Valentina calmly looked at the man standing in front of her.
The one she was supposed to call father.
In both the apocalypse and this world, the role of a father seemed equally disappointing.
Cold. Self-interested. Disposable.
"What does this mean?" Valentina asked quietly.
Valentina's Father's expression darkened. His voice dropped, heavy and authoritative.
"Before you leave for the Northern Territory, you are not allowed to step out of this house even once."
Valentina smiled faintly.
A very calm smile.
"How do you know," she asked softly, "that I'm not already heading to the Northern Territory?"
She raised her wrist.
Her light brain lit up, projecting a clear hologram in the air.
— Long-Distance Bus Ticket —
Route: Imperial Central District → Northern Territory
The room fell silent.
No one had expected this.
They had assumed she would try to run away. They had even considered tying her up and forcing her onto transport, just to avoid embarrassment to the family.
But now—
She had already made the choice herself.
Valentina's Father stared at the ticket, disbelief flickering in his eyes.
"You… you're really going?"
"Believe it or not," Valentina replied flatly.
She stepped past them, slinging her bag over her shoulder, and walked straight toward the door.
No farewell.
No resentment.
Only resolve.
It wasn't until the door closed behind her that the others finally reacted.
Valentina's Mother hesitated, a trace of worry crossing her face.
"Are we really letting her go alone? What if something happens on the way… the Holt family—"
"I've already sent her off," Valentina's Father interrupted coldly. "Whether she arrives alive or dead has nothing to do with us. She's just a C-Class Guide."
His voice hardened.
"Even if she dies on the road, the Holt family won't have anything to say."
The cruelty in his tone made it sound as if the person who left wasn't someone they had raised for years—but a stranger.
---
Valentina didn't take a flying car.
Flying cars had strict security scans. The weapons she carried would be detected instantly.
She wasn't stupid enough to get everything confiscated the moment she left home.
Instead, she chose the oldest method.
A long-distance bus.
"Northern Territory! Northern Territory! Get on and go! Get on and go!"
The loud shout echoed through the bus station.
Valentina followed the voice and stopped in front of a battered, aging bus. The paint was peeling, and the windows were scratched and fogged.
"How much?" she asked.
"One hundred Imperial Coins!" the bearded driver replied cheerfully.
Valentina tapped her light brain.
Beep.
Payment confirmed.
"Alright! Get on!"
She climbed aboard.
Even with the windows open, the smell inside was suffocating.
Sweat. Old clothes. Cheap food. Anxiety.
All mixed into one heavy stench.
Valentina chose a window seat near the middle and placed her bag firmly at her feet.
Outside, the driver continued shouting until the bus was full.
An hour later, the engine finally rumbled to life.
The bus began to move.
"Mom… I'm scared."
A small voice spoke from the seat ahead.
A little boy clung tightly to his mother, burying his face against her chest.
"Are we really going to see Dad this time?"
The woman gently stroked his hair again and again.
"We will," she whispered softly. "We definitely will."
The boy immediately smiled.
"Then I'll show Dad the little lion, the tiger, and the dolphin I made!"
"Okay," the mother replied, eyes warm despite the exhaustion.
Valentina looked away and turned her gaze outside.
The bus passed through the slums.
She could still see the Green Tower glowing faintly in the distance—high above the aristocratic districts, far removed from the lives of the people crammed into this vehicle.
The driver was skilled.
The journey was smooth.
Every five hours, the bus stopped briefly for restroom breaks.
But as night fell, the driver's expression gradually tightened.
At one station, he stopped the bus and spoke loudly.
"Anyone who needs the restroom, go now. From here until dawn, I won't stop."
The moment he said that, many passengers got off—even those who hadn't planned to.
Valentina watched him closely.
His eyes kept scanning the surroundings.
"Mom," the little boy whispered, "why don't we stop at night?"
The mother hesitated, then whispered back.
"Because we're far from home… and there are bad people outside."
The boy's eyes widened.
He stretched out his small arms proudly.
"I'll protect you!"
The mother smiled softly.
"Thank you, my little hero."
Everyone boarded again.
The driver stepped on the accelerator.
The bus sped forward.
The surroundings grew increasingly desolate.
The air itself felt colder.
Valentina could smell it.
Northern Territory air.
Darkness swallowed the road.
Only the headlights cut through the black.
Then—
Everything changed in an instant.
Valentina's eyes snapped open.
Her fingers closed around the dagger at her waist.
Cars appeared from both sides of the road like predators emerging from the shadows.
The moment the bus entered their range—
All the headlights turned on at once.
SCREEECH—
The bus screeched violently as the driver slammed the brakes.
"Big brothers! Please! Everyone on this bus is from the slums! We have no money!" the driver cried desperately, raising his hands.
"This is my first trip this month! Please, have mercy!"
"Open the door!" someone shouted from outside.
The bus was surrounded.
The door was forced open.
Screams erupted inside.
"Hand over everything you have! If you resist, you'll regret it!"
A man climbed onto the bus, gun raised, pointing it at the passengers.
One man tried to resist.
"Don't take my things! This is all I have—!"
CRACK.
He was smashed to the floor.
Another passenger lunged forward.
BANG.
A gunshot echoed.
The man collapsed, a hole in the center of his forehead, eyes frozen wide open.
His body hit the floor heavily.
Silence.
Total silence.
The little boy's mother immediately covered his eyes, shaking violently.
"Take the women and children off the bus," the leader ordered coldly.
Men moved quickly.
When one of them reached the mother and child, his eyes lit up with cruel amusement.
"Well, well," he laughed. "Take these two."
"No! Please! I'll give you everything!" the woman screamed, clutching her son tightly.
"It's not your choice," the man sneered.
He reached out.
Suddenly—
A pale hand grabbed his wrist.
"I think," a calm voice said, "knowing when to quit is a very valuable virtue."
The man froze.
He turned his head.
Valentina stood there, expression composed, eyes cold.
"What the—"
His gaze swept over her face, and greed instantly filled his eyes.
He licked her lips.
"Alright," he said with a laugh. "You come with us, and I'll let those two go. Fair deal, right?"
Valentina smiled.
Slowly.
Coldly.
"No," she said.
The dagger in her hand flashed.