Chapter 15-Taste of freedom

Chapter 15: 15-Taste of freedom

Before leaving the hospital, Aymara returned to Nathaniel’s ward for one last look.

She simply stood behind the partially opened door in silence. Five minutes, that was all she allowed herself. In that time, she watched him to her fill.

Nathaniel sat by the window, looking up to the skies and noting a bunch of numbers onto his ipad. He was so focused that he didn’t feel Aymara watching him.

Sunlight touched his pale face every time he looked up. Occasionally, he turned the page and sometimes his brows furrowed. Once, he rubbed his eyes tiredly.

Aymara’s heart ached. ’You’re really here,’ she thought. ’So close and yet so far away. Will the gap between us ever be as close as it were?... Or even closer?’

She wanted to walk inside, to tell him everything about the apocalypse and her regrets. To apologize and hug him to make up for all the years they’d been apart because of her stupidity, but she couldn’t. Not yet.

She had to build the fortress first. Then and only then would she come for him.

Aymara quietly turned away. "Wait for me, Nate. This time, I’ll definately return to you."

She left.

---

Her phone rang before she reached the parking lot. Her former bodyguard’s name flashed on the screen.

Aymara answered immediately. "Hello?"

"I found someone for the task you gave me."

Her steps stopped. "A weapons supplier?" she asked to confirm.

"Yes."

"Good," her lips curved up.

With weapons, she’ll not have to worry about pirates and sea monsters later on. She’ll have a way to defend herself and Nathaniel.

"He has a large inventory, but he wants full payment during the transaction."

Aymara continued walking without a break. Her steps were steady and unwavering. "How much is he asking for?"

"Ten million."

Aymara didn’t hesitate. "Fine. Tell him to set a meeting."

There was silence on the other end of the call. The bodyguard was processing just how easily she was willing to part with ten million.

"You don’t even want to negotiate with him?"

"Money isn’t a problem. I just want the weapons as soon as possible."

"Aymara, I’m serious. This isn’t some ordinary purchase."

"I know," she uttered. "I am in my senses. I know what I am doing."

She looked toward the sky. Dark clouds had begun gathering on the horizon.

"I’m going to need them so theirs no need to stall by the back and forth of negotiations of the price."

"Need them for what?"

Aymara smiled. "To fight world war three."

"You’re joking again, aren’t you?"

"Set the meeting. You’ll get the rest of your money once the deal is done."

She hung up.

---

Forty minutes later, Aymara reached the outskirts of town. The area was deserted.

A truck waited near an abandoned industrial building. A man leaned casually against the back.

When Aymara parked, he straightened and looked at her. She noticed her former bodyguard was standing nearby.

He nodded toward the man.

"This is him," he told her.

Aymara didn’t bother with pleasantries or introductions. "First I see the good, then you get your money."

The supplier opened the back of the truck. Aymara looked inside.

Her eyes widened with surprise. The vehicle was packed with weapons and military equipment. Enough to make her bodyguard nervous and to make the coming apocalypse feel slightly less terrifying.

Aymara smiled with approval. "I’ll take it."

The supplier raised an eyebrow. "You’re not going to ask any questions?"

"No. I don’t need to," she spoke. "Selling or not?"

"About the payment?" her former bodyguard still thought it needed to be negotiated, ten million was too huge a price.

"Ten million," the seller spoke over him. "That’s my final offer."

Aymara took out her phone and completed the transfer. She confirmed payment and the transaction was completed quickly.

The weapons were transferred to her custody as the seller planned to leave in a different car, leaving the truck and all the weapons behind.

The supplier looked at Aymara, pleased. "If you ever need another bulk order, contact me."

Aymara nodded. "I will. Thank you."

She didn’t tell him that there probably wouldn’t be another opportunity because in four days, the world as they knew it, would be submerged under water.

And once the apocalypse began, supply chains would collapse. Warehouses would be looted, transportation would become dangerous and the people who had weapons and supplies would become far more important than those who had money.

The seller left. Aymara turned to her former bodyguard and paid what she still owed him. He too, left.

Aymara locked the door of the truck. Then she touched the side of the truck and everything vanished into the storage.

The weapons appeared inside the system space and the moment they arrived in the storage.

DING!

[Large-Scale Survival Arsenal Acquired.]

[Survival Requirement Met.]

[Ship Upgrade Initiated.]

Aymara’s eyes widened for a split second before a calm smile bloomed on her lips.

"Yes, please," she welcomed the upgrade.

Blue light spread across the space.

[Cruise Ship Level increased.]

[Current Level: 4.]

Aymara nearly jumped. "Level four!" her voice was over the roof. "Hahaha!" She laughed. "In one day? Does heaven love me or what?" she blushed.

The system continued.

[New Ship Function Unlocked.]

[Default Warship Transformation.]

Aymara went silent. A default warship meant that her fortress can transform into a warship in times of danger.

"Warship? System, you’re too good."

The image of her cruise ship appeared. Its structure transformed with armor plating covered the hull, defensive systems emerged and reinforced sections appeared beneath the decks.

The ship’s silhouette became more imposing. Aymara’s eyes sparkled. She was over the moon about the developments in her ship.

"This is getting better and better."

The ship was no longer merely a luxury cruise. It was becoming a fortress, a fortress capable of fighting back.

"This calls for a celebration."

Aymara drove back into the city with a lightness in her chest that she hadn’t felt in years. It was a day worth celebrating.

She had survived the betrayal, secured her future, and, most importantly, she had finally begun taking control of her own life.

Instead of heading to some expensive restaurant, she pulled over at a lively street-food stall glowing beneath strings of warm lights. The moment the familiar aroma of chili, garlic, and fried spices reached her, her stomach rumbled.

She smiled, parked the car, and walked toward the stall with the determination of a woman who had come to reward herself properly. "I can’t remember the last time I had street food."

"One bowl of extra-spicy beef noodles," she ordered, then pointed toward the display. "And add the spicy fried chicken, dumplings, grilled skewers, and those chili-coated potatoes. Oh, and a cold fruit soda."

The vendor stared at her for a second before laughing and getting to work. "Will a small woman like her manage to finish all that?" He mumbled.

Within minutes, her small table was crowded with steaming food—thick noodles coated in fiery red sauce, tender slices of beef, crisp golden chicken, plump dumplings, smoky meat skewers, and potatoes glistening with chili and seasoning.

It was nothing like the carefully measured meals Dylan used to insist she eat. He had always claimed that certain foods would ruin her figure, that she should avoid anything oily, spicy, or too filling because he preferred her body a certain way.

"I wonder how that jerk is doing?" The thought occupied his mind for a few seconds. "He hasn’t contacted me at all since my rebirth. Forget it."

Aymara picked up her chopsticks and took her first mouthful of noodles. The heat exploded across her tongue, followed by the rich taste of garlic, soy, chili oil, and tender beef.

Her eyes watered slightly, but instead of stopping, she laughed and reached for another bite. She alternated between the fiery noodles and crispy chicken, dipping the dumplings into their spicy sauce before popping them into her mouth.

Every few bites, she took a sip of cold soda to soothe the burn, only for the refreshing sweetness to make her reach eagerly for another mouthful.

She ate with genuine delight, no hesitation, no guilt, and no one sitting across from her telling her when she had eaten enough.

By the time she leaned back in her chair, the plates were nearly empty, her cheeks flushed from the chili and a satisfied smile spread across her face.

Aymara touched her pleasantly full stomach and let out a contented sigh. For years, she had treated food like something she needed permission to enjoy.

But dying once made her, realized she didn’t need anyone’s permission anymore. "This," she murmured, reaching for the last dumpling, "is what freedom tastes like."

Then she happily ate it, savoring every bite as though she were celebrating not just surviving her past, but finally becoming the person who would decide her own future.

Just then, her phone screen flashes brightly. She lazily unlocked the screen and saw a picture Sarah had sent her. She was standing on a ship, posing next to Dylan with her head resting on Dylan’s shoulder.

"Congratulations on keeping that trash busy so I can make my arrangements in peace, Sarah. See you in four days," she whispered and locked her phone without responding to the clear provocation.