A sharp screech of metal grated through the air.
A fully loaded bus slammed into Marcus Lee's pale hand as if hitting an immovable mountain.
The front of the bus crumpled, the engine died instantly, but Marcus… not a single hair was out of place.
He even had time to flash the stunned passengers a perfect, eight-toothed smile.
"Is everyone okay?"
He effortlessly ripped the bus door off and cradled the driver like a baby chick before gently placing him on the ground.
Ding! Popularity +54
Ding! Popularity +31
Ding! Popularity +36
"Better than nothing…" Marcus muttered to himself.
Three days later 2:00 PM.
"Robbery! Bank robbery!"
A black Dodge Charger roared out of the bank. The robbers sprayed automatic gunfire, trying to hold off the arriving NYPD.
"Move! Get out of the way!"
"This stuff's heavy! We don't wanna die "
Boom!
A thunderous explosion.
The three robbers didn't even see what had hit them.
"Boss… look up what is that?"
The leader glanced up and cursed, "Damn it! That cloaked freak! Open fire! Take him down!"
Rat-a-tat-tat!
Three AR-15 rifles erupted, firing 5.56mm rounds like rain at the descending figure.
Clang… clang… thunk… thunk…
Every bullet bounced off Marcus, clanging onto the asphalt.
"D-Demon…"
"Keep going," Marcus said with a smile, beckoning them with a finger.
"Die! Just die!" the leader screamed, emptying his magazine.
Zzz
A faint red glow appeared in Marcus Lee's eyes.
In the next instant, two precise heat beams sliced through the weapons in the robbers' hands.
Ssssh!
The intense heat instantly turned the gray metal to red hot.
"Ahhhhhhh!"
The leader let out an inhuman scream.
The AR-15s melted under the heat vision. Molten steel fused with plastic… sticking to his hands.
"My hand! My hand!" Robber A screamed, rolling on the ground, his charred and mangled limb useless.
The other two criminals were terrified, dropping their half-melted guns and falling to their knees, hands raised.
"Don't kill us! We surrender! We surrender!"
Marcus retracted his gaze, satisfied.
"That's more like it."
He descended slowly, his starlit cape unfurling like a banner behind him.
The police arrived in time, mouths agape.
"The Patriot!"
"Oh my God, he's incredible!"
"I love you, Patriot!"
Fans and reporters swarmed him.
"Everyone, please stay orderly," Marcus instantly switched to his "perfect hero" mode, a dazzling smile on his face.
He posed with his signature hands-on-hips stance, taking photos with ecstatic female fans.
"Mr. Patriot! What's your opinion on this robbery?" a reporter pushed forward.
"I'm glad no New Yorkers were hurt," he said solemnly to the camera. "But I want to remind potential criminals so long as I'm here, your good days are over."
Ding! Popularity +1250
Ding! Popularity +825
Ding! Popularity +762
Ding! Power slightly increased
Feeling a warm surge in his body, Marcus squinted in delight.
4:00 PM, Queens.
"Meow… meow…"
High up in a sturdy oak tree, a tabby cat clung tightly to a branch, trembling.
Below, a little girl with pigtails teared up.
"Kitty! Come down! Kitty!"
"Sweetie, don't cry. We'll get the firefighters "
"No need, ma'am."
A gentle voice came from above.
The mother and daughter looked up to see a figure bathed in sunlight, godlike in presence.
Marcus Lee slowly descended; the frightened cat calmed, licking his gloved hand.
He landed in front of the girl, crouching so his tall frame folded neatly.
"Is this yours, sweetheart?"
"...Yes," the child said, wide-eyed and stunned.
"Here you go." He handed her the cat. "Watch her; she was terrified."
"...Thank you, Mr. Patriot!" The girl smiled, awestruck.
"Wow, he even saved the kitten!"
"Now that's a real hero!"
Neighbors' phones buzzed nonstop.
Ding! Popularity +920
Ding! Popularity +1152
Ding! Popularity +1163
"Damn cat," Marcus muttered. "Still gotta milk this popularity… But this works better than stopping robbers? This country is insane."
Yet, just as he thought he was about to claim the crown of "New York's Most Popular," the system showed negative ratings.
Ding! Popularity -15
Ding! Popularity -40
Ding! Popularity -22
Marcus Lee lounged by the rooftop pool, eyes closed in the sun, and suddenly opened them.
"Hmm?"
"Popularity dropped… not much, but steadily."
He frowned this was not a good sign.
Casually scrolling through social media, he quickly found the source… staring at the headlines, he smirked irritably.
Horn Daily: "Hero or the Next Tyrant?"
New York Post: "The Star-Spangled Devil: Does the Patriot's Power Need Regulation?"
Fox News guest commentator: "We don't need God teaching us how to cross the street! Yesterday he saved a fire, but destroyed half a floor who pays for that?"
He grabbed the remote and turned on the TV.
On screen, a square-bearded man shouted furiously:
"...He is a threat! A threat wrapped in our flag!!"
The man jabbed at a high-resolution photo.
The video showed a robber's hand fused by heat vision, carried away by medical personnel his limb irreparable.
"Look at this! A hero?!" J. Jonah Jameson spat his words like fire. "A real hero would never do this! This is vigilantism! Torture! Abuse!"
"Look at this too!"