WHEN THEY ALL LAUNCHED I BECAME THEIR GOD

Chapter 7

Maxwell and Megan had already returned home. They didn't go to New York anymore because of the call which Maxwell had received. So without wasting another second, he arrived home. He arrived at the family mansion.

The entire family was at the living room chamber, waiting for him. Immediately he came in, Megan followed him there as well.

That was when the patriarch said, “I told you to turn your jet back immediately, and you still have the guts to delay for this long?”

Maxwell quickly went on his knees. “I'm very, very sorry for the delay. When your call came in, we were already heading in the opposite direction. So before I could—”

The patriarch raised one of his hands, cutting him off. “No need to explain yourself. I'm not interested in your stories.”

Maxwell's mouth closed immediately.

The patriarch continued. 

“The real reason I called you back—I told you a little bit about what happened over the phone, but now let me make it clear. Let me make it make sense to you.” He paused, his eyes sweeping across the chamber. “The red light has appeared on the stone which means the King the God of Acupuncture has already awakened.”

Gasps filled the room.

“The God of Acupuncture has already awakened,” The patriarch repeated. 

“And since we are the descendants of acupuncture techniques, we need to find this God of Acupuncture that has woken in his power. Yes, we need to find him.” His voice grew more intense. 

“You know, this is not just something that we need to do. It is something that we must do. We must look for the God of Acupuncture immediately before our enemy, before our rivals get in touch with him.”

He stood from his seat, his presence filling the entire chamber.

“Yes, we know that we are the biggest when it comes to families that practice acupuncture techniques for generations. But you know we still have rivals. And we don't know at this moment who he is. Definitely, he has to be a new awakener.” The patriarch's gaze locked onto Maxwell. “So the family has taken it upon ourselves to send you out there to look for the God of Acupuncture.”

Maxwell remained kneeling, his head bowed.

“Yes, you,” the patriarch continued. “You are the second strongest if not the strongest when it comes to identifying potential. When it comes to identifying good techniques. When it comes to identifying people with high leverage.” He stepped closer to Maxwell. 

“Your eyes do it for you. Your eyes tell you who is what, who is worth it and who doesn't worth it. That's why we're sending you out there to go look for the God of Acupuncture and bring him home.”

Immediately Maxwell bowed even lower. 

“I will never fail you, and I will not fail this family. Whoever this God of Acupuncture is, whoever is the awakener, I'm going to find him and bring him here. And we are going to serve him like we are bound to do.”

The entire family nodded their heads simultaneously. Whispers started flying around the chamber.

“We cannot miss this opportunity.”

“Having a God of Acupuncture is going to level us up tremendously.”

“Each and every one of us is going to get a massive upgrade when it comes to our acupuncture techniques.”

“We are going to be even better than what we are now.”

Maxwell knelt there, the weight of the task pressing down on him. This was one of the biggest tasks of his life. A task he could not fail. He nodded his head firmly. “I've heard you, and I will not fail you.”

The patriarch's voice came cold and final. “You will not fail because you must not fail. Because if you fail, you are as good as dead.”

Maxwell's jaw tightened until the muscles in his face ached. He knew the gravity of the situation. Yes, he knew exactly how serious this was. The situation was tough very, very tough. The stakes were higher than anything he'd faced before. That was the reason he'd been summoned. That was why the entire family had been gathered here in this chamber.

Before he could say another word, footsteps echoed through the hallway outside.

All eyes turned toward the sound.

The double doors swung open, and a figure stepped into the chamber with the kind of confidence that made people stop and stare.

Brother Darlington, whispers erupted immediately.

“Darlington's here?”

“They called him back too?”

“If Darlington's involved, we'll find the God of Acupuncture in no time.”

“This is good. This is very good.”

Maxwell's stomach dropped.

Darlington was his cousin his father's elder brother's son. They were from different branches of the Rushman family, branches that had been competing for influence and favor for as long as Maxwell could remember. Darlington was older by three years, taller, broader in the shoulders, with a face that seemed carved from stone and eyes that missed nothing.

The family loved him.

Where Maxwell was respected for his ability to identify potential, Darlington was revered for his results. He didn't just spot opportunities he seized them. He didn't just make plans he executed them flawlessly. He was the golden child of his branch, the one everyone pointed to as proof that the Rushman bloodline bred excellence.

And Maxwell hated him for it.

Not because Darlington had done anything to him specifically. But because no matter what Maxwell accomplished, no matter how many deals he closed or connections he made, Darlington was always there, always one step ahead, always slightly better.

They'd been rivals since childhood. Fighting over toys as kids, competing for grades in school, vying for their grandfather's approval as young men. Every family gathering became a subtle battlefield where they measured themselves against each other.

And now Darlington was here, in this chamber, at this moment, when Maxwell had just been given the most important task of his life.

Darlington walked to the center of the room with measured steps, his expensive shoes clicking against the marble floor. He stopped a few feet from where Maxwell still knelt and bowed deeply toward the patriarch.

“Grandfather,” Darlington's voice was smooth, cultured, the kind of voice that commanded attention without needing to be loud. “I left everything I was doing and came here immediately when I received your message.” He straightened, his eyes meeting the old man's without flinching. 

“Please, do me the honor of allowing me to be the one who searches for the God of Acupuncture. Let me be the one to locate our awakened God.”