Tales of Survival

The meeting room of the Nightray company’s main building felt cold—not because of the temperature, but because of the tense aura enveloping the two young men facing each other. Vier stood tall with a challenging expression, while opposite him, Zarius stared back with eyes full of fire. “What are you going to do?” Vier broke the silence, his tone sharp, full of provocation. Zarius crossed his arms over his chest, his lips forming a condescending smirk. “You’re bold enough to insult me to my face. Are you really Jeff’s son?” Vier let out a cynical laugh. “I also doubt you’re the son of Old Nightray.” Zarius’s eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean?” Vier looked at him with pure disdain. “As far as I know, every member of the Nightray family holds a high level of authority. You? You don’t even look like a dignified CEO. The youngest son of the Nightray family like you is... useless.” Zarius clenched his fists. “How dare you talk like that! If you weren’t Jeff’s son, you’d already—” “Already dead?” Vier cut him off with a cold laugh. “Oh, so terrifying.” “Vier, stop!” Jeff finally intervened, his eyes full of warning. “Didn’t I tell you to be polite?” Vier shrugged. “I’m only polite to the right people.” Zarius sneered. “Where did you pick up such a rude child, Jeff?” “Zarius, enough!” Jeff tried to defuse the tension. “Vier may be too bold, but he’s only saying this because he cares about you.” Zarius let out a bitter laugh. “Care? He just insulted and belittled me!” Jeff sighed. “He’s still a child, you don’t need to take him seriously.” Zarius scoffed. “You’re really letting this kid do whatever he wants? If you wanted to adopt someone, you should’ve chosen a good and polite child, not a thug like him.” Vier grinned. “Wow, you call me a thug? Then, what’s the right word for you?” Zarius’s face hardened. “You—!” Before the situation worsened, Jeff intervened again. “Vier! This man is my younger brother. You should respect him.” Vier laughed dryly. “No way.” Zarius folded his arms, his tone sharp. “I’m sure you were just picked up off the street. Just like Jeff.” This time, Vier couldn’t hold back. In an instant, he stepped forward, grabbing Zarius’s shirt collar, his fist nearly landing on the man’s face before Jeff pulled him back. “Enough!” Jeff shouted, his voice booming. “Zarius is right. I’m not Old Nightray’s biological child, I’m just adopted.” Zarius looked at Jeff with disdain. “Yeah, an adopted child who always acts like you’re my real brother.” Jeff was silent. There was a wound in his eyes that only Vier could catch. Without hesitation, Vier patted Jeff’s shoulder lightly. “Ah, now I understand something, Pa.” Jeff blinked, surprised. “What? You called me... ‘Pa’?” Vier nodded casually. “Yeah, no wonder your attitude is much better than the rest of the Nightray family. You’re not really one of them.” Vier smiled faintly. “Somehow, I feel a little relieved.” Zarius snorted. “What’s there to be proud of in that?” Vier tilted his head, his gaze sharp. “At least my father doesn’t use the Nightray name to get what he wants.” Zarius laughed humorlessly. “I got to where I am because of my hard work.” Vier sighed, then said calmly, “You’re so naive, sir. Do you think your success came entirely from your own efforts? But did you know, Old Nightray also played a part in your rise to the top?” Zarius’s eyes narrowed. “Impossible. I built my company with my own money.” Vier gave a faint smile. “I once overheard Old Nightray talking to someone about investing a lot of money in an entertainment company. And if he did that, do you think he would use his own name?” This time, Zarius’s expression changed drastically. His face paled, and his body collapsed onto the sofa. His hand rose to rub his temple. “No way…” he murmured. “All this time, I thought I could succeed without using the Nightray name…” Vier looked at him with a mix of pity and contempt. “But the reality is, you were never truly free from him.” Jeff let out a long sigh, rubbing his face in frustration. “Vier, you’re making everything worse!” Vier just shrugged. “He started this.” Jeff glanced at Zarius, who still looked shaken. “Let’s go.” Vier followed Jeff, and as they walked out, he could still hear Zarius’s heavy breathing behind them. There was no sweet farewell. Only silence hanging in the air. When they reached the ground floor, Jeff finally spoke. “Why have you been ignoring me all day, Vier?” Vier turned to him casually. “Don’t think that just because I called you ‘Pa,’ I’ll obey all your orders.” Jeff rolled his eyes. “Didn’t I tell you to be polite?” Vier smirked. “He was the one who was disrespectful to you, Pa. Even if you’re adopted, he shouldn’t look down on you.” Jeff was silent for a moment before finally saying, “Now you know the truth. I’m giving you the freedom to choose.” Vier raised an eyebrow. “Choose what?” Jeff looked at him seriously. “If you want to walk away from all this, I won’t stop you.” Vier scoffed. “Why would I walk away? I’m on your side, Jeff.” Jeff stared at him quietly. There was something in his eyes that was hard to explain—a warmth rarely seen. But the atmosphere shifted when Vier suddenly stopped walking. He narrowed his eyes and pulled his jacket tighter. “Wait… why does it suddenly feel so cold around here?” Jeff turned to him, confused. “What do you mean?” “My hair’s standing on end.” Vier swallowed hard, his eyes fixed on two figures in front of them. Vincent stood with someone beside him. That person seemed to be surrounded by a terrifying black mist. Jeff patted Vier’s shoulder. “Maybe it’s just your imagination.” But Vier couldn’t ignore the bad feeling that suddenly gripped him. Vincent turned and waved. “Ah, what a coincidence! I wanted to introduce you to another participant.” He smiled, then looked at the figure beside him. “This is—” Vier held his breath. And when their eyes met, his heart pounded faster.