Family and News

Amid the directors' constant discussions and the department managers' answers and questions, the preparations for the incident gradually fell into place.

That night, after finishing his usual workout, Lin Chenxing had just taken a shower.

"Ding-ding-dong-dong-ding..." His phone rang.

When Lin Chenxing saw "Mom" on the screen, he answered immediately.

"Mom, what's wrong? Why are you calling all of a sudden?"

"And you're asking me what's wrong? If your Brother Chen hadn't happened to come over, I wouldn't have known something so serious had happened to you."

A woman's voice came through the phone, tinged with irritation but filled mostly with concern.

This was Lin Chenxing's biological mother in this world, Cao Jinxi.

"Mom, it's fine. I'm perfectly okay now, aren't I?"

"Fine? I heard the rear window of your car was shattered, and quite a few of your classmates were injured."

"Don't worry. You know I work out all the time. Even if I got a minor injury, it wouldn't be a big deal."

"I know, but how could your father and I not worry?"

"Okay, okay. Hey, Mom, you said Brother Chen came to our house today. Was something up?"

"Nothing much. He had some business in our city and stopped by while he was here. Apparently, he'll be staying for several days. We even invited him to have dinner at our place while he's here."

Lin Chenxing thought it over briefly and understood why Chen Yanbing had come to his hometown.

Lin Chenxing had an older brother named Lin Chenming, who worked in the city in investment promotion.

His Brother Chen had probably come to help his older brother make a good impression. He would bring one of the major projects the group had decided on to West City, helping Lin Chenming build up his accomplishments and earn goodwill from his superiors.

Thinking this, Lin Chenxing said with a slight smile, "Mom, Brother Chen probably came to help my brother this time. We're considering setting up a research and development base in Su Province. If there's a suitable location in West City, Brother Chen will probably settle on it. That would be good for my brother, too."

Cao Jinxi was surprised. "So that's why! Xiao Chen didn't mention it to us. We really are putting him out, then."

"It's fine, Mom. Brother Chen must have his own reasons for coming. If there isn't a suitable location in West City, the project will probably go somewhere else."

"That won't do. Xiao Chen came all this way and has been so considerate of our family. When he comes over tomorrow, we have to make him a proper meal." Cao Jinxi seemed to take the invitation very seriously and hurriedly called to someone nearby. "Old Lin, check how many dishes we have left to cook. If we don't have enough, go out early tomorrow morning and buy some."

A rustling sound came through the phone. Lin Chenxing knew that his father, Lin Yue, had gotten up to check.

"Mom, are you and Dad still practicing the exercises I taught you last time?"

"Oh, we're both still at it. Your dad and I practice every single day without fail. It's your brother who's inconsistent—he fishes for three days and lazes off for two. He gets home in the middle of the night, flops down to play on his phone, and can't get up in the morning. When he finally does, he barely practices before heading out." Cao Jinxi couldn't help sighing when she mentioned Lin Chenming.

"Mom, you and Dad are teachers. You can't tell me you can't handle him. My brother and I grew up with you waving a feather duster at us. I don't believe he'd refuse to practice if you told him to." Lin Chenxing teased her.

"You're the last person who can say that. We hardly ever hit you when you were little. And your brother really is busy. He barely has any weekends free. Every day he's either working overtime or traveling out of town, and he doesn't come home. We can't very well make him get up early to practice, too. We'll encourage him to practice more once he has some free time." Cao Jinxi's voice carried a hint of worry about her son's health.

"Yeah. When he has time, he should make sure to practice. Given how things are lately, I think we need to train and get stronger, just in case."

Lin Chenxing told his parents, bit by bit, what he had explained at the meeting and what measures the group had decided to take.

When she heard that Xingyan Group was going to produce explosives, Cao Jinxi couldn't help sounding worried. "You're going to make explosives? Doesn't that violate the regulations? I thought your group's business license didn't cover that."

"Right, it doesn't," Lin Chenxing said confidently. "But it shouldn't be a problem this time. It's sort of a borderline case, and we've already contacted the authorities. As long as we don't make explosives with destructive power on a large scale, the kind used for mining should be allowed. We just can't keep them after the military finishes clearing the area."

Cao Jinxi sighed. "You're so close to the mountains, and it's so dangerous there. Why don't you come back here as soon as the clearing operation is over?"

"Don't worry, Mom," Lin Chenxing replied with a smile. "We've made plenty of preparations. No matter how powerful those monsters are, we'll be able to hold them off."

Lin Chenxing suddenly remembered something and hurriedly said, "Oh, right, Mom. Speaking of which, the animals in the mountains have mutated. I wonder what's happening to the ones in the sea."

"You'll have to ask your dad," Cao Jinxi said. "Here, Old Lin, you teach biology. Why don't you explain it to your son?"

"Ahem." A deep male voice came through. "Chenxing, you don't need to worry about the sea just yet. Based on what we know so far, very few marine animals have mutated. You can tell from the seafood markets along the coast. The seafood being brought in is much the same as before. There are just a few so-called exotic varieties, and they've been selling for sky-high prices. I heard that people from the marine research institute at a local university went out to sea and collected quite a few samples. The test results were still within manageable limits."

After hearing this explanation, Lin Chenxing couldn't help feeling relieved, though he still had an inexplicable unease in his heart.

It reminded him of a similar scenario in a novel he'd read before.

But since he had nothing to back up his feeling, he said, "That's good. Still, I can't help worrying. Dad, Mom, please keep an eye on things. For the time being, try to move into that villa I bought earlier, the one farther from the sea."

Father Lin replied helplessly, "All right. We'll do as you say and stay there for a couple of days. I'll tell Xiao Chen when he comes, and ask him to lend us a hand. Anyway, you've had a lot happen today, so get some rest."

Lin Chenxing had just replied, "Okay," when the call ended.

Lin Chenxing couldn't help grumbling, "Dad's still the same. He hangs up so fast."

Then Lin Chenxing lay down, closed his eyes, and kept turning over in his mind what that indescribable feeling might have been.

"The situation now does seem a bit like those novels I read in my previous life. It feels like one of those apocalypse stories. I wonder what else might happen besides animals mutating."