Chapter 18: One More Superhero, Please!
Du Xin was deep in thought—not about whether Li Xiao could be trusted, but rather whether he should drag Li Xiao into this whole mess.
"I'm hanging up. Let's switch to a video call!"
In the end, Du Xin decided to tell him the truth. He didn't actually have many enemies—or, at least, no one capable of posing a real threat to him. And since he was setting out to create a "superhero," doing it all by himself simply wouldn't be enough of a spectacle; he really needed to bring a few more people on board.
"Holy crap! Third Bro! It really *is* you!"
The moment the video call connected, Li Xiao let out a loud shout.
"Didn't you guess as much ages ago? You're supposed to be the smartest guy in our dorm."
"Guessing is one thing; actually *seeing* it is another entirely, okay? Did you stumble upon some miraculous stroke of luck? Or did your parents—the ones who vanished years ago—finally track you down, only to reveal they've become billionaires? Or maybe..."
"Aren't you worried I might have just robbed someone?"
Du Xin cut off Li Xiao's wild, nonsensical speculation.
"You? Have the guts for that? I lived with you for years—do you really think I wouldn't know if you had that kind of capability?"
Li Xiao cast a skeptical glance at Du Xin.
"Pfft! There's plenty you *don't* know about me! I just chose not to flaunt my talents!"
"Actually, the one thing I really want to ask you is... how on earth did you lose all that weight?"
Another awkward silence stretched on for nearly half a minute before Du Xin finally broke the tension.
"...Just come over here."
"...Alright."
Du Xin decided to grant Li Xiao a superpower as well. However, he needed to keep the existence of the "System" a secret from him; therefore, he resolved to tweak the details of his own "miraculous encounter" and spin a slightly altered version of the story for Li Xiao.
Half a day later—after Du Xin had spent the intervening time devouring a deluge of online articles ranging from "Must-Read Tales of Young Tycoons and High-Society Heiresses" to "How Superheroes Are Forged: A Discussion on 'Captain China'"—Li Xiao finally arrived in Du Xin's city.
After picking Li Xiao up at the airport, Du Xin led him back to his apartment building.
"Third Bro, seriously—how did you lose the weight? It hasn't even been a week, yet you've changed so drastically. If I didn't know you inside out, I wouldn't have even recognized you."
Li Xiao didn't ask about the money right away; instead, his first concern was Du Xin's physical condition. That, right there, was precisely why Du Xin had never had any doubts about Li Xiao's character.
"Let me show you something!"
With a thought, Du Xin instantly donned the "Captain China" uniform stored within his System Space—and just like that, his signature, flamboyant persona made its reappearance. "...Wh—wha—what the hell?! You... Captain!! Old Three! You are absolutely badass!!"
After staring blankly for two seconds, Li Xiao began jumping and shouting throughout the building, constantly circling around Du Xin—one moment examining the shield, the next prodding at the uniform.
"How the hell did you pull this off?! I thought you just suddenly came into some money! I never imagined you actually had superpowers!!"
Li Xiao exclaimed excitedly, but then suddenly froze again, asking with a look of anxiety:
"You didn't use your powers to do anything bad, did you, Old Three...?"
"Alright, alright—my necklace and my superpowers actually come from the exact same source!"
"You *stole* your superpowers, too?!"
A row of dark lines appeared on Du Xin's forehead.
"Can't you think of something positive for a change? Do you remember that rock? The one I accidentally sat on? It seemed to change somehow right after that! Later, I threw it away, but it inexplicably reappeared back at my place—and shortly after that, I gained my superpowers!"
As he spoke, Du Xin puffed out his chest and lifted his chin with a look of smug pride.
"You mean that rock *gave* you superpowers? That is so epic!"
"Pretty much. Hey, Li Da—do you want to be a superhero?"
...
"You can actually *give* superpowers to other people?! I want in! I want in! I've wanted this for ages! I've dreamed about it!"
Li Xiao leaped into the air with excitement. A superhero—that would be so cool!
"So, what kind of superhero do you want to be?"
"Iron Man! I want to be Iron Man! Is that possible?"
...
"Uh... no, actually. I tried that earlier. The energy contained within this rock is enough to create *another* superhero, but they definitely wouldn't be as powerful as I am. Plus, the powers would be limited to physical enhancements—though I *can* fabricate the gear and equipment for you directly."
"...And yet you told me I could pick whatever I wanted."
After sulking for half a second, Li Xiao began to rethink his options. "As for the physical aspect—since we're dealing with a mutant, we need someone immortal, but not someone too hideous. The Hulk is out! Nightcrawler is out! That leaves only Uncle Wolverine; give me a Wolverine!"
"Alright! However, Wolverine doesn't require a massive amount of energy. By the looks of it, you'll end up being even stronger than Wolverine—much in the same way that I am far stronger than Captain America!"
As he spoke, Du Xin drew a massive mass of World Force from his pocket dimension. Although the World Force within that dimension wasn't yet sufficient to evolve the world itself, its sheer volume had long since grown immense; consequently, the amount he extracted actually exceeded the total quantity he had possessed when he first acquired the system.
The World Force coalesced into a small stone—identical to the one used previously. Du Xin pressed the stone against Li Xiao's forehead, and instantly, a large cocoon erupted into existence, enveloping Li Xiao completely. Mindful of whether Li Xiao's body could withstand the strain, Du Xin cautiously channeled the World Force to wash over him; the transformation proceeded slowly and meticulously...
In the blink of an eye, half a day had passed. Li Xiao's physical attributes had already surpassed those of an ordinary human tenfold. While he still couldn't quite match Du Xin's level, Wolverine wasn't exactly known for excelling in sheer physical strength to begin with.
During this process, Du Xin had gained a deeper insight into the laws governing his pocket dimension—specifically, the ability to solidify World Force-based laws onto a specific object or living being. However, since he was currently operating outside the pocket dimension itself, Du Xin was compelled to proceed with extreme caution, gradually and painstakingly altering the fundamental laws governing Li Xiao's body.
Li Xiao had long since lost consciousness; Du Xin had deliberately knocked him out early on, unable to let him endure the excruciating agony that accompanied the initial stages of physical augmentation.
Through a ceaseless cycle of destruction and regeneration, Li Xiao's body gradually acquired the inherent trait of rapid healing. If one were to inflict a ten-centimeter gash on Li Xiao's arm right now, it would completely seal up in less than two seconds—without even shedding a single drop of blood.
Du Xin had also taken the opportunity to significantly enhance the physical durability of Li Xiao's body; this meant that, from this point forward, ordinary physical attacks would be utterly incapable of inflicting any harm upon him.
The transformation continued, moving on to the next stage: the installation of Wolverine's signature weapon—his claws.
Du Xin channeled the World Force directly into Li Xiao's skeletal structure. The resulting agony was so intense that Li Xiao—despite being in a state of deep, induced coma—broke out in a profuse, cold sweat. Left with no other choice, Du Xin was forced to expend additional World Force to temporarily sever Li Xiao's pain receptors and neural pathways. As his skeleton slowly underwent metallization, Du Xin—having mastered his newly bestowed abilities—no longer needed to expend vast amounts of World Force to forcibly reinforce its hardness. Instead, he directly imbued the metal bones with the property of indestructibility, while simultaneously nullifying their susceptibility to magnetic attraction. And just like that, a perfect Wolverine was born.
Half an hour later, Li Xiao woke up and immediately put his new powers to the test. With a flash of cold steel, the coffee table in the living room was sliced into several pieces.
"…You're paying for that! That coffee table cost eight thousand!"
"You're loaded now—are you really going to sweat a measly coffee table?"
"What do you know? We can't let capitalist extravagance take hold here; ever heard of frugality?"
"Alright, alright—I'll pay! I'll pay!"
When they actually came to blows, Li Xiao quickly realized he was no match for Du Xin. His attacks couldn't even breach Du Xin's defenses, and his own "defense" was practically nonexistent; his only saving grace was his newfound immortality, though the fight quickly devolved into him just taking a beating. After he cried uncle, Du Xin didn't actually demand payment, and the two of them burst into laughter.
"Li Da, if you're heading out, you'd better put on your uniform. That suit is indestructible. Also, if you're going to be roaming around, you'd be wise to keep the phone calls to a minimum."
"…Got it. I'm planning to head to the Middle East and North America—*that's* where the real superheroes belong. No rush, though; I'll take my time getting there. By the way, where's that stone?"
"It shattered completely right after I used it to enhance you! You absolutely cannot breathe a word of this to anyone—I'm worried someone might get jealous of us!"
"My lips are sealed!"
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