Chapter 36: Clark's Sparring Partner (Edited)
Inside the courtyard of the new villa, there's a spacious martial arts training ground, which was one of Hank Pym's criteria for selecting a house. The purpose, of course, was to provide Clark with enough space to continue practicing combat.
However, at this moment, two people are engaged in a head-to-head confrontation in the training ground, exchanging blows that are powerful and direct!
The sound of fists and feet colliding is incessant, yet Clark is matching Yi Long blow for blow, creating a spectacle of combat prowess.
But the evenly matched appearance is just an illusion; in reality, Yi Long is deliberately feeding moves to Clark, pointing out deficiencies in his technique while they spar.
Yi Long, like Bucky, has undergone super soldier serum genetic modification, possessing physical capabilities far beyond human limits, coupled with his mastery of martial arts, making his strength far superior to Clark's current level.
After persistent training over a long time, Clark's physical condition has almost reached the peak of human capability, comparable to Black Widow in terms of close combat ability.
However, this comparison only considers physical and fighting skill aspects, not including Clark's magical staff or Black Widow's high-tech gear.
Simply put, Clark's current strength is at 1 Widow.
After turning on the background music of "Men Should Strengthen Themselves," with absolute calm and an 80% boost in combat awareness, Clark could potentially beat Black Widow, reaching a strength level of approximately 1.3 Widows. With equipment provided by Hank Pym, he could just about reach 1.5 Widows.
This represents the limit of Clark's current capabilities; he can't defeat stronger opponents.
Yi Long's strength, conservatively estimated, is on par with Bucky's, around 2 Widows!
Clark's sparring with Yi Long aims to enhance his real combat experience, obviously not relying on external aids like the "Men Should Strengthen Themselves" music. He's fighting with the progress-boosting "Chinese Kung Fu" without any combat power enhancement. With just 1 Widow's strength against Yi Long's 2, he's learning hard lessons in humility.
Fortunately, Yi Long is an excellent teacher, surpassing others by several levels.
After a whole morning of sparring, Clark feels a significant improvement in his real combat experience.
"Boom!" After another collision of fists and feet, Yi Long voluntarily steps back and smiles, saying, "Clark, you have the best martial arts talent I've ever seen, far superior to myself in my youth. I wish I could teach you everything I know, but due to strict orders from my school, I can only apologize."
Clark responds with a smile, "Just having the chance to spar with you, Yi Long, is moving enough for me; I wouldn't dare ask for more."
Pausing briefly, he then suggests, "You've just awakened not long ago, Yi Long. Maybe you should rest more. How about we call it a day?"
Yi Long nods, "Though I've been asleep for many years, I feel I don't need much rest. But I can't skip my daily meditation and listening to the Sanskrit chants. I want to fully recover soon and then go home."
As Yi Long turns to leave, Clark turns to Hank Pym and asks, "I've always been curious, how did you know the music I play has special effects?"
Hank Pym smiles ambiguously, "Is it that hard to guess?"
Clark is momentarily taken aback; his music's special effects might not be obvious to others, but Hank Pym, having been in contact with him for a while, could deduce some clues, which isn't surprising.
Nodding in agreement with Hank Pym's explanation, Clark then gestures to his head, "When do you think Yi Long's issue here will be healed?"
"I feel he might... already be healed?" Hank Pym shakes his head, speaking uncertainly.
Clark frowns, "Are you worried his condition is still unstable, requiring more treatment to consolidate the effects?"
Hank Pym responds with a profound smile, noncommittal.
Clark doesn't pursue further, stretching his limbs and saying, "It's Uncle Marcus's birthday today; I probably won't be back for dinner."
"Have you chosen a gift?"
Clark waves his hand, "I'm about to go buy it."
...
Marcus's home isn't in Manhattan's prime area but still boasts a comfortable two-story cottage, suitable for retirement.
Indeed, such houses aren't very expensive in New York. In the trilogy version of Spider-Man, Uncle Ben owns a similar cottage, and he's not wealthy.
Marcus's situation is the same.
After Clark rings the doorbell, a cute golden-haired little girl, looking about eleven or twelve, opens the door.
Clark's first reaction is to wonder if he's at the wrong door.
He quickly steps back to check the house number.
No mistake, this is Marcus's house! Could this golden-haired little girl be a new child Marcus has adopted?
With this question in mind, Clark tentatively asks, "Excuse me, is this the home of Captain Marcus Williams?"
As soon as Clark finishes asking, Marcus's voice comes from inside, "Is that Clark? I'm busy cooking; why don't you chat with Mindy for a while?"
This little girl named Mindy leads Clark into the living room, her large eyes curiously scanning him, "You're Clark Lee, right? Uncle Marcus just mentioned you. Your name is easy to remember, like Superman."
Clark smiles modestly, "Actually, I think Batman's name suits me better."
Hearing Clark's "modest" comment, Mindy can't help but roll her eyes internally. Your surname, combined with Batman's name, would that not be...
Hehe, could it be any more perfect? Receiving +233 impression points from Mindy McCready was unexpected, a significant amount typically reserved for main storyline characters of importance.
Among those Clark knows, Hank Pym and his daughter, Crossbones, the Winter Soldier, are of this significance, along with Clark's body's previous best friend, the future Kingpin...
Wait a minute!
Thinking of Kingpin, Clark has a sudden insight.
Simultaneously, a flash of cold light appears before him.
Out of nowhere, the little girl pulls out a butterfly knife and launches a surprise attack on Clark.
The blade aims straight for his forehead!