0.8 kilometers wide and 4 kilometers long, Central Park total area spans 340 hectares.
In New York where every inch of land is precious, especially in Manhattan most prosperous district, leaving such a large piece of land for trees?
Thinking about it, it was indeed quite incredible.
Of course, whether it was worth it or not was a matter for the mayor and even Congress to consider.
As an "ordinary person," Shi Xiaolei wouldn't ponder such irrelevant questions.
Like most people living nearby, he simply treated it as a regular leisure spot.
When free, come here for a walk, or bring family to breathe the rare fresh air in the city.
As for anything else, why bother thinking about it? Wouldn't that just be tiring?
They closed the shop at 3:15 PM and left at 3:30 PM.
Since their small shop was in Chinatown in Manhattan Lower City, the distance wasn't very far.
So, in just fifteen minutes, the family of three arrived at Central Park.
With little Kanna riding on his neck, his hands supporting her small legs, Shi Xiaolei strolled forward while chatting casually with 2B, who carried a picnic basket beside him.
It was precisely because he had a little girl riding on his neck that, viewed from behind, Shi Xiaolei height of over two meters didn't seem as conspicuous as usual.
Combined with 2B gentle demeanor and little Kanna cheerful giggles.
Well, mainly because both 2B and Kanna had white hair, which easily led to misunderstandings, the three of them together really gave off the feeling of "a young couple taking their child out."
Following the walking path, they arrived at a wide lawn.
Jumping down from Shi Xiaolei shoulders, Kanna immediately spotted someone playing with pet dogs.
The little girl eagerly approached, leveraging her adorable charm, and quickly received permission to play with several small dogs.
Shi Xiaolei took off his crossbody bag and pulled out a picnic blanket, while 2B opened the picnic basket and took out some snacks.
Before long, their small picnic site was set up.
"Hmm?"
Looking around, realizing something was missing, Shi Xiaolei couldn't help but tap his forehead.
"Sylvia, keep an eye on Kanna, I'll go to the parking lot."
Glancing at the little girl giggling twenty meters away, then turning back to 2B, Shi Xiaolei smiled sheepishly.
"I forgot the pudding box in the car. I'll go get it."
"Okay."
It wasn't a big deal, so 2B nodded obediently.
Waving to Kanna from afar, Shi Xiaolei turned and left the lawn, walking back along the path they had come.
Nothing unusual happened on the way, but when he retrieved the item and was about to return after closing the car door, strange phenomena appeared in the sky.
Looking up toward the direction of the sound, he saw a small black shadow with flames shooting from its feet, soaring straight into the sky like a rocket, while another slightly larger black dot, trailing a rolling cloud of black smoke, was in hot pursuit.
"Holy!"
Others might not understand what was happening, but as someone who had crossed over, Shi Xiaolei immediately guessed the situation.
Yes, the scene from "Iron Man 1" where Obadiah in the Iron Monger suit battled Tony Stark was unfolding before Shi Xiaolei eyes.
He didn't know exactly which day it was supposed to happen, but he remembered clearly that their final confrontation began after dark.
Looking at the time now, it was just after 3 PM, not yet 4 PM.
Involuntarily, a lot of questions arose in Shi Xiaolei mind.
Wasn't this supposed to happen at night?
Why had it moved up to the afternoon?
Had something changed?
Could it be that his presence as someone who had crossed over had triggered a chain reaction?
Or perhaps this wasn't the Marvel Cinematic Universe but some parallel Marvel universe with an unknown designation?
With a head full of questions, Shi Xiaolei quickened his pace, returning as fast as possible to 2B and Kanna side.
Perhaps because the surrounding vegetation was quite lush, blocking both sound waves and sight, neither of them had noticed the strange occurrence.
Just as Shi Xiaolei hesitated for a moment, ultimately deciding not to mention it to avoid spoiling the mood.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Several piercing wind sounds shot through the air, and the next second, multiple machine gun bullets penetrated the treetops, landing on the grass and creating a line of small craters.
Instinctively looking up, Shi Xiaolei saw the armored Tony Stark and the bulky Iron Monger tracing a double-helix pattern in the air, like a DNA analysis diagram, before both crashed onto the lawn.
"Ahh!"
"Woof woof, woof woof!"
Human screams and dog barks shattered the previously peaceful and leisurely atmosphere.
Sunbathers on the lawn scattered in all directions, shouting in panic.
Dog walkers forgot their pets, shirtless people forgot to put on their clothes—chaos everywhere.
Not concerned with others, Shi Xiaolei eyes bloodshot, he charged forward—the situation had come so suddenly that his brain short-circuited, forgetting that Kanna was actually a mighty dragon.
Well, mainly because the Iron Monger had landed too close to Kanna, and the sight of the little girl splattered with mud was heartbreaking.
In his panic, Shi Xiaolei, who treated the little girl like his daughter, completely forgot the fact that with her power, she couldn't possibly be harmed by these two metal cans.
Before he could reach her, the Iron Monger suit, with its thicker armor and more abundant energy, crawled out of the crater first.
Perhaps because he hadn't landed facing the right direction, after getting up, the Iron Monger wasn't facing the pit where Iron Man was, but instead saw Kanna standing in front of him, holding a dog and covered with mud.
"Mmm~."
The dog terrified trembling made Kanna feel sorry for it.
She was also displeased that her beloved costume was soiled.
Looking up at the towering Iron Monger, the little girl puffed her cheeks and widened her eyes.
"Bad person~!"
Obadiah hatred was directed solely at Tony Stark.
No, strictly speaking, he didn't hate Tony Stark—he was only after him for money.
To be fair, while the guy was bad, he hadn't quite reached the level of being anti-human.
Given Obadiah character, he shouldn't have tried to harm an adorable and harmless little girl like Kanna.
The problem was Kanna accusation of "bad person."
Believing himself to be the greatest contributor to Stark Industries growth and development, convinced that his choices were correct, yet unable to deny that his actions indeed violated law and morality.
In such a mindset, what Obadiah least wanted to hear was someone defining him as a villain.
"No, I'm the one who made the right choice."
With the ferocity triggered by battle and the loss of rationality caused by psychological extremism, Obadiah raised his right arm, opened his giant palm, and grabbed for Kanna.
Just as the little girl was about to be caught by the Iron Monger.
The next instant, a furious shout came from the sky.
"RUA!!!!!!!!!!"
(T/N: Like the story fellow daoist?you can read 20 chapters ahead on my P@treon [[email protected]/DaoistRongyi] Thanks for your support! 😊)