The early spring evening breeze carried a biting chill, swirling scraps of paper from the trash cans around the alley entrance. Lin Mo carried his tool bag and took a shortcut through an old alley in Queens—this route was ten minutes shorter than the main street, but it was piled with discarded furniture year-round, and stray cats always crouched in small groups by the walls, their green eyes gleaming in the dark like scattered glass beads.
"Three more, and I'll have enough for the trip to New Mexico." He felt the loose change in his pocket, extra money he had earned helping Carlos move servers that day. The heavy coins pressed against his palm. The synchronization rate of Physical Enhancement had already risen to 45%, and Dynamic Vision allowed him to clearly track every falling leaf in the alley. Even the rats darting through the cracks in the walls could not escape his eyes.
As he passed the third trash can, Lin Mo instinctively slowed down. This was the stray cats' "base." Last time Ted had come to throw out the trash, a lame black cat had scratched his arm, leaving three faint scars that remained to this day. "Be good. Don't block the way." He spoke softly into the darkness, quietly gripping the strap of his tool bag—not because he was afraid, but because he was worried he would not control his strength and might hurt them if a cat really pounced on him.
The moment he finished speaking, three dark shapes sprang from the top of the wall and lunged at him like arrows loosed from a bow. The leader was an orange-and-white tom with a notch missing from one ear. A threatening growl rumbled in his throat, and his claws glinted coldly in the moonlight. Two skinny black cats followed close behind, circling in from both sides and cutting off Lin Mo's retreat.
In the past, Lin Mo would have been so scared that he would turn and run, perhaps even trip and fall flat on his face. But now, Physical Enhancement's reaction speed activated in an instant—he almost instinctively twisted sideways, his right leg springing back half a step as if it had a coil inside it, neatly dodging the orange-and-white cat's flying pounce. The cat missed, rolled across the ground, then immediately flipped back up to fight again, its fur puffed out like a fluffy ball.
"Hey, you're pretty persistent." Lin Mo did not know whether to laugh or cry. He could feel power flowing through his muscles like springs ready to launch, yet he did not want to get serious with these stray cats. After all, they were only protecting their territory. They were not so different from an "intruder" like him.
The second black cat spotted an opening and shot toward his ankle. Lin Mo bent down, his right hand darting out like lightning. Just as the cat's claws were about to touch his pants, he steadily caught it under the belly. The cat probably had not expected to be caught. It froze at once, its green eyes wide and round, its tail stiff as a stick.
"Don't make trouble." Lin Mo gently scratched beneath the cat's chin, his fingertips brushing against rough fur. The cat in his arms suddenly bristled, flailing all four limbs wildly. Its sharp claws raked hard across his arm—with a tearing sound, the sleeve of his hoodie split open, exposing the skin beneath.
Lin Mo's heart tightened, and he quickly set the cat down. The moment it landed, it bolted away with its fur standing on end, joining the other two cats on a nearby pile of garbage. They crouched there, glaring at him warily, low threatening growls rumbling in their throats. He looked down at his arm and saw several faint white marks on his skin. They had not even drawn blood, and two seconds later, even those white marks disappeared.
"Damn..." Lin Mo froze. What was going on? Those claws had clearly scratched him hard. Before, he would have bled for sure, yet now they had not even broken his skin? He suddenly remembered the earlier prompt from his wristband. Besides strength and speed, Physical Enhancement seemed to come with "increased basic defense"—was this what being thick-skinned meant?
He tried scratching his arm with his fingernail, leaving only a faint red mark, lighter than a tickle. "This ability is pretty great." Lin Mo could not help smiling. He had always worried about getting beaten up by punks, but now it seemed ordinary punches and kicks probably could not even break his skin, let alone stray cat claws.
"Mo? Who are you talking to?" Ted's voice came from the alley entrance, accompanied by shuffling footsteps. He carried a plastic bag filled with freshly bought fried chicken. The greasy aroma drifted through the wind, stirring up the stray cats again. Their low growls turned into eager whimpers.
"The cats cornered me." Lin Mo pointed at the three cats on the garbage pile. "Look, they scratched me just now, but didn't even break the skin."
Only when Ted came closer did he see clearly. There was a hole in Lin Mo's hoodie sleeve, but the skin beneath was as smooth as ever. He clicked his tongue in amazement and poked Lin Mo's arm. It was tough as old cowhide. "Not bad. Your skin's tougher than mine. That lame cat scratched me last time, and I've still got a scar." He opened a small gap in the fried chicken bag and tossed out a piece of chicken skin. "There, that's for you. Stop picking on my buddy."
The stray cats hesitated, but the orange-and-white cat gave in first, cautiously stepping forward to snatch the chicken skin. The other two gathered around to fight over the food as well. Ted seized the chance to pull Lin Mo toward the alley exit. "Come on, Aunt May's barbecue is about to get cold. Oh, right—does this thick-skin thing of yours count as a superpower too?"
"I guess so." Lin Mo touched the hole in his sleeve, still replaying the earlier sensation in his mind. Physical Enhancement actually had a hidden effect like this. That was an unexpected bonus. Even if he ran into punks getting rough in the future, he could probably take a few hits without having to rely on phasing through walls to run away every time.
At the alley entrance, they ran right into Martha walking Snowball. The fat cat spotted Lin Mo, immediately broke free of the leash, and ran over to rub its head against his pant leg. The Titanium Alloy bell around its neck jingled brightly. "Fighting cats again?" Martha looked at Lin Mo's torn hoodie and spoke irritably. "You're a grown man, and you're still picking fights with animals."
"I wasn't picking a fight. They attacked first." Lin Mo hurriedly explained, afraid the old lady would start lecturing him again.
"I saw it all." Martha snorted and glanced into the alley. The stray cats were hiding behind the trash cans with chicken bones in their mouths. "Those cats were thrown out by that drunk who moved away a while back. Poor things. Don't hold it against them next time. I've got leftover rice in my kitchen. Take it to feed them tomorrow."
Lin Mo paused, then nodded. "Okay." He suddenly felt that these stray cats were a little like himself. They were all "outsiders" struggling to survive in Queens. There was no need to be at each other's throats.
When they arrived at Aunt May's house, Peter was hunched over the dining table doing homework. His notebook lay open, filled with sketches of different cats, with notes beside them reading, "Speed: approximately 30 km/h" and "Claw force: approximately 5 kg." "Brother Lin! You're here!" The boy looked up, his glasses sliding to the tip of his nose. "I just saw you getting chased by stray cats. Was it exciting?"
"How did you know?" Lin Mo asked in surprise as he sat down. Aunt May had already brought the sizzling, oil-dripping barbecue to the table, and its aroma instantly overwhelmed the cat smell on him.
"I watched from the windowsill with binoculars." Peter proudly waved the binoculars in his hand. "Your reaction was so fast! Faster than that spider I filmed last time! Oh, are you okay? I saw the cat scratch you."
"I'm fine. Look." Lin Mo rolled up his sleeve, revealing his smooth arm. "Even the marks are gone."
"Wow!" Peter's eyes widened like saucers, and he hurriedly wrote in his notebook, "Additional effect of Brother Lin's Physical Enhancement: increased skin defense, capable of resisting ordinary cat claw attacks." He looked up at Lin Mo, curiosity shining in his eyes. "If you keep training, will you become invulnerable to blades and bullets? Like Wolverine?"
"What are you thinking about?" Aunt May smacked the back of Peter's head and placed a fragrant, charred rib into Lin Mo's bowl. "Eat your dinner. Lin, don't indulge this kid's nonsense. All he thinks about all day is ridiculous stuff."
Lin Mo smiled and bit into the rib. The juices burst across his mouth, mixed with Aunt May's special sauce, so delicious that his eyes narrowed. Ted had already wolfed down two pieces, speaking through a full mouth. "Mo, with your ability, you should enter that strongest man competition or whatever it's called. You'd definitely win. I heard the prize money is ten thousand dollars."
"No." Lin Mo refused without hesitation. "Hawkeye noticed me during that street performance last time. If I enter a competition, S.H.I.E.L.D. will probably send me an invitation."
At the mention of Hawkeye, Ted paused and lowered his voice. "Seriously, do you think he's still watching us? These past two days, I've kept getting chills down my back, like someone's staring at me."
"I don't know." Lin Mo glanced out the window. The bench beneath the streetlamp was empty, but he knew S.H.I.E.L.D.'s surveillance was never that obvious. It could be the hot dog vendor, the old man at the shoe repair stall, or even a passing mailman—they were like shadows hidden in the dark, silently recording every one of his movements.
"Don't worry." Aunt May suddenly spoke, adding a piece of potato to Ted's bowl. "When soldiers come, we'll block them with generals; when water comes, we'll dam it with earth. If they really show up, the people in this building aren't easy targets either. Martha's broom, my rolling pin, Peter's slingshot, plus the two of you and your 'abilities'—are we supposed to be scared of a few people in black?"
Lin Mo's heart suddenly warmed. Aunt May was always like this. She seemed carefree, yet she always knew how to reassure people when it mattered. He thought of how embarrassed he had been while being chased by the stray cats, of the black cat bristling in his arms, and suddenly felt that he, those cats, and the people in this building were all the same—ordinary, yet trying hard to live, protecting their little patch of ground in their own ways.
After dinner, Lin Mo helped clear the dishes. Peter sidled over and said mysteriously, "Brother Lin, I found another effect of your Physical Enhancement." He pointed at the hoodie the cat had torn earlier. "Look, the outer hoodie ripped, but the T-shirt underneath didn't. That means your muscles can automatically buffer impacts, like... like a car's airbag!"
Lin Mo paused and picked up the hoodie to inspect it. Sure enough, the thick outer hoodie had been torn into a triangular hole, but the thin T-shirt underneath was completely intact, without even a loose thread. "You're right." He smiled. "With powers of observation like yours, it'd be a shame if you didn't become a scientist."
"I'm going to be a superhero consultant someday!" Peter puffed out his chest, his eyes gleaming. "I'll analyze your abilities and design equipment! Like a jacket that protects against cat claws, and a sonic emitter that attracts cats. Then they won't chase you anymore."
Lin Mo laughed, ruffling Peter's hair. "All right. I'll be waiting for your inventions."
When he left Aunt May's house, the night had grown deep. Lin Mo deliberately went back through that little alley and, sure enough, saw the leftover rice Martha had mentioned placed on top of a trash can. The three stray cats were eating happily with their heads lowered. When they saw him, they did not bristle again, only lifted their heads warily.
He leaned against the wall and watched the cats' shadows under the moonlight when his wristband suddenly vibrated.
[Host has gained new understanding of Physical Enhancement. Synchronization rate increased by 3%. Current rate: 48%. New effect unlocked: Impact Buffer (reduces physical collision damage by 50%).]
"Impact Buffer?" Lin Mo smiled. So Peter's airbag theory had been real. He lightly punched the wall, and sure enough, he did not feel the usual pain. It was like there was a thick layer of sponge between his fist and the wall.
Footsteps came from the alley entrance. Ted swayed over carrying an empty liquor bottle. "You're still here? I figured you'd come back." He set the bottle on the ground. "A pillow for the cats."
Lin Mo watched him place the bottle beside the leftover rice and suddenly felt that this friend who always loved bragging had a gentle side too. "Come on. Let's go back and sleep."
The two walked back side by side, their shadows stretched long by the streetlights. Ted suddenly said, "Actually, getting chased by cats isn't so bad. At least it proves your superpower really works, right? Better than being like me, unable to even make magic props properly."
"Your magic is great," Lin Mo said seriously. "At the Christmas market last time, when you made that turkey disappear, Martha laughed so hard her dentures nearly fell out."
Ted froze for a moment, then burst into laughter. His voice echoed through the alley, startling night birds from beneath the eaves. "That's right! Next time, I'll perform a magic trick for these cats. I'll turn them into house cats and find them good families to adopt them."
Lin Mo smiled and nodded, but he was thinking that perhaps this was the meaning of superpowers—not for fighting, not for showing off, but for being able to dodge with a smile when stray cats chased you, to catch a cat flying at you, to have a little more confidence in dealing with trouble and a little more possibility of warmth in ordinary days.
He touched the wristband on his wrist. The synchronization rate was 48%, not far from 50%. What new ability would unlock then? Would he be able to run faster, or become even tougher? Lin Mo suddenly found himself looking forward to it—he was even looking forward to the next time he got chased by cats.
Before you continue