A Stone for a Souvenir

New Mexico's morning sun was like a red-hot branding iron, baking the desert until distorted waves of heat rose from the ground. Lin Mo stood beneath the gas station canopy, watching Dale fill up the car. The gasoline in the tank shimmered with tiny specks of light, making the wristband on his wrist glow faintly.

"Really not going to wait for the sunrise before leaving?" Dale stuffed a bag of beef jerky into Ted's hands, his beard still glistening with grease from last night's barbecue. "Desert sunrises at this hour look ten times better than New York fireworks."

"No, Cousin," Ted said, cramming the jerky into his bag. The zipper could barely close—it was stuffed with souvenirs he had bought: a T-shirt printed with a hammer, a preserved desert lizard, and a stone ornament supposedly "from Asgard." Lin Mo had checked it with his Phasing Ability. It was just an ordinary piece of sandstone. "If we don't leave now, we'll really miss the bus back to New York. Lin Mo still has computers to repair."

Lin Mo smiled without saying anything. His mind was nowhere near the bus back to New York, but on the restricted area a few kilometers away. After helping Thor escape last night, he had barely slept. His mind was filled with the hammer's dark golden patterns and the wristband's abnormal vibration frequency. Before leaving, he had to go back once more, even if only to take a look from afar.

"I'm going to the restroom," Lin Mo told Ted, pointing toward the crude toilet behind the gas station. Ted was busy photographing that "Asgard stone" and waved without looking up. "Hurry up. The bus leaves in half an hour."

Lin Mo circled behind the restroom and immediately activated Physical Enhancement. At five times his speed, he swept across the desert like a gust of wind. Gravel scattered beneath his feet, while Dynamic Vision helped him avoid several hidden sand traps—Ted had twisted his ankle in one yesterday and howled in pain.

There were more S.H.I.E.L.D. agents outside the blockade than yesterday. Two more white mobile laboratories had appeared, one marked "Biological Research." Several people in lab coats were carrying a metal container inside, and the radiation symbol on it was painfully bright under the sun. Phil Coulson stood before a temporary command tent, holding a tablet and speaking with a bespectacled agent, his brow furrowed. The agent's ID badge swung briefly—Lin Mo caught the name: Fields, biologist. Peter's notes had mentioned her; she specialized in extraterrestrial biological samples.

"Looks like last night's jailbreak made them tighten security." Lin Mo hid behind a cluster of dead shrubs and muttered to himself. He could see several new cameras mounted on the wire fence, along with energy-sensing devices emitting a faint blue glow like fireflies clinging to the mesh.

Crossing the blockade directly was obviously impossible. Lin Mo observed for a while and discovered a thirty-second gap in the patrols on the west side—enough time to rush through with Physical Enhancement and use Phasing Ability to pass through the last layer of wire fencing. He took a deep breath and rolled his ankle. Sand whispered beneath his feet.

Just then, an argument suddenly broke out inside the command tent. It was Thor! Somehow, he had been captured again. Separated from Coulson by the glass door, he roared in fury, his golden hair flaring wildly like an enraged lion's mane. "You mortals! Release me at once! Otherwise, my father will not spare you!"

"Sir, please remain calm." Coulson's voice carried through the glass, still as steady as a lake without ripples. "Until we confirm your identity, you cannot leave."

Lin Mo's heart skipped a beat. Thor had been locked up? Had last night's escape been for nothing? Just as he was about to get closer, he saw Hawkeye emerge from the laboratory carrying a black case and head straight for the command tent holding Thor. The case looked familiar—the shell was made of the same material as the S.H.I.E.L.D. encrypted hard drive Lin Mo had repaired before. It probably contained some kind of device meant to suppress superpowers.

He could not wait any longer. The instant a patrolman turned away, Lin Mo shot forward like an arrow released from a bow. Wind howled past his ears as the wire fence drew nearer. He could hear the energy sensors beeping; they had clearly detected his rapid movement.

"Stop!" a patrolman shouted behind him, followed by the sharp click of a gun being cocked.

Lin Mo did not look back. In the final second before colliding with the fence, he activated Phasing Ability. His body passed through it like a sheet of thin paper, and the energy sensor's alarm abruptly stopped—it could not recognize a physical entity in a phased state. He landed on the sand inside the blockade, rolled with the momentum, and hid behind a massive boulder. From there, he could see exactly where the hammer was.

The dark golden hammer was still embedded in the rock. More S.H.I.E.L.D. agents surrounded it than yesterday. Some scanned it with sonic detectors, some collected rock samples, and another agent tried to cut off a small fragment with a laser cutter. The laser struck the stone and left only a faint white mark.

"This rock really is something else." Lin Mo stared at the boulder holding the hammer. It was darker than the surrounding sandstone, its surface covered in dense patterns that looked like scars from lightning strikes. The wristband shook violently on his wrist, and glaring red text appeared on its screen: [High-intensity Asgard energy residue detected... Same origin as the hammer's energy... Sample collection recommended immediately.]

Collect a sample? Lin Mo froze for a moment, then understood—the wristband wanted him to take a piece of the rock home. He looked around. The agents were all focused on the hammer and no one noticed him in the corner. The opportunity had come.

Pretending to tie his shoe, Lin Mo crouched and quietly reached toward the base of the boulder. It felt ice-cold, like gripping a chunk of iron straight from a freezer, yet there was also a faint current of warmth drilling from his fingertips into his arm. He gently scraped at it with his nail. A pebble the size of a fingernail fell onto the sand with a tap, picking up a coating of fine grit.

The instant he picked up the fragment, the wristband suddenly flashed with intense blue light. Startled, he quickly shoved the stone into his pocket and turned off the wristband's screen. The nearby agents did not seem to notice anything unusual. Only the agent operating the laser cutter frowned and glanced in his direction before lowering his head and continuing to work.

"Time to go." Lin Mo brushed the sand from his hands and was just about to activate Phasing Ability when he saw Coulson emerge from the command tent and look directly his way. Their gazes met in midair, and Lin Mo's heart instantly leaped into his throat.

There was no surprise in Coulson's eyes. If anything, there was the faintest hint of a smile. He gave Lin Mo a slight nod, then turned and walked toward the laboratory as though nothing had happened.

Lin Mo's back was drenched in cold sweat. He understood that look—Coulson had known all along that he had slipped inside, yet deliberately let him off. Why? Because Lin Mo had helped Thor escape last night? Or because of the wristband on his arm?

There was no time to think. Lin Mo activated Phasing Ability again and crossed the wire fence at top speed, landing in the desert outside the blockade. The patrolman's shouts still echoed behind him, but he was already far away. Physical Enhancement made him as fast as a motorcycle, and soon the restricted area had been left far behind.

When he returned to the gas station, Ted was pacing anxiously beside the bus. The moment he saw Lin Mo running over, he immediately yelled, "Where did you go? The driver said we're about to leave!" He pointed at Lin Mo's pant leg. "Why are your pants covered in so much sand? And why is there a little rock stuck to them?"

Lin Mo looked down and saw a fingernail-sized black stone caught in the folds of his pant leg. It was the exact piece he had pried from the boulder. Without changing expression, he slipped it into his pocket and patted Ted's shoulder. "I took a walk around the nearby dunes. Something came up."

"What could possibly be more important than catching the bus?" Ted muttered as he climbed aboard, still complaining nonstop. "If I'd known you were this slow, I wouldn't have come with you. I should've stayed in Las Vegas to watch magic shows..."

Lin Mo did not reply. He simply watched as the bus drove away from Pepper Town and the desert outside gradually blurred into indistinct blocks of color. He touched the stone in his pocket. Its icy sensation seeped through the fabric, while the wristband began vibrating faintly again. This time, it was not an alarm, but a soft blue glow, as though confirming something.

"What are you looking at?" Ted suddenly leaned over and pointed at his wrist. "Did your wristband just light up?"

"No, it was sunlight reflecting off it." Lin Mo hurriedly tucked his wrist into his sleeve, his heart pounding like a drum. He could not let Ted learn where this stone had come from. If that kid found out he had brought back an "Asgard energy fragment," he might show it off at a bar. Then S.H.I.E.L.D. agents would probably come knocking.

By the time the bus entered Arizona, Ted had finally fallen asleep, drool running from the corner of his mouth onto his hammer T-shirt. Lin Mo quietly took out the black stone and examined it in his palm. Its surface was smooth, and under the sunlight he could see fine patterns resembling those on the hammer, though shallower. He scratched it with his nail, but did not leave a mark—it was far harder than ordinary stone.

The wristband suddenly displayed a notification: [Asgard energy sample collected... Analysis initiated... Analysis complete: This sample contains faint Odinforce residue. Can be used to improve Physical Enhancement synchronization rate. Current increase: 5%. Total synchronization rate: 53%.]

Lin Mo's eyes lit up. It could even raise the synchronization rate? He tried clenching the stone, and a warm current immediately spread from his arm through his entire body. The strength in his muscles seemed to increase, and even Dynamic Vision became clearer. He could make out the outline of cacti several kilometers away through the window.

"What a treasure." Lin Mo carefully placed the stone into an inner pocket alongside the map Peter had drawn. This inconspicuous little stone had somehow become the most unexpected gain from his trip to New Mexico.

The bus jolted along the highway for two days and two nights before finally reaching New York on the morning of the third day. The air in Queens was mixed with exhaust fumes and the scent of bakeries, completely different from the dry desert. Ted got off with a yawn and his bag in hand, complaining that "New York beds are still more comfortable," while Lin Mo stood on the station steps, staring at the distant skyline with an indescribable feeling in his heart.

The desert of New Mexico, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s blockade, the hammer embedded in the rock, golden-haired Thor roaring in fury, Coulson's meaningful gaze... It had all felt like a bizarre dream, yet it remained vividly in his memories, with the black stone hidden in his pocket as proof.

"Come on, Mo." Ted tugged his arm. "Martha must have made breakfast for us. I've really missed her toast."

Lin Mo nodded and followed Ted toward the apartment building. As they passed the community park, they saw Peter changing the food for that spider. The spider in the glass jar was bigger than before, and the black rings on its legs looked as though they had been painted in ink. The boy saw them and immediately ran over excitedly. "Brother Lin! Brother Ted! You're back!"

"Yeah." Lin Mo smiled and ruffled Peter's hair. "I brought you a gift." He pulled a small preserved desert lizard from his bag—Ted had bought it, and Lin Mo had always found the thing creepy. It was perfect to give Peter as research material.

"Wow! Thanks, Brother Lin!" Peter's eyes gleamed as he carefully accepted the specimen. "Did you see the hammer? Was it super cool?"

"Cool doesn't begin to describe it. It was downright magical." Ted jumped in before Lin Mo could answer, spraying Peter's face with spit. "Not even a tank could pull it out! And there was this crazy blond guy who kept yelling that it was his hammer. S.H.I.E.L.D. caught him several times..."

Lin Mo said nothing, merely touching the black stone in his pocket. The wristband's synchronization rate had stabilized at 53%, and its energy-sensing prompt indicated that the stone's energy was slowly being released. It would likely last for around a week. He knew that this trip to New Mexico had been far more than simply picking up a rock.

Back in the basement, Lin Mo hid the black stone inside the iron box beneath his mattress, together with his savings and Peter's map. Once he closed the lid, he suddenly felt that the wristband on his arm had become lighter, as though it had completed some kind of mission.

Sunlight streamed through the small basement window and fell across the toolbox on the floor. Lin Mo picked up a wrench and tried tightening a screw he had failed to repair yesterday. The strength from Physical Enhancement made it effortless, and even his Phasing Ability had become smoother—when he closed the box just now, his fingers had accidentally passed through the metal sheet without the usual stutter.

"Looks like this stone has hidden effects too." Lin Mo smiled, suddenly filled with anticipation for his next check-in. With Asgard energy enhancing him, what ability would he gain next time? Could it have something to do with Thor?

A knock sounded at the door, followed by Martha's voice. "Little Lin! You just got back, so hurry over for breakfast. I made your favorite fried eggs. If you don't come now, they'll get cold!"

"Coming!" Lin Mo answered, grabbing his jacket as he headed out.

The hallway was filled with the scent of fried eggs. Ted was already seated at Martha's dining table, his cheeks stuffed full, while Snowball lay on his lap chewing on a piece of bacon. Peter held the lizard specimen and scribbled in his notebook, while Aunt May bustled about in the kitchen, humming a cheerful tune.

Looking at the scene before him, Lin Mo suddenly felt incredibly grounded. No matter how thrilling his adventure in New Mexico had been, it could not compare to the warmth of breakfast in Queens. That black stone might contain powerful energy, but to him, these noisy everyday moments were far more precious.

"What are you spacing out for? Eat." Martha set a plate of fried eggs in front of him. The golden yolks ran out and mixed with ketchup like an abstract painting. "You didn't go hungry in New Mexico, did you? Look how thin you are. A gust of wind could knock you over."

"I didn't go hungry. Cousin Dale treated us to barbecue." Lin Mo picked up his fork, warmth filling his heart.

The sunlight outside was just right. It streamed through the window onto the dining table, tracing every face with a golden edge. Lin Mo took a bite of fried egg, and the fragrance of the yolk spread through his mouth. Suddenly, he felt that no matter how many adventures awaited him in the future, as long as he could return here and eat Martha's fried eggs, there was nothing to fear.

As for the black stone hidden in the iron box? He would treat it as a souvenir from New Mexico. Maybe one day, it would come in handy.