Suzy pressed her foot on the brake, bringing the RV to a halt about twenty meters away from the barricade.
She kept the engine idling, her eyes sweeping over the area behind the two men. Beside the duo in front of her, she could tell there were others hiding inside the surrounding buildings—maybe one? Or two?
She couldn’t say for certain, only catching a brief glimpse of blurry shadows flashing past the windowframes.
Whatever, none of that matters now, Suzy thought to herself.
She stole a glance at the navigation screen out of the corner of her eye; this was the optimal route mapped out for her. Passing through this town was unavoidable. If she chose to detour around it, she would add at least another hour to her travel time—and more importantly, she couldn’t guarantee the road conditions on that alternate path either.
Suzy decided it was best not to take unnecessary risks. Her ideal scenario was to negotiate peacefully.
Cracking her side window down just a palm-wide sliver, she offered the two men the most harmless, friendly expression she could muster.
"Hey there, fellas! I’m just passing through. I only need to borrow the road for a minute, and I promise I won’t linger."
As she spoke, she picked up an unopened pack of compressed biscuits from the passenger seat and offered it through the gap in the window. "Here’s a toll fee for the road—you guys take it."
The younger man glanced at the pack of biscuits in her hand, then looked over at the older man, seemingly waiting for his lead.
The older man didn’t rush to take it. His eyes darted back and forth between Suzy’s face and the pack of biscuits, as if weighing his options.
A moment later, he reached out to take the biscuits, weighing them casually in his hand. His tone softened slightly compared to before. "Heading in this direction... are you trying to reach the base? The road over there is pretty rough right now."
"I know, but I have to get through," Suzy replied, her expression dead serious.
The older man didn’t pry any further. After staring at Suzy’s RV for a few seconds, he waved a hand toward the space behind him.
The younger man—a fellow named Gray—walked over and shoved the wooden log blocking the center of the road further aside, leaving a gap just wide enough for the heavy truck to squeeze through. He then offered her a curt nod. "Go on, then. Don’t stop."
Suzy let out a quiet sigh of relief. Shifting into gear and releasing the brake, the RV glided slowly forward.
As the heavy tires rolled past the edge of the displaced log, the body gave a minor jolt before instantly regaining its smooth, steady balance. Through her side mirrors, she saw the two men standing in place—they hadn’t followed her, nor had they hurled anything at her vehicle.
Suzy picked up a little speed, rolling into the main thoroughfare of the town.
The town wasn’t large. Closed storefronts and residential buildings lined both sides of the street, with the occasional face peeking out from behind window curtains to watch her pass.
This place appeared to be a small survivor settlement, housing quite a decent population. Suzy noticed that the buildings here were in surprisingly good condition; clearly, the earthquake hadn’t affected this pocket of land too severely, which explained why so many people gathered here.
Refusing to slow down, Suzy maintained a steady cruise of around twenty kilometers per hour.
Up ahead at the far end of the street, the town’s exit was already in sight. The road ahead looked clear, free of any debris or fresh barricades.
Yet, just as she came within a hundred meters of the town exit, several massive boulders suddenly appeared in the middle of the road, looking as though they had been deliberately shoved out from the curb.
Suzy slammed on the brakes. The heavy RV skidded a short distance over the loose gravel before grinding to a complete halt.
Raising her head, she realized with a jolt that the two men who had stopped her at the town entrance had somehow cut ahead of her. Joining them were several other figures wielding shovels, wooden clubs, and even a rusted machete, all closing in on her vehicle.
The older man’s voice drifted in from the front-left, ringing out clearly through her closed window:
"Hey, lady, that’s a mighty fine vehicle you’ve got there. Our town just happens to be short on a truck that can haul cargo."
A smile even graced his face as he spoke, but that grin was starkly different from his previous "letting you pass" demeanor.
Suzy remained completely expressionless as she reached into her spatial domain and retrieved a firearm.
How many times was it now?
Second time, wasn’t it?
Still, this bunch was slightly smarter than the last—at least they didn’t charge straight in like headless flies, choosing to set up a barricade instead.
Suzy surveyed the scene outside, her mind remarkably serene.
The firearm in her hand granted her an immense sense of security, causing the threat level of the mob outside to plummet drastically in her eyes. After all, she was currently sitting safely inside a reinforced RV. So long as she didn’t open the door of her own accord, there was no way these people were getting in.
With the crude junk they held in their hands, they couldn’t leave a dent on her vehicle if they tried.
Suzy narrowed her eyes, her gaze sweeping across their faces one by one.
To be completely honest, it wasn’t at all surprising that they blocked her path to hijack her truck. She had long been mentally prepared for this, and if push truly came to shove, she wasn’t afraid to take action.
"You’d better be smart and get down here right now, or don’t blame us for getting rough!" someone bellowed toward her.
Outside, pair after pair of greedy eyes remained locked onto Suzy’s RV.
They had all witnessed how smooth and effortless her driving had been earlier—that truck looked top-tier, and it looked absurdly valuable!
To handle these torn-up roads so flawlessly... if they could just lay their hands on a vehicle like this...
At that thought, a fanatic gleam erupted in everyone’s eyes.
"Hey! Didn’t you hear me?! Get your ass out here!" another shouted.
In the blink of an eye, the mob swarmed around the vehicle, bellowing at the top of their lungs.
Seeing no reaction from the RV, the man who had been shouting stepped forward two paces and slammed his iron bar down onto the truck’s hood. A dull CLANG echoed through the air.
Yet, as the metal pipe struck the reinforced surface, it left nothing behind save for a smudge so faint it was barely visible—it hadn’t even scratched the paint off.
The man froze, clearly unprepared for the vehicle to be this solid. He struck it again with all his might, only to get the exact same result.
Sitting in the driver’s seat, Suzy observed them through the glass, silently counting heads.
One, two, three... a total of seven people had closed in so far.
Though that wasn’t all of them. Suzy caught subtle movements out of the corner of her eye—there were still others lurking nearby, watching from the shadows.
Taking a deep breath, Suzy spoke calmly, "Like I said, I’m just passing through. Let me go, and I won’t cause any trouble."
The older man who was leading them stood dead-center in the crowd. He wielded no weapons, keeping both hands casually tucked into his pockets. Clearly, he was the leader of this crew.
He stared at Suzy through the window, his gaze sweeping between her face and the RV before offering a smile.
"Yo, we’ve taken a liking to your ride. Leave the truck and walk away, and we won’t harm a hair on your head. In times like these, a vehicle is worth far more than a life—you should know that better than anyone."
After waiting a moment without receiving a reply, he added, "Be smart about this, lady. We don’t want to make things difficult for you."
"If you don’t want to make things difficult for me, then just let me leave," Suzy said.
The man’s expression didn’t flicker. "Now that, I’m afraid, is off the table."
Suzy knew then that there was no room left for negotiation. Short of surrendering the RV, these people weren’t going to let it go.
Yet, handing over her vehicle was completely out of the question. Yielding to a threat like this would make her a spineless pushover.
"Hey, stop wasting breath! Hurry it up!"
Someone began hammering against the RV’s exterior again, creating a series of sharp BANG-BANGs.
Growing visibly annoyed by the vehicle’s utter lack of damage, the man’s expression twisted in frustration as he threw his full weight into the strikes.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The noise grew deafening, yet the RV remained completely unmoved.
Watching the live footage on her security monitor, an inexplicable wave of irritation surged in Suzy’s chest. She had been far too courteous with them.
This was the apocalypse—there was no need for polite conversation.
She rolled the window down, leaned her head out slightly, and aimed the gun in her hand straight at the guy currently battering her truck.
She pulled the trigger.