Back to Queens, New Trouble

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

"We're finally back!" Ted sprang out of his seat, with half a piece of dried desert grass still tangled around his backpack strap. "New York's air really smells 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 going to dock our pay." He picked up the canvas bag full of "souvenirs." The little stone inside pressed against his waist through the fabric, like an unruly hand warmer. It had not cooled down once since they left Pepper Town. His wristband occasionally flashed with a faint blue light, but no notification appeared, as if it were hiding a secret.

The repair shop's rolling shutter was half-open. Carlos was crouched outside fixing a motorcycle, his face splattered with grease. When he saw them return, the old man straightened up and threw his wrench onto the ground. "You remembered the way back? I thought a rattlesnake had carried you off in the desert."

"No way, Carlos." Ted grinned and handed over a bag of cactus fruit Dale had given him. "A local specialty for you. Good for beauty and health."

Carlos glanced at the wrinkled fruit without taking it, then turned and headed into 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 quickly followed Carlos inside, but froze the moment he crossed the threshold. The corner that usually held piles of parts had been cleared out, replaced by a folding table. An old computer sat on top, and beside it stood a piece of cardboard with crooked writing: "Superpowered Computer Repair—Turn On with Telekinesis, Money Back If It Doesn't Work."

"What is this?" Lin Mo pointed at the cardboard, its street-hustler vibe practically jumping off the page.

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

"Compete over what? Who fixes things faster?" Ted leaned over the folding table and poked the old computer. "This heap takes up too much room even in a dumpster. He can turn it on with his mind? I can do magic with mine too."

Lin Mo said nothing. He merely activated his Phasing Ability and scanned the computer. There was a miniature electromagnet inside the case, with a wire running down the table leg and beneath the table, hidden under a rag. A cold smile touched his lips. Just as he thought—a scammer.

As they spoke, a head poked in through the shop entrance. The man was thin 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 walked in, holding a crystal ball. "You're Lin Mo? I'm Victor, founder of Superpowered Computer Repair." He set the crystal ball on the table. The glass sphere refracted a blinding glare in the sunlight. "I heard you're good at fixing computers. Dare to compete with me?"

"Not interested." Lin Mo turned toward his workbench, but Victor blocked his way.

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

Victor closed his eyes, waved his hands over the crystal ball, and muttered under his breath. Everyone around them held their 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 gently toward the mechanism beneath the table.

"Bzzzz—" The computer suddenly made a startup sound. Its monitor lit up, displaying the Windows boot screen.

"Wow! It really turned on!" The onlookers erupted in surprised cries. Several elderly women immediately crowded around, chattering over whether he could repair 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."

Looking at Victor's pretentious act, Lin Mo suddenly found it amusing. This little trick might fool old ladies in Queens, but running into him meant the scammer had terrible luck. He cleared his throat and abruptly raised his voice. "Telekinetic Power? More like magnetic power, isn't it?"

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

"Nonsense?" Lin Mo slowly walked behind the table. While Victor was not paying attention, he phased through the tablecloth and hooked the hidden remote control out with a flick of his finger. "Then what's this?" He held up the remote, whose buttons were still stuck with a wad of chewing gum. "The switch for the electromagnet. Pretty well hidden."

The crowd fell silent for an instant before furious curses erupted. "Scammer!" "I knew there was no such thing as that!" "My pension! He even took fifty bucks from me to fix my refrigerator!"

Victor panicked, grabbed his crystal ball, and tried to run, but Ted seized him by the back of his collar. "Trying to run? Give the old ladies back the money you scammed from them!" The man yanked hard. Victor's glasses fell to the ground and shattered, revealing a pair of shifty little eyes.

"Get him!" someone shouted.

The onlookers immediately surged forward, fists and feet raining down on Victor. Ted hurriedly shielded the old computer from the chaos—after all, it was shop property.

Carlos watched the mess without trying to break up the fight. He simply patted Lin Mo on the 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. That scammer was awful, but the name "Superpowered Computer Repair" had made him realize something. Maybe he could use his abilities for a legitimate business—like opening a real Superpowered Repair Shop.

After the farce ended, Ted rubbed his hands excitedly. "Mo, that move just now was awesome! It was like magic! Why don't we really open a superpowered repair shop? You use your ability to walk through walls and your super strength, and I'll bring in customers. It'll definitely take off!"

"We'll see." Lin Mo did not agree outright. He walked 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 from the heat. The stone was scorching like a branding iron, and the fabric at the bottom of the bag had been singed black.

"What happened?" Carlos leaned closer. When he saw the scorch mark on the bag, he frowned. "What's in there?"

"Nothing." Lin Mo quickly closed the bag. "Just a stone I brought back from the desert. It probably got too hot in the sun." But inwardly, he was panicking. The stone had only been warm in New Mexico. Why had it suddenly become burning hot after returning to New York?

The wristband suddenly vibrated violently, and a harsh red light flashed across the screen.

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

Lin Mo's heart began racing. A repulsive reaction? Could the stone not stay 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? Why not go home and rest first?"

"I'm fine." Lin Mo took the water and gulped down a mouthful. The icy liquid helped him calm down a little. "I'm going out 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 burning heat palpable even through the bag. As he passed the neighborhood park, Lin Mo saw Peter flying kites with a group of children. An Iron Man-shaped kite soared high in the sky, its spool spinning rapidly in the boy's hand.

"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 the hammer?"

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

"That must have been amazing!" 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 but couldn't find the cause. Do you think it could be..."

"I don't know." Lin Mo cut him off as a terrifying thought surfaced. Could the neighborhood blackouts be related to the stone? An Asgard energy leak could very well interfere with electrical systems.

He stopped hesitating and turned toward Martha's house. The old woman had seen a great deal; perhaps she would know how to deal with this hot potato.

Martha was hanging quilts in her yard, while Snowball lay napping on one of them. When the fat cat saw Lin Mo, it immediately jumped down and rubbed its head against his pant leg. "You're back?" The old woman dusted off her hands. "Ted called me. He said you two saw quite a spectacle in the desert."

"Mrs. Martha, I need to ask you something." Lin Mo placed the canvas bag on the ground and carefully unzipped it, revealing the little stone inside. It was now red as a branding iron, and the air around it rippled from the heat.

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

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

"Foolish!" Martha's voice trembled as she pointed at the stone. "There's something wicked about that power. Throw it away, now! Something will happen if you don't!" She rushed into the house and returned with a tin coffee can. "Quick! Put it in here! My husband used to store ammunition in this can. It can block some things."

Lin Mo hurriedly did as she said. The instant the stone was placed inside the tin, white smoke rose with a sizzle, and a black mark was immediately scorched onto the outside of the can. He quickly shut the lid and used pliers to carry the can to a 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 that hammer was? A divine object that fell from the sky! Do you think anything that touched it can be handled so casually?" She pointed toward the community center. "Haven't you noticed the frequent power outages lately? The radio crackling too? This thing caused all of it!"

Only then did Lin Mo fully understand. The neighborhood's strange incidents were not a coincidence. This stone had truly caused them. He looked at the smoking tin can, a wave of lingering fear washing over him. If they had dealt with it any later, it might have caused a fire—or 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 down on its own." Martha sighed. "Then find an empty place and bury it, as deep as possible. Remember this: don't touch any more of those mystical things. Steadily fixing computers is better than anything."

Lin Mo nodded, his feelings a tangled mess. He had only wanted a souvenir, but 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 disturbance. The world was truly becoming more and more unstable.

By evening, the tin can had finally stopped smoking. Lin Mo and Ted pushed it out to a forest on the outskirts in a handcart, dug a three-meter-deep hole, and buried it. They even placed a large rock on top to prevent animals from digging it up.

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

Lin Mo said nothing. He only stared at the rock pressed over the burial spot, unable to describe what he felt. Their trip to New Mexico had not brought them close enough to touch the hammer, yet it had brought back this "trouble." It had also made him understand more deeply that the world of superhuman abilities and divine artifacts was far more dangerous than he had imagined.

When they returned to the repair shop, Carlos had already closed up, leaving one light on. Lin Mo sat at the workbench and looked at his hands. They seemed to still hold the stone's heat. The wristband had calmed down, and its screen displayed:

[Energy threat eliminated]

But he knew that some things had already changed.

He turned on the computer and opened an email Peter had sent him. It contained a summary of recent global anomalies: a green giant appearing in the Brazilian rainforest, ancient ruins discovered in Norwegian glaciers, and unidentified flying objects frequently appearing over New York...

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

"What are you thinking about?" Ted came in carrying two bowls of instant noodles. "Carlos said we're getting two days off, so we can rest properly. Oh, Aunt May said we should go to her place tomorrow for dumplings to celebrate our safe return."

"Sounds good." Lin Mo accepted the noodles, steam fogging up his glasses. Watching Ted wolf down his food, he suddenly felt that no matter how the world changed, as long as these people were around him, along with the smell of motor oil in the repair shop and the lively atmosphere of Queens, there was no hurdle they could not overcome.

As for that scammer Victor, Lin Mo heard that furious 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 bustle, and it was even better than before. Everyone said Lin Mo was "an honest man with real skills."

Lin Mo only smiled at that. He knew his "real skills" were different from Victor's tricks, but they were not some superpower worth showing off either. They merely gave him a little more confidence to protect ordinary life in this world of constant trouble.

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