Father lost his temper again, which was the norm. He was almost always in a foul mood, and when his anger flared up, he would hit people— not just Mom, but also Little Sis. However, he rarely touched himself. Every time he wanted to, Mom would get angry, and her anger always seemed to scare him. But what puzzled Lucas was that, most of the time, Mom didn't actually step in to stop or frighten him.<br><br>This time, though, was a bit different; Little Sis dared to talk back. She used to either slip away or hide whenever she angered Father.<br><br>"You brat, are you looking for death?" Father, infuriated by Little Sis's defiance, paced anxiously in the room, his gaze fierce and threatening. "Don't think that just because you've been sneaking food outside and gained some strength, you can talk back to me. If you dare to eat those things behind my back... If you ever come back, I'll make sure you remember..."<br><br>"I won't come back," Little Sis retorted sharply, hanging from the ceiling, her black hair wild. "When I grow up, it'll be your turn..."<br><br>"Do you think you'll have the chance to grow up?"<br><br>"When I grow up, I'll tear you to pieces and make you into a doll..."<br><br>"Roar..."<br><br>"Hiss..."<br><br>...<br><br>...<br><br>"Sigh..."<br><br>Lucas listened to their quarrel as he slowly walked over to the room.<br><br>"You still know to come back?" Father's towering figure blocked the light coming from the room, like a dense and bloody darkness. Seeing Lucas, he seemed even more furious, his bulging eyes glaring at him.<br><br>"I bought groceries," Lucas said, lowering his head. Father seemed taken aback, as if unable to find a way to vent his anger. Lucas raised his left hand. "And a bottle of wine, for you."<br><br>Father's menacing face froze for a moment. Lucas slowly raised his head, looking at Father. "Can we have a quiet meal today?"<br><br>Father went silent. His anger was still apparent, but the verbal lashing didn't erupt as usual.<br><br>"Alright, Miss Chen, now that you've moved here, we're neighbors now. They say distant relatives aren't as good as close neighbors, so let's take care of each other... No problem, no problem, it's no trouble. Rest well today, and visit in the future..." In the living room, Mom, elegantly dressed and speaking on the phone, hung up quite quickly this time. Leaning against the windowsill with a smile, she softly said, "What are you waiting for? Let the kids in. Oh my, we bought quite a lot of groceries today, such a feast. Come in quickly, the whole family's waiting for you for dinner. I've already made a faux pas in front of my friends for you..."<br><br>Father silently, coldly, opened a crack. Lucas brought the groceries in, while Little Sis remained wary in the hallway, eyeing Father. Mom helped set the table, looking at the groceries Lucas bought, smiling, "You're in a good mood today. Went to the orphanage, right?"<br><br>Lucas nodded, putting the things down. Hearing the word 'orphanage', both Father and Little Sis in the hallway suddenly looked over, their gazes peculiar.<br><br>After a moment, Mom took the groceries Lucas brought and went to prepare them. Father and Little Sis also sat back at the table.<br><br>The meal was eaten in silence, but it was unusually peaceful. Occasionally, Father, Mom, and Little Sis exchanged glances, then displayed strange expressions.<br><br>...<br><br>...<br><br>After dinner, Lucas went downstairs and began to exercise. The last time, with Little Sis's help, he resolved Contaminant 041, but afterward, he felt very fatigued, even experiencing back pain the next day. He knew it was because he hadn't been exercising enough, so he felt tired whenever he exerted himself. So, he started the habit of going downstairs for a walk after dinner to build his physical fitness.<br><br>Hop a bit, jump a bit, jog back and forth for a hundred meters—Lucas felt he was putting in effort. Especially after finding this job clearing pollution sources, he felt everything had purpose. Even the red moon in the sky seemed to have gained vitality.<br><br>As Lucas jogged for a while, considering whether to do ten more push-ups, the red moon's light flickered slightly. Out of a corner shadow, suddenly a dagger flew towards him. The dagger made almost no sound, but its speed was astonishingly fast, heading right for Lucas's leg in an instant.<br><br>Lucas was shocked, only managing to turn around. Even before he fully turned, the dagger was already in front of him. However, it still didn't harm him. Little Sis dropped down lightly from a nearby streetlight, catching the dagger in the blink of an eye.<br><br>"Who is it?" Only then did Lucas manage to shout, warily looking into the shadow.<br><br>"Haha, as expected, with abilities like mine, your reaction is pretty quick!" There was no one where Lucas looked, but from the shadow behind him came a voice. Lucas hurriedly turned around to see a person leisurely walking down the side of a building, as if on flat ground. He walked step by step, only jumping down lightly when he was a meter off the ground, straightening up.<br><br>It was a young man in a trench coat, wearing large sunglasses, but with a bright smile on his face. He raised his hands first, laughing, "I just wanted to test you!"<br><br>Then he approached Lucas, extending his hand. "Let me introduce myself; I'm Lizard. Major Chen sent me!"<br><br>"Lizard?" Lucas soon remembered the name, especially after hearing Jane Chen's name, knowing the person's background. However, he didn't shake hands, instead frowning tightly. "Do you know that what you did is very dangerous?"<br><br>"Dangerous?" The man named Lizard seemed puzzled. "Come on, brother, for us in the Spider Class, would this count as dangerous?"<br><br>Lucas silently turned, glancing around. Little Sis crouched beside him, hand gripping the dagger now embedded in the ground, eyes cold and hostile, watching him. Especially focused on his neck, seemingly wanting to take a bite.<br><br>Meanwhile, from a window above, the figures of Father and Mom appeared, faces expressionless, gazing down below. It had been a while since he'd seen his family so united...<br><br>"I meant you're the one in danger!" Lucas sighed softly, leading the way to the other end of the street. "Follow me, quick."<br><br>"Come on, brother, it's not that serious..." The man named Lizard scratched his head, following Lucas and sheepishly explained, "I just wanted to say hi, you know. In our team, people greet each other with guns sometimes, they say it's to train one's vigilance..."<br><br>"I mean, I came all the way across two suburbs to find you, and you won’t even invite me up, instead you’re mad..."<br><br>"He even wants to come upstairs..." <br><br>Lucas was genuinely at a loss for words this time. After thinking for a moment, he sincerely said, "Next time, for sure!")
