Chapter 3: The Violent Madman
"Qiu Wu hasn't come back yet?" Ke Youqing asked.

"I went to pick up Yongzhu. Yongzhu has a basketball game today and will be back late." Bai Wenna replied.

Ke Mingye held chopsticks in his mouth and listened to his parents talking. Bai Qiuwu was his elder sister, while Ke Yongzhu was the youngest brother in the family and, like him, was adopted.

Bai Wenna seized the opportunity to scold Ke Youqing: "Look at you, you still say you care about the child."

"You're right. I won't argue with you."

Ke Youqing shrugged. The drama that happened at the dinner table had taught him a lesson.

Ke Mingye glanced at the identity "Yixia Qingya" above Ke Youqing's head and thought that it's not that his father doesn't care about his child, he just doesn't have the time to care.

He searched for historical news about "Qing Ya" on his phone. It had been 28 years since this Chinese superhero first appeared in the world. Based on Ke Youqing's age, it means that he had already put on a mask and a combat uniform when he just turned 17, and traveled around the world to fight against those difficult super-powered criminals.

However, no matter which country in the world, the reputation of the blue crow is consistently terrible.

In China, "superheroes" are called "Yixia".

As the concept of "Yixia" became popular across the country, national officials began to seriously examine the image management and overall quality of each Yixia, and to examine whether their influence on the people, especially on minors, is positive enough, and whether they can serve as role models in behavior.

If a hero receives a large number of reports from the public and is reviled by thousands of people in the media, the Super Hero Association will most likely take measures to "force him to go offline."

If the situation is not too serious, then try to hide him for a while, and then let him sign up for a series of courses similar to "Other Hero Behavior Management". Then tentatively reveal some of the superhero's recent situation in the media, and buy traffic tweets to help him restore his reputation. When public opinion warms up, the superhero will be allowed to return to the public eye with good reason.

In this complex era, superheroes in all countries have gradually moved away from the category of "special police" and replaced the position of the vast majority of popular idols.

Because of this, the public's demands for their image are becoming increasingly higher, and every superhero has to ensure that his or her conduct is not wrong in the slightest, lest he or she be pushed to the forefront of public opinion by people with ulterior motives.

But under this premise, "Qing Ya", Ke Mingye's father, became a person who completely went against the grain.

The media's evaluation of him was particularly bad. People called him an outlaw who was violent and ruthless in the name of justice, a vigilante who would do anything to achieve his goal, a beast who would only bring psychological trauma and violent influence to teenagers, and he was not worthy of the nickname "superhero", which symbolizes hope and peace.

But even though Blue Crow's methods can be described as extremely brutal and radical among all the superheroes, he is still a veteran of the Super Hero Association and holds a certain amount of power in the Round Table.

Therefore, even though the public's condemnation has grown louder over the years and he has been the subject of one trending search after another, he has remained active and has only received a few minor penalties from the association.

On the first day Ke Mingye traveled here, he searched for information about "Qing Ya" on the Internet.

In every photo, "Blue Crow" always has the same unchanging look, with a strange mask on his face, every curve of which seems to be carved by a knife blade. The eyes exposed in the eye sockets are as bright and deep as torches. There is a protruding blue bird's beak on the philtrum of the mask, like a sharp sickle, making him look gloomy and aggressive like a wild beast.

He was wearing a jet-black metal bodysuit and a cape that covered his entire body.

Overall, just like his name, he really dressed himself up like a giant crow. The "green" in the nickname Green Crow comes from the green beak on the mask.

He is a weirdo, with some mental illness; it is not unreasonable for a "superhero" who serves the people to be complained about for dressing so scary, like a villain.

The above is Ke Mingye’s first impression after looking at the photo.

At that time, he couldn't help but complain in his heart: "You are still teaching me at the dinner table that 'hunchbacks must be corrected, we must pay attention to our image first, so that others will pay attention to our abilities', but now you are dressed like this and go to fight criminals. Isn't your brain a little sick?"

Thinking of this, he looked at Ke Youqing again. It was still hard to imagine that his father, who was usually so kind and amiable, would be so gloomy, violent and extreme after putting on the mask. No one knew whether the way he looked in front of his family was the real him or the way he looked behind the mask.

As my thoughts were wandering, the sound of a lock being unlocked suddenly reached my ears.

Then, the door at the entrance was opened.

"Who's coming?" asked Bowena.

Bai Ziling poked her head out from the kitchen, took a look, and said expressionlessly, "Sister, there is also my younger brother." Then she lowered her head and continued eating.

After the two people who entered locked the door, they washed their hands in the bathroom and walked into the kitchen. Ke Youqing and Bai Wenna greeted them and asked them to sit down and eat.

Ke Mingye raised his eyes and looked at Bai Qiuwu, his sister.

Bai Qiuwu has delicate features, clear eyes and eyebrows, and a clean temperament. She has long, smooth hair as bright as lead, a green headband on her head, and a blue and white school uniform.

Her height is about the same as Ke Mingye, about 1.72 meters, but Ke Mingye is taller.

【Name: Bai Qiuwu】

[Age: 17 years old]

【Gender: Female】

[Strength: A-level (possessing top combat power far exceeding 90% of the world's superhumans)]

[Hidden identity: The diviner Wukong (possessing the "Sun Wukong" path, one of the twenty-seven divine paths)]

[The promotion route of this divine path has been deduced: Immortal Stone → Monkey → Monkey King → Immortal Apprentice → Horse Master → Monkey King → Prisoner of the Five Elements Mountain → Holy Monk with the Golden Hoop → Fighting Buddha. ]

[Currently, the realm of this spiritualist is at the "Bimawen" stage in the "Path to Promotion".]

Ke Mingye was staring at the ridiculously long list of paths to the gods in a daze, and Bai Qiuwu had already sat down at the table. She glanced at him and asked, "When did the eldest and second brothers say they would be back?"

"They say it's coming soon, probably in the next two days."

Ke Mingye answered casually. His eyes turned to Ke Yongzhu, the youngest brother in the family, who walked into the kitchen.

Ke Yongzhu had a shaved head and wore a school uniform. His facial features looked cute, but he always had a sullen look on his face, as if someone owed him money.

【Name: Ke Yongzhu】

[Age: 10 years old]

【Sex: Male】

[Strength: A+ level (possessing top combat power far exceeding 90% of superhumans in the world)]

[Hidden identity: A young calamity dragon. ]

After looking at this family, Ke Mingye is currently most curious about his younger brother's identity. After all, a 10-year-old child has A+ level combat power, so it goes without saying how dangerous this so-called "disaster dragon species" is.

"I'm full."

"I'm full too."

Baizini and Baizilingyi said in unison, got up from the dining table, walked out of the kitchen, and sat down on the sofa in the living room while playing with their cell phones.

Ke Mingye was too lazy to talk. He put down his chopsticks, stood up from the dining table, and followed them to sit on the sofa.

Seeing that both of them were looking down at their phones, he reached out first and picked up the remote control on the armrest of the sofa. After taking the initiative, he asked, "What do you want to watch?"

"Scream." Bai Ziling suggested.

"No, I'll just run away after seeing this." Baizini said.

"Then what are you looking at?" Bai Ziling turned his head to look at her.

"Isn't Harry Potter good enough? Why do you have to be obsessed with your horror movie?" Baizini rolled her eyes at her.

Hearing the title, Bai Ziling yawned, her light white hair swaying slightly beside her ears. "I'm sleepy," she smacked her lips.

"You two are the only ones who have a lot to do. Stop watching and just listen to the news."

Ke Mingye leaned against the back of the sofa and pressed the remote control, exiting the on-demand channel and entering the financial news channel.

As a result, the three of them just hung the TV and played with their phones while sitting on the sofa, listening to the news anchor's report.

Soon, Bai Qiuwu and Ke Yongzhu in the kitchen also finished eating. They took a bottle of drink from the refrigerator and sat on the sofa in the living room.

Ke Yongzhu arrived late and could only sit on the armrest, but he didn't mind. After all, this was what happened to being a younger brother.

"You guys are listening to the finance department?" Bai Qiuwu took a sip of orange juice, raised the corner of his mouth slightly, and said teasingly: "Sure, you will all be big bosses in the future."

"Is it not possible to improve your financial intelligence?" Ke Mingye said casually. "That's right, that's right."

Bai Zini agreed with him verbally, but in fact she didn't even raise her head, nor did she listen to what the host said. She was just concentrating on playing with her phone.

At this time, his 10-year-old brother Ke Yongzhu took a sip of Coke and said, "You can watch anything, don't listen to the finance department here, you are a bunch of idiots."

Ke Mingye mocked him sarcastically: "Brother, how can you be so virtuous? It's ok to behave like this outside, but I will beat you up at home."

While drinking orange juice, Bai Qiuwu leaned over and put his arm around Ke Yongzhu's shoulders, saying, "I'm protecting him at home. Why, you don't accept it?"

Her voice was clear and beautiful, yet had a maturity that did not match her age.

Ke Mingye rolled his eyes and thought to himself, one of you has A-level combat power and the other has A+ level combat power, who can be more powerful than you? Isn't it enough to submit?
"No one could beat me in elementary school," Ke Yongzhu emphasized.

Ke Mingye turned off his phone and said expressionlessly, "That's enough, little school bully. It's considered a noble character if you don't eat the brains of elementary school students alive."

"Why do you make it seem like our brother is not a primary school student?" Bai Qiuwu asked with a smile.

Ke Mingye ate a piece of melon seeds and said, "He called us a bunch of idiots, but we still treated him as a primary school student. Quality education must start from home, and then school and society."

Ke Yongzhu still didn't change his words: "A group of high school students are listening to financial news here, can you not be brain-dead?"

"Please speak more respectfully. I'm a junior high school student, okay?" Bai Zini said casually while playing with her cell phone.

"I'm in junior high school too." Bai Ziling didn't listen to what they were saying, but just echoed them.

"Junior high school students don't listen to finances. I'm still an elementary school student. Why am I wasting my life here with you?" Ke Yongzhu said, trying to snatch the remote control from Ke Mingye.

Ke Mingye refused to give it to her: "You are in a hurry. We all have mobile phones to play with, so we definitely have enough TV to watch and we don't feel like we are wasting our lives. You are a primary school student, you must be in a hurry. If you have the guts, ask your parents to buy you a mobile phone too."

Ke Yongzhu was about to get angry, but Bai Qiuwu was quick to grab the remote control from between the two of them.

Ke Yongzhu glanced at her and said nothing. At home, he only listened to his eldest sister and ignored his other brothers.

"Sister, can you please stop protecting him so much? It's you who spoiled him with this bad temper." Ke Mingye turned his head and glanced at Bai Qiuwu.

"Okay, stop bullying your brother."

Bai Qiuwu finished drinking the orange juice and was about to hand the remote control to Ke Yongzhu.

At this moment, the TV screen changed and the host's voice changed. Bai Qiuwu stared at the TV, and her slender right hand suddenly tightened the remote control slightly, and did not continue to pass it to Ke Yongzhu.

A buzzing sound like the flapping wings of a giant mountain came from the TV. It was a pair of black wings rolling rapidly in the night.

The movement attracted the attention of everyone on the sofa. They looked up at the TV and saw the interior of a helicopter cabin.

The reporter leaning over the helicopter pointed the camera at the city below and shouted into the microphone:

"Breaking news, the superhuman criminal 'Ghost Tree' appeared in the crowded central urban area of ​​​​Tianjin Ring Road, and has now climbed to the top of the Tianjin Ring Road Tower!"

"Another superhuman crime?"

Ke Mingye muttered, following the reporter's camera lens and looking at a tall tower made of cast steel standing in the city center.

At the top of the tower, about twelve stories high, there was a blurry, tiny figure standing. The searchlight of the helicopter shone down, making his silhouette look pale and sharp.

As the camera zoomed in gradually, Ke Mingye was finally able to see the entire figure.

His body was naked, showing the outline of a human, but his chest was covered with a variety of plants. Vines and thorns spread from his heart to all parts of his body, covering all his limbs. The most conspicuous thing was the towering antlers on both sides of his forehead. These two tall, curved horns made him look as strange as an evil god.

Before Ke Mingye could react, the man had already jumped down from the tower, and the crowd in the block exclaimed and screamed.

The camera still focused on the inhuman monster. His figure jumped down from the top of the tower, and continued to flip in the air, creating creepy sparks with the cold wind and forming a cold and blood-red trail behind him.

Then, he slowly curled up into a ball, his muscles bulging and swelling, as if he would be torn apart at any time by the strong current generated by the rapid fall.

Finally, he fell heavily to the ground amid the roars of the crowd below.

"Bang!" With a deafening roar, countless cracks spread out and a huge pit nearly three meters deep was formed.

"It's the 'ghost tree'!"

Among the crowd that was as dense as ants, someone pointed at the figure that had fallen to the ground and shouted.

Ke Mingye had tried it before, and found that only by seeing the target with his own eyes could he present detailed information about the other party; if he watched it on live TV, only part of the information would be presented.

But it was enough. At this moment, the message from the uninvited guest had already entered his eyes.

[Codename: Class A Wanted Criminal Ghost Tree]

【Name: Majer Dick】

[Age: 47 years old]

【Sex: Male】

[Strength: A-level (possessing top combat power far exceeding 90% of the world's superhumans)]

[Identity: The diviner "Udrasil" (possessing the "World Tree" path, one of the twenty-seven divine paths)]

[Related introduction: "Uldrasil" is the world tree in Norse mythology. It is described in books as a huge gray oak tree that supports nine worlds, including "Midgard", the center of human world, "Asgard", the residence of gods, etc. 】

[It is currently impossible to infer the deduction route of this "path to the gods" and the realm of the god-communicating person. 】

"Call Sun Wukong over to me..."

Ghost Tree said in a deep voice, and slowly walked out of the deep pit. His hideous body wrapped in thorns was completely exposed under the colorful neon lights, as if bathing in a sea of ​​light. He stretched out his huge root-like arms, and his rapid breathing accompanied by furious roars resounded among the crowd.

"I won't say it again, call Sun Wukong out, otherwise... I will kill everyone here without leaving a single one behind!"

Ah, Sun Wukong? Ke Mingye raised his eyebrows slightly, thinking that he must be referring to the spiritual master, so isn't that my sister?

Thinking of this, he turned his head slightly and checked Bai Qiuwu's information panel out of the corner of his eye.

At this time, Bai Qiuwu was holding a glass of orange juice, her face still calm, but whether it was her slightly clenched hands or her cold eyes, it was obvious that she was a little nervous.

【Name: Bai Qiuwu】

[Hidden identity: The diviner Wukong (possessing the "Sun Wukong" path, one of the twenty-seven divine paths)]

The next moment, the ghost tree suddenly pointed its huge right arm in the shape of a tree root towards the sky, right at the reporter holding the camera.

The right arm deformed at a crazy speed, and in the blink of an eye, it turned into thousands of sharp thorns, which shot forward violently and spread for a full hundred meters. Then, it cut through the night and crushed the photographer in the helicopter cabin into a ball of blood foam, which instantly dissipated in the night sky.

On TV, the camera crashed to the floor of the cabin, but the images it captured remained.

The ghost tree pulled its arm, and the giant hand formed by the twisted thorns suddenly rose up in the helicopter cabin. The terrifying force directly caused the entire helicopter to tilt left and right in mid-air, and topple up and down. In just a few seconds, the helicopter turned into a sky-high flame, and the pilot disappeared into the sky.

Just at this moment, Ke Youqing came out of the kitchen after washing the dishes, and stood behind the children leaning against the sofa. "What are you watching?" As he said this, he hugged his shoulders and looked at the TV, then frowned slightly.

Following a loud explosion, the entire TV screen went dark and there was no movement.

At the same time, almost to the minute, several people sitting around the sofa spoke at the same time.

"I'm going downstairs to buy a pack of cigarettes." said Ke Youqing.

"I suddenly remembered that I have an appointment with some friends to go to a coffee shop tonight, so I won't watch TV with you guys." Bai Qiuwu said.

"Oh, come to think of it, I also have to buy some stationery." said Baizini.

(End of this chapter)