Chapter 42: Sonic, Reinvigorated
"Roar!"
Just then, the roar of a wild beast erupted from beneath the street.
Boom!
The street shattered, and a formidable figure burst out from underground. It had the body of a leopard and earthen-yellow skin, its eyes were completely crimson, and it had lost all signs of intelligence. As its body trembled, it scattered rustling clods of dirt.
The monster paused for a moment on the surface, then let out a low growl and lunged toward Sonic, who was lying on the ground.
"Heh heh, am I going to die? It doesn't matter. There's no point in a piece of trash like me staying alive. It's better to just die and get it over with..."
Sonic let out a hollow laugh, his will to live completely gone. Even though the anesthetic's effect had worn off enough for him to regain control of his body and dodge, he had already resolved to die. Therefore, faced with the monster's attack, he offered no resistance. He lay still on the ground, spread his legs, and awaited the final moment of his life.
"Watch out!"
In the distance, Hill's eyes widened, and he cried out involuntarily. He threw open his car door and rushed over, but unfortunately, his voice couldn't reach them, nor could he get there in time to save Sonic.
Boom!
A wave of energy shot forth, exploding on the monster's body. In an instant, the monster's figure was blown apart, turning into piles of mangled flesh.
Sonic's expression was one of astonishment. He struggled to prop himself up, staring at king, who was retracting his palm. "King, why did you save me? Don't you know I was just trying to kill you? I was going to kill you..." *No, that's not right. How could King not have sensed my killing intent? He found my hiding spot time and time again, forcing me out with those light bullets. Besides, I was openly planning to strike him down with my blade. How could a powerhouse like him not notice the murderous aura erupting from me?*
"Ding! Congratulations, Host! You have obtained a Two-Star Monster Card: Earth Leopard!"
king touched the newly appeared monster corpse, quite satisfied to have obtained another two-star card. He glanced at the despondent Sonic and said casually, "Because I'm a hero. My duty is to protect humanity from being harmed by monsters. It's as simple as that."
With that, he left. A dozen or so monsters had escaped from the prison, which meant a dozen or so Monster Cards. He had to hurry and collect them, so he had no time to waste on idle talk with Sonic.
Besides, he had been the one to accidentally hit Sonic while testing his energy blasts. Logically speaking, he was the one at fault first. It was understandable that Sonic wanted to kill him. Putting himself in Sonic's shoes, if he were just strolling down the street and someone randomly threw an exploding bomb at him, he would definitely want to hack the person to death. Therefore, it was perfectly understandable that Sonic developed a killing intent towards him. How could he possibly blame Sonic for it?
"Because protecting humanity from monsters is a hero's duty, and I am also human, so even though I'm an assassin who wanted to take your life, you would still save me?" Sonic stared blankly at king's receding figure as tears once again streamed from his eyes. "What immense magnanimity, what an incredible spirit! Why do I want to cry? I just feel this inexplicable urge to cry!"
"King, thank you for making me realize how ignorant and insignificant I am." He yelled in the direction King had left, "But don't worry! Starting today, I will train twice as hard! Sooner or later, I will catch up to you and become a powerhouse truly worthy of being your equal!"
"A very grand dream."
By now, Hill had reached Sonic's side. He gazed emotionally at the street where King had disappeared. *King—the Strongest Man on Earth. He's so magnanimous it's terrifying, able to just laugh and let go of someone who tried to kill him. Perhaps this is the confidence of the truly strong. It's a clear message: I'm not afraid of your assassination attempts, because you pose absolutely no threat to me! Trash!* (Are you sure those last two words are what King was implying?)
"Who are you?"
Sonic looked at Hill in astonishment. *Where did this guy come from?*
Hill glanced at Sonic and held out his hand. A pair of handcuffs dangled from his fingers. He gave an "innocent and pure (bizarre)" smile. "A good person here to take you home."
Sonic stared blankly at Hill's smile, roaring internally: *Damn it, another bastard who stole my signature smile! I'm going to slice you up!*
*Click!*
Hill cuffed the limp-bodied Sonic to a railing on the side of the street. He looked down at him from a superior height—a standard interrogation posture meant to exert greater psychological pressure on a suspect. If a criminal's mental fortitude was weak, they would break and confess everything. "Alright, talk. Who hired you to assassinate King?"
"Hah..."
Sonic let out a light breath, recovering from the inexplicable blow dealt by king. His eyes regained their spirit, and a measure of confidence returned to his handsome face. He stared at Hill with a half-smile. "Who are you? A cop? What are you doing here?"
After king left, that "powerful" oppressive aura finally vanished. He gradually regained control of his body, and spurred on by King's noble character, he broke free from his breakdown. His state of mind had improved a level. Facing Hill's interrogation, he calmly countered with a series of questions of his own, his expression confident and carefree.
"Heh heh, a well-trained assassin, as expected. Your psychological resilience is impressive."
Hill gave the composed Sonic a slightly surprised look. "Actually, there's no harm in telling you. We at the police department already received intel that someone was going to assassinate King. I was specially assigned to protect him 24/7. You don't need to cover for your employer anymore. Just confess everything. We're only targeting the person behind this, and we'll be lenient with you."
This was an interrogation tactic: imply to the suspect that you already know who the mastermind is and that the questioning is just a formality. If they want to get a lenient sentence, they'd better confess honestly.
"Pfft—"
Sonic scoffed. "You'll be lenient with me? Ha, that's hilarious. I just made a heroic vow to become as strong as King. Why would I ever end up in a boring place like prison? Besides..." He stared mockingly at Hill. "You... What right do you have to protect King? Ha! Your strength doesn't even compare to a single strand of King's hair. You laughable, pathetic, pitiable weakling!!" As he finished, he laughed self-deprecatingly. *Heh, compared to King, aren't I also a laughable, pathetic, pitiable weakling? I say he can't compare to a strand of King's hair, but can I even compare to a single glance from King?*
"Go ahead and laugh. Laugh at me all you want." Hill lit a cigarette and held it in his mouth. White smoke curled out from his nostrils, obscuring his resolute face. "Do you think I don't know how foolish this is? But... as a police officer, protecting the lives and property of citizens is our duty, our obligation. It has nothing to do with whether the person we're protecting is powerful or not. I... am simply carrying out the mission of a police officer!"
"Do you... understand?" He took a sharp drag from the cigarette, then pinched the butt out with his fingers. Slowly exhaling a smoke ring, he turned to look at Sonic. "Huh? Where'd he go?"
His eyes widened. On the railing, only a pair of handcuffs swung forlornly. Sonic was nowhere to be seen.
Villains die because they talk too much; at the same time, they get to live thanks to the good guys' long-windedness.
On the street a hundred meters away, a figure darted rapidly, its speed making it difficult to track.
*"Mission and duty, huh? What a foolish yet inexplicably admirable guy. Perhaps having a firm belief is what makes one's spirit strong. Come to think of it, he's just like King. Could it be that faith is what makes a person strong?"*
*"Then, what is my faith?"*
The flickering figure sank into deep thought.
(Sonico: "Cross-dressing?")
(end of chapter)