My Avatar Is Becoming the Final Boss-Chapter 23: Father and Son

Ji Minghuan and Su Zimai sat rigidly on the sofa, pretending to be dead as they stared at the TV.
Neither of them expected that on the very first day of summer vacation, their father—who had been missing for two years—would suddenly come home without a word. This wasn’t heartwarming at all, okay? It felt more like stumbling onto the set of a horror movie.
Gu Qiye was still in the kitchen. He placed the pot of lotus root soup on the table and turned on the rice cooker’s keep-warm function.
Then he leaned against the disinfection cabinet, crossed his arms, and pulled out his phone from the apron pocket.
At the same time, at the entrance, Gu Zhuo’an closed the door behind him and stood for a moment staring at the shoe cabinet.
He then removed his leather shoes and changed into house slippers, slowly walking into the living room.
At this moment, the estranged father and son were positioned back to back—one with his back to the kitchen, the other with arms crossed and head down on his phone—neither seemed eager to acknowledge the other.
Gu Qiye's expression was a bit off.
Since the argument with his dad two years ago, he hadn’t seen the man again. He even relied on his late mother’s bank card for living expenses—though to be fair, his father still deposited money into that card every month without fail.
They had an unspoken understanding about it: it was as if his father knew he would be using that card. Every month, the exact amount was transferred on time, ensuring that the three brothers’ lives were stable.
Ji Minghuan eyed Gu Zhuo’an curiously. Even in Gu Wenyu’s memories, this father hadn’t been seen in two years. Gu Wenyu himself barely remembered the man, let alone Ji Minghuan.
The moment he saw Gu Zhuo’an, a panel appeared in his vision.
【Main Quest 2: Uncover what your “father” Gu Zhuo’an is hiding.】
Despite wearing Gu Wenyu’s face, Ji Minghuan, as an outsider, clearly wasn’t as awkward as Su Zimai or Gu Qiye.
He shifted his gaze away from the quest prompt and broke the silence in the living room:
“Dad, how’s work been out there?”
Gu Zhuo’an stood with hands on hips, lowered his head in thought, and asked hoarsely, “I’m okay… but Wenyu, you’re… in second year of high school now, right?”
“Mm, going into senior year after summer,” Ji Minghuan nodded.
“How’s your studying going?”
“Not bad,” Ji Minghuan replied with a smirk, “Probably… about as well as your job.”
In truth, both Gu Wenyu and Gu Zhuo’an had similar priorities: one was focused on mastering his esper ability to prepare for debut and paid little attention to academics; the other had been missing for two years doing who-knows-what—not exactly holding down a proper job.
Gu Zhuo’an nodded and looked to Su Zimai: “What about you… Xiao Mai?”
Su Zimai paused for two seconds, tilted her head, and the sharp tips of her hair brushed past her eyes. “Is fifth in my grade considered good?”
Gu Zhuo’an hesitated, stroked the stubble on his chin, seemingly unsure what expression to make. In the end, he forced a stiff smile.
“…That’s good,” he said.
Behind him, Gu Qiye leaned against the sink, one hand braced on the table, the other fidgeting with his phone.
He listened to the conversation in the living room, hesitated briefly, then said, “Dinner’s ready.”
Hearing this, Ji Minghuan was the first to rise from the sofa and enter the kitchen, sitting down at the table.
Su Zimai got up next, brushed past Gu Zhuo’an, and glanced at him. “Why are you still standing there?”
Gu Zhuo’an lowered his head and pondered for a while, then slowly turned and looked toward Gu Qiye, who stood by the sink.
Gu Qiye didn’t meet his gaze, just looked down and played with his phone, expressionless.
Gu Zhuo’an didn’t mind. He walked into the kitchen, pulled out a chair across from Su Zimai and Gu Wenyu, and sat down silently, staring at the steaming dishes on the table.
Outside, the cicadas had grown quiet. The last of the noise disappeared, making the silence at the dining table feel all the more awkward.
Their faces were bathed in warm orange light. Except for Ji Minghuan, who looked relaxed—maybe even amused—the other three had rather stiff expressions.
Ji Minghuan said to his sister, “Hey, sis, grab me some utensils,” breaking the silence again.
“What, your hands broken?” Su Zimai asked with a mouthful of chopsticks.
“Between siblings, helping each other’s not too much to ask, right?”
“You crossed the line. We’re brother and sister, not brothers.”
“Fine, sisterly love.”
Ji Minghuan rolled his eyes, stood up without a fuss, and walked toward the disinfection cabinet. Glancing over, he saw that the spot in front of Gu Zhuo’an was still empty, so he took out an extra set of utensils.
Carrying one set in each hand, he approached Gu Zhuo’an while eyeing the other two.
Su Zimai and Gu Qiye both had their heads down, awkwardly minding their own business, not paying attention.
“Now’s the chance.”
With that, Ji Minghuan neared Gu Zhuo’an and, pretending to hand over the utensils, slowly reached his right hand—the one holding the chopsticks—toward Gu Zhuo’an’s shoulder.
At that moment, he used the same trick as before. A thin strip of Binding Restraint extended from his index finger.
The inky ribbon shot out like a black-backed serpent, silently brushing against Gu Zhuo’an’s shoulder.
Unfortunately, Gu Zhuo’an was no Su Zimai. In less than half a second, his expression turned cold. Reflexively, he grabbed Ji Minghuan’s wrist tightly, leaving a red mark.
Luckily, the snake formed from the restraint had already made contact—otherwise, this whole maneuver would’ve been for nothing.
【Condition met: Physical contact with target established. Passive Skill “Binding Restraint Detection” activated.】
Before Gu Zhuo’an could turn around, Ji Minghuan withdrew the restraint into his fingers. He then deliberately let the utensils drop. The porcelain clattered loudly on the table, shattering the silence.
Gu Qiye looked up from his phone, frowning at the scene.
“You… what are you doing?” he asked Gu Zhuo’an, one word at a time.
Su Zimai also paused, raising her eyes belatedly to see Gu Zhuo’an still gripping Ji Minghuan’s wrist.
With both of them staring, Gu Zhuo’an clearly froze for a moment. He slowly turned his head and realized he was holding Ji Minghuan’s wrist. He quickly let go, his fierce gaze softening with a hint of panic.
However… at this moment, Ji Minghuan’s focus wasn’t on Gu Zhuo’an at all.
He stared at the data on the ability panel, his eyes widening slightly, a faint glow flickering in his pupils.
【Target Gender: Male】
【Target Attributes: Strength: A++; Speed: A; Spirit: A】
【Extraordinary Species: Esper (Superhuman)】
【Ability Description: Creates a three-meter-tall clocktower and raises his “shadow” vertically from the ground. (The shadow inherits the Esper’s three attributes, functioning as a clone, but cannot stray far from the original body.)
Every 30 seconds, the clocktower’s hour hand randomly points to one of twelve hours.
At each different hour, the shadow receives different ability boosts.】
The ability description on the panel was almost identical to one listed on the Reality-altering Esper Association’s site for a high-profile criminal.
And that criminal’s codename was…
“Ghost… Bell?”
Ji Minghuan arched a brow, silently mouthing the infamous name that made countless people shudder.
The next second, a red-and-black mission panel popped up in front of him.
【Main Quest 2 completed: Uncover what your “father” Gu Zhuo’an is hiding.】
【Main Quest 2 reward received: 1 Split Point, 1 Skill Point, 1 Attribute Point】
【Main Quest 2 updated: Form an alliance with the super-criminal “Ghost Bell” and begin establishing connections among evil Espers.】