Not only did Duke's raging snake calm down, but he even fell asleep in the middle of counting the sheep.
Awakened by the sudden halt, his closed eyes fluttered. His long eyelashes cast a shadow under his eyes, his eyebrows creased as he tried to open his eyes and he exhaled while he stretched his stiff neck. "Have we arrived?"
Only then did Kisha realize that Duke had fallen asleep. His newly awakened voice was a little hoarse but sounded alluring and sexy. She unconsciously closes her eyes for a moment to savor his voice as it sends a shiver down her spine, down to her navel.
A little daze, she answered. "We are on the outskirts."
When she met Duke's misty eyes, the stirring in her navel got stronger that it sent an electrifying feeling to the tip of her fingers down to her toes.
She came back to her senses when she heard someone clear their throat.
She was in a moment of shock. "Have I always been this horny?" She thought as she felt her face, ears, and neck heat up.
The eagle-eyed Duke was silently monitoring the changes in her expression from the moment he opened his eyes. He was in a good mood after finding out that he had the same effect on Kisha as she had on him.
[Ding...]
She forgot her embarrassment from the sudden notification.
[Congratulations for upgrading the system to level 1]
[Congratulations for Completing the F-class Mission "The Good Samaritan"]
[Congratulations for Completing the Hidden Mission "Street Cleanup."]
The continuous notification sent her head ringing.
"I'm back host! Miss me?" 008 is in a jovial mood after its first upgrade in this life. "I can now perform a 5 meter-radius radar scan!"
"Great! We'll set your next upgrade in a few days time, but first, let's see how many points we have accumulated."
"Right away host!" He paused and continued. "As of this moment, we currently have 575, 000 points available. You earned 500,000 from the F-class mission and another 50,000 from the hidden mission!" It exclaimed in excitement.
Kisha's eyes bloomed into an animated smile. "Good harvest!"
It appears that her system has some conscience and now feels guilty for making her poor in points in her previous lives and now giving her better rewards.
Feeling its host's disdain over it, 008 could only aggrievedly keep silent. It was also a victim of the stingy missions. It was not the one giving out missions but it only accepts it. 008 wanted to file a complaint but there was no outlet to vent its dissatisfaction with the injustice it receives from its higher-ups.
Kisha pulled the emergency break and gave a passing glance at Duke with a blank face as if what Duke had seen earlier were mere illusions.
She then started checking on her brother's situation, his veins were protruding so that it looked like it was about to combust any second.
Their Grandmother was fidgety, worried about her grandson's rising temperature, she asked for another set of ice buckets from Kisha to cool down Keith's almost boiling body.
Seeing how busy they were, Duke left them to their device and went straight to Eric's car. As soon as the window rolled down, Duke asked without reservation. "Where do you plan to go now?"
"What about you?" Eric tried to pry some information from Duke, not necessarily to know about his next step but to simply know if Kisha was going with him. "Are you guys going to the military evacuation center in City C?"
Duke shook his head.
Eric frown. "Are you heading to a different Military base or evacuation center? Are you meeting up with Auntie and the others?"
"Yes and No."
Eric was extremely frustrated, Duke has always been a man of few words but he's seen him chatting casually with his sister, so he thought he had changed quite a bit. 'But I guess he is discriminating against gender?!'
"What do you mean Yes and No?" He asked as he reined in his frustration.
"I'm meeting with my people and have my own place prepared."
"Can-can we follow you? Please?" Emma pleaded and Melody nodded enthusiastically.
"You should go to the evacuation centers, you'll be well protected there."
"We'll do our best not to be your burden."
"Auntie, I'm afraid that my organization won't be able to cater to you like what the other bases can provide for your position. You'll be treated well on any base." Duke exhaled.
"You don't have to cater to our needs, we can work it out ourselves. All we ask is for you to let us stay with you guys." Edward interjected, he knew that his wife was emotional and couldn't currently express her emotions the way she wanted to.
Duke pretended to think. "Uncle, we are both businessmen. What can I get from allowing you to stay?"
"But we are family friends! We don't have to be calculative with each other, do we?" Melody said as if it's the most natural thing in the world.
"We are. But my supplies are limited. We don't know how long this disaster will last, it could be a lifetime danger we have to face, by then, supplies will be the most crucial and significant in survival."
"Then, are you bringing their family with you?" She pointed at the car where Kisha and her family were.
Although, Melody said it with curiosity in actuality she had a deeper meaning in her question, Eric and his parents did not say anything because they also wanted to know where Kisha was heading so they could follow.
"They are coming with me."
"Then, what's the difference between them coming and us coming?" Melody calmly asks.
"I did not say you can't come, however, I don't keep useless people. As I've said, I have limited supplies."
Melody smiled as she continued. "With what you said, they aren't useless. Tell us, what can they do that we can't for you to not give us the same treatment as them?"
"First of all, she is my partner. It is our base and we share the supplies. And you?" Duke's cold gaze lingered on Melody's face but Melody did not feel good at all, she could feel the warning hidden beneath.
"Son, you don't have to worry. We'll look for supplies, work around the base and we don't need special treatment. Eric and I can assist you with anything we can, Elios is a doctor so he can be of great help, Eliot can also work in the kitchen. And as you know, Ethan is a Major General so he'll be a great addition to your people in terms of defense and fights. As for my wife and Melody, we'll do their part." Edward said.
Flustered, Emma added. "No, I can also help out. I can assist Elios or Eliot in their work." She was afraid that if she showed that she'd be a burden, Duke would not agree and she'd have no chance to spend time with her daughter, Kisha. She has yet to tell her about their familial ties and how much she missed her.
Duke's facial expression turned calm with a hint of gentleness that was not that visible. "Auntie, it's not that I don't want you to come with us, of course, my mother will love the idea of you accompanying her, especially now. But I don't want a troublemaker in my place." At the end of his sentence, he glances at Melody.
Eric who is sensitive to people's feelings, caught the underlying meaning of his words and assured Duke right away. "We will keep it under wraps and will not let anyone from our family cause trouble."
"Better be, I have strict rules and a punishment system for violators."
Melody gulped the lump of saliva on her throat, she knew how cruel Duke could be, so she decided to change her approach to dealing with Kisha. She was only planning to cause trouble for Kisha so she would be kicked out.