That very night, Director Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. broke into his private residence to propose the Avengers Initiative.
But none of this mattered much to Gao Ming.
Life went on as usual.
The only change was that Gao Ming, the mysterious super-hero, could finally appear in public without hiding.
Thanks to the relentless reporters who pressed Tony about the identity of his mysterious savior every time he made a high-profile appearance—some even asking, “Is that your elder?”—Tony was forced to grudgingly reveal the name “Godfather” and recount how he met the mysterious hero.
Armed with this firsthand information from Tony Stark himself, newspapers everywhere began to report on the mysterious “Godfather” with great fanfare.
Naturally, the reviews were mixed.
Some praised the Godfather for defeating the evil robots and quelling the chaos, while others, in a desperate bid to boost their own circulation, spewed nonsense, claiming the Godfather was a coward who dared not remove his helmet to show his face.
Well, Gao Ming was pretty pissed off at first and even thought about a little revenge.
But once he saw that the newspaper spewing the most venom was the Daily Bugle, he just let it go and left things to nature.
The Daily Bugle was where Peter Parker worked in the classic Spider-Man movies.
The owner of that newspaper had always been at odds with Spider-Man, buying photos from Peter just to run articles smearing him.
Although he didn’t know if the new Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, after clinging to Father Stark’s leg, still worked at the Daily Bugle selling selfies, judging by how they were now tirelessly blackening Gao Ming’s name, their owner was still that old man who looked like he’d escaped from a mental asylum, simply unable to stand superheroes with secret identities.
Gao Ming couldn’t be bothered to argue with this brain-dead, crazy old man.
Let him keep running wild.
***
More than a week had passed since the Iron Monger incident.
Stark Industries had already spun the event to their advantage, causing the company’s stock price to soar.
Instead of declining, Stark Industries was now thriving.
Thanks to Gao Ming’s covert medical aid during the rescue, combined with the timely evacuation of the crowd and the swift defeat of Iron Monger, the incident miraculously resulted in zero casualties.
New Yorkers quickly recovered and turned the event into a trending topic, discussing it endlessly.
The Godfather—a superhero of unknown identity and powers—was thus embraced by the general public.
Many children and teenagers even idolized him, and his popularity briefly eclipsed that of Iron Man, much to the chagrin of the fame-loving Tony Stark.
It was another ordinary afternoon.
Pedestrians on the street suddenly felt a gust of wind sweep past them.
As a white blur flashed by, they couldn’t help but cheer: “Godfather!”
The pedestrians who saw the white blur cheer with joy, their excitement at the superhero’s appearance palpable.
No longer needing to hide his identity, Gao Ming tirelessly patrolled every corner of the city, fighting crime and rescuing citizens.
His efficiency was so high that in just over a week, he won the hearts and minds of New Yorkers.
Immersed in the thrill of running at full speed, Gao Ming was initially delighted by the cheers of the pedestrians he passed.
However, he gradually grew accustomed to it, and the praise no longer distracted him.
It didn’t take long for Gao Ming to arrive at the scene of a disaster.
A ten-story office building was engulfed in flames across several floors, with thick plumes of black smoke billowing into the street.
The building on fire was a U.S. branch of Sanxin Mobile.
Whether it was a malfunction during a phone performance test or something else, a loud “boom” had signaled the start of the fire.
(An anonymous author, Bai Di, who refuses to reveal their pen name: There is no such thing as baseless resentment. As a former Sanxin user who suffered through countless freezes and crashes, I was left with nothing but despair. Then, filled with grief and indignation, I issued this accusation…)
As a man with the professional ethics of a hero, Gao Ming would not ignore the innocent employees trapped inside, desperately calling for help, just because his Sanxin phone had exploded in his face in a past life.
He still had to rescue them all, not a single one missing…
The fire, however, couldn’t be extinguished.
Gao Ming didn’t have the ability to spray water, so he could only watch with immense regret (and secret joy) as the Sanxin branch office burned to ruins.
Two fire trucks were already parked below the building.
Some firefighters were spraying water from the outside to contain the blaze, while others, fully geared up, were preparing to rush into the disaster site to save people.
Seeing Gao Ming’s arrival, the firefighters were pleasantly surprised.
The Fire Captain stepped forward and said solemnly, “Godfather, please help us rescue the people trapped inside.”
In a life-and-death situation, there was no room for petty rivalry or resentment over a superhero taking over their job.
Gao Ming nodded, his voice deep and grave.
“I’ll get them out as quickly as possible…”
Before he even finished speaking, he took flight, soaring toward the floor where the fire raged most fiercely.
The fire had started on the top few floors.
All the employees from the remaining floors had already evacuated the building, leaving only thirteen people trapped on the upper levels.
Flying to the floor where the cries for help were loudest, Gao Ming smashed a hole through the wall with a single, powerful punch.
He darted inside, hoisted three people onto his shoulders—two on each side—and flew straight down to the ground.
After gently setting them down and using a light healing touch to stabilize their condition, he immediately flew back into the inferno to rescue the rest.
After a few more trips, Gao Ming had saved everyone trapped in the building.
He also conducted a quick sweep of the entire structure to ensure no one was left behind before smashing through another wall to exit the disaster site.
Once it was confirmed that everyone had been safely rescued, the crowd erupted in thunderous applause and cheers, praising the Godfather for another successful rescue operation.
“Great job, Godfather!”
“He finished it so quickly again!”
“Godfather, be my boyfriend!”
“No, he’s mine! Don’t try to steal him!”
“…”
*Ahem.* The crowd was certainly… enthusiastic.
Gao Ming silently stole a glance at the girls who were shouting for him to be their boyfriend.
*Hmm, a few of them are actually quite pretty…
Oh my god!
Such lethal weapons…*
His gaze swept across the crowd, landing on several pairs of trembling, snowy peaks.
Their outfits were so revealing that even the “white rabbits” seemed to be bouncing out, keeping pace with their owners’ excited cheers.
Gao Ming’s eyes went wide and fixed.
After burning these beautiful images into his mind, he looked away.
*See no evil.
Admire from afar, but do not touch.*
Gao Ming turned to the Fire Captain.
“Everyone’s out. I’ll leave the rest to you.”
The Fire Captain nodded and thanked him sincerely.
“Thank you for your help. With you around, this city is bound to get better and better.”
Gao Ming smiled without a word and quickly ran from the scene.
To his dismay, several fanatical girls chased after him, following the white blur he left behind, shouting things like “Don’t go!”
*American women are truly as passionate as fire…*
***
After a whole day of running around, Gao Ming was still full of energy thanks to the Dog Talisman’s power, never feeling tired.
But he wasn’t a machine that would spend twenty-four hours a day catching criminals and saving people.
Besides, incidents didn’t happen in this city twenty-four hours a day.
If they did, Gao Ming alone wouldn’t be able to be in two places at once.
If he had to do everything himself, what would the police and firefighters be for?
*Live in anxiety, die in comfort.*
Gao Ming hoped everyone would maintain a sense of vigilance and not develop a dependency on the idea that “a superhero will solve it if something goes wrong.”
***
Gao Ming was in an exceptionally good mood tonight because he had a date.
Lately, he had been calling Sophia occasionally in the evenings to chat, or meeting her after school to go shopping or stroll through the park.
Both Gao Ming and Sophia were content with their current “more than friends, less than lovers” relationship.
In fact, taking it to the next level wasn’t out of the question; it just required Gao Ming to make the first move.
After all, when it comes to advancing a relationship, it’s usually better for the man to take the initiative.
So, when Sophia went home for the weekend, Gao Ming asked her during one of their usual phone calls if she’d like to go see an opera on Broadway tomorrow night.
Sophia agreed.
Gao Ming’s plan was to confess his feelings to her at the end of the opera.
Since they were going to Broadway, he couldn’t dress too casually.
Although there was no strict dress code, Gao Ming still went out and bought a suit.
He wore a black suit jacket with matching trousers, paired with a finely textured crimson shirt.
Gao Ming wasn’t used to wearing ties, so he left the top two buttons undone.
On his feet were polished black leather shoes, and a stylish watch adorned his left wrist.
He also went to a high-end salon to have a professional barber trim his hair.
Gao Ming couldn’t see what the secret was to those few “snip-snip” cuts, but he certainly looked much more refreshed afterward.
He looked like a completely different person, utterly transformed.
His new haircut made him look sharp and spirited, while his formal suit and leather shoes exuded a surprisingly relaxed aura.
This contrast only enhanced his mature charm.
The Talisman’s enhancement had further perfected his features and physique.
Though his well-defined muscles were hidden beneath his clothes, his striking, commanding face was enough to guarantee a stack of phone numbers from women just by taking a stroll down the street.
Standing before his bathroom mirror and admiring his reflection, Gao Ming couldn’t help but click his tongue in admiration.
“Clothes really do make the man. I feel way more handsome.”
Even now, Gao Ming remained oblivious to his own transformation, still thinking it was just the clothes.
He did notice the changes to his body, though—after all, it was hard to miss the eight-pack abs that had gradually appeared on his stomach.
At this, Gao Ming simply said with a grin, “I’m officially an eight-pack man now.”
After adjusting his suit jacket and confirming everything was perfect, Gao Ming walked out of his house with his head held high.
Truth be told, he still felt a tiny bit insecure the moment he stepped outside.
This outfit alone had drained what little was left of his savings.
Now, his bank account balance had only three zeros—and in a few days, it might drop to two.
Finding a job was something he needed to take seriously now, but that wasn’t something that could be resolved overnight.
For now, he’d focus on tonight’s date.
Broadway was located in Manhattan, which made Gao Ming want to complain a little.
He always had to go to Manhattan; there were hardly ever any times he could stay in Queens.
Since Sophia had gone home for the weekend, she wasn’t far from Broadway.
It didn’t take long for her to take a taxi to the opera house where they’d agreed to meet.
So when Gao Ming arrived at Broadway, found a corner to straighten his lapels, and walked to the opera house, Sophia was already standing at the entrance, waiting quietly.
When Gao Ming saw Sophia’s attire tonight, his eyes couldn’t help but light up.
Sophia’s deep brown long hair was still as smooth as ever, with her bangs pinned to the side by an exquisite hairpin.
Her face was covered in a light foundation, and her lips were coated with a layer of bright red lipstick.
Surprisingly, she wasn’t wearing her usual black-rimmed glasses, revealing her beautiful and charming side.
Similarly, Sophia was wearing a silky and beautiful rose-red dress, the hem of which just passed her knees, revealing a pair of flawless white calves.
Her petite and exquisite feet were wearing a pair of high-heeled shoes.
Tonight, Sophia seemed to have switched to a rather bold style, her clothing and makeup making her look exceptionally mature and glamorous.
With just one glance, Gao Ming was quickly captivated by her beauty and unable to look away.
(End of Chapter)