Chapter Thirty-Seven: He Is Not Alone! (Bonus Update with 10,000 Nutrients)

Elias did not wake up early; he had not slept at all.

Returning from space long before dawn, in the dead of the silent night, he first made a round to the bedrooms of his two children. Only after confirming they were both there and asleep did he let out a faint sigh of relief: good, they were both present and resting.

He then retraced his steps to the kitchen. Without turning on the lights, he opened the refrigerator in the pitch black and fished out two leftover sandwiches from the day before. After a moment’s thought, he grabbed a can of cola—a gift from the owner of the local Asian supermarket. He returned to the living room in the dark, collapsed onto the sofa, and remained motionless.

Physical exhaustion was trivial. The mental fatigue, however, had surpassed its limit.

"If only I could go somewhere where there’s no one else," he thought, eyes closed. Otherwise, he couldn't fully relax even while resting, always worried that the kids might suddenly wake up.

If these two were just incidental roommates, Elias would have locked himself in his bedroom, indifferent to whatever chaos unfolded outside. He could have meditated in perfect stillness. Unfortunately, he was the only adult in the house; if he locked his door or indulged in his own entertainment, who would be left to keep an eye on the two children?

With this in mind, Elias had no intention of enjoying any free time during the day. He could only use his solitude at night to recover his energy—which was one of the reasons he wanted to send both children to school. He lay slumped on the sofa, bleached white by the moonlight, for a long time. Finally, he decided to take out his phone to play some music, but as he reached out, he didn’t touch his phone—he touched something warm and fuzzy!

Elias was startled and instinctively straightened up, only to suddenly remember that they had acquired a dog a couple of days ago.

Bob, half-asleep, caught the familiar scent of his human and a sandwich. He wobbled over, flopped down beside Elias, and within seconds, began to snore softly. Elias watched the dog for a long while in the moonlight, his expression somewhat grim. A few seconds later, he forcibly moved the Bernese Mountain Dog’s large head and paws onto his lap, rubbing the dog’s head while cracking open the cola can for a deep gulp.

As the carbonated bubbles burst in his mouth, Elias let out a silent, long sigh.

*Sigh.*

He couldn't say he had come back to life, but at least he was hanging on by a thread.

For the next few hours, he drifted between petting the dog, staring blankly into the darkness, and taking occasional bites of his sandwich followed by sips of cola. After dawn, he threw the trash into the bin, took the household garbage outside, did some laundry, tidied the living room, and organized a list of groceries to buy. Once the necessary chores were done, Elias checked the time:

He had to eat breakfast and head out for his Sunday shift.

Sinestro thought Elias disliked social interaction out of arrogance, but he knew nothing of the pressures of a working-class single-parent household! If Elias could save ten minutes of idle chatter, how much more free time and joy would he gain?

But Elias was not the type to wallow in existing difficulties; he rarely even complained. Everyone knew that didn't solve anything. Elias preferred to maintain control over situations that were already set in stone.

This was why, when Kael woke up, he discovered his old man busy in the kitchen.

***

"Dad, what’s going on between you and Sinestro?"

Kael’s question caught Elias off guard. His first reaction was that his "cheap" son knew he was now effectively a member of the Sinestro Corps.

—After all, anyone hearing their own name linked with a same-sex alien in that kind of sentence wouldn't immediately jump to romantic conclusions!

He skillfully sliced the day's sandwiches (using a different sauce than yesterday) and distributed them to the three people and the dog, replying offhandedly, "That has nothing to do with you. Where did you hear that?"

Think about it: the rebellious brat was being lectured just yesterday for dabbling in the criminal underworld, and today he hears his father has half-heartedly joined one of the greatest evil forces in the universe. How would he stomp his feet in protest? What twisted logic would he use to oppose "authoritarian tyranny"? How would he accuse Elias of "only allowing the magistrate to light fires while forbidding the commoners from lighting lamps"? Elias could guess all of this with his eyes closed.

Everyone had grown up from being a brat at some point, hadn't they?

Who hadn't experienced a brutal domestic war after being forbidden from eating snacks, only to find the adults sneaking them?

It seemed he had ultimately become the person he hated, all because of this crappy life.

Kael did indeed explode. His chest heaved violently as he looked from Elias to the bewildered Ophelia. Intentionally switching to English so everyone would understand, he said, enunciating every word: "You say... this has nothing to do with me—with us?!"

His face cold, he asked, "It seems you’ve finally decided to cut ties with Ophelia and me, Dad? Do we not count as your son and daughter?"

"Huh?" Ophelia, mid-chew, slowed her movements and asked blankly, "Is there something about me here?"

"Of course," Kael said, staring fixedly at Elias while retorting to Ophelia. "He and Sinestro are having a secret cosmic rendezvous behind our backs. Don't you care?"

Ophelia’s eyes flickered. She wanted to ask Kael if "rendezvous" was meant literally or if it was an exaggeration. Either way, it seemed plausible. But there were three people at the table, and the tension between Elias and Kael was as taut as a bowstring. Given Ophelia’s cautious, somewhat circuitous nature, she couldn't possibly ask such a question bluntly in front of everyone.

So, the young girl who had realized the crux of the matter closed her mouth and said nothing.

As for Bob the Bernese Mountain Dog, he certainly wasn't about to speak up. Elias, however, had jumped to conclusions, assuming Kael was implying that he was being hypocritical—acting righteous while leading a double life.

Elias couldn't be bothered to tell his "cheap" son that he had taken out a member of the Sinestro Corps last night—it wasn't appropriate to discuss such things in front of minors, and besides, he hadn't exactly refused the power ring Sinestro had sent him.

He simply said, "I can take responsibility for my own actions. As for you, once you’re an adult, whatever you do is none of my business."

He almost said, "I don't let you get involved in the underworld for your own good," but after a moment's thought, he felt the line was far too cliché and swallowed it.

"..."

For a moment, it looked like Kael wanted to throw his sandwich on the floor. But he looked at Elias, then at the clearly tidied kitchen, and ultimately held back, saying coldly, "Fine. I suppose I shouldn't interfere."

Elias didn't bother to comfort him. Breakfast ended in a chilling domestic atmosphere. Before leaving, Elias petted the dog as usual, then, unable to control himself, added a parting remark to Kael, who had come to see him off: "Your task now is to focus on your studies."

Damn it. After he said it, he felt the vibe was eerie and the scene felt misplaced, as if every stereotypical East Asian parent notorious for their parenting style had collectively possessed him at that moment! He wasn't alone!

But for a high schooler like Kael, if he wasn't going to study, was getting involved in the criminal underworld really considered normal or correct?!

Feeling strange, he locked the door and went to work. The supermarket owner showed up again, and noticing Elias’s poor mood, she put on her reading glasses, leaned in, and asked with genuine concern, "What’s the matter?"

Elias: "..."

He was silent for a long time, feeling that this issue was bizarre for any Asian, so, unable to resist the urge to share, he started with: "I have a friend who is a single parent."

The old lady looked sympathetic. "Oh, my."

Once he had started, the rest was easy. Elias didn't plan to describe it in too much detail, summarizing: "His eldest son has been skipping class lately to hang out with gangsters."

The old lady’s eyes immediately lit up. "Oh, my!"

Exciting!!

Elias said, "Technically, education here in the U.S. emphasizes well-rounded development; you can't just study to death. But isn't my friend's son's developmental path a bit too... flexible?"

The old lady clicked her tongue. "At his age, he should be studying hard to get into college! Why go mixing with gangsters! Hanging out with those riff-raff, there's no future in that! His father not letting him join the underworld is for his own good. He’ll understand when he grows up. How can he talk back to his father? I think he just needs a beating! If a child doesn't listen, a good thrashing is all they need!"

Yes! That's exactly it!

The store owner wasn't finished: "That brat, he doesn't understand how hard his family works to put him through school, or how precious the opportunity to get an education is! When I was a child living in the deep mountains of China, I biked 20 kilometers every day to the county school, over mountains and ridges... I even had to cross a river. In the middle of winter, my face and hands were covered in frostbite, but I didn't dare give up. Later, I even took the college entrance exam..."

What followed was her rambling about her own difficult schooling process. Elias had found his "Asian surrogate voice." Satisfied, he listened patiently. The old lady, having heard the gossip about "Elias's friend" and having finally found a suitable listener, spoke with great enthusiasm and animated gestures. When Elias finished his shift, she ignored his refusals and insisted on stuffing a bag of frozen dumplings and two heads of bok choy into his hands.

"I was saving them to pickle, but the new jar hasn't arrived yet, so I don't need this bok choy. Take it and eat it slowly!"

"..."

Elias had no choice but to carry the bok choy and the dumplings home. The trip was smooth, and everyone was home, which gave him great comfort. Kael was still sulking, but seeing him, Elias couldn't help but smile, thinking of the shopkeeper's words.

He actually chuckled, and while laughing, he tossed the two heads of bok choy over for Kael to catch, then said seriously, "Go to bed early tonight. You're going to school tomorrow."

Uh, that line also sounded a bit familiar.

What was going on?

Kael was stunned by the bok choy thrown at his head, almost thinking his father was trying to end his life that way. Seeing the lingering smile on Elias's face, Kael was momentarily flustered, and he quietly asked the question that had plagued him all day: "Does it have to be Sinestro? Even Superman would be better."

Elias: "...?"

He was utterly confused, wondering where the boy had gotten such a strong sense of justice today. "Even if I wanted to choose Superman, he has to be willing to take me."

Wasn't the threshold for the Justice League much higher than that of a villainous organization?

Could you just join whenever you wanted?

"...Why wouldn't he be willing!" Kael immediately got angry again, muttering things Elias couldn't understand with a blank expression, and carried the bok choy into the kitchen. Elias, in a good mood, carried his frozen dumplings, deciding to improve their dinner.

Finally, he could say goodbye to those damn sandwiches with different sauces!

However, his good mood abruptly ended before he went to sleep.

Because Ophelia, while Elias was out during the day, had snuck into Kael's bedroom and asked in a low voice: "When we were eating this morning, what did you mean when you said Dad and Sinestro were having a rendezvous?"