CHAPTER 40: 40: THE CRAZY OLD MAN’S PROPOSAL

Those words dripped with arrogance and unmistakable contempt, daring anyone to challenge her.

Let’s see who would even dare to return it.

Aria stood her ground, facing the unruly group.

"So, you have it, Goldie. Hand it over now, and nothing bad will happen to you." One of them sneered.

"Who are you again?" Aria shot back at their Boss, her gaze sharp and entirely unbothered by whoever else might be speaking.

The older man with the eyepatch cleared his throat.

He realized he had never properly introduced himself to this beautiful Golden Princess.

Being asked for his name, he wasn’t sure what to say, but he wanted to make a good impression.

"I am your future husband, my dear Golden Princess." The older man paused, then spoke smoothly, his voice cold and almost seductive.

"I am the leader of Base E, right next to this city. You may call me Husband... or perhaps Michael."

That kind of introduction was already unwelcome. Aria’s lips parted slightly in shock before her expression hardened, anger flashing in her eyes.

Who did this man think he was, calling himself her future husband?

Did she look like the kind of woman who would marry an old man from a group of men who showed no respect?

By now, she was sure this older man couldn’t even catch a glimpse of the Heavenly Train Station.

"I will not marry you, old sir."

"Old sir?" Michael’s face twitched, the words hitting his old pride like a slap.

"You just called me old?" A loud laugh escaped him after that, and he dragged a man next to his group and punched him.

The others fell silent, trying not to even breathe, looking wary, yet no one moved an inch to help the one twitching on the ground.

Aria: "..."

What just happened?

Did this Boss just beat one of his men to the ground?

Crazy!

This old man was a crazy one.

Aria happened to step back, knowing that if any more crazy movements happened, she had to be ready.

Everyone was stunned by the older man’s unexpected action.

Samantha stepped in front of her master, while Caelan remained silent and calm, though his steps toward Aria were evident.

"I am not old, my dear Golden Princess." Michael had the look of a madman as he stared back at Aria, ignoring everyone else around her.

This time, he had decided he must have this beautiful woman as his wife, no matter what kind of identity she had or what strange infrastructure stood behind her.

"I don’t care! Stop calling me Golden Princess and leave this place!" Aria glared daggers, her golden pupils shining with such fierceness that it was enough to scare others.

However, the leader of Base E was not normal. He felt electrified, his gaze hot and intense.

The way he looked at Aria now, with affection mixed with lust, made her uncomfortable.

"Fluff Ball, is there a way I can keep the male lead inside the Heavenly Train Station territory?"

"Host, he is already inside your territory."

"I mean, is there a way inside the station building or on the grounds?"

"Host, you can spend your survival points on his forced entry. It will only last one day under certain conditions."

A pause followed.

Aria thought for a moment and asked.

"Tell me the conditions?"

If it worked on her terms, she would do it.

"Host, this person will not be able to see the Station, but if he steps inside the territory, he will not be seen by anyone."

"It is like a normal bubble barrier. I understand."

Nothing seemed wrong to her, and she thought so.

Yet when the system mentioned it would take her survival points, there was a moment of hesitation.

"Then how many survival points?"

Aria couldn’t help asking, speaking a bit slower than usual.

She didn’t want to spend her small survival points, but she couldn’t leave the male lead alone while these bad guys were around.

"One thousand Survival Points."

"That’s too much."

Too much! Aria only had five thousand survival points.

The thought of spending one thousand just for the male lead made her stomach twist.

It’s not that she doesn’t want to spend on the other person, but those are her hard-earned survival points.

Fluff Ball System went silent when she stopped speaking, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

Aria glanced at the group of men in front of her once again and then at the night sky above them.

It was getting late, and she still had no idea how to deal with this bad group of men if they had no plans to leave.

As she pondered ways to get rid of them, she suddenly heard the male lead’s stomach grumble beside her.

Slowly turning her head, Aria realized she had forgotten to give him his food, distracted earlier by Samantha’s urgency.

When her eyes met his, Caelan looked away coldly, though she could tell he was probably feeling shy.

Aria couldn’t help but smile a little at his stiff reaction, finding it quietly endearing.

She stepped closer behind Samantha, tilting her head slightly at her shoulder.

"Sam, can you please get me the pack of takeouts I left with Lolo?"

Samantha nodded and left the spot without hesitation after exchanging a glance with Caelan.

Their silent communication through their eyes was something Aria had no way of understanding.

Meanwhile, the Stationmaster scanned the crowd and noticed another limping teenager approaching the one called Mikey.

She didn’t know for sure, but at a single glance, she realized they were the two passengers who had completed the five tasks.

Even under the dim light, she could see they were not well, looking like pitiful kids in her eyes.

Some men were jeering at both boys, but they froze the moment Samantha stepped into the gate of the Train Station territory.

In an instant, her whole figure vanished before their eyes.

The sight left them utterly silent, their mouths slightly agape.

It seemed impossible, yet they had seen it with their own eyes.

A mix of fear and disbelief filled them, and their Boss Michael, was no exception.

When they turned to look at Aria again, their eyes glinted with dangerous heat, their hands itching to snatch her right there.

Only Caelan’s cold and unshakeable presence kept them rooted in place.

Michael gave Caelan a silent look, and the others returned it, refusing to back down.

They were locked in a tense, wordless staring contest.

Meanwhile, Aria noticed Lolo appearing beside Samantha, who had just returned as well.

Another wave of gasps rippled through the group of men, their eyes following the sudden arrival of another person.

They no longer cared about how these people were vanishing and reappearing, their attention completely captured by Lolo’s sudden presence.

A beautiful young boy with delicate, almost feminine features made them question their own eyes.

Was he really a boy or a girl?

Such obvious stares were hard to ignore, and Lolo realized the other men were around.

He instinctively felt disgust, tried to ignore their presence, and quickened his brisk steps toward his master, Aria.

"Lolo, why did you come out? How are the two little brothers?" Aria asked, her worry for the younger ones clear.

She didn’t want them out here either.

Recalling his master’s words, Lolo didn’t want to come out either, but he also couldn’t let Sister Samantha handle all the takeouts alone.

They were quite heavy after all.

"Miss Aria, the two are well-behaved. They promised not to go out, and I came to help deliver this to you."

Lolo began explaining as soon as he stood before his master, lifting the paper bags filled with food.

Aria’s attention quickly shifted to them.

She took one of the bags and, with light, excited steps, walked toward the male lead.

At last, she could repay him for all the help he had given her.

"Caelan, here. You must be hungry."

Aria pulled out a container from the bag and placed it in his hands.

One after another, she continued taking out more until some were even set on the hood of the male lead’s car.

Under the bright post light, an array of dishes was revealed for all to see.

Even the group of men standing not far away caught sight of the food inside the containers.

Real food.

They began edging closer, eager to take a better look.

Caelan stepped closer, his gaze falling on the spread, and he confirmed they were indeed food, dishes he remembered from his past.

In this era, such meals no longer existed.

Only a rare few ever tasted anything decent, and cooking a good dish was nearly impossible, even for those in high standing at the Base.

Yet this woman he had only recently met had actually managed to bring out food like this.

He remembered how he had first met her.

Aria had appeared as if falling from the sky, and he had saved her from drowning.

After that, he noticed the way she acted, as though she had never suffered through the apocalypse.

Earlier, she had vanished into places he could not see.

Now, she was bringing out important supplies just as she had said before, blurting out the names of the dishes without pause.

This woman was not ordinary, and Caelan finally believed it.