Chapter 16. The First Test of the Battle Suit

A sharp whistle cut through the dark night, as if an invisible force had sliced through the air. A black figure darted across the night sky, leaping from one rooftop to another with incredible speed. To a regular bystander, it would have appeared as nothing more than a shadow.

This figure was Noah, wearing his "PROJECT" series suit. Testing the suit's capabilities, he asked Lissandra, "Lissandra, what's my current speed?"

"Noah, your maximum speed right now is 120 meters per second, or 432 kilometers per hour."

"Wow, that's fast! That's about a third of the speed of sound," Noah marveled as the objects around him blurred. His enhanced vision allowed him to see obstacles clearly even at this high speed, preventing any collisions.

After a few leaps, he stopped on the rooftop of a tall building, admiring the night view of New York City. He felt grateful for the abilities and the system that had saved him from being an ordinary student—someone who could have perished during the Chitauri invasion or vanished due to Thanos' snap.

Now, with memories of his past life and knowledge of the future, Noah felt confident in his power. He imagined how easily he could defeat Thanos now that he had such strength.

Lost in thought, he heard muffled sounds from below. He glanced down, and Lissandra highlighted the source of the noise on his helmet's display—a dark alley between two buildings.

"Hey, b****, hand over all your money!"

"Please, no! I don't have much!"

"F***, if I find anything valuable, I'll kill you!"

Noah looked down into the alley, where a black man was threatening a white girl, while another man stood guard with a pistol in hand.

"Just another day in free America. Lissandra, scan those three."

"Understood, Noah."

"Neko Washington, African-American, 31 years old, with prior convictions for robbery, assault, and drug possession. Currently armed with an M1911 pistol. Danger level: low."

"Jack Martin, African-American, 26 years old, with prior convictions for robbery, assault, and drug possession. Armed with an M9 pistol. Danger level: low."

"Hannah Marks, Caucasian, 16 years old, a student at Midtown High School. Danger level: low."

"Wait a minute, that's my classmate!" Noah realized, recognizing Hannah Marks. He recalled the bespectacled girl from his class.

As the robber was about to strike her, Noah took a leap of faith, diving swiftly downward.

"Boom!"

"Sh**! Who the—" one of the robbers said, turning towards the sound of the heavy landing.

The girl, terrified, also turned around. Through the dust raised by the landing, Noah's silhouette emerged in a superhero pose.

"Iron Man!" the robbers exclaimed, mistaking the figure in the metal suit for Tony Stark.

"No, it's not him! This suit's different! You think you can fool me?" one of the robbers said, realizing the mistake. He raised his gun, ready to fire.

"Wait, man!"

"Bang!"

The other robber tried to warn his friend, noticing that their opponent had leaped from a height, meaning they shouldn't provoke him. But it was too late—the shot had already been fired. The frightened girl covered her ears.

The bullet hit Noah's chest plate with a sharp metallic clang and ricocheted away.

The black robber, seeing that his bullet did no damage, froze in shock. Realizing he wasn't dealing with a normal person, he tried to apologize, but Noah didn't give him the chance. With one powerful blow from his metallic fist, Noah broke the robber's nose and knocked out a few teeth, sending him crashing to the ground unconscious.

The second robber, witnessing what had happened to his partner, attempted to flee.

Noah reacted instantly: with a swift kick, he knocked the man off his feet and sent him flying into a wall. The man's body slammed into the bricks with a dull thud and collapsed to the ground.

"Lissandra, call the NYPD, tell them to come pick up the trash."

"Understood."

Having dealt with the two robbers, Noah instructed Lissandra to call the police. Whether they arrived or not didn't matter to him—these men were beneath his notice.

"Oh! Thank you so much for saving me! Are you a superhero like Iron Man?!" Hannah Marks exclaimed, running up to him excitedly.

"Think what you want. Just don't walk alone in dark places like this," Noah replied, slightly altering his voice to avoid being recognized.

"Thank you, hero! Do you have a superhero name like Iron Man? Maybe you're the Iron Knight or Steel Warrior? Can I take a picture with you?" Hannah continued, pointing her phone's camera at Noah.

"Call me whatever," Noah sighed, realizing she was quite talkative. But his attention was drawn to other noises.

He looked up and saw two figures moving quickly across the rooftops.

"Lissandra."

"Understood."

Lissandra instantly displayed the figures on the helmet screen. Upon closer inspection, Noah recognized them as Daredevil and Bullseye.

"Daredevil and Bullseye? Interesting. Is Daredevil chasing Bullseye?" Noah wondered. Then he turned back to the still-chattering Hannah.

"Hey, girl, stop giving me random names. You can call me Storm Swordsman. Now go home."

Note: In the Chinese version, Yasuo's nickname is "疾风剑豪," which translates to "Storm Swordsman." In English, it's known as "The Unforgiven."

With that, Noah approached the wall and effortlessly scaled it, reaching the roof in seconds.

Below, Hannah Marks, awestruck, quickly saved the video.

"Storm Swordsman! So cool! I'll definitely show this video to all my friends and tell them how a superhero saved me!"

On the rooftop.

"Noah, maybe we should delete the video from her phone?" Lissandra suggested.

"No need, let it stay. I want to feel like a superhero too," he responded, enjoying the idea of being admired.