A Criminal’s Profile!
14: Chapter 14: The Most Powerful Mutant in the Universe?
A Criminal’s Profile!
A pleasant surprise arrived.
Owen Vance had only wanted to give Johnny a scare, but he hadn’t expected jumping into the chilly autumn river to unlock another form of Heatblast.
Two meters underwater on the riverbed, Johnny wrapped his arms tightly around Heatblast, glaring sideways at him.
Just as he had expected, submerging in water extinguished all the flames on Heatblast’s body.
*Now comes his weak, desperate struggle.* Johnny tightened his grip even more.
To buy enough time for Reed to arrive, he wouldn’t let go until Heatblast fell unconscious!
He was completely confident in his stamina.
He was prepared to hold his breath underwater; his opponent wasn’t.
Combined with the natural elemental counter of being submerged, there was no way Heatblast could last long.
Just as Johnny tensed his muscles, bracing for Heatblast’s wild thrashing— Two seconds later, he saw Heatblast turn his head and stare calmly back at him.
“Huh?” Frowning, Johnny glanced lower and noticed Heatblast’s chest rising and falling rhythmically.
His slight frown instantly twisted into a hard knot, his eyes widening in pure shock, completely forgetting he was underwater.
It wasn’t until a trail of bubbles floated from Heatblast’s mouth and nose that Johnny knew for sure: Heatblast was breathing!
Yes, he was breathing underwater!
???
They were both fire mutants, yet this guy could breathe underwater?!
Did that make any sense at all?
It was completely unscientific!
The tables turned in an instant.
Terrified, Johnny hastily released his grip and scrambled to swim toward the surface.
Now it was Heatblast’s turn to grab hold of him and prevent his escape.
“As everyone knows, Heatblast can breathe underwater.” A creepy chill ran down Johnny’s spine.
*This guy can even talk underwater?* He couldn’t care less about Heatblast clinging to him like an iron sinker.
Johnny churned his arms with everything he had, swimming frantically upward with swift, powerful strokes.
No matter how hot-headed or reckless he was, his enhanced physical capabilities as a mutant were real.
His movements were swift and strong; carrying Heatblast’s extra weight hardly slowed him down.
If not for the sheer panic written across his face, Johnny’s swimming could easily rival a professional athlete.
However, in the very next second, his professional streak came to an abrupt halt.
His forward-reaching arms froze solid above his head.
His body locked up, completely immobilized by intense cold.
Knowing the freezing chill was emanating from his back, Johnny’s mind went completely blank.
*Alright, fine, fine!
You’re a freaking fire guy who can not only breathe underwater, but also shoot ice.* *What else can I even say?* *I tap out.
I’m done.* …
On the riverbank, Johnny crouched in a corner, rubbing his arms and shivering violently.
With Cryo-Heatblast standing right in front of him, he didn’t dare ignite his powers.
Owen Vance interrogated him, “Who’s Reed?
Give me his alias.” Johnny glanced up, then begrudgingly turned his head away.
“Mister Fantastic.” Owen understood.
Foreign names were hard for him to remember; he only recalled superhero codenames.
Owen’s eyes widened in fake outrage.
“Aha!
You wanted him to bring a team to hunt me down, didn’t you?!” “Damn it!
You schemers all have filthy hearts!” Bewildered, Johnny snapped his eyes back to him and protested loudly, “Bro!
If I wanted to target you, I would’ve called the police long ago!” At that, Owen’s face instantly shifted to a calm expression.
Rubbing his chin, he said, “Oh, I see.
True.” “Then why did you call him over?” “To ask where you stand—are you a superhero or a villain?” As he spoke, Johnny stood up, his eyes shining like he was admiring a work of art.
“And of course, if possible, I wanted to invite you to join the Fantastic Four.” “Bro, do you have any idea?
You are ridiculously, terrifyingly strong!” Owen snorted inwardly.
A little bluffing and the guy spilled everything.
Teaming up with a loose cannon like him would probably get them killed within three episodes.
Still, Owen nodded to himself.
At least for now, the Fantastic Four bore him no ill will, and he likely wouldn’t derail their main plot.
Once he left, their paths probably wouldn’t cross again for the rest of their lives.
Having reached this conclusion, Owen ended his musings.
Switching from Cryo-Heatblast back to Heatblast, Owen corrected him with utter gravity: “Actually, I’m not strong at all.
There’s really no need to pay any attention to me.” With that, a flaming tornado swept them up and transported both of them back to the circus camp miles away.
“…” Johnny was left speechless in awe.
*Not strong?!* Watching Heatblast look around the warehouse, a flicker of fear surfaced in Johnny’s eyes.
In his mind, Heatblast’s terrifying power wasn’t just his pyrokinesis.
It was his ability to continuously evolve!
After fighting him, he evolved fire manipulation stronger than Johnny’s own.
Falling into a freezing river, his fire power evolved into ice-flame.
If this kept going, he would become the world’s…
no!
The most powerful mutant in the entire universe!
Who wouldn’t want to recruit a monster of this level?!
Wait, what was that?
Johnny noticed the Omnitrix symbol on Heatblast’s chest, remembering he had seen the exact same mark on Wildvine and Four Arms.
Could that be the source of his powers?
Or was it the logo of an organization he belonged to?
Just as Johnny was pondering this, Heatblast suddenly yelled, “Oh no, transformation time’s up!” With that, Owen transformed back into Wildvine.
Taking a 180-degree roller coaster ride of emotion, Johnny asked in shock, “Bro, your mutant power has a time limit?” Wildvine replied shamelessly with utter confidence, “Of course.
What else did you think?” “Did you think I could just turn into whatever I want whenever I felt like it?” “And that every transformation comes as a fully powered state with zero time limit?” “Come on, you didn’t actually think I was *that* strong, did you?” Hearing this, Johnny frowned in confusion, instinctively looking away as he recalled the details of their fight.
Thinking carefully, Johnny realized it really seemed to be true.
The mutant power was formidable, but each form only lasted a short time before switching to another.
That matched what he just said.
And Johnny thought of another strong piece of evidence.
He had been in New York for so long; if such a powerful mutant had suddenly emerged, how could he not have heard about it?
There hadn’t been a single report on the news.
At this realization, the corner of Johnny’s eye twitched in disbelief.
*So…
he’s actually not that strong?* *If that’s the case, then there’s no need to call the other three at all!* *In fact, if I had just gone all out earlier—or even just kept running—I could’ve stalled until his transformation ran out and won!* Realizing all of this, Johnny covered his face with both hands, unable to accept his defeat.
Still, he had to admit Heatblast’s abilities surpassed his own.
Seeing that Johnny bought his story, Wildvine scratched his head.
“Since it’s our first meeting and I didn’t bring a gift, I really feel bad.” Johnny waved a weary hand and walked over to his unfinished beer.
“Thanks for the thought, but I don’t need a gift.” Getting the expected answer, Wildvine blinked timidly.
“Great!
Then I’ll take a gift from you.” “Since it’s our first meeting, what did you prepare for me?” “…” Johnny’s outstretched hand froze midair.
*Bro, do you have to act like we’re old friends already?* Grabbing the beer, Johnny gritted his teeth.
“What do you want?” Under Johnny’s glare, Wildvine turned his head to look at a sleek, cool motorcycle.
Seeing that it wasn’t his absolute favorite bike, Johnny glanced at the messy campsite, a plan forming in his mind.
“Do you even have a driver’s license?” Wildvine swung a leg over the motorcycle.
*License?
Bro, I don’t even have a legal identity, let alone a driver’s license!* Wildvine sneered back, “Does anyone actually need to take lessons for this?” Nodding as if agreeing, Johnny grabbed the matching key from a board filled with keys behind him and tossed it over.
Along with the key came Johnny’s mischievous banter: “I’d love to see how you ride her.
Just a heads up, she’s a high-horsepower bike that’s brutal for beginners.” Catching the key, Wildvine gave a cold chuckle and ignited the engine.
The front wheel lifted as he executed a crisp 180-degree spin on the rear wheel alone, the gas tank vibrating violently with the roaring engine.
“Pardon my terrible driving then!” With a deafening *vroom*, Wildvine zoomed off on the motorcycle.
Left behind, Johnny watched Wildvine speed into the distance before hastily dialing the police.
“Hello, police?
I want to report a robbery.
Our circus camp was just robbed.” “He set fires all over the place, stole a motorcycle, over thirty bottles of beer, and more than five thousand dollars in cash from the boss’s drawer.” “Yeah, remember that earlier motorcycle theft?” Looking over at his actual favorite motorcycle, Johnny added, “That was definitely him too!” “And the guy my boss has been investigating—the one having an affair with his wife—that’s probably him too.” “Yes, every single one of those bad things was done by him!” “His name?” He hadn’t seen the guy’s face, and neither had anyone else.
Since the guy’s identity protection was so airtight, Johnny had no problem lying through his teeth—nobody knew his face anyway, so there was no chance he’d get caught.
“Sun Xiaochuan.”