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Optimus Prime famously uttered “freedom is the right of all sentient beings”, but one of his fans, a 14 year old boy from China took the liberty of drinking gasoline in a quest to emulate his Autobot hero.

The boy was apparently inspired to drink gasoline after seeing Optimus Prime on TV, and wishing to become a “valiant fighter” just like the hundred foot tall transport truck/robot.

“He began to drink gasoline five years ago, when we found he liked smelling lighter fuel,” said the boys father. The boys parents owned a small stall that sold lighters, and the two often found lighters drained of their fluid. The boys parents confronted their son, but it did little to help matters.

After speaking with their son”… we found our motorcycle’s gasoline was always disappearing, and one day when we found the boy had drunk a half bottle of gasoline stolen from the motorcycle, we were too shocked to say anything,” the father said. The boy exhibited addict-like behavior after the parents locked their motorcycle away, stealing gasoline from vehicles belonging to neighbors. The parents said that the gasoline drinking took a toll on the boys brain.

“Since my son started to drink gas, his IQ has dropped sharply and now he can’t figure out simple addition and subtraction,” the father said. “Before that, he was a very smart boy, and he could even repair the television. But now he does not know the answer of 7 plus 17.”

The boy has now been hospitalized for “gasoline dependency”. Doctors say that the leaded gasoline has done “serious damage” to his brain.

According to the Shanghai Daily, Transformers is immensely popular in China, with both movies setting box office records.

[Source: Shanghai Daily]