Kamen Rider ZZZ, the American comic book spiritual mentor

Firstly, because three people are too large a target, the shielding capability of the system is limited. If it covers three people, they are very likely to be detected by radar, and then an anti-aircraft missile will be fired.

That would mean working for nothing! These days, twins can't withstand a single missile.

Secondly, if they were rescued too easily, how could the difficulty of the operation be demonstrated? Only in this way could the twins be genuinely convinced and moved.

Anyway, Lin Nan doesn't consider himself a good person; when he's out in the world, he relies entirely on his public persona.

"Let's go, can you still move?" Lin Nan asked.

Pietro stubbornly insisted on standing up on his own: "I can move by myself!"

However, his severely injured leg was unable to bear weight, and he struggled a few times but could not get up.

Lin Nan sighed and, without saying a word, put his arm around her shoulder: "Stop being stubborn, now is not the time to be stubborn."

Pietro stiffened slightly, as if he wasn't used to this kind of contact, but ultimately didn't refuse.

With Lin Nan and Wanda's help, the three of them struggled along the sewage ditch toward the faint light downstream.

As Wanda walked, she suddenly spoke, her voice barely audible, "Thank you."

"Huh?" Lin Nan was taken aback.

Wanda seemed to realize she had said something she shouldn't have, and quickly shook her head: "It's okay, it's okay, I didn't say anything."

Pietro, oblivious to his sister's expression, awkwardly asked, "Is that armor you're wearing your ability?"

"I suppose it's due to my abilities."

"Pretty impressive!" Pietro said abruptly, then fell silent.

The three of them reached the iron ladder, helped each other climb up, and unscrewed the manhole cover for maintenance.

It was still raining outside, and there were hardly any people around.

They were now on the edge of another industrial area, surrounded by weeds and without any lights.

The night sky was filled with low-hanging dark clouds, and the rain was fine and dense, resulting in very low visibility.

Lin Nan sensed the direction and gestured with her lip: "Over there, it'll be here soon."

He walked up to Wanda, whispered an apology, then bent down and hugged the girl, who weighed less than 90 pounds, eliciting a soft gasp.

Pietro frowned, about to lash out, but then he saw Lin Nan slightly bend her knees, turning her back to him.

"Come up here, you're taking too long."

Pietro hesitated for a moment, but still climbed up.

"Hold on tight, don't fall," Lin Nan instructed.

The posture was a bit awkward, but I couldn't care less about that now.

Then, drawing upon the physical impact of energy, his physical strength increased, and he carried one on his back and hugged another, disappearing into the rainy night.

Chapter 73 Conversation

The rain washed away all traces of the three of them. Lin Nan moved quickly, carrying Wanda and carrying Pietro on his back, and soon found a place to stay.

It was an abandoned freight station, overgrown with weeds and covered in cobwebs.

Lin Nan led the two inside and found a relatively intact small control room.

The space inside is cramped, covered in dust and bird droppings, and has been abandoned for a long time, but at least the roof is still there, it doesn't leak, and it can still keep out the wind.

Wanda jumped down from behind him, her face pale but with a faint blush, and helped her brother to the ground, gently laying Pietro down.

She then curled up next to her brother, the rain and cold seeping into her bones, and she shivered involuntarily a few times.

Seeing this, Lin Nan took off his clothes and gently draped them over her body.

"Aren't you...aren't you cold?" Wanda asked.

Lin Nan shook her head: "It's not too cold, I'm in good health."

But he managed to control his body and shivered twice.

For a girl like Wanda, whose life was filled with constant wandering, the most important thing was the details.

Sure enough, Wanda's expression changed; she seemed to be moved and wanted to say something.

Lin Nan waved her hand: "You sit down for a while, I'll go take care of Pietro."

Then, they found some more wooden strips and reinforced the splint on Pietro's right leg.

Wanda nodded, wrapped herself in a large coat, curled up next to her brother, and watched Lin Nan's busy figure.

What kind of person is he? Can he save them from their suffering? Is he like this to everyone else?

The coat was a bit too big for her, almost completely covering her, and beneath her messy hair, a delicate face stained with dirt was visible.

A pair of exceptionally bright, deep brown eyes stared at Lin Nan, slightly lost in thought in the dim light. Her thin body was still trembling, whether from the cold or fear, it was hard to tell.

Lin Nan sat down at the door. The energy from the Dream Capsule had recovered somewhat, and it extended out as tentacles, sensing everything nearby.

Hydra hasn't caught up yet, so it seems the heavy rain did have some effect.

After confirming that there was no immediate danger nearby, Lin Nan stood up and said, "I'll go out and find some firewood to make a fire, otherwise it's too cold. Wanda, you stay here."

"Outside..."

Without waiting for their response, he yanked open the crooked door and his figure quickly disappeared into the darkness of the rainy night.

"It's still raining outside..." Wanda whispered the rest of her sentence.

When only the brother and sister remained in the control room, Pietro suddenly opened his eyes and looked at his sister.

“Wanda, do you think he’s trustworthy?” he asked in a low voice.

Wanda withdrew her gaze from the darkness of the doorway, lowered her head, and pulled her oversized coat tighter, hoping to draw in some warmth.

“I don’t know. All I know is that he saved us, Pietro, and he said he wouldn’t force us to do anything. He also said that our strength could be used to protect people like us. I think he’s a good person.”

Wanda's voice was soft and very pleasant, and she gave Lin Nan a "friend card".

“Protect…what can we use to protect ourselves?” Pietro chuckled self-deprecatingly. “My leg is broken too, and your abilities could easily spiral out of control.”

“Wanda, we can’t even protect ourselves. Right now, we’re just a burden to him. Maybe when he thinks we’re a liability and worthless, he’ll abandon us.”

“He won’t! I can sense that he’s different from others!” Wanda’s voice rose, interrupting Pietro.

The future Quicksilver sensed something was wrong with his sister, frowned, and looked up, trying to get a better look at Wanda's expression.

In the dim light, Wanda's delicate, pale face revealed a resolute look in her pupils, subtly hinting at something different from usual.

My younger sister is seventeen now...

His brow furrowed even deeper, a bad premonition rising in his heart. A rebuke slipped out instinctively: "Wanda, do you even know him? What can people like us do besides be used as weapons?"

Wanda trembled, her little head lowered, and she said stubbornly, "Pietro, he really is different, I can feel it."

Seeing his sister like this, Pietro's heart softened, and he sighed, "I hope so. I also hope we can meet good people, but Wanda, you mustn't..."

Just then, footsteps came from outside the door, and his voice stopped abruptly.

The door creaked open, and Lin Nan walked in carrying a pile of relatively dry wood.

He was almost completely soaked, but he held the wood tightly in his arms to protect it, his hair plastered to his forehead, and raindrops dripping down his cheeks.

"We're pretty lucky; we found some things that can be burned, that should be enough," Lin Nan said with a smile.

His bright smile and clear eyes startled Wanda.

Lin Nan deftly placed the wood in the center of the room, took a stone, folded a piece of paper on top of the wood, and quickly rubbed it.

Before long, the paper caught fire, igniting the wood, and the flames flickered and gradually grew larger.

Lin Nan carefully added small pieces of wood, and the fire burned brighter and brighter, becoming a warm campfire.

The orange-red glow of the flames filled the narrow control room, dispelling the cold and darkness of the rainy night.

Lin Nan used projection energy to refract the light to prevent the campfire from being too conspicuous in the dark, rainy night and attracting danger.

Wanda's figure was drawn to the warm firelight. She sat down next to Lin Nan, feeling the warmth, but her eyes unconsciously fell on the boy.

In the firelight, Lin Nan's facial features appeared even more pronounced in the shadows.

His wet hair clung to his forehead, water droplets sliding down his cheeks. His eyes were calm and sharp, yet tinged with weariness. He had already given himself his coat, and was only wearing a soaking wet dark short-sleeved T-shirt.

The arms were smooth and the muscles were firm, with a few abrasions and some wounds oozing tiny beads of blood. The body trembled involuntarily from the warmth it had just touched.

Wanda unconsciously moved a little closer to Lin Nan, and with each step closer, she felt a little safer.

When facing Hydra's army, he was clad in armor, exuding a ferocious and domineering aura, seemingly invincible.

Nestled beside the warm firelight, Wanda saw another side of him.

He wasn't just a powerful warrior; he could also get hurt and feel cold, silently leaning against the fire like a black mountain.

The firelight gilded his profile, and Wanda, watching him, suddenly felt that perhaps this powerful warrior, like her and her brother, carried a heavy burden and walked alone in the darkness.

But he was neither numb nor crazy; instead, he chose to lend a helping hand to others.

A warm current and an imperceptible flutter quietly welled up in my heart.

Lin Nan felt the gaze on her and turned to meet Wanda's eyes.

She hurriedly looked away, lowered her head, and pretended to concentrate on warming herself by the fire, her face slightly flushed.

Then she pulled her oversized coat tighter around her, still carrying his scent, and unconsciously sniffed it.

Lin Nan stood up again, gathered some materials, made a simple filter using a broken plastic bucket, sand, and charcoal scraps, collected some rainwater, found a broken metal box, washed it clean, boiled it, and handed it to Wanda.

Here, have some water.

Wanda took the kettle, took a sip, feeling the warmth, and handed it to Pietro.

Pietro took the drink, drank a sip, and felt a little warmer, his complexion improved.

Lin Nan threw a bundle of firewood back into the fire and said, "We need to leave as soon as possible. This place is too close to the base. Hydra won't give up easily, and they might search for us soon."

Pietro frowned, a bitter look on his face, and said, "The blockade here is very tight; we can't get across the border at all. Besides, there are two of us—one can't run fast enough, and the other is easily out of control..."