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Chapter 24: Meeting the 'Father-In-Law'
🕑 Added 2025-03-25 17:07:23 +0000 UTCIn a remote street in Queens, New York, a sharp scream pierced the air.
A blonde girl, no older than seventeen or eighteen, with freckles dusting her cheeks, found herself cornered by a group of seven or eight gangsters.
“Don’t come any closer!” she cried, her face pale with panic.
She had only intended to take a shortcut home but had instead stumbled into a nightmare. The city’s crime rate had been worsening lately, and now she was paying the price.
“It’s useless to scream,” sneered the leader of the gang, a white man with a twisted grin. “Anyone around here knows not to mess with us.”
He pulled a dagger from his waistband, waving it threateningly in front of her, while his gang followed suit, grinning like predators closing in on their prey.
“In broad daylight? You scumbags really don’t care about anything, do you?”
A calm yet firm voice suddenly interrupted.
The gang members turned in unison toward the sound.
Standing there was a young Asian man, wearing glasses and a simple T-shirt.
“You, a yellow-skinned monkey, dare to stick your nose in our business?” the gang leader spat in rage.
Luo Chen’s expression darkened instantly.
Here in the so-called land of opportunity, there was a clear hierarchy of discrimination. And at the bottom of that hierarchy? Asians—especially the Chinese.
Despite their high social standing as a community, individual Chinese people, particularly those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, often found themselves targeted by both white and black criminals alike.
“Get him!”
At the gang leader’s shout, the thugs lunged at Luo Chen, fists raised, knives glinting in the sunlight.
To any onlooker, it seemed like a hopeless fight—one lone man against a gang of burly thugs.
The girl squeezed her eyes shut, unable to bear watching what she thought would be a brutal beating.
But the expected sounds of struggle didn’t come.
Instead, what followed were panicked screams.
When she dared to open her eyes, her jaw nearly dropped.
The gangsters lay sprawled across the pavement, groaning in pain, their limbs twisted at unnatural angles. In the middle of them stood Luo Chen, completely unscathed, his eyes cold and unreadable.
Each of them had suffered serious injuries—nothing life-threatening, but their broken arms and legs would take months to heal. Some might even be permanently disabled, ensuring they’d never again prey on the weak.
Luo Chen wasn’t a vigilante like Spider-Man or Batman, bound by a moral code against killing.
For scum like these, mercy was not an option. The only way to stop them was to make sure they could never terrorize anyone again.
“Are you alright?” Luo Chen asked, glancing at the girl.
She hesitated before stepping forward cautiously, her eyes filled with admiration and awe.
“What’s your name? Can I have your phone number?” she asked, a hopeful smile appearing on her face.
“Call me Superman,” Luo Chen replied coolly. “And don’t take shortcuts at night. You might not be this lucky next time.”
With that, he turned and walked away.
From today on, he wasn’t just some ‘Masked Man.’ That ridiculous nickname had to go.
From now on, he was Superman.
The girl stood there, stunned, before suddenly realizing who he was.
"Superman!" she whispered, remembering the mysterious hero who had been making headlines in the neighborhood.
Thanks to him, crime in the area had plummeted. Local thieves and gangsters had either been beaten into submission or had fled out of fear.
The NYPD wasn’t thrilled about it, but the residents? They were overjoyed.
They didn’t care about technicalities—they just knew their streets were safer.
After saving the girl, Luo Chen simply brushed it off and returned to his normal life. Taking off his glasses, he reverted to his usual identity.
Just as he was about to relax, his phone rang.
He glanced at the screen—Gwen.
“Hey, Gwen. What’s up?” Luo Chen answered casually.
“Mr. Luo, it’s like this—my grades have improved a lot recently, and my dad wants to thank you by inviting you to our house for dinner tonight. Are you free?”
Gwen’s cheerful voice came through the speaker.
“Tonight? Sure,” Luo Chen agreed without hesitation.
He was still trying to decide what to eat for dinner anyway, and a free meal sounded like a great deal.
Lately, his biggest dilemma in life had been what to eat each day. If that was his only problem, then life was going well.
That evening, Luo Chen arrived at the Stacy residence.
Gwen opened the door, her eyes lighting up with excitement when she saw him. She practically bounced in place.
“Mom! Mr. Luo is here!” she called into the house.
A moment later, Mrs. Stacy emerged from the kitchen, greeting Luo Chen warmly.
“Mr. Luo, welcome! Please, make yourself comfortable—I’m just finishing up dinner.”
“Thank you,” Luo Chen replied politely, taking a seat.
Gwen plopped down beside him, chattering away about all the funny things that had happened at school.
From time to time, she glanced at him shyly, her cheeks turning pink.
Luo Chen found it amusing—this girl clearly had a crush on him.
After a while, the front door opened.
A tall, blond-haired, blue-eyed man stepped inside.
“Dad!” Gwen jumped up excitedly.
Luo Chen immediately recognized him—Captain George Stacy.
“Mr. Stacy, nice to meet you,” Luo Chen greeted, standing up.
George gave him a once-over, then glanced at Gwen, who was blushing furiously.
So this was the guy she kept talking about.
Even as a man, George had to admit—Luo Chen was annoyingly good-looking.
He had sharp, heroic features, and his youthful face made him seem almost too young to be a teacher. If he dressed more casually, he could easily pass for a high school student himself.
It was no surprise Gwen had taken a liking to him.
“Mr. Luo, thank you for helping Gwen with her studies,” George said sincerely.
“No problem at all,” Luo Chen replied with a smile.
“Dad, why are you home late again?” Gwen pouted.
“It’s that damn ‘Superman’ again,” George grumbled, taking off his coat. “He severely injured another group of criminals, and I had to handle the aftermath.”
Luo Chen barely suppressed a laugh.
Oh? So I was the reason you were late, Captain Stacy?
“Dad, Superman is amazing! Everyone in my class is a fan of his!” Gwen argued, puffing out her cheeks in defiance.
“Fan? What fan?” George scoffed. “He’s just another self-righteous vigilante. If everyone acted like him, what’s the point of the law? What’s the point of the police? Beating people up like that is not what a hero does.”
“But the ones he took down were criminals!” Gwen shot back. “How many people have they hurt? At least now they can’t hurt anyone else!”
George frowned, clearly displeased with his daughter’s admiration for the vigilante.
Luo Chen sat back, watching the father-daughter debate with amusement.
Little did George know… Superman was sitting right at his dinner table.
