Chapter 72: Chapter 72: Central Mall Hero? (Part 2)

After leaving the scene, Don and Samantha made their way back to their car, which took a bit of time to find because of all the people now present in the parking lot.

But finding it was only the first problem, as numerous other cars were trying to get in while others were trying to get out, some of them being police vehicles and ambulances which were given priority. S~eaʀᴄh the Novёlƒire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"Oh, you have to be kidding me," Samantha let out a sigh and began slamming the horn hard in irritation. "Come on, move!"

Don sat silently in the passenger seat and could understand Samantha's frustration. However, he simply reclined his chair slightly and leaned his head back.

Samantha turned to and approved this action, "Yeah, you better just try getting some rest, Donnie. We may be stuck here for a bit." After she said this, she reached into the back and took out a bottle of water before handing it to him. "Here, drink some water as well."

She offered after opening the bottle for him and bringing it to his face. Don thought, 'She must think I'm in some serious pain if she won't even let me drink water by myself.' He didn't argue, though, as he had never found himself in such a situation. He knew words alone weren't enough to convince a worried mother so he simply opened his mouth and allowed Samantha to help him drink some water.

"How's that?" she asked as she retracted the bottle and closed it before placing it in one of the cup holders.

Don smiled and nodded, saying, "That's better. I'll just try to catch some sleep."

Samantha nodded. "Sure thing. I'll wake you up as soon as we arrive."

Since they were going to be there for a while, Don didn't want to be awake. Now wasn't really a good time for him to interact with Samantha.

The pain he felt aside, he couldn't predict what topics they would even talk about, and thus he wasn't confident he'd be able to handle the interaction as best as he could. So, with that in mind, he closed his eyes and tried to drift into sleep.

However, the first thing to come to his mind were thoughts of his parents in his former life. 'I wonder what they're up to now, or how they reacted to my death.'

The combination of the near-death experience and Samantha's response to it as a worried mother made Don reflect on that aspect of his former life. Even though they were far from being the most understanding of parents, they took care of him, gave him a roof over his head, and provided food throughout the years he stayed with them.

To take all that for granted would simply be ungrateful.

Recalling the way he died, he couldn't imagine how his parents must've felt, especially his mother, looking at Samantha's reaction.

He could only inwardly sigh, as there was nothing he could do about that. This was his life now, and he had already accepted it. Though assimilation was proving to be much more difficult than he imagined, and it was in no way as easy as those books he used to read made it seem to be.

The emotions, danger and pain involved were far too real, and this incident only affirmed that fact.

'I need to get stronger, but how?' This was the prevailing thought on Don's mind as he lay there waiting to drift into sleep.

Unbeknownst to Don, immediately after he closed his eyes, Samantha proceeded to look his way with evident worry in her eyes, thinking to herself, 'You just came back into my life and I nearly lost you. Why would you risk your life for a mother who couldn't even stand up for you when that bastard kicked you out? I just can't forgive myself.'

Samantha's grip on her steering wheel tightened, and the guilt she felt regarding Don increased after this incident. But just like Don with his worries, she was unable to deal with them in the present moment and could only reflect on them. So, to try to ease her mind and calm down, she simply turned on the radio and waited patiently for an opportunity to get out of the parking lot.

------

Roughly 30 minutes later, Don, who had managed to fall asleep, was suddenly woken up by Samantha's loud voice. "Unbelievable!" she yelled out, prompting Don to snap his eyes open and look both left and right with urgency as he thought something was wrong.

Seeing that they were still in the car and in no immediate danger, he relaxed.

His abrupt movement still caught the eye of Samantha, who looked his way and apologized. "Oh, I'm sorry I woke you, Donnie. It's just..." Before Samantha could explain, a voice from the radio interrupted--the same one that had brought them the news in the morning.

[ You heard that right, folks. The true hero of the Central Mall attack isn't Red Star but a young man named Don Bright. He single-handedly fought and killed four of Nightshade's Green Thorns in order to protect his mother.

Police have refused to comment on this, but according to anonymous sources, they recovered a hidden camera in one of the changing rooms which had been blasted out of place by an explosion and thus managed to catch part of the young man's fight, which is currently circulating on the Internet.]

[After having watched it myself, all I can say is that it's truly impressive for a young man who doesn't even possess a class C evaluation to fight to this level. If Dr. Gadget has shown us anything, you don't need flashy powers to be a great superhero. So, I hope we hear more about this young man soo-.] *click*

Before anything more could be said, Samantha angrily changed the channel, frowning deeply. "How did this even happen? How can the police be so incompetent? I'm definitely going to sue. Don't they know how dangerous it is to have such information leaked? What if Nightshade ever escapes and wants to take revenge on you?

What if he hires some goons to do it from jail? They're clearly bad people who have no problem hurting others, and yet they're blatantly telling the world your identity and what you did!" Samantha complained, clearly only seeing the negatives of the content being reported on the radio.

At first, Don thought it could be a good thing, but after she gave her perspective on the situation, he shared similar worries, as it was very possible for that to happen.

------

Meanwhile, at Summer's school, Nexus Academy, she and her friend Sylvia were currently sitting in the bleachers of an indoor VR stadium watching a live match in progress against another local high school.

The Nexus Academy was a cutting-edge educational institution known for its emphasis on technology and innovation. The school campus was a blend of modern architecture and natural elements. The main building was a sleek, multi-story structure with glass walls that reflected the surrounding greenery, giving it a futuristic and inviting appearance.

Throughout the campus, green spaces and recreational areas offered students places to relax and socialize.

As for the stadium, the exterior structure had smooth metallic surfaces with pulsating neon accents. Inside, the stadium opened up into a vast arena, with tiered seating arranged in a semi-circle around the central VR field.

The seats were equipped with individual holo-screens, providing spectators with real-time stats and multiple viewing angles of the match. The central field itself was an expansive, open space that could transform into various terrains and environments, thanks to advanced VR projection technology.

Above, a massive transparent dome covered the stadium, displaying a dynamic digital sky that changed with the events of the match.

The match itself wasn't at all exciting, and some of the students were on their phones, Sylvia being one of them.

While on her phone, she stumbled upon the very leaked video that was being mentioned on the radio. Upon watching it, she didn't immediately recognize Don but immediately recognized Samantha in the background and looked toward Summer, who was seated next to her with surprise.

"Summer, is this your mom?" she asked, unsure if she was seeing things right.

Summer looked her way and peeped at the phone before narrowing her eyes. She seemed unsure for a moment and grabbed Sylvia's phone to take a closer look before yelling, "It's Mom and Donnie! What the hell is this video?" she asked, prompting Sylvia to quickly explain.

"Nightshade attacked Central Mall, and these are some of the videos from the incident."

"Wait, if that's really them, are they okay right now?" Sylvia's tone changed to one of worry as she asked this.

Summer didn't answer and immediately reached into her bag to take out her phone, quickly going to the contacts to dial her mom.

Sylvia waited anxiously and asked, "Well?"

However, Summer removed the phone from her ear the next second and shook her head. "It's not going through."

"Shit. I need to go."

Saying nothing more, Summer tossed the bag onto her back and stood up from her seat before leaving hurriedly.