The sun hung high in the sky. The air was filled with a mix of cheap perfume, sweat, and secretly lit cigarettes, along with the smacking sounds of couples kissing.
It was slightly impolite.
Never underestimate students. Even though they were just a group of adolescents, puppy love was already a norm at this stage of their lives.
Around the corner.
Three boys wearing baggy pants leaned against the wall, striking the pose of delinquents. The one who looked like the leader was discussing which bar to go dancing at after school with his younger followers.
This was America.
As long as you were fourteen... you had already picked up many bad habits. In schools, there were many such campus bullies, and they were usually the notable figures in their respective schools.
The kind ordinary people avoided.
However.
Ian walked past this group without looking left or right.
"Yo, Ian!"
The leader suddenly looked up, grinned, and adjusted his clothes. He swaggered toward Ian, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a few crumpled bills.
"Same rules as always, tuition fee. Right, tuition fee. Make sure my dad feels my grades are steadily improving little by little next month."
The leader handed the money to Ian.
He showed a humble attitude completely different from the way he treated others.
"Okay."
Ian stopped, took the money, and deftly spread the bills with his fingertips.
"However, your tuition fee is ten dollars short."
He spoke calmly.
"Shit, your math is really good." The leader, seeing that his little scheme had failed, reluctantly dug out a few more bills from his pocket and slapped them onto Ian's outstretched hand.
He then turned and walked back to his small group.
As if nothing had happened.
Ian's departing figure was ordinary, but the followers didn't mock their leader's attitude toward the boy. Since they were all students at this school, they naturally understood the school's legend.
Or rather, the legend of the entire Metropolis.
Once upon a time.
Ian had also suffered some unpleasant school bullying.
However, he only needed half an hour to successfully use the law to defend his rights, sending both the bully and the bully's mother to prison together.
Although nothing happened with the older woman, she tried to get physical with Ian, and Ian naturally had to use the legitimate iron fist.
What about reputation?
That was irrelevant.
Even Clark didn't suspect him.
Because everything he said was true, just not the entire truth.
His tearful testimony before the jury was his battle of deification. Since then, the school's top dogs spoke to him politely, daring not to show any hint of threat.
Especially after Ian grew handsomer, no one dared to gamble on the faithfulness of their female relatives. Because of this, the classmates Ian encountered at school were all friendly.
"I need to strengthen my body."
Out of school.
Ian did not immediately choose to go home, but instead planned to visit the gym Jonathan often mentioned for a workout. Since he only knew the name of the gym, he reluctantly took a taxi.
"Where to?"
The driver was a middle-aged man with a stubbly beard, tall and muscular, with rugged facial features and a slightly hoarse voice, giving off a sense of worldly experience.
Ian placed his school bag down and immediately responded, "Hello, I need to go to the Big Muscle Club. If I remember correctly, it should be not far from the nearby block."
This was clearly to prevent the driver from taking a detour. When it came to this expertise, Metropolis taxi drivers were second only to those in neighboring Gotham City.
"Mm."
The driver was a man of few words. He took out the meter and started the car without asking further questions. The car drove steadily. Ian leaned against the window, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the pendant on his chest.
He was already starting to feel a little tired, but he didn't know when he would gain experience. Just as Ian was wondering if he could gain a general skill through working out.
Ding ding ding
A phone rang suddenly on the steadily driving driver. The driver took out his phone and answered the call while keeping his eyes on the road.
"Hello, I'm with a customer."
"Right now, immediately?"
"What do you mean you'll die if I don't come?"
The driver's expression changed, and his driving style followed suit. The calm, steady driving style suddenly switched. He slammed on the gas pedal, nearly embedding it in the fuel tank.
Vroom~
The engine screamed.
The taxi shot out like a cannonball.
Around the bends... it drifted directly. Ian felt his brain sloshing under his skull. Normally, he wouldn't panic, but this situation was clearly not normal.
"This isn't Los Santos! You can slow down!" Ian looked at the dashboard and swallowed. The needle had already passed the 180 mark.
The driver completely ignored his warning, gripping the steering wheel with one hand and frantically redialing the phone with the other.
"Answer the phone! Are you still alive?!"
No one picked up.
The driver simply switched to voicemail.
"Hold on! I'll be there soon!"
He shouted anxiously into the phone.
And just at that moment.
"I know you're in a hurry, but please don't rush yet."
Ian's voice sounded.
"Holy shit!"
The driver discovered a small head had somehow popped up right next to him. He was horrified, nearly driving the car straight into a roadside fast-food restaurant.
Fortunately, his driving skills were excellent, and he managed to control the car in time.
"What the hell is wrong with you!?"
The driver couldn't take his eyes off the road ahead, but he wanted to turn his head to see how Ian's head had gotten there. Could it be that he had encountered a ghost in broad daylight!
"Really, I can actually get out now. If you stop the car, it definitely won't take too long." Ian held onto the safety bar, which he was forcefully bending with both hands, speaking softly.
"Sir, hit the brakes up ahead, please, just hit the brakes for me. As long as we slow down, I can jump out myself." Ian was truly backing down.
He had no choice.
The speedometer on the dashboard was about to break 220.
Although he didn't have a driver's license, he knew that at this speed, even with his [Berserker] strength, he could feel the thrill of Fast and Furious 19. He didn't want to become tomorrow's headline news along with the driver.
This was not the origin story Ian wanted.
Nor was it the background information he wanted to fill out on the entrance form to heaven.
"Um, I just want to ask, is this the handbrake?"
Ian's question rang out again. It wasn't that Ian wanted to pull the handbrake, but he hoped it would scare the driver, who might then choose to stop the car voluntarily.
"Ah? What are you trying to do?"
The driver was indeed scared stiff. He couldn't hold back anymore. While keeping an eye on the road ahead, he desperately protected the handbrake, then frequently turned his attention to glance back.
He saw that Ian was pushing his entire body forward, the not-so-thin isolation tube wildly deforming. His arms were also deforming and bleeding, but the boy seemed completely unconcerned.
His straight, fixed gaze seemed to be locked onto the car's handbrake.
"!!!???"
This absurd scene.
Left the shocked driver completely dumbfounded.
"Damn it! There's something dirty in here!" The driver swallowed, feeling chills run down his spine. He now felt he would rather have encountered a ghost in broad daylight.
More terrifying than a ghost was a madman.
And more terrifying than a madman was clearly an insane, heaven-defying madman who looked like a ghost.