In the cafe, the discussion about the Mutants was still going on.
"That's right, those Mutants are a bunch of bastards," a man in a black winter coat and a baseball cap said fiercely. "The last time I drove a truck past a restaurant, I met a little Mutant inside. He was actually a waiter there."
"I didn't tip him. Why should I tip a Mutant?" The man's words were very rude. "Then after I finished eating, I went out and found that my tire was flat."
"Needless to say, it must be that damn bastard who did it." The man's inference had no basis. It was only because the other party was a Mutant.
Therefore, he blamed the other party for the flat tire. This kind of unreasonable and overbearing behavior was unacceptable.
The man swore, and at the same time, several of his companions echoed him. It seemed that they were all companions.
From the way they spoke and their habits, they looked very much like a group of truck drivers. Originally, they just went to the cafe to drink a cup of hot coffee to kill time.
However, because of this news, the man's anger seemed to have been ignited. "Do you know, when I was a child, I hated Mutants."
"At that time, there was a little Mutant in school. He always used his superpower to cheat. I knew that he couldn't be so smart. He must have cheated." This was already naked jealousy.
"Okay, it's almost time, we should start working." One of his companions signaled the guy to stop talking and it was time to start preparing.
"Okay, how much?" It seemed that the group was ready to pay and leave. The man in the baseball cap was ready to pay.
However, the waitress seemed to be a little stunned and didn't immediately go to collect the money.
"I said, how much is this?" The man in the baseball cap was a little impatient. He reached out and wanted to pat the waitress on the shoulder, but his hand went directly through the waitress's body.
"What the hell! What the hell are you doing! "The man in the baseball cap suddenly took a few steps back. He roared angrily. He touched his hand that just went through the waitress's body, as if he was afraid of being infected.
"What did you do to my body? You are a damn Mutant! "The man in the baseball cap sounded a little frightened.
"No, I'm sorry, I, I didn't do anything." The waitress didn't look very old. She was probably a high school student. She looked like a temp worker.
"You're a mutant," the man in the baseball cap shouted again. He picked up a stool that was common at the bar and pointed at the girl.
"I'm telling you, don't play any tricks. I've seen plenty of people like you." Although the man said that, he didn't dare to step forward. He seemed to be afraid of something.
"I'm sorry." The girl was already sobbing, tears in her big beautiful eyes. "I'm really sorry, I didn't do anything."
"Enough!" Li Jie's mood had already fallen to the bottom of the valley. What kind of rubbish was this? Did these people who preached that the Mutants were a threat know how much conflict they were stirring up?
Apart from creating trouble for society, they can't do anything right at all!
Li Jie couldn't stand these guys anymore. This girl was just an ordinary student working part-time. She was scared to death.
It was normal for Mutants to go into a state of self-protection when they were frightened, and the girl's ability didn't seem to be destructive.
However, because of the propaganda on TV and the news, these Mutants who could integrate into normal people's lives began to become unpopular.
Li Jie directly carried the 20-kilogram cow leg that he just bought and stood in front of the girl. He used the cow leg to push away the round stool that the man pointed at the girl.
Because the man looked like he wanted to attack the girl, the girl was scared to tears.
"She's just an ordinary girl, and I didn't see her do anything bad to you." Li Jie was very strong. The man almost fell when he pushed away the cow leg.
"She's a Mutant!" The man continued to emphasize this point. It was as if this was the most terrible original sin.
"But now she's just a child who was scared by you." Li Jie stood in front of the man and said very seriously. "Don't be so easily misled by those guys. Please use your brain."
Li Jie pointed at Macaulay who was still talking nonsense on TV. This kind of person's actions were meaningless and would only add to the negative energy.
Seeing Li Jie's aggressive look, the man's other friends all tried to persuade him to give up. In the end, he struggled for a bit and left twenty dollars to pay for the coffee. He left without asking for change.
"Are you okay?" Li Jie asked the girl. She was really scared.
"I'm fine, thank you. I was just … I was a little scared just now. "The girl calmed herself down and thanked Li Jie.
"Katie, come here." Just as the girl was thanking Li Jie, a man who looked like the store manager called over a waitress named Katie.
They seemed to be talking about something. Katie seemed to be begging him, but the store manager still shook his head. In the end, Katie could only helplessly take off the apron that represented the store's waitress.
"What's wrong?" Li Jie frowned and asked Katie who was walking towards him.
"Nothing, I just lost a job." Katie smiled, but she seemed very helpless. Then, she nodded at Li Jie and walked out of the coffee shop.
What Li Jie was afraid of happened. Even a normal mutant who didn't have the ability to destroy things lost his job. What about the other mutants?
Li Jie remembered that when he watched movies, some mutants' characteristics were very obvious. As long as people paid attention, they would be able to notice the characteristics of the mutants.
Would these people be even more oppressed? Would they explode under the intense pressure? It was not impossible.
There was a saying: Where there is oppression, there will be resistance. It wasn't just an empty saying.
Li Jie paid the bill and walked out of the coffee shop. He saw the waitress, Katie, squatting by the side of the road, sobbing softly. Her hands were holding her head, but her shoulders were shaking. It was a sign that she was sobbing.
"If you don't mind, I can send you home. My car is parked at the intersection." Li Jie squatted down and said to Katie.
Katie also lived in Queens, but it didn't seem to be her own house. She lived in a rented apartment building.
Li Jie drove the secondhand Ford sedan and took fifteen minutes to send Katie home.
"Thank you for today. Otherwise, that man would have hurt me." Katie thanked Li Jie again before getting out of the car.
"You're welcome. You didn't do anything wrong. He just scared you." Li Jie shook his head and replied.
Katie smiled. Her smile was much better than the bitter one before. She took out a small notebook and a pen from her pocket. She tore off a piece of paper and wrote down her phone number.
"This is my phone number. I mean, if you are willing to make friends with a mutated human …"
Li Jie didn't let Katie finish and took the piece of paper from her hand. "Of course. Believe me, many of my friends are weirder than you."
Well, Li Jie was telling the truth.
"Thank you." Katie smiled and got out of the car. She waved at Li Jie and ran upstairs.
Li Jie slowly drove away. He still had to rush back to the base to make lunch.
The radio station was also broadcasting the news that he didn't want to hear. Li Jie simply turned off the radio and drove quietly.
He didn't know if Katie's situation today was accidental or if it was inevitable for all mutated humans.
Li Jie couldn't guarantee that everyone would treat mutated humans equally like him. For example, the man in the baseball cap he met today.
He had a different attitude towards mutated humans, and it was very complicated. It contained discrimination, fear, and a trace of envy.
Although he shouted that he wanted to teach Katie a lesson, he didn't dare to do it. This was because he was afraid. He also talked about the mutated humans he met in his childhood. He was envious and jealous of other people's abilities or excellence.
Was this complicated and mixed emotion common to most people? Li Jie drove his Ford very slowly.
Because New York's traffic was very congested, just like the various problems hidden under the surface of this society. All the problems were blocked.
No one, or rather, there was no good way to solve these problems. And the problems that couldn't be vented were just like the rolling traffic.
They were forced to jam on the road and slow down the development of the entire society.
Katie was very happy today. Although she lost a part-time job, she gained a friend who didn't discriminate against her after knowing her identity.
"Dad, Mom, I'm back." She pushed open the door of her house with joy. This was different from the usual hug her mother would give her when she returned home.
Today, her parents were sitting quietly on the sofa. Hearing the news of her return, they just turned their heads to look at her.
In front of his parents, there were two strangers. An old man in a wheelchair and a beautiful young woman with red hair.
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