The night passed.
Dawn came.
After spending more than two days in the big hotel, Asher and the others checked out in the morning and drove the old RV toward their next destination. They didn't encounter any dangers along the way, which was surprising given their usual luck.
When they arrived in town, it was already noon.
The town was much like the one where Aunt Vera and her husband had lived, set in a remote suburban area with relatively outdated infrastructure. The kind of place that time seemed to have forgotten.
"Grandpa, did we spend almost all our summer vacation funds on that big hotel for those two days?" Asher teased as he looked around the small town, his head tilted back.
"This place is fun too, and there's a rally tonight that you'll definitely enjoy," Max said cheerfully. When he mentioned the rally, his eyes lit up with genuine enthusiasm.
"I told you," Ben whispered to Asher, leaning in conspiratorially. "Grandpa's totally using summer vacation as his retirement tour. Who even goes to rallies anymore?"
"Okay, okay, just keep it down," Asher glanced at Max carefully and reminded Ben. "Grandpa's hearing hasn't gotten that bad yet!"
Ben grimaced but nodded.
The four of them ate lunch in town and spent the afternoon wandering around. While it wasn't particularly exciting, it was comfortable and relaxing.
It wasn't until the rally began that evening that Asher and the others, led by Max, arrived at the rally site and witnessed just how lively this small town could be!
Large tents dotted the landscape everywhere, resembling the massive dome tents of a circus. People walked around in every direction, creating a bustling atmosphere.
"What's fun about this? It's so boring, Grandpa," Ben complained as he looked around. After confirming there were no video game arcades or anything similar in sight, he immediately lost interest.
"I heard there's a circus performing at the rally tonight. Why don't we go watch it together?" Max suggested with genuine interest. "We haven't had much downtime these past few days, and watching a circus performance would be a nice change of pace."
Asher was the first to raise his hand in approval. "Sounds good. Going to an arcade would probably just mean running into more troublemakers. A circus should be safe, no dangerous people. I could use a vacation day."
Well, if Asher was willing to go, Gwen definitely wanted to accompany him. And Ben wasn't about to be left out, which meant unanimous approval.
Max was pleased. This saved him a lot of trouble.
The rally wasn't particularly large, and the four of them simply followed the crowd flowing in one direction to reach the circus. It was clear the circus was quite popular, it seemed like the entire town had come out to watch.
After walking for a few minutes, a circus appeared not far ahead. A giant clown face adorned the entrance door.
It was a clown with pale skin, a bloated face, and a pair of gloomy eyes. Rather than bringing laughter, it had an unsettling, ominous feeling to it.
Is this just my imagination?
"Maybe I've been too on edge lately," Asher muttered to himself, trying to rationalize it away. "Or maybe this villain is so weak I don't even remember him."
On the stage next to the circus entrance, a host faced Asher and all the other visitors, explaining with exaggerated enthusiasm, "Ladies and gentlemen, come and see! Our circus presents the most ferocious and invincible freak in the entire universe, whose boundless strength can level mountains, Thumbskull!"
"That powerful? I'd like to see that," Asher said with genuine interest, stopping in his tracks.
"The most invincible freak in the universe?" Ben joked. "Has he ever met Vilgax?"
The others stopped as well. The host's dramatic introduction was too appetizing to ignore, everyone wanted to see what the so-called "most ferocious freak in the universe" looked like!
The host gestured dramatically to the side, and a spotlight beam cut through the darkness to illuminate the stage.
THUD!
A tall man appeared under the light, dressed in black like a prison uniform, with a small tuft of green hair styled in a crew cut. He had a tiger's back and bear's waist, built like a muscular comic book character!
He held a steel bar in both hands, pressing it against the back of his neck.
"Humph!"
Thumbskull grunted and pushed forward with both palms. Nothing happened to his neck. Instead, the steel bar twisted instantly, the two ends pressing against the sides of his neck, bending from straight into the shape of a collar!
"Wow!! What incredible strength! And his body is so strong!"
"As expected of the most terrifying freak in the universe..."
"Hahaha, this ticket price was totally worth it! Getting to see such a powerful freak perform!"
The crowd erupted in exclamations of admiration, all praising and celebrating Thumbskull. In their eyes, this was practically a ability!
As for Asher, he looked at the "thin" body of Thumbskull and thought to himself: If I transformed into Four Arms, one punch would probably give Thumbskull the same fateas that steel bar!
Still, this guy was a freak compared to ordinary people, and he was worth keeping an eye on.
WHOOSH!!
Thumbskull raised the bent steel bars high, as if he was about to throw them into the crowd. Many people screamed.
The host continued unhurriedly, "Let's give a round of applause to welcome Frightwig!"
SNAP!
Long red hair like vines curled around the rebar that had been thrown high, catching it mid-air and suspending it there until it stopped completely!
It was a beautiful, fair-skinned woman wearing a black dress, but she herself had a cool, repulsive temperament. As for her hair, it was more like Medusa's. The roots of her red hair were actually alive, resembling countless red snakes!
Many people's eyes were drawn to her, unable to look away from the attractive woman.
Even Asher showed a hint of surprise at first glance. "She's really pretty, mainly because of her figure."
More importantly, she was a ability user. In Asher's experience, among all the abilityed individuals he'd met, Frightwig had the highest appearance rating and a first-class figure.
Kevin and the bald guy from earlier... well, the less said about them, the better.
But still...
How does this small circus have two ability users? This warranted Asher's vigilance.
He and Ben were notorious for their "death magnet" physique. Wherever they went, incidents would happen. Although he didn't remember exactly what would occur here, Asher knew one thing for certain:
Nothing good would happen!
In short, staying alert and paying attention to these people couldn't be wrong!
Next, Frightwig used her red hair to make a heart shape, and the steel bar deformed again. Finally, she gently placed it on the display cabinet beside the stage using her hair.
CREAK.
A man wearing a metal mask, looking truly sorry for the audience, with a thin body like a walking corpse, finally made his debut!
He removed his mask.
Ptui!
He spat out a mouthful of corrosive liquid, and the entire steel bar completely corroded!!
Seeing this scene, many audience members nearly vomited. The emotions that had been raised by Frightwig's appearance were suddenly extinguished.
"Three ability users."
Asher narrowed his eyes slightly. It's better if they don't try anything with me. I just want to watch a circus. But if you guys start something, then don't blame me for not being polite!