Chapter 305 Road Movie Encounters
A breeze blew on Yang Le's face, and a peculiar scent carried by it wafted into his nostrils – the smell of Asphalt Road baking under the sun, mingled with a faint hint of Gasoline.
The scenery around him blurred past, left in his wake. Though named "old car," its performance was anything but ordinary. If this Steel Behemoth were to unleash its full potential, only Speedsters could outpace it on the Ground.
Watching the scenery flash by, Yang Le mused, "This is definitely one of America's defining features. No wonder Road Movies were born here."
He shifted his sight back to the road ahead. Despite the empty Asphalt Road, a driver's gaze should always be forward.
A quick glance at the Paper Map stuck to the passenger seat revealed his Destination: Star City, Green Arrow's territory.
Honestly, for a genuine tourist, starting from Central City in Missouri and choosing Star City in California, roughly three thousand kilometers away, was hardly a sensible Choice.
A normal person would Plan a route, exploring nearby locations first before venturing further, saving both time and Money.
Thinking this way, Keystone City, frequently associated with Central City and just Next door, would have been Yang Le's better Choice.
However, Yang Le was no normal person. His primary Reason for this decision was his desire to meet Green Arrow, Star City's local authority.
Before truly understanding Green Arrow, Yang Le had dismissed him as a second or third-tier Superhero, a mere imitation of Batman. The similarities between the two Characters were undeniable.
Both were billionaire playboys, orphaned at a young age, trained to become crime-fighting Superheroes, lacked Superpower, and even their Equipment was strikingly similar.
Batman had the Batcave, Batmobile, and Batplane; Green Arrow had the Arrowcave, Arrowcar, and Arrowplane. Even their Real Name structures were identical: Bruce Wayne, Oliver Queen.
"Good grief," Yang Le had thought, "if they weren't from the same comic book Company, I'd think Green Arrow was some obscure comic character trying to rip off Batman."
Due to these overwhelming similarities, Yang Le initially wasn't fond of Green Arrow, considering him a character without his own core identity, just a copy-paste job.
It wasn't until an American TV series emerged that changed Yang Le's Idea. That series was "Arrow," which premiered in 2012. This long-running Superhero drama, with its exceptional quality, shattered Yang Le's preconceived notion, allowing him to finally set aside his prejudice and genuinely appreciate this Superhero.
Upon closer inspection, Yang Le discovered the most significant difference between Green Arrow and Batman: this Superhero, hailing from America, raised in a life of indulgence, and steeped in capitalist influence, was actually a staunch Marxist.
This revelation instantly made Yang Le admire Green Arrow. For this Reason alone, Yang Le wanted to visit this left-wing archer. In previous Justice League meetings, he hadn't had the Opportunity to converse with him.
Releasing the Steering wheel, Yang Le peeled off the Map taped to the passenger seat. Ignoring the RV continuing to drive, he headed towards the Living Area in the back.
"Just over two thousand kilometers left, keep it up, old car," Yang Le said to the empty Cockpit. The Steering wheel he had been holding abruptly transformed into a pool of black, gel-like substance with white Circuit patterns – a Galvanic Mechamorph Splinter.
Yang Le believed a truly exceptional Car needed its own Soul, what modern people called a Machine Spirit. To achieve this, Yang Le had specifically transformed into Upgrade, Splitting off a Splinter and granting it full control over the old car.
A Galvanic Mechamorph Splinter was far superior to ordinary Artificial Intelligence. Crucially, the Splinter could also maintain the old car itself. A typical AI would merely report a malfunction, whereas the Splinter could fix it.
In Emergency situations, the Splinter could even convert the old car into a Weapon of War, provided Weapon Blueprints were pre-loaded.
"Received, sir," a Response composed of several synthesized Sounds echoed from the Car Radio. Yang Le sighed inwardly. It wasn't that he hadn't installed a Language module; the Splinter simply preferred to Response using snippets from various Radio Broadcast.
Yang Le didn't mind. He opened the refrigerator, grabbed an Iced Coke, cracked it open, and took a satisfying gulp. Thanks to the meticulous tuning by a professional and two Scientist, coupled with the Splinter's real-time adjustments, the old car's stability was top-notch. Even on uneven Ground, there wasn't a hint of bumpiness, let alone on Asphalt Road.
However, there were always exceptions.
"Boom!"
A deafening explosion erupted, unleashing a massive Impact Force that sent sand and gravel hurtling towards the old car. Thankfully, the windows had closed just in time; otherwise, Yang Le, mid-sip of Cola, would have swallowed a mouthful of Grain of sand.
The sudden blast startled Yang Le, causing him to choke on his Cola. Anyone who'd ever drunk Cola knew the excruciating pain of being choked by the Carbonated Drink.
"Cough, cough, cough!" Yang Le grabbed the Towel offered by the old car's built-in Mechanical arm, painfully wiping the mixed Liquid from his mouth and Nose.
"FK!" Yang Le cursed, widening his Eyes as he stared at the Screen the old car had preemptively activated. He was determined to see who had dared to make him look so foolish.
The Screen displayed the feed from the Super Camera invented by Grey Matter, capable of piercing through sandstorms, allowing Yang Le to clearly see the Culprit.
"Boom!"
Another deafening blast, followed by a gust of wind that dispersed the airborne sand and dust. Yang Le's "high-definition Camera" was now redundant, but stubbornly, he persisted in watching the Screen. It was a matter of principle – even though he could see clearly out the window, he remained glued to the Screen, a testament to his stubbornness.
A Figure in red, powerfully built and draped in a white Cape, filled the Screen. As the Figure turned, a massive Lightning Symbol on his chest became visible. His Identity was unmistakable: Shazam!
"Bang!"
A heavy thud reverberated as a black-clad Figure, as imposing as Shazam and even more menacing, traded a Punch with him. The collision of immense Power generated a teeth-grinding Sound in the air.
"Is that all you've got?" Shazam quipped, a playful Expression incongruous with his physique. The effect of such an Expression on a hulking Guy was almost comical, but his opponent remained unfazed, as if accustomed to it.
(End of Chapter)