Chapter Twenty-Eight: Parents

“Brother Long Yu, we’ve been searching for so long. Why don’t we take a break?” Zhang Huaren pressed his stomach, which had been growling for hours. He had been looking with Long Yu for several hours and was already famished. Originally, he had dispatched a whole company of soldiers to help Long Yu search within the safe zone, but Long Yu was still uneasy and insisted on searching himself, so in the end, Zhang Huaren had no choice but to accompany him.

“Brother Zhang, why don’t you head back first? I’ll keep looking on my own,” Long Yu replied, unable to suppress his longing for his family and turning down Zhang Huaren’s suggestion, asking him to go back by himself.

But Zhang Huaren was a loyal friend. Hearing Long Yu’s refusal to rest, he stubbornly stayed and continued to search for Long Yu’s parents without going to eat.

“Hey, could you two go somewhere else? This is a small shop—having you beg here is scaring away my customers!” A surly voice reached Long Yu’s ears, tinged with impatience and anger.

“Sorry, sorry, we’ll leave right away!” Another slightly hoarse yet familiar voice responded.

That voice… Was it his mother?

Yes, that was his mother’s voice! Long Yu turned hastily in the direction of the sound.

His mother was helping his father walk away, step by step…

“Dad, Mom…” Tears instantly welled up in Long Yu’s eyes.

The two elders, hearing the familiar voice, paused in their tracks.

“Is it our son who’s come back?” his mother murmured instinctively.

“How many times have you said that, that our son’s returned? Every time you hear someone call ‘Mom’ or ‘Dad’ you think it’s him. How could he…” His father coughed between each word, his voice weak. Yet, as he turned mechanically toward the voice, his words abruptly ceased, and he stood there, frozen like a pillar of stone.

“Dad, Mom… Your unfilial son has made you suffer.” Long Yu gazed at his parents’ sallow faces, unable to hold back his tears any longer.

“I knew nothing would ever happen to my son. The fortune-teller said he’d live a long life—I knew he’d come back, I knew he’d come back…” His mother kept repeating the words, almost chanting them.

“It’s good you’re home, it’s good you’re home…” His father’s voice trembled, as if reassuring himself.

Long Yu strode forward and embraced his parents tightly, holding them for a long, long time. Once, he’d thought those who wept when reunited with loved ones after a long separation were melodramatic. Only now did he understand: the only reason one doesn’t weep is because the parting was too brief—or because the love was not deep enough.

Zhang Huaren simply stood by quietly, watching the family reunite, making sure no one disturbed them. He even quietly alerted the guards to keep others away.

Meanwhile, the little restaurant owner who had just tried to chase them off was now restless and uneasy. He never expected these two beggars to have such an influential son, someone important enough to have a high-ranking official at his side. He was lost in fear—what if this young man sought revenge for being driven out?

As he was lost in these thoughts, a powerful voice addressed him, “You’re the owner of this little shop, aren’t you?”

“Yes, that’s me,” the owner replied instinctively, looking up to see the official standing before him.

“I…” The owner, face full of terror, tried to say something, but Zhang Huaren interrupted him.

“Hurry up and prepare some good dishes. We’re going to eat here soon!”

Realizing he was being told to cook, the owner heaved a sigh of relief, quickly agreed, and dashed off to the kitchen.

“Dad, Mom, slow down,” Long Yu said anxiously, watching his parents devour their food as if they hadn’t eaten in days.

After Long Yu had found his parents, Zhang Huaren had ordered the shop owner to prepare food. Once the family had calmed down from the emotional reunion, he brought them into the little restaurant.

For a long while, Long Yu’s parents ate ravenously. They hadn’t eaten in days and were on the verge of collapse, but after the meal, their complexions improved and they seemed more energetic.

Seeing his parents recover a little, Long Yu asked about his younger sister.

“By the way, how is my sister?”

At the mention of his sister, the smiles faded from his parents’ faces, replaced by deep worry and silence.

Seeing their expressions, Long Yu grew anxious. “Dad, Mom, what happened to her? Please, tell me.”

Realizing they could hide it no longer from their son, the elderly couple began to explain.

“Your sister… she was taken by Boss Wang…”

From their words, Long Yu learned that his sister had been abducted by someone called Boss Wang in the safe zone. No one seemed to know his real name; everyone just called him Boss Wang.

Originally, after fleeing their home, his parents had managed to live decently: his father did odd jobs, and with government-assigned housing, the family could survive.

Then the government distributed crystal cores to everyone, instructing them to absorb them. At that time, his sister’s extraordinary talent was discovered—she could absorb crystal cores at a rate ten times that of ordinary people, and her recovery period was much shorter than others’. It should have been a blessing, and his parents had rejoiced. But not long after, Boss Wang appeared, forcefully took his sister away, and expelled everyone from that area—including his parents—saying he was establishing his own base.

Naturally, his parents tried to resist and complain to the authorities, but no one cared. Worse, they were discovered and driven off by Boss Wang’s men, and his father had his leg broken.

Homeless, with his father unable to work, his parents were reduced to sleeping rough and begging for survival.

The more Long Yu listened, the angrier he became, his fingernails digging into his palms with such force that they drew blood.

“Dad, Mom, I’m going to kill those bastards!” Long Yu could bear it no longer; he slapped the table and stood up.

“Son, don’t be rash! They have strength in numbers, and you’re still young. Don’t ruin your life over this. As for your sister, let this old man handle it. If I die, so be it!” his father pleaded anxiously, fearing his son would do something foolish in a moment of anger.

Zhang Huaren also tried to calm him. “Brother Long Yu, don’t be impulsive. I’ll report this to my superiors. Justice will be done, and we’ll rescue your sister.”

But Long Yu’s rage only grew. Driven from their home, his sister stolen, his family nearly destroyed—and he was supposed to let it go? Impossible.

“Don’t worry, Dad, Mom. Your son is not the same as before.” As he spoke, Long Yu no longer concealed his aura. The overwhelming force of his power rippled outwards, but softened when it reached his parents.

Everyone nearby found it hard to breathe under the weight of that presence. Even Zhang Huaren felt fear, as if confronted by a primordial beast.

Seeing this, Long Yu’s parents realized, at last, that their son was truly changed—he was now strong enough to stand on his own and even protect them.

“And Brother Zhang, I respect you, but I ask you not to interfere. I will leave no one behind this time—whoever stands in my way, I will kill. If I have become powerful yet cannot even protect my own family, what is the point of any of this?”

Faced with Long Yu’s resolute gaze, Zhang Huaren sighed softly and chose not to stand in his way. He knew he could not stop Long Yu now—what happened next would be for others, higher up, to worry about. He could no longer intervene…