Chapter 159: Second Stage Warning

Father doesn’t want to go back this time!

Lu Xin’s heart clenched instantly.

He could feel Father’s resentment and greed and also felt an indescribable pressure weighing down on his heart and mind. It felt like sleep paralysis, the kind brought on by immense stress—his consciousness sharp but his body utterly unresponsive, trapped by overwhelming panic.

The most terrifying part wasn’t being unable to move.

It was the feeling of his consciousness sinking.

Like falling into a bottomless pit, unsure if he’d ever wake up if he truly sank…

So he could only brace himself, clenching his right fist tightly.

Father was reaching for Qin Ran with his right hand. Lu Xin knew what would happen if he succeeded, so now more than ever he couldn’t back down. He clenched his fist harder, determined to stop Father.

“Hiss…”

Sister arched her back, even angrier than when she faced the Queen. She shrieked, “Don’t you dare bully Brother!”

But no matter how furious she was, all she dared do was shout. She didn’t dare charge forward.

“The more you act like this the less I can let you out…”

Mom’s expression turned unusually cold. She spoke slowly, her tone heavy:

“Is it anger or fear?”

“Where are you trying to run?”

“We are a family. If family can’t look out for each other who else in this world can you trust?”

“Do you really want our family to start falling apart right now?”

…

As she spoke, she raised her hand.

She extended two fingers.

Lu Xin could clearly feel Father trembling now, a mix of fear and anger radiating from him.

But this time he didn’t back down.

It was a feeling of wanting to risk it all, even through fear, to settle things once and for all.

At this moment, Lu Xin even felt Father’s power grow stronger.

His own body grew stiff, a chilling sensation threatening to engulf him completely.

“I’m going to turn you into a toy! One that can’t move…”

Sister’s eyes turned crimson, her childish voice strained and distorted.

Seeing Father’s state, Mom reached into her satchel, revealing half of her scissors.

…

…

“What the hell is going on?”

Right now, the one clearly falling apart was Qin Ran.

He felt the intense mental fluctuations coming from the Ability User from Qinggang City. He saw the man’s hand reaching for him, but it trembled, the fingers slowly opening one moment then struggling to clench the next.

His mind went blank, his neck stiff, too terrified to move even an inch.

He had always been adept at seizing opportunities, but right now, he didn’t dare move.

Because he realized the slightest movement could trigger terrifying consequences.

…

…

Mom and Sister seemed ready for an all-out fight with Father.

And Father, too, seemed determined to risk everything in this clash.

Lu Xin could only keep clenching his fist, fighting against Father’s pressure this way…

His heart constricted violently. He didn’t know what kind of power would erupt when it sprang back.

“You guys…”

But just then, a hesitant voice spoke up, “Could you please not argue here?”

…

…

The family of four suddenly turned simultaneously towards the small villa on the mountain behind Happy Town. They saw the mysterious Queen, who had retreated earlier, poking half her body out again. Her eyes were vacant, her expression blank, yet somehow they sensed an awkwardness—clearly unhappy but hesitant to say so directly.

This voice interrupted the family’s conflict.

The pressure on Lu Xin eased considerably.

“Oh my, so sorry…”

Mom apologized to the mysterious Queen, then turned back to Lu Xin—or rather, Father—with a cold smile. “See? Others are already laughing at our family. How long do you plan to keep this up?”

Father remained silent, his icy gaze shifting from Lu Xin to the mountain.

Mom continued, “If you cause trouble, no one will help you.”

Lu Xin felt the pressure lessen even more.

Father’s somewhat hollow voice echoed in his ear, “Hehehehehe… I was just joking with him…”

Then, Lu Xin felt Father’s fierce, sinister gaze sweep over him. His voice grew heavy, “But I won’t change my mind. He’s useless. You protect him now, but sooner or later, he’ll kill you…”

“Just you wait. Sooner or later…”

“He’ll kill us all…”

“When that time comes, it’ll be too late for regrets…”

…

The pressure on his body vanished completely.

Lu Xin watched Father leave. He stood at the doorway, glared fiercely at Lu Xin, then turned and entered the room.

*Slam!*

The door slammed shut forcefully, broadcasting his extreme displeasure.

…

…

“Phew…”

Lu Xin let out a breath, his vision clearing.

He saw the flower field under the Red Moon, and before him, Qin Ran drenched in cold sweat.

Beside him stood Mom, seemingly breathing a sigh of relief, and Sister, tilting her head as she studied him.

In the villa behind Happy Town ahead, the Queen once again retracted herself.

“Is it over?”

He asked softly, almost unconsciously.

“It’s over.”

Mom looked at him gently. “What do you plan to do?”

Lu Xin looked at Qin Ran, silent for a moment. “He did terrible things in Qinggang. I should take him back, recover what they stole, and hand them over to Headquarters for processing. Also…” He paused slightly before continuing, “I heard him say many things that interest me. I want to ask him… what exactly is going on?”

…

“Yes, I do know some things about you…”

Just then, Qin Ran seemed to notice a change in Lu Xin. His eyes darted rapidly, and he suddenly spoke loudly, “I don’t know how you see your own state, but it’s all fake! The truth is, you…”

“Snip…”

Mom, at some point, had taken out her scissors and made a soft snip.

In Lu Xin’s vision, Qin Ran’s mouth just kept opening and closing, his face seemingly excited.

He stared intently at Lu Xin, apparently trying to convey something crucial with those words.

But he didn’t know he could no longer make a sound.

…

…

“I also know he knows some things about you, and you really want to understand them…”

Mom looked gently at Lu Xin. “The painting is in his case. There are other materials in there too, about that crying little boy, and also about you. You don’t actually need to listen to him, because he might lie to you. Looking at the materials directly would be more real and reliable than anything you hear from him. But…”

…

As she reached this point, Mom suddenly stepped in front of Lu Xin.

Simultaneously, Sister fixed her gaze on Qin Ran, grinding her two rows of sharp teeth.

Lu Xin looked at Mom in surprise, not understanding her meaning.

“I’m not trying to stop you from knowing these things…”

Mom looked gently at Lu Xin, her eyes holding a beautiful dimness. She whispered, “But can you promise me one thing?”

“Wait until you reach the Second Stage before you look at the things in this case…”

She spoke slowly, a hint of pleading in her voice. “Otherwise… you won’t be able to handle it…”

…

Lu Xin froze.

He didn’t know what Mom meant by “won’t be able to handle it” but as far as he could recall, this was the first time Mom had ever asked him for anything.

So after a long moment, he slowly nodded.

“Waah…”

The instant he nodded, an excited expression appeared on Sister’s face, and she lunged at Qin Ran.

Lu Xin could see Qin Ran’s body twitch violently. It seemed like screams erupted, but he couldn’t hear them.

…

…

“We can’t take his mental entity back, and this body belongs to someone else. It would be rude to take it directly…”

Mom, once again refined and elegant, explained with a smile, “So, let’s just let Sister play with it!”