Come at Me Together

Even as he spoke, Qi Li abruptly lunged forward, closing the distance to Maverick in the blink of an eye and thrusting out his fingers. Thanks to the baseball cap Maverick was wearing, Qi Li easily caught him by his invisible shoulder. "Wait—" Maverick barely managed to start his plea for mercy. Qi Li offered him another smile, and then... *Crash!* Maverick was hurled violently through the air, his head slamming heavily against a thick reinforced concrete wall, sending chunks of cement clattering down in showers of debris. Translucent's carbon metamaterial skin was remarkably tough, so Qi Li wasn't remotely worried about causing the guy any lasting harm. He clapped the dust from his hands and swept his gaze over the rest of the eager classmates circling around him, chuckling faintly. "If you want to fight, then come at me all at once." Luke's eyes lit up. Knowing that Qi Li was currently the undisputed number one in practical combat across the entire school, he didn't hold back. His entire body burst into flames, transforming into a blazing human torch as he surged forward, riding a wave of scorching heat. Watching him approach, the corner of Qi Li's mouth curled up, and he offered a casual critique: "Nice superpower. Bit wasteful on clothes, though." *Boom!* Luke threw a punch, the high-temperature flames coiling around his arm warping the surrounding air into intense distortions. Without yielding an inch, Qi Li swept his left hand across, his palm intercepting the strike with pinpoint precision. Luke's eyes narrowed. He poured on the power, trying to force his opponent back. Yet Qi Li remained completely motionless. The skin of his left hand, engulfed in the blaze, showed not the slightest hint of a burn. Naturally, the cuff of his shirt was reduced to ashes in an instant. Reality, after all, was different from the movies. Unless he was wearing a seven-figure superhero battle suit, getting into close-quarters combat with a fire-wielder like Luke was bound to ruin ordinary clothes. Meanwhile, Luke looked at Qi Li standing before him like an unmovable mountain—unfazed no matter how much force he exerted, his fiery powers failing to leave even a scratch. A wave of profound shock washed over him. Qi Li's fingers suddenly clamped around Luke's fist, and he offered a bit of unsolicited instruction: "A combat style based on full-body combustion offers plenty of advantages, but it comes with one glaring weakness." *A weakness?* Confusion flickered across Luke's face. The very next second. Qi Li's foot shot out like a lightning bolt, striking dead center on target. In an instant! Luke's handsome face flushed a deep, mottled purple. His eyes bulged as if they were about to pop out of their sockets. His entire body snapped forward into a fetal position, both hands clutching his crotch, unable to squeeze out even a coherent scream from his throat. Qi Li, the culprit, gave an innocent shrug. "Can't be helped. Anyone facing you would think of going for that spot." Fortunately, this was just a friendly spar, and he had deliberately pulled his kick, sparing Luke any irreversible lifelong regret. Just as Qi Li was about to fling Luke aside... Andre, who had apologized earlier and was now desperate to save his friend, thrust his hands toward a sheet-metal trash can in the corner. Instantly, the heavy trash can tore into the air, turning into a screeching projectile as it rocketed straight toward Qi Li at blistering speed. Without even looking, Qi Li casually swept his free hand out and caught the high-speed projectile midair, halting it dead in its tracks. Andre strained with both hands aimed at the can, the veins on his forehead bulging near the point of bursting. Yet the can couldn't advance a single millimeter. Under the crushing strain, it groaned and caved inward, buckling violently into a mangled mess. Qi Li finally glanced over, noticing Andre's splayed, claw-like hand gesture, and remarked dryly: "Why do you need your hands? Can't you just use your brain?" It made sense for Kate to use her hands, but for a magnetic manipulator like Andre, using his powers had nothing to do with his arms. Another case of watching too many movies. Qi Li simply hurled Luke toward Andre. Andre's concentration broke instinctively; abandoning the trash can, he reached out to catch his buddy. Qi Li grinned, bouncing the severely deformed trash can in his palm, ready to give the pair an encore surprise. *Boom!* A powerful shockwave slammed abruptly into his torso. Qi Li's balance faltered, and for the first time, he was sent flying backward. Yet in the space of a heartbeat, he righted himself in midair and dropped like an anchor, planting his feet firmly back on the ground. "Not bad." Qi Li raised his gaze toward the female form of Jordan standing not far away, who had just unleashed the blast, and gave an approving nod. Jordan said nothing, thrusting forward with both hands to fire another shockwave. Qi Li's figure blurred as he sidestepped the blast, then strode purposefully toward Jordan. Mid-stride— *Whoosh!* A high-speed blur grazed past his side. Qi Li's body listed sideways, and he took a sharp step back before regaining his footing. "Nice one, Dean! Everyone, take him on together! It's a rare chance to teach Godkin U's number one a lesson—we can't miss this!" Maverick, having already discarded his cap and hidden his invisible self somewhere in the room, shouted excitedly. If he hadn't been worried about giving away his position to Qi Li, he would have loved to pull out his phone and record everything. Without needing the reminder, Jordan seized the opening, unleashing another concussive blast. Qi Li brought his left forearm up to block. *Screeech—* His shoes carved long skid marks into the floor as he absorbed the force, sliding back seven or eight meters while maintaining his guard. Right then... Thick steel rebar burst through the crater Maverick had smashed into the wall earlier. Under Andre's command, the metal rods pierced the air with a shrill whistle, crossing dozens of meters in a flash to stab toward Qi Li's back from multiple angles. Without turning his head, Qi Li blasted apart a long-range burst of flame hurled by Luke with a single punch, then tilted his head aside to dodge a hand—slender, shapely, with well-defined joints like a hand model's, yet tipped with lethal, beast-like claws. Looking at the woman before him—one of the few Asian superhumans at Godkin University, just like himself—Qi Li showed no trace of chivalrous restraint. He twisted his torso and drove a fist straight toward her chest. In that split second, the woman suddenly whipped her head around, her pitch-black eyes locking onto Qi Li's, a faint pink glow shimmering within her pupils. *A charm? Mind control?* *Too bad that doesn't work on me.* Qi Li didn't hesitate. His punch drove forward, launching the woman dozens of meters through the air. In the meantime, the dozen or so rebar rods manipulated by Andre struck home, but they only tore through his clothes, failing to pierce his skin in the slightest. Seeing this, Andre gritted his teeth and shifted his tactics. The rebar instantly came alive like a nest of silver-gray serpents, slithering from head to toe to coil tightly around Qi Li, aiming to pin him rigidly in place. Even as the metal bound him tighter and tighter, Qi Li paid the rebar no mind. Instead, he turned his head and smiled at Kate, who was sneaking up from behind, hand outstretched: "Darling, your intention is a little too obvious."