Hugo's left hand tapped a few simple notes on the keyboard's black and white keys, like a beginner tentatively testing the sounds the keys made.These unfamiliar and simple notes stunned the onlookers, most of whom showed expressions of disbelief.They had hoped Hugo would perform something extraordinary, but this beginning made it difficult to have further expectations.Suddenly, Hugo's right hand pressed a sound effect, creating the sound of an airplane gliding.Accompanied by a long trailing sound, the force of his left hand gradually increased, and a series of psychedelic, excited, and powerful notes flowed from Hugo's slender left fingers.His knuckles were strong and firm, the music light and flowing.Hugo curved his lips into a smile, let out a soft "Oh," and then quickly placed his right hand on the snare drum, tapping out a lively beat.The rustling drumbeats of the snare drum merged with the electronic notes from the keyboard, and the two intertwined, creating countless brilliant stars, each embedded in the gradually darkening night sky."Hmm, I met a dying old man on the train," Hugo began to sing.His voice seemed hidden within the music, veiled, making it difficult to discern its original form, yet one could feel the richness and comfort of his timbre.Hugo deliberately strained his voice today, simply put, by "howling."This unconventional singing method gave Hugo's voice a slightly hoarse texture, creating a roaring effect.So, even with a simple lyric, Hugo's voice, combined with his crisp articulation, allowed the song's momentum to silently spread."No more direction, no more pain.Hmm, he said, 'Before I die, there's only one thing... never let your fear decide your fate.'"In fact, Hugo's singing technique was still not outstanding; he was still exploring many methods.However, singing his own original songs had this advantage: his deeper understanding of the lyrics and melody allowed the singer to express emotions more fully.For example, at this moment.Everyone fell silent, listening quietly to Hugo's singing.The keyboard notes, weaving through the night sky, adorned the dark night with countless stars, and a hazy yet magnificent scene, like Vincent van Gogh's famous painting "The Starry Night," unfolded before their eyes.Listen to the profound meaning in Hugo's lyrics: Who was the dying old man?Rock and roll, or the spirit of adhering to traditional rock models?"No more direction, no more pain" directly pointed out the sadness of people questioning Hugo's views.Without innovation, not only rock but all music would gradually decline; this was inevitable.And the final line, 'never let your fear decide your fate,' was even more deafening.Why did Pedro, Fokin, and others believe that rock without a guitar was impossible?Was it because they lacked talent?Clearly not.It was because they were afraid of change, because they lacked imagination, because they dared not take the step to break the mold.Fear deciding fate—that was the real tragedy, especially for rock and roll, which had repeatedly defied convention.The melody under Hugo's left fingertips was not complicated; it was a simple eight-beat rhythm, catchy and easy to hum along to after just one listen.Paired with the well-arranged drumbeats from his right hand, intertwined with the melody, it made people involuntarily tap their feet to the rhythm of each drumbeat...It seemed that without realizing it, everyone became immersed in the live carnival.Hugo's lips curved into a slight arc, and his amber eyes sparkled with a light brighter than the moon or the sun.His thin lips uttered word after word, forming seemingly meaningless words into heavy hammers, striking at everyone's hearts."I said 'yes,' kill your heroes and then fly, fly, baby don't cry."Hugo's voice suddenly intensified, changing his singing method and completely unleashing his voice.This not only prevented the song's momentum from weakening but made it grow even stronger.The line "kill your heroes" glided indifferently through the night, like a gentle breeze, understated, but the subsequent "Fly! Fly!" immediately surged in momentum, unleashing the entire power.Pedro looked at Hugo before him, his mouth slightly agape, dumbfounded.He was stunned by Hugo, and even more by the groundbreaking nature of this music.Hugo's confidence shone so brightly that people couldn't take their eyes off him, as if all the notes were obeying his command.In truth, Hugo's use of the keyboard and snare drum was quite basic and not difficult, at least a notch below his guitar skills.But it was precisely such simple melodies and techniques, rearranged, that radiated new vitality, and finally, through Hugo's performance, burst into brilliance.Every lyric, every melody, struck Pedro's heart forcefully.If he had looked down on Hugo that morning when they met at the car dealership, then when he saw Hugo shredding on the guitar, he was impressed.And now, Pedro was completely captivated.Pedro once again deeply realized that the underground rock music scene was full of hidden talents; one should never underestimate others, because their talent often left people speechless!"No need to worry, because everyone will die.We just walk, walk every day, baby don't walk.No need to worry, I love you more than anything."Hugo's rich voice freely traversed the psychedelic melody, constantly transforming into various colors, and the weight of the lyrics fell squarely on everyone's hearts.Neil couldn't help but close his eyes.He felt as if he had grown wings, soaring in the melody from Hugo's fingertips, enjoying the wonder and happiness of musical magic.Indeed, Hugo did not use a guitar; there were only two instruments on stage: a keyboard and a snare drum.But Hugo successfully created a song, an undoubtedly rock song, and more importantly, the song's momentum, connotation, and depth were in no way inferior to other excellent rock songs, effortlessly immersing people in it.Existing rock music was the "hero" in everyone's hearts; more specifically, it might be Nirvana, or The Beatles.Everyone had their own heroes, but in Hugo's song, the hero referred to the fixed model of rock and roll.However, Hugo used his actions to tell everyone not to let fear stop their steps, not to let frameworks restrict their actions.Everyone would die; instead of watching their heroes grow old, it was better to personally kill them and then create a world of their own, to take flight and soar, to run wildly, without worrying about the future, because this was the essence of the rock spirit.The phrase "Kill Your Heroes," delivered with Hugo's understated performance, radiated an impressive brilliance, enough to make everyone take notice."Hmm, someday the sun will set on the horizon, an incredible sight will spread across the sky.Hmm, I don't want to be the one to ruin tonight, right in front of you, right in front of your eyes.I said 'yes,' kill your heroes and then fly, fly, baby don't cry.No need to worry, because everyone will die.We just walk, walk every day, baby don't walk.No need to worry, I love you more than anything."Hugo's singing continued to soar through the night sky, and the dark night was completely illuminated by Hugo's spirit.The myriad stars were lit by the notes of this song, making the night as bright as day.Rock music without innovation or breakthroughs, confined within frameworks, would only lead to death.Therefore, Hugo said, "I don't want to be the one to ruin tonight"; the one who needed to break free was "you," every single person present.Humanity's greatest quality lies in its daring to imagine.If you didn't believe you could fly, then airplanes would never have been invented.The same was true for rock and roll.As Hugo sang, Neil was the first to clap his hands to the rhythm.This rhythm merged with the drumbeats of the snare drum, causing the song's momentum to gradually climb.More and more people applauded, and the surrounding crowd finally cast aside their preconceptions, relaxed, and joined the musical carnival, clapping their hands, tapping their feet, moving their bodies to the music, and expressing their resonance with Hugo through their actions.When Hugo sang the chorus, everyone sang along, "Fly! Fly! Baby don't cry!"Hugo's smile blossomed, like an epiphyllum blooming in its most magnificent form in the night.The crowd once again sang in unison, "Walk! Walk! Baby don't walk!"This was the realm of music; perhaps they hated each other, were strangers to each other, but in music, everything could be temporarily set aside, solely for the celebration of this uncomplicated yet profoundly resonant melody.Fokin looked at Hugo before him, an irrepressible smile blooming on his face.Although he didn't want to admit defeat, he had to acknowledge that Hugo had made him bow down with his actions.This was a song without guitar accompaniment, and it was so excellent that it made people cheer.This was a song that delved deep into the essence of rock and roll; the call to "kill your heroes" was enough to make everyone raise their arms and shout.As Hugo said, anything was possible, because this was the essence of the rock spirit; rock had never lacked the courage to kill its heroes.So, Fokin no longer suppressed himself, clenching his fists and tapping the beat with controlled strength, relaxing all the muscles in his body, and completely immersing himself in the world of music, celebrating along with everyone.Thus, a sight that made people turn their heads appeared at the crossroads of Poor Street: a group of over forty people gathered together, jumping, cheering, and shouting to the music drifting from the center of the crowd.This pure enjoyment of music was not uncommon, as it was the essence of a rock party.But it made people curious: there was still over half an hour until Rock Night began, so who was performing live and receiving such a strong response?People's feet uncontrollably moved closer, and the crowd grew larger and larger, only to hear the powerful voice from the very center roaring, "Kill your heroes!"
