In a deserted park in the Bronx, northern New York City.
Two men in hip-hop clothes were beating a Mexican woman.
"You lowly Latin old woman, how dare you resist when I told you to hand over your wallet? Today I'll teach you a lesson!"
Just as the two were enjoying the beating, a sharp whooshing sound suddenly came from a distance, making them instinctively look up.
But the next second, a question mark appeared in their minds:
"What the f*ck?"
What did they see?
They saw a black dot in the distant sky slowly getting bigger. When it got closer, they realized the black dot was actually a tree trunk at least a meter in diameter.
If it were just that, it wouldn't be much, but the crucial thing was that there was a person standing on that big tree?
A person standing on a tree trunk, flying in the sky. The two rubbed their eyes, thinking they must have dozed off before leaving home, causing them to hallucinate.
However, they soon discovered that it was not a hallucination at all.
Because with a thud, the tree trunk plunged directly into the lawn about ten meters away from them.
The person standing on the tree trunk had leaped up in advance, doing a 360-degree flip in the air like a gymnast, landing steadily on the ground.
The mud splashed onto their faces from the tree trunk embedding itself in the lawn, was so real.
"Calculation correct, landing error less than five meters, perfect!"
Looking at his surroundings, Hawking nodded in satisfaction.
During his previous vacation, he had specifically scouted the Bronx, and this abandoned park was what he considered the best landing spot, as there were few residents nearby and it was less likely to be discovered.
New York City has a total of five boroughs: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island.
Manhattan is a famous wealthy area and a symbol of New York City. The headquarters of many large enterprises are in Manhattan, such as Tony Stark's Stark Industries.
To the east of Manhattan, separated by the East River, is Queens.
Queens is the largest borough in New York's five boroughs, with the second-largest population, and its economic level is second only to Manhattan. It also houses some famous enterprises, such as Osborn Industries.
To the south, bordering Queens, is Brooklyn, the most populous area in New York and the birthplace of Captain America Steve Rogers.
Of course, in this Universe, there is no Captain America, only a Captain Carter.
The southernmost part of New York is Staten Island, which has the smallest population and is relatively far away. It can be seen as a small island in the sea, with relatively good sea views.
Finally, there is the Bronx, where Hawking is currently located, bordering Manhattan and situated at the northernmost tip of New York City.
The Mutant School is built in the suburbs further north of the Bronx, and Oleg and Elena's workplace and residence are also at the junction of the Bronx and the suburbs, belonging to an enterprise under Professor X's family.
It was often said that the most dangerous place in New York was Hell's Kitchen in Manhattan, where Daredevil often appeared.
But after three years of understanding, Hawking found that while Hell's Kitchen was dangerous, it only consisted of a few blocks. When it came to the actual number of crimes, the Bronx was the place.
Hell's Kitchen was just a slum in Manhattan, while the Bronx was the slum of the entire New York.
Because most of New York's African and Latin American communities reside in this borough, the Bronx's crime rate is among the highest in the entire United States, and even the World.
Especially in the southern part of the Bronx, it is notoriously chaotic, comparable to the criminal cities in games.
So it naturally became Hawking's first choice for earning Justice Points, being close to the school and having a high crime rate.
"Is this… a good start?"
After a graceful landing, Hawking quickly noticed the two dumbfounded Black men holding a handbag, and the middle-aged woman lying on the ground, bruised and swollen.
With cheerful steps, he approached the two Black men:
"I kindly suggest you return the handbag to her."
"F*ck you!"
The two Black men exchanged glances, then directly pulled out daggers from their pockets and lunged at Hawking's stomach.
This surprised him a bit. He had expected the two guys to be scared after seeing the scene just now, but he didn't expect them to be so bold.
Actually, he only occasionally came to scout the terrain during the holidays. Although he had some understanding of the crime situation here, it was only through newspapers and some hearsay.
He didn't know that the thugs who lived at the bottom of society here, living day to day, might die in a sewer at any time, and their mentality had long been different from that of normal people.
In their eyes, Hawking was somewhat incredible, but so what? If he dared to ask them to return the spoils that could be used to buy drugs, they'd let their knives do the talking first.
Crucially, Hawking didn't have a gun in his hand. In their eyes, a gun was the only understandable and truly deterrent weapon.
Compared to these small-time thugs, it was rather the high-ranking individuals who had fought their way up and were living good lives, who cherished their lives more.
"Then don't blame me."
He flashed out his hands, grabbing the wrists of the two Black men holding knives, and forcefully bent them upwards.
"Crack!"
Accompanied by two sounds of bones breaking, the two Black men also let out piercing screams.
He never showed mercy to those who wanted his life.
Besides, there were no reporters or other people here, so there was no need to put on a show. He naturally didn't have to worry about anything when making his move.
"Get out of here quickly."
He kicked both Black men twice in the stomach, making them vomit blood and fall to the ground. Hawking picked up the handbag and threw it to the middle-aged woman who had just gotten up.
"Thank you!"
The middle-aged woman picked up her handbag, thanked him, and then ran off, afraid that what happened next would implicate her.
Hawking didn't care about this; his goal was Justice Points, not gratitude.
"Poor guys!"
He searched the two Black men, only finding less than twenty dollars, which annoyed him slightly.
The school provided food and lodging, so he naturally felt embarrassed to ask Oleg and Elena for much pocket money.
Putting the twenty dollars into his pocket, and ignoring the two unconscious Black men, Hawking disappeared from the park in a few leaps, arriving on the roof of a six-story building on a nearby street.
"Flavius!"
He cast a Deformation Curse on his sportswear, which instantly transformed into a majestic golden armor. He picked up a fallen leaf that drifted by and turned it into a golden helmet, placing it on his head.
Since he wanted to establish a Superhero image, a distinctive outfit was definitely necessary.
The more stylish and handsome, the more it would attract public attention and earn more admiration, including wearing a helmet not to reduce trouble, but to create a sense of mystery.
That way, when his identity was finally revealed, it would be explosive enough.
Everything he did, besides earning Justice Points, was more importantly to lay the groundwork for his future International Superhero Company.
He wasn't so naive as to simply show off and act cool.
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