Chapter 24-One final inspection

Chapter 24: 24-One final inspection

The moment the cruise left the port and the enormous gates of the harbor disappeared behind them, a familiar mechanical voice suddenly sounded inside Aymara’s mind.

[Hidden Mission Activated.]

Aymara paused. She was still standing beside Nathaniel’s wheelchair, one hand resting lightly against its handle.

[Hidden Mission: Get Beloved Safely Aboard the Survival Fortress.]

[Mission Status: Completed.]

[Mission Reward: Survival Fortress upgraded by five levels.]

For a moment, Aymara simply stared ahead, her eyes widening as shock registered across her face. "Five levels?"

Her lips slowly curled into a smile. The system had never been that generous before.

One level had already been enough to transform her cruise into something terrifying. Five levels at once... was like getting her christmas gift early.

"System, are you my secret Santa?" She asked.

[Host, Santa Claus doesn’t exist.]

[And if I were him, I would pick host’s beloved to give my gifts. He’s been nice.]

Aymara’s jaw dropped. She blinked, unable to bear the brutal opinion of the system.

"Why did I even ask?"

Aymara almost wanted to laugh. The system favoured Nathaniel over and it wasn’t afraid to show it. Why would it? What can Aymara do to it?

"Forget it," she hugged herself. "If you won’t love me, I’ll love myself."

[That’s sad, host.]

In that moment, Amara wished that the system had a physical body. She wouldn’t mind exchanging blows with it, even if the system won, she’d make sure to give it a piece of her mind.

"Be the bigger person, Aymara. Be the bigger person."

[But host is so short. How will you be the bigger person?]

The mechanical voice sounded in Aymara’s ear and she nearly exploded. She glanced at the glowing blue skin and the thoughts running through her mind were enough to secure her slot in the deepest parts of hell.

"Five levels," she forced a smile. Not making any comment that will trigger a response from the system.

The system seemed to be in the mood to give her reasons to start therapy and she didn’t want to provoke it into provoking her.

She looked around at the enormous luxury cruise that was now completely isolated from the outside world.

The polished floors reflected the soft ceiling lights. The wide windows showed nothing but the endless blue ocean stretching toward the horizon. Every section of the ship had been carefully reinforced, protected and upgraded by the system and now it was five levels stronger.

She could only imagine what the system had added but there was something much more important than the upgrade, it was that Nathaniel was safe with her.

Aymara glanced down at the sleeping man. His head had fallen slightly to one side in the wheelchair. His pale face looked peaceful now, completely different from the irritated expression he had worn in the hospital garden or the car when he had told her to go away.

She sighed. "You’re lucky you’re handsome," she carefully pushed the wheelchair through the hallway. "I would have been very offended if I had gone through all this trouble and you still refused to come home."

Nathaniel didn’t answer. He had fallen asleep and was unconscious.

Aymara continued pushing him until they reached the room she had prepared especially for him.

The moment she opened the door, her expression softened. That room had nothing to do with the extravagant guest rooms scattered throughout the cruise. She had designed it specifically around Nathaniel’s condition.

The bed was wide and soft, but not so soft that getting out of it would be difficult. The mattress had adjustable support, and the head could be raised with the press of a button.

The temperature inside the room was carefully regulated, keeping it comfortably warm without becoming stuffy. An air purification system ran quietly in the background, constantly filtering the air.

There was a small medical station beside the bed with oxygen equipment, emergency medicine, a blood-pressure monitor, a pulse oximeter and a temperature monitor.

Everything he might need during one of his attacks was within arm’s reach.

The curtains were thick enough to block harsh sunlight, but could automatically open whenever he wanted natural light.

A comfortable reclining chair sat beside the window where he could read. A bookshelf had already been filled with books on medicine, science, technology, history and several novels Aymara had chosen simply because she thought he might like them.

There was even a small tea station with his favorite kinds of teabags. Aymara had made sure that everything was to his taste.

She had also placed warm blankets in the wardrobe, several sets of comfortable clothes, slippers, thick socks, and soft robes.

Everything had been chosen for comfort rather than appearance alone. She had even checked the furniture twice to make sure there were no sharp edges that could hurt him if he became dizzy.

"This is your room," she whispered. She carefully lifted Nathaniel from the wheelchair and laid him on the bed.

He was lighter than she remembered and that realization made something painful twist inside her chest.

Six years of being apart and somehow, he had become even thinner.

Aymara gently pulled the blanket over him. Her fingers brushed a strand of dark hair away from his forehead.

"From now on, you’re going to gain weight," she narrowed her eyes at him as if he could argue. "I’ll feed you properly. Three meals a day, snacks in between, and whatever your doctor says you need..." she paused. "And don’t even think about refusing me. I’ll take your silence as permission and if you disagree, speak now or forever hold your resistance."

Nathaniel remained asleep, to that Aymara smiled. "Good. We’re already making progress already."

She gave him one last look before leaving the room. "Rest, I’ll have food ready when you wake up."

Other than prepare a meal for Nathaniel, there was still something she needed to do.

She needed to see her kingdom and conduct one final inspection of every room.

The cruise was enormous, and Aymara had personally overseen almost every part of its transformation. But the system’s latest five-level upgrade had changed things again and she wanted to know exactly what she had.

She started from the upper decks. The ship looked almost peaceful. Luxury lounges, observation areas, recreation rooms, swimming facilities and spacious corridors remained beautifully maintained.

The cruise was no longer merely a ship. It was a fortress.

Reinforced walls were hidden beneath the elegant interior. Emergency barriers could seal entire sections within seconds. Surveillance cameras covered every important corridor. Combat drones rested inside concealed compartments, ready to activate the moment an intruder was detected and even the exterior could change in a combat battle ship.

Weapons systems were integrated into the ship’s structure. The reinforced hull could withstand attacks that would have torn an ordinary cruise ship apart and thanks to the latest upgrade, the ship could now detect hostile targets from a terrifying distance.

Aymara stood at the observation deck and looked across the ocean.

The water was still calm, beautiful and almost innocent. It was difficult to imagine that by tomorrow, this same ocean would become a monster.

She continued walking. The next stop was the farming area.

The system had created enormous spaces inside the ship where crops could grow under controlled conditions.

Aymara had planted rice, wheat, maize, millet, potatoes, beans, peas, lentils, tomatoes, onions, carrots, cabbages, spinach, peppers, cucumbers and countless other vegetables.

There were fruit trees too and she had expected the seeds to take time to grow. Instead, the system had accelerated their growth.

When Aymara stepped inside the farming section, she stopped in surprise as tiny green shoots had already pushed their way through the soil.

Some had grown several inches, leaves were beginning to unfold and some already started flowering. The sight made her eyes brighten.

"They’re already growing?" She asked and crouched beside one of the planting beds.

The plants looked healthy. It was strong, green and very much alive. The system’s special environment maintained perfect temperature, humidity, lighting and nutrients.

With the multiplication function and accelerated growth, food would never become a problem.

Aymara stood again. "This is amazing."

She walked through the farming area slowly, admiring the rows of crops. She could already imagine Nathaniel walking through here one day.

Perhaps he would complain that she had bought too many varieties, lecture her about wasting money or he would stand beside her and explain something she didn’t understand being as gentle and tender as she remembered him to be.

The thought made her smile. She wanted those ordinary moments more than anything.

"You can hate me for everything, Nate. But even in your hatred...please be gentle with me."