Chapter 393

Chapter 393: Chapter 393

All the chatter around her was centered on P City Base.

Suzy caught onto this immediately and leaned in closer to eavesdrop.

"Did you guys come here because of the broadcast too?"

"Yeah. If we hadn’t picked up that broadcast, we wouldn’t have known where to go. Sigh, times are getting harder and harder."

"We came from a smaller base nearby. We just couldn’t survive over there anymore, so we thought we’d try our luck at a bigger base."

"Aren’t we all in the same boat?"

"By the way, did you prepare enough supplies?"

"What supplies?"

"You didn’t know? Entering P City Base requires paying a toll in supplies."

"I... I had no idea. Where did you hear that from?"

"Someone who came out of P City Base on a mission told me. He mentioned it offhandedly when he heard we were heading there."

"H-How much do they demand?"

"..."

The voices gradually faded into a low murmur as the two parties began trading.

Seeing that the rest of their conversation wasn’t as important, Suzy stopped listening and turned toward another direction, planning to scout for more useful information.

She really hadn’t known that entering P City Base required paying in supplies. In that regard, P City Base was no different from Base X.

Fortunately, she had plenty of supplies stashed in the backpacks inside her RV—more than enough to cover the toll.

Suzy took a few steps, staying close to the vehicle.

Nearby, a few people were chatting—specifically, the man in his early thirties who had been queued up ahead of her, along with his pregnant wife.

The couple was conversing with several other vehicle owners around them, all talking about P City Base.

From their scattered fragments of conversation, Suzy pieced together some useful details.

The man and the pregnant woman were husband and wife. They had actually been living in P City Base, but due to circumstances, they’d had to venture out to scavenge for supplies, only managing to return now.

The others nearby were like Suzy—they had never been to the base before and were all pestering the couple for details about the place.

Suzy drifted closer to them.

She had just reached a comfortable listening distance and hadn’t even had the chance to pay close attention to their conversation when the roaring thrum of an engine echoed from afar.

The deafening noise instantly caught everyone’s attention.

Suzy looked over along with the crowd.

Coming from the east was a fleet of black vehicles speeding in their direction.

There were four cars in total, all Hummer models that had been meticulously modified for the apocalypse. Sleek, rugged, and commanding, they looked entirely out of a different league compared to the ordinary private cars lined up around them.

"It’s Miss Jackson and her team!" someone gasped—it was the pregnant woman.

Looking at the incoming convoy, she was visibly thrilled, tugging excitedly at her husband’s arm.

"Miss Jackson? Is she the base commander’s daughter you mentioned earlier?" a woman beside the pregnant wife asked.

The pregnant woman glanced at her and nodded vigorously. "That’s right, it’s her!"

"So she’s the commander’s daughter... That convoy is seriously stylish."

"Where are they coming from?"

"Do you even need to ask? They must have been out on a mission."

The four vehicles sped down the road, only gradually decelerating as they approached the queuing area.

Before long, the lead Hummer pulled up right in front of the guard on duty.

Suzy noticed that the soldier’s previously rigid, indifferent expression visibly gave way to a flash of sheer excitement.

Miss Jackson, the commander’s daughter... that has to be Rina.

Which meant the woman inside that car was the very same woman set to marry Adam.

I wonder what kind of person she is, Suzy thought to herself.

In the distance, the black tinted window slowly began to roll down. It rolled down so deliberately, almost as if in slow motion, that by the time it opened completely, every eye in the crowd was fixed right on it.

First, a pale, delicate wrist rested on the windowsill.

Her fingers were slender and clean, her nails painted a deep crimson that gleamed with a soft, lustrous sheen under the sunlight.

Then came her face.

Rina looked no older than twenty-three or twenty-four. Her skin was porcelain white, and her facial features were exquisitely defined and sharp.

Her eyebrows were finely sculpted, and the outer corners of her eyes tilted upward slightly, giving her an innate sharpness and audacious flair. Her lips were full and rich in color, looking as though she were wearing natural makeup.

Under the collective gaze of the crowd, Rina turned her head slightly, her gaze sweeping across the people waiting in line.

A gust of wind ruffled her sleek black hair resting on her shoulders. A few loose strands fluttered across the curve of her slightly tilted jawline, defining her sharp silhouette even further.

She wore a dark cropped jacket, unzipped at the collar to reveal a black turtleneck underneath. A thin silver bangle hung loosely on her wrist, catching the light with a subtle, sharp gleam.

"Is that Miss Jackson...? She’s stunning."

Someone nearby sighed in awe.

Watching Rina from a distance, Suzy felt a wave of complicated, indescribable emotions.

Rina didn’t look like someone surviving the post-apocalypse at all. She was clean, polished, and breathtaking, clearly living a comfortable and privileged life despite the end of the world.

Then again, as the daughter of the base commander, how could she not?

A woman like her marrying Adam... Objectively speaking, they made an extraordinarily well-matched pair. Even Suzy had to admit it.

Suzy let out a melancholic sigh. Just as she was about to look away, her gaze caught the man in the driver’s seat. ℴ

Sitting right beside Rina was a handsome young man with a high nose bridge, a sharply contoured brow, and clearly defined lips—his side profile looked almost meticulously carved.

He wore a dark gray shirt with sleeves casually rolled up to his elbows, revealing a toned, muscular forearm. He was leaning sideways, whispering something to Rina with a faint, nonchalant smirk playing on his lips.

Rina tilted her head to listen, then gave a subtle curve of her lips in response.

She then shifted her gaze back ahead, while the young man followed her lead and looked out the window, saying nothing more.

Beside the driver’s window, the duty guard stood frozen, his spine somehow even stiffer than before.

"M-Miss Jackson..." he stammered out softly, his throat tight.

Meeting his idol up close, his hands trembled so hard around his rifle that he could barely keep them steady.

Hearing him, Rina offered a soft, gentle smile. "Has everything been quiet?"

The soldier answered at lightning speed, "Everything’s fine!"

Rina said softly, "Thank you for your hard work."

The guard’s face instantly flushed bright red. He stammered out a reply, "N-Not hard at all! You’re the ones working hard on missions!"

Rina offered him one last smile. "Could you open the gate for us, please?"

"Yes, ma’am!"

As if injected with adrenaline, the guard sprinted over to the side and grabbed his walkie-talkie.

Off to the side, a heavy gate slowly slid open along a designated bypass lane.

Rina’s convoy began to move forward.

As they drove through, Rina didn’t roll her window back up, keeping her face turned toward the waiting line outside.

"Tch, what a hypocritical snob."