Become Kingpin and build a hero mercenary company.

Chapter 13: The Second Weird Man: The "Road Rage" Driver

New York's traffic, as always, upholds its excellent tradition of being a "world-class parking lot." Especially near the Brooklyn Bridge during the evening rush hour, the long lines of cars stretch as far as the eye can see, with horns, engine roars, and impatient curses from drivers creating a uniquely urban symphony of restlessness.

Jack was one of those caught in this torrent of frustration. He was an ordinary office worker, and today was especially unlucky for him. He spilled coffee on his only clean shirt in the morning, was late for work and got a half-hour lecture from his supervisor, discovered at lunchtime that his usual takeout restaurant had raised its prices without notifying him, and now, he'd been stuck in this damn traffic for over forty minutes, his bladder was about to burst, and his patience was completely exhausted.

"Move! Damn it! What the hell is going on up ahead!" He pounded on the steering wheel, veins bulging in his neck. He leaned out, trying to see the source of the traffic jam, but could see nothing but a dense array of car roofs and flashing taillights.

Just then, a beat-up pickup truck in the next lane tried to cut in front of him. The truck looked quite old, with peeling paint and black smoke billowing from its exhaust pipe. In the driver's seat was a man wearing a baseball cap whose face was obscured.

"Don't even think about it!" Jack was at the peak of his temper. He slammed on the gas pedal and used the front of his car to block the other party's path.

The two cars narrowly missed each other, producing a screeching metallic scraping sound.

This was as if the fuse of a powder keg had been lit.

The pickup truck driver whirled around, revealing a pair of bloodshot eyes filled with rage and despair beneath his baseball cap. He glared at Jack, letting out a beastly growl, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white.

"You... dare... block my way?!" His voice was hoarse and distorted, completely unlike a human voice.

Jack was startled by his crazed gaze and instinctively felt a chill, but he retorted defiantly, "You're the one who tried to cut in line! Don't you know the rules?"

"Rules?!" the pickup truck driver roared. "Blocking here is the rule?! Getting fired for being late is the rule?! Not being able to pay rent is the rule?!"

His emotions completely spiraled out of control, and an invisible, violent energy suddenly erupted from him! It wasn't a superpower; it was more like a distortion of reality triggered by extreme negative emotions.

"Bang! Bang! Crack!"

The dilapidated pickup truck beneath him seemed to have been imbued with an evil life, emitting a sickening metallic creaking sound. The rusty body writhed, stretched, and reinforced itself as if alive! The doors twisted and flipped upwards, forming rudimentary metal arms; the hood shattered, revealing a single, seemingly burning headlight; the tires spun wildly, scribbling and puffing smoke as they scraped the ground. With an unbelievable creaking sound, the entire vehicle rapidly rose and deformed, transforming in a mere dozen seconds into a crude, over three-meter-tall mech made of scrap metal, emitting thick exhaust fumes and an ominous aura!

"Nobody...get out of here!!" The mutated road rage driver, or rather, the "broken car mech" monster at this moment, let out a deafening roar. It swung its twisted arm, made up of a car door and an exhaust pipe, and smashed it hard into an innocent car next to it!

The car's roof was instantly smashed flat, glass shards flew everywhere, and the driver inside screamed in terror.

"Monsters! There are monsters!"

"Run!"

"my car!"

The already chaotic traffic instantly turned into a disaster scene. Screams, cries, and the sounds of vehicles colliding filled the air. People abandoned their cars and fled, creating an extremely chaotic scene.

The broken-down mech clearly regarded the entire blocked road as an enemy. With heavy steps, it began to indiscriminately destroy the surrounding vehicles, flipping cars with its twisted metal arms and stomping on hoods with its thick tire legs, attempting to "clear" a road in the most violent way.

An unusual energy reaction has been detected at the southern end of the Brooklyn Bridge! Threat level assessment: Tiger!

[Event Type: Emotional Mutant (Road Rage), which has materialized into a large-scale destructive mechanical construct!]

[Mission Issued: Immediately stop the "Road Rage Mech's" destructive actions, evacuate civilians, and minimize property damage. Mission Level: Tiger. Reward Points: 150.]

The mission notification from the Hero Association app was pushed to all registered heroes and the association's command center almost the instant the monster completed its transformation.

Fisker Building, the association's temporary command center.

The huge screen displayed real-time footage from high-altitude drones and the city's surveillance system (some of which had access to the system). Wesley frowned as he looked at the wrecked mech wreaking havoc: "The target's destructive power is astonishing, but its structure seems very unstable. Traffic is paralyzed, and civilian evacuation is difficult."

He looked at Flint Marco, who was standing to the side and had changed into a dark brown combat uniform (made of a special material that does not affect desertification) provided by the association, which had some protective functions.

“Sandman, this is your first official mission. Are you confident?” Wesley asked seriously.

Flint took a deep breath, stared at the menacing metal monster on the screen, and nodded vigorously. He reached into his pocket; inside was the photo Penny had sent that morning—the little girl in her hospital bed, a long-lost, faint smile on her face. That smile gave him boundless courage.

“Leave it to me, Mr. Wesley.” His eyes were firm. “I know what to do.”

Minutes later, a whirlwind of sand, moving at a speed defying the laws of physics, rapidly moved along the exterior walls of the skyscrapers, heading straight for the location of the Brooklyn Bridge incident.

The scene was a complete mess. At least a dozen vehicles were destroyed, thick smoke billowed, and cries of pain filled the air. The wrecked mech continued its rampage, grabbing a small car and preparing to throw it towards the densest part of the crowd!

“Hey! Big guy!” a deep voice rang out.

The wrecked mech paused, its single eye, formed by the headlights, turning towards the source of the sound. Not far ahead, in an open area, stood a robust man in a dark brown uniform, who had appeared out of nowhere. It was Flint the Sandman.

"Your path ends here," the Sandman said in a deep voice.

"Another one blocking my way! I'll crush you!" The broken-down mech roared incoherently, hurling the car at the Sandman like a toy!

Faced with the oncoming car, Sandman neither dodged nor avoided it. His arms instantly turned into sand, transforming into two enormous hands made of countless grains of sand, which he lifted up to meet the flying car!

A muffled thud. The car's momentum was firmly caught by the giant sand hand, the enormous kinetic energy dispersed and absorbed by countless flowing sand grains. The sandman's feet sank slightly into the ground, but his body remained completely still.

He carefully maneuvered the sand palm and gently placed the car, with the driver still trapped inside, onto the relatively safe ground nearby.

This seemingly effortless move instantly elicited gasps and cheers from the panicked crowd.

"They're from the Hero Association!"

"He caught the car! My God!"

"Look at his arm!"

Seeing that its attack was ineffective, the broken-down mech became even more enraged. It took heavy steps and charged towards the Sandman like an out-of-control tank, its twisted metal arm crashing down with a vicious wind!

Sandman's eyes narrowed; he didn't choose to take the hit head-on. Just as the metal arm was about to strike, his entire upper body suddenly exploded into a cloud of sand, causing the mech's attack to completely miss!

The sand, like a living mist, quickly swirled around the back of the mech, reforming into the upper body of the Sandman. He let out a low shout, and his right arm solidified into sand, no longer a rough sand whip, but a more solid sand blade with edges shimmering with a faint yellow light!

The sand blade flashed an arc of light and struck the relatively vulnerable knee joint of the mech!

"Thorn--!"

A sickening metallic tearing sound rang out. Although the sand blade failed to completely sever the thick metal structure, it left a deep mark on it and disrupted part of its transmission. The mech's charge suddenly stalled, and its body tilted slightly.

"Roar!" The mech felt the pain and swung its other arm across.

Sandman used the same trick again, turning parts of his body into sand to evade the attack, while manipulating the dust and debris scattered on the ground due to the destruction, causing them to adhere to the joints and gaps of the mech as if attracted, in an attempt to interfere with its movements.

He kept in mind the recommendations in the assessment report: utilize the environment and avoid head-on confrontation.

The battle turned into a protracted struggle. Sandman, like an elusive desert ghost, constantly circled, harassed, and slashed around the cumbersome mech. His sandification ability made him almost immune to most of the mech's physical attacks, while the sand blades he condensed and the sandstorms he constantly created made the mech's movements increasingly sluggish, and the damage on its body increased.

"Annoying...bugs!!" The broken-down mech went completely berserk. Its hood suddenly popped open, revealing a structure inside that resembled a burning core, and a scorching hot airflow began to gather!

[Warning: Target energy response has increased dramatically! Suspected of preparing for a wide-range energy burst!] The system notification sounded in Sandman's ear (via a miniature communicator).

High temperature! This is one of the weaknesses pointed out in the assessment report!

The sandman's pupils contracted, and he had no time to think. He slammed his hands on the ground and unleashed his full power!

Centered on him, a large area of ​​asphalt road in front of him shook violently and cracked! Countless grains of sand and dust shot into the sky like a fountain, instantly condensing into an incredibly thick, constantly flowing and reinforcing giant sand wall in front of the mecha!

Almost simultaneously, the mech spewed out a scorching breath of flames from its chest, a mixture of metal shavings and thick smoke!

"boom--!!!"

The flames slammed into the sand wall, the intense heat instantly vitrifying the surface sand particles, causing them to crackle and pop. But the sand wall's interior continuously replenished itself, stubbornly withstanding this violent attack!

The flames lasted for several seconds before gradually dying down. Most of the sand wall had melted, emitting wisps of smoke, but it had ultimately held the line.

At this moment, the broken-down mech seemed to have exhausted its energy due to this full-power attack. Its massive body swayed, its movements became more stiff, and the red light in its eyes dimmed considerably.

Without the slightest hesitation, Sandman completely transformed into sand, becoming a surging sandstorm, like a desert storm, instantly enveloping the sluggish mech!

The sand flow, like a giant, living python, tightly coiled around the mech's limbs and torso, with countless grains of sand frantically drilling into its joint gaps and engine air intakes!

"Creak... Crack... Bang!"

With its internal structure jammed and damaged by sand, coupled with previous accumulated damage, the broken mech finally gave way. Amid a series of groans and explosions from the overburdened metal, it disintegrated, turning back into a pile of twisted, smoldering metal emitting black smoke.

The driver, wearing a baseball cap, fell out of the wreckage and was unconscious, but his vital signs were stable.

The sands coalesced again beside the wreckage, forming the figure of Flint Marco. He was slightly out of breath, looking at the results of the battle before him with a relieved expression.

All around, enthusiastic applause and cheers erupted from the survivors.

"so amazing!"

"Thank you, hero!"

"The association's heroes are truly reliable!"

As Flint listened to these voices, feeling a sense of recognition and respect he had never experienced before, a warm feeling welled up inside him. It wasn't just about the money and his daughter; he seemed... to be starting to like this feeling.

[Mission "Stop the Road Rage Mech" complete! 150 reward points have been credited to the hero "Sandman's" account.]

[Hero "Sandman's" first public mission performance evaluation: Excellent. Association public credibility +10.]

[Hint: Through practical combat, the hero "Sandman" has gained some understanding of how to use his abilities, resulting in a slight improvement in the precision of his sand manipulation.]

Sandman clenched his fist as he looked at the system notification.

Debut was a success!

Points earned!

Moreover, he seems to have... become a little stronger.

The association took its first step very steadily.

Chapter 14: The Sandmen's Debut: A Sandstorm Funeral

The chaos at the southern end of the Brooklyn Bridge did not immediately subside with the devastating disintegration of the wrecked mechs. The air was thick with the acrid smell of burning rubber, the stench of leaking gasoline, and the bewilderment and terror of survivors. Twisted car wrecks were scattered everywhere, like the ruins of a modern war. Sirens wailed as they drew nearer, and flashing red and blue lights attempted to dispel the panic in the area.

In the heart of this chaos stood Flint Marco, the Sandman. His dark brown Association combat uniform was stained with dust and oil, but his posture was upright. The gazes of the surrounding crowd were no longer those of indifference or wariness toward marginalized individuals, but rather filled with gratitude, curiosity, and even a touch of admiration.

"Hero! Thank you!"

"Are you OK?"

"That move was so cool!"

These sounds flooded Flint's ears, making him somewhat uncomfortable, yet he also felt an unprecedented warmth coursing through his body. Unaccustomed to this focus, he could only awkwardly nod to his surroundings, while reassuring them in a calm voice, as instructed in the association's emergency response manual: "Everyone stay calm, stay away from the wreckage, be careful, paramedics and police will be there soon."

His voice carried a steadiness that came from experiencing hardship, which inexplicably reassured people.

Soon, NYPD patrol cars and ambulances arrived at the scene and began to take over the evacuation of the crowd, the aid of the injured, and the establishment of a cordon. Several officers approached Sandman, the lead officer looking at the burly man with a unique presence and the still-smoking wreckage of the mech with a complex expression.

“I’m Sheriff Anderson. Thank you for your prompt intervention… sir?” The officer’s tone was tentative yet respectful. He recognized the uniform, but didn’t know the specific name.

“Sandman,” Flint announced his codename, his voice calm. “Hero Association.”

“Sandman… sir.” Sheriff Anderson nodded, his gaze sweeping over the bizarrely shaped sand wall remnants forged by the intense heat, and the mecha fragments whose gaps were almost completely filled with sand. He felt a chill run down his spine. This ability, and this efficient way of solving problems, was completely different from the vigilante actions of the past, which often came with huge collateral damage. “Could you briefly describe what happened? We need to take notes.”

Flint succinctly described what happened, from the appearance of the mech to its subjugation, omitting details of his own abilities and only emphasizing that the target was an emotionally unstable mutant who had been subdued and was out of danger.

Just as he was cooperating with the police in taking notes, a distinctive, deep engine roar came from afar. A black van with sharp lines and the Hero Association logo, with an agility that belied its large size, navigated through the chaotic traffic and came to a steady stop outside the police line.

The car door slid open, and several efficient logistics personnel dressed in matching blue overalls jumped out. They didn't even glance at the horrific scene or the newly crowned hero, but instead quickly retrieved various unusual pieces of equipment from the vehicle.

One person held a device resembling a large vacuum cleaner. Once started, it emitted a low hum and began efficiently cleaning up the scattered broken glass, metal fragments, and some unnecessary sand residue on the ground.

Another person used a scanner-like device to quickly scan the pile of mech wreckage and the unconscious driver, seemingly assessing the level of contamination and recycling value.

Another person walked towards the partially vitrified sand wall and sprayed some colorless and odorless chemical agent with a sprayer. The sand wall that was sprayed quickly became loose and was then easily collected by the "big vacuum cleaner".

Their actions were professional, efficient, and silent, as if handling such scenes was routine for them. In just over ten minutes, the main debris and hazardous materials were cleared, marked, and loaded onto trucks. Although the scene was still chaotic, it at least looked less alarming, clearing many obstacles for the municipal authorities' subsequent recovery work.

Sheriff Anderson and the surrounding officers were stunned. They had handled many extraordinary incidents, but each one had always left a mess, requiring multiple departments—municipal, environmental, and fire—to work on it for days. This kind of professional, rapid, and targeted logistical handling was something they had never seen before.

"This... your association even manages this?" Sheriff Anderson couldn't help but ask.

A support staff member looked up, adjusted his goggles, and replied calmly, "According to the association's guidelines, heroes are responsible for solving problems, and we are responsible for solving the problems caused by those problems. It is our duty to minimize secondary impacts on social order and public property."

After saying that, they said no more and continued to work diligently. They quickly completed the initial on-site handling, drove away, and left just as quickly, keeping their achievements hidden.

This operation not only impressed the police, but was also recorded by many people who had not yet left and reporters who rushed to the scene, and quickly spread online.

Efficient! The Hero Association not only resolves crises but also handles the "after-sales" cleanup!

A stark contrast: the attrition ratio between professional teams and lone wolves.

The Sandmen's debut was a resounding success; the association's logistical prowess amazed the NYPD!

The online public opinion has once again stirred up a storm. The Sandman's unique sandification ability and calm fighting style, as well as the professionalism shown by the Association's logistics troops, have created a powerful visual and conceptual impact.

Flint didn't linger. After cooperating with the police's basic questioning, he quietly left the scene under Wesley's remote instructions. Instead of making a scene, he once again transformed into an inconspicuous wisp of dust, moving silently along the building's shadow back to the association headquarters. This restrained attitude earned him another wave of praise for being "pragmatic and unassuming."

Back at Fisk Tower, Flint went straight to the [Ability Assessment Room], which had become a familiar place to him. Although the battle hadn't lasted long, he felt he had gained a great deal. He needed to solidify the insights he had gained from this combat experience.

[Hero "Sandman" detected. Should we conduct post-battle ability fine-tuning analysis?] The system's electronic voice sounded.

“Yes.” Flint stepped onto the platform.

The beam of light swept across.

Analysis complete.

[Sand particle manipulation precision: improved by 0.7%. Morphology transformation speed: improved by 1.2%. Environmental sand particle sensing range: expanded to 7 meters.]