"Be brave, lad!"
The spirited shout from the crowd jolted Lin Feng from his daze. Dozens of pedestrians, who had gathered to witness the romantic tension play out on the sidewalk, cheered him on as if they were rooting for a hometown hero in the final moments of a game-winning play.
Lin Feng blinked, stunned. They're more anxious than I am about this kiss.
The cheering only made his heart pound harder.
He swallowed hard and tried to calm the storm inside him. With a deep breath, he slowly leaned forward, his eyes locking onto Susan's.
The distance between them closed, breath by breath. Her floral scent—light, sweet, intoxicating—drifted gently into his nostrils. It wrapped around him like a spell.
Unbeknownst to him, his own masculine scent—clean, sharp with a hint of ozone—was pulling Susan in just the same. She closed her eyes softly, her lashes fluttering as though she were standing on the edge of a dream. Her lips parted ever so slightly.
The cheers of the crowd melted away into a distant echo. Their hearts, drawn together by invisible gravity, pounded louder than the outside world.
Just a millimeter more…
And then—
BOOM!
A deafening explosion shattered the moment like a glass dropped on concrete.
The roar of a monster followed, primal and bone-chilling. Screams erupted in all directions as pedestrians scattered like frightened birds.
Lin Feng's eyes snapped wide open. He turned his head sharply toward the source of the sound—his superhuman senses locking onto it instantly.
One block over, a pair of enormous, gray-green monstrosities were locked in a vicious street fight, each blow between them shaking the ground like an earthquake.
Cars were tossed like toys. Asphalt cracked open like paper. Buildings trembled under the shockwaves.
Hulk and… Abomination? Lin Feng's jaw clenched as fury rose in his chest.
These two monsters had just ruined his first kiss.
One millimeter! Just one!
Fire burned behind Lin Feng's eyes as he watched Abomination throw a city bus into a storefront. Citizens screamed as glass rained down. People were being trampled in the chaos, innocent lives caught in the wake of destruction.
He turned back to Susan, regret and frustration flickering in his gaze.
"I'm sorry, Susan," he said with a heavy sigh. "Looks like I have to go be Superman."
Susan gave him a knowing smile and gently patted his arm. "Go," she said, voice warm and steady. "My little Superman… do what you do best."
He nodded, lips tight with determination. "Wait for me here."
But Susan just smiled more mischievously. As Lin Feng turned and dashed for a nearby alley, she pulled a compact camera from her bag, her journalist instincts fully awakened.
"I won't just wait here," she said with a wink, and darted off toward a tall building nearby, seeking the perfect vantage point to document the chaos—and Superman's battle.
Seconds later, a sonic boom cracked through the air. A red-and-black streak tore through the sky—Lin Feng, in full Superman flight, soaring toward the heart of the monster battle.
In the streets below, chaos reigned. Fear. Confusion. Sirens. The thunderous sounds of two behemoths tearing into each other.
Then someone pointed skyward and shouted.
"Look! It's Superman! He's here!"
Heads turned. A moment of stillness broke through the panic.
"Superman! It's really him!"
Cheers erupted as Lin Feng came into view, hovering high above the scene. His cape rippled in the wind. His eyes glowed faintly. His expression was cold steel.
To the people on the ground, it was hope. The embodiment of safety.
Superman.
From an armored military vehicle stationed near the intersection, U.S. soldiers watched with wide eyes. One of them exhaled sharply, lowering his weapon.
"Superman's here," he muttered. "Thank God."
Up in the air, aboard a military helicopter, a young soldier looked to his superior.
"General Ross!" he called out. "It's him! Superman!"
Thunderbolt Ross, standing with arms crossed and eyes narrowed, studied Lin Feng's form through the lens of the chopper's scope.
"Hold altitude," Ross ordered curtly. "Do not engage. Let's see how this plays out."
Below, Hulk and Abomination momentarily paused their rampage and turned toward the sky.
Abomination's lips curled into a sick grin as he recognized the figure descending from above. Hulk simply roared—unconcerned with who or what had arrived.
Lin Feng hovered with eyes blazing.
"Monsters belong in zoos," he said, voice like thunder, "not rampaging through city streets."
Abomination sneered. "Superman," he growled. "Come down here and say that to my face."
Lin Feng cracked his knuckles. "Gladly."
Without another word, he dove from the sky like a meteor, fist-first.
BOOM!
His punch landed squarely on Abomination's face, sending the monster crashing through the pavement and carving a crater into the street. Asphalt cracked in all directions.
Abomination roared, dazed but furious, and lunged again. He swung his bladed arm, but Lin Feng dodged it effortlessly.
To Lin Feng, the monster's attacks moved like molasses.
CRACK! Another sonic boom as Lin Feng unleashed a brutal roundhouse kick. Abomination flew backward, colliding with a garbage truck and sending it skidding across the pavement.
Just as Lin Feng prepared to finish it—
WHAM!
A powerful force struck him from behind.
Hulk.
Caught off guard, Lin Feng was hurled through the air by Hulk's massive grip. The green goliath grabbed his leg and slammed him into the pavement like a ragdoll. Once