Neighbor Old Wang, No Father or Mother

Early the next morning.

The sky had only just begun to lighten when Skye was hauled out of bed by Old Wang from next door.

"It's only four in the morning! I haven't slept enough! I've been exhausted these past few days! My back's practically broken! Get out! Put the blanket down!"

Skye rubbed her eyes and finally became a little more awake.

Looking at Old Wang's slightly chubby, punchable face, then at the neatly arranged tables, chairs, stools, and cup, Skye suddenly remembered something. She leaped out of bed. "How did you get in? I locked the door! I even blocked it with the table and put a cup on the doorknob! Wait, how long have you been in here?"

"Kato Taka... Hand of True Qi. Opening doors, checking meters, breaking into homes to catch thieves—I can do anything."

Old Wang stared at Skye's pajamas for a couple of seconds, looking surprised. "Don't you like sleeping naked? Why are you wearing pajamas? And didn't you say you were a D cup? Are you sure? This is a C cup, isn't it? Do you think I'm uneducated?"

"...This isn't my home... It's my truck! We're outside! Of course I have to guard against people like you!"

Skye, furious, shoved Old Wang toward the door with all her strength. "Out, out! I'm going back to sleep!"

"A day's plan starts in the morning. You can't be lazy. Get up and practice your stance and punches!" Old Wang stood as firm as a pine, not even bothering to defend himself or use True Qi. His body instinctively dispersed her force, and no matter how Skye pushed, she could not move him at all. It was driving her crazy.

God, I report someone for cheating!

No, Wang was Chinese. God probably had no jurisdiction over him...

Jade Emperor, I report someone for cheating!

"See? If you don't learn martial arts properly, how will you fight back if you meet someone like me someday? I'm doing this because I care about you." Old Wang claimed that he convinced people through reason.

Usually, he used reason to convince people.

If reason did not work, he used physics to convince them.

No!

What was reason?

Reason was a fist. Whoever had the bigger fist was right!

Old Wang nodded. He had always been a reasonable man. If you could not out-argue me or beat me, could you still blame me?

Was that not reasonable?

"!!! How many people like you could there possibly be in all of New York?"

Skye was about to lose her mind. "There are so many martial arts schools and dojos in New York, but I've never seen anyone cultivate True Qi! Besides, if that doesn't work, I can figure out how to get a gun... The only ones who aren't afraid of guns are monsters like you... and that monster Robbie!"

"He's Ghost Rider." Old Wang smiled, picked Skye up, and set her on the floor. With a half-smile, he said, "Believe me, New York will become chaotic very soon. The whole world will become chaotic very soon. There will be many people like me. You need to keep up with the times. Don't fall behind."

Skye snorted. She did not believe him at all.

I'm already nineteen, and I've only met two monsters—you and Robbie. Most people are normal, okay!

Old Wang looked at her. "Do you still want to become as strong as me?"

"Yes!" Skye glanced at Old Wang's body, then thought of her own. A deep sense of defeat rose within her. "I don't think I'll ever manage it in this lifetime. You're a freak, and I'm not."

You're the freak. Your whole family is full of freaks... That wasn't even an insult. It was the truth!

Old Wang grumbled inwardly, but said aloud, "Within a year... no, within three months, I'll make you very, very strong. Strong enough to take out an entire S.H.I.E.L.D. field team by yourself. But first, your physical condition needs to improve further. Otherwise, you won't be able to withstand that kind of power. I'd be heartbroken if you got hurt."

"Really?" Skye's eyes lit up, but then she asked suspiciously, "You're not going to turn me into a monster like Robbie... a Ghost Rider, are you?"

Forget about becoming some Hellfire guy. I definitely don't want that.

Old Wang shook his head. "I can't find a second Spirit of Vengeance, so stop dreaming. But I have other methods. When you have time, look into whether there's some kind of underground city in Puerto Rico, and how to get inside... Also, find a way to hack into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database. Look for Box 084. There's a not-so-large Obelisk inside, and it's connected to you."

084?

What was that?

It was connected to me?

Skye froze for a moment and wanted to ask more questions, but Old Wang turned and left. "Hurry up. I'll be waiting in the truck!"

Three hours later, Skye finally came downstairs.

Don't misunderstand. Her makeup did not take that long. Skye did not even know how to apply makeup; she had always gone bare-faced.

She had been exercising...

More precisely, she had been practicing stance work, punches, and martial arts...

It was a daily required course. When Old Wang was around, it lasted three hours; when he was not, it was only one. Skye did not actually resist it, since strengthening her body was good for her, but sticking with it truly required willpower. Sometimes, it also required someone to supervise her. It was not easy.

And there was an even more important reason.

Skye was drenched in sweat and nearly collapsed. After finally taking a shower, changing clothes, and going downstairs to check out, the young woman at the front desk told her that the room had already been checked out, and the extra payment had been refunded. The gentleman from before had handled it...

Only then did Skye remember that she had paid for the rooms. That bastard Old Wang!

Strange, why was the receptionist looking at her so oddly?

She looked at herself in the mirror. Her face was full of exhaustion, her cheeks flushed, and she even looked somewhat seductive. It seemed like even her skin had reddened a little...

What am I thinking!

I'm just tired!

I rented two rooms!!!

Wait...

When I woke up this morning, Wang was in my room!

Skye suddenly was not so sure anymore.

Did we really do that?

Otherwise... should I go back and check?

But the room had already been checked out...

Even if I checked, I wouldn't find anything. Old Wang's True Qi was amazing. It could heal injuries. Even if I bled, he definitely would have cleaned it up. Even if that place had torn, it definitely would have healed. There wouldn't be any evidence.

I didn't remember anything from yesterday. I slept until nearly dawn, but maybe Old Wang hypnotized me.

I'd never heard that Old Wang could hypnotize people, but that guy was so mysterious. Who knew!

Forget it. It wasn't important. Old Wang was actually a pretty good person. He was a little chubby, but still nice to look at. More importantly, his physical condition was great. A body was the foundation of... everything.

Having no car, no house, no father, and no mother was pretty tragic. His biggest flaw was that he was poor, but I'm poor too. As Old Wang put it, we're well-matched... What am I thinking?

Stop thinking!

Once she got into the truck, she was just about to ask Old Wang for the room money when he grabbed her hand. A stream of True Qi flowed into her, and all the exhaustion in her body vanished. She felt refreshed and incomparably comfortable—so comfortable that Skye could not help moaning.

That was because Old Wang was there.

Without Old Wang, three hours of high-intensity training would have wrecked a person. Afterward, she would not have been able to do anything. Her mind would be tired, but her body would be even more exhausted.

"Let's go. I'll treat you to a feast."

Old Wang started the engine and floored the gas. The two casually bought more than a dozen burgers somewhere, then quickly arrived at the repair shop.

Robbie was happy, but also unhappy.

He was happy because he had finally gotten revenge.

Killing people had been painful, but strangely, he had not felt fear or disgust. It was most likely because of the demon inside him.

He was no longer really human now. He was no different from a demon, and nothing could go back to how it had been.

What upset him was that the demon refused to leave!

Hadn't they agreed to say goodbye once the revenge was over?

Was it really treating my body like its home and planning to stay forever?

Did you pay rent?

Robbie felt helpless.

That thing would not leave, and there was nothing he could do about it. He could only accept his fate.

He would keep working as a mechanic. Occasionally listening to that thing and being a vigilante was not so bad, either.

He lowered his head and continued repairing the car.

Suddenly, Robbie felt that something was wrong. The thing inside him was restless. What was going on?

"Robbie, someone specifically asked for you to repair her car. She said she's your good friend from Garfield High School, a pretty girl!" Another mechanic, Canolo, waved him over.

Am I that famous now... Robbie hurried over.

Then he saw Old Wang's half-smiling face.