Chapter 213: Home
Inside the house.
Lorraine had just finished clearing the bowls and chopsticks from the table.
"It should be Jack," she smiled as she wiped her hands. "He probably forgot to take something."
When they had parted not long ago, she had even reminded him to let her know beforehand next time so she could prepare more food.
Knowing how serious that child was, it wasn’t strange for him to come back.
Thinking of that, Lorraine quickly walked to the entrance.
The wooden door slowly opened.
The next second, she froze.
Standing outside the door was a white-haired boy.
The setting sun rested upon his shoulders.
A faint smile hung on the familiar face she had missed so dearly.
In his arms sat a blue slime happily waving its tiny little hands.
"Mom."
Lorraine’s eyes instantly turned red.
"Zi... Zich..."
She didn’t even stop to wonder whether she was imagining things.
The moment she heard his voice, she rushed forward and pulled him tightly into her embrace.
"You’re finally home..."
The tears could no longer be held back.
They streamed endlessly down her cheeks.
She hugged him so tightly, as though the moment she let go, the child before her would disappear once again.
Zich’s body stiffened ever so slightly.
Then he slowly raised his hand and gently patted his mother’s back.
"I’m home."
Inside the house, Leon, who had been repairing the shovel, trembled violently the instant he heard the voice.
He immediately stood up. The moment he saw the familiar white-haired boy standing at the doorway, a huge grin appeared on his face.
"Hahahah, Zich, my boy!"
"Not again," Zich quietly cursed in his heart when he saw the man coming toward him.
"Dad, n-"
And before he could finish his sentence, the big man extended his hands and hugged both of them.
After quite some time, Lorraine finally laughed through her tears and hurriedly wiped the corners of her eyes.
"Come inside. Don’t just stand at the door."
Zich nodded as he stepped back into the familiar little house.
"Are you hungry?"
That was Lorraine’s very first question.
Zich smiled.
"A little."
"Wait right there!"
Lorraine immediately turned and hurried into the kitchen.
The moment Zich sat down, Lorraine had already begun carrying one dish after another out of the kitchen.
"This is the beef stew with potatoes from this morning. I heated it up again."
"And here’s some freshly baked bread."
"Oh, right—and soup too."
In less than two minutes, the entire table was completely filled.
Looking at the scene before him, Zich couldn’t help revealing a helpless smile.
"Mom. That’s enough. I can’t eat this much by myself."
"A champion should eat more," Lorraine replied with a smile.
"Didn’t you always love my beef stew with potatoes the most?"
Zich said nothing more. He simply picked up a spoon. The familiar flavour entered his mouth; exactly the same as he remembered.
Throughout the tournament, every meal had been a premium nutritional meal specially prepared by the Association. They had all tasted excellent.
But only at this very moment did Zich truly feel that he had come home.
Leon sat quietly beside him without urging him to eat, simply watching in silence.
Only after Zich had taken a few bites did Lorraine finally speak.
"Oh, right. Someone came looking for us today."
Zich looked up and furrowed his brows.
"Someone from the Association?"
"No."
Lorraine smiled and shook her head.
"It was that child named Jack from the Green Group."
Zich paused slightly.
"Jack?"
"Mhm."
Lorraine then recounted everything that had happened today from beginning to end.
The gifts Jack had brought.
The permanent access card to the medical centre.
Having breakfast together.
And finally, everything Leon had told him before he left.
Throughout the entire story, Zich simply listened quietly without interrupting even once. Only after Lorraine finished speaking did he gently nod.
Back at the hospital, he had merely thought that the young heir of the Green Group was rather unusual.
Now, it seemed the other party was even more sincere than he had imagined.
After all, if his only purpose had been to recruit him, there would have been absolutely no need to specifically visit his parents just to share breakfast with them.
"He said..." Lorraine suddenly smiled. "He wants to be your friend."
Zich remained silent for a moment.
Then he nodded lightly.
"If I have the chance in the future, I’ll meet him."
Hearing those words, Lorraine and Leon exchanged glances before smiling at one another.
At that moment, Leon suddenly pointed towards the corner of the living room.
"Oh, right."
"He also left one last box for you."
Zich followed the direction of his finger.
Sure enough, there was still an unopened gift box sitting there.
Compared to the others, this one wasn’t particularly large.
Zich stood up and walked over.
Then slowly opened it.
Inside was an exquisitely crafted silver-white VR headset.
Beside it was a letter.
The handwriting upon it was exceptionally neat.
«Zich:
This is the newest-generation Power Evolution VR Login Device.
It is a large-scale multiplayer virtual world that allows professionals to connect through their consciousness for training, communication, and combat.
I have already completed the highest-level authorisation for you.
If you’re interested, I hope that one day I’ll be able to meet you there.
—Jack»
Zich was slightly taken aback.
Power Evolution.
Naturally, he had heard of it before. After he left the Ascension Mountain, he had been reading more about VR after his experiment with the simulation pod.
It was said to be a massive virtual world jointly developed by the Green Group and the Association. Not only could it simulate battles between professionals, but it also contained countless arenas, dungeons, and specialised training facilities.
Its price, however, was extraordinarily high and ordinary people had virtually no chance of ever experiencing it. But Jack had directly given him an entire set.
...
A little over two hours later, after spending time with his parents.
Inside his room, Zich placed the headset over his head and slowly closed his eyes.
[Connecting...]
[Mental wave scan complete.]
[Identity verification successful.]
[Welcome to Power Evolution.]