Chapter 2

Even though I exposed him, Chris showed no fear. On the contrary, he looked at me contemptuously.

"Oh, really? The spatial power is yours? Then prove it! Use it now!"

I narrowed my eyes and waved my hand to summon my power, but for some reason, I couldn't use my spatial power.

The crowd started whispering, and even the guy who spoke up for me earlier quietly moved away from me.

"Oh my goodness, it's true. The older brother doesn't have any superpower. He's a useless guy who stole his younger brother's power. How shameless."

"He stole his brother's girlfriend and actually proposed to her. That's disgusting."

"Trash like him should get kicked out of the base and be fed to zombies!"

-

Panic surged through me. I rushed up to Chris, wanting to grab his collar and ask what he had done, but before I could even touch him, Jessica struck me to the ground.

Chris then used his power to punch me in the stomach from a distance. I spat blood and crumpled.

In order to rush over to propose to Jessica, I hadn't even treated the injuries I sustained when I went out to raid for supplies earlier, and now I sustained new injuries on top of the old ones.

I couldn't even get up.

"Swain, you've crossed the line. I didn't want to expose you, but you tried to steal my woman, so I can't hold back anymore!" Chris played the victim, causing the crowd to turn on me.

Jessica poured even more dirt on my name.

"That's right. The person I've always liked is Chris. I only went out with Swain because he kept pestering me. You guys better stay away from this trash, he might steal your power next!"

Her words made me public enemy number one, and even the guy who had fought alongside me looked at me with contempt and suspicion.

Some of my comrades even rushed up and punched me a few times, angrily asking if I had deliberately let some of our comrades die in order to steal their superpowers.

Blood seeped out of my mouth. I was powerless to fight back.

Chris stood with his arms crossed, watching the show.

As punches rained down on me, a question came to my mind: how did Chris gain control of the superpower sharing system without my permission?

When I talked to my family about signing the sharing agreement with Chris, it was supposed to require both of us to agree before the sharing could come into effect.

Confused and beaten, I could only curl up to protect my head against the blows.

When the beating finally stopped, Jessica spat on me and said, "Go to hell."

She then walked away with Chris.

I lay alone amidst the flowers that had been trampled beyond recognition, in so much pain that I had to breathe lightly.

I canceled the supplementary card that I had planned to give Jessica. She used to say that she loved both me and money, so I wanted to give her money as a gift. It turned out that her love for money was real, but her love for me was not.

My phone vibrated, and I struggled to reach for it. After much difficulty, I managed to read the content of the text.

[Dear son, Mom and Dad have prepared a celebration feast for you. Come home for dinner.]

Although my parents favored Chris heavily, they were still the ones who raised me.

I remembered the meal they prepared for me before I left the base and their heartwarming words about looking forward to my safe return. That quelled my rising anger.

I wanted to surprise them, so I took a cab home without sending a reply.

But when I limped to the door, I overheard my family's conversation.

"What? You acted ahead of schedule and already confronted that idiot?" My father's furious voice came through the crack in the door, sharp and piercing, "The drug we gave him yesterday would only make him lose his superpower temporarily. He's already displayed his power for years, so people will only suspect that he's only sharing your power if his power fails again and again, instead of you saying it!"

"I didn't know, Dad. I thought the food you gave him before he left the base already made him lose his power for good," Chris said anxiously, "What should we do? He's definitely on guard now. What if he won't do as we say? Mom, Dad, you have to help me! I'm your biological son!"