Chapter 400

Chapter 400: Chapter 400

Outside, the wind continued to howl, periodically flinging loose gravel against the side of the vehicle with a soft thump, thump, like someone knocking gently at the door.

Suzy drank the last of the broth and set her bowl down.

Seeing that she was finished, Mark reached over to gather the dishes, but she stopped him.

"Leave them. I’ll wash up in a bit."

He pulled his hand back without insistence, set his bowl on his lap, and leaned back against the seat.

A quiet hush fell over the cabin for a few seconds.

Suzy wiped her hands and looked up at him.

"So, you’ve made it to the P City Base," she began, her tone unhurried. "You mentioned before that you were planning to head this way anyway... Now that we’re here, what are your plans?"

Mark froze for a split second. He looked down at the empty bowl in front of him, his fingertip mindlessly tracing its rim.

"I..." he uttered a single word, then paused as if carefully weighing his options.

The air inside the RV fell silent again. The overhead light gave off a subtle electrical hum that only made the silence feel more pronounced.

Suzy didn’t press him, simply leaning back in her seat, waiting quietly for him to speak.

Mark raised his eyes to meet hers. As if reaching a final decision, his voice softened just a touch: "Truth is, I don’t really have anywhere I have to go."

He paused again.

"Do you still need help around here?"

Suzy was a little surprised to hear him say that and wasn’t quite sure how to respond for a moment. She had assumed he actually had business to attend to in P City, not expecting it to be just an excuse.

In truth, having him stay wasn’t a bad idea. Feeding one more mouth was easily within her means. Besides, Mark was good-looking enough that having him around was a treat for the eyes. More importantly, he possessed formidable combat skills and was completely reliable—making him an ideal partner if he stayed.

Since that was the case, what reason did she have to turn him down?

Suzy had already made up her mind.

However, seeing her prolonged silence, Mark assumed she was going to refuse him, and a rare wave of nervousness washed over him. It was his first time experiencing this kind of agonizing suspense.

He genuinely felt that tagging along with Suzy was a great gig. In fact, it was beyond great. This was the apocalypse—not having to worry about food or drink while living in such a comfortable RV was something anyone would jump at. Compared to everyone else out there, his current setup was practically paradise.

So why choose a harder life?

Mark had always been adaptable. During the journey, he had already realized that turning down a thigh as thick as Suzy’s to cling to would be foolish. Striking out on his own might mean freedom, but it certainly wouldn’t offer the comfort he had now. In a world like this, securing a high-end RV wasn’t easy.

Besides, even if he left, he didn’t know what he would do.

His original goal in this world was to kill Suzy. Killing her would yield the antidote and lift the curse inside him. But now, she had already helped him cure it. He was a free man, bound by no one, with no overarching purpose left in this world.

Under those circumstances, staying by her side was far better. At least there would be plenty of entertainment around her—certainly better than wandering aimlessly through a boring wasteland.

Granted, sticking with her carried its share of danger, as other Descendants would inevitably flock to assassinate her. But what did that have to do with him? If they were foolish enough to drag him into it, he could just kill them all.

As a fellow Descendant, Mark considered himself second to none. In a one-on-one fight, he was always the one standing—such was his confidence in his strength.

Yet Suzy’s silence made him feel oddly self-conscious for the very first time.

Usually, it was others begging him or inviting him to join them. This was his first time extending the offer, only for her to seem hesitant. It was a novel blow to his pride.

He was a prominent figure who had been coddled and sought after back in his original world, and he still cared about saving face. Seeing her remain silent, Mark prepared to give himself an out.

"If you mind—"

Before he could finish, Suzy cut him off.

"No. You can stay."

Her agreement was crisp and straightforward.

Her momentary hesitation had simply been surprise at his offer, but once she gathered her thoughts, she accepted immediately. From her perspective, having Mark stay was a net gain no matter how she looked at it. Why refuse?

"Really?" Mark was the one left somewhat in disbelief.

"Of course," Suzy smiled. "Though I’ll give you the chance to change your mind."

"Starting today, we’ll be staying in P City for a while, and you’re free to move around the base as you like during this time."

"I will definitely leave P City Base eventually, but you can choose to stay here. You can change your mind whenever you want," she added.

She wasn’t the type to force people into staying against their will. If Mark preferred to remain in P City Base, she wouldn’t object. After all, the conditions here were solid and the scale was massive—something she could tell just from observing the exterior. P City Base was essentially the entire city walled off into a stronghold. If he chose to stay, he could fully unleash his potential on such a wide stage.

Mark gave her a complex look, then nodded. "Alright."

With the matter settled, neither of them lingered on the topic. Mark gathered her bowl anyway and went to wash the dishes.

Suzy didn’t idle either; she pulled a piece of paper and a pen from a drawer and began sketching.

Before long, she had mapped out the full route they took entering the city, sketching a rough map based on the buildings she had observed at close range.

"What are you drawing?" Having finished the dishes, Mark leaned over to take a look.

He found lines and markings that meant nothing to him—a web of interconnected strokes that looked completely bizarre at first glance.

"A map. A map of our route into the city today."

"From the city entrance to the parking lot," Suzy explained.

She also recalled the series of high walls sealing off everything. Working from memory, she drew those long, towering walls as well.

Once the rough outline was complete, a pattern emerged—their parking lot seemed to sit on the outermost perimeter of the base, closest to those high walls, while the most prosperous zone lay in the heart of the city.

Suzy remembered seeing city buildings through the gap in the high walls as they drove in. The skyscrapers were still standing, and some even had lights on. The structures here didn’t seem to have suffered severe earthquake damage.

In a few quick strokes, she finished the simplified map.

As she put down her pen, Mark sat down across from her. "Mind if I take a look?" He pointed to the sheet in front of her.

Suzy nodded and handed it over. "Go ahead."

Mark picked up the sketch, turning it this way and that.

Soon, he pointed to a spot: "Is this the parking lot?"

"Yes," she nodded.

"Are you planning to map out the entire base?" Mark asked.