Cryptic Words

Cryptic Words

"Why do we need to go to a hardware store?" John was confused.

Joanne also shared the same sentiment.

However, Matthew didn't reply and merely typed in 'nearest hardware store' on his GPS. After finding one, Matthew drove off in its direction, ignoring the gazes he was getting from the twins.

Seeing that Matthew wouldn't answer, the twins didn't bother asking again but inwardly swore they wouldn't help with the bags.

Whether it was luck or a coincidence, the hardware store that Matthew found was only a few blocks away from the pizzeria, and after a quick drive, the group of three arrived. Parking the car, Matthew got out and started walking over to it.

But seeing John and Joanne relaxed in the car, Matthew turned around and asked, "Do you guys wanna stay in the car or come with me? I don't need help with the bags if you do, though. I'm only planning on getting two things."

John, comfortable in the seat, shook his head. But Joanne, curious, decided to follow.

After seeing that John wanted to stay in the car, Matthew didn't plan on forcing him. So he simply handed him the keys to the car.

"John, here are the keys. But don't open the door for anybody but me. Also, call me first if you want to get out and come to us. Don't leave by yourself." Matthew told the kid before leaving him in the car.

Since it was February, Matthew didn't have to worry about John getting overly hot or cold in the car. With John's intelligence, he would be able to know if someone had malicious intentions. So Matthew felt safe leaving him in the car for the short ten minutes he planned to take.

As they walked to the store's entrance, Joanne asked, "Mat, what are we going to buy?"

"Just two shovels, nothing else," Matthew replied nonchalantly as he scoured the store for a floor worker.

Luckily, there was one close by, and after asking, the floor worker guided the brothers to where the shovels were. And since Matthew wasn't an expert on shovels, he also asked for some recommendations.

"Hey, mister, what shovel is a good one?" Matthew asked.

The floor worker was about to go back to his post, but after hearing Matthews's question, he stopped and turned around.

"Well, it depends on what you are doing with the shovel. Is it snow, gardening, or trash?" The floor worker answered after a moment of thought.

"No, I'm literally just digging a hole. Nothing special." Matthew clarified.

"Oh, then you can just take the basic one." After getting a specific answer, the floor worker guided Matthew to the perfect one for his situation.

After paying fifty dollars for the shovels, Joanne and Matthew left the hardware store.

"Mat, what are you going to do with those shovels?" Joanne asked curiously as they walked back to the car.

"Not me, but us, John. You are going to help me dig something out of the ground." Matthew replied as he found the car.

And ignoring the confused Joanne by his side, Matthew went over to John's window and tapped on it.

"John, it's us. Open the car," Matthew said.

At first, John was scared at the sudden sound, but after seeing who the culprit was, he relaxed. Then, seeing the shovels in his hand, Joanne even got a bit curious, but before asking what they were for, he opened the door and trunk.

Seeing the trunk open up, Matthew put the shovels inside before returning to the driver's seat. While inside, he was assaulted by a flurry of questions from the twins.

"Calm down, you two. Ask the questions one at a time. Joanne, go first." Matthew laughed at seeing the balls of curiosity.

Though John was annoyed, he let his sister go first.

"You said earlier that it's us, not you. What did you mean by that?" Joanne asked.

"You are going to help me dig the hole. Why do you think I made you two change into those clothes?" Matthew answered.

Joanne, hearing the answer, was aggrieved, but before he could, John asked him, cutting her off.

"Where are we going to dig this hole?" John questioned.

"It's not just one hole, but three. And they are all at the pieces of real estate Mom, and Dad were developing." Matthew answered.

John had more questions to follow up on, but wanting to get revenge, Joanne cut him off and asked her own.

"Why do you need our help? Don't you go to the gym and are strong now? How can 12-year-olds help you dig a hole?" Joanne asked.

John, on the other hand, was also interested in this answer, as he didn't want to dig a hole on his day off from school.

"I'll be doing most of the work, so don't worry. Also, both of you are going to share this one shovel and take turns. I'm not going to make you two slave away." Matthew calmly answered, but sadly, his answer wasn't taken well by the twins.

They started to complain to Matthew but were ruthlessly ignored as he turned on the car's engine and started to drive to their second location.

Currently, Matthew was planning on starting to cultivate before the Spiritual Qi rejuvenation in a way that almost no one in the cultivation world could ever afford to do.

Matthew knew that where he lived now, in New York, was destined to be destroyed. No matter how strong he got in the six months of preparation, he wouldn't be able to save it.

As the Earth undergoes its metamorphosis in half a year, sea monsters, dozens of meters long and wide, will constantly attack coastal areas. The eastern seaboard was going to turn into one of the biggest war zones on Earth.

Matthew would be able to get strong fast, but with how big the shoreline was and the countless aquatic lifeforms that lived in the Atlantic Ocean, he would never be able to defend New York forever.

Matthew knew all of this in advance, and to get around it, he planned to move out to the Midwest, where real estate was cheap, and the land was plentiful. There, he wanted to build a fortress and cultivate a small force that belonged to him.

But before he left New York, Matthew planned to take the Spiritual Qi Veins that were in the ground under the pieces of land he owned.

Since this state would be destroyed anyway, Matthew decided that his taking them wouldn't hurt anybody. And with those Spiritual Qi Veins, Matthew planned to cultivate.

Even though the Spiritual Qi on earth had yet to reemerge, those Spiritual Qi Veins still had a minute amount within them. But the little amount of Spiritual Qi within even one of them was more than enough to unclog his 12 standard meridians.

With the other two, Matthew was still undecided on what to do with them and planned to keep them close to him until he did decide.

Seeing the two kids still pouting, Matthew turned his head and said, "The pieces of land are far away. You guys should probably sleep for now."

John, though still angry, complied with the statement and, after playing some music into his headphones, closed his eyes and rested on the windowsill to sleep.

However, Joanne didn't fall asleep and looked over at Matthew with meaningful eyes.

"You're acting weird again, Mat. Are you sure nothing happened?" Joanne once again asked.

Seeing her inquisitive eyes, which were filled with even more curiosity than before, Matthew knew she wouldn't sleep until she got a straight answer. So, after thinking for a moment, he answered.

"Joanne, you're smart, and you can sense things very easily. But sometimes, you should just be a kid. You're right. Something did happen. But it's a good thing for us all. I just need to make some preparations beforehand." Matthew gave an ambiguous answer to the curious girl, hoping that she would be stuck on it for a while.

"How do you know it's a good thing, though? Something good for you could be bad for other people." Joanne replied as she mulled over her brother's words.

Hearing the words from his little sister, Matthew knew she still wasn't satisfied and wanted some real answers. So he pulled over to the side of the road and parked the car before turning to face Joanne completely.

"Joanne, this world gave us nothing but pain. If anything, it only took stuff from us. So when I said 'good for us all,' I meant us three, no one else. No one else outside of our family matters to us. We three are a family and will stick together till the end." Matthew spoke seriously as he looked into the hazel eyes of his sister.

Matthew planned to tell his siblings about the impending future eventually, so foreshadowing it a little sooner didn't matter much.

"Mat, what are you talking about? What happened?" Joanne asked seriously,

At first, she just thought that Matthew was acting weird because of some scam. But now, hearing his cryptic words, Joanne didn't know what to think anymore.

However, Matthew didn't answer her words but spoke one more obscure sentence.

"I'll show you when we get there. But remember, even you, John, I know you're awake. What happens at that house stays there. Nobody can know for at least a week. After that, you can tell the whole world for all I care." Matthew spoke to both of them.

He noticed that John woke up as he parked the car and pointed it out as he said his final thoughts.

John seemed shocked, as he was sure no one noticed him waking up, but Joanne was mulling over Matthew's words, thinking there was a hidden meaning.

After Matthew's cryptic words, the rest of the car ride was dead silent. After a few hours of driving, they finally arrived at their first location.

"John, get the shovels. This is the first stop." Matthew ordered as he got out of the car.

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