Chapter 17

Amidst the raging flames, a figure, barely discernible to the naked eye, suddenly darted out. Its speed was so great that it split the flames, leaving no time for anyone to react. By the time they caught sight of him, he had already rushed to the back of the car and grabbed the leader of the robbers. With a scream, he lifted the man up.

"Make them surrender, now!" The cold electronic voice sent shivers down the robber leader's spine, but he still defiantly drew the gun from his thigh and fired at Zhou Yi's helmet.

Watching the bullets twist and deform on the crystal shield, leaving strange visual stains, Zhou Yi, finding the weapon useless, threw the man behind him. The unfortunate man flew several feet and was embedded in the door of a scrapped car. He twitched a few times like a shrimp and then collapsed there.

This action terrified many, including the police, the hostages, and the robbers most of all.

A man named Bal threw away his gun, rushed to the driver's seat, and started the car, driving it wildly. Another robber named Andrew cursed, picked up a little girl, and pulled off his coat, revealing a bomb strapped to his body.

"Tell me, do you have any intention of surrendering?" Zhou Yi jumped into the back door and said to the two robbers who were still resisting.

"Get lost, you monster." Andrew, holding the little girl with one hand and pressing a button with the other, slowly retreated to the front door of the bus. Clearly, he did not want to be too close to Zhou Yi, which made him feel extremely insecure.

But this distance was not safe. A burst of white light shot from Zhou Yi's helmet, sweeping across Andrew's arm. Then, with a flash, he appeared in front of Andrew, grabbed his neck, and lifted him up.

"Put down the girl, and stop the car!" Zhou Yi ordered.

"Go to hell, you monster!" Andrew struggled, pressing the button in his hand, but his fingers did not move as he intended. In fact, with his writhing, his forearm slid off, with no blood spilling out, only a charred stump, as if it were not part of him. The wound on his arm looked as if it had been treated with high heat.

Andrew felt nothing, not even pain. The ultra-high-temperature beam had severed his arm and stopped the bleeding, burning the nerves. So, apart from losing a part of his arm, Andrew had not been harmed. At least, that was how he felt.

This only made the robbers more terrified. Bal, who was already scared out of his wits, stepped on the gas pedal wildly, completely ignoring the direction of the car. Andrew, on the other hand, remained defiant, showing the demeanor of a desperate man.

"You damn monster, my hand, ah!" He roared, raising his other good hand and throwing the little girl out of the car through the door. Due to Bal's loss of control, the bus was already at the edge of the bridge, and Andrew's throw sent the child plummeting straight toward the water. From such a height, even if the child had been learning to swim since birth, the impact of hitting the water would have killed her.

Zhou Yi, not expecting the robbers to be so ruthless, immediately threw Andrew onto Bal. The impact knocked both of them unconscious, breaking many bones. Zhou Yi then quickly rushed out of the car and chased after the falling girl at an even faster speed.

The little girl was still screaming in mid-air, but before she could scream for long, she felt a sudden weight and found herself in Zhou Yi's arms. Zhou Yi gently pinched the little girl's pale face and smiled, saying, "Little one, everything is fine now." It was the first time he had handled a child this way, and he was a bit too rough, turning the little girl's face red.

But the little girl in his arms showed no reaction, still with a look of shock, clearly not having recovered.

At that moment, a loud metallic crash sounded. Zhou Yi looked up to see a familiar yellow figure charging down from the other side of the bridge. Zhou Yi could clearly hear the cries and screams of the children on the bus.

Just as Zhou Yi was performing his heroic rescue, the out-of-control bus did not stop as expected by hitting the police barriers. Instead, it was first torn apart by the speed bumps, causing the unconscious Bal to step on the gas pedal even harder. The bus continued its wild charge, then veered off the bridge.

This was not only unexpected by Zhou Yi but also by the police. What seemed to be heading toward the best outcome suddenly took a dramatic turn, driving the police to the brink of madness.

The death of a bus full of students due to police negligence would bring immense pressure and condemnation on the New York Police Department. This condemnation would come not only from the media and the public but also from deep within their own hearts.

Watching the tragedy unfold, Chief Stacy covered his eyes in pain. Everything that happened today made him feel deeply saddened. As one of the few conscientious government officials, Chief Stacy was in great distress. Many police officers and onlookers shared his feelings.

The media, the most trouble-seeking species in the world, had arrived early. They were already frantically filming and broadcasting, their eyes only on the ratings. They had already guessed how big the Brooklyn Bridge incident would become. Gang wars, a superhuman, and a massive loss of minors—these topics were enough to drive the journalists mad.

Soon, the journalists erupted in a loud commotion. This noise made Chief Stacy yell in frustration, "These damn journalists, can't they just shut up for a moment?"

A police officer patted his shoulder and said, "Chief, I think you should see this!" His voice was full of joy.

Feeling something was wrong, Chief Stacy looked up and saw a black figure holding a bus, with a little girl in his arms, slowly descending from the sky under the midday sun.

The moment he set the bus on the ground, the flashbulbs almost turned the ground and him silver.

The situation took a dramatic turn, and a large number of police officers began to receive the hostages. In fact, the parents, who had rushed over, had already broken through the police lines, crying and hugging their children. The police could only drag away the unconscious robbers, with some violence in the process.

A young couple rushed to Zhou Yi, who handed the little girl to them. The woman hugged the child and kissed her fiercely, while the man embraced both of them, his eyes red and trembling, and said to Zhou Yi, "Thank you, sir. Thank you for saving my child."

"You don't need to thank me!" Zhou Yi gently patted the little girl's hair. "Your child is very cute. It is my duty to let such a lovely child enjoy a beautiful life."

"Thank God, may God bless you, sir." The couple continued to thank him, while Zhou Yi waved and walked toward the people waiting behind.

"Everyone is happy, isn't it, Chief Stacy?" Zhou Yi said.

Chief Stacy frowned and stared at Zhou Yi. "Who are you, Stark or Osborn's super machine, or some kind of alien? What is your purpose?"

"None of those. As I said, I am just a passerby, a good Samaritan with a knightly spirit. You can see me as the last darkness of the night and the harbinger of the coming dawn. As for my purpose, you have seen it—maintaining peace, I think that's a good way to describe it."

"Do you think I will believe you? Peace and order do not need a masked hero to maintain; the police are enough." Chief Stacy waved his hand irritably, already envisioning the chaos that would ensue in New York.

"There will always be situations like today that you find difficult to handle." Zhou Yi shrugged. "I think there will also be times when you need my help, Chief. I won't cause trouble or take your jobs; consider me a friendly partner."

"A partner wouldn't even give their name." Chief Stacy complained, his resolve wavering.

"That's a secret. Chief, use your imagination. I think a codename will suffice." Zhou Yi smiled, then flew up. In the eyes of many, he soared into the sky, then, with a loud crack, tore through the clouds, accelerating to a speed that made him completely indistinguishable, disappearing from view.

Seeing the hero who saved the bus of hostages leave in this manner, the journalists, who had been waiting with their cameras, immediately broke through the police lines and surrounded Chief Stacy.

"Chief, what is your relationship with this mysterious person?"

"Chief, who is this mysterious person, a superhuman, a mutant, or a mechanical warrior?"

"Chief, in this rescue, the police made no contribution and even worsened the situation. All the rescue work was done by the mysterious person. Can I say the police are wasting taxpayers' money?"

A series of rapid-fire questions and accusations sent Chief Stacy's blood pressure soaring, but having reached his position, he had practiced the art of patience to a certain degree.

This patience kept him from lashing out at the journalists. Instead, he patiently pushed the microphones away from his mouth and said with a serious face, "Ladies and gentlemen, the rescue operation was completed through the joint efforts of both parties. Therefore, it is not true that the police are wasting tax money."

"Chief, when you say joint efforts, does it mean the police department has a partnership with the mysterious person?"

Chief Stacy coughed and began to fabricate, knowing that this was behavior the mysterious superhuman had approved.

"According to our verbal agreement, you can consider it that way. The NYPD does have a certain partnership with the mysterious person."

"Who is the mysterious person? Does the police department plan to disclose the identity and details of the partnership to the public?"

Seeing that Chief Stacy could provide some information, the journalists became even more frenzied.

"The partnership is only between the mysterious person and the police department and does not involve the person's true identity, which is personal privacy. The details of the partnership are limited to maintaining public order." Chief Stacy responded to the journalists' questions while being helped by his subordinates to push through the crowd.

"Then, Chief, what do you call your partner? Flyer, Strongman, or Future Warrior?"

Chief Stacy thought for a moment and said seriously, "Knight, I call him Dawn Knight."

As Chief Stacy called Zhou Yi "Dawn Knight," all the journalists began to use this name, and it was officially established through media coverage.

This was a new beginning for Zhou Yi's life as a superhero.