Chapter 102-Number one baby

Chapter 102: 102-Number one baby

Maisa watched her farm and froze in place. The vegetables she had planted only a few days earlier were nearly ready for harvesting.

Rows of leafy greens had grown thick and vibrant while tomatoes hung heavily from their vines. Cucumbers stretched beneath broad leaves and several other vegetables had grown so quickly that some were already large enough to pick.

The cereal crops were equally astonishing. Their stalks had grown tall, with grain heads beginning to fill, while the fruit trees nearby were covered in plump, colorful fruits.

Aymara blinked in surprise. A second look didn’t make it easier to digest. The fast growth still left her breathless.

"Wait a minute, Aymara. Are you sure that you planted this a few days ago?" Nathaniel gave her a look that was doubting the story she fed him.

"Why would I lie to you," Aymara laughed. "It’s probably the farming system. Remember? It accelerates plant growth."

"I remember you mentioning it, but I didn’t expect this." Nathaniel approached one of the beds, examining the vegetables with undisguised amazement. "At this rate, you’ll be harvesting fresh food while everyone else is fighting over canned vegetables."

"Not just harvesting. We’ll have a steady supply as long as we manage the crops properly." Aymara grinned. "Fresh vegetables, fruits, and grains. No more worrying about running out of food."

Nathaniel shook his head, smiling faintly. "You’re building an entire self-sufficient settlement on a ship."

"Why stop at a settlement when I can have a floating paradise?" She slipped her hand into his and led him toward the storage area. "And speaking of supplies, you haven’t seen everything yet," she felt a certain pride from having something to share with him.

They moved through the farm, Nathaniel plucked an apple from the tree and glanced at it, it looked healthy and more alluring than apples in supermarkets. ’My own survival arrangement falls behind by a million miles,’ he thought quietly.

His profile gleamed. He was extremely happy that Aymara surprised him and was doing so well for herself.

They moved on to the next room. Inside, the shelves were packed with neatly organized goods. Boxes of canned food, bags of rice and flour, cooking oil, bottled drinks, seasonings, dried foods, and other necessities filled row after row.

A separate sections held cleaning products, toiletries, clothing, batteries, tools, and emergency equipment.

Nathaniel slowly turned in place, taking everything in. "Mara... how much have you stocked?" He was taken aback and could barely believe his eyes.

"Enough to keep us comfortable for a long time," she answered, enjoying the look of pride in his eyes that lacked greed and animosity. He looked genuinely happy for her. "We don’t have to worry for a long time. No matter what the apocalypse throws at us, I came prepared."

"That’s not a number, dear," Nathaniel smiled, twirling in circles to glimpse at every stock in every direction until he grew a little dizzy.

She gave him an innocent smile. "Do you really want to count everything?" She asked, moving close and holding him steady after noticing him getting tipsy.

Nathaniel looked at the endless rows of supplies, then back at her. "Not really. I think I’d rather preserve my sanity," he joked.

Aymara laughed and leaned against his arm. "The system multiplied most of what I stored. Whenever I find something useful, I can stock it up and let the system handle the rest."

He examined the inventory display, his expression becoming increasingly astonished as the quantities appeared on the screen.

Aymara’s rank rose even higher in his heart. He loved that she had put everything in place and with it without him, she wouldn’t have suffered. He glanced at her and felt like a useless freeloader. Undeserving of her care and her supplies.

Even with his knowledge of technology and the resources he had acquired for himself, Nathaniel had never seen anything quite like this. Aymara wasn’t merely preparing to survive the apocalypse. She was creating a fortress that could withstand shortages, disasters, and prolonged isolation.

And she was doing it with a cheerful expression as though filling an enormous warehouse were an ordinary afternoon activity.

He turned to her. "You realize most survivors would consider this a dream, don’t you?"

"I realize most survivors aren’t me," she said and lifted her chin proudly.

Nathaniel chuckled, then reached for her hand again. He wanted to do something to prove that he wasn’t just dead weight that she was carrying around. To prove his usefulness to her so as to not pull her down. ’Don’t worry, Mara. I won’t just freeload. I’ll earn my place aboard your fortress,’ he thought, determined.

For a while, they simply stood together among the supplies, enjoying the cool air and the quiet hum of the ship.

Nathaniel had no idea that he had already earned his place in a way that Aymara could never repay. He has given his life for her. Without hesitation.

Outside, the heatwave continued to scorch the ocean but inside Aymara’s vessel, the lights shone brightly, the refrigerators remained full, and the crops were almost ready to harvest.

For the first time in a long while, Nathaniel could imagine a future that wasn’t entirely shaped by fear and uncertainty and when Aymara squeezed his hand, he found himself hoping that he might get to share that future with her as an equal not someone who depended entirely on her.

Just then, a transmission from Roa appeared on Nathaniel’s smartwatch. He had synced the watch with his system to maintain an active connection to his underwater bunker, allowing him to monitor its situation even when he was away.

Roa’s message indicated that 009 had sustained severe damage and requested further instructions.

Nathaniel immediately slipped out of Aymara’s embrace and typed his response.

[Deploy a repair bot and send the necessary materials for repairs.]

[Keep an eye on Noel and monitor their progress and survival. Report any significant developments to me immediately.]

"Is something wrong?" Aymara leaned over his shoulder, trying to see what he was doing. Her gaze fell on the name of the person he was messaging, and curiosity flickered in her eyes. "Who’s Roa?" she asked.

Nathaniel turned around. The moment he noticed her standing on her tiptoes to peer over his shoulder, a faint smile tugged at his lips.

"My number one baby," he answered casually.

The smile on Aymara’s face vanished. Her eyes snapped to his, searching his expression for any trace of a joke, a lie, or even the slightest hint that he was teasing her but there was no such expression.

Nathaniel looked completely serious. He had just referred to someone else as his baby right in front of her, without the slightest hesitation.

Then what did that make her? What about the strange tension that had been growing between them?

The way he let her hold him, the way he looked at her sometimes, and the way her heart had begun to race whenever he came close? Had she been imagining everything?

A cold, unpleasant thought crept into her mind. Was Nathaniel just like Dylan? Was he secretly involved with someone else while allowing her to grow attached to him?

The possibility made her chest tighten. She had already suffered through one betrayal. She wasn’t foolish enough to willingly walk into another, especially when she had only just begun to believe that Nathaniel might be different.

Aymara stared at him for another moment before finally forcing the question past her lips.

"Your girlfriend?"