Chapter 37: Martial Arts

It seemed like he accidentally overheard something incredible. Understanding the situation, Chu Cheng smartly exited detective mode and controlled Batman to leave the bank.

He had no interest in knowing where his good brother was going or what he was up to. However, judging from Wei Fu's expression, he seemed to be in a state of constipation. If one didn't know better, they would think he needed to press "F".

After a night of patrolling, Chu Cheng was preparing to finish his shift and rest. As he returned to the main interface, suddenly, a series of flashy effects burst onto the screen. Golden electric sparks surrounded a three-dimensional number "1," which then transformed into a metallic number "2" accompanied by a loud explosion.

He leveled up.

"Hero Switching Function Unlocked: Players can now select up to one substitute hero to join the battle. During combat, the player can switch to the substitute hero based on the situation on the field. There is a one-minute cooldown after each switch."

Chu Cheng:!!

This was something new. It meant that he could deploy a hero with well-rounded abilities and balanced energy consumption for combat, and then use a hero with more prominent abilities as a substitute. Additionally, when one hero fell, there would be a second one to take their place, essentially granting him an extra life.

And this is just a second-level unlocked feature. Based on Chu Cheng's previous experience with Avengers and Justice League games, superheroes can team up for battles.

For example, players can simultaneously select multiple heroes to fight together, and then they can switch their perspective to any of the heroes during actual combat, leaving the rest to be controlled by AI.

Even in games like Batman: Arkham Knight, there is a similar combat system where you can control two characters simultaneously, and the characters can even perform combo attacks.

As a game that emphasizes team-based hero themes, Chu Cheng believes that there is a good chance of unlocking a similar system in the later stages. Then, he will be able to deploy multiple superheroes at the same time and can look forward to that.

Following the system prompt, it mentioned that upon leveling up, the player can select one hero from the existing ones and randomly obtain one of their hero skills.

Wow, this game is getting more and more mystical. First, he accidentally boarded a muddy car that took him to a different world. Then, he awakened the ability to summon superhero avatars to play games. Moreover, it seems like he can even summon superhero equipment into reality to arm the player.

And it doesn't stop there. It appears that the game can even directly modify the player's physique, bestowing them with the skills and abilities of a superhero in a profound way.

So what's the next step? Should he directly become a god-like being and wreak havoc as a super-powered individual?

The system provides an explanation that it can make the player's body adapt to all types of skill enhancements, but it doesn't provide detailed information about the skills. Instead, it lists the currently available heroes to choose from.

Most of the other heroes are basically passed over, and Chu Cheng's attention is focused on Batman and Captain America, who are currently the most useful.

The description of these "hero skills" is quite abstract because the system doesn't specify what exactly qualifies as a hero skill.

For example, taking Captain America as an example, he could either be extremely lucky and draw a skill like "Super Soldier Serum Enhancement," which would be a great power boost. On the other hand, he might draw something like Captain America's passive ability to throw his shield and have it always return to his hand due to Newton's laws. To make it even more frustrating, he might even end up with Captain America's extraordinary skills in painting—though he wonders if he should change his profession and pursue art instead.

Drawing Batman is even more uncertain. While Batman is considered an ordinary person, he possesses a wide range of knowledge and skills. Not to mention his expertise in combat, stealth, and detective work, he is also skilled in disguise, hacking, espionage techniques, and multiple languages, among other things. The key question is whether these skills would be considered hero skills. It's even possible that if he has a dark enough personality, he might even draw Bruce Wayne's legendary prowess in picking up women.

After careful consideration, Chu Cheng ultimately decides to choose Captain America.

Firstly, Batman is just an ordinary human, and he possesses a wide range of skills that may not necessarily be useful in all situations. Furthermore, Batman's greatest strength lies not in his skills or equipment, but in his unparalleled intellect.

On the other hand, Captain America is not only a superhuman, but also a pure warrior whose skillset may be more focused.

Here we go!

Chu Cheng selects the character Captain America, and a small metal box with a cartoonish design falls to the ground with a loud thud. Brilliant golden light bursts forth from the box as the lid pops open on the screen.

"Obtained skill: Advanced Combat Techniques (Captain America Special Edition)!"

"Description: Captain America is proficient in various combat techniques, including boxing, jujutsu, Aikido, and judo. His combat ability is top-notch in the world. He has integrated all non-sport combat techniques he has mastered, primarily focusing on a street-fighting version of Western boxing to create a comprehensive combat technique."

Chu Cheng's eyes light up with excitement.

Not bad. Although it's not a superpower, I did manage to draw highly practical combat techniques.

When it comes to hand-to-hand combat, Captain America is truly exceptional in the Marvel universe. There are countless heroes and villains stronger than him, but those who can outmatch him in terms of skill are truly rare.

If we were to discuss the most valuable technique in Captain America's arsenal, his unique combat skills would undoubtedly be the top choice. While the Super Soldier Serum is decent for enhancing ordinary individuals, it pales in comparison to the god-tier abilities that Chu Cheng may obtain in the future.

But Captain America's combat techniques are different. Even if Chu Cheng were to acquire more advanced equipment and powerful abilities later on, there would hardly be a better choice than Captain America in terms of fundamental combat skills.

After clicking "confirm" on the screen, Chu Cheng is immediately presented with a character equipment interface.

The equipment system resembles the equipment slots in traditional online games, including slots for the head, torso, arms, legs, hands, and feet. Each slot can be filled with corresponding items.

For example, there are Hawkeye's wrist guards available for selection in the hand slot, and Green Arrow's eye mask for the head slot.

Next is the ability equipment slot.

This section is also divided based on the type of ability. For example, in the combat category, the option would be the recently acquired combat techniques.

In addition to that, there are other categories such as strength, speed, defense, spirit, energy, magic, and a final category labeled as "others."

Each skill slot can only be equipped with one skill at most. However, the equipped skill can be removed at any time. If you want to switch to another skill within the same ability category, you must remove the currently equipped skill.

For example, if Chu Cheng equips Captain America's combat techniques and later draws Batman's unique combat techniques and wants to replace the equipment, he must first remove Captain America's combat techniques.

In theory, as Chu Cheng obtains more and more abilities in the future, he could equip himself with abilities from different heroes and become a literal unstoppable warrior with no weaknesses!

Just thinking about it gets a little exciting.

Of course, according to Chu Cheng's current mindset, both abilities and equipment are meant for self-preservation, reserved as a trump card in case he unexpectedly finds himself in a dangerous situation.

Even if he were to acquire extraordinary powers, he has no intention of personally getting involved in any conflicts.

There's a saying that goes, "If you walk by the river, you're bound to get your shoes wet." Going out and causing trouble not only increases the risk of getting injured but also raises the chances of exposure. Who knows, one day he might wake up to find the community offering their warm regards at his doorstep.

In comparison, sitting behind the screen and tapping away at the keyboard allows him to thrive without any risks. It's a pretty sweet deal.

Even if he were to engage in any activities, it would be best to wait until he has a physique like Superman, the speed of The Flash, the power of Green Lantern, and a full set of hexagonal abilities.

To put it simply, he wants to reach the maximum level before stepping into the spotlight.

With that in mind, Chu Cheng immediately equips the freshly obtained combat techniques and heads to an open space to prepare for experimentation.

He casually throws a couple of punches and instantly feels a difference.

All the boxing moves, all the techniques, they were flowing into his mind like an endless inspiration. For Chu Cheng, who only knew how to throw random punches, it was undoubtedly a completely new experience, as if he had upgraded from a tricycle to a supercar in one step.

Shouldn't he just go full throttle and enjoy it?

No need for thinking, his punches were executed purely from muscle memory. His two casual punches were the most precise and deadly moves, and the smooth transitions between various variations were awe-inspiring even for the top boxers.

Now, let's follow it up with a cool spinning high kick!

With an incredibly graceful kick, after executing it, Chu Cheng stood still and his expression was as if he had swallowed a pound of Kryptonite, just like how Superman would look.

It was a complete mess.