Chapter 1072: Johnny’s Fiery Return
While Lin Rui was gravely injured from his encounter with the powerful traitor sorcerer, Kaecilius, in a small city in northern America, Johnny Blaze, known as the Fiery Johnny, was preparing for his next show.
Since the incident in Rochester, where he transformed into Ghost Rider to confront Blackheart, Johnny had come to terms with the fact that he had made a deal with a Devil.
Moreover, he embraced his role as the world’s righteous knight, using the powers of Ghost Rider to fight for justice. He would continue to search for Mephisto and utilize the powers bestowed upon him to combat him.
Under normal circumstances, Johnny would have been heavily associated with the gruesome religious fanatic murders and the fiery Ghost Rider couldn’t escape connection with him. However, with SHIELD’s intervention, all the negative information about Johnny was suppressed.
Although the local police, particularly Police Captain Dolan, had strong suspicions about Johnny’s involvement, after SHIELD had a chat with him, he pretended not to know anything.
Consequently, the series of murders in Rochester were ultimately attributed to the cruel acts of religious fanatics, and the culprits were apprehended shortly after.
As for Johnny, the person involved in the incidents, he left Rochester after a few days. His girlfriend, Roxanne, did not accompany him, not because she was afraid of being with Johnny, but because she had more attachments in the city and needed more time to bid farewell.
After leaving Rochester and ensuring that his normal life had not been affected by the previous events, Johnny resumed his identity as the Extreme Bike Challenger. With Roxanne leaving her previous job and joining Johnny, he continued his global extreme bike performances. After all, he had a life to live.
Of course, Johnny was not alone. His friend and manager, Mack, continued to support him and handle everything. Without Mack, it would have taken a considerable amount of energy and time for Johnny to manage on his own.
Click, click~
In the backstage area, Johnny personally fine-tuned the bike he was about to ride. Although Johnny could now control the powers of Ghost Rider well and had gained immortality, this kind of challenge should no longer pose many difficulties for him. However, Johnny refused to use the powers of Ghost Rider to cheat; that wouldn’t be fair.
Bang!
“Hey, Johnny! You have ten minutes before you go on stage! Are you ready?” While Johnny was diligently adjusting the bike, Mack burst into the room, shouting loudly.
Though previously frightened by Blackheart, the Water Demon, and Ghost Rider in Rochester, Mack had decent mental resilience and didn’t lose his mind. His body had also quickly recovered.
Upon hearing Mack’s shout, Johnny casually tossed the cloth he had been holding onto the nearby table. The fine-tuning was already done, and now he was wiping the bike just to make it look cooler under the countless flashes.
“I’ve been ready, Mack.” Johnny looked up at Mack, who stood near the entrance and replied with a smile.
“That’s good to hear. I’ll go out and check. Later, I’ll have Roxanne come in to call you out.” Mack felt reassured by Johnny’s response and continued speaking.
“Got it, Mack. You can go ahead.” Johnny extended his hand and gently touched the spotless bike, smiling at Mack.
Bang~
Mack quickly left the room, closing the door behind him. Before each performance, Johnny needed some time alone. It allowed him to have a moment of self-adjustment. After all, every challenge carried a certain level of danger, and no one could guarantee success every time. Of course, this was under the condition that Johnny didn’t cheat.
“I wonder where Jackson and Bucky are now. Their lives must be even more interesting…” Leaning against his bike, Johnny gazed into the distance and murmured to himself.
Although it had been about a month since the last incident, for Johnny, it felt like just a few days ago. After all, such magical events were beyond imagination for ordinary people, and even accepting them would take a long time to digest. Moreover, Johnny himself was the protagonist of the event.
Lin Rui and Bucky, the two mysterious individuals, had left a deep impression on Johnny. While Bucky appeared to be a formidable warrior, it was Lin Rui’s strength that impressed Johnny the most. After all, Lin Rui was able to hold his own against Ghost Rider even after Johnny transformed.
Furthermore, it seemed that Lin Rui had a profound background. Originally, Johnny was a suspect in several murder cases in Rochester, but with Lin Rui’s help, he walked out of the police station without any issues. Johnny was still unaware that he had already had a confrontation with SHIELD’s special forces team; otherwise, he would have guessed the connection between Lin Rui and SHIELD.
Sigh~
“Ah… Although Jackson left me his contact information, it’s better not to bother him unless it’s necessary.” Johnny withdrew his vacant gaze and muttered as he stood up straight beside the bike.
Drip, drip~
Just as Johnny had gathered himself and was ready to push the bike forward, the sound of high heels stepping on the ground came from outside the room. Upon hearing the footsteps, a contented smile spread across Johnny’s face—a rare expression he hadn’t shown in decades.
Click~
As the footsteps approached the doorway, the door was pushed open. Roxanne, dressed in biking attire, walked in. After bidding farewell to her past life, Roxanne had decided to join Johnny on his “wanderlust” journey. Perhaps, deep down, Roxanne also harbored a restless heart.
Snap~
In walked Roxanne, and upon seeing Johnny pushing the bike toward her with a smile, she responded with a smile of her own. “Are you ready?” she asked.
“I’m ready. Don’t you trust me?” Johnny opened his arms toward Roxanne and replied with a smile.
In front of Roxanne, Johnny had nothing to hide. And Roxanne wasn’t really worried that this challenge would go wrong because he was capable of transforming into Ghost Rider. Of course, Johnny would still rely on his own abilities to complete the challenge.
Sigh~
In the next moment, Johnny and Roxanne embraced each other.
“Let’s go, everyone is waiting for you, Johnny Blaze.” After a brief embrace, Roxanne patted Johnny’s shoulder as a reminder.
“Sure, let’s go. After the challenge, I’ll take you out for dinner. Coincidentally, the manager of that restaurant is one of my fans, and they’ve arranged a luxurious meal for us.” Johnny released his hold on Roxanne, wrapped his arms around her, and spoke.
“Then I’ll wait for you across the street.”
……
You can read ahead up to 50 chapters on my patreon and I’ve also activated (date to date) subscription model on my patreon https://www.patreon.com/marvel6395