Seeing that he’d finally stunned Hugo into silence, Ryder couldn’t help but gloat again. “That’s right! You should’ve seen the emperor’s face—it looked like he’d swallowed a fly!” He paused, then corrected himself. “No, not a fly. More like a mouthful of sh*t!” Mia, walking down the ramp behind him, burst into laughter. “Exactly! And it wasn’t just the emperor. Every one of those Tamaria officials had the same crap-eating expression! You should’ve been there—it was a real shame you missed it!” The way they told it had Hugo and the others itching with curiosity. If they hadn’t still been recovering in the hospital, they would’ve gone along for sure. Even just riding the carrier out to put Tamaria in its place—that would’ve been a story worth telling. Seeing Mia and Sage, Hugo quickly asked, “Mia, Sage—are you two okay? President Holland didn’t do anything to you, did he?” Both shook their heads. “He just locked us in a room. Didn’t lay a hand on us.” And thank god he didn’t. Otherwise, five hundred billion would’ve been the least of what he owed them. After a day or two of rest, Sage and Mia already looked a lot better. Seeing they were really alright, Hugo finally relaxed. Ashley had already gone back to join Spencer and Nancy. They knew she’d been safe on the carrier—as long as there wasn’t a fight, she’d be fine. But no matter what, she’d gone head-to-head with Tamaria. Of course her parents had worried. The moment they saw her, the four of them pulled into a tight hug. Natalie looked at Ashley’s glowing face and teased, “You sure you went to rescue someone? You look more like you just got back from vacation!” Spencer grinned at her rosy cheeks. “Someone’s been eating well, huh? You look like you’ve gained a little.” He said it with nothing but affection in his eyes—not a trace of criticism. A little weight was good. Girls shouldn’t be too skinny—it wasn’t healthy.Nancy tapped Ashley’s nose. “Careful you don’t turn into a little pig. Arthur might not want you anymore.” Ashley’s cheeks flushed pink. She answered proudly, “No way! Arthur said no matter what I look like, he’d never leave me!” Her words sparked another wave of laughter. “Oooh, someone’s getting cocky! And they’re not even married yet!” “Just wait till the wedding—she’ll be impossible to deal with!” “Ahahahahahaha!” The group laughed together, but as their eyes drifted to the massive carrier behind them, they couldn’t help but feel awestruck all over again. Arthur seemed to catch the look in their eyes and offered casually, “Wanna come aboard?” He barely finished the sentence before everyone nodded at once. “Yes yes yes yes yes!” That was Taylor. He’d been floored the moment the carrier came into view. It was also here—while waiting—that he learned Arthur was the direct grandson of Heaven’s Cult’s leader. His brain had been frozen ever since. He still hadn’t fully processed it. Even now, watching that colossal fleet ease into port… Natalie had been just as stunned. When they first told her that Ashley and Arthur had taken a carrier to rescue someone, she thought they were joking. But her parents had said it. Even Mr. Hugo and Mr. Jacob had confirmed it—with dead serious expressions. It made her question reality. Was she living in a cave? Had the world developed this far and she just missed it?? It wasn’t until she saw the warships with her own eyes, slowly approaching, that Natalie finally had to believe it.Taylor, once he heard they had really gone out with a carrier, had rushed to the shore immediately. If he’d known earlier, he would’ve insisted on tagging along just to ride the high with Arthur. It was an aircraft carrier! No applications, no permits, no ID checks—he could just walk right on. And with his connection to Arthur, he could go wherever he wanted on board. Hahahahahahahaha! For a moment, Taylor felt like estratic . He’d made it. He was basking in the glow of Arthur’s success. He was the first to rush ahead and step onto the already-lowered boarding elevator. He waved enthusiastically to the others behind him. “Come on! Hurry up!” Taylor’s excitement was contagious. Everyone chuckled at his energy—but their feet still moved a little faster. Soon, the whole group had piled into the lift. The carrier was massive. As the elevator rose, they finally caught a full view of the deck above.