DaoistpuKhcQ

Back in 2013, the US government sliced off a chunk of NYC and handed it over to the superpowered bunch, forming this place called "TOWER" It's just ready for superhumans—no regular folks allowed.
Then, in 2014, other countries started copying the US move. Similar mini-cities popped up in those countries too, but only in the wealthy ones.
Fast forward to 2023, when World War III explodes. Nuclear weapons turned the air into a slow poison, choking everyone. Those sliced-off cities were safe havens. They had these unbreakable shields that kept the nastiness out. So, all the survivors got ushered into these government-guarded cities.
Our story takes place in "TOWER"

The Guardians of "TOWER"

Michael stood on top of a fake mountain, watching the people around him who had their guns aimed at him but were continuously retreating. He let out a cold chuckle.

"You're Michael Jackman, right?" Kraut stepped out of the crowd, facing Michael, but his face showed no fear.

"And you're the time traveler?" Michael tilted his head, his eyes filled with surprise.

"As the number one, why did you come here?"

"Your friend asked you? Then he must have told you that the child you're protecting is about to destroy the entire TOWER, right?"

"Never mind, why did you come here?" Kraut intended to solve this mystery.

"I'm fond of children," Michael showed a sinister grin, one that suggested he was lying, sending shivers down Kraut's spine.

"Hmph, no need to explain! Step aside! This concerns the whole of America! If you don't move, the entire U.S. will be destroyed!"

The response he got was Michael's laughter, a laugh that pierced through the clouds in the sky and into the minds of everyone, invoking fear.

"What are you laughing at?" Kraut yelled loudly, trying to conceal his fear.

"Have you forgotten what my ability is? I control all the data in the world!" Michael suppressed his laughter but his eyes still held mockery. "I transformed your memories into data and watched them in my mind, and I saw it."

"You, the pervert who peeks into people's memories!" Kraut squeezed out these words with force.

"You have the nerve to call me that? For the sake of your family, you're willing to choose to kill a child. Why not just kill the child's mother who gave birth to him? It would have been so much easier!" Michael was angry. He'd rather have the man in front of him kill a woman than harm a child.

The words came out of Michael's mouth, surprising even himself. Maybe he had changed since the moment Janice came to his house...

"Even so, you should consider the people in TOWER..." Kraut started to explain.

"Shut up!" Michael shouted at Kraut with a tone that suggested he was the one who reigned supreme, leaving Kraut speechless. "He's just a child! A naive child who hasn't understood the darkness of the world! You can educate him! You can tell him that his abilities can help anyone!But NOT THIS STUPID BULLSHIT PLAN!"

This sentence wasn't just spoken by Michael, it was also a realization he had come to himself.

"When you find a person in danger and make a way out for that person, then whatever means is 'saving'!"

When Alice said those few words to Brian at the time, he still remembered them. When Janice lay unconscious in his arms, he found himself practicing what Alice had said.

If he could become a hero too, then maybe he should give it a try!

"So, I absolutely won't step aside!" Michael shouted loudly at the people in front of him, causing everyone to retreat in fear. Those with smaller courage even sat down on the ground, as if the man before them was invincible.

"I'm sorry, but I know how to deal with you now," Kraut wiped his sweat and chuckled.

But Michael didn't pay his words any mind; he considered them the desperate struggles of a dying man.

This time, a real fight was about to begin.

Confrontation at the Fake Mountain