387: Chapter 384 Superheroes

The four of them quickly found the entrance at the location provided by Left and Right Hand.

Deep in the abandoned construction zone, beside the foundation of an unfinished building, there was a patch of ground covered with a tarp. Lifting the tarp revealed a rusty but sturdy iron ladder leading downward.

The four of them circled the dimly lit basement several times.

Shen Mingyuan, unconvinced, directly transformed and activated [Shadow Perception]. His red visor glowed faintly in the darkness as ultrasonic and thermal imaging scanned the small space three times—finding nothing.

Apart from some heavy, immovable equipment and a few broken wires in the corner, this so-called "final stronghold" was as empty as a hollowed-out can.

Ye Ouyang crouched beside a dust-covered instrument, reached out to touch its cold metal casing, then withdrew his hand.

"Is that it?" He looked up at the others.

Wei Ziqing leaned against the wall and sighed.

"Ah, for heaven's sake," he said. "We've already searched several locations. Brother Lu, Brother Shen, and I checked three or four places earlier. This was the last one, and I never thought it would be the same."

Shen Mingyuan deactivated his transformation. The matte black armor receded, revealing his casual clothes. He walked over, dusting off his hands.

"There's no helping it. They moved too fast," he said. "Probably as soon as Left and Right Hand were captured, they started packing up immediately. They were looking for the next hideout while gathering everything they could take. By the time we got here, they were long gone."

Lu Jianchuan stood at the entrance, glancing at the darkening sky outside and then at the mess inside.

"In that case, let's go," he said. "As long as he's still in this city, we'll meet again eventually. As long as he still intends to do those harmful things."

Ye Ouyang stood up and looked at him.

"But that would be too late, wouldn't it?"

Lu Jianchuan turned his head to meet his gaze.

"If we only find him after he's hurt someone," Ye Ouyang said, "then someone will already have been injured. Why can't we find them from the very beginning?"

Wei Ziqing walked over and stood beside him.

"How would we find them?" he asked, his tone not accusatory, but simply curious.

Ye Ouyang opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it.

He was silent for a moment, then suddenly let out a soft sigh.

"Alright," he said, his voice dropping low. "I think I understand now—why in cartoons, the good guys always find out after the villains have already hurt people. It's really..."

He paused.

"The enemy is hidden while we are exposed."

Wei Ziqing patted his shoulder without a word.

By the time the four of them climbed out of the basement, it was completely dark outside. The abandoned construction zone had no streetlights; only the distant city lights cast a hazy yellow glow on the horizon.

Shen Mingyuan took out his phone and checked the time.

"It's past seven," he said. "We'll make it back just in time for dinner."

The four of them had just left the abandoned construction site and hadn't yet turned onto the main road when a scream suddenly tore through the night sky.

"Ah—!"

The sound came from just ahead and to the side, very close. All four stopped simultaneously, exchanged glances, and without a word, sprinted in that direction.

Rounding a half-collapsed wall, the sight before them made everyone freeze.

The streetlight was broken; only the slanted beam from a distant construction spotlight illuminated the clearing, cutting it into patches of light and shadow. In the lit area, an Armored Man stood—his foot pinning a man to the ground. The man, still clutching a fruit knife, had his face pressed into the gravel, unable to struggle.

A couple of meters away, a young couple huddled tightly around a boy of about seven or eight. The woman was trembling, the man shielding the child, his face full of fear.

Hearing footsteps, the Armored Man turned his head.

His armor—or rather, his—was primarily red, with black and white lines intertwining on the shoulder guards and chest, resembling some intricate totem. The streamlined shell had a dull sheen under the spotlight, and his visor was deep black, revealing no expression within.

His gaze swept over the four rushing toward him, then paused briefly on Ye Ouyang.

Just briefly.

Then he lifted his foot and turned to flee.

The pinned man fell to the ground, not yet able to get up, when Lu Jianchuan rushed over, grabbed his wrist, twisted it behind his back, and with his other hand pulled handcuffs from his waist—a habit from his days as a police officer—and snapped them on with a click.

"Stay put."

Wei Ziqing and Shen Mingyuan rushed to the family of three. Wei Ziqing shielded them while Shen Mingyuan crouched down, scanning the three—the adults were shaken but appeared unharmed. The child, however, had wide eyes, showing no fear, instead looking excited.

"That—that—" He craned his neck, trying to look in the direction the Armored Man had disappeared.

Shen Mingyuan glanced at him, then at the still-trembling couple beside him, and asked:

"Who was that just now?"

The woman opened her mouth but couldn't speak. The man was the same, his lips quivering as if still recovering from the shock.

But the child spoke up first:

"I know, I know!"

Shen Mingyuan turned to look at the excited child.

"That's the superhero who suddenly appeared a few days ago!"

"Superhero?" Shen Mingyuan's tone was even, not skeptical, as if listening to a story. "Can you tell me about it?"

The child nodded vigorously, his eyes shining like lightbulbs.

"You might not know, but there's a lot online! These past few nights, a superhero suddenly appeared in our city, just like silver skeleton in the TV shows—wait."

His gaze suddenly fell on Lu Jianchuan, who was lifting the criminal from the ground nearby.

"Are you silver skeleton?"

Lu Jianchuan set the groaning robber aside, turned back, and nodded.

"That's me."

The child's eyes widened even more.

"Wow—so cool! I never thought I'd meet the real person! Can you really transform? Is that armor real? Can you really fight monsters? Can I—hey, Mom, don't pull me—"

His mother finally snapped out of it, yanking him back to her side and holding him tightly.

Lu Jianchuan glanced at him, his tone plain but not aloof.

"I really can transform. Alright, let's get back to talking about that person just now."

"Oh, right." The child grew excited again. "That person doesn't have a name yet. No one online has named him. They just know he's been appearing recently, patrolling every night, specifically beating up bad guys who bully people! Lots of people have filmed him; there are videos online!"

Shen Mingyuan stood up and looked in the direction the Armored Man had disappeared.

"Sounds," he said, "a lot like what I imagined."

After being pulled back by his mother, the child still couldn't help but crane his neck to look.

"Really, there are so many videos online! He appears every night, specifically catching robbers and bullies! People have given him lots of names, like 'Red Night Warrior' and 'City Guardian,' but nothing's been decided yet." His eyes sparkled. "I never thought I'd actually meet him in person! Hah, that's great!"

Shen Mingyuan listened and nodded.

"That is indeed a good thing," he said, his tone tinged with thoughtfulness.

He straightened up, glanced at Lu Jianchuan, then looked toward the direction where the Armored Man had disappeared.

"What a coincidence?" he murmured. "Just as we're investigating Li Jianguo, a superhero suddenly appears."

Lu Jianchuan lifted the robber from the ground and dusted him off—not gently, but without malice.

"Looking on the bright side," he said, "maybe he really is just an accidental evolver."

Wei Ziqing stood nearby, staring at the dark alley entrance, silent for a few seconds.

"Is that so?" he said. "It's just that my gut tells me—whenever we encounter these kinds of 'coincidences,' they never turn out to be what you'd call..."

He didn't finish, but the meaning was clear.

Lu Jianchuan didn't respond, just nudged the criminal forward.

"Alright, I'll take him to the police station," he said, looking at the other three. "As for you three, feel free to go. Contact me in the group chat if anything comes up."

Shen Mingyuan nodded. "Alright, be careful on the way."

Wei Ziqing also nodded. "Mm."

Ye Ouyang stood to the side, not yet having said anything, when Lu Jianchuan already turned and walked away with the robber in custody. The man, hands cuffed behind his back, hung his head and stumbled along.

The streetlight cast his shadow long.

The three stood in place, watching that direction. In the night, Lu Jianchuan's figure soon blended into the darkness, leaving only the occasional sound of footsteps in the distance.

After a while, Shen Mingyuan withdrew his gaze.

"Let's go," he said.

The three turned and walked in another direction.