After taking out Derek, the power Qi Li absorbed from his body was considerably stronger than Shuttle's, and a notch above Steelclaw's as well.
Derek had truly lived up to having once been Godkin University's number one.
After all, out of the hundreds of graduates Godkin University produced each year, at most five ever managed to land guardian contracts with major cities.
Students majoring in the performing arts, for instance, mostly went into Hollywood after graduation, or gravitated toward cultural bastions like Broadway, the Metropolitan Opera, or the New York Philharmonic.
The rest of the crimefighting majors were relegated to various city streets and local communities, or banded together into their own superhero teams. They would crack down on petty crime every now and then, stream, film videos, and boost their notoriety by any means necessary to rake in a few brand endorsements.
Barring any mishaps, Derek would have become a city guardian after graduation, just like Steelclaw.
In terms of raw combat power alone, Derek might have been slightly weaker than Steelclaw back in his prime, before the man had let himself go.
But Derek had youth on his side, and his superpower still had room to grow.
Indeed, superpowers could be further honed and developed with age and rigorous training.
It wasn't as some assumed—that once a superpower awakened, it remained fixed in stone forever.
Qi Li had plenty of authority on that matter.
Whether it was his innate flight or the super strength and super defense he acquired later, only after thorough, seasoned development could they display an output that truly matched their full potential.
To use an analogy, his body was like a high-performance car equipped with a five-speed transmission.
If he were just a novice, he would languish in second or third gear at best; but once he became an experienced driver, he could squeeze every drop of performance out of the entire machine right to the limit.
The same applied to superpowers.
Because Qi Li possessed past training and ample combat experience, even if his car were upgraded to a sixth or seventh gear in the future, he could still handle its performance with steady ease.
He was nothing like those superhumans who couldn't even control their own powers properly, like toddlers holding loaded guns, hurting others as well as themselves.
It was worth noting that such a scenario was quite common these days.
Derek wasn't quite that hopeless, but asking him to spend his free time outside classes genuinely training and developing his superpower instead of partying until dawn would have been worse than killing him.
Against an enemy like that, Qi Li naturally didn't worry in the slightest.
Just like last time, Qi Li channeled his newly acquired power into super defense.
On the surface, it seemed to merely enhance his defensive durability, but in reality, it fortified his entire physical constitution—naturally making his punches land with far greater impact and his full-speed flight even faster.
Next came Qi Li's post-match routine: answering the host's interview questions, warmly interacting with the audience, and going through each post-fight segment without a hitch.
Butcher lowered his binoculars, clapped Hughie on the shoulder, and said, "Oi, kid. Time to move."
Hughie was still reeling from the showdown he had just witnessed.
Visually and viscerally, it was far more shocking than any action flick, shootout, or superhero movie he had ever seen.
Still lost in the moment, he blurted out instinctively, "Leaving already?"
Bronze was still on stage talking.
Butcher turned his head, staring straight at Hughie, his mouth curling into an exaggerated, mocking sneer. "Oh! Look at our number one fan Hughie, positively champing at the bit to go lick Bronze's boots! Want me to tackle the competition for you and pick up a few instructional DVDs while I'm at it?"
Hughie's mind jolted, snapping him completely awake.
He glared instinctively at Butcher, wanting desperately to fire back in kind, but after racking his brains for a moment, he couldn't find the words. In the end, he averted his eyes and forced out two dry words: "Let's go."
Butcher gave him an amused look and led the way forward.
Along the way, as if trying to salvage some dignity, Hughie chimed in defensively, "What I meant was, what about Popclaw? Wasn't she our target?"
In his thick British accent, Butcher drawled, "While you were busy staring unblinkingly at Bronze's arse, I already noticed that Popclaw was glancing over at A-Train every minute or two, looking like some bitter nun who's been cooped up in an abbey so long she's forgotten what a bloke looks like. And besides..."
Butcher didn't finish his sentence, because the person he was about to mention had just arrived.
Frenchie, who had been nowhere to be seen earlier, slipped over and briskly handed over a USB drive. "Surveillance footage from A-Train and Popclaw's VIP box."
Butcher took the drive and smirked at Hughie.
Hughie shut his mouth.
Just as the three were about to leave, someone walked toward them... No, to be precise, two people.
"Qi Li was so, so, so fucking incredible! Made me hold my piss all the way until now. Jordan, thanks for coming with me. Though I gotta ask—are you gonna use the men's room or the women's room in a second?"
"Women's."
Approaching them were Jordan Li in female form and Maverick, who was wearing nothing but a hat.
"Oh my god!" Hughie was instantly stunned. Staring wide-eyed and slack-jawed at the sight, he murmured under his breath.
Was he seeing things? Or had everything that happened before been a lie?
Could it be... Translucent wasn't dead?
Beside him, Frenchie tensed all over, his hand silently slipping toward the handgun concealed behind his back.
Butcher pressed down on his hand, shooting him a warning look.
Then, draping an arm casually around Hughie's shoulders, he said smoothly, "Kid, I know you put a massive bet on Iron Soldier and lost your shirt, but you've got me. Don't worry, I know an easy gig that pays top dollar. Twinks like you are pretty popular, you know..."
While Butcher acted as if nothing were amiss, blabbing to Hughie about new avenues to make cash, Maverick and Jordan only cast a passing glance in their direction and paid them no mind at all, brushing right past them.
Once the distance between them had opened up considerably, Hughie opened his mouth to say something, but Butcher cut him off. "Idiot. That's Translucent's son."
Hughie finally realized the truth.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
The post-match interview had finally wrapped up.
The moment Qi Li stepped away from the cameras and returned backstage, Kate was already there waiting eagerly. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she stood on tiptoes and delivered a kiss as classic as any ending to a superhero movie.
Qi Li didn't refuse.
A minute later, leaning in close to her flushed ear, he asked softly, "Did you book the hotel?"
In Kate's pale blue eyes, a searing flame seemed to burn.
Her voice slightly raspy, she said, "Four Seasons Hotel Manhattan, room 1215, specialty suite."
Qi Li smiled. "Give me half an hour."
His on-camera duties were done, but there were still some loose ends to tie up behind the scenes.
Kate obeyed meekly. "Mm."
Chapter 31