Mike went back to his house after the incident at school. His downcast expression spoke volumes of his mood, and his low shoulders expressed his sadness.
'First I lost Father, and now I'm losing Rosemary. I must do something about it before she leaves me, I need to make her understand that Glottis is a scumbag,' he thought to himself as he opened the rusty door at the entrance to his house.
"Big Brother, is it you?" A gentle voice was heard from the living room, followed by a few coughs.
"Titania, it's me, you don't have to worry," he called and passed the wall hiding him from where the girl was reading a book.
"Oh, you came early today. I wanted to surprise you with a chicken meat dish I saw online, but it's still cooking in the pan. How come you returned early on your first day?"
"I was sent home, I got into a fight. I don't want to talk about it, but I'm sure it will all work out when Miss Rosemary sees what an asshole Glottis is," he told his sister and sat by her side, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, and pulling her to his chest.
"Watch your language, Mike," she scolded him, using his name like she only did when she was dissatisfied with him.
"I'm sorry, he just makes me so angry. I understand now that he was just taunting me and I fell into his trap, but do you know what he said to me there? He said, 'I will dig up your father's grave.' I couldn't hold back and just punched him with everything I had."
"Everything you had? Big Brother, you told me you were a second-stage cultivator, you can't punch people like that! What if you killed him?" Titania was worried by her brother's lack of control. She was afraid he would end up in jail.
"Kill him? Wait… You are right! He wasn't a cultivator the other day, but when I punched him today, it didn't feel like I shattered his bones! Could it be that he became a cultivator? In 3 days? But he was supposed to be unconscious, I know how hard I hit him that day. How can it be?" Mike was confused by the revelation.
He, the man whom his master called a genius, took four weeks to open his clogged meridians and awaken his dantian. How could a good-for-nothing like Glottis become a cultivator in three days?
Judging the fact he could take on Mike's blow without severe damage suggests he even has a solid foundation, which should be impossible to achieve in such a short time span.
"I think you are lucky he is a genius, or else you might have caused irreversible damage to another person. Anyway," Titania pushed his arm away lightly and got up, "I need to check how my chicken is doing."
"He's not a genius. Besides, your chicken must be enraged to live without a roof, you should've cooked it in something with a lid."
The two shared lunch together and talked about their recent days apart. They knew everything about each other, so there was little to chat about.
"Titania, I need to visit Dad. I missed the funeral, and I still haven't seen him, I'm an unfilial son," Mike told her while he washed the dishes. He never wanted to let her do that; he was afraid the cold water from the tap would worsen her condition.
"You are not unfilial, every parent would wish to have a child like you. I'm coming with you," she got up to get dressed.
"No, it will be evening soon and it's cold outside. It's better if you can stay at home with the heater," Mike refused.
"No, Mike, if I must stay caged, I'm better off being dead. I want to go out, and I owe Mr. Albert my life. He had supported me and treated me for years without getting anything in return. Wouldn't I be worse than a snake if I didn't even visit his grave?" She was firm in her decision this time. She regretted letting Mike go alone to the funeral after hearing what happened. If she was there, she'd even protect him with her body.
"I… I'm just worried for you," Mike stuttered, "Fine, you can come with me," he surrendered when he saw negotiations were not an option. "You must wear a coat," he added his final term.
"Deal."
---
"Mike, you can stay here to talk to Mr. Albert. I'm going to see my parents since I'm already here," Titania said.
"Okay, be careful."
---
Meanwhile, a group of seven people were driving two black cars. One had a driver and two young masters in the back while the other car was occupied by four muscular thugs. The one thing all those people had in common was that all of them were at the Qi Consolidation stage.
"Young Master, we are here," the driver announced as he parked the car outside a forest. According to the tradition, they'd bury their dead near trees so their body could nourish another life. In a way, they saw it as continuing the dead person's life.
"According to our research, Albert Teuto was buried on that hill over there," the driver pointed in the direction of the grave.
"Before we go inside, we need to test the boots," Glottis stopped them. He already explained to everyone how they worked, but many things could go wrong on the first try even If the product itself worked. To make things worse, the product wasn't ready yet.
"Fine. Boys, wear your gear and try it out. Once you feel comfortable with walking in straight lines and jumping upwards, it should be good enough."
It only took one minute for the trouble to start.
"AH!" Donny crashed into a tree, getting leaves and twigs stuck in his afro.
*Thud!*
Two men hit each other and fell to the ground, another guy lost control in the air and fell from a height of 10 meters, Glottis accidentally went upside down, and his next step shot him at the ground.
"DAMN IT, GLOTTIS, THIS GEAR IS TRASH!"
"FUCK YOU, DONNY, I TOLD YOU IT'S STILL UNDER DEVELOPMENT!"
The two were bruised all over, and even the thugs, who usually wore a scary expression, were in a sorry state.
"Ah, Young Master, maybe it's not too late to think of a different strategy," one of them said.
"Shut up and do as you are told," Glottis snapped at him before Donny could answer. "You want a different strategy? The guy we are after broke the jaw of two idiots like you in a single kick. You can engage him head-on while we use you as a distraction if you want."
"No, no, it's just a misunderstanding," the thug hurriedly continued his training session, going to pound a nearby tree.
Ten minutes passed, and the boots stopped working, making everyone sigh in relief. Now, they could take a thirty-minute break to let the gear recharge itself with Qi.
"We look like pigs," complained Donny as he observed everyone's bruised and swollen face.
"We are not just any pigs. These pigs can fly! Get ready to move, boys!"