Celsus's Worries

"My god..."

Celsus stared at the satellite feed before him, feeling like his head was about to explode. He swore he had never seen anyone so brutal and powerful. A monster who, at the slightest disagreement, would start a fight, not only obliterating his enemies but also destroying half a moon. And now Celsus couldn't even begin to read this monster's pulse...

Celsus didn't even know if Jupiter was fighting for Earth or just looking for enemies to burn off the aggressive, competitive urges inside him.

"Nolan, we need to talk."

Celsus looked at Nolan with utmost seriousness.

"..."

Nolan raised an eyebrow. He thought Celsus might have discovered something.

"Fine. How do you want to talk?"

Nolan gave a slight nod, asking Celsus how he intended to proceed.

Celsus didn't answer Nolan. He just glanced at Mark and Deborah behind Nolan.

"Deborah, Mark, could you excuse us for a moment?"

"I need to discuss some work matters with Celsus."

Nolan understood the meaning in Celsus's eyes. He turned to his beloved youngest son and beautiful wife.

"Okay."

Deborah seemed used to this. She gathered a few things and headed upstairs. It was about time for her to go to work.

"Huh?"

Mark looked suspiciously between Celsus and Nolan. He suspected the two of them had some shady deal going on behind the scenes, but sticking to the principle of not meddling in adult affairs, he returned to his own bedroom.

"Alright, now can you tell me what this is really about?"

Nolan finally turned to Celsus after Mark and Deborah had both gone to their rooms.

"Listen, Nolan. Tell me what really happened at Global Guardians headquarters."

Celsus asked his question again.

"I've told you many times. I received a distress signal from Global Guardians, so I went to help. When I arrived, everything was normal. Then suddenly the lights went out, and I fought with that person until I fell. When I opened my eyes again, I was in your hospital bed. That's it."

Nolan repeated his flimsy lie.

"Listen, Nolan! Stop lying to me. Before things spiral out of control, drop this pathetic act."

Celsus's eyes sharpened as he spoke to Nolan in a low voice.

"What do you know?"

In an instant, a surge of killing intent rose within Nolan. Celsus had always been a smart man—no superpowers, but truly clever. Nolan wasn't sure if Celsus had discovered anything about his dealings with Jupiter. If it was found out, then sorry, the gentle plan would have to change...

"I know more than you think."

Celsus's face darkened, as if warning Nolan.

"..."

Nolan didn't respond to anything Celsus said. His expression only grew more grim.

Just as Nolan tensed his muscles, ready to finish Celsus here before he could use his space teleportation device, Celsus suddenly spoke again...

"Jupiter's condition is a disease. He needs treatment. If you keep turning a blind eye, it will end up harming the whole world. So far, it's only been Global Guardians. I hope it stays that way. I don't want the day to come when Jupiter blows up not the moon, but the Earth beneath our feet..."

"I know it's hard for you as a father, but you need to face reality."

Celsus kept trying to persuade Nolan.

"Huh?"

After hearing Celsus's words, Nolan's body stiffened. He realized that Celsus's clever, balding head had completely misunderstood the situation. But that worked perfectly for him.

"Sigh..."

Nolan's previously tense muscles suddenly relaxed. He put on a defeated expression, like a father at a loss with his rebellious son.

"I hope you'll call me. We'll use the world's most advanced technology to treat Jupiter's manic symptoms."

"Nolan, you need to remember. Jupiter's condition is a disease. And it might not have started after he gained his superpowers. Maybe this illness was troubling him much earlier. When he went to the boxing gym and beat his opponents half to death, we should have noticed. That's on us."

Celsus's mind raced as he analyzed Jupiter's data. He realized that Jupiter's destructive, violent personality might have started long ago...

"Thank you, Celsus. Maybe..."

Nolan sighed, his expression a little strange.

"Boom!"

Just as Nolan was about to say more, a thunderous noise came from the yard. Jupiter, having killed the one-eyed alien, had returned to Earth.

"What are you two talking about?"

Jupiter walked into the house and looked at Celsus and Nolan.

"Heh heh..."

"Nothing!"

Celsus gave Jupiter a light smile, then casually walked over to Nolan and patted him on the shoulder.

"We'll be in touch."

With that, Celsus shoved his hands in his pockets, smiled, and walked out of Jupiter's family home, getting into a sleek black luxury car parked outside.

"..."

Jupiter watched Celsus leave without a word. He felt sticky all over and needed a shower.

"Mom! Is there any food? I'm starving..."

Before showering, Jupiter shouted upstairs.

"I've got work, Jupiter!"

"Go grab something outside yourself!"

By then, Deborah had already changed clothes and was ready to head out for work. As the top salesperson, she never let a single home-buying client slip away.

"Alright~"

Jupiter said nothing more and walked straight into the bathroom. As for what Celsus and Nolan had discussed, he had zero interest. Right now, he just wanted to wash up and then keep "drawing" for worlds that could help him.

As for Viltum's mission, or Nolan's plan to take over Blue Star...

No rush. At least not until he was confident enough to deal with that Berserk Beast that might suddenly show up on Blue Star...

"Phew~"

Soaking in the bath, feeling his muscles relax, Jupiter let out a slow breath. He stared at the ceiling, his mind churning.

Indeed, no one would believe that a fifth-rate thug summoned by a third-rate villain could actually be the top combat power standing at the apex of the entire universe.