A Silent Breakfast ...
This was probably the first time in all the years of the Mike family that breakfast had been eaten in such silence.
When breakfast was over, Charles immediately gathered up the plates on the table and said, "I'll go and wash them!"
He had never been so active in washing the dishes, but now he had to do it as the atmosphere was too overwhelming.
Eric slowed down and just watched Charles disappear from sight.
Mike got up and said, "Come with me."
Eric dutifully followed and came into the living room with Mike.
"Dad, I ..."
"Don't say anything yet." Mike took out a card, used it and then said to Eric, "Close your eyes."
Eric was a little confused, but closed his eyes as he was told.
Mike looked at Eric's face and rubbed his hands on it.
After three or two minutes, Mike let go of his hands and said, "There you go."
Eric was a little puzzled, but then Charles came out and, seeing him, Charles exclaimed, "Eric?"
"Hm? What is it?"
Eric was puzzled when he saw Charles as if he had seen something unbelievable.
"Your face?"
"Face?"
Remembering what Mike had just done to his face, a thought came to Eric's mind and he ran into the bathroom in stride, then froze as he looked at the unfamiliar face in the mirror.
His face was not his face anymore?
Shocked, he walked out of the bathroom, looked at Mike and said, "Dad, is this?"
"Don't worry, it can still be changed back."
Mike looked at Eric's face, nodded in satisfaction and said, "When you're done with this, you can still go on with your life."
Eric responded excitedly and said, "Thank you, Dad!"
Charles, on the other hand, finally showed a small smile.
...
Eric was a man of action, and after talking to Mike for a while, he said with reluctance but determination, "Dad, I have to go."
Mike patted Eric on the shoulder and said, "If you get into any trouble, and you can't solve it, you must tell me."
Eric answered, gave Mike a gentle hug and was about to turn around and leave when Charles said, "Wait!"
With that, he turned and ran into his room and after a couple of minutes, came running down with a helmet in his arms.
"Hey! Eric! Don't forget this! "
Charles slipped the helmet into Eric's hand.
Mike was stunned and said, "This thing, why does it look familiar?"
"Well, Dad, you brought this back."
Charles said, but when he saw Eric staring at him strangely, he coughed lightly and said unnaturally, "I was afraid you'd lose it, so I hid it."
The corners of Eric's mouth twitched and he said, "I thought I couldn't find it, but it was you!"
Charles looked a little embarrassed, and when he saw Eric staring at him, he felt weak and tried to hide, but Eric grabbed him in a fierce hug.
"Goodbye, Charles."
Charles was stunned and about to open his mouth ...
Eric said again, "Good-bye!"
As he said this, he gave him a few firm slaps on the back and, without waiting for him to respond, pushed him away with a smile on his lips and said, "I'm off, Dad! Don't see me off!"
With those words, he left quickly.
Charles looked angrily at Eric and shouted, "Wait for me!"
But as the other man opened the door and disappeared from view, the anger on his face melted away like a spring snowfall.
With a forlorn and worried look on his face, he said to Mike, "Dad, I'm going to my room."
Without waiting for Mike to answer, he rushed upstairs.
"Ugh!"
Mike sighed and shook his head.
As a father, he couldn't stop them, nor could he do it for them. The only thing he could do was to support them and help them fulfil their wish.
...
The next day, Charles also left home.
The brothers' plans had already begun and from now on they would have little contact with the family.
This was clear to both father and son as to why.
The house was empty again.
Mike stepped outside and stood in the sun, looking up at the blinding sunlight and squinting.
"Clark, that kid, didn't call me, and I wonder how he's doing?"
Scratching his hair in annoyance, Mike suddenly shot up into the sky and quickly disappeared.
...
The next day.
New York, Hell's Kitchen, an unassuming inn.
Eric sat on the edge of his bed, looking at his helmet, which was sitting next to him, and with a faint grip, it flew into his hand.
He felt the helmet silently, his eyes flashed, and the helmet in his hand began to twist and turn under his control, before it was crushed by invisible hands and turned into tiny particles that fluttered in front of his face.
The helmet blocked telepathy because of the material used to make it, not because of the helmet itself.
Eric smiled as the material that fluttered in his palm began to form a helmet under his control.
"Tuk Tuk!"
There was a knock on the door and with a grip on his palm, the helmet instantly returned to its original form and landed on his bed.
Just as he opened the door, Eric was backed into the room at gunpoint.
"Ho."
He looked at the other man and smiled.
He had heard that this area was so chaotic that even the police didn't dare to patrol it, but he didn't think he'd come across it.
Lucky, really.
He grimaced.
"You behave yourself! Hand over all the money."
The man looked at Eric fiercely.
Eric smiled and said, "There's no future in robbing like that."
"Don't talk nonsense! Get the money or I'll shoot."
Eric grinned and said, "Then you shoot!"
"Damn it! You think I wouldn't dare?"
There was a fierce look in the man's eyes; it wasn't the first time he had killed someone.
This was the kitchen of hell! His brother was the head of a gang!
As he watched, Eric slowly grabbed the hand of the man holding the gun and moved it towards his head: "Here, shoot."
The robber was stunned.
He had never seen such an arrogant person before.
"You want to die!"
He cursed angrily and actually pulled the trigger.
*BANG!
The shot rang out, but there was no bloody hole in Eric's head as he had expected,
but just a smile on Eric's face.
He took a frightened step backwards and the gun moved away from Eric's head.
A bullet rested steadily in front of Eric's head.
Eric reached out, cupped the bullet in his hand and smiled at the robber, "This is the first bullet that has ever been fired at me, it's very memorable."
"You!"
The man is terrified, but raises his gun quickly.
But the next moment, the gun in his hand flew out of his hand and was pointed at his head.
"Fuck off!"
Eric cursed and swung his hand so hard that the gun, suspended in mid-air, struck the man in the chest and sent him flying.
He still couldn't do it.
....