Chapter 124: Earth

5 o'clock in the evening.

Lu Jun was already waiting anxiously in the reception room. His parents and relatives were about to meet him here, whether it was real or fake, it was an incredibly joyful matter.

Aside from him, there were several others in the adjacent conference room also waiting, but they weren't waiting for their families; instead, they were waiting for an opportunity to negotiate with the authorities.

Chu Tiankuo was one of them.

After all, upon his return, he had gone from being a powerful CEO to a bankrupt one. Not only that, but the ancestral properties that remained were snatched away by cunning relatives.

CEO Chu expressed that if not for the sake of world peace, he would definitely unleash a "Heavenly King's Chill" to make those who stole his ancestral properties experience "a terror worse than death."

Fortunately, Lu Jun had already made contact with the authorities and summoned him in the group chat to seek justice at the headquarters of the National Security Bureau.

"Dad Country will surely give you fairness! CEO! We must be law-abiding citizens! Don't just use your CEO aura whenever you disagree with someone!"

The "CEO Aura" had some similarity to his "Tea Aroma Overflowing" skill, but it was more domineering. The "CEO Aura" could force people within a certain area to bow down, and for some poor souls, it could even make them prostrate themselves immediately.

This trick was effective in the Exiled Lands, but it couldn't be used casually on Earth.

Minister Tu's lips twitched upon hearing about this skill, and he solemnly promised to have a serious talk with Chu Tiankuo.

Brother Bear, Salaryman Weekend, and Delivery Guy Fei had also arrived. They mainly wanted to inquire about civil servant positions and, given the uncertainty of whether this world was real, felt safer gathering together.

At that moment, Lu Jun was quite at ease.

Until he heard the sound of the conference room door being pushed open. The instant he lifted his head, before he could even see who it was, he already recognized his grandmother's heart-wrenching wail.

"Oh my heavens! My dear Junjun! My good grandson!! This ungrateful little thing has been missing for an entire year! Do you have any idea how your grandma and your parents have been coping all this time?!"

The moment Lu Jun heard that cry, his entire body froze. Before he knew it, he was embraced by a thin, shriveled body.

The embrace held no strength; he could easily break free with a wave of his hand, but he remained stiff, unable to move.

It was just too... too...

"Oh, you silly child! Why aren't you saying anything?! Where did you go for this whole year?! Why did you only come back now?!"

The elderly woman, with tear-filled eyes, patted Lu Jun's body, while two others, equally emotional and their eyes reddened, stood behind him.

Lu Jun lifted his head to see two faces he missed dearly and knew intimately.

Soon, he was enveloped in the embrace of these two individuals.

"You silly child! You silly child!!"

"My Junjun! My precious one!"

In that moment, Lu Jun's heart trembled. He clenched his teeth, trembling uncontrollably but trying not to lose control. Yet, he couldn't suppress the emotions surging within him.

If this was a false world created solely to deceive and torment them, then he had to admit that the devouring monster had achieved its purpose.

If the three people hugging him now were to launch a fatal attack, he doubted he could evade it, no matter how hard he tried.

Death here would mean true death.

But no attack came. Instead, he was alternately hugged, called by name, and comforted by the trio. The three pairs of concerned eyes held no malice; only the warmest affection he could fathom.

"Junjun! Junjun! What's happened to you? Why aren't you saying a word?"

"Are you trying to drive Grandma and your parents crazy? Say something, no matter what!"

The shriveled elder patted Lu Jun forcefully. Under the earnest anticipation of the three sets of eyes, Lu Jun opened his mouth, then closed it, opened it again, then closed it once more.

Finally, on the third attempt, he croaked out in a hoarse voice,

"Mama... Grandma... Papa."

Then, he was enveloped in another tight embrace.

"You naughty child! We've been so worried about you this past year! It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back!"

Despite the scolding, Lu Jun couldn't help but wear a foolish grin on his face.

Only when he looked up and saw the two gentle and intellectual figures standing not far away did he say,

"Aunt, Uncle."

A scholarly man with glasses offered him a gentle smile, while the efficient woman standing beside him nodded briskly and asked, "Where's your brother?"

Lyu Jun was finally released and then had to endure his grandmother's nagging. "Yes, that good-for-nothing who always rolls his eyes at me? Didn't he come back with you? Why can't I see him now?"

A year ago, Lyu Jun would have secretly rejoiced hearing his grandmother criticize his cousin, but he wasn't the same person anymore! Neither was his cousin!

He reacted quicker than his aunt and uncle, "Grandma! How can you speak of Cousin like that?! He just can't talk and doesn't fancy interacting with those ignorant weaklings. He never rolls his eyes!"

Lyu Grandma: ????

Was she experiencing auditory hallucinations due to her age?

"… What did you say? When did you become so close to that good-for-nothing?"

Lyu Jun immediately raised his head. "I've told you, Grandma, don't speak of Cousin like that! If it weren't for him, my grave would already be overgrown with grass two meters high! Back then, I was ignorant and would always blabber nonsense in front of him.

I was foolish, narrow-minded, and prone to speaking out of turn, yet Cousin didn't hold it against me. He always saved me from life-threatening situations. Now I realize blood ties are the strongest bond!

How wonderful it is to have such a powerful, handsome, and kind cousin! Cousin is my deity! From now on, I'll follow him wherever he goes, and I'll tremble at his every word!"

Grandma Lu: ...

Lu Dad and Lu Mom: ...

Jin Dad and Jin Mom: ...

What on earth had happened in this year that not only transformed this poor child's personality but also impaired his mind?

Lu Mom's eyes instantly reddened. Just as she was about to speak, she noticed her son's gaze shining towards a particular spot.

Then, right before her very eyes, her ever-irritating yet consistently superior nephew materialized out of thin air, astonishing everyone in the conference room with a literal magic trick.

Lu Dad and Lu Mom: !!!!

Grandma Lu's face contorted as if she had seen a ghost, ready to wail. But then, she heard her usually mute grandson speak:

"Shut up, don't howl."

All Grandma Lu's screams were trapped in her throat, and even Lu Dad and Lu Mom found themselves unable to utter a word.

Only Chen Shi Jin's parents, the bespectacled middle-aged man and the elegant woman in outdoor training attire, returned his smile with warmth that was impossible to decline.

The woman in the training suit, after her smile, opened her arms wide, ready for an embrace long overdue.

Looking at the two faces that tugged at his heartstrings, Chen Shi Jin fell silent for a moment before he approached them, laughing softly as he returned their embrace.

It was another embrace one couldn't refuse.

"Welcome back, Jin Jin."

"You've worked hard, son."

Chen Shi Jin's eyes felt slightly teary. He relished the tenderness for a moment before stepping back with a smile. "Yeah, I'm back. It wasn't hard."

Just a bit tiring.

It was only at this point that the three people who had been unable to speak suddenly found their voices, as Grandma Lu let out a scream:

"You brat! You can talk??"

After being missing for a year, this mute kid could actually speak now! Well, it seemed like misfortune could turn into fortune!

*Yi Xi Zheng Li E*

Chen Shi Jin shot her grandmother a withering glare that she knew all too well and found extremely piercing.

Grandma Lu: Huh!

She knew that the moment she laid eyes on this boy, her mood would sour!

Grandma Lu immediately started to nag, "What kind of look is that? Huh! You're using that look again! You disrespectful little punk! You, wu wu wu wu?!"

This time, it wasn't Chen Shi Jin who silenced her but Lu Jun, who frantically covered his grandma's mouth in fear.

"Grandma, stop talking! Do you know why Little Ming's grandpa lived up to ninety-nine? It's because he never criticized his grandson!"

Still the grandson who could shut her up with just one sentence!

At this moment, thinking back to the past two decades, all the foolish things he, his grandmother, his parents, and he himself had done and said in front of his cousin, Lu Jun felt a strange sense of detachment, as if it wouldn't be so bad if the world were to explode right now.

Ah, looking at himself now, he dared not even recall his former self.

Lu Jun's reaction clearly left his grandmother and his parents confused, but Chen Shijin's family, especially Jin Father and Jin Mother, didn't seem surprised at all.

After all, which parents didn't know their own child?

Not to mention, for the sake of their child's healthy growth, these two parents had scoured every mysterious book they could find and traveled to every enigmatic corner of Earth, just to ensure their child's safety under that immense power.

And they had succeeded.

"Good boy, you can speak now."

The efficient mother reached out to touch her son, whom she had taught not to speak, her voice gentle yet trembling.

Chen Shijin held those scarred hands and kissed them affectionately.

"Yes, Mother.

"Finally, I can speak."

As he began to talk, the shrill alarms of the Security Department echoed again, casting a veil of panic and tension over everyone.

"Alert! Alert!! Unusual energy fluctuations detected within a hundred-mile radius around the Security Department! Red Rain is imminent, descending within three minutes! All Security personnel, evacuate immediately! Evacuate immediately, all Security personnel!!"

In an instant, the faces of Uncle Lu, Aunt Lu, Grandma Lu turned ashen white. Even Uncle Jin and Aunt Jin's expressions grew grim.

"…What kind of joke is this? In three minutes, where could we possibly escape to? We won't be able to escape, we simply won't be able to!"

"Junjun! Hold onto Mom and Dad tightly! Even if we're to vanish, to... to die, we'll do it together as a family!"

Liu Jun's eyes instantly reddened. He embraced his parents firmly. "Don't be afraid, Mom and Dad! We won't die! I'll protect you! I'm your son, and I can keep you safe!"

"And cousin! Cousin can protect all of us!"

Liu Jun looked up at Chen Shijin.

Liu's parents felt that their son was talking utter nonsense. How could that be possible? No one had ever been able to survive the Red Rain unscathed.

Wherever the crimson rain reached, no one could escape its invisible eradication.

However, they also instinctively looked toward Chen Shijin and were astounded to discover that this unlikable, silent youth had vanished once more on the spot.

Only the monitoring team at the control center and those who had already evacuated from the security department witnessed the breathtaking scene:

A young man suddenly materialized atop the security building.

Amidst the raging gale, he lifted his head to gaze at the crimson storm clouds hanging in the sky.

Then, amidst the dark clouds, the first drop of scarlet rain descended. As that singular, crimson droplet was poised to touch the young man's forehead, nestled between his brows, he gazed upon it and the surrounding stormy skies, their hue now red after a year's absence, before speaking softly.

"Clouds disperse, rain ceases."

Click.

That crimson raindrop seemed to be erased by an invisible force in mid-air, and then that force, like a rejuvenating spring breeze, dispersed the chilling red rainclouds in the sky.

This time, he was able to speak.

!!!!