With no way to erase her memory and unable to kill an innocent person, Gao Ming could only ask Sophia to keep his secret.
Fortunately, Sophia didn’t hesitate for long.
After Gao Ming waited for a few seconds, she whispered, “Don’t worry. You saved me, and I won’t ever reveal your secret.”
Relieved by her answer, Gao Ming finally let out a sigh of relief.
Although he knew he couldn’t keep his identity hidden forever, Sophia’s willingness to help him buy some time was a temporary reprieve.
With the weight off his shoulders, Gao Ming finally had a moment to carefully observe the young woman he had just rescued.
Sophia was a Caucasian girl in the prime of her youth.
Her long, dark brown hair cascaded down to her waist, and fluffy bangs hung over her forehead.
She had a fair, jade-like face, crescent-shaped eyebrows, large, watery eyes, and a cherry-like mouth.
Wearing a pair of large, black-rimmed glasses, she looked a bit frumpy, yet it only served to emphasize her fragility, instinctively stirring a protective urge in anyone who saw her.
It was a well-known fact that Western women were known for their curvaceous figures.
Seeing Sophia’s full, pert breasts and the soft curves that accentuated her seductive body, Gao Ming’s “little friend” grew restless, as even her plain clothes couldn’t conceal her rule-breaking figure.
Silently, he activated the Horse Talisman’s healing power to suppress the Nameless Fire.
*Huh, I didn’t expect the Horse Talisman’s healing power to have another use.
Maybe I can try using it to calm the Hulk down later.*
Gao Ming didn’t realize how impolite his gaze was.
Sophia, feeling a bit flustered by his staring, gradually blushed, her fair cheeks flushing red as she lowered her head, unable to meet his direct gaze.
Seeing Sophia lower her head, Gao Ming froze for a moment before realizing his behavior had been offensive.
He apologized awkwardly, “Cough, cough, sorry. I was being rude.”
“No, it’s okay…” Sophia replied, still feeling embarrassed.
Sophia kept her head down, and Gao Ming glanced around, unsure of what to say.
For a moment, the atmosphere became awkward, and neither of them could find a topic to talk about.
Gao Ming had been a single man in both of his lives and had no experience dealing with such awkward situations.
If it were a seasoned player in the dating game, they would have had countless topics to discuss and would have already raised her affection for him.
Feeling completely out of place, Gao Ming’s eyes wandered until they landed on the bald man’s corpse.
He suddenly remembered that the body still needed to be dealt with, and several ideas flashed through his mind.
*Should I use the Dragon Talisman to incinerate the body and destroy the evidence?
Or the Pig Talisman?
Hmm, it seems there’s no difference…*
Ruling out the violent methods of the Dragon and Pig Talismans, Gao Ming suddenly remembered a specific talisman’s ability that could perfectly handle this corpse.
He walked up to the bald man’s body.
Seeing its hideous, dead-eyed face again made him feel nauseous, but the feeling subsided considerably after he adjusted his mindset.
Sophia watched Gao Ming approach the body, confused.
She kept her eyes fixed on him, refusing to even glance at the nauseating corpse.
Gao Ming’s eyes flashed with a cold glint as he looked at the man’s body.
*A person like this deserves to die.
He doesn’t even deserve to be called human!*
He raised his right hand, pointed his index finger at the corpse, and said coldly, “Become a mouse!”
A flash of white light shot from his fingertip, striking the bald man’s body in an instant.
Then, something incredible happened.
The bald man’s corpse rapidly shrank and transformed.
With another flash of white light, it turned into—a dead mouse.
Watching a human transform into a mouse, even a dead one, was so mind-bending that Sophia could only stand there, stunned and motionless.
Turning the corpse into a dead rat had made Gao Ming feel much more at ease.
Without the slightest hesitation, he kicked the rat aside.
When he turned back, he saw Sophia staring at him, completely dumbfounded.
He walked over to her, but she seemed so stunned that she didn’t even react when he waved a hand in front of her face.
“Hello? Sophia? Come back to us.”
Only after Gao Ming’s relentless calling—and even the rude act of grabbing her shoulders and shaking her—did Sophia finally snap out of it.
Her eyes were filled with adoration.
She grabbed his hand, her voice trembling with excitement.
“Magic! You know magic, right? You can actually turn people into rats! That’s amazing!”
When Sophia grabbed his hand in her excitement, Gao Ming’s heart skipped a beat and began to race.
*Girl, you’re a bit too excited…* But seeing her look like a devoted little fangirl, Gao Ming couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride.
*Keep that burning gaze fixed on me…*
Though he relished the feeling of being admired, he still replied, “Sorry, but this isn’t magic. It’s my innate ability. If you have to call it something, it’s a superpower.”
Hearing that it was magic, Sophia’s enthusiasm waned slightly, a flicker of disappointment crossing her eyes, though she still looked quite excited.
*It seems every young girl has a magical girl fantasy…*
Gao Ming recalled that in the original story, the Talismans were the source of the Holy Beast’s power, which seemed to be a type of magic.
So, he hadn’t actually said anything wrong.
But if he had to tell Sophia he’d just misremembered, it would be truly embarrassing.
*Oh well, never mind.
In the Marvel Universe, apart from Doctor Strange being a sorcerer, most others have superpowers.
I’d rather be seen as a superpowered individual than a sorcerer (virgin).*
“Of course, this is just one of my abilities. And it’s not just turning into a mouse. I can turn anyone into any animal on Earth—cats, dogs, tigers, elephants… you name it. As long as it’s an animal from Earth, I can transform into it.”
Gao Ming laid out the Monkey Talisman’s abilities without hesitation, unconcerned about revealing its secrets.
After all, while the Monkey Talisman was said to be capable of a thousand transformations, it was still limited to animals.
He wasn’t even sure if it could transform into a dragon.
Dragons didn’t exist in reality, after all, though the Holy Beast’s true form was a dragon—a creature that actually existed…
Hearing Gao Ming’s explanation, Sophia’s eyes lit up.
She showed keen interest in the ability to transform into any animal.
However, the observant Sophia noticed that Gao Ming had said it was “one of his abilities.” Just how many more astonishing abilities did this mysterious man possess?
An uncontrollable surge of curiosity washed over her, but Sophia suppressed the thought.
Everyone had their privacy, and she had to respect him.
She couldn’t pry too deeply into his secrets.
But even so, suppressing her curiosity was truly difficult.
Sophia hesitated, her willow-leaf brows furrowing slightly.
“What’s wrong?” Gao Ming asked, seeing Sophia’s troubled expression.
“Um, do you have many abilities?” As soon as she asked, Sophia regretted it and lowered her head in shame.
Gao Ming thought for a moment and said, “Yes, I have many. As for how many and what they are… sorry, I really can’t say.”
Hearing Gao Ming’s reply, Sophia felt even more ashamed.
She had indeed pried into his privacy.
Seeing Sophia’s expression, Gao Ming also realized what had happened, but he didn’t mind.
Girls were naturally curious, after all.
Asking was no big deal—he hadn’t revealed all the abilities of the talismans anyway.
However, Gao Ming couldn’t let Sophia continue like this. New chapters come out on g.com first.
It wasn’t as if she had done anything terribly wrong.
He stroked his chin, a rather daring idea forming in his mind.
Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, he said, “Excuse me.”
Gao Ming bent down, one arm wrapping around Sophia’s waist and the other hooking under her knees.
He lifted her into the air in a legendary bridal carry!
“Ah—!”
Startled by Gao Ming’s sudden, intimate gesture, Sophia let out a small cry.
Just as she was about to instinctively struggle, she noticed the surrounding scenery shifting as if she were ascending.
Glancing down, she saw the ground receding rapidly.
She looked up, dazed, as she soared higher and higher into the vast, endless night sky.
From her new vantage point, the towering skyscrapers below looked like miniature models.
“Flying…? Am I… flying?” Sophia was still utterly bewildered.
The physical sensation of soaring through the sky was far more overwhelming than merely seeing a magical sight.
Flight had always been a skill humans dreamed of.
Even now, though they could rely on airplanes, it was still just a machine.
There was always a lingering sense of incompleteness.
After staring blankly for a few seconds, Sophia—caught between excitement and panic—finally couldn’t hold it in any longer.
She let out a loud scream: “Waaaaah—!!!”
“I’m flying! Oh my god! I’m really flying! Am I dreaming? Oh my god!…”
Sophia repeated the words over and over, as if she still couldn’t believe she was soaring through the air.
“You’re not dreaming. You’re really flying, Sophia.” Gao Ming’s voice drifted into her ear.
Sophia turned her head toward the sound, only to find herself enveloped in Gao Ming’s embrace.
They were so close that she could even hear his breathing and smell his scent.
Sophia’s face instantly flushed, turning as red as a ripe, mouth-watering apple.
“Don’t be shy! Open your eyes and look at the night view below. Actually, Hell’s Kitchen has some rare and beautiful sights.” Seeing Sophia blush and close her eyes, Gao Ming thought she was scared and gently encouraged her.
Encouraged (or rather, egged on) by Gao Ming, Sophia cautiously opened her eyes.
She turned her head away, not wanting him to see her embarrassment, and her gaze was gradually drawn to the night view below.
Soaring high in the sky, far above Hell’s Kitchen, it felt as if even the dark and ugly things down there had drifted far away.
Sophia saw only the nocturnal Hell’s Kitchen, so quiet and serene.
The lights scattered across the streets now looked like a sea of stars, and she found herself completely captivated.
Little did she know, Gao Ming was far from as calm and composed as he appeared.
*Aaaahhh!!!
I’m actually holding a girl!
A princess carry, no less!
Hold it together!
I have to hold it together!*
As he flew through the sky with a girl in his arms, a BGM inexplicably started playing in Gao Ming’s mind: *”Love me like you do~ love me like you do~ like you do~”*
*Huh?
Why does that feel like a weird crossover?
I’m not Mr. Grey, am I?*
(End of Chapter)