Chapter 404: Affectionate Moments

“How have you been these past six months? It must have been tough!” With a sigh, Rod spoke with concern. It was understandable—Dark Moon City now rested almost entirely on her shoulders, and the pressure must have been immense. For such a young woman, it was indeed too much.

Hearing Rod’s words, Aida remained silent for a long time, seemingly reflecting on her life over the past half year. She looked up at the night sky, her expression calm, which surprised Rod. She had truly grown a lot.

“It’s been so long since I last saw Big Brother! Over half a year, I guess. Hehe, why does it feel like even longer than those few years back? Actually, Aida has been under great pressure these past days. The pro-war faction’s army has surrounded Dark Moon City, causing chaos inside. There have even been many who turned against us, along with spies planted by the pro-war faction—these all pose a huge threat.

Living in such tension every day, if it weren’t for Big Brother Sognar and the others helping, Aida doesn’t know if she could have held on until now! I’ve wanted to give up several times, but just thinking that Big Brother is still out there fighting alongside me gives me the strength to keep going, even in the face of difficulties. Even though Dark Moon City is surrounded and running out of supplies, we never gave up!

But now, it’s fine—Big Brother is back, and everything will be okay! As long as Big Brother is here, I feel especially secure, for some reason!” Gazing into the distance, Aida murmured, but by the end, a faint smile appeared on her face. Finally, the hard times were over. Big Brother had returned, and more importantly, he brought a caravan. Future caravans would also supply Dark Moon City, solving the biggest problem at once! All this made her gradually relax. It seemed that as long as Rod was around, everything could be resolved.

Moreover, as long as Big Brother Rod was by her side, Aida felt secure, as if she wasn’t afraid of any difficulties. That must be the power of spirit.

Listening to Aida’s story, Rod couldn’t help but sigh. He could imagine the responsibilities and burdens she had carried on her frail frame over the past six months. Now that he was here, he couldn’t let her suffer like this any longer. It was time for him to take on all of it. The day of battle against the pro-war faction would surely come soon—it was time to settle things once and for all.

He didn’t realize when Ada’s head had rested on his shoulder. Rod hesitated for a moment but ultimately said nothing. He felt a strange affection for Ada—just like when he was with Lucy. He really enjoyed being with them; it felt comfortable, relaxed, and easy. In fact, did Rod really know nothing about his feelings for Ada? Often, he simply didn’t express them. Ada’s feelings were obvious; even the most insensitive person could sense them. Yet Rod had no intention of rejecting her; instead, he felt a hint of joy.

The two chatted casually about their lives over the past half year as time slowly passed. Before long, it was late at night, and Ada had fallen asleep with her head still on his shoulder.

Seeing this, Rod let out a soft sigh. It seemed he had been truly exhausted lately. Not wanting to disturb her, he watched her sleep with her eyes gently closed. A faint smile appeared on Rod’s face.

Even in sleep, she was breathtakingly beautiful, drawing one’s gaze involuntarily and making it hard to look away. Her steady breathing could be heard clearly. It was a rainy night, with the sky still overcast. Feeling the warm breath on his chest, carrying a faint fragrance, was truly enchanting.

Looking down at her stunning face, Rod realized she had truly grown up.

……

Time passed slowly. He didn’t know how long it had been when Rod felt his exhaustion suddenly ease. He stopped practicing and opened his eyes.

The first thing he saw was Ada, lying in front of him with wide eyes staring at him. “Woke up?” he asked jokingly, thinking of how she had slept on his shoulder all night.

“Mm!” Seeing Rod open his eyes, Ada quickly lowered her head and spoke softly, her face flushed red like a ripe apple, adding to her charm.

“I didn’t let my big brother rest all night!” Ada said shyly, her face red. If anyone else saw her like this, they would surely be surprised. In front of others, she was a strong woman. Only around Rod did she show her true self and exhibit such a girlish demeanor.

“Hehe, it’s okay. Practicing is the same,” Rod said gently with a smile. At his level, he only needed to practice a little to regain his energy. Sleep was merely a form of enjoyment for him.

At this moment, the atmosphere was incredibly warm, free from any tension arising from the war, making it a pleasant experience. Unfortunately, such times were always short. After some preparations, the two walked toward the hall ahead. In the morning, there was still a lot of work waiting for them. Rod wasn’t yet fully aware of the situation in the city and needed to understand it as soon as possible. Additionally, it was time to make arrangements.

It was time to deal with certain matters. Now, the final moment for counterattack had arrived—the time to confront the pro-war faction head-on. Everything had entered a countdown phase, and they had to be fully prepared.

When they arrived at the hall, the main members of the opposition, along with Sognar and others, were already there!

Many people saw Rod for the first time today. Yesterday, when Rod arrived, he hadn’t informed everyone; he had only met these acquaintances briefly. So, upon seeing his arrival, most of those present showed surprised expressions.

However, that quickly turned into excitement. No one there was unaware of Rod’s current reputation. Having such a powerful figure join them was undoubtedly great news. More importantly, the pro-war faction was unaware of his arrival, which could give them a surprise advantage.

After some discussions, Rod gained a deeper understanding of the current situation. What excited everyone the most was that he had brought a caravan! No one objected to the conditions he proposed; they all agreed to them. For them, supplies were now more important than anything else!

Of course, another key matter was discussing plans and strategies to deal with the pro-war faction. An entire morning was wasted in these meetings.

At noon, the meeting ended, and everyone dispersed to handle subsequent tasks. Rod received news from Jones. He hadn’t expected Jones to be so fast—having set out last night, he had already contacted several caravans by today. Perhaps this was because these caravans had recently been heading toward Dark Moon City.

All these caravans readily accepted the conditions he offered. By now, several caravan members were already on their way to Dark Moon City. Everything seemed to be turning for the better.

After the meeting, Rod left the hall. He still had things to do. Of course, the most important task was to discuss the next steps regarding caravan transportation with David. After all, this was related to the survival of entire Dark Moon City, and no carelessness was allowed.

On the other side, at this moment, Aida returned to her room. Looking at the empty space around her, a blush appeared on her face—clearly thinking of what had happened last night. After a long while, she let out a sigh. Her room felt rather cold. In fact, over the past six months, she had rarely returned here to rest. During the six months Rod was away, aside from cleaning and tidying the room every day, she had spent most of her time resting over there! Now that Rod had returned, she had to come back here as well.
“Big brother, do you understand Aida’s feelings?” Thinking of Rod’s behavior, Aida murmured to herself in a low voice. Her face turned even redder, with a hint of sorrow on her lips. Her emotions were obvious—so obvious that she even felt a bit embarrassed. Yet Rod always remained vague, leaving her unsure of what he was thinking.
If he didn’t want to accept her, their relationship had already gone beyond that of ordinary friends! If he did accept her, then why hadn’t he shown any signs? Matters of the heart are often like this—keeping one in suspense.
“Miss!” Suddenly, a figure appeared beside Aida and called out softly. It was still the man in black, appearing and disappearing mysteriously.
“How’s things over there?” Seeing him arrive, Aida’s expression turned serious as she asked calmly.
“She… they have already started acting!” The man in black’s voice sounded bitter. He hesitated for a moment, seemingly wanting to say more, but ultimately stayed silent.
“Already?” Aida froze. Her expression darkened as she lowered her head in thought. After a long while, she sighed, “Then let’s proceed according to our plan. We’ve reached the final stage—no mistakes allowed!” Her expression turned icy, and a cold glint appeared in her eyes. Her aura suddenly rose by a notch.
“Yes!” The man in black replied after a pause, his voice tinged with reluctance, before letting out one last sigh.
After he left, Aida stood alone by the window, gazing at the scenery outside. She wasn’t sure what she was thinking, lost in her thoughts. Her expression kept changing, showing signs of struggle.