Chapter 412

Chapter 412: Chapter 412

"You’re back," Mark said, offering a smile to Suzy. "You returned quite early today."

"Yeah," Suzy replied indifferently.

With that, she brushed past Mark and walked straight into the RV.

Her cold response left Mark feeling somewhat awkward. He stood frozen on the spot for a moment before following her inside.

Inside the vehicle, Suzy had already settled onto the sofa and pulled the maps from her backpack—the two maps Uncle Sam had handed over.

Suzy spread them flat across the tabletop and inspected them thoroughly; everything was in order.

The drawings were far clearer than what she had seen yesterday. Uncle Sam had spent an entire night re-tracing every blurry line on the paper.

Suzy couldn’t help but feel that trading for these maps had been more than worth it.

Not only that, but she also noticed a wealth of added details—annotations Uncle Sam had taken the initiative to include on his own.

For instance, he had marked exactly how many guards were stationed at a particular gate and when their shift rotations took place.

Noticing this level of thoroughness, Suzy couldn’t refrain from silently marveling at his expertise. Uncle Sam had actually documented all of this in such precise detail—where on earth had he gathered all this information?

These intricate details weren’t just scattered here and there; they were everywhere, like a hidden treasure trove waiting for her to uncover.

The more Suzy looked, the more pleasantly surprised she became.

Remarkable—simply remarkable.

She had truly hit the jackpot by securing these maps.

Suzy also caught sight of a location on the eastern side of the base where Uncle Sam had drawn a tiny triangle, accompanied by a side note indicating that one could exit the base through this point, though it would take a bit of effort.

He had even included top-secret intelligence like this!

This saved Suzy an immense amount of trouble; all she needed to do now was verify the details on the map one by one.

Absorbed in the maps, she failed to notice that Mark had sat down across from her, his eyes fixed on her the entire time.

"Are these the maps?"

Seeing that Suzy continued to ignore him, Mark finally couldn’t help but speak up.

Suzy’s attention finally shifted to him. "Yeah."

She offered a casual response, adding, "If you want to take a look, go ahead, but handle them carefully."

Mark didn’t pick up the conversation, sinking into silence for a moment.

Suzy’s focus returned once more to the map in front of her.

She realized this wasn’t just a standard map; it was practically a fully cracked, high-tier guide. Every critical location was supplemented with annotations—she even found Rina’s private residence marked on it.

This was almost ridiculously thorough.

Where on earth had Uncle Sam gotten his hands on all this information?

Right now, Suzy felt like a treasure hunter continually digging up gems on a map. The more she looked, the more energized and thrilled she grew.

At this very moment, she could hardly wait to step outside and verify these locations and their details in person.

Seeing her eyes practically glued to the paper, clearly showing no inclination to pay attention to him, Mark felt a surge of gloominess—an indescribable sense of frustration.

He didn’t know what was happening to him either. Ever since he had flipped through that book, he found himself experiencing strange feelings whenever he faced Suzy.

He stared at her for a few more seconds. Seeing that she continued to pay him no mind, he let out a gloomy sigh.

He then picked up the map resting before him and began flipping through it.

What Mark picked up was the second map Suzy had obtained from Uncle Sam—a map of the base’s surrounding perimeter, detailing everything in the immediate vicinity with complete clarity.

Mark scanned it roughly, committing the general terrain and key landmark structures to memory.

Compared to the one in Suzy’s hands, this sheet was less intricate—a standard map, though it covered all necessary points.

Mark had no idea what Suzy intended to do with these, but after taking a quick look and memorizing the general layout, his interest waned.

He soon put the map down, raised his head, and resumed staring at Suzy.

Suzy remained engrossed for half an hour.

Ever since she started drinking a cup of spirit spring water daily, her memory capacity had improved dramatically. She had successfully committed every detail from the maps to memory.

Satisfied, she folded the maps. The moment she raised her head, her gaze locked right into Mark’s eyes.

Suzy paused for a second.

"Why are you staring at me like that? Is there something on my face?" she asked, bewildered.

Mark shook his head. "No."

Only then did Suzy let out a breath of relief. She cared quite a bit about her appearance, so it was good to know nothing was amiss.

"Do you really have nothing you want to ask me?" Mark suddenly blurted out.

Suzy looked at him and countered, "Ask what?"

Mark opened his mouth, suddenly finding the words difficult to voice.

Yet, gritting his teeth, he pressed on: "Aren’t you going to ask why those people came looking for me?"

Suzy cast him a slightly surprised glance.

"Why did they come looking for you?" she asked, accommodating him and following his lead.

"Those two are Rina’s people. You remember her, right? That woman from yesterday," Mark emphasized intentionally.

Suzy nodded. "Jenny told me about her."

Mark continued, "They came to see me about yesterday’s matter. As long as I’m willing, they can arrange a comfortable and safe residence for me."

Suzy tilted her head slightly. "Did you agree to their offer?"

"Not yet." Mark looked straight into her eyes and said softly, "I told them I needed a few days to consider."

Suzy’s heart suddenly sank.

It was because of those words.

Her heart felt as though it had been abruptly locked down, burdened by a weight that shouldn’t be there—a weight she wanted to ignore, yet couldn’t.

Suppressing the strange sensation rising in her chest, she let out a soft breath. "Is that so?"

Mark kept his eyes fixed on her, remaining silent.

Suzy felt distinctly uncomfortable under his gaze. She could sense that the way Mark looked at her had subtly shifted, though what exactly it had turned into, she couldn’t quite tell for the moment.

Lowering her head, Suzy had no intention of pursuing the topic any further.

She recalled their conversation from yesterday. It was she who had told Mark to think it over for himself.

It was also Mark who had said he wouldn’t leave.

Suzy thought that if Mark truly had no intention of leaving, he would have rejected them outright instead of saying he needed a few more days to consider.

Perhaps his mind had already changed.

If that were really the case, she would respect his decision.