Chapter 21-The warnings

Chapter 21: 21-The warnings

Her next destination was an oil warehouse. Aymara had learned one thing very quickly during her preparations: fuel would become one of the most valuable resources after civilization collapsed.

She couldn’t depend on finding fuel later. Once transportation systems failed, supply chains collapsed, and surviving groups began fighting over resources, fuel would become nearly impossible to acquire safely.

She needed enough to operate the ship for an extremely long time. So she bought ten enormous tanks of oil.

The price was astronomical. Aymara didn’t even blink. She had taken online loans to add to the money she had just to keep her supply endless until she was done.

Once the tanks entered her storage space, the multiplication function activated. One became one thousand, and ten became ten thousand. Aymara stared at the enormous reserve inside her storage space.

That was enough fuel to last for decades.

"That should be enough," she nodded with approval.

The system chimed.

DING!

[Massive Fuel Reserve Detected.]

[Ship Upgrade Requirements Met.]

[Ship Upgrade Initiated.]

Aymara’s eyes immediately lit up. On the cruise ship, the engine systems awakened. Fuel-processing systems expanded, additional storage tanks were integrated deep into the ship’s structure, the engines became more efficient, and emergency fuel systems appeared throughout the vessel.

Another series of notifications followed.

[Fuel Capacity: EXTREME.]

[Estimated Operational Duration: EXTENDED.]

[External Refueling Dependency: GREATLY REDUCED.]

Aymara smiled. "With this much fuel, I can keep the ship running without worrying about refueling."

She looked toward the distant horizon. She breathed out as another problem of hers were solved, another weight lifted from her shoulders.

Grrr...

Aymara froze. She looked down at her stomach. "...I’m hungry."

She glanced at the time. It was nearly afternoon then an idea struck her before she thought of eating.

She had plenty of ingredients: more than enough, actually but there was something else she wanted: prepared meals.

If the apocalypse lasted for years, there would inevitably be days when she didn’t want to cook. She wanted convenience. She wanted to open a container and eat without chopping, washing, standing in a kitchen, or cooking.

Aymara immediately pulled out her phone and started ordering like a woman possessed.

She ordered from one restaurant after another, buying Chinese food, Korean food, Italian food, local dishes, fast food, desserts, snacks, soups, rice dishes, noodles, meat dishes, vegetarian meals, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. She ordered practically everything she could think of.

However, she didn’t tell the restaurants anything about the cruise ship. Instead, she booked a hotel room and instructed every restaurant to deliver the food there. She paid deposits immediately.

"Full payment upon delivery."

The restaurant owners were delighted. A customer placing enormous orders and promising immediate payment was hardly someone they wanted to question.

Over the next several hours, delivery after delivery arrived. Boxes piled up, containers covered tables, and delivery bags filled the room.

The hotel staff could only stare as the mountain of food continued growing. Aymara didn’t care. Every package disappeared into her system space the moment she received it.

DING!

[Preservation Function Active.]

The change happened immediately. The meals stopped aging, with no decay, spoilage, loss of freshness, or change in temperature. Everything remained exactly as it had been when stored: fresh and perfect.

Aymara stared at the mountain of food inside her storage space. She was delighted. Of all the things she’d purchased so far, this might have been the best money she had spent.

"I won’t have to cook for years," she smiled brightly.

Just imagining herself eating whatever she wanted whenever she wanted was enough to make her salivate. She transferred the final container.

DING!

[Large-Scale Food Preservation Achievement Completed.]

[Ship Upgrade Requirement Met.]

Aymara’s eyes lit up as another upgrade was triggered. With little left, she was cashing in any upgrade she can but this time, the system surprised her.

[Special Function Unlocked.]

[Ship Camouflage Function Activated.]

Aymara froze in place. "Camouflage?"

A diagram appeared before her. The cruise ship’s external appearance could now be altered, allowing its structure to blend into certain surroundings, its heat signature to be reduced, and its visual presence to be concealed under specific conditions.

Aymara’s smile slowly widened. "This feature is perfect for doomsday."

A giant luxury cruise ship in the middle of an apocalypse was practically a giant invitation. Survivors would see it, desperate groups would come looking for it, pirates would want it, and armed groups would want it.

Anyone who discovered a functioning ship would immediately see it as a source of food, shelter, fuel, medicine, and power. And then there were the sea monsters.

Aymara almost wanted to kiss the system. "If they can’t find me, they can’t attack me," she grinned. "I’m beginning to understand why you chose me."

The system responded immediately.

[The System did not choose the Host.]

[System was assigned to the Host.]

[There was no consultation on the matter.]

Aymara’s smile disappeared. "System... Don’t ruin it."

The system remained silent.

---

By evening, Aymara finally returned to the cruise ship. She changed into comfortable clothes and collapsed onto the sofa. For several minutes, she simply stared at the ceiling.

She was exhausted and yet there was one thing she couldn’t stop thinking about, Nathaniel.

Tomorrow was the day she had to bring him aboard. There were no more excuses and no more delays. Tomorrow was her final chance to get Nathaniel onto the ship before the apocalypse began.

Aymara suddenly sat upright. "How am I going to convince him?"

She got up, headed to the mirror in the living room and began rehearsing in front of the mirror.

"Nathaniel," she immediately shook her head. "That’s too formal."

She tried again. "Hello, Nathaniel. I know we haven’t spoken in six years, but..." she stopped, her face twisting. "That’s terrible."

Another attempt. "Hi, Nate. I came to save you because the world is about to end," she stared at her reflection. "...Absolutely not."

Aymara dropped back onto the sofa and buried her face in her hands.

The problem wasn’t simply convincing him, it was their history. Six years ago, Aymara had personally ended their friendship. She had told Nathaniel to stay away from her, chosen Dylan, and cut Nathaniel out of her life. Now she wanted him to trust her enough to board a ship with her.

He might refuse, he had every right to. Worse, he might believe she was manipulating him again.

Aymara closed her eyes. Immediately, the memory of her previous life surfaced: Nathaniel’s frail body in the middle of the storm, his arms wrapped around her, his desperate attempt to save her, the terror in his eyes, and then his final moments.

He had died for her, and Nathaniel didn’t even know about it because he wasn’t reborn. To him, that life had never happened.

Only Aymara remembered. Only she carried the memory of his sacrifice; every day, every night, and every time she closed her eyes.

Aymara slowly opened her eyes, "No matter what," she stood, her expression hardened with determination. "I’ll get him aboard."

She didn’t care if he hated her, refused to forgive her, or shouted at her. She could handle all of that. What she couldn’t handle was watching him die again.

Aymara walked toward the enormous window. Outside, the sky had become almost black, the temperature remained unnaturally high, and the wind had changed.

Even the ocean beyond the harbor looked restless as dark waves rolled beneath the strange sky, as though the sea itself could sense what was coming.

She and the rest of the world were racing against the final hours.

Tomorrow, she would go to Nathaniel. She would stand before the man she had abandoned and this time, she would not walk away.

Aymara rested her forehead against the cool glass. "Nathaniel..." her voice softened. "I’m sorry it took me so long to come back."

She closed her eyes. "You don’t have to forgive me," her fingers curled against the glass. "I just need you to live."

Behind her, the system screen quietly appeared.

[APOCALYPSE COUNTDOWN]

[2 DAYS REMAINING.]

Aymara turned away from the window, her eyes unwavering.

Tomorrow, she would bring her king home and after that, she would let the world drown.