Talent Show

"What the fuck! Matt! How did you do that?!"

"Surprise!"

"Oh my God, that's so cool. I want to try too."

"Hey, Steve, you can do it. Just clear your mind and use Telekinesis to pull yourself up."

Steve tried several times. After taking a few tumbles, he finally managed to rise into the air.

Andrew was eager to give it a try too. When it came to controlling Telekinesis, he was clearly more talented than Matt and Steve.

After just one attempt, he flew into the sky.

"Hey, Erik! You should try too!"

Gu Qing smiled faintly.

In fact, he had already been able to fly steadily a month ago.

In that regard, Telekinesis was indeed more convenient than Magnetic Field Rotation.

Although Fifty Thousand Horsepower of Magnetic Field Rotation could reduce an entire massive oil tanker to rubble with a single punch.

And at Ninety Thousand Horsepower, one could read minds and gain particle manipulation at the molecular level.

To fly, however, one still needed One Hundred Thousand Horsepower.

And the consumption would be considerable.

By comparison, flying with Telekinesis consumed less energy and was more convenient.

Over the course of the day, everyone went from flying at low altitudes to soaring high in the sky, becoming increasingly proficient in their flying techniques.

Gu Qing hovered among the clouds, looking down upon the land below.

He felt the power surging within him.

He had now reached Ten Thousand Horsepower of Magnetic Field Rotation!

And he also had the boost of Telekinesis.

He wondered if he could defeat Schmidt.

"Hey! Erik, Steve brought out a football. Come play catch with us!"

A voice interrupted his thoughts.

Looking at the three excited boys, Gu Qing let out a breath.

He decided to wait a little longer.

After the day was over.

The somewhat strained relationship between Andrew and Matt had eased considerably.

That night, all four of them stayed over at Steve's house.

Andrew even showed the other two what he had achieved over the past few days.

Leaving Steve and Matt repeatedly astonished.

"Listen, guys, I have an idea.

How about we fly to Maui this weekend?"

Steve excitedly brought up his plan.

Andrew said he did not mind. "We can do it anyway. Actually, I've thought about something similar, but I've always wanted to go to Tibet."

Matt said, "Tibet? Why?"

Andrew shrugged. "I don't know, but I think it must be beautiful there, right? Lots of snowy mountains..."

Before he could finish, Matt made a goofy imitation of a lama chanting scriptures.

"Shut up! Matt, those monuments and mountains, you know? Besides, those lamas have reached such profound enlightenment. They can float and stuff... so I think we could blend right in."

"We could mess with them too."

"But seriously, I think we should go. It'd be pretty cool, and peaceful..."

Matt sensed how serious he was.

Dropping the act, he said sincerely, "Yes, I think that's actually a great idea. To be honest, you're making me want to go too.

I'm in. What about you guys? Steve, Erik."

Steve said, "Me? I don't know. But I doubt anyone in Tibet wears bikinis, so I don't know if I'm in."

Gu Qing said, "The lamas' cultivation methods do have some merit. Perhaps making the trip wouldn't be a bad thing."

Steve said, "Erik, I don't know if I should say this... but..."

Gu Qing said, "It's fine. You can say whatever questions you have."

Steve said, "I feel like you're carrying something heavy, like you've got some kind of burden.

Of course, maybe I'm wrong. But what I'm saying is, hey, man, we've got these amazing abilities, and we're still young. We should enjoy the present and try to relax a little."

Gu Qing shook his head. "No, we're different. There are some things I can never let go of."

Steve and the others were all curious about Gu Qing's background and origins, but Gu Qing had never brought them up himself.

So they did not press him too much.

Seeing the atmosphere turn a little cold, Matt spoke up. "Hey, guys, can you believe it? I haven't gotten laid since summer vacation."

Andrew said, "I never have."

Matt looked at him in surprise. "Seriously?"

Steve shook his head with an exaggerated expression. "Unbelievable. I simply cannot accept that. How do you hold back, man? How?"

Matt said, "Probably by cooling your little brother with liquid nitrogen."

Dirty jokes between men were the best way to lighten the mood, and soon the atmosphere became cheerful again.

Amid the noise and laughter, they drifted off to sleep.

Over the next month, they continued living their lives in an orderly fashion, and nothing unexpected happened again.

This made Matt even more convinced that the three rules he had set were correct.

At Steve's house.

He was packing his things.

"Erik, you really aren't coming with us?"

Gu Qing sat on a meditation cushion, cultivating.

"No. You guys go."

Steve shrugged. "Erik, seriously, you should get out more. You've barely left the house this past month."

Gu Qing opened his eyes and looked at Steve.

"Steve, you've been cultivating Current Propulsion for two months now, right?"

"Yes."

"Andrew succeeded a month ago. The voltage he can release has now risen to Thirty Thousand Volts."

"Oh... well... actually, I feel like I'm almost there too. Hey, you know what? My hearing's gotten much sharper lately, and so has my eyesight. I can see really far even at night..."

"Those are Bionic Abilities, Steve. Andrew should have mentioned them to you."

"Actually, he didn't."

"Fine, I can explain these little extras to you, but you need to understand that they're just minor details. What truly matters is power!"

"Erik, relax. I'm already plenty powerful. God, can you believe it? At the party last night, Trish and I went at it for over three hours. I made her surrender..."

"Enough, Steve. I'm not going to force any of you to do anything. All of this will be your own choice."

As he spoke, Gu Qing waved a hand.

Signaling that Steve could leave.

Steve wanted to say something more, but Gu Qing had already closed his eyes again.

With a helpless shrug, Steve picked up his car keys and left.

The day passed quickly.

When Steve returned that evening, Andrew was with him.

"Hey, Erik, guess what? Andrew's joining us for the school talent show!

With Andrew's skills, I guarantee it! If he shows off even a little, he'll blow everyone away!"

As Steve found Andrew a suit jacket that fit him.

He turned to Gu Qing and said, "The talent show is the day after tomorrow. Erik, are you coming?"

Gu Qing said nothing, only glanced at him.

Steve spread his hands. "Okay, forget I asked."