Once he finished speaking, both Cogita and Chen Shi fell silent, neither saying another word.
The atmosphere seemed to freeze in an instant, the silence almost oppressive.
The two simply lay there, gazing straight at the calm surface of the lake.
Listening to the deafening roar of the nearby waterfall, Chen Shi sighed inwardly.
He was not shirking responsibility, much less making excuses.
Every word he had just said came from the heart, reflecting his truest feelings.
His experiences in his previous life made him treasure everything he had now.
Chen Shi could hardly imagine what would happen to the elder who always asked whether he was hungry, or the one who constantly reminded him to stay safe, if something happened to him.
Psychic Power could indeed counter Dark Matter.
But Chen Shi clearly remembered Cogita saying that they needed to use his identity as Autumn to intimidate some scum lurking in the shadows.
That proved the dark side already knew there was a power that could counter them absolutely.
It took only a little thought to realize he must be an enormous threat to the dark side.
And the world Eternatus and the others came from was practically darkness's home base now.
If he went there, it would be like a lamb walking into a tiger's jaws.
He would be a juicy morsel delivered right to their door.
Naturally, Chen Shi was unwilling to take that risk.
Cogita rested her chin in her hand, her expression unreadable, and said quietly, "You only want to protect everything you have now, right?"
"You gathered all those Doctors and went to all that trouble simply to give us one more way to respond if the dark side really does invade our world someday."
"Don't you think that leaves us too passive?"
"But