#305 - Highway News

A gentle breeze brushed against Yang Le's face, carrying with it a peculiar scent that entered his nostrils – the smell of asphalt baking under the sun, mingled with a faint hint of gasoline.

The scenery around him blurred as Yang Le sped past. Despite its humble name, 'Old Clunker,' its performance was unmatched by ordinary vehicles. This steel behemoth, if unleashed, could outrun anything on the road, save for the speedsters.

Watching the scenery flash by, Yang Le mused that this was one of America's defining characteristics, perhaps the reason why road trip movies were so popular.

He refocused his gaze forward. Although the highway seemed empty, as a driver, he knew his attention should primarily be on the road ahead.

A glance at the paper map taped to the passenger seat revealed his destination: Star City, also known as Green Arrow's territory.

Realistically, for a proper vacation starting in Central City, Missouri, choosing Star City in California, about three thousand kilometers away, wasn't a smart move.

Planning a route to explore nearby attractions first would be more economical and time-efficient—a plan any normal person would make.

Considering this, Keystone City, frequently associated with Central City and located nearby, would be a better choice for Yang Le.

However, Yang Le was not normal. His main reason for this decision was his desire to meet Star City's resident hero, Green Arrow.

Before delving into Green Arrow's story, Yang Le regarded him as a second or third-tier superhero modeled after Batman. The similarities between the two were undeniable.

Both were billionaire playboys, orphaned at a young age, trained to become crime-fighting superheroes without superpowers, and even their equipment was strikingly similar.

Batman had the Batcave, Batmobile, and Batplane; Green Arrow had the Arrowcave, Arrowcar, and Arrowplane. Even their real names followed the same format: Bruce Wayne, Oliver Queen.

Good grief, if they weren't from the same comic book company, Yang Le would have thought Green Arrow was a copycat character from some obscure comic book publisher.

Due to these similarities, Yang Le initially didn't care much for Green Arrow, feeling the character lacked his own unique essence and was just a copy-paste job.

It wasn't until a certain American TV series aired in 2012 that Yang Le's perception changed. This long-running superhero series, 'Arrow,' broke his preconceived notions with its high quality, allowing him to understand the superhero without bias.

Upon closer inspection, Yang Le realized the biggest difference between Green Arrow and Batman was that the former, an American raised in luxury and steeped in capitalism, was a staunch Marxist.

Now, he couldn't help but like Green Arrow. For that reason alone, Yang Le wanted to visit this left-wing archer, especially since he hadn't had a chance to talk to him during the previous Justice League meetings.

Releasing the steering wheel, Yang Le removed the map from the passenger seat and headed towards the living area in the back of the RV, ignoring the fact that it was still moving.

"Only two thousand kilometers left, keep going, Old Clunker," Yang Le said to the empty driver's cabin. The steering wheel he had been holding suddenly changed, turning into a mass of black, gel-like substance covered in white circuits—a shapeshifter splinter.

Yang Le believed a truly good car needed its own soul, or 'machine spirit,' as modern people called it. To achieve this, Yang Le had transformed into a shapeshifter, split off a fragment, and granted it full control over the Old Clunker.

A Gravitic shapeshifter splinter was far superior to ordinary AI. Most importantly, the splinter could maintain the Old Clunker itself. A regular AI could only tell you what was broken, while the splinter could fix it.

In emergencies, the splinter could even transform the Old Clunker into a weapon of war, provided weapon blueprints were loaded first.

"Received, sir," a reply composed of multiple voices came from the car radio, causing Yang Le to sigh. He had installed a language module in the Old Clunker, but the splinter preferred to respond using various radio broadcasts.

Yang Le didn't mind. He opened the refrigerator, grabbed an ice-cold can of cola, and took a satisfying sip. Thanks to the careful adjustments of a professional, two scientists, and the splinter's real-time control, the Old Clunker's stability was top-notch. Even on uneven terrain, there wasn't the slightest bump, let alone on asphalt roads.

However, there's always an exception to the rule.

"Boom!"

A loud explosion brought a massive shockwave, pelting the Old Clunker with sand and gravel. Fortunately, the windows were closed in time, or Yang Le would have swallowed a mouthful of sand along with his cola.

The sudden blast startled Yang Le, causing him to choke on his drink. Anyone who has ever drunk cola knows how painful it is to get carbonated beverages in your windpipe.

"Cough, cough, cough!" Yang Le took the towel offered by the Old Clunker's built-in robotic arm and painfully wiped away the mixture of liquid flowing from his mouth and nose.

"FK!" Yang Le cursed, glaring at the screen that the Old Clunker had already prepared. He wanted to see who had made him so miserable.

The screen was connected to a super camera invented by a Little Genius, capable of piercing through dust clouds, allowing Yang Le to see the culprit.

"Boom!"

Another loud explosion, and the dust cloud was blown away by a gust of wind, rendering Yang Le's 'high-definition camera' useless. But Yang Le wouldn't give up. Out of spite, he insisted on staring at the Old Clunker's screen, even though he could see everything just by looking out the window. It was a testament to his stubbornness.

A figure wearing red clothes, a stout build, and a white cape appeared on the screen. When he turned around, revealing a massive lightning bolt symbol on his chest, his identity was clear: Shazam!

"Bang!"

A dull thud resounded as a figure as imposing as Shazam, perhaps even more so, exchanged a punch with Shazam. The collision of their immense power caused the very air to crackle with an unsettling sound.

"Is that all you've got?" Shazam asked with a mischievous grin that seemed out of place on a muscular man. The effect of such an expression on a hulking figure was unimaginable, but his opponent was completely unfazed, as if he was used to it.