When Suzy was picking out this RV, she had spent a long time deliberating and even hired a specialist to customize it.
Back then, she gave the designer a specific theme: An Apocalyptic Survival RV.
The designer was completely unfazed by the request. Clearly, quite a few wealthy, eccentric youths had approached him to modify vehicles for post-apocalyptic survival before. In his eyes, Suzy was simply a rich girl obsessed with apocalyptic prepper culture.
The good news was that the designer himself was a fellow survivalist enthusiast. He had researched post-apocalyptic survival extensively, which was precisely why Suzy sought him out in the first place.
With money being no object, the designer recommended a dark-gray heavy-duty truck to her.
It possessed a tall body, a solid chassis, and a square front, making it look similar to a standard cargo truck prior to the apocalypse. On top of that strong foundation, he executed a series of meticulous modifications.
The body had been carefully reinforced with its sharp corners polished smooth. Security grilles were installed around the windows, which were fitted with heavy-duty explosion-proof glass. Solar panels covered the entire roof, completely eliminating any power supply concerns.
The vehicle was finished in a matte, all-gray coating, giving it a remarkably low-profile appearance.
Suzy slid the RV door shut and walked to the front section of the living compartment.
This area was a compact kitchenette. The countertop was made of light wood with smoothly sanded edges, embedding a small induction cooktop flush into its surface.
Beside it stood a fixed, high-capacity refrigerator that was currently humming quietly, fully stocked with an assortment of drinks and food.
Above the fridge hung securely fastened overhead cabinets, accompanied by a row of stainless steel racks mounted on the side. Cups, bowls, and plates were snugly snapped into the holders—each held in place so tightly that even the bumpiest road wouldn’t rattle them loose.
A large window sat right by the cooktop. Naturally, the modified windows were made of the toughest materials available; from this angle, she enjoyed a wide, unobstructed view of the outside world, while no one outside could peer into the RV’s interior.
Adjacent to the kitchen was a lounge area that proved even more comfortable than Suzy had imagined.
A cozy two-seater fabric sofa sat there, upholstered in a warm mustard-yellow tone with thick, plush fabric and soft cushions. The backrest was slightly reclined, allowing her to sink comfortably into it—a feature Suzy had personally handpicked.
Mounted directly opposite the sofa was a flip-down monitor. Though the screen wasn’t overly large, it boasted a crystal-clear display, wired down to a small computer tower anchored inside a lower cabinet.
Suzy sank into the sofa, narrowing her eyes in sheer satisfaction as her hand stroked the soft armrest.
Glancing up, she eyed the overhead storage cabinets lining both sides of the ceiling, featuring white doors reinforced with metal trim along the edges.
They were currently empty.
When the impulse had struck her earlier, she had only stocked the RV’s fridge with food, not bothering to fill the rest of the storage units. After all, she had her spatial domain. Rather than rummaging through cabinet drawers inside the RV, taking items directly out of her spatial inventory was far more convenient.
Moving toward the rear of the vehicle, there sat a bed—a spacious 1.8-meter king-size bed fitted with a thick, top-tier mattress.
It was dressed in light-colored sheets with a neatly folded thin blanket, topped off with fluffy, soft down pillows. A nightlight with a frosted glass shade rested at the headboard; when switched on, it cast a warm, gentle glow that was soothing on the eyes.
Flanking the bed were two large windows. The curtains were drawn open for now, allowing her to keep an eye on the surroundings outside.
Out there lay endless ruins and utter wreckage, though Suzy hadn’t spotted anyone approaching just yet.
From this moment on, this was going to be her new home.
Having undergone custom modifications, Suzy’s RV was already far sturdier than any standard motorhome—breaking inside would be no easy feat for an ordinary person.
Even so, she couldn’t shake off a lingering sense of unease, feeling it still wasn’t completely safe.
Is there a way to make the RV even sturdier?
And with the terrain torn up and ground travel so treacherous right now, how can I make the RV drive more smoothly?
Suzy fell into deep thought.
Before long, an answer struck her.
She recalled receiving an Item Fortification Card earlier—one she hadn’t gotten around to using yet!
Could that thing be used to reinforce the RV?
The moment the thought crossed her mind, excitement surged through her.
If the Item Fortification Card could be applied to the RV, wouldn’t her vehicle become practically invincible?
Unable to wait a second longer, Suzy summoned the System in her mind.
"System! System! Can I use my Item Fortification Card on the RV?" she pressed eagerly, her heart a mix of nervous anticipation and excitement.
She waited for a beat, but received no immediate answer.
It suddenly clicked—the System seemed to have gone quiet again earlier, vanished to who-knows-where.
Just as a wave of disappointment washed over her, the System’s response finally echoed in her mind:
[Yes.]
"Then hurry up and apply it for me!" Suzy urged impatiently.
[Confirming usage on this RV?]
Skipping any unnecessary chatter, the System simply verified her choice once more.
Suzy declared decisively, "Correct! Right on this RV—use it now."
[...Item Fortification Card in use. Reinforcement in progress. Current progress: 2%.]
Suppressing her excitement, Suzy crawled over into the driver’s seat. Instead of starting the engine right away, she planned to wait until the reinforcement process finished before setting off.
With a brief moment of downtime, she took the opportunity to question the System about its earlier absence.
"System, why were you unresponsive just now? I called out to you and got nothing."
"Also, were you talking to me earlier?" Suzy added, referring to the weird noise she had heard back at the woman’s place.
At the mention of this, the System went quiet for a moment before replying:
[I was interfered with by an external force just now and couldn’t respond to you.]
Suzy fell silent.
Instantly, her thoughts drifted back to that damn "targeted interference."
Still... what was the point of blocking the connection between me and the System? It makes zero sense.
Suzy found it bizarre, but she didn’t dwell on it too much. Since this world was dead set on targeting her, there wasn’t much she could do anyway—she wasn’t strong enough yet to go toe-to-toe with the entire world order.
After brief deliberation, she pressed further, "Back then, I thought I heard you saying something like ’...target’? Was that you speaking, or was I just mishearing things?"
The System remained silent for a short pause before answering:
[You likely misheard. I said nothing at the time.]
"Is that so?" Suzy mused, lost in thought.
Perhaps it really had been just her imagination after all.
The RV’s upgrade process was estimated to take about ten minutes.
Thinking back to the Earthbind Talismans in her spatial inventory, a sudden idea popped into her mind:
If an Earthbind Talisman could work on a vehicle, wouldn’t driving her RV over ruined roads feel as smooth as cruising on flat ground?
No sooner said than done. She tested out a few methods before coming up with a way to slap an Earthbind Talisman directly onto the vehicle body.
The moment the talisman made contact with the vehicle, Suzy felt a mysterious surge of energy envelop the entire RV, followed by an immediate sense of grounded stability.
The entire frame settled into a remarkably steady state.
It actually worked!
Suzy’s eyes lit up with excitement.
With this, wouldn’t her RV be completely unstoppable in the post-apocalyptic wasteland?