Chapter 11: Old Wang Next Door, Orphaned

Early the next morning.

Just as the sky began to lighten, Skye was dragged out of bed by Old Wang from next door.

"It's only four o'clock! I haven't slept enough! These past few days have been exhausting! My back feels broken! Get out, leave my blanket alone!"

Skye rubbed her eyes, finally waking up a little. She eyed Old Wang's annoyingly chubby face, glanced at the neatly arranged tables, chairs, and cups, and suddenly recalled something. She jumped out of bed. "How did you get in here? I locked the door! I even blocked it with the table, and put a cup on the handle! Wait, how long have you been in here?"

"Kato Eagle... The Hand of True Qi. I can open doors, check meters, break into rooms, catch thieves—nothing I can't do."

Old Wang stared at Skye's pajamas for a moment, a bit surprised. "I thought you liked sleeping naked. Why the pajamas? And didn't you say you were a D? Are you sure? This looks like a C. Do you think I'm uneducated?"

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

Skye, furious, pushed at Old Wang with all her strength. "Get out, get out! I need more sleep!"

"The best time to plan the day is in the morning. Sleeping in won't do, get up and practice your stances!" Old Wang stood firm, like a tree, not even bothering to defend himself. He didn't use True Qi; his body simply absorbed the force. No matter how hard Skye pushed, he didn't budge, and her frustration grew.

God, I'd like to report someone for cheating!

Wait, Wang is Chinese—maybe God isn't in charge...

Jade Emperor, I'd like to report someone for cheating!

"If you don't learn martial arts, how will you resist people like me in the future? I'm only thinking of your safety," Old Wang argued reasonably.

Usually, he convinced people with reason.

When reason failed, he convinced them with physics.

No, that's not right!

What is reason, anyway?

Reason is the fist; whoever has the bigger fist is right!

Old Wang nodded to himself. He was always reasonable—if you can't out-argue or out-fight me, how can you blame me?

Isn't that fair?

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

Skye was nearly losing her mind. "There are so many martial arts schools and dojos in New York, but I've never seen anyone cultivate True Qi! And if I can't fight, I could try to get a gun... The only people not afraid of guns are you, you freak... and Robbie, that other freak!"

"The Ghost Rider," Old Wang corrected, lifting Skye and setting her on the ground, half-smiling. "Trust me, New York will soon be in chaos, and the whole world too. People like me will be everywhere—you need to keep up with the times, don't fall behind."

Skye snorted, unconvinced.

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

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

"Of course!" Skye glanced at Old Wang's physique, then at her own, and a sense of defeat washed over her. "I don't think it's possible in this lifetime. You're a freak, and I'm not."

You're the freak, your whole family are freaks... That's not an insult, it's the truth!

Old Wang thought to himself, then said, "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 alone. But you'll need to improve your physical fitness, or you won't be able to handle the power. If you get hurt, I'd feel bad."

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

No way am I becoming a flaming skull. Not a chance.

Old Wang shook his head. "I can't find a second Spirit of Vengeance, so forget it. But I have other ways. When you have time, look into whether there's a dungeon in Puerto Rico, and how to get inside... Also, try to hack S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database and look for Box 084. Inside, there's a not-too-large obelisk—it's connected to you."

084?

What is that?

How is it connected to me?

Skye was stunned, about to ask more, but Old Wang turned and walked out. "Hurry up, I'm waiting for you in the truck!"

...

...

Three hours later, Skye finally came downstairs.

Don't misunderstand, it didn't take her that long to put on makeup—Skye never wears makeup, she's always bare-faced.

She was working out...

To be precise, she was practicing martial arts—stances and boxing.

It was a daily requirement. When Old Wang was around, it lasted three hours; otherwise, just one hour. Skye didn't really resent it; after all, it was good for her health. But sticking with it really took willpower, and sometimes needed supervision. It wasn't easy.

There was another, more important reason.

Skye was drenched in sweat, nearly exhausted. After finally showering and changing, she went down to check out, only for the receptionist to inform her that the room had already been checked out, and the extra money refunded—by that gentleman from earlier...

Skye suddenly remembered that she had paid for the room herself. That bastard Old Wang!

Strange, the receptionist was giving her odd looks.

She looked in the mirror—her face was tired and flushed, with a hint of allure, and even her skin seemed slightly red...

What am I thinking?

I'm just tired!

I booked two rooms!!!

Wait...

This morning, Wang was in my room!

Skye felt uncertain.

Did something really happen?

Otherwise... maybe she should go back and check?

But the room was already checked out...

And even if she checked, nothing would show. Old Wang's True Qi was powerful—it could heal injuries; even if there was bleeding, he'd clean it up, and any tears would be fixed. There’d be no evidence.

She had no clear memory of yesterday, just slept straight through until dawn, but who knows if Old Wang hypnotized her.

She’d never heard of him hypnotizing people, but he was so mysterious—who could say!

Forget it, it’s not important. Old Wang was actually a decent person, a bit chubby, but still pleasant to look at. The key was his physical fitness—health is the capital of everything.

No car, no house, no parents—it was pretty tragic. The biggest flaw was being poor. But she was poor too, so, as Old Wang said, they matched...

What am I thinking?

Enough of that!

She got in the truck, intending to ask Old Wang for the room money, but he grabbed her hand, sent a wave of True Qi through her. All her fatigue vanished, her mind cleared, and she felt unbelievably comfortable, so much so that she couldn't help but moan.

It was lucky Old Wang was there.

Without him, three hours of intense training would have left her completely spent, unable to do anything. Tired in mind, tired in body.

"Let's go, I'm treating you to a feast."

Old Wang started the engine, floored the gas, and they picked up a dozen burgers somewhere before heading to the garage.

...

...

Robbie was both delighted and irritated.

He was glad he'd finally gotten revenge.

Killing people was painful, yet somehow he felt no fear, no disgust—most likely because of the demon inside him.

He wasn't really human anymore, more demon than man. Nothing could ever go back to the way it was.

What annoyed him was that the demon refused to leave!

They'd agreed—once revenge was done, they'd part ways.

But it seemed the demon had moved in for good, treating his body like home.

Did it pay rent?

Robbie was helpless.

If the demon wouldn't go, there was nothing he could do but accept it.

He continued working as a mechanic, and sometimes, listening to the demon, acted as a vigilante. Not a bad arrangement.

He bent over a car.

Suddenly, Robbie sensed something was off—the demon inside was restless. What was happening?

"Robbie, someone specifically asked for you to fix her car. She says she was your good friend at Garfield High, a pretty young lady!" Another mechanic, Kanolo, waved him over.

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

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