Downey drove, dusty and exhausted, from the suburbs into New York City. New York was still bustling, with tall buildings lining the streets. Pedestrians hurried along, busy with their own affairs.
This is the norm in New York City. Living in this international metropolis requires a fast-paced lifestyle. Even if the sky breaks, it can't stop New Yorkers from going to work, going to school, and living in a straight line.
From time to time in New York City, you can see parades or people giving speeches on the roadside with loudspeakers, which is also normal.
Something unexpected happened to this "normal" today.
In front, there was a large crowd of people, and the citizens were watching enthusiastically.
A skinny man stood on the stage, as if he could be blown down by a gust of wind. Anyone would believe that he could be knocked down with just a random punch.
The thin man gave a speech, claiming that he was the strongest mercenary in the world with an outstanding record.
"Do you know that Donny? The mutant who's been very popular recently? He was defeated by me!" The thin man said shamelessly, his tone firm, as if he was confident.
People were pointing and talking in disbelief. Donnie, who had been surprised that this guy was still alive, suddenly turned pale when he heard this.
"You don't believe me? Just a while ago, that mutant got beaten so badly he ran away, you know? I did it!" The thin man made a ball-kicking motion and said confidently, "I only used one hand, and he fell down in an instant. He was so vulnerable."
The thin man spoke in a hurry and coughed twice, which made people worry that he might cough out his lungs and die suddenly on the streets of New York.
Tang Ni looked unhappy and sneaked into the crowd. He found an opportunity to pinch his nose and yell, "What about that mutant? Did you defeat him?"
The thin man's body shook, and he perked up. "He ran away. I beat him away with one punch. He dared not show up again. I will protect the citizens of New York!"
Thin Man declared himself responsible for the safety of New Yorkers.
"Hire me now and get a 20% discount!" the thin man shouted.
There was disdainful laughter in the crowd. With such a skinny body, he could be knocked down with just one punch. Who would need such a person for protection?
"Boy, do you want to hire me?" The thin man saw a child of a few years old walking by and quickly ran over.
The child turned and left.
Donny saw two policemen watching the scene nearby, so he walked over and asked them, "Is this guy doing this legal?"
"At least it's not illegal." A policeman shrugged and said, enjoying the fun.
Another policeman told Donnie that Thin Man's speech was approved by their department. In New York City, there are special departments that issue permits for marches and protests to ensure that these people are not disturbed by patrolling police.
"If anyone wants to hire me, I'll give you a 30% discount! 40% is fine too!" Seeing that no one paid attention to him, the thin man lowered his fee consciously, then sighed softly. It is becoming increasingly difficult to cheat citizens nowadays.
Some people in the crowd who had fought with the thin man almost covered their faces and ran away, too embarrassed to see anyone, for fear of being recognized by the thin man, which was too embarrassing.
The skinny guy started a new round of self-promotion, and every sentence he said was about his glorious past when he beat Donny away, which made Donny want to beat him to death.
The audience started to make noises and laugh at the top mercenaries, but no one paid any attention to them.
The thin man was anxious and squeezed into the crowd, explaining his bravery everywhere, giving Donny the opportunity to approach him.
Donny squeezed left and right, quietly approached the thin man, and took out the vibranium in his arms with a sneer.
Finding the right moment, while the skinny guy was off guard, Donny hit him hard on the head with a brick!
Bang!
The thin man's eyes widened, foaming at the mouth, and he fell down in despair.
People cheered, and the two policemen had had enough of the excitement, so they happily came up to clean up the venue and dragged the thin man away.
Many citizens were whispering and expressing their opinions as they walked, and Donnie was listening.
"Are all mercenaries like this nowadays? It's terrible." A citizen sighed.
"Mercenaries these days are no good. After all, the world is getting more and more dangerous. Did you know that the Italian mafia and the Chinatown gangs started fighting a while ago?"
"I heard."
"They hired the same guy at the same time, and he kidnapped the bosses of both families, saying that he would help whichever boss paid more to take down the other boss."
"Wow, society is really sinister..."
The citizen spoke eloquently, saying that the two bosses had a fierce bidding war on the spot. In the end, the Chinatown boss won, using his trump card to raise the final bid by several hundred dollars, saving his life.
Someone asked what the killer weapon was.
"The Chinatown boss broke off his gold teeth, but the Italian boss has no gold teeth," said the citizen.
Donny listened with great interest. Listening to this kind of common views made Donny feel that he was still the ordinary person he used to be. He worked diligently to transport goods when there was work to do, and chatted and joked when there was nothing to do. Although he did not have any great achievements to be praised, he was living a simple and peaceful life.
But Donny has stepped into a new circle, and he can never go back, and it is impossible for him to go back.
This is an era of great contention. Once you have emerged from this mortal world, there will be no chance to go back.
If you don't fight, you will die!
After driving all the way and casually dealing with routine checks by street police, Donny finally returned to his house, a small house in New York.
There is no home anymore. This used to be a home, but now it is just a house, at least that is what Donnie thinks it is.
He was left alone, where could he find a home?
Opening the door and walking in, Donnie looked at everything in the house. It felt familiar yet strange, yet still so small and tidy. Everything was the same as before, exactly as he remembered, as if nothing had happened.
Donnie sighed deeply, wanting to say something to himself, but gave up and slumped down on the couch.
There was actually a letter on the table, with the sender marked in the corner of the letter: Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters.
Donny opened the letter and read it. It was from Professor X. He invited Donny to study at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, hoping that Donny could complete his studies instead of taking a leave of absence to make money as before.
At the end of the letter, Professor X wrote: I really hope to meet with my people so that we can have a good talk.
Donnie sighed, resealed the letter, and found a box to put it in. This was an invitation from the X-Men, hoping that he would not side with Magneto.
To put it more bluntly, Professor X is hinting to him that even if he doesn't come to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, he shouldn't join the fraternity.
Professor X was right to be cautious; he was not the same kind of person as Professor X.
Donny didn't want to join either side at all. He had no power to fight back against either the bald professor or Lao Wan. If he really had to choose one, he would rather choose Lao Wan.
The reason is simple. If Professor X read the memories in his brain out of curiosity, what would the consequences be? Would he suffer a mental breakdown and die like in his previous life?