Chapter 118: Family Trait
The following morning went as per usual. It was some time past midday when Kain remembered the chime he heard before falling asleep. Since he had the time now, he decided to check.
Reclining in a chair, he closed his eyes and checked the system.
[Host has celebrated the children’s first birthday]
[Reward: Nightfall Family trait: Home]
[Effective when family members are gathered together]
[Effects: Reduces stress, Enhances recovery speed, Source Energy absorption increase]
[Secondary reward: Memory Archive]
[System record unlocked]
[01# If you’re seeing this, then they smiled today. No matter what happens later, remember this day.]
Kain felt his heart thump in his ears when he saw that message. It was like a reminder, but also... not.
He looked at the words carefully, as if etching them into his mind. They made him feel warm and sad all in the same breath.
He couldn’t get his mind off the words. They felt like something a parent would write to remind themselves.
Kain didn’t have time to reminisce or think about why those words might exist. A sudden jolt knocked him out of his thoughts. He opened his eyes to see what looked like a whale-sized dolphin jumping over the barge.
The corner of his lip twitched. Water rained down on the barge as the dolphin crossed. It splashed up the side of the barge, flooding the floor.
Frantic sounds found Kain’s ears. What he first did wasn’t to secure himself but to look for his family. Amelia was doing her midday nap, and the children had been driving around in their cars.
Luckily, he found them quickly.
"I’m sending you into the space. No arguments. This isn’t like normal times. This is the biggest thing we’ve faced, and I can’t lose you. Watch from Dom’s room if you want."
He said this in one breath, not giving the children the chance to object. Uncaring if any of the Nightfall members saw, he sent them in.
Amelia stood beside him, ready.
Turning to the members, he said, "You three, referring to Hayley and her family, stay in the container, don’t leave."
Then he turned to the rest of the team, "The rest of you, follow me."
The barge was rocking left and right as the dolphin swam around it. It forced up waves, treating the barge like a small toy.
Coming to the bow, Kain and the others spotted Captain Gene.
"How it’s going captain?" Kain asked.
Ever since the fight, Captain Gene hasn’t given Kain a good look. Whether it was because he thought he had suffered a blow to his pride or thought Kain had no use to him, only he knew.
Still, he didn’t keep any information away from Kain. He needed his help.
"We got reports about two months ago that a large mosquito swarm has been causing havoc. One month ago, we got a report that mosquitoes and dolphins were fighting each other. At first, it was fine; everyone wanted to get rid of the mosquitoes. They were killing several people.
The dolphins would eat the mosquitoes whenever they caught one. The issue began when one of the dolphins accidentally ate one of the mosquitoes’ prey. For some reason, the dolphin went crazy, clicking like crazy. It frenzied the other dolphins.
They went crazy, killing all the mosquitoes, but then they turned to humans. They’ve been ravaging every vessel on the waters to kill humans."
Kain listened to the entire report without interrupting. At first, his expression was one of understanding. He had known the mosquitoes were coming; that’s why he left. But following the next sentence, he became more confused.
A dolphin versus mosquito fight. Dolphins eating mosquitoes, dolphins eating humans, dolphins getting rid of mosquitoes to then kill humans.
It was...a bit too much.
It sounded like a random thought had a brain fart.
But seeing the serious expression Captain Gene had, Kain knew this was no laughing matter. He kept his expression neutral as he listened to everything. Only when the captain finished did he say anything.
"So, a killer whale-dolphin, whatever that behemoth is, wants to kill humans because it’s gotten a taste for us?" He felt the need to clarify.
Gene nodded with the utmost seriousness.
"It sounds like bullshit, but this thing is still rocking the boat. What do you need us to do?"
The conversation took no more than a minute or two, but during that time, people were knocked off balance and plunged into the waters. Some containers placed on the edge to facilitate walkways had also fallen.
To the frightened people, it felt as if the barge would capsize at any moment.
"Where’s the idiot couple? I would have thought they’d be jumping up to help."
Captain Gene’s face turned green. "Don’t mention them, I don’t know where they ran off to. They’ve been gone for three weeks now."
He turned to Amelia. That was news to him. Did Amelia beat them so badly that they decided to run away? Unlikely. Whatever the reason, he didn’t dwell on it.
"So, your little darlings are gone, and you need us to help. No problem. What’s in it for us?"
Captain Gene gritted his teeth. He pondered how Kain might extort them.
"I don’t want much." Kain pointed to the dolphin that once again jumped over them, raining down water. "I want that thing."
Captain Gene had to do a double take. He never expected Kain to ask for that. He watched the dolphin, heard it clocking, and wondered if there was something about the dolphin that Kain knew, that he didn’t know.
His thoughts were churning, but he had no frame of reference. Although Jasmine and Chad told him a few things, they were only surface-level.
"Why?"
Kain smiled widely.
"Will you give it or not?"
Captain Gene gritted his teeth again.
The barge leaned almost entirely to one side. Everyone held on to something.
"Fine, take it."
Since he couldn’t figure out what he wanted the body for, he would watch. The thing was enormous; there was no way he could hide whatever he was doing from him.
"Good," Kain nodded. "Nightfall, let’s go."