Counterfeit Hero

"Fatty, you new here?" A guard in his forties stood next to Tian Xingjian, watching for a full half hour as Tian’s deliberate, wild performance left him dizzy. The guard finally couldn’t help but ask.

Fatty quickly stopped what he was doing, nodding and bowing, "Reporting, sir, I’m new here, first day on the job today."

The guard waved his hand, indicating for Fatty to continue working. "Not bad skills, did you do this before?"

Fatty restarted the mechanical assist arm, skillfully grabbing two drive shafts and joining them together, saying, "Yes sir, I’m a mechanic."

The guard grew interested, curious, "It’s rare to see mechanics committing crimes and ending up here these days. Did you kill someone, Fatty?"

Tian Xingjian looked like an innocent man wronged, pitifully saying, "Sir, I was framed. They said I was a spy." The jerk shook his flabby body, asking miserably, "Sir, look at me, can I really be a spy?"

The guard chuckled, not commenting, and asked, "So where did you work before you ended up here?"

Fatty’s honest face showed a bit of pride, "I used to be a researcher at the Mythical Army’s Mecha Research Lab. I even led a small team!"

The guard was taken aback, "Mythical Army?"

Fatty boasted, "Yeah, the Mythical Army. Our commander is Reinhardt." The jerk glanced at the guard, who was struck dumb, and fawned, "Our commander is really imposing... Really, he looks just like you, maybe even a bit more impressive."

The flattery was perfect in its intensity and angle. Even though the guard knew Fatty was sucking up, he couldn’t help but be amused. Who was Reinhardt? For someone like him, a mere guard, to be compared to such a figure? And to say Reinhardt was only a bit more impressive than himself? It was ridiculous. This Fatty seemed simple and quite endearing.