My Counterattack System After Reborn

Chapter 11: The Past Three Years Revisited

Todd looked at the oil slick on the ground by his father’s face and smiled. Whatever hold his enemy had over him was gone now, and he was free to do whatever he wanted to do. And although he had just been through a very traumatic situation, he looked stronger than ever.

Aaron smiled and asked, "What did you just give me?"

"It was an elixir,” Todd replied. “It is good for what ails you, and it will lengthen your life. Now that you are better, what’s next?"

“Look at me!” Aaron exclaimed. "I am a mess. Before we do anything, do you mind if I take a shower?" Without waiting for a reply, he walked into his private bathroom and closed the door. A minute passed, and then Todd heard the shower turn on. He was gone for about ten minutes, and when he returned, he looked about a hundred times better than he had just a half-hour earlier.

Todd was relieved, and he was glad that the One-level Hun Yuan elixir had turned out to be good. He hugged his father and said, “I’m glad to see that you feel better.”

“I feel like a million bucks!!!” Aaron exclaimed. “And it is all thanks to you, my son! How can I ever repay you?”

“Your health is all the thanks that I could ever want,” Todd replied. “Now let’s get out of here before it is too late.”

***

D.S.G. Unlimited had been under attack for three years. It began when the company went public, at a time when they had been at their most productive. They had caught the eyes of a nefarious group, and they had dispatched Jarod Douglass. 

Jarod invited Aaron to a dinner party, and on the way out, he had infected Aaron with Tame Head. All it had taken was a handshake with ill intent, and suddenly, Aaron had felt like thousands of bugs were biting him. His whole body was very itchy, and he could not stop scratching. That feeling was more painful than death, and it made him feel like he was going crazy.

Aaron swaggered, and he would have collapsed, if not for Jarod and a mysterious evil Asian monk. They caught him, and after chanting a spell, his itchiness went away.

When Aaron realized what had happened, he became incredibly angry, but as his ire began to rise, the itchiness returned. Pretty soon, the discomfort was so bad that he collapsed and began to writhe on the floor in agony.

Finally, the monk said a few words and the pain subsided.

Once Aaron had collected himself, Jarod looked down on him. “I think we have an understanding.” He chuckled and said, “I own you.”

From that day forward, Aaron had very little voice as far as the company’s day-to-day operations were concerned. As things progressed, Jarod dismissed those employees that were loyal to him, and before long, he realized that he was alone.

Three years had passed, and Aaron was in a constant state of paranoid agony. His biggest fear had always been that the evil Asian monk would return. But, so far, he had not. He never forgot about the bugs, though. From time to time, he felt them under his skin. They made him feel like he was losing his mind, and he often thought about jumping from the rooftop. If not for his wife and son, he likely would have. It was the thought of them that kept him going every day.

Aaron told this all to Todd as they drove home.

“I shouldn’t have let it get this far,” Aaron admitted. “At the very least, I should have been more forthcoming with you and your mother. I feared for your safety, and I let my fear cloud my judgment.”

Todd touched his father’s arm and said, “Don’t worry. This will never happen again. You and my mother will never be in danger again. I swear that we will never let the tragedy repeat itself."

"Repeat itself?" Aaron was puzzled.

“Never mind.” Todd shrugged, and he did not explain his rebirth. 

***

After a warm dinner with his parents, Todd began to think about their next move. In his past life, he would have been terrified of the evil Asian monk and his Tame Head. He had been through a lot, though, and he was stronger and more courageous than ever. In the past, he had had an aversion to killing, but now, when it came to the monk, he was anxious to get his hands dirty, and he had no less aversion when it had come to putting a bullet in Jarod’s head. Jarrod had gotten what he deserved, and that was that. Todd’s biggest concern now was that time was passing too quickly, and he did not know if he would be able to get everything that he wanted to get done, done.

Once Todd had figured out what to do next, he approached his parents, smiled, and said, “I want you both to book a flight to Europe for tomorrow morning. I will take care of things here!"

Todd's mother did not know what was going on, so his words frightened her. Some of the colors drained from her face and her lower lip trembled. “Wh-what are you t-talking about?” she asked.

Aaron leaned over, kissed his wife’s cheek, and said, “Todd is surprising us with an all-expenses-paid vacation! Say ‘Thank you,’ sweetheart.”

“But what about your work?”

“I can handle it,” Todd said. “It is time for me to make my presence known at D.S.G. If I don’t, when it comes for me to take over, no one will respect me.” 

Aaron looked worriedly at his son. "Can you really do it?"

“What do you think?” Todd replied. “You have seen what I am capable of. I look forward to whatever comes next!” 

Aaron sighed and did not speak. Todd's performance today had confused him. He seemed stronger and more mature than he had the day before. Finally, he smiled and said, “In that case, thank you.” He looked at his wife expectantly and she hurriedly parroted his appreciation.

Suddenly, a bell rang in Todd’s mind and the mechanical voice spoke up. It said, “Congratulations to the host. Pretentious completed. Reward: 

Slap-face Numerical Value: 10,000

Todd yelled happily and ran to the door.

***

Todd drove his car towards the school. Now that his parents were temporarily out of danger, he felt like a burden had been lifted from his shoulders. D.S.G. Unlimited was worth several billion dollars, and the thought of losing it disturbed him. Nothing meant more to him than his family, though, and with what he had done so far, he knew that they were safe, and that thought comforted him.

Todd parked in front of the school, got out, and walked directly to the Teaching Building. There were still five minutes before the evening self-study class, so there were many students on the playground, and as he passed them, they greeted him warmly. He was in a rush, though, so he ignored them. He went straight into his classroom, sat down, and waited for class to begin.