong people, you hothead.
Meng Ran then turned around, looking at the boy who had been whipped into the trash heap and was just now standing up.
The red in the boy's eyes had faded, replaced by the same confusion as before.
He looked at Meng Ran, who was dressed as an Evil Spirit, as if contemplating who this person was, what he had just done, and why his face felt a little sore.
Meng Ran looked at the bewildered boy, and he was also somewhat puzzled. Why does this little kid look so silly, not very bright?
Suppressing his inner thoughts, Meng Ran then asked, "Kid, who are you?"
-----------------------
Completed English PDF of this fan-fic on my Patreon shop if you want to support and own the full fan-fic in one go. Just grab the PDF and binge the entire story from start to finish!
Guys, I've uploaded some High Quality english translated fanfic on my Patreon shop! Feel free to check it out-if you're interested, you can grab a copy and support me there.
Here are a few titles of recently uploaded fanfics:
" Marvel Rise of the Spider-Verse "
" Marvel: The Multiverse Wanderer "
" Marvel: Wrath of the Dark Superman "
"Marvel's Power Fusion "
" Marvel's Divine Game Producer "
" Marvel: System of the Cosmic Devourer "
" Marvel: Hyperion Journey "
"Marvel of the Genesis Transformation"
many more are available
Your support means a lot-thanks in advance, legends!
patreon.com/SuperTL
(End of Chapter)