At dinner, the atmosphere at the table was subtle. Kuchiba Hiro had no appetite, his brows furrowed as his chopsticks poked aimlessly at the rice in his bowl. His mind was filled with heavy thoughts of the end of the world, the ark, and all these weight matters.
On the other side, Kuchiba Ta acted as if nothing was wrong, eating with great relish. He even stole occasional glances at his son's gloomy face, as if it were a side dish that particularly stimulated his appetite.
"Dad," Kuchiba Hiro finally couldn't help but put down his chopsticks, his voice heavy. "How do you do it? The sky is practically falling, yet you can still eat so heartily? Aren't you worried at all?"
Kuchiba Ta shoveled a large mouthful of rice, chewed a few times, and swallowed before saying slowly, "Doesn't Stoicism tell us that whether we're lying flat or working ourselves to the bone, the most important thing is to maintain inner peace?"
He picked up his soup bowl, took a sip, and continued, "God, or the Great Destiny of the Universe, or whatever, has already written the script. Everything in life is actually predetermined by this grand cosmic script; the things we can change are limited. Since the final outcome can't be altered, what we need to do is remain 'unmoved by favor or humiliation,' do our best in human affairs, and then leave the rest to fate."
It wasn't that Kuchiba Hiro didn't understand these principles; he had encountered similar ideas in the various books he read. But in the face of a real, imminent survival crisis, these philosophies seemed exceptionally pale and powerless, even sounding like pretty words for self-consolation.
"Principles are one thing, but reality is another," Kuchiba Hiro countered. "We haven't even 'done our best' yet! We can't just sit here and 'leave it to fate' while waiting to be drowned, can we? Dad, think of something. What should we do? Otherwise, I really can't eat this food."
Kuchiba Ta also put down his utensils, his expression becoming slightly more serious. He directly laid out two cruel paths without any sugarcoating: "Son, in this situation, what else can we do besides trying to live as normally as possible? The secret route onto the ship that I knew about before has definitely been blocked by now. It might even be a fishing trap."
He sighed and continued, "If you don't want to just lie down and wait for death, there's only one path left—resistance. Find a way to carve out a path to survival and seize the qualification to live from those building the arks, or from that so-called 'Inner World'."
"But," he changed the subject, looking at his son with a heavy tone, "that's easier said than done. Just with us? Your ability... it's just talking to cats and dogs to amuse yourself. Trying to rely on that to fight those monster-like guys... it's hard! Too hard!"
He wasn't a pedantic person and hadn't completely ruled out relying on his son's potentially growing power to make a move. But at the thought of the scene in the light screen where his son made a breakthrough while on the verge of death, he immediately dismissed the idea—it was too dangerous, almost like gambling his life on a slim hope. How could he let his son take such a risk?
Kuchiba Hiro fell silent for a moment, then suddenly looked up, his gaze becoming sharp. "Dad, what if... I have the kind of power shown in the light screen? The kind that... can harden the body, with strength and speed far exceeding an ordinary person's. Would that give us a chance? And how would we convert that power into chips for our survival?"
Hearing this, Kuchiba Ta's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly waved his hand to stop him. "Stop right there! Son, don't get any wild ideas! Don't do anything stupid for the sake of power! Mimicking a near-death breakthrough like in the light screen? Is that something you can just try on a whim? One wrong move and you'll really be dead! That's when it's truly all over!"
Kuchiba Hiro didn't directly argue. Instead, he silently put down his chopsticks. He raised his right hand, his gaze focused.
The next moment, a soft "clack" sound rang out, like the engagement of a metal mechanical lock!
Under Kuchiba Ta's shocked gaze, his son's entire right forearm, from wrist to elbow, was instantly covered in a layer of cold, hard, deep black-gold color that shimmered with an eerie light! Under the lamp, the skin texture became like polished obsidian or some unknown alloy, filled with an inhuman sense of power!
"Pfft—!" Kuchiba Ta was so startled that he spat out the mouthful of rice he had just shoveled in. He pointed at his son's arm, his eyes wide and round, unable to speak clearly. "This, this, this... what's going on?! When did you..."
With a thought from Kuchiba Hiro, the black-gold color on his arm receded as quickly as a tide, returning to normal skin. He replied calmly, "It appeared in the light screen, so it seems... I have it too."
Kuchiba Ta was stunned. His mouth hung open as his brain worked rapidly, instantly making many connections. "Could it be... your ability... is synchronized with the you in the light screen? If that side gets stronger, then you over here..."
"I was thinking more or less the same thing," Kuchiba Hiro nodded.
Kuchiba Ta took a sharp breath, his gaze becoming complex. He thought of the mysterious "mastermind" behind the light screen, the saying about "a person becoming a god, then turning from a god back into a human," and how the protagonist of the light screen happened to be his own son. Now, his son could actually synchronize abilities with his counterpart in the light screen... Although the logic was so bizarre it couldn't be explained by science at all, if it were true, did it mean... his son would really become very, very strong in the future? Strong enough to handle the doomsday crisis?
After the immense shock, a strong sense of hope and worry surged into Kuchiba Ta's heart simultaneously. The hope lay in the fact that his son seemed to have an incredible path to becoming stronger; the worry was that this path was completely unknown, and he didn't know what risks came with it.
He forced himself to calm down, took a deep breath, and said solemnly to his son, "Son, this is too bizarre; we don't understand it yet. It's not yet the time where we're at our wit's end and must risk our lives. You must not overthink or try things recklessly, especially don't copy those dangerous 'actions' in the light screen!"
He paused, his tone softening slightly. "Let's observe first. See what the light screen shows tomorrow, and see exactly what this'synchronization' is all about—its intensity, and if there are any side effects or limitations. In short, until we figure it out, staying put and maintaining the status quo is our best choice."
At least, as a father, he knew his son wasn't without any means to protect himself, which eased much of the anxiety in his heart. Perhaps they really did have a glimmer of hope, hidden within this bizarre light screen and his son's synchronized growth in power.