Chapter 379

Chapter 379: Chapter 379

"They’re actually pretty well-organized," Mark commented.

Before Suzy could reply, someone knocked on their car window. It was the same man with his hair tied back from earlier, who mouthed to them: "Get out."

"They’re telling us to get out of the car," Suzy said.

Mark turned off the engine, looking a little concerned. "Our RV is so nice—they wouldn’t demand to confiscate it, would they?"

Suzy’s hand froze right as she was about to open the door.

"Probably... not," she gave a dry laugh.

Mark’s comment had caught Suzy off guard.

Clearly, Mark couldn’t see the RV’s camouflaged appearance; to him, the RV was just an RV.

"Let’s get out first."

Mark let out a soft sigh, still looking a bit worried.

The two stepped out of the vehicle, where the man with his hair tied back was already waiting nearby.

"Over here," the man gestured.

Suzy and Mark walked over.

Along the way, Suzy kept observing their surroundings.

She noticed that besides their own, there were quite a few other vehicles parked around. There was no one inside the cars, but nearby were several individuals who clearly didn’t belong to the camp.

Probably travelers passing through just like us, Suzy thought to herself.

Most of these people wore backpacks, the expressions on their faces fraught with discomfort and deep unease.

"Stop dawdling, hurry up," the man urged.

Suzy quickened her pace and spoke up, "Do you know Tina Becker?"

The man up ahead came to a sudden halt. He turned his head to glance at Suzy and Mark, looking rather surprised.

"You know Tina?"

Suzy nodded.

"What’s your relationship with her?"

"We’re her friends."

The look in the man’s eyes as he stared at the two of them shifted instantly, his previously cold attitude softening significantly.

"Friends? Why didn’t you say so earlier!"

"We just hadn’t found the right moment to mention it."

"Did she tell you to cross the bridge from here?"

"Yeah."

"You really should have said something sooner. Since you’re friends with Tina, that makes you our friends too. Come on, head this way."

Upon learning that the two were friends of Tina, the man immediately led them in a different direction.

Mark lowered his voice, genuinely astonished. "It actually worked."

What exactly is the connection between Tina and this bridge base?

A faint smile appeared on Suzy’s face—they were certainly benefiting from Tina’s connection.

By now, the man was leading the two toward a large tent.

The man suddenly asked, "How did you and Tina meet?"

Suzy shrugged, "Tina and I knew each other before the apocalypse. I never expected to bump into her again in X City—it was such a coincidence."

"You knew each other before the apocalypse? That really is quite a coincidence. To meet again after the end of the world like this, you could say it’s true fate. As for my old buddies from before the apocalypse... some died, some went missing. Ah, forget it, let’s not dwell on that."

"What’s your relationship with Tina?" Suzy asked curiously.

"Same as you, just a friend. Though we only met after the apocalypse started—Tina actually saved our leader’s life."

"Saved his life?"

"Yeah, a genuine lifesaver."

The man didn’t continue the topic, clearly having no intention of explaining the details of how the life-saving went down. He merely turned to Suzy and said, "Since we’re all friends here, I won’t charge you a heavy toll. I’ll give you a discount—a friendship price."

Amused, Suzy replied, "I thought friends didn’t charge each other."

"How could that be? Even biological siblings settle their accounts clearly. A discount is the biggest concession we can make, don’t push your luck. We’ve got a massive base to run and plenty of mouths to feed; of course we need to collect tolls."

"How much exactly is the toll?" Suzy asked.

"Let’s not talk about that right now. Since you’re Tina’s friends, I have to take you to see our boss."

"Is that really necessary?" Suzy asked, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"Of course it is, highly necessary! It’s just up ahead, we’ll be there in a moment. Who knows, if our boss is in a good mood, he might just waive the toll for you completely."

"You’d really have luck like that?"

"Yep, all depends on how you perform."

While they were talking, they had already arrived in front of a massive tent.

The man pointed inside and said, "Our boss is right in there. Let me announce you first."

He gave a gentle tug to a small bell hanging in front of the tent. Soon, a hearty male voice rang out from within: "What is it?"

Chuckling, the man said, "Tina’s friends are here."

The tent fell silent for a moment before the voice sounded again, clearer than before, "Tina’s friends? Please, come in."

The man lifted the tent flap and stepped to the side, motioning for Suzy and Mark to enter.

Suzy walked in first, followed closely by Mark.

The inside of the tent was far more spacious than it appeared from the outside.

A thick, worn carpet covered the ground; its edges were a bit frayed, but it felt even enough underfoot.

In a corner sat a camp bed and a makeshift table, scattered with a few maps and pens.

In the center of the tent rested an old sofa that had seen better days, though it was well-maintained enough to still be sat on.

A young man was just standing up from behind the table, navigating around the scattered maps to walk toward them.

He looked barely in his early twenties, wearing a faded dark jacket with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing sturdy wrists.

His hair was cropped short. While his features couldn’t exactly be called delicate, his brow ridges were deep-set, giving his entire face that sharp, clean-cut look unique to those who spend years running about outdoors.

Upon seeing Suzy and Mark, he first gave them a quick once-over, his gaze shifting from Suzy’s face to Mark’s, and then back again.

Then, the corners of his mouth curled into a smile, his tone brimming with unconcealed warmth, "Tina’s friends? Now you two are rare guests. People rarely go out of their way to visit my neck of the woods."