The man sneered at Kai, "Child, you think you're brave?" His two accomplices stepped forward, confident in their superiority. One of them, eager to prove himself, sprinted toward Kai with a malicious grin.
"This is gonna be easy," he thought, aiming a kick at Kai.
But Kai, hands still in his pockets, effortlessly jumped four meters into the air, dodging the attack. The would-be attacker stumbled, bewildered.
"Where did he go?" he muttered.
As Kai descended, he delivered a precise kick to the man's shoulder, sending him crashing to the ground.
The other accomplice watched in awe, frozen in place.
The pot-bellied man's face turned beet red with rage and shock.
"What is happening?" he spluttered.
Kai stretched out his palm, and without touching the second accomplice, sent him flying meters across the table.
Both men lay motionless, unconscious.
The pot-bellied man stumbled backward, his eyes wide with fear.
"Boy, what are you?" he stammered. "How did you... what happened to my guys?"
Kai's expression remained calm.
"I told you, it's not me who's gonna get hit. It's you."
He looked the man up and down, his gaze piercing.
"Just give it up already. Stop causing trouble for people eating here. Why make a ruckus?"
The man's face twisted with indignation.
"Who are you to talk to me? Do you know who I am?"
Kai's response was firm.
"I don't care who you are. Just get out of here."
The patrons gasped in awe, their eyes fixed on Kai. Whispers spread like wildfire: "How did he do that?" and "Is he some kind of martial arts expert?" Sophia's face was pale, her hands clasped together in worry.
Then, the pot-bellied man's expression darkened. "You might have kicked my guys around, but are you faster than a bullet?" he sneered, gun pointed at Kai. "You're going to die soon."
The room fell silent, all eyes on Kai. A woman whispered, "Oh, poor child. How can his life end so soon?"
Kai looked at the man, unperturbed. He pulled out a coin from his pocket and said, "Okay, you gonna shoot me? Are you really gonna shoot me?"
The man snarled, "Shut up, you little brat."
Kai repeated, "If you wanna shoot me, let's see who's faster."
The man laughed. "Faster than a bullet? You think you can beat my bullet? I've killed many people with this gun."
The patrons held their collective breath as the man pulled the trigger.
"Farewell, brat," he said.
But Kai flicked the coin with lightning speed. The next moment, the gun went off, and the bullet seemed to vanish.
The man stared, stunned. "What happened? How could you still stand there?"
The patrons looked up to see the bullet lodged in the ceiling.
Gasps and murmurs filled the room. "How did that bullet end up there?" someone asked.
Kai's calm demeanor and incredible reflexes had saved his life.
The room erupted into gasps and whispers. "How could this boy survive that bullet?" people asked. "We saw the gun go off, but he just lifted his hand, and the bullet vanished!"
The pot-bellied man's face contorted in rage. "You're a monster!" he spat.
Kai stood firm, his voice calm. "Who's the monster between you and me? You sent your men to beat me, demanded a free meal, and shot at a 19-year-old child. You've killed many people with that gun. Who's the real monster here?"
The man's face twisted with fury. "No matter, I'll kill you!" He pulled the trigger again, unleashing five bullets.
But Kai stood unfazed, hand raised. The bullets dropped one by one, as if drawn to his palm.
The crowd watched in awe, raw shock etched on their faces. "This is impossible!" someone whispered. "He caught the bullets!"
Kai opened his hand, revealing the five bullets nestled within. "Are you looking for these?" he asked, his gaze piercing.
The room fell silent, witnesses struggling to comprehend the superhuman feat they'd just witnessed. Kai's reflexes and strength defied explanation.
The crowd remained stunned, unable to comprehend how Kai had caught the bullets. Unbeknownst to them, Kai had utilized his extraordinary abilities to manipulate the bullets' trajectory, slowing them down and drawing them into his hands.
The pot-bellied man, enraged, switched tactics. "You caught all my bullets," he snarled, brandishing a knife. "Now, I'll kill you with this!"
Kai smirked. "You're stubborn, aren't you? First, bullets, now a knife. Come and get some."
As the man lunged with the knife, Kai focused his mind. "Petrify," he whispered, his eyes locked onto the attacker.
The man froze, mere inches from Kai's face, his knife halted mid-air. The crowd gasped, bewildered.
Kai walked closer, inspecting the petrified man. "You can't move now, can you?"
The onlookers exchanged awestruck whispers. "How did he do that?" and "What just happened?"
Kai calmly took the knife from the man's grasp, despite his struggles, and placed it on the floor. "I think I'm done here."
With a gentle tap on the man's head, he fainted, collapsing to the ground.
The crowd erupted into shocked murmurs. "What just happened?"
Just then, the police burst in. "What's going on here?"
A witness stepped forward, still shaken. "This kid... he caught bullets and stopped that man with some kind of... mind control!"
The officers exchanged skeptical glances, but one approached Kai. "Son, what's your side of the story?"
Kai stood calmly, addressing the policeman. "Sir, I was eating when this guy started causing trouble. As you can see, subjects A and B," he gestured nonchalantly, "are lying on the tables, and subject C is on the floor."
The policeman's eyes widened. "You did this to all three?"
Kai nodded. "Yes, they didn't take kindly to my presence."
The officer's gaze swept the room, taking in the testimony of the crowd. Everyone's story corroborated Kai's account.
One patron whispered, "That's Victor, leader of the Asia Grand Phoenix gang. They've been terrorizing restaurants, demanding free meals and protection fees."
The policeman's expression turned stern. "This doesn't make sense. How could a boy...?" He trailed off, shaking his head.
"Come downtown, we'll take your statement," he said to Kai. "We'll handle this."
Kai agreed, pulling out a treat from his pocket. The handcuffed Victor woke up, snarling.
"You little boy, you won't get away with this. I'm Asia Phoenix gang!"
The policeman intervened. "You have the right to remain silent." He led Victor into the police van.
As they drove away, Kai smiled to himself, lost in thought.
Kai turned to the crowd. "Everyone, you can go back to your things now."
The manager rushed over, gratitude etched on his face. "Sir, may I know your name? I'd like to thank you for what you've done."
Kai smiled humbly. "No need to thank me."
The manager insisted, "Please, take this business card. Anytime you need help or want to dine at our establishments, consider it done."
He handed Kai a card and added, "As a token of appreciation, you'll get three meals a day for five months, free of charge."
Kai hesitated before accepting. "Thank you."
The crowd erupted into applause, praising Kai's heroism.
Mrs. Kanye, a witness, stood stunned. "This is Sophia's boy... He's so frightening. I won't get in his way."
Unaware of the attention, Kai walked to his mother's suite, entering the room with a calm demeanor.
Sophia looked up, concerned. "What happened?"
Kai reassured her, "I took care of it."
Sophia's eyes narrowed, sensing more to the story.
Kai and his mother locked eyes, and Kai reassured her, "Mum, don't worry, I took care of it."
Sophia's relief was palpable. "I'm just glad you're fine, unharmed and unscathed."
Kai nodded. "Tomorrow's still moving day. Today's Saturday, and they can move our things to the new house on Sunday. We've done a lot today."
Sophia agreed, "Yes, we have. Let's head home."
As they exited the restaurant, the door staff gazed at them with awe.
Mrs. Kanye, still seated, thought to herself, "This boy... he's incredible. He did the impossible." Her eyes widened as Kai and Sophia walked toward a sleek Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
"Up to R1.2 million," she whispered, stunned. "How can they afford that? Sophia's been hiding her wealth and power remarkably well."
Kai and Sophia slipped into the luxury car, drawing admiring glances from onlookers.
As they drove away, Mrs. Kanye's expression turned contemplative. "I underestimated Sophia and her son."
The car disappeared into the night, leaving the restaurant and its patrons in awe.
As they pulled into their driveway, Kai's phone buzzed. Emily's name flashed on the screen. He answered, and her panicked voice pierced the line. "Kai, please come here... to my house. Don't call the police." Kai's grip on the phone tightened. "What happened?" But before Emily could respond, the line went dead.
Kai's expression turned grim. "Mom, I'll drop you off, then I need to go somewhere," he said, his voice low and urgent.
Sophia's concern was instantaneous. "What's happening, Kai? Why the sudden change?"
Kai hesitated, his eyes locked on the darkness outside. "I'll tell you later, Mom. Just get inside, I'll drop you off and speed down."
Sophia's eyes narrowed, sensing the gravity of the situation, but Kai's determined expression silenced her. As they stepped out of the car, the night seemed to swallow Kai whole, leaving Sophia with an unsettling feeling - what was waiting for her son in the darkness?