American Comics: Something's Wrong with This Superhero World

Chapter 168 Young man, you look like you need help.

After finding the necessary spell in Kamar-Tekki, Xiao Xian returned to the dimensional space.

Xiao Xian's hands began to move slowly, accompanied by the chanting of incantations. The air stirred, and hellish magical energy gathered around him. As Xiao Xian continued chanting, the magical energy around him grew denser, gradually forming a sphere of light in his palms. The sphere of light seemed to contain endless light and shadow, constantly rotating and changing, waiting to be released.

After injecting spiritual energy into the sphere of light, Xiao Xian gently pushed his palm forward, and the sphere of light flew out and disappeared into the dimensional space, heading towards the real world.

Gotham's streets are always vibrant and full of life, never truly silent even as night falls. Neon lights flash, illuminating the bustling streets, pedestrians hurry by, each seemingly carrying their own story and destination. Old buildings intertwine with modern skyscrapers, telling the story of the city's complex history and transformation. Street vendors, the aromas of restaurants, and the occasional distant sirens and gunshots combine to create Gotham's unique urban landscape.

On this evening, with its usual simple and honest folk customs, Xiao Xian emerged from a dark alley and blended into the night.

Xiao Xian noticed that, unlike usual, no one paid attention to him as before. There were no curious glances, no fans rushing towards him, and no other women looking at him as if they wanted to devour him alive.

Passing by a shop, Xiao Xian caught a glimpse of his appearance through the light reflected from the glass window. He saw the image of a middle-aged man: his hair was somewhat disheveled, his face bore stubble from days of unkempt hair, and he looked tired and weathered. His clothes were ordinary, an inconspicuous gray overcoat wrapped around his body, seemingly blending into the Gotham night.

"Not bad." Satisfied with his disguise, Xiao Xian nodded, then turned his gaze to a girl with average looks but a well-proportioned figure.

This girl's makeup was heavy, with red lips, deep eyeshadow, and long, thick mascara, making her look quite glamorous. Her features were exaggerated by the heavy makeup, but due to limitations in makeup skills and facial features, her overall appearance could only be described as slightly above average, perhaps a 6 out of 10. Most importantly, she was wearing a shirt from Xiao Xian's fan club, with the words "Xiao Xian, I love you" printed on the chest.

Without hesitation, Xiao Xian approached the girl and tried to start a conversation in a friendly and polite manner: "Good evening, may I buy you a coffee?"

However, the girl gave Xiao Xian a disdainful look, a mocking smile playing on her lips, seemingly mocking his audacity. She sized him up and down before coldly replying, "Someone like you dares to hit on me? Only Xiao Xian can win my heart." Her tone was full of disdain and contempt. She didn't even give Xiao Xian a chance to respond before turning and leaving, leaving him standing there.

"It's been a long time since I've felt this way." Watching the girl walk away, Xiao Xian said with a touch of nostalgia. Being pursued by girls all the time, and then suddenly being rejected when he tried to chat her up, it was a rather strange feeling.

Having confirmed that manipulating illusions wouldn't have the desired effect, Xiao Xian nodded in satisfaction; he could now get started on his schemes.

In a dimly lit ward at Arkham Asylum, the Penguin was tightly bound, his body wrapped in a heavy girdle, restricting his every move. This was Gotham City's most famous mental institution, housing many highly intelligent and talented individuals, and the Penguin, the last of the Cobblepot family's bloodlines and Gotham's infamous supervillain, was also among them.

The door to the room was suddenly pushed open, and a man in a caregiver's uniform walked in, carrying a bowl of liquid food. A contemptuous smile played on his lips, and his eyes were filled with disdain and contempt for the Penguin. Clearly, he felt neither fear nor respect for this criminal who had caused countless disturbances in Gotham City.

"Penguin, dinner's ready! But wait a minute, Mr. Bruce asked us to take good care of you. I'll add some extra food to make it taste even better." In front of the penguin, the caregiver put the food tray on the ground and then urinated into it.

Then, the caregiver approached the penguin and, without any gentleness, lifted the penguin's head, preparing to force-feed him. The penguin tried to resist, but because he was tightly bound by the girdle, he could barely move and could only utter indistinct protests with his mouth tightly shut.

The caregiver, with an almost gleeful attitude, roughly pried open the penguin's mouth, ignoring his pained expression, and forcefully poured liquid food into his mouth through the hole in his broken front tooth.

However, the penguin wasn't entirely without the power to retaliate. In the brief moment when the caregiver relaxed their guard after feeding him, the penguin used his remaining strength to spray the liquid food from his mouth at the caregiver's face. This action caught the caregiver off guard, leaving him with a face full of liquid food.

The penguin seized the opportunity to burst into laughter, his laughter filled with contempt for the caregiver. Despite his predicament, this moment of retaliation gave the penguin a long-lost sense of pleasure and victory.

In a place like Arkham, such behavior would only invite more severe beatings and humiliation, but for the Penguin, it means that he has not given in and still retains the will and strength to resist. As long as he finds a chance to get out, the Penguin will definitely make Batman and others who have offended him pay a bloody price!

Enraged by the urine-smelling liquid food sprayed all over his face, the caregiver, seeing the laughing penguin, casually wiped the liquid food off his face and then charged at him with a roar, raining punches on the penguin's face. But this did not stop the penguin's laughter; instead, it made him laugh even harder.

Seeing that the penguin was laughing more and more happily, the caregiver picked up the food plate from the ground and planned to put it into the penguin's mouth.

Just then, Xiao Xian suddenly appeared in the corner of the room and lightly snapped his fingers.

Then the caregiver suddenly felt dizzy, then lost consciousness and collapsed on the cold floor.

Although the Penguin was rescued by Xiao Xian's sudden appearance, he was wary of the mysterious middle-aged man's identity and purpose. He tried to adjust his posture to appear less disheveled and asked cautiously, "Who are you? Why are you here?"

"Even demons are always eager to help others," Xiao Xian said with a slight smile to the penguin. "Young man, you look like you need help."

(End of this chapter)