American comics: The off-the-charts random transformation

Garfield nodded thoughtfully, then transformed back into a cat and clenched his right paw.

"But I feel like it's always missing something. I don't know what it is."

"It's probably because you haven't gotten used to it yet! Getting stuck halfway through the transformation is bound to be a little uncomfortable."

Garfield: "Maybe."

Tian Xiaoban: "Hey, by the way, we're going to Gotham Port later. Kovacs has a shipment that's arrived."

Garfield looked disgusted: "I know, damn it, this vampire wants me to bleed him again!"

"Don't say that, it's also building for our future."

..............................

Gotham Harbor is extremely bustling.

Ever since the ruthless Penguin ruthlessly threw Gotham into chaos, the Court of Owls, having grown tired of the mess, compromised.

They decided to make a deal with the Penguin: they would return the territory the Penguin had conquered to him, and the Penguin would no longer allow the mentally ill people from Arkham Asylum to cause trouble.

The Penguin knew that this was the limit of the Court of Owls's limits, so he stopped sending people to cause trouble and recruited several mental patients as his subordinates.

Gotham Harbor is back in his hands. He won't give this biggest "money-printing machine" in Gotham back to anyone. The small gangs that used to vie for the port have all been wiped out by the Penguin. In no time, the Penguin has become infamous.

Garfield often travels between Gotham Harbor and Food Island, sometimes to buy supplies for Kowalski, and sometimes to eat at the restaurants there because he's craving something sweet.

A person and a cat were instantly teleported here from the alley between the buildings.

The noisy sounds reached their ears.

"Hey, I didn't expect it to be so lively here, Garfield."

Garfield, looking completely unfazed, asked, "What time will that vampire's shipment arrive?"

Tian Xiaoban glanced at the smartphone made by Kovacs: "It'll probably be another half hour before we arrive at the port. It's still early, you can go explore. Remember to come back on time!"

"OK!" Garfield nodded, leaped onto the rooftop, and disappeared into the alley.

"That gluttonous cat must have used up too much energy during its previous transformation. I hope it doesn't max out my credit card."

As Tian Xiaoban walked out of the alley, a sense of familiarity washed over her.

Dockworkers running around, the sounds of machinery moving goods, and many young "colleagues" looking for targets to strike.

Hey! It's someone I know!

"Jack, Yuri, it's you two!"

The two twelve-year-old children saw the tall Tian Xiaoban, exchanged a glance, and the next second, they took off running.

"Am I that scary? Why do you run away when you see me?"

Tian Xiaoban didn't even consider his current appearance: 1.9 meters tall, with muscles as solid as an ancient Greek sculpture, and an excellent overall demeanor and mental state. He didn't look like a Gotham man who had taken too many drugs at all.

Jack and Yuri thought the owner of the car they stole had found them, so they ran for their lives!

"Oh ho ho, you want to play hide-and-seek with me? I know this place better than both of you even with my eyes closed."

Tian Xiaoban jogged to catch up, knowing as a fellow traveler that children don't have much stamina.

So, generally speaking, when children encounter adults chasing each other, the children will use their size advantage to exploit the other child's blind spots. Simply put, it's like playing hide-and-seek.

After Tian Xiaoban ran past two street corners, those two clever guys had already disappeared!

If it were an ordinary person encountering a "fellow traveler" for the first time, they would definitely curse God and leave, but Tian Xiaoban obviously wouldn't fall for it.

"Let me guess where you're hiding? In a trash can, or in an old wooden crate? I bet you're here!"

Tian Xiaoban lifted the tattered cloth next to the old wooden box. There was very little dust on the cloth, so someone had definitely tampered with it. As expected, Jack was hiding there.

The thin little boy with sunken cheeks looked at Tian Xiaoban in fear, feeling that he was doomed and would inevitably get a beating.

Tian Xiaoban patted his head:

"Hey bro. Don't be scared, don't you recognize me? I'm your classmate!"

"Ban?" The familiar address made Jack's eyes widen. There was indeed a familiar face on the strong young man's face. "You're really Ban? Tell me your dark history, or I won't believe you!"

"Haha. You're so naughty!" Tian Xiaoban flicked Jack's forehead with her finger. "I heard you get scolded by the headmaster when you wet the bed at ten!"

"hiss--!"

Whether it was a headache or the shame of having his embarrassing past exposed, Jack was certain that the muscular man in front of him was his classmate who was a few months older than him.

"Heavy gift crab! Ben, how come you... how come you've become such a big guy? Did you really join a gang? Is the rumor from the orphanage true?"

"How could that be? Those brainless gangsters in Gotham aren't worthy of my joining. I'm just naturally gifted; I can get this good just from eating a little bit!"

After saying that, Tian Xiaoban struck a smug pose.

"You!" Jack looked around, and after confirming that no one was around, he whispered, "Did you also take super-powered drugs?"

Tian Xiaoban looked utterly bewildered: "What superpower drug?"

"You don't know? It's something that came from Metropolis, a tiny pill that can turn someone into a superhuman!"

Jack's eyes were filled with longing. If he had just one, and if he had the superpower to do it for 24 hours, he would definitely kill all the gangsters who had bullied him here!

"Superpowered medicine? Metropolis? Doesn't Superman care?" Tian Xiaoban felt there were many things to complain about.

Jack's expression suddenly turned disdainful, genuinely showing disgust, even though he was looking down on Superman, whom he had previously admired.

"Tch, he tried to stop it, but Metropolitan law allows it. Super drugs are as common as guns these days."

However, it's not circulated here yet. I heard Bruce Wayne doesn't allow it, so it's illegal here. Do you have any?

"...I've never even heard of it, how could I possibly have it? By the way, where's the other person?"

Tian Xiaoban quickly changed the subject. The changes in him were obviously abnormal. Judging whether the super drug was in him was as hopeless as mud falling into his crotch.

"Oh, right, Yuri!"

Jack quickly climbed out of the small space and ran towards a broken box, which was covered by some things, presumably Jack had helped to conceal it.

"Look, the guy chasing us is actually Ban, who's been missing for a long time!"

"Call me Brother Ban. Also, what does 'missing for a long time' mean?"

Jack led the dirty Yuri to Tian Xiaoban's place.

"Hey! Yuri, long time no see!"

Tian Xiaoban reached out and ruffled his hair.

"Hi! Ban, long time no see." Yuri looked at Tian Xiaoban with curiosity.

“After you gave the orphanage some money last time, you disappeared. The director asked the police for help, but they couldn’t find you after a month.”

Tian Xiaoban instinctively made an excuse: "I had to go on a business trip to the Metropolitan Area!"

These words were like a spark of hope ignited in the ears of the two little boys:

"You really do have super-powered drugs! Ban, do you have any more? Can I have one?"

Tian Xiaoban denied it three times: "I'm not, I didn't, don't talk nonsense!"

Do you see me wearing anything on my body?

"But what do you look like?" Jack asked, his face full of doubt.

Tian Xiaoban laughed it off:

"Oh, I told you, I'm naturally superhuman! I have a good foundation, and with proper nutrition, I just become handsome! Hahaha..."

Yuri retorted, "Is that nutrition? You've definitely been taking hormones and steroids!"

"Oh? You know about hormones and steroids?" Tian Xiaoban's eyes sharpened.

Normally, these kids wouldn't have access to this kind of stuff. Even if they were to take drugs, it wouldn't be the turn of poor kids like them.

When Tian Xiaoban learned about hormones, he was still a member of the underground boxing community, and he was introduced to them when recruiting his men.

“Recently, the [Bane Gang] has been recruiting boxers, so I went to look into it.”

Yuri said smugly, as if being noticed by the [Bane Gang] was a great honor.

Jack added from the side, "And I heard that as long as you become a boxer, you can get super pills, one a day! If they didn't look down on me, I would have joined long ago!"

"Crack! Crack!"

Two flicks on the forehead to bring these two fanatics to their senses.

"You guys should just give up. Once you're in the ring, your lives are no longer your own. Don't get involved with the Bane Gang. I'll call Batman to take care of them in a bit."

"Wow, you actually know Batman's phone number!"

She'd let something slip again, so Tian Xiaoban quickly tried to cover it up:

"I don't know, but I know the police station's number. Just tell them there are Bane's gang members here, and they're really, really bad, and only Batman can deal with them. Trust me, Batman will be here soon!"

"Really?" The two were very skeptical.

"It's true, Batman is a voyeur who loves to spy on Gotham and wiretap the police department's confidential phones! Calling the police here really works!"

Jack and Yuri listened, completely stunned.

"By the way, seeing how strong you are, you must be doing quite well. Why did you come back to Gotham?"

Jack looked at Tian Xiaoban with suspicion. Could he be here to steal their business?

"Don't worry, I'm not here to steal cars again. I've quit that stuff! This time, there's cargo arriving at Gotham Harbor, and I'm here to wait for it."

Yuri said thoughtfully, "Oh, I know! You must have joined the Penguin Gang!"

Tian Xiaoban was speechless. This brat really doesn't know how to talk!

"What? In your eyes, I have to join a gang? Can't I be my own boss?"

"You?" ×2

"Hahahaha..." ×2

"What are you laughing at? Is it that funny?" Tian Xiaoban looked completely bewildered.

Jack was still laughing.

Yuri suppressed a laugh and explained, "Ban, it's really funny. From the moment you didn't know about the super drug, I knew you were definitely not some kind of boss."