Sharering that the old man was so angry he ended up hospitalized, Ben also felt a bit apprehensive!
He couldn't imagine what kind of storm he would face if he went home now…
Therefore, Ben immediately agreed to his mother's suggestion.
"Then I won't go back today. I'll go to Grandpa's house later."
On the other end of the phone, his mother's voice warned him:
"Don't go empty-handed. I'll transfer some money to you. Buy something before you go, or else your grandpa will break your legs when he finds out what stupid thing you've done."
Ben looked embarrassed.
"Okay, Mom, I got it."
Seeing that his mother didn't say anything else, Ben said,
"Mom, if there's nothing more, I'll hang up now!"
Finally, his mother on the other end couldn't hold back and asked,
"Son, what were you thinking? The Natural System Devil Fruit is so precious. How could you just give it to someone else?"
Ben didn't know how to answer.
After a long silence, his mother's voice came again:
"They said you did this because you like that girl from the Henry family. Is it true?"
Ben: "..."
At that moment, he realized that aside from this excuse, he couldn't find any better reason to explain his behavior.
So, he could only bite the bullet and admit it.
"I guess so…"
"My silly son! If you really like her, you should have been the one to eat the Flare-Flare Fruit!"
Fearing that her son wouldn't understand, his mother continued urgently,
"Mom has been there. I know women admire strength. In a marriage, when the man is stronger, the family tends to be more harmonious. If the woman is stronger, it often doesn't last. Even if that girl from the Henry family is grateful for your actions now, after some time, when she calms down, she'll realize the gap between you is too big and may still look down on you — unless she's a real love-struck fool."
Hearing these words, Ben was filled with emotion.
This mother was very wise!
At least, compared to his mother from Earth in his past life, she had more insight.
Ben agreed with her words too.
However…
He didn't know how to explain everything.
Because the truth was, he had actually profited from the exchange with Leo.
Leo suffered a loss.
Of course, he couldn't say he had "scammed" Leo.
After all, only Ben knew the secrets behind the Kryptonian Bloodline Card. Only in his hands could it be developed properly.
If not for his intervention, Leo might have thrown away the card and remained an ordinary person.
Now, Leo had obtained the Flare-Flare Fruit, and Ben had secured the legendary Great Superman Bloodline.
It was a true win-win.
"Mom! Thank you for telling me this. I understand."
Unexpectedly, his mother suddenly exploded,
"You understand my ass!"
The harsh words startled Ben.
"Mom, what's wrong?" he asked quickly.
"Your dad just told me you fused that useless Kryptonian Bloodline Card in front of everyone… Is that true?"
Her voice trembled with fear.
Ben broke into a cold sweat.
He had thought she already knew — he hadn't expected her to just find out.
"It's true…"
"Why are you so stupid!!!"
Even through the phone, her anger and anxiety were palpable.
Ben had a headache and didn't know what to say.
"Come back!" his mother suddenly said. "The TV station has already broadcast your story as headline news. You're about to become famous across North America! Don't go to your grandpa's house and embarrass yourself any further."
"Ah!"
Ben felt his scalp tingle.
The local TV station was too rude!
Couldn't they broadcast it later? Why were they so eager?
His mother thought Ben was afraid of being beaten and said, crying,
"Come back! Your dad doesn't even want to hit you anymore. He said you won't live long enough to learn your lesson…"
Toward the end, she was already sobbing.
Hearing his mother cry, Ben quickly said,
"Mom, don't worry. I'll come back right away. I'll explain everything."
...
After hanging up the phone, Ben immediately went to the roadside, hailed a taxi, and headed home.
A while later, he arrived at a high-end residential area and, following his memory, walked to a series of townhouses.
This residential area had just been completed, and Grandpa Mark had spent most of his savings buying five villas at once.
Four of the townhouses were given to his four sons.
A detached villa was left for Grandpa himself, just behind the others.
It was Grandpa's way of telling his sons: they were brothers bound by blood, and he hoped they would support each other.
In Ben's memory, the brothers had always had a good relationship.
At this moment, as Ben walked back, he happened to meet his uncle returning from the hospital.
His uncle looked at him with a disappointed expression. He opened his mouth several times, seemingly wanting to scold him but held back.
He simply patted Ben's shoulder heavily and said,
"I heard your mom crying at home. Go back quickly…"
Ben immediately ran back.
His house was the third townhouse.
The yard and gate were open.
As soon as he entered, he saw a middle-aged man sitting in the living room.
When he saw that extremely familiar face, he couldn't help but shout out.
"Dad?"
It was purely a subconscious reaction.
The middle-aged man's face was almost identical to his father's on Earth — the only difference being the latter had been darker and thinner, while this one had a healthy, ruddy complexion.
At that moment, Ben was basically sure:
He had transmigrated to another world, but he was still himself.
However…
After calling out, he realized his father's face was livid with anger, glaring at him fiercely.
Although Ben's mental age was nearly thirty, facing his father's wrath still made him a little fearful.
This was a natural, bloodline-based pressure — it had nothing to do with age.
Suddenly, his father spoke.
"I named you 'Ben' because I wanted you to fight — to fight for hope! The world is dangerous. You have to fight for survival!"
His father's expression grew pained:
"But I never expected that a heaven-defying opportunity would land in your hands, and you could just give it away — choosing a dead-end path without even understanding what it meant. You…"
(