novelnext Chapter 237 Now it's my turn to protect you
Chapter 237 Now it's my turn to protect you
Chapter 237 Now it's my turn to protect you
Wei could basically conclude that the guy on the opposite rooftop wasn't hostile; otherwise, that arrow could have easily been aimed at his head.
He glanced at the action camera, now reduced to rubble and debris.
"You should feel lucky, this thing isn't mine, so I won't ask you to pay me back."
"You should feel lucky. Cherish this time while I'm still willing to waste my breath on you. Immediately put down your weapons and take off your hood!" Roy, standing on high ground with his bow fully drawn, looked on with disdain.
Deep down, he was actually hoping his opponent would put up some resistance. After all, the impact of the fake Green Arrow was gradually expanding. If the opponent just beat up the gang and threw some clowns into some explosions, it would be tantamount to insulting the Green Arrow name.
In Roy's mind, Green Arrow was a fighter, or at least he used to be.
Back to the present, in the center of the ruins, Wei put down his bow and arrows, which were like firewood to him, and raised his hands with his back to Roy.
"What are you fussing about? Turn around!"
"Are you sure you want me to turn around?" Will seemed relaxed, which gave Roy a bad feeling.
He squinted, peering at the other person through the dust in the air. Whether by coincidence or fate, the roof of the industrial area loosened, and a ray of sunlight pierced through the gap.
Scattered by the dust, the light resembled a sacred stairway to heaven, falling upon the dark slums and illuminating the ruins, draping the bats, who were experiencing sunlight for the first time, in a shroud of holiness.
Even Roy, who had always been a staunch atheist, glanced at the god for a moment.
Just then, Wei slowly turned around and pointed his right palm at Roy.
He had a shard of mirror hidden in his palm.
The sunlight, reflected off the mirror, struck Roy with pinpoint accuracy, much faster than an arrow.
The slums were already dark, and even when Roy was looking at Qin Wei, he had to squint. You can imagine how powerful this move was.
Disturbed, he instinctively closed his eyes and released the bowstring, firing an arrow from memory toward his opponent's landing point. But even Roy himself wasn't confident about this shot, let alone expecting the arrow to hit the arrowhead on its own.
Of course, given Wei's personality, simply depriving him of his vision wasn't enough; he wanted to go for the full meal.
Taking advantage of the moment when his opponent lost sight of him, he launched his grappling hook towards the top of the building where the opponent had landed, while simultaneously throwing a small stun grenade in flight.
When he finally managed to climb to the top of the building, Roy was struggling against the air while covering his eyes.
It seems the opponent has already fallen into the trap, but is it really that simple?
"How interesting—"
Wei glanced at the rooftop and muttered with interest.
The surrounding area consisted of nearly abandoned concrete buildings with severely collapsed and cracked roofs. Roy seemed to be dazzled, but he was actually luring Wei into a trap. Otherwise, how could Wei have perfectly avoided every crack and hole under his feet?
Of course, Qin Wei did not intend to expose the other party. The mission issued by Green Arrow was already half completed, and he had plenty of time to find out the other party's background, whether it was an assassin sent by the oligarch or a die-hard Green Arrow fan from Xingcheng.
So he took a slow, leisurely approach.
As expected, when Wei entered Roy's attack range, the latter suddenly looked up and swiftly drew his bow, firing three arrows in quick succession.
This volley of shots was extremely fast; with a whoosh, the three arrows flew in a straight line toward the bat's chest.
After the brief probing, Roy had gained a basic understanding of Qin Wei's methods. However, considering that the other party was not an irredeemable villain, he once again used rubber arrows, aiming only to defeat him without causing serious injury.
He soon experienced the consequences of showing mercy to the bats.
Having anticipated this, Wei made a judgment the instant his opponent raised his hand. He dodged an arrow to the side, deflected another with his hand, and finally, when there was no time to react, he managed to withstand one arrow thanks to Oliver's nanotech suit.
Roy's superb archery skills still caused him a lot of trouble.
But in Roy's eyes, Will's performance was even more frightening.
Keep in mind that the two were only 30 feet (about 10 meters) apart; at this distance, the initial velocity of the arrow could reach an astonishing 400.
Meters per second; even taking into account the time it takes to raise one's hand, the opponent's reaction speed far exceeds the limits of human beings.
Moreover, Wei's movements were fluid and his pace showed no signs of being hindered.
"Enhanced humans? No, now is not the time to consider that."
The brief panic dissipated, and seeing that Wei was already upon him, Roy immediately pressed the button in the center of the bowstring, turning the composite bow into a folding stick. At the same time, he pulled out a dagger from his back waist and launched the first attack with both weapons in hand.
However, compared to his archery skills, his close combat ability is somewhat lacking, falling far short of Robin and his fellow superhero partners, not to mention V-Bat, a battle-hardened close combat expert.
Qin Wei lowered his left hand, using the heel of his palm to block the dagger aimed at his abdomen, while simultaneously raising his right hand to block the incoming broken stick.
Then, taking advantage of this posture, he suddenly pushed off the ground with his hind foot, using his shoulder and upper arm as weapons, and delivered a fierce and powerful Iron Mountain Lean that slammed heavily into Roy's wide-open chest.
Seeing the situation was not good, Roy made a hasty decision to try to reduce his strength, but this only weakened the impact.
Without giving his opponent any breathing time, Qin Wei raised his right foot, and his heavy military boot pounded into Roy's abdomen like a battering ram.
Having completely lost his balance, Roy could no longer defend himself and was sent flying backward, crashing into the hollow of the collapsed rooftop.
At this moment, Roy was filled with regret. If he had known that his opponent was so strong, he should have shot him in the head with the first arrow. Using rubber arrowheads afterward was even more foolish. But if he had to make the same choice hundreds or thousands of times without knowing the outcome, he would most likely still make the same choice.
Ultimately, he was once a superhero. Although he despised the government's Superhero Control Act, he was always kind at heart.
Ultimately, even if the government excludes the "non-killing principle" from the bill, he will still adhere to his principles and treat every life under his care with care.
But what happened that night really crossed his psychological limit.
If he doesn't kill that bastard himself and let him escape to prison, not only will the victim's family be tormented, but Roy will also be tormented for the rest of his life.
Unlike the lunatics in Gotham, the criminals in Star City are more rational and logical. But precisely because of this, they are often entangled with capital and cross the line for huge profits.
Roy also remembered Oliver sharing a famous quote from Marx with him: "With 20% profit, capital will be restless; with 50% profit, capital will take risks; with 100% profit, capital will risk being hanged; with 300% profit, they will trample on all human laws."
At the hideout of the black market dealer who kidnapped children and sold their organs at exorbitant prices, young Roy prematurely grasped the true meaning of this statement.
At that time, the Superhero Control Act had just been enacted, and all the superheroes in the United States were in danger. After all, apart from the holy and immaculate gods on earth, which hero who operated in the shadows dared to say that he had not stained his hands with human blood?
Oliver arrived quickly, and when he saw the boy with his abdomen cut open on the makeshift operating table, his expression was no more relaxed than Roy's.
He was familiar with that pale, childlike face, which had turned ashen from blood loss. After all, his parents had been posting missing person notices recently, and the young woman had even cut her hands raw while trying to pry open the barbed wire fence leading to the upper floors of the slum.
If Oliver hadn't sworn an oath in the name of the mayor to find her child, the woman might have even dared to ignore the dark muzzle of a gun right in front of her.
What a brave woman! But Oliver knew where her weaknesses lay and what would drive her to the brink of madness.
For example, right now, if he dares to tell her this news.
But what's even more terrifying is that the organ dealer's freezer also contained seven or eight corpses, or rather, seven or eight broken families.
Reality was already giving Oliver enough headaches, but to make matters worse, the black marketeers were using the Superhero Control Act to make disrespectful remarks.
"Hey! You're pressing down on me! I have a heart condition, I can't breathe!"
"Great Mayor Oliver, you'd better control your lackey! If the police come and see him abusing me, you're all in for a rough time!"
Roy grabbed the man by the collar and lifted him up. His breathing was becoming rapid, and his pupils were bloodshot with rage.
But the other party seemed convinced that Roy wouldn't dare to lay a hand on him, so he dusted himself off and began to slowly and methodically defend himself.
"The market is determined by supply and demand. More and more wealthy people are now suffering from cancer, while organs from poor people are their life-saving elixir. If I don't do it, someone else will."
"Don't look at me like that. I didn't do anything wrong, I just killed a few people. Even the great Mayor Oliver couldn't protect all of them, so you certainly can't!"
"I probably won't be in jail for too long. My clients still need me, and more importantly, they all respect me. Once I'm dead, some things will no longer be able to be hidden!"
When he got excited, the man even reached out and patted Roy's slightly immature face.
Roy's spirit was on the verge of collapse, but he never expected that Oliver would break down even faster than him.
Oliver still dialed the mother's number, and upon hearing the heart-wrenching sobs on the other end of the line, this law-abiding superhero nearly plunged into despair.
At that moment, Oliver drew an arrow from his waist and thrust it into the black merchant's throat.
He was the mayor, and he knew better than Roy how many dark secrets were hidden in Xingcheng's judicial system. This man would either come out unscathed after a few years in prison, or he would commit suicide in prison.
Judging from his arrogant demeanor, he seemed to have some means of saving his life.
Even for the sake of that mother, he would never allow this extremely wicked person to live in the world.
After his best friend Eddie died, there was no one left to do the dirty work for him. Oliver had a brief moment of hesitation, but he couldn't let Roy do it; Roy had a long road ahead of him.
The man laughed arrogantly as he faced the incoming arrows.
In fact, he was nothing more than a fish. Apart from the tragic deaths of children and the shattered families, everything he just said was orchestrated by someone to provoke Oliver's anger and cause him to completely lose control.
Cameras are being set up in the shadows right now, and countless people on the dark web are excitedly waiting for the shocking scene of Green Arrow killing someone.
To the man's surprise, Roy stretched out his arm and blocked the arrow for him.
His smile froze instantly, because the young man in front of him immediately drew his dagger.
"Wait—you can't kill me!"
The man panicked completely. His life was just right to be exchanged for Green Arrow's fall from grace, but to exchange it for a rebellious young upstart would be a loss.
Before he could finish speaking, the dagger pierced his heart.
Roy stood frozen in place after killing the man, but the footsteps outside reminded him that he should do something immediately.
So the instant the police broke down the door, he punched Oliver hard, jumped out the window, and disappeared into the alleyways of the slums.
This is the whole truth of the matter, completely different from the rumors circulating online. In fact, without Roy Harper, who sacrificed his superhero career, there would be no Star City symbol as we know it today.
Roy knew that this suffocating city needed this splash of green more than a cynical red kid like himself, after all, he had resolutely embarked on the path of superheroes because he regarded Oliver as the goal he would pursue in his life.
You once guided me out of my misguided path; now it's my turn to protect you, both in the past and in the future.