CHAPTER 291: CHAPTER 291: KAEL’S FIRST LOVE

On arriving at the Twilight Base guard entrance, they once again saw the same guards who had first met them.

The moment the guard spotted the familiar, beautiful woman with pink hair and another woman standing beside her, he couldn’t help but lick his lips in excitement.

After all, soon he would be able to taste these delicacies.

Earlier, he had regretted not contacting his associates inside the base to kidnap this woman.

However, now the opportunity stood right before him.

’This is the chance I’ve been waiting for. Now, finally, I can have her all to myself,’ he thought, exhaling smoke.

Just as Ivy was about to take out the entry fees, the guard stopped her and said with a grim face, "I realize I was too rude on our first meeting. As compensation, I’d like to offer you free accommodation inside the base."

Ivy arched a brow before shaking her head.

"I don’t want any kind of compensation. It would be better if you stopped staring at others so blatantly. Your lustful thoughts are written all over your face."

The guard clenched his fists in humiliation.

’Once I have her under my control, I’ll teach her a good lesson. That bitch really needs to learn some manners.’

But on the surface, he wore a mask of remorse, looked at Ivy with feigned guilt, and nodded.

He then gestured to his fellow guards to open the gate and forced a weak smile.

"You may enter. Consider this the compensation, since you don’t want me to arrange any accommodation inside Twilight Base."

Ivy ignored him. It doesn’t matter whether pretending to be kind or having genuine remorse.

’As long as I can protect my food and stop this corrupt base from thriving, I’ll be satisfied.’

She gave a faint nod and motioned her family and Silas to follow her inside.

Just like before, the pungent stench of human waste hit them immediately... only this time, it was even worse.

A few humans were lying on the floor, pale and motionless.

Their lips were cracked, their faces dull, and their bodies weak with dehydration.

Seeing this, a faint trace of pity flickered in Ivy’s heart, but she quickly suppressed her emotions.

They soon rented a makeshift tent for one kilogram of rice.

Despite being temporary, it was surprisingly neat and clean, blocking out the nauseating odor of filth.

Taking a deep breath, Ivy turned to Silas, who said, "By tonight, we’ll take action. Logan already told me the location... it’s right under Austin’s house."

Ivy’s expression darkened. "So, Austin really did turn out to be the leader of human trafficking," she murmured.

To think a base leader could have such a vile side... Still, after everything she’d seen in her past life, it wasn’t new to her.

Silas nodded calmly.

"We just need to wait until nightfall. Once the clock strikes nine, we’ll move. They’re trafficking another batch of women through the underground tunnel, just twenty meters from this tent."

Ivy nodded, and unable to bear the stench any longer, they decided to spend their time inside the temporal storage.

Once inside, the family sat together to discuss their future plans.

They were going to return to Ivy’s homeland, where her own base was located.

Ivy hadn’t told them she was the leader of the Silvy Base... she wanted to surprise them later and see their reactions. A playful smirk curved her lips at the thought.

Ember, noticing Ivy’s expression, asked curiously, "If you’ve lived there for so long, you must have some close friends too, right?"

Ivy smiled. "Yes, I have a very good best friend."

Ember’s eyes sparkled. Then she sighed softly.

"I had a best friend too... but she went on a trip, and I have no idea when she’ll return. I don’t even know where she is now."

Curious, Ivy asked, "What’s her name? Maybe I’ll come across her one day, and if I do, I’ll make sure she’s safe."

Ember thought for a moment. "Her name’s Pearl. She’s a very beautiful woman. Brown hair, brown eyes."

Ivy nodded thoughtfully, then her gaze shifted toward Kael, who looked lost in thought. She nudged Ember and pointed toward him, silently asking what was wrong.

Ember shook her head and whispered, "Kael liked a girl a lot... but she married someone else."

Ivy blinked in surprise.

’So my serious, stoic brother actually had a crush on someone?’

With sudden interest, she asked, "Who was she?"

Ember chuckled lightly.

"It was back in college. He liked a girl then, but she moved away. Later, at the base, he found someone who resembled her and started liking that girl too."

Ivy arched a brow. "So, he’s looking for a substitute?" she asked, a hint of distaste in her tone.

After Silas’s last substitute incident... Ivy particularly hated the concept.

Ember quickly waved her hands.

"No, not a substitute... more like a preference. The first girl he liked became his type, and now he just... tends to be drawn to girls who resemble her."

Ivy shook her head with a faint smile. "This topic is truly complex," she murmured. Then, in a softer voice, she added, "If possible, I hope he finds his first love again."

Felix murmured that it would be better if Kael didn’t find his first love again.

Ivy immediately sensed there was gossip brewing and glanced at him.

Felix chuckled and said,

"Kael was a very shy person during his college years, and whenever anyone mentioned his first love, his reaction was... a bit strange."

Curious, Ivy asked, "What did he use to do?"

Ember laughed, then her expression softened as a memory surfaced.

..............................................

Five years ago.

In an empty classroom.

The classroom’s hollow silence was occasionally disrupted by a rustling sound produced by a tall figure standing near the classroom’s window.

The man’s towering figure cast a reflection on the window, as his purple eyes stared intently in one direction

Kael dreamily stared at his first love, who was navigating among the crowd with ease.