Back to Queens, New Trouble

As the coach pulled into Queens Station, Lin Mo breathed on the window and traced a map of New Mexico with his finger. He wiped a circle in the fogged glass, neatly framing the Spider-Man graffiti on the rooftop across the street—it was Peter's work, with two more spider legs than the last time he had seen it.

"Finally, we're back!" Ted sprang up from his seat, the strap of his backpack still tangled with half a dried desert weed. "New York's air really does smell different. Like pizza!" He took a deep sniff, then suddenly frowned. "No, wait. It smells like garbage too."

Lin Mo laughed and kicked him lightly. "Move it. Carlos is probably docking our pay already." He picked up the canvas bag containing the "souvenir." The little stone inside pressed against his waist through the fabric like an unruly heating pad, and it had not cooled once since they left Pepper Town. His wristband occasionally flashed with a faint blue glow, but no notification appeared, as though it were hiding a secret.

The repair shop's rolling shutter was half-open. Carlos was crouched outside repairing a motorcycle, his face spattered with oil. When he saw them return, the old man straightened up and threw his wrench onto the ground. "You remembered how to come back? I thought rattlesnakes had carried you two off in the desert."

"How could that happen, Carlos?" Ted grinned as he handed him a bag of cactus fruit Dale had shoved at him. "Brought you some local specialty. Great for beauty and health."

Carlos glanced at the wrinkled fruit without taking it, then turned toward the shop. "Come inside. We've got trouble."

Lin Mo's heart skipped a beat. Trouble? Had S.H.I.E.L.D. come looking for them? He hurried inside after Carlos, only to freeze the moment he crossed the threshold. The corner usually piled with parts had been cleared out, and a folding table stood there with an old computer on top. Beside it was a piece of cardboard with crooked writing: "Superpowered Computer Repair—Turn It On with Your Mind, Refund If It Doesn't Work."

"What's this?" Lin Mo pointed at the cardboard. It reeked of cheap street hustle.

"A competitor." Carlos took two bottles of cola from the refrigerator. "He showed up after you left last week. Tall, skinny guy, black-rimmed glasses. Hangs around outside every day, claiming he can repair computers with Telekinetic Power. He's stolen plenty of business." He twisted open a bottle and handed it to Lin Mo. "He came by just now and said he wanted to compete with you."

"Compete at what? Who can fix things faster?" Ted leaned over the folding table and poked the old computer. "This junk takes up too much space even in a trash can. He can turn it on with his mind? Then I can perform magic with mine."

Lin Mo said nothing. He merely activated his Phasing Ability and scanned the computer. There was a tiny electromagnet inside the case, with wires winding down the table leg and beneath the table, hidden under a rag. A cold smile tugged at his lips. Just as he thought—a fraud.

As they spoke, a head poked in through the doorway. The man was skinny as a clothesline pole, and his lenses were as thick as beer bottle bottoms. The moment he saw Lin Mo, his eyes lit up. He straightened his back and strode in, holding a crystal ball. "You're Lin Mo? I'm Victor, founder of Superpowered Computer Repair." He placed the crystal ball on the table, and the glass sphere refracted a harsh glare in the sunlight. "I heard you're good at fixing computers. Dare to compete with me?"

"Not interested." Lin Mo turned to head back to his workbench, but Victor blocked him.

"What? Scared?" The man deliberately raised his voice, drawing passersby to stop and watch. "Do you know you can't match my Telekinetic Power?" He patted the old computer. "Watch closely. No power supply, no power button. All I need is a thought—"

Victor closed his eyes, gesturing over the crystal ball with both hands while muttering under his breath. The crowd held its breath. Even Carlos set down his wrench. Leaning against the workbench, Lin Mo used Dynamic Vision to clearly see a small magnet slide from the man's sleeve and sway lightly toward the mechanism beneath the table.

Bzzz— The computer suddenly made its startup sound, and the screen lit up with the Windows boot screen.

"Wow! It really turned on!" The onlookers burst into amazed cries. Several old ladies immediately crowded around, all talking at once as they asked whether he could fix their microwaves.

"See that?" Victor opened his eyes smugly and pushed up his glasses. "That is the power of superhuman abilities. Lin Mo, if you admit defeat, all the business around here belongs to me from now on."

Lin Mo watched him put on his act and suddenly found it amusing. This little trick might fool old ladies in Queens, but running into him meant this swindler was out of luck. He cleared his throat and abruptly raised his voice. "Telekinetic Power? Looks more like magnet power to me."

Victor's expression changed instantly. "What nonsense are you talking about?"

"Nonsense?" Lin Mo slowly walked behind the table. While Victor was not paying attention, he used his Phasing Ability to reach through the tablecloth, hooked his finger lightly, and pulled out the remote hidden underneath. "Then what's this?" He raised the remote, its buttons still stuck with a bit of chewing gum. "The switch for the electromagnet. You hid it pretty well."

The crowd instantly fell silent before erupting into furious shouts. "Fraud!" "I knew there was no way he was that amazing!" "My pension! He even took fifty dollars from me to fix my refrigerator!"

Victor panicked and grabbed the crystal ball, trying to run, but Ted caught him by the back of his collar. "Trying to run? Pay back the money you scammed from those old ladies!" With a hard yank, Victor's glasses fell to the ground and shattered, revealing his pair of shifty little eyes.

"Get him!" someone shouted, and the crowd immediately surged forward. Fists and feet rained down on Victor. Ted hurriedly shielded the old computer so it would not get caught in the chaos—it was shop property, after all.

Carlos watched the mess without trying to break up the fight. He simply patted Lin Mo's shoulder, a rare hint of a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. "You're still the reliable one."

"Nothing much." Lin Mo tossed the remote into the trash, but his mind lingered on what had just happened. The fraudster was despicable, but the name "Superpowered Computer Repair" made him realize that perhaps he could use his abilities to run an honest business—for example, a real Superpowered Repair Shop.

After the farce ended, Ted rubbed his hands excitedly. "Mo, that move was awesome! It was like magic! How about we really open a superpowered repair shop? You use your Wall-Crossing Technique and strength, I'll bring in customers. We'd definitely make it big!"

"We'll talk about it." Lin Mo did not agree right away. He walked over to the workbench and opened the canvas bag, intending to take out the little stone and put it away. The moment his hand reached inside, he jerked it back—it was as hot as a branding iron, and the fabric at the bottom of the bag had been scorched black.

"What happened?" Carlos leaned closer. Seeing the scorch mark on the bag, he frowned. "What did you put in there?"

"Nothing." Lin Mo quickly closed the bag. "Just a rock we brought back from the desert. It was probably heated too much by the sun." But panic was rising in his heart. The stone had only been warm in New Mexico. Why had it suddenly become scorching hot after returning to New York?

His wristband suddenly vibrated violently, and a glaring red light flashed across the screen.

[High-concentration Asgard energy leak detected... Repulsion reaction with host energy... Isolate immediately!]

Lin Mo's heart pounded wildly. A repulsion reaction? Could this stone not remain in New York? Or was it affecting the city somehow?

"Why do you look so pale?" Ted handed him a bottle of ice water. "Are you exhausted? Want to go home and rest first?"

"I'm fine." Lin Mo took the water and gulped down a mouthful. The icy liquid calmed him slightly. "I'm going outside for some air."

He carried the canvas bag out of the repair shop and wandered aimlessly down the street. The stone grew hotter and hotter, its heat burning through the bag. As he passed the community park, Lin Mo saw Peter flying kites with a group of children. An Iron Man-shaped kite soared high overhead, its spool spinning rapidly in the boy's hands.

"Lin!" Peter spotted him and immediately ran over, nearly letting go of the kite string. "You're back! Was the desert fun? Did you see Mjolnir?"

Lin Mo forced a smile. "It was all right. I saw it." He shifted the canvas bag behind his back, afraid the stone's heat might hurt the child.

"Then it must have been incredible!" Peter said excitedly, his eyes gleaming. "My cousin said S.H.I.E.L.D. built a huge base over there and sent lots of agents to guard it. Oh, right, did you know? The neighborhood's been having power outages lately. Electricians checked several times and couldn't find the cause. Do you think it could be..."

"I don't know." Lin Mo cut him off as a terrifying thought arose. Could the community outages be related to the stone? The leaking Asgard energy could very likely interfere with electrical systems.

He did not hesitate any longer and turned toward Martha's house. The old woman had seen a lot; perhaps she would know how to deal with this burning-hot stone.

Martha was airing quilts in her yard, while Snowball lay on one of them dozing. At the sight of Lin Mo, the fat cat immediately jumped down and rubbed its head against his pant leg. "You're back?" The old woman clapped the dust from her hands. "Ted called me and said you two saw some big things in the desert."

"Mrs. Martha, I need your help." Lin Mo placed the canvas bag on the ground and carefully unzipped it, exposing the small stone inside. It was now red as a branding iron, and even the air around it warped from the heat.

Martha's expression changed instantly. She grabbed Lin Mo and pulled him back. "What the hell is that? Where did it come from?"

"We brought it back from New Mexico," Lin Mo quickly explained. "It was a stone knocked away by Mjolnir. I thought it looked interesting, so I picked it up..."

"Reckless!" Martha's voice trembled as she pointed at the stone. "There's something evil in that thing. Throw it away, now! Otherwise, something will happen!" She ran into the house and returned with a tin coffee can. "Quick! Put it in here! My husband used to keep ammunition in this box. It can block some things."

Lin Mo hurriedly did as she said. The instant the stone was placed in the tin, it let out a sizzle and released white smoke, while a black scorch mark immediately appeared on the outside. He quickly shut the lid and used pliers to carry the tin to the corner of the yard, far from anything flammable.

"You, honestly..." Martha pressed a hand to her chest, her face pale. "You dare bring anything home! What do you think Mjolnir is? It's a divine object that fell from the heavens. Can you just touch anything that has come into contact with it?" She pointed toward the Community Center. "Haven't you noticed all the recent blackouts? The radio crackling too? It's all because of that thing!"

Only then did Lin Mo understand. The neighborhood's strange incidents had not been a coincidence. They really had been caused by this stone. Looking at the smoking tin, fear washed over him. If he had dealt with it any later, it might have started a fire—or caused something even worse.

"What do we do now?" Lin Mo was sweating anxiously. "We can't just leave it here forever, can we?"

"We can only wait for it to cool on its own." Martha sighed. "Then bury it somewhere deserted, as deep as possible. Remember this: do not touch that mystical nonsense again. Fixing your computers peacefully is better than anything."

Lin Mo nodded, his emotions in turmoil. He had only wanted to pick up a souvenir, yet he had nearly caused a disaster. This was probably what Martha meant when she said the world was changing. Even a stone could cause such a commotion. The world truly was becoming more and more dangerous.

By evening, the tin had finally stopped smoking. Lin Mo and Ted pushed it out to the woods on a handcart, dug a three-meter-deep pit, and buried it. They even placed a large rock over it to keep animals from digging it back up.

"Finally done." Ted wiped away his sweat. "If I'd known it would be this much trouble, I never would've let you pick up that stupid rock."

Lin Mo said nothing. He simply stared at the rock weighing down the burial spot, an indescribable feeling in his chest. Although they had not gotten close to Mjolnir during their trip to New Mexico, they had brought back this "trouble." It had also made him understand more deeply that the world of superhuman powers and divine artifacts was far more dangerous than he had imagined.

When they returned to the repair shop, Carlos had already closed up but left a light on. Lin Mo sat at the workbench and looked at his hands. They seemed to still retain the stone's heat. His wristband had returned to normal, displaying:

[Energy threat eliminated]

But he knew some things had already changed.

He turned on the computer and opened an email Peter had sent him. It contained a summary of recent strange events around the world: a green giant had appeared in the Brazilian rainforest, ancient ruins had been found beneath Norwegian glaciers, and unidentified flying objects had been appearing frequently above New York...

Lin Mo rubbed his temples, suddenly missing the days when he only repaired computers. Back then, the worst troubles were broken hard drives and crashed systems—not dealing with stones carrying alien energy or worrying whether aliens might invade the world.

"What are you thinking about?" Ted walked in carrying two bowls of instant noodles. "Carlos gave us two days off, so get some proper rest. Oh, and Aunt May said we should go to her place tomorrow for dumplings to celebrate our safe return."

"Sounds good." Lin Mo took the noodles, and the steam fogged up his glasses. Watching Ted wolf them down, he suddenly felt that no matter how the world changed, as long as these people were still by his side—along with the smell of motor oil in the repair shop and the everyday bustle of Queens—there was no obstacle they could not overcome.

As for Victor the fraudster, Lin Mo heard that angry residents chased him for three blocks before the police finally took him away. He would probably be locked up for a while. Business at the repair shop returned to its usual liveliness, even better than before. Everyone said Lin Mo was "an honest man with real skill."

Lin Mo merely smiled at that. He knew his "real skill" was different from Victor's tricks, but it was not some superhuman ability worth showing off. It simply gave him a little more confidence to protect ordinary things in this trouble-filled world.

Late that night, Lin Mo lay on the cot in the basement, listening to the wind outside the window. His wristband occasionally flickered faintly, as if reminding him of the stone buried in the woods. He knew this was only the beginning, and more trouble lay ahead—but he was ready.