CHAPTER 32: 32: SURVIVAL POINTS

"They left quickly after getting their children’s clothes and some takeout food from the food court, and said they will be coming back today. I guess we’ll be expecting them."

"Well, I’ll have a chance to meet them by then."

The metal doors of the train opened with the familiar voice of the female operator, and Aria entered with the others.

"Miss Aria, I’ll stay here and wait for you. Please don’t leave again without saying anything, if possible."

The hint of anxiousness could not be hidden from Samantha’s tone.

Aria looked back, understood her worry, and nodded.

"I’ll just get food and then go to the children’s clothing store to check on it. Lolo needs to eat, and so do I, I’m really hungry this time. Outside is harsher... and I’ll keep these little guys with me."

After saying that, the doors of the Heavenly Train slowly closed and left the Wishing Stop Station platform.

Samantha could be seen waving at them through the glass panel of the train, and little Carlos was waving back excitedly.

There was no longer fear in his chest when riding the train without his sister Samantha by his side.

"It seems our little ones are much more comfortable riding this train now. Are you no longer scared?"

Lucas was slow to respond before he finally shrugged at the question, while Little Carlos, beside his older brother like a ray of sunshine, answered back without hesitation.

"Me, me! I’m no longer scared. The train isn’t scary. It goes to the food court, and I can eat a lot of food!"

"Yes, yes, that’s good. You’re doing well."

Aria softly patted both of their heads.

Little Carlos liked the touch so much that he even closed his eyes, as though he were a little orange cat purring.

The older one silently stayed still out of shyness.

On the other side, Lolo sat quietly, watching the warm interaction, something he had rarely witnessed in the base.

The moment his sight landed on the fully standing infrastructure of the Heavenly Train Station, one thought lingered in his mind.

It was impossible, truly impossible, and his eyes must be deceiving him.

What puzzled him even more was realizing that Caelan could not see the building in front of them.

The appearance of the Train Station was astonishing for someone who had never seen a building unscathed by the apocalypse.

Even more so, when Lolo stepped onto the first stair, he felt as if he were entering another world.

It was spotless, the fragrance in the air was unlike anything he had ever known in his entire life.

Lolo felt like he didn’t want to go outside anymore.

At this moment, he was sitting on a strange train whose purpose he did not understand.

But he just wanted to stay still and trust his master.

Meanwhile, Aria finally concluded that the two brothers had not been at any platform or stop at any station while she was away.

Lucas and Little Carlos were only able to go back and forth at the Train Mall Stop Station.

Somehow, Aria felt relieved knowing that.

She had been a bit scared thinking about what would happen if these little guys opened a station like the Destiny Gate Door.

She didn’t know how she would handle that.

When Aria checked the station map this time, she saw that only four stops were available, just as there had been before she left.

[ Wishing Stop → Locked 2nd Station. ]

Between these two regular station platforms, there were two point-star stops.

These were special stations that only passengers could reach according to their Heart Desires.

Heavenly Train Mall Station, like a mall where anything could be bought to satisfy basic human needs.

Heavenly Destiny Gate Station, like a mysterious door, a kind of magical gateway that sent people to unknown places, at least according to her personal experience.

Aria had her fair share of encounters with the Destiny Gate Door, from falling from the sky to nearly meeting her death.

In the next moment, she found herself face-to-face with the main lead, Caelan Frey.

However, it remained a mystery to her in other cases, as Gilbert and Jimmy’s destinations were still unknown.

Are those men both okay? Aria thought.

It seemed she needed to go there once again and investigate this special stop further.

The current task missions were to receive five new passengers, hire two helpers, and unlock the second station.

Aria had already completed the task of receiving the five new passengers.

Only one task remained pending, almost complete, hiring another Helper.

Aria now learned it was equivalent to a soul contract, which made her a bit reluctant.

"Fluff Ball, why did I lose consciousness again?"

"Host, as the Master of a Helper, you must bear your Soul Contract Helper situation. There is almost a fifty percent chance."

"Is it the condition for every Soul Contract Helper?"

"Host, it depends on the situation. If a Helper’s life is in danger, you must bear fifty percent of the burden to ensure their survival."

Isn’t that risky?

Lolo got infected, and she had lost her strength, which meant his infection was strong enough to threaten his life.

"What if I don’t continue this task and fail it?"

Aria asked, thinking that there was no deadline for any of the tasks.

"Host, survival points will be deducted, affecting the progress of your Main Mission."

"You’re always saying to deduct my points, and if not, you just tell me my level isn’t enough!"

"Host, the longer you remain in this world, the longer it will be before you can return to your own."

Her 5,000 survival points and the World’s survival rate were now at 0.1%.

Looking at her profile screen in the system, she felt a pang of pain at the thought that the stingy system might deduct them.

Who knew how many points would be taken?

"It’s just five days..."

"...."

"Fine! I’ll get the new Helper. I can do this, just you wait. I just need to be careful and choose someone who’s not on the verge of dying, right?"