"A future where you can live?"
Hearing this rather unexpected "term of trade," a decisive light flashed in Elara's eyes. Without a moment's hesitation, she immediately took the lead in the conversation.
"Then come with us," she said, her voice clear and firm, full of confidence. "Instead of hiding here, using your special ability to peer into some blurry, so-called 'fate,' why not... use your own eyes to witness how we write the end of this story with our own hands."
"Wouldn't that… be better?"
Elara's words, like a stone thrown into a calm lake, sent the young female voice into a long silence.
The private room became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
After a long time, the voice finally spoke again, slowly, asking a question… that Elara didn't quite expect.
"If… and I mean if, one day, you discover that everything you once firmly believed in was wrong, that all your efforts would only lead to an even worse ending… at that time, would you… choose to turn back?"
Elara was taken aback.
The question, like a key, instantly unlocked the deepest, long-sealed door in her heart, the one leading to memories of her past life.
She thought of Leon, whom she had loved deeply but who had ultimately pushed her into the abyss; of Ashley, whom she had considered her best friend but who had stabbed her in the back; of all the struggles, betrayals, and despair of those ten years…
If this second chance was just to make her experience the same pain all over again, would she… regret it? Would she choose to give up, to return to the past she was once familiar with, a past filled with lies and deceit?
No.
After a moment of daze, Elara's eyes quickly became incredibly clear and firm. She gave a carefree laugh, a laugh filled with a sense of release and resolution that comes from having weathered countless storms.
"I wouldn't," she answered crisply. "The past is dead. Why look back?"
"Good," the female voice said, seeming to have gotten the answer she wanted from Elara's brief reply. "Then… I'll trust you one more time."
Again?
Hearing that word, a hint of vigilance rose in Elara's heart again. This woman seemed to know something… that even she herself didn't.
But she was smart enough not to press the issue. Some secrets were not meant to be unveiled just yet.
Just as their conversation ended, the door to the private room was slowly pushed open.
An extremely thin, almost skeletal woman was wheeled in by a masked man, who was as tall as a bear but possessed a pair of clear blue eyes.
The woman's face was so pale it was almost transparent, as if a gust of wind could blow her over, but her lips held a nonchalant, devil-may-care smile.
"Just call me… Codename B," she said, smiling at Elara and Cassian. Her voice was the same as the one from the monitor, exquisite and ethereal. "Don't worry, my physical condition won't affect your operations."
After speaking, she looked up at the bear-like man behind her and called softly, "Simon."
The man called Simon just nodded silently, then bent down and, with his strong arms, carefully lifted the woman from the wheelchair. Though his movements looked powerful, they were carried out with an extremely meticulous gentleness, allowing the woman to sit securely on his arm as if he were holding a child.
"My body… became like this for some special reasons, so I can't be as healthy and active as you all," Codename B explained casually, sitting in the crook of Simon's arm. "However, I just 'saw' that in your team, there seems to be a… very special young man. The pure life energy from him makes my body feel a little better. I wonder… would you mind 'lending' him to me for a bit?"
As she spoke, she looked up, revealing a pair of… deep and magnificent purple eyes, like the finest amethysts.
"I'm afraid… you'll have to ask for his opinion on that," Cassian replied flawlessly for Elara before she could answer.
"Of course," Codename B shrugged nonchalantly. Then, her mysterious purple eyes landed on Cassian, a meaningful smile playing on her lips.
"But then again, you really are a… lucky child," she said, twirling a strand of her long, wavy hair, which was so dark it was almost reddish, her tone almost a mysterious, singsong chant.
"At the crossroads of fate, you made… the right choice twice."
Below the right corner of Codename B's mouth was a small, delicate black mole. With her detached, almost all-knowing smile, the mole also subtly lifted, adding an ineffable, uncanny allure to her almost sickly pale face.
And the tall, bear-like man named Simon, his gaze ceaselessly followed the frail woman in his arms. His clear blue eyes were filled with absolute, unadulterated loyalty and protectiveness, like the most devoted knight guarding his unique princess.
After returning to the vehicle, this brief exchange of words had kept Elara deep in thought. This woman, who called herself "Codename B," was full of mysteries. She seemed to know many unknown secrets, yet spoke in such ambiguous terms that she was unfathomable.
The woman sat beside Elara, an old deck of playing cards in her hand. Idly, she shuffled the cards in various flourishes between her fingers, occasionally tossing a card into the air. And the silent Simon, like a well-trained large dog, would subtly lift his head and, with his mouth, precisely and gently catch the falling card, then respectfully place it back into her hand.
"So your trading post? You're just... leaving it?" Elara looked out at the still bustling trading post and couldn't help but ask.
"Leave it? Why would I 'leave' it?" Codename B smiled indifferently. "As long as people need to trade here, as long as there's profit to be made, it will continue to operate. It's the same with or without me. I merely played a… negligible, mediating role in between."
She casually spread her pale, slender hands. Her nails were neatly trimmed and rounded, even coated with a perfectly intact, delicate muted pink nail polish, forming a stark, striking contrast with the wasteland aesthetic of the apocalypse.
Noticing Elara's gaze on her hands, a small hint of pride flashed in Codename B's eyes. She spread her fingers contentedly, as if displaying a precious work of art.
"Do you want some too? I can have Simon go get some for you..." Before she could finish, she saw the tall man beside her, hearing his name, his clear blue eyes beginning to droop slightly, revealing a clear, puppy-like sense of grievance and... reluctance.
"Oh, my darling… I know, I know, I won't make you go," Codename B said immediately with affection, reaching out to stroke Simon's shaggy, bear-ear-like hair.
Simon's expression instantly returned to calm, showing no emotional fluctuation. And Codename B wasn't bothered by her "failed" boast; in fact, Simon's small "possessiveness" seemed to put her in an even better mood.
After returning to their temporary encampment, the group conveyed Codename B's request to Jorah.
At that moment, Jorah was holding a brand-new, incredibly cool tactical dagger he had just acquired from the trading post's weapon stall using crystal cores Elara had given him, admiring it with great fondness.
When he heard that the beautiful, mysterious "big sister" actually needed his "help," he hesitated for barely a second. He immediately puffed out his chest and slapped it, readily agreeing. To be of service to such a beautiful lady was, to him, an honor.
When Jorah extended his hand and slowly infused the life-filled green energy into Codename B's nearly depleted body, Zephyr and Simon, both silent and powerfully imposing men who had been standing by as "bodyguards," simultaneously exchanged glances.
Then, just as impassively, they shifted their gazes away.
After the treatment, Codename B's complexion was noticeably rosier. As "payment," she unreservedly took a small pouch of high-quality green crystal cores, which were entirely emerald green and radiated rich life energy, from her delicate little bag and handed them to Jorah.
Jorah's eyes instantly lit up when he saw the beautiful green crystal cores. He immediately took them and, in a sickly sweet voice, said to Codename B:
"Thank you, pretty big sister! Sister, you're as kind as you are beautiful!"
"Heh heh, what a smooth talker," Codename B chuckled, amused by Jorah's words. She covered her mouth, leaning against Simon's thigh, shaking with laughter. "A sweet-tongued child like you… will surely have good fortune in the future."