Black Mist Base.
Suzy remembered—the base mentioned by the woman who helped her was right here. It had arrived much faster than she originally anticipated.
Noticing no other vehicles in the immediate vicinity besides her own, Suzy brought the RV to a gradual halt and gazed out toward the massive compound in the distance.
A pitch-black city wall stretched endlessly across the landscape, standing like a subterranean beast guarding the region. The surrounding terrain was vast and level; clearly, the recent quakes hadn’t impacted this area in the slightest.
"So this... is Black Mist Base," Suzy muttered under her breath.
She had to admit, Black Mist Base was far larger and grander than she had envisioned.
Under the overcast gray sky, the black perimeter wall exuded an imposing weight. It looked as though it had erupted straight out of the earth—seamless, with zero visible joints or paneling lines.
If this fortress had been built prior to the apocalypse, she could at least comprehend it, but why build a sanctuary like this beforehand? Had high-ranking officials foreseen the impending doom?
On the other hand, if this wall was constructed after the apocalypse hit... that was even more mind-boggling. What kind of sheer resources would it take to construct a steel bastion capable of withstanding catastrophic disasters without suffering a single scratch?
In the distance, tiny black specks could be seen moving atop the wall. Suzy pulled a pair of binoculars out from her spatial domain; peering through the lenses, she spotted armed sentries patrolling the ramparts.
The security at this base was surprisingly tight.
Adjusting her angle, she trained her binoculars toward the main entrance.
The base’s gateway consisted of double-hung black metal doors, wide enough for two heavy cargo trucks to drive through side by side. Horizontal steel reinforcing beams were embedded across the doors, anchored with massive hinges and locking bolts visible along the seam.
Currently, a long line of refugees had formed outside the entrance, while armed military personnel paced back and forth on patrol nearby.
Suzy hesitated on whether she should enter.
Black Mist Base wasn’t her final destination—she was heading for A City. However, judging by Black Mist Base’s sprawling footprint that stretched past the horizon... detouring around it would cost her a massive chunk of time.
If only I could drive straight through the Base...
She wasn’t sure if the base authorities would permit it, though she was more than willing to pay a passage fee. As long as it saved her time, Suzy didn’t mind parting with a few supplies as compensation.
With that thought in mind, she decided to head toward Black Mist Base.
She would ask first and see how it went—whether it was feasible or not could be dealt with later.
However, before making her approach... Suzy glanced left and right at her RV.
The base was crowded, meaning too many eyes would be watching. Driving a high-end RV straight up to the gates was far too flashy. Having been targeted twice already, she had learned her lesson the hard way.
She had chosen the RV in the first place because it offered comfort and a far greater sense of security than ordinary vehicles. Since the earthquake had just ended and the initial roads were deserted, she had assumed driving an RV wouldn’t cause too much trouble.
Who could have guessed she’d be unlucky enough to run into two separate mobs back-to-back?
"Sigh..." Suzy let out a soft, exasperated sigh.
Thinking about it objectively, even if she weren’t driving an RV, desperate people still would have targeted her.
If only the RV could shape-shift... The random thought popped into her head.
She wondered if Ming possessed any magical talismans that could cloak or disguise objects from prying eyes. She remembered reading about similar items in cultivation novels—talismans that could temporarily alter a structure’s appearance to deceive onlookers... Oh, right, and invisibility talismans!
A flurry of useful talisman concepts flooded her mind.
She quickly pulled out her phone and jotted them down, intending to consult Ming later. Just thinking about those practical utility talismans made her mouth water.
Just as she tapped the save button on her notes, a chime echoed in her mind:
[RV Modification System detected. Host, would you like to bind with this system?]
Suzy froze, her hand hovering motionless over her phone.
She blinked, assuming her ears were playing tricks on her, but the System’s notification chime sounded a second time, clear and impossible to mistake for a hallucination:
[RV Modification System detected. Host, would you like to bind with this system?]
She stood dazed for two full seconds before reality sank in. Overjoyed, she blurted out, "RV Modification System? Since when did I have this?!"
The System replied: [Host previously used an Item Fortification Card to reinforce the RV, which triggered hidden conditions. This system functions as a secondary feature of the Fortification Card. Once bound, Host can modify the RV’s exterior appearance and select core functionality.]
Suzy’s mind whirred as she listened.
The Fortification Card—the card she had used earlier to reinforce her RV... at the time, she had only wanted to make the vehicle sturdier. She never imagined it would unlock a hidden bonus like this.
Without a moment’s hesitation, she gave a firm nod. "Bind it."
[Binding successful. RV Modification System activated. Starter Reward: 100 points. Would you like to view the system interface?]
"Open interface."
The instant the words left her mouth, a semi-transparent screen materialized in front of her vision.
The user interface was sleek and clean: on the left stood a 3D model of her RV, an exact mirror image of her actual vehicle down to the smallest detail.
On the right was a list of categories: Exterior Modifications, Interior Adjustments, and Functional Upgrades.
Tapping on "Exterior Modifications," the interface transitioned to display several preset vehicle body options. Each template was paired with a brief description and a preview image—some looked like rugged off-road trucks, others like ordinary box vans, and some like worn-out moving trucks.
It can actually swap out body types entirely!
What a masterpiece!
Her eyes scanned through the choices before coming to a rest on a remarkably unassuming option.
It was the shell of an old, battered van. The paint was faded and peeling, the side door visibly warped, and hairline cracks laced across the front windshield. It looked like the kind of beat-up wreck that had been hovering on the brink of a scrapyard for years, yet somehow kept limping down the road.
The description beneath the preview read:
Exterior Shell: Aged Minivan
Modification Cost: 80 Points
Note: This shell will not alter the internal structure or dimensions of the vehicle; it merely applies an external visual overlay.
She stared at the preview image of the ancient van for a few seconds, then glanced up toward the long queues and armed patrols pacing back and forth near the entrance of Black Mist Base in the distance. Her decision was made.
A pristine, heavy-duty RV was far too eye-catching. But a beaten-up van blending into a crowd of refugees wouldn’t draw a single second of unwanted attention.
She had also noticed that the queue outside consisted of not just pedestrians, but a long convoy of scattered vehicles. At a time like this, she wasn’t the only one lucky enough to have wheels.
Suzy reached out her finger and tapped the Confirm Modification button.
A pop-up prompt appeared on the interface:
[Spend 80 points to modify the RV’s exterior into "Aged Minivan"?]
"Confirm."
[Modifying in progress... 3%... 20%... 51%... 87%... Modification Complete.]
The moment the system tone died down, she felt a subtle vibration reverberate beneath her feet, as if structural components deep within the chassis were quietly reassembling themselves.
The change wasn’t violent—it felt more like an invisible force rewriting the outer layer of the vehicle.
Once the modification finished, Suzy opened the door and stepped outside, feeling a surreal floatiness.
The dark-gray, heavy-duty truck had vanished without a trace.
In its place stood a faded gray-and-white, beat-up minivan. The body was significantly shorter, the paintwork peeling and chipped in blotches, with dented sheet metal in several spots and a jagged crack stretching diagonally across the front windshield.
One side mirror was completely missing, while the other hung at an awkward angle, wrapped in layers of duct tape just to keep it attached. The heavy tires were gone as well, replaced by smaller, worn-out standard tires—one of which looked slightly underinflated. A long, nasty white scratch ran down the side panel, looking as though it had been scraped against a concrete wall.
The entire vehicle gave off the impression of something abandoned ages ago, barely held together by sheer luck, leaving anyone to wonder if it would break down on the very next mile.
Yet, the moment she opened the driver’s side door, everything inside remained completely untouched!
The interior dimensions hadn’t shrunk by a single inch!
The light-wood countertops, the warm ginger-yellow fabric sofa, the immaculately tidy bed, and the fully equipped kitchenette were all right where she had left them.
The interior of the cabin felt wrapped in an invisible protective bubble, creating a stark, jarring contrast against the decrepit exterior shell.
It felt as though the inside and outside belonged to two completely different realms.
Suzy closed the door, walked around to the front bumper, and took a few more glances at the pathetic-looking van. A slight smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
Perfect—absolutely perfect!
Talk about flying under the radar!
A wreck like this looked like it would break down in the next second; nobody in their right mind would waste time trying to hijack it now.
And not a single soul would ever suspect the paradise hiding inside!
Satisfied, Suzy got behind the wheel and drove straight toward Black Mist Base!