Chapter 373

Chapter 373: Chapter 373

"What is it? Why are you being so mysterious about it? Can’t you just tell us straight?" an impatient teammate couldn’t help but grumble.

He was already thoroughly agitated over the fuel situation and in no mood for suspense.

Tina glanced at him and said coolly, "It’s the thing we need most right now..."

"The thing we need most? What? Don’t tell me it’s gasoline?"

Before Tina could even finish her sentence, someone cut her off, their voice trembling with excitement.

Another teammate chuckled dismissively upon hearing this. "Gasoline? How could that be? Nobody gets that lucky out of nowhere."

"Tina, is it really gas?"

"Miss Kale has gasoline? Are you sure you’re not mistaken? If she could actually pull gasoline out of thin air, why would she be driving that beat-up old heap of a van?"

To everyone present, securing fuel was just as difficult as finding a brand-new car. You might occasionally stumble across an abandoned vehicle for a free pickup, but gasoline? That stuff was genuinely impossible to come by.

Seeing the group on the verge of starting yet another debate over whether Suzy could possibly have fuel, Tina dropped the answer: "It is gasoline."

Instant silence fell over the vehicle.

The silence lasted for barely three seconds before the group erupted into gasps of wild joy and disbelief.

"Is it really gasoline? For real?!"

"Gasoline?! She actually had some? Where on earth did she get it—hasn’t she been traveling with us the whole time?"

"Maybe she had it stashed away from before! Why do you care where it came from? As long as we can use it, that’s all that matters!"

"Where is it? Let me see!"

Excited chatter filled the air as everyone clamored to see the fuel.

Yet when their eyes landed on the massive container in Tina’s hand, an eerie quiet settled over them once more.

The container was far larger than any of them had imagined.

"Isn’t that container... a bit too big?" someone asked hesitantly.

Tina’s voice drifted out casually: "It’s completely full."

The moment Tina said those words, everyone plunged back into a brief silence. They exchanged glances, reading the stark shock evident on one another’s faces.

It wasn’t until someone spoke up that the spell was broken: "Is it... really full?"

Tina chuckled helplessly. "What would I gain from lying to you? See for yourselves."

The man who had reacted first hopped off the car. Under Tina’s gaze, he lifted the fuel container in front of him in one swift motion.

The heavy, solid weight in his hands was undeniable, and the sudden surge of delight on his face was impossible to hide.

"Damn, it’s heavy! It really is full!" he shouted loudly.

By then, two more teammates climbed down from the vehicle, taking turns hoisting the container to feel its hefty weight.

"This is way too heavy—just how much gas is in here?"

"Didn’t you see the label? 30 liters! Hahaha, this is more than enough for us!"

"Let me pop it open and take a look."

With that, someone unscrewed the cap. A potent scent of gasoline drifted past everyone’s nostrils.

"Now that’s the smell! Magnificent!"

The man standing beside Tina took an intoxicated breath. The others ignored him, keeping their eyes glued to the fuel before them.

"This gas smells pretty clean; it’s high quality."

"You can actually smell the quality? Impressive, dog-nose."

"Screw you."

Seeing that they were about to start bickering again, Tina cut in, "Pack it up first. Time to hit the road."

Making progress on their journey was the top priority, so Tina didn’t waste breath and simply shot them a sharp look.

Without another word, they stowed the gasoline into the trunk and piled back into the car one after another.

Only after the vehicle resumed its speed along the highway did someone ask, "Tina, did you say Miss Kale gave us all this fuel?"

"Yeah, Suzy gave it to us." At the mention of Suzy’s name, Tina’s tone softened.

"She really saved our necks this time. I honestly don’t know how we can ever thank her enough."

"Yeah, we owe it all to Miss Kale. I felt a warm vibe from her the moment I saw her—turns out she really is a kind soul."

Inside the car, the group began offering scattered praises for Suzy.

Tina found it amusing and said casually, "Saying all these sweet words now won’t do much—Suzy can’t hear you anyway."

"...Fair point."

A brief silence settled over the car once more.

After an indefinite stretch of time, a quiet voice spoke up, "Do you think... we’ll ever see her again?"

Tina glanced sideways out the window. "She went toward P City."

"So as long as we move quickly, maybe we can meet up in P City?"

"Yeah."

"Then let’s finish this task as fast as we can."

With the fuel crisis resolved, everyone’s spirits in the car stabilized significantly. In the pitch-black night, the dark vehicle slowly glided off into the distance.

***

Meanwhile, heading in the other direction, Suzy and Mark were driving toward P City.

Their next stop was the Northern River.

From Suzy’s current location, the Northern River was still over a hundred kilometers away.

Mark was still behind the wheel. Suzy had offered to swap places with him, but he had declined.

"Aren’t you hungry?" After driving for another hour, Suzy turned to look at Mark. He hadn’t eaten anything since the afternoon, and it was already eleven o’clock at night.

"I’m fine, not particularly hungry," Mark answered softly.

"Let’s find a place up ahead to pull over and rest," Suzy said.

Mark cast an unexpected glance at her, but didn’t refuse.

After driving a bit further, they found an open clearing by the road and brought the RV to a halt.

"I’ll whip up a late-night snack," Suzy said.

Calling it a midnight snack was generous; Suzy simply used the RV’s induction cooker to boil water and prep two bowls of cup noodles.

Once the noodles were cooked, a rich, savory aroma filled the interior of the RV.

"Mark," Suzy called out.

No response came. Suzy poked her head out of the RV to look around, discovering Mark standing a short distance away.

He stood with his back to her, appearing lost in thought.

Suzy originally intended to call out to him again, but the moment she opened her mouth, she checked herself.

She turned and went back inside the RV.

Shortly after she sat down, Mark walked back from afar.

When he pulled open the door, he brought in a draft of the night’s cool air mixed with the fresh scent of wild grass.

He pulled the door shut behind him and saw that Suzy had already placed two bowls of instant noodles on the table. Steam rose from the rims of the bowls, forming two soft clouds of white mist under the interior light.

He walked over and sat down across from her, looking down at the bowl of noodles. He didn’t say anything, nor did he pick up his fork right away.

Suzy took out a pair of disposable forks and handed them over. When Mark took them, his fingertips briefly brushed against hers—a touch of cool air that vanished instantly.

He kept his eyes lowered, murmured a soft "thank you," then plunged the fork into his noodles, giving them a quick stir before bringing a mouthful to his lips.

Suzy picked up her own fork and took a bite as well. Instant noodles always tasted the same, but eating them inside an RV late at night felt far more comforting and grounded than during the day.

Neither of them spoke. The faint sound of forks clicking against the edges of their bowls blended with the occasional rustle of wind outside.

Halfway through the meal, Suzy looked up to find Mark with his head still down, picking at his noodles. His long eyelashes cast faint shadows beneath his eyelids under the light, as if he were lost in a daydream.

Her gaze fell onto the fingers gripping his fork—the knuckles were sharply defined, looking slightly pale.

"Are you still thinking about that barrier earlier?" she asked.

Mark snapped out of his trance and gave a slight nod.

Suzy set her fork down and let out a light sigh. "Do you think... that thing will appear again?"

The natural disasters weren’t even over yet, and now an eerie black barrier had suddenly popped up—with monsters seemingly lurking inside it, no less.

If the black barrier was just an isolated incident here, that was one thing. But if these things were appearing worldwide... Suzy felt a hair-raising chill just thinking about it.

"It’s possible... it might show up again," Mark said in a low voice.

At this point, Suzy lost her appetite completely.

Neither of them pursued the topic any further. After all, they knew far too little about the black barrier to reach any meaningful conclusion.

After hurriedly finishing their noodles, the two resumed their trek.

They saw virtually no sign of human presence along the way.

It wasn’t until the horizon began turning the pale grey of dawn that several vehicles appeared on the road ahead.

There were clearly people inside—the headlights were switched on—yet no one stepped out.

The vehicles rested there in a silent, unspoken accord, completely motionless.

"What’s going on up ahead?"