Chapter 3: Family

Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Family

"How should I bring this up..."

Ji Zhixing stood at the door to his home. Pausing for a few seconds, he took out his keys and inserted them into the lock.

CLICK.

The door opened.

"Zhixing, you’re back!" a crisp voice instantly rang out.

A girl in faded pink loungewear walked over from the living room. It was his younger sister, Ji Zhiyu. She had just started eighth grade this year and hadn’t hit her growth spurt yet. She was a bit small and thin, but her eyes were bright, and shallow dimples appeared when she smiled.

"Give me your backpack," Ji Zhiyu said, naturally reaching out her hand.

Ji Zhixing instinctively handed over his shoulder bag, but his gaze drifted past his sister’s shoulder and into the house. The living room was small and simply furnished, but it was kept spotlessly clean. His father, Ji Guodong, was indeed already home, sitting on the sofa they had used for over a decade, watching television.

Hearing the door open, he looked up with a smile. "Zhixing, you’re back. There’s a lockdown outside. You weren’t affected, were you?" His voice was raspy, marked by years of smoking.

"No, we came straight back after school," Ji Zhixing replied. He changed his shoes and walked inside.

Dinner was already set on the table—a plate of stir-fried seasonal vegetables, a plate of pickled vegetables with dried tofu, and a small dish of braised meat. Tomorrow was the big day for him to choose his genes, so his mother had clearly gone out of her way to add an extra dish.

The hum of the range hood drifted from the kitchen. His mother, Zhang Yulan, poked her head out. A fine layer of sweat coated her forehead, but her smile was gentle. "Go wash your hands first, the last dish will be ready in a minute. I specially bought some ribs today to stew some soup for you."

"Zhixing, have you decided what gene you’re going to choose tomorrow?" Ji Zhiyu asked, leaning in with bright eyes after putting away his bag. "I think a bird of prey gene would be best. Since you awakened a Tier 2 Gene Node, choosing a bird of prey gene gives you a chance to gain flying abilities without having to wait until you advance to the Tier 4 Morning Star rank."

Ji Zhixing’s body stiffened.

Ji Guodong also looked over, his eyes full of anticipation. "Zhixing, don’t be nervous. Choose whatever you want. The most important thing is compatibility."

"Dad..." Ji Zhixing opened his mouth, but the words caught in his throat.

"Time to eat!" Zhang Yulan called out, walking out of the kitchen with a steaming pot of rib soup. "Everyone, come sit down. Zhixing, hurry up. This soup has been stewing for a long time, so the bones are nice and soft. It’s really nutritious."

"Okay." Ji Zhixing nodded.

The family gathered around the small square table. Just as Ji Zhixing sat down, a pair of chopsticks picked up a thick slice of braised meat and placed it into his bowl.

"Here, Zhixing, eat up. Tomorrow is the biggest day of your life. Eat well and rest up," Zhang Yulan said, looking at him with a smile, the crow’s feet around her eyes crinkling warmly.

Fragments of memories welled up in his mind. For the past two and a half years, scenes like this had played out almost every day. Almost all the delicious food cooked at home went into his stomach. He had always taken it for granted that he would receive the best portions. Although his sister would occasionally look on longingly, she was sensible and never fought him for it.

"I really am a piece of trash!" Ji Zhixing cursed himself harshly in his heart.

"If I had truly awakened a Tier 2 Gene Node and could give my family a good life in the future, that would be one thing. But all of this..." He gripped his chopsticks tightly. "All of this is built on my lies!"

He picked up his chopsticks, grabbed the largest rib from the bowl closest to him, and placed it into Ji Zhiyu’s bowl. The other three people at the table froze.

Ji Zhiyu looked at the extra rib in her bowl in astonishment, then looked up at her brother. Zhang Yulan and Ji Guodong also paused their chopsticks, looking at their son in surprise.

"My Gene Node is completely stable now. I don’t need tonics like before." Trying his best to make his voice sound natural, Ji Zhixing picked up another piece and put it into his mother’s bowl, then did the same for his father. "Zhiyu, you’re growing and way too thin. You should eat more meat from now on. Mom, Dad, you two should eat more too. Stop saving everything for me."

The dinner table fell silent for a few seconds.

Ji Zhiyu looked at Ji Zhixing and softly whispered, "Thank you, Zhixing."

Zhang Yulan looked at the rib in her bowl, then at her son, her eyes growing a bit misty.

Ji Guodong glanced at his son, a gratified smile appearing on his weathered face. "Good, good, our son has grown up. Yulan, Zhiyu, let’s all eat."

The meal was exceptionally heartwarming.

Watching the smiles on his parents’ and sister’s faces, Ji Zhixing felt an overwhelming urge to confess. The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them back down.

"Just wait a little longer!" he told himself. "Wait until I go to the gene bank tomorrow and see what exactly is going on with the gene furnace inside my body... Let’s see if there’s any turning point..."

Struggling internally, he ultimately decided to wait until he returned from the gene bank tomorrow to say anything. If the transforming Eight Trigrams Furnace inside his body could truly bring about a miracle, perhaps he still had a chance to live up to his family’s expectations.

If it couldn’t...

Then he would confess and admit his faults. He would bear all the consequences.

BOOM!!

Just then, a muffled but incredibly loud explosion echoed, seemingly originating from deep within the earth. The entire old residential building trembled, and the dishes on the table clattered.

The family’s expressions changed drastically. Ji Guodong immediately stood up, strode over to the window, and lifted a corner of the curtain to look vigilantly toward the southeast. That was the exact direction where the Sky Tyrant Dragon Beast had appeared.

Zhang Yulan instinctively pulled her daughter closer.

Ji Zhixing’s heart also tightened as the terrifying shadow of the dragon blocking out the sun once again flashed through his mind. Looking toward the horizon, he could see streaks of flashing light erupting in the distance. Fortunately, nothing had gone wrong in Yu City Base City.

The tremors lasted for about ten minutes before finally subsiding.

"The Sky Tyrant Dragon Beast has been repelled and is now far from the vicinity of Yu City Base City. The alert status will be lifted in one hour. Citizens may resume their normal routines. Repeat, the Sky Tyrant Dragon Beast has been repelled..."

The broadcast repeated three times.

Cheers and discussions of survival erupted throughout the entire building and the surrounding neighborhood.

"It’s Xiao Guardian Envoy! Xiao Guardian Envoy must have taken action!"

"That’s amazing! That was a Tier 7 Glory-rank Gene Beast!"

"With Lord Xiao here in Yu City, we’re safe!"

Ji Zhixing slowly released his tight grip on the window frame. His palms were covered in sweat. He gazed out at the dark wilderness that had returned to peace, but his mind repeatedly replayed the flashes of light that had illuminated the distant horizon.

Such power...

Such a level...

He took a deep breath and turned back to his family.

"It’s been repelled..." Ji Guodong’s tense shoulders relaxed. Letting out a long exhale, he sat back down on the sofa, thoroughly relieved. "A Glory-rank Gene Beast... how terrifying."

"Yeah, thank goodness Xiao Guardian Envoy is here," Zhang Yulan said, also breathing a sigh of relief.

"Everything’s fine now." Ji Guodong patted his daughter’s shoulder and looked at Ji Zhixing. "You have to get up early tomorrow. Go to bed early tonight."

"Okay," Ji Zhixing nodded.

That night, many people in Yu City Base City found it difficult to sleep.

Lying in bed, Ji Zhixing stared wide-eyed at the ceiling.

Inside his body, the gene furnace’s transformation was still ongoing. He could feel the rotation speed of the Eight Trigrams symbols accelerating. The furnace’s structure was becoming increasingly stable, and a profound, mysterious rhythm was taking shape.

"No matter what it turns into, I’ll find out tomorrow."

He closed his eyes, forcing himself to go to sleep.