It was already very cold in New York in December. This year, the temperature had dropped to the lowest point in recorded history.
But the prosperity of the metropolis wouldn't fade because of the cold winter.
It was almost the most important holiday in the West, Christmas.
So, whether it was the major supermarkets or the various shops in the business center, they all launched all kinds of discounts and promotions.
This was the most important business season of the year. During this time, even the families who weren't rich would find ways to squeeze out some money.
They would buy some decorative Christmas ornaments for their homes.
Or they would find a way to buy new clothes for their children or a new toy.
Life in New York wasn't easy. It was the most expensive area in the world.
The heavy pressure of life would overwhelm those who didn't have a good life.
Especially some special people, their life here would be even more difficult.
For example, the man who appeared in front of us now. His name was Hale.
He was dressed a bit strangely, although it was very cold outside in New York.
But in the big shopping mall, because of the central air conditioning, the temperature of the heating was set very high.
So the temperature in the shopping mall was actually very high.
People who wore thick winter clothes outside would take off their thick winter clothes when they came here.
But Hale was very strange. He was wearing a high-collared winter coat, and his neck was covered.
He wore jeans and rubber-soled shoes. To be honest, it was very old-fashioned.
Not to mention, he was wearing a pair of cheap-looking gloves.
They looked like gloves made of nylon or other petrochemical by-products.
This pair of gloves looked more like a pair of work gloves than a pair of gloves that people would wear out on holidays.
New York was one of the fashion capitals of the world. It was as famous as Paris and Milan.
Haier's strange appearance made the people who passed by him a little respectful and kept a distance from him.
Moreover, Hale's hair looked like it hadn't been trimmed for a long time.
It looked messy, although he seemed to have tried to smooth it out before he went out.
But it felt even worse. Now he looked like a dirty hippie.
The way the people around looked at Hale made him very uncomfortable.
But he couldn't blame others for how they looked at him, because he knew that his current appearance wasn't pleasing.
Right now, he just wanted to get things done and leave the building as soon as possible.
The commercial building in Queens was filled with many shops and brand outlets.
At the same time, there were also many cafes and restaurants, where the surrounding residents would go for leisure and shopping during the holidays.
There was also the largest toy store in Queens, Toys US.
The toys here were the most complete in Queens, but the toys in Toys were not cheap.
But every time before Christmas, even if the toys here were not cheap, countless parents would come here to shop.
In order to give their children a Christmas surprise. Maybe a box of blocks. Maybe a Barbie doll.
No matter what it was, at least on this day, the children would receive gifts, which would make them happy for an entire month.
Hale didn't seem to care about the surprised looks from the others, but his steps betrayed his lack of confidence.
In the end, he still stepped into the toy store with a rather timid and timid footstep.
"Yes, it's just a gift. I can afford it. Hale gave himself a small pep talk.
His hands were in his pockets, clutching two crumpled dollar bills.
This was all the cash he had. Jobs at Halle were not easy to find.
Because he always messed things up. Now, except for the food he could get from the relief center, he didn't care about anything else.
He didn't have any cash income.
The bills in his pocket were given out yesterday by a kind man.
He said he was a devout believer and sent meager cash to poor families before Christmas.
It was for the children in those families, to give them a gift they liked at Christmas.
Although the money was very little, only twenty-five dollars, Hale was still very grateful.
Hale hadn't bought toys for his son for a long time.
Since he couldn't work and his wife left him.
The family's situation was getting worse, and now he had no money to pay the property tax.
Maybe the house would be reclaimed by the government or the bank next year.
This might be the last Christmas at home, and he didn't want to see his son looking at other children's toys enviously.
That look of longing always broke his heart.
He couldn't afford too expensive toys, so he lingered on the shelves for a long time.
It wasn't until the salesperson looked at him with a defensive look that he picked up a Captain America doll that he had hesitated for a long time.
The workmanship of the soldier was not exquisite, and the price was relatively cheap.
But it also cost thirty dollars, but because of the 20% discount for Christmas, it was only twenty-four dollars.
There was still one dollar left, and Hale decided that the remaining dollar could buy his son a KFC hamburger, just right.
Thinking of the child's happy face after seeing the gift, Hale's heart softened a little.
The queue for checkout was very long, and behind Hale, it looked like a couple with their little daughter to buy toys.
The family seemed to be very harmonious there, talking and laughing. Hale was a little envious. He had a similar family a few years ago.
And now everything was gone with the wind. Thinking of this, Hale couldn't help but feel sad.
"Sir, the total is thirty dollars." It was Hale's turn to pay, and the cashier skillfully took the goods and scanned the code to pay.
But the number she revealed surprised Hale. Hale asked inexplicably.
"Isn't today the Christmas promotion? Isn't everything 20% off? " Hale only had twenty-five dollars in his pocket, and he didn't have the extra five dollars to pay the bill.
"I'm sorry, sir, but Hasbro's products are not participating in this promotion." Although the cashier said she was sorry, her tone was very impatient.
However, her tone was very impatient. She was already very busy today, and she didn't want to pester a weirdo endlessly.
"Please, I only have this much, and I've been a little financially difficult recently. Can I pay in installments?" "Hale took out all the twenty-five dollars he had and asked for it.
"I'm sorry, sir, you can't use installments for goods less than two hundred dollars." The cashier's tone was still cold.
"You may choose other goods." “
That being said, Hale didn't have a choice.
This Captain America soldier was almost the cheapest Captain America figure that could be found.
And Hale's child had always admired Captain America, who was the child's role model and idol.
Hale hoped that his child would be as strong as Captain America, and wouldn't be easily defeated in later life.
The cashier looked at Hale with an emotionless gaze, which made him very embarrassed.
He hesitated for a moment, and took out a silver-white necklace from the inside of his clothes.
This was a souvenir left to him by his father. It was a souvenir made from pure silver tableware seized from the Nazi's secret base in Sweden during World War II.
This had always been very meaningful to Hale, but he took it out now. He put the necklace on the cashier's counter with some trembling hands.
"This is a pure silver necklace. It weighs fifteen grams, and it's worth seven dollars in silver terms. Can I ask you to lend me five dollars now? " “
Hale's plea was sincere, and his attitude was very low.
But the cashier still shook her head coldly. "If you don't have enough money, you can choose other goods." The words were cold like a robot.
Hale gave up. Maybe he would disappoint his child today.
He picked up the toy and prepared to return it to its original place. Maybe he could only choose some other toys.
Just as he was about to leave immediately, the couple who had been waiting in line behind him stopped him.
"Sir, if you don't mind, I can lend you five dollars first." The lady stopped him and took out five dollars from her wallet, wanting to hand it to him.
She said it was a loan, but it was actually a gift. Hale knew very well what she meant.
"Ma 'am, thank you, but I'm afraid I can't take the money." Hale was very touched, but he had already decided to change to a cheaper toy.
He had already taken charity from too many people, and he already owed too much.
"This is Christmas, sir. The gifts of the Lord should be spread everywhere. Everyone should be happy on this day. If this can help you, it will be our honor." “
It seemed that this family was still a devout believer.
"My mother said that helping others is the source of happiness. If your child can feel happy on Christmas because of our help, then we will also feel happy." “
The couple's youngest daughter was still a little young. Her voice was a little childish, but it was very cute.
"So, don't refuse my kindness, sir." The lady once again handed the dollar to Hale.
"Thank … thank you." Hale's voice was a little choked. He was ready to accept the kindness.
And at the end of the line of nearly a hundred people, Li Jie also chose a gift to give out for Christmas.
Including the one for Mindy, Li Jie had always wanted to correct her thinking.
There were also gifts for Ceng Chu and Peter. They were still big kids and had no resistance to toys.
And because of the angle, he did not see what was happening at the front of the line.
He was still thinking about asking Peter out in the afternoon to talk about the Sorcerer Supreme.
Just as he was thinking about the sorcerer, there was a disturbance in the line in front of him.
Hale was about to take the money that the lady handed him. The moment he took the money, his pair of old gloves seemed to have been cut with a sharp knife.
The part that should have covered his fingers was exposed.
When Hale realized it, it was too late. "No!" Halle cried out in despair.
Blue and white electric arcs surged from his fingers. Because of the voltage difference, the electric arcs were directed to the person closest to Hale.
The lady never dreamed that this would happen.
The strong electric current instantly ran through her body. Just a moment of contact took her life.
Her warm smile was still on her face, and she had already lost her life.
At this moment, the crowd suddenly became panicked. Screams were heard everywhere, and the whole line was in chaos.
"What did you do! What did you do to my wife! " The man held his wife's body and asked in disbelief.
And the little girl was so frightened that she burst into tears.
"My wife is helping you! And you, you killed her! " The man's veins burst, and his blood was stimulated by the adrenaline.
Anger had already made him lose his mind. "You're a mutant! You're a mutant! So you're going to kill my wife! “
The man said this and quickly approached Hale.
"Don't come over, my gloves are broken. Don't come over, I have to release the voltage first." Hale kept retreating, he wanted to find something to release the voltage in his body.
While Li Jie was still thinking, he found that the line was in chaos. Many people dropped their things and wanted to leave.
Only then did he see what was happening in front of him.
A woman's body was lying on the ground, and beside her was a little girl who was crying.
And a man who looked like the woman's husband was aggressively approaching another man.
Hale kept retreating and dodging. He couldn't control his power.
He had become a mutant in the past two years, and he didn't want to become a mutant at all.
Because he couldn't control this power, his body would always accumulate electric charges.
He had to release the voltage every once in a while, and he couldn't release it in public, because it would hurt innocent people.
Because of this ability, he lost his car repair job, and his wife ran away, leaving him and his child to live together.
Hale didn't want to hurt anyone, but the power he couldn't control was so dangerous.
Even if he didn't want to, he still killed a person today, a kind mother and a gentle wife.
And now her husband was crazy and wanted to kill him.
But Hale knew that he would hurt him again, so he kept retreating.
But the man was too close, and the electric current leaking from Hale's body was about to move.
Blue and white electric arcs shot out from his fingers at this moment. Hale shouted in despair, "No!" “
The blue electric current hit the man, and Li Jie already knew what was happening. The moment the electric current hit the man's body.
Li Jie had already reached the man's side. He couldn't move fast in the crowd, but fortunately, he arrived in time.
Li Jie tossed a metal pillar that was used to maintain order to the crowd.
The metal column, which had better conductivity, attracted a lot of electric current. The strong electric current hit the metal column and made a crackling sound.
And the splashing electric current messed up the voltage of the shop. There were air switches that tripped and lost power.
The entire floor was plunged into darkness.
When Hale released all the electric charges, he collapsed to the ground weakly, still mumbling. "Sorry, sorry. “
Li Jie didn't have time to care about him. Now he was checking the vital signs of the man who had been electrocuted.
The pupils began to dilate, and the breathing and pulse became weak. There was a slight subcutaneous bleeding, and there was also some bleeding on the tongue.
Li Jie began to perform CPR on the man, which was some of the first aid methods he had learned from Frank.
"Can any of you calm down a little and call a doctor to come over! Li Jie sat down to perform CPR on the man and roared at the chaotic crowd.
When the patrolling police came here, someone finally helped Li Jie call a doctor.
At this time, Li Jie had been doing heart compressions for the man for five minutes.
If he stopped, the man's heart would stop immediately.
The police who came to help couldn't help at all. They could only protect the young daughter of the family so that she wouldn't be hurt in the crowd.
And Hale was also restrained by the police. He now seemed to have recovered a little strength.
He was not as weak as he was after the electric shock.
He looked at what he had caused, the dead mother who still had a smile on her face.
The little girl who was bawling her eyes out.
And the man who didn't know whether he was dead or alive because of him. His heart was filled with regret.
He hated what he had caused. He hated the difficult life after losing his job.
At this moment, the despair in his heart was constantly magnified.
There was a small amount of electricity stored in his body, and he electrocuted the policeman who controlled him, making him a little numb.
Then he grabbed the pistol from his waist and made the last declaration of his life. "I hate Mutants!! “
The bullet of the M1911 passed through his brain, and red blood and gray brain matter flew everywhere.
The toy he was going to bring to the child was also stained, and the bright red blood stained the star-spangled flag behind Captain America.
When the gunshot sounded, Li Jie realized what had happened not far behind him, but he couldn't stop now.
Because he had another life in his hands.
When the doctor finally arrived to hand over to Li Jie, Li Jie's expression was a little numb, and a group of paparazzi or so-called freelance media appeared at the same time as the doctor.
They were not regular TV staff. They usually collected news themselves and sold it to the TV station.
The two who came today were the same. They were happy to see the bloody scene at the scene.
They didn't care about the tragedy of two families behind this incident. For them, it was green dollars.
"Wow, today's luck is really good. How many Mutants have attacked today?" A paparazzi asked his companion.
"Third or fourth." His companion replied. "This news is all dollars." “
The two were very excited to take photos and videos of the scene.
In short, the more eye-catching, the better. As for intensifying the conflict, it was none of their business.
Just as they were excitedly taking photos, a big hand grabbed the paparazzi's collar.
"How many attacks did you say happened today?!" Li Jie's voice was angry and cold.
The fierce eyes stared at the paparazzi and he couldn't help but swallow his saliva.
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