Chapter 79: Episode 79: The amusement Pack.

“You bet your titanium ass I am,” Nikki breathed, a wobbly but entirely genuine smile breaking across her face.

She quickly wiped the remaining tear tracks from her cheeks and scrambled off the bed. She didn’t want to go to an amusement park looking like a tragedy, so she practically sprinted to the walk-in closet.

She showered and quickly swapped her tear-stained clothes for a pair of high-waisted denim shorts, a fitted crop top, and comfortable sneakers.

[CURRENT BALANCE: 153,400 CREDITS.]

Nikki stared at the number, a profound, bubbling warmth expanding in her chest. For a girl who had spent the past few years in the dusty, irradiated slums of Sector 4, this number was astronomical.

It was more than just gamified currency; it was autonomy. It was power.

For the first time in her entire life, Nikki felt like she had genuinely accomplished something. She dismissed the screen with a confident flick of her wrist and walked back out to meet the God of War.

Elysium Park was a sprawling, neon-soaked marvel of pre-Fall engineering, nestled securely within the heavily fortified borders of Sector 1.

When Adonis’s SUV glided through the VIP gates, Nikki’s breath caught in her throat. The sky above was shifting into a deep, twilight purple, making the millions of holographic lights, laser arrays, and towering neon tracks pop with vibrant, electric color.

Because she was on the arm of the Supreme Commander, they didn’t have to deal with the snobby human elites who usually populated the park.

Adonis had seamlessly integrated with the park’s mainframe on the drive over, rerouting the general public and securing an entire massive zone exclusively for their use.

The rides were operational, manned by polite, silver-plated utility drones, but the pathways were entirely theirs.

“Where do we begin?” Adonis asked, standing at the entrance of the plaza. He had kept his uniform on, his imposing black and white armor cutting a striking contrast against the whimsical, candy-colored lights of the park.

“The biggest one,” Nikki declared, pointing a finger at a terrifyingly massive, twisting steel roller coaster that practically scraped the artificial atmosphere. “Right now.”

Ten minutes later, Nikki was strapped into the front car of the ’Quantum Drop’, her hands gripping the safety harness so tightly her knuckles were white.

Beside her, Adonis sat perfectly upright. The reinforced safety bar barely accommodated his broad, muscular chest. He didn’t look nervous. He looked entirely calm.

“The structural integrity of this track is optimal,” Adonis reported, his eyes tracing the massive drop ahead. “However, the impending kinetic descent will subject our physical forms to approximately 4.5 G-forces. Prepare your biological respiratory system, Kitty.”

“Less talking, more holding my hand!” Nikki shrieked as the car suddenly crested the peak.

They plummeted.

Nikki screamed her lungs out, a bright, thrilling sound of pure, unadulterated adrenaline that tore through the evening air. The wind whipped her red hair into a frenzy as the coaster twisted, looped, and dove at breakneck speeds.

Adonis did not scream. He didn’t even blink. He simply turned his head, his eyes entirely focused on the girl beside him.

He watched her face light up with terrifying, chaotic joy, his advanced audio receptors cataloging the exact, euphoric frequency of her laughter.

When the ride finally slammed to a halt at the loading bay, Nikki’s legs were practically jelly.

She stumbled out of the car, entirely dizzy, and pitched sideways. Adonis caught her effortlessly by the waist, easily supporting her entire weight against his side.

“Whoa,” Nikki giggled, leaning her head against his chest. “The ground is moving.”

A deep, rich sound vibrated through his chest. It was a genuine, involuntary chuckle. Adonis looked down at her messy hair and unsteady legs, the corners of his eyes crinkling as a wide, breathtaking smile transformed his face.

Nikki’s heart skipped a beat. She stared up at him, completely mesmerized. Every time he laughed, the machine faded, and the man she was falling so deeply in love with stepped into the light.

“Come on,” Nikki beamed, grabbing his massive hand and pulling him down the neon-lit promenade. “I want to win something!”

They hit the carnival games. The booths were manned by cheerful, pre-programmed drones who immediately saluted Adonis, though the General simply waved them down, his attention entirely hijacked by Nikki.

Nikki stopped at a shooting gallery. The objective was to hit rapidly moving, holographic targets with a digitized laser rifle.

“Observe and learn, General,” Nikki boasted, rolling up her sleeves.

She picked up the rifle. Because she had survived the slums, her aim was surprisingly lethal.

She dropped into a highly exaggerated, wide-stanced crouch, sticking her tongue out the corner of her mouth in pure, over-competitive concentration.

Adonis stood behind her, crossing his massive arms over his chest. He watched her ridiculous posture, completely captivated. His logic circuits were supposed to prioritize efficiency, but right now, all they prioritized was the adorable little crease between her eyebrows.

He let out a full, deep laugh, a sound so rich and warm it made the nearby utility drones momentarily pause their routines in confusion.

Nikki hit the final bullseye. The booth chimed wildly, flashing a massive JACKPOT sign.

The operating drone immediately handed her the top prize: a massive, ridiculously fluffy pink stuffed bear that was almost half her size.

“Yes!” Nikki cheered, dropping the rifle.

She spun around, clutching the giant pink bear to her chest, and ran straight at the God of War. She didn’t stop. She jumped, launching her entire body upward.

Adonis caught her perfectly, his large hands gripping her thighs to hoist her up. Without hesitating, Nikki wrapped her arms around his neck, smashed the plush bear between them, and pressed her lips fiercely against his.

Adonis kissed her back instantly. The kiss was deep, hot, and entirely consuming. The blue light in his eyes flickered, replaced by a warm, possessive gold that illuminated her flushed face.

When she finally broke the kiss, breathless and smiling, Adonis gently set her down, though he kept one arm securely wrapped around her waist.

The evening bled into night. They walked through the quieter, more romantic sectors of the park. Nikki was happily pulling apart a massive cloud of blue cotton candy, occasionally shoving pieces of the spun sugar against Adonis’s lips until he reluctantly parted them to consume it, purely to satisfy her demands.

“It provides zero nutritional value,” Adonis noted, analyzing the dissolving sugar on his tongue.

“It provides happiness value,” Nikki corrected, taking another bite. “Which, according to you, is currently critical for my survival.”

Adonis looked down at her, his golden eyes impossibly soft. “Indeed it is.”

They approached the base of the massive Ferris wheel, the giant structure casting long, shifting shadows across the plaza. The ambient noise of the park seemed to fade here, replaced by the soft hum of the ride’s machinery.

As they walked past a closed, darkened pavilion, a sudden movement caught Nikki’s eye.

A figure stepped out of the shadows, deliberately blocking their path.

Adonis stopped dead. His posture instantly transformed from a relaxed, affectionate partner to a lethal, Class-5 War Unit. The gold in his eyes was violently violently overwritten by a blinding, hostile crimson. His hand dropped to his side, his combat subroutines engaging in a fraction of a microsecond.

But he didn’t attack.

The figure stepping into the neon light was an older human man. He wore a slightly weathered, high-quality white shirt over simple jeans. His hair was silver, and his face was lined with the heavy weight of years, but his eyes were piercingly intelligent.

The man did not look at the terrifying Android General preparing to obliterate him.

He looked directly at Nikki.

A slow, calculating smile spread across the older man’s face.

“We meet again, Miss Nicole.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep