Chapter 180 "What kind of hero do you want to be?" (please vote)
Des Moines, Iowa.
"ah--!!!"
In the small town, on the deserted outskirts, a sudden exclamation pierced the tranquility of the air, coming closer and closer.
If anyone is here, they will definitely witness an incredible scene - the air seems to be torn apart by invisible hands, and a blue vortex appears out of thin air. Then, several figures, accompanied by exclamations, emerge from the whirlpool in embarrassment. Falling out.
“F**kingunprofessional (really unprofessional)!!!”
Lange staggered up from the ground, cursed, covered his chest, and vomited violently.
Yumi, who was floating next to him, had an expression on her face as if she had done something wrong, and she patted his back aggrievedly.
Just now, in the murder house, Rango and his team completed the careful selection of the target world. Under Yumi's control, the pages of the grimoire turned rapidly until they settled on the different world they were going to.
Then, a blue light as deep as a black hole surged out from the grimoire, forming a portal to the unknown. Under Yuumi's instructions, Rango was the first to bear the brunt and jumped into the light.
Originally, he thought that after entering, he could directly reach another world by closing his eyes. However, the reality was that he quickly turned thousands of times in a space full of nothingness. Just when he thought he was going to be killed alive. When he turned to death, a strong sense of weightlessness suddenly hit him. When he opened his eyes, he was already here.
"Fake. He almost died."
Teddy also vomited violently and vomited out several mouthfuls of cotton before he managed to regain some balance.
This time when they came to a strange world, there were only three of them on the outpost. After thoroughly exploring this place, a large force would arrive later.
"I'm sorry, Master~ I forgot to tell you the side effects of traveling through the Grimoire."
After Lango vomited all his bitterness, Yumi said coquettishly in her soft voice, and at the same time carefully wiped away the stains on the corners of his mouth with her tail.
When Teddy saw this scene, he couldn't help but curled his lips in disgust, and secretly cursed the little slut.
"Forget it, we're here anyway, but where are we now?"
Rango rubbed Yumi's head and glanced around. The place they were in was obviously a vast wild meadow, surrounded by silence. Except for a few ordinary American-style small town houses vaguely visible in the distance, there were almost no signs that could point out the direction.
After a while.
In a residential courtyard in a corner of the town, the sun shone dappledly on a girl wearing tight sportswear.
She was concentrating on punching a big tree that was surrounded by a thick tree. Every attack was precise and powerful. Although her figure seemed to be delicate, the wind of the fist left deep fist marks on the tree trunk!
"Four hundred ninety-nine, five hundred!"
As the last punch fell, the girl finally lost all her strength and collapsed to the ground exhausted, her chest rising and falling violently, and she took a big breath of air.
"Annie, don't stop! There's weightlifting waiting for you after boxing!"
At this time, a middle-aged woman's stern urging came from the window lattice in the house. After hearing this, the girl named Annie gritted her teeth, endured the pain in her body, and staggered towards the car parked on the street.
She grasped the bumper of the car tightly with both hands and exerted force suddenly. The body, which weighed several tons, was shaken in an instant and slowly rose up.
Immediately afterwards, she stabilized her stance, and her tight pants outlined her tight buttocks. As her body leaned forward, she lifted and lowered the car as if doing deadlift training.
The neighbors around her have become accustomed to this, and many people are still cheering for her there.
"Annie, come on! This year's Super Seven team must be you!"
"Don't forget to ask me for an autograph from my motherland!"
"I want the Invisible Man's!"
"."
Facing the jeers from the surrounding residents, Anne just smiled indifferently, but she was secretly fighting in her heart. She knew very well that if she failed to join the seven-man team in the end, this group of people would definitely be the ones who laughed at her the most.
"Ninety-eight ninety-nine. One hundred."
Sweat fell like a drizzle, blurring her vision, but Anne's eyes were extremely determined, and she repeated the weightlifting movements mechanically. Every lift was a challenge to her own limits.
As time went by, the spectators on the street gradually dispersed, leaving her alone and training alone and firmly.
"Papa pa pa"
A burst of crisp applause sounded from behind, accompanied by a low and magnetic voice.
"It must be hard for a girl."
Anne turned around suddenly and saw a tall and straight man standing not far away, looking at her with a smile. Beside him, a kitten floated leisurely, and there was a teddy bear standing at his feet? ? ?
After seeing the other person's handsome appearance like a movie star, Annie suddenly felt a little unnatural. The small town she lived in rarely met such a handsome person of the opposite sex, and there was something inexplicable about the other person. temperament.
She hurriedly put down the bumper, wiped the sweat from her face with the towel around her neck, and asked curiously and slightly shyly: "Are you guys?"
"Rango!"
Lange took the initiative to extend his hand and introduced himself with a warm and powerful voice: "We are tourists from Europe. We are very happy to meet you!"
"Annie."
Annie's hand gently held Lango's outstretched palm, pointed at Yumi and Teddy curiously, and asked expectantly: "Are you also a superpower?"
"Superpower?"
A playful smile appeared on Lango's lips, his eyebrows raised slightly, and he nodded, "Of course, otherwise, how could the cat fly, and how could the teddy bear walk and talk, right?"
"It's amazing." Annie said with envy: "This is the first time I've seen this kind of super power."
Afterwards, the two of them stood outside the door chatting for a few words. From the conversation with the girl, Lange learned that the other party was also a person with super powers. Of course, it goes without saying that this can be seen. Who would be a normal girl? It's okay to lift the car and play with it.
And Annie also revealed that the reason why she worked so hard was because she wanted to join a team called the Super Seven, in which everyone is a superhero who eliminates violence, protects justice and peace. From the time she knew she had superpowers, she joined The Seven is what their family has always wanted.
"Annie! You're slacking off again!"
Just as the two were chatting, a middle-aged woman wearing an apron and an anxious face suddenly rushed out of the house. After her eyes briefly paused on Teddy and Yumi, she quickly turned to Anne, her brows furrowed and her tone of voice. With a bit of reproach: "There are only a few days until the selection day. How can you join the seven-person group if you are so slack?"
"Got it Mom!"
Whether it was fear of her mother or her endless desire for the Super Seven, Annie didn't care to talk to Lango anymore and quickly turned around to continue her deadlift training.
But at this moment, a hand suddenly placed on the hood of the car, and the body that had been half lifted was instantly pushed back to the ground.
Lange smiled at the astonished Annie, then turned to look at her mother, "With all due respect, madam, with your training, those who know it think it is preparing for the selection of the seven-member team, and those who don't know think it is... When it comes to losing weight, it’s really a bit too rough and crude.”
Anne's mother looked at the man in front of her who was probably a person with superpowers, and explained with a look of embarrassment: "Our family's family conditions cannot support high-end training equipment."
"No, no, no, the equipment is not the key, the important thing is the people."
Lango looked at the mother and daughter with a serious face, then gave himself a thumbs up and said confidently: "If you believe me, I am willing to personally train Annie and help her realize her dream."
As soon as these words came out, Annie and her mother looked at each other in confusion. After a while of silence, her mother finally asked first: "Are you a superhero trainer?"
"Well no, but I'm probably better than any superhero you've ever seen."
As he said that, as if he was afraid that they would not believe it, Lange raised his hand to hold the bumper of the car, then lifted it lightly above his head, and finally, he threw it up with one arm!
Under the shocked eyes of the mother and daughter, their family's only vehicle was thrown hundreds of meters away by the man in front of them. After passing over the house, it hit the ground heavily and turned into a ball of scrap metal.
"I admire Annie very much, so you don't have to pay me a salary."
Lange patted Annie on the shoulder and said to them, "Just take care of food and shelter. How about it? Do you want to do it?"
Mother Anne looked at the car that had caught fire and was scrapped, and forced a smile: "Okay, but this car."
"I'm so hungry. Let's eat first."
"Sir, our car"
"Do you have steak? Fry me two more. It's better to have a bowl of authentic Chinatown fried noodles."
"car"
"By the way, don't forget to prepare a bucket of fresh fish for my cat."
"."
In this way, Annie, who had been training alone for more than ten years at the expense of an old car that had been driven for an unknown number of years, finally found a trainer who was also a person with super powers.
night.
In the narrow living room, Lange slumped on the sofa, holding a plate of fried noodles as a late night snack, eating while watching the interview program on TV.
The person being interviewed was a middle-aged man who looked a little thin. Under the guidance of the host, the man was talking endlessly. He claimed to be the embodiment of justice and was willing to sacrifice everything for the safety of citizens, including his personal privacy and even his life.
After hearing the host on the TV call the other party the Invisible Man, Teddy on the side couldn't help but sneered: "Shet, the character of the Invisible Man has almost become the mascot of superpowers, and can be seen everywhere. Hotel Transylvania There are invisible people, there are invisible people in our wooden house, and when we get here, there are invisible people riding horses.”
Lango shrugged, really not knowing how to answer. In fact, in his opinion, a truly invisible person should not show his true appearance in public.
Although he usually always complains about the invisible man in his team who always behaves elusively, to be honest, he still appreciates the other party's approach deep down.
Only by remaining mysterious can you have a deterrent effect!
After finishing the interview with this guy, other superheroes appeared on the TV. Looking at the subtitles below, they were a group called the Super Seven, and they all belonged to a group called Vought Corporation.
"Annie."
Lango's eyes turned to the corner of the living room, where Annie was strenuously pedaling a unicycle with her hands knitting a sweater. "Is this the Super Seven you said you wanted to join before?"
"Well" Annie tried hard to maintain balance and said without raising her head: "The Homelander, Queen Maeve, Locomotive, Deep Sea, Invisible Man, Black, and the last 'Lamplighter' who is about to retire. "
After hearing what she said, Rango and Teddy looked at each other, were stunned for a second, and then laughed.
"Damn it, Fuck, the name Homelander is too funny, hometown leader? Hahaha"
"And that lamplighter, Walter? Is lighting a lamp considered a superpower?"
"Hahaha"
Listening to the mocking laughter of the two people on the sofa, Anne immediately angrily wanted to defend the heroes in her heart, but as soon as she stopped knitting sweaters, Yuumi, who was floating aside, began to cheer her up and said: "Come on Annie, there are only three minutes left to make an hour! Don't give up at this time!"
"I"
Annie tried hard to maintain her balance, and after snorting in displeasure at Rango and Teddy, she continued her knitting training on the unicycle.
After recruiting Lango as her trainer this afternoon, she was still full of expectations and imagined that he would have a series of exciting potential development courses.
As a result, after these bastards emptied their refrigerator, they gave her a unicycle and asked her to practice her balance skills that had nothing to do with superpowers.
But they were talking and laughing, drinking beer and watching TV. This stark contrast made Anne increasingly unhappy. Asshole!
Except for Yuumi, who is still considerate, this man and the teddy bear are both complete liars!
But what made her even more helpless was that her mother seemed to be frightened by Lango's power to overturn a car hundreds of meters away. No matter what she said, she was unwilling to drive Lango and the others away. This led to her current miserable situation.
On the other side, Rango and Teddy were making disapproving jokes about the Super Seven on the sofa, but when the TV screen switched to a man with short blond hair and a star-spangled cape, his smile instantly froze.
As he said before, he has watched a lot of movies, but almost never TV series. However, many times, when characters in TV series leave the industry, even he, who is not a fan of TV series, will know more or less. a little.
Coincidentally, he had seen the guy on the TV screen in countless memes.
"Holyshit!!!"
Lango pointed to the cloaked man posing on the TV, turned to look at Annie, and asked with disbelief: "Is that Homelander him?"
"Yes, a native of the motherland." Anne raised her chin and said proudly: "You must have heard of him in Europe, he is a superstar who is known as the God of the World!"
Lango stopped laughing this time, tapping the armrest of the sofa with his fingers, and fixed his eyes solemnly on the people of the motherland on the TV.
His appearance was very upright, but I don't know if it was due to preconceptions, but Lange always felt that there was a vague evil spirit in this guy's brows.
"So, the boss of the Super Seven you are going to join is him, a native of the motherland?"
"Of course, he is the embodiment of justice, stopping crimes and saving innocent people countless times," Anne's tone was full of idol worship, "He is like the reappearance of Jesus in the world."
"."
Lange glanced at the girl and did not refute her words. She had obviously been brainwashed by Walt's superhero marketing. It would be difficult to break away from it without experiencing something.
But speaking of it, he only knew a person from his motherland. He knew that this guy was not a good person, but Lango really didn't know much about other plot aspects.
At this time, after the host on the TV introduced the people of the motherland in thick words, he began to introduce other heroes one by one:
Invulnerable, Queen Maeve dressed as a mature woman, the deep sea that can communicate with sea creatures, a locomotive with a top speed exceeding the speed of sound, a masked man with powerful fighting and assassination abilities, a lamplighter who can control flames to a certain extent, and other previously introduced The invisible man who can change the condition of his skin.
After listening to the host's introduction, Lango felt very ordinary!
Except for the people of the motherland, Queen Maeve and the locomotive, who are a bit interesting, the rest of the people put together are not enough to slap that boy Andrew.
Teddy also had the same opinion as him, "Do you believe it? Rango, even if you feed a vomiting man two pounds of feces, he can wipe out these guys without you or Andrew!"
".I'd like to thank you first for the vomiting man."
Lango's eyes once again focused on the man from the motherland who was giving an impassioned speech on the TV.
"Others may not understand, but this guy's level should be quite high. Didn't you hear what the host said? He has supersonic speed, flying ability, an indestructible body, terrifying strength, and he also possesses superhuman strength. The perception ability of ordinary people, Damn Fake, this guy is simply a beggar version."
"He is simply you from another world!"
Teddy suddenly interjected excitedly: "Haven't you noticed yet? Lango's flying ability, supersonic speed, invulnerability and huge strength are exactly the same as you!"
"Well, that kid can also shoot lasers from his eyes, which I can't do."
"When you draw a few more summons, maybe you can also draw the characteristics of laser eyes?"
Teddy looked Lango up and down, touched his chin and sighed: "Lango, you are the assembled version of the motherland!"
".Farke, I hate this title!"
Lango waved his hands unhappily. It was an insult to compare him with the people of his motherland. He was a good person through and through.
Teddy smiled and continued: "I have a plan, have you noticed? There are so many people with super powers in this world, and the citizens are almost accustomed to it. It is very suitable for people like us to settle and survive here."
"That's right, so what?" Lango turned around and asked.
"As outsiders, conflicts between us and local indigenous forces are inevitable. Instead of passively defending, we should take the initiative and establish our own superpower company!"
Teddy jumped up and down excitedly, "Think about it, with the strength of this bullshit seven-man group, calling Andrew and the others over would be like killing them indiscriminately!"
"You're overthinking, buddy, haven't you heard what was said on TV? The Vought Company has hundreds of superpowers across North America, and the Seven are just the seven most famous among them."
"So what? We have a world to back us up, why do we need to be afraid of his company? If that doesn't work, let Yumi open a shuttle hole at the headquarters of Walter Company, and then release all the dark creatures in the wooden house's prison. , I don’t believe I can’t deal with them!”
"You, you really have some ideas sometimes."
Lango was completely shocked this time. He looked up and down at the dancing Teddy. After accompanying him to the clam, this guy's moral bottom line was so low that he couldn't stand it anymore.
The Watt Company didn't offend him, but this kid opened his mouth and was about to make the other party bleed into a river.
He pondered for a moment, and finally shook his head and said: "Forget it, we have no grievances with others, there is no need to open a company to compete in the ring, we should stay a few more days to collect some information about the customs and customs here, if the future is determined To treat this as a settled world, we have to find a place to live together.”
Teddy couldn't help but roll his eyes when he heard this, not believing what the other person said at all. Based on his understanding of Rango, and with this guy's character, in a few days, sooner or later he would have to face a person with super powers in this world.
At the same time, under Yuumi's strict supervision, Annie went through hardships and finally managed to maintain balance on the unicycle for a full hour while miraculously completing one sleeve of the sweater.
She was panting from exhaustion and said with a wry smile: "You guys can talk, I'll take a shower and go to bed."
"etc."
Lango glanced at his watch and interrupted her seriously, "It's only eleven o'clock. We still have a special training project to complete, plus two more hours."
"Other events?" Anne was stunned when she heard this, and then asked expectantly: "Is it some special training event?"
"Of course." Lange smiled and then announced loudly: "That's it - standing on the seesaw and playing table tennis! Once the ball hits the ground, the timer starts again!"
"Fake." Annie's wailing sound sounded immediately.
Time passed quietly amidst Annie's constant complaints and efforts, and the days of the week passed by in vain.
In the open space in the courtyard, a girl of about twenty years old was having a fierce battle with a cat floating leisurely in the air. The fist wind and the cat's claws interacted with each other, and the angry screams and the lazy meows of the cats intertwined back and forth.
"Centre of gravity! Grasp the center of gravity! How can I teach you, don't make your body unbalanced so easily!"
"Leave your back to the wall! Watch all directions! Don't waste your energy by yelling!"
"Damn, you are simply the stupidest superpower I have ever seen!"
"."
Before she finished speaking, Yumi jumped lightly and swung out a precise meow fist. Annie was caught off guard and was shot through the wooden wall behind her. She fell awkwardly into the ruins outside the wall, with a cloud of dust rising around her.
Under the eaves, under sunglasses, Lango put down the beer can in his hand, shook his head helplessly, and walked into the punctured wooden house.
Although this girl is quite strong, her boxing and kicking skills are ridiculously poor. She has not systematically learned any fighting techniques, and Yuumi can beat her to death with a set of Meow Meow punches without him having to take action.
At this moment, under the ruins, Annie's whole body was shrouded in dazzling light, like a large multi-million-watt light bulb, and this was also her superpower.
Shine!
That's right, it's a simple glow. The stronger the emotion, the more dazzling the light is, and it can also absorb the surrounding current to recharge itself.
Lange had experimented before, and even with her maximum charge, she could only push herself a few meters away at best, and her lethality was almost zero.
Under the ruins, as the light expanded, all the wood piled on Annie's body was pushed away.
It is worth mentioning that although her superpowers are average, her physical defense is not bad. After breaking through a wall, she basically suffered no injuries.
Looking at Lango in front of her, Annie's eyes flashed with a trace of disappointment: "Am I a waste? I have been training for so long and I still make mistakes. I can't even catch a slap from Yumi."
"Well, I can't say that I'm a waste."
Rango sat next to her, patted her shoulder and encouraged: "Yumi is not as weak as you think. A slap from her full attack will at least have more than a ton of power, and she is faster than you." , there is no shame in being unable to beat her, but you are indeed too stupid and need to keep trying."
Anne pouted immediately after hearing this, and pushed away Lango's hand on her shoulder dissatisfied. She originally thought he would comfort her, but ended up calling her stupid.
She buried her head on her knees and said blankly: "The video tape of the introduction has been sent to Walter Company, but there is still no reply yet. Do you think I really haven't been selected?"
Lange was silent for a moment. Just the day before yesterday, he personally filmed a video introducing Annie's various abilities, from strength to speed, from endurance to defense, and even the seemingly useless luminous ability video tape and sent it to Watt Company as a They selected the Super Seven as candidates to replace the "Lamplighter".
But so far, there has been no reply. From Lango's point of view, Annie's position in the seven-person group is most likely gone. After all, this "light-emitting" super power seems to be too weak, even if Even he would not choose a "luminous person" as his company's signature superpower.
"Annie."
Lango turned to look at the girl and asked in confusion: "Why are you so determined to join some super seven group? Do you long for a life under the spotlight and become a star that attracts everyone's attention?"
"No!"
Anne immediately shook her head firmly, her eyes shining with unprecedented seriousness and enthusiasm, "My ideal is to save the world, and only by joining the Seven can I best implement my ideal."
"What?"
Hearing this, Lange couldn't help but laugh, "Save the world? Seriously?"
"Of course, if it wasn't to save the world, then why would I have been training so hard since I was a child?"
Speaking of this, she couldn't help showing a trace of frustration, "It's a pity that Walter Company doesn't like me. It seems that I can only become a policeman in the future."
Seeing her frustrated look, Lange was about to give her some words of encouragement when a rush of footsteps suddenly came from the kitchen, followed by Annie's mother's extremely excited shout: "Annie! Annie!!! Wo!" The company called, you have been selected! They invite you to attend the press conference at the company headquarters the day after tomorrow!”
When Anne heard this, her eyes widened instantly and she looked at Lango in disbelief. Her voice trembled and she confirmed: "She just said that I was chosen."
"Yeah!" Lange patted her shoulder excitedly and repeated loudly: "Yes, Annie, you have been selected! And you will soon stand on the stage of the press conference and become the center of attention! "
"Ahhhh!!!"
Annie could no longer suppress her inner excitement, hugged Rango fiercely, and cheered, "I'm going to become a superhero! Rango, do you hear me? I'm really going to become a superhero!!!"
"Okay, okay, is it worth being so excited about just this little thing?"
"This is the dream I have worked hard for so many years!"
Lange took the girl off his body and asked with a smile: "Have you thought about your code name? What kind of hero do you want to be? 'Luminous Man'?"
"Starlight!"
Annie hugged Lango's neck tightly, with a bright light shining in her eyes: "Super Seven-Starlight!!!"
"."
(Starlight, from the American TV series "The Black Robe")
(End of chapter)