Talk

Nathan knew he had sensed something when he entered the Triangle building but had no idea what. It was barely more than a hunch. But with how keen his senses were, including his sixth sense, Nathan went with it. 

He assumed it would be something like a passage to the bunker, which meant it should have been in the basement. But since it wasn't in a basement that seemingly didn't exist, whatever he was looking for had to be somewhere else. He doubted it would be on one of the many floors that were accessible to average people or workers.

His senses and his gut told him that it wouldn't be a place where anyone could sneak their way in with a little trickery.

The penthouse was a famous party location for the rich people in the city, or so Nathan gathered from listening to the staff and looking at the brochures. Probably not there.

Nathan was a little stumped.

He wouldn't find anything on the floors between the penthouse and the ground floor, either, since they were easier to access than the top floor.

It was beginning to look like he would draw a blank. But Nathan was reluctant to give in so quickly.

'What's so special about this place anyway?'

Nathan stopped walking. His eyes shone as a lightbulb lit up above his head. He turned his gaze upward again, even if it was useless since he couldn't see through the numerous floors of the skyscraper.

'Of course!'

Nathan looked toward the large Triangle around the skyscraper. He stepped out and looked at the three black metal boxes, seamlessly welded together with each other and their supporting beams. They looked small from the ground.

But they were enormous. Peerless Perception told him as much. But Nathan had also felt when the Triangle hit the ground before his regression. He hadn't had them up in his face. 

However, when he caught the surface party of the Vijang Syndicate last time, he had gotten close enough that he could confidently say that each side of the triangle was about the size of an airplane's body.

Logistically speaking, the Triangle's sides should be simple hollowed-out pieces of metal or carbon fiber or something lightweight but sturdy.

Practically speaking, the Triangle would be the perfect hiding place.

The problem would be access. But there were more than a couple of skills that could do something about that. The next problem was that Nathan didn't have one of those skills, either himself or at his disposal.

'Can I climb it?'

Nathan squinted as he assessed the steel and glass tower to the sky. If he used the Sky Piercer Force, he could probably puncture the surface to make finger and foot holds.

Nathan scrunched his nose. Doing that sounded unnecessarily troublesome, not to mention how conspicuous it would be. He would either be stopped by ordinary guards and keepers of peace like the police, or someone affiliated with the Vijang Syndicate or the Triangle would prevent him from getting close.

It wasn't just a pain to do. He might end up in pain if he tried climbing the skyscraper.

Nathan decided to go back for the day. He had a lead. That was good enough for now. He just had to be a little prudent and think about how to chase down the lead. The first thing he needed to do was find out more information about the Triangle.

He doubted there would be anything available to the public that would be relevant. But no one would suspect the Triangle to contain anything suspicious unless they were already privy to certain secrets, such as the VIjang Syndicate's existence and their bunker. Maybe the information he wanted was hidden in plain sight.

Nathan figured he should also dedicate some time to the Sky Piercer Codex since it would inevitably be a central part of his strength going forward.

"Oh, Nate, good, you're back."

Anita didn't even look up when Nathan returned and passed through the kitchen.

"Your father wanted to talk to you. He's waiting in your room."

Nathan raised his eyebrows.

"Did he say about what?"

"No. But I'm sure he'll tell you when you talk to him. Just head on up."

Since it was the middle of the day, Anita stopped talking to Nathan and continued cooking. Nathan glanced around the kitchen. The busy past few weeks had worn down a lot of the tools and utensils. He had also noticed that they were very often low on ingredients.

'I guess I should do something about that, too.'

Anita probably hadn't said something since she wanted Nathan to believe they were well-off or because she didn't want him to worry about yet another thing.

Nathan couldn't blame her. But his goal after regressing was to ensure his parents lived long and fulfilling lives. He was going to do something so they didn't have to worry about their finances again. He wasn't sure what. But there had to be something he could do.

Nathan set that aside as he headed up to his room. He was curious about what his father wanted. They hadn't really talked much since he revealed his regression. He had also stopped hanging out with Terrence by using him to train after he started going to the gym with Sillia.

Nathan entered his room without knocking and saw Terrence sitting on the bed with his hands in his lap and an anxious tension in his shoulders.

Nathan plopped down next to Terrence before the latter could snap out of his thoughts and realize that Nathan had returned.

"What's up, Dad?"

Terrence was a little startled, but he looked at Nathan and took a deep breath as he tried to relax.

"Nate, my son."

"Yeah?"

"Did you have fun today?"

Nathan tilted his head before shrugging.

"I wouldn't say fun, exactly. But I made some progress, I guess. What about you, dad? Was it exciting waiting for me while trying to think of things to talk about?"

Terrence stiffened for a moment before deflating.

"I…—I just don't know how to talk to you anymore…"

Nathan smiled wryly as he patted his father on the shoulder.

"I get it. Either your son's delusional or a time-traveling murderer. It's not easy to handle. I'm sure Mom's struggling, too. If you need more time, take it. I'm your son. I will always be here."

Terrence looked up from the hands in his lap and at Nathan.

"T-that's wrong! I'm supposed to be there for you! Not the other way around! But instead, I'm…useless."

Nathan put his arm around Terrence and rested his head on one of his shoulders.

"You're not useless. You're going through a hard time. Just the fact that you're talking to me like this is a great help."

"I…"

Terrence wanted to ask if Nathan could use him as a weight again before he realized that was not something a grown man should ask his son. But he also realized that he could hang out with his son in other ways that weren't as humiliating.

"...Can I join you at the gym?"

"Of course."