Yang Yang turned his head toward the pitch black sky, a blank expanse swallowing the last of the daylight, and said, "It's in the United States."
Jing Shu: "???"
Yang Yang saw the bewildered look on Jing Shu's face, her eyebrows drawn together in pure confusion, and coughed lightly into his fist.
"That's right, it's still in the United States." He repeated it slowly, letting the words settle. "This is a military spec vehicle, not something ordinary people can buy. The top configuration costs thirteen million yuan. It's the German MAN 8x8 Conqueror F Type Off Road RV, equipped with a MAN six cylinder, twenty four valve inline turbocharged engine"
Before Yang Yang could finish, Jing Shu nearly jumped out of her seat, the chair legs scraping back against the floor as she blurted excitedly, her voice rising:
"Is it the one with a non load bearing chassis, 1.83 meter wading depth, snow mode, desert mode, swamp mode all terrain tires, a large retractable rooftop terrace, solar power system on the roof, a rugged military style exterior made of ultra high strength fiberglass, and an interior so luxurious you could hold a pool party on that terrace?" The words tumbled out in a single breath, each feature a coveted treasure.
Yang Yang gave her a thumbs up, a genuine flicker of respect in his eyes. "You know your stuff. That's the one. China has some, but they're all already taken. The U.S. model is the newest top configuration this year. Getting it through me will cost you much less than acquiring one here."
Jing Shu dug at her ear with her pinky, a slow, deliberate motion as if clearing a blockage. "Wait, wait, what did you say a few sentences ago?"
"I said it's German MAN."
"The one before that."
"That it's a military spec vehicle"
"No, before that."
"It's in the United States."
Jing Shu flicked her pinky finger, as if discarding something. "That's the one. So you're dangling pie in the sky for me to chew on? What am I supposed to do with something in the U.S.? Have it flown halfway across the globe in the middle of the apocalypse?" Her excitement evaporated, replaced by flat disbelief.
Please. Even before the apocalypse, moving it across half the planet would have been tough, let alone now. What kind of capability would that take? If Jing Shu had that kind of power, she would already be ruling the world, not standing here in a dusty yard.
Just moments ago, she had been elated, her heart racing like she had been on a roller coaster, nearly jumping with joy at the thought that Yang Yang could help her get such a beast of a vehicle.
She had first learned about it in her previous life in the sixth year of the apocalypse, when she saw someone driving it in Sichuan during migration. She had been stunned watching it traverse pitted snowfields and towering snowy mountains with ease, a dark beetle moving where nothing else could.
When snow piled higher than a person and electric powered vehicles failed one after another, most people could only follow behind military convoys, trudging through the white. But this RV defied physics, climbing vertically as if the treacherous road did not exist. Agile like it was not a lumbering RV.
In this life, Jing Shu had planned to rely on her upgraded Cube Space before migration, putting her BYD Song inside. She could drive where roads allowed, and stow it when there weren't any. It was a pragmatic, piecemeal solution.
That was why she had no interest in ordinary RVs. Why bother?
After a few years of the apocalypse, terrain would worsen, the world map would shift entirely, and roads would be so broken they might as well not exist. Even with an RV, would you get through deserts, swamps, and snow covered mountains? The question answered itself.
Add fuel restrictions, and even short distance trips would be a nightmare. Sure, you could get fuel with connections, but the price would be steep, a liter costing more than a day's food.
But with this all terrain RV? Climbing, crossing, surviving extreme environments would no longer be a problem. Most importantly, sleeping in a cozy 20 degree cabin while temperatures outside plummeted to minus 50 could save countless lives. Migration deaths were heavily tied to extreme cold, to the slow, silent seep of ice into bones.
Jing Shu had studied this RV's specs in her past life and been blown away, the brochure images seared into her memory.
Its black exterior resembled a massive freight truck, rugged and understated, but its interior was pure luxury. She especially loved the retractable terrace, which even came with a pool. She imagined converting it into a water tank, growing vegetables, or raising livestock, a tiny moving fortress of self sufficiency.
Back then, she never dared dream of owning one. Yet here it was again, this time within reach, the name spoken aloud in her own yard.
Or maybe not.
It was still just a target, and it was still in the United States, an ocean and a collapsed world away.
Yeah, right.
So much for dreaming.
Her excitement drained instantly, leaving a hollow feeling in her chest. Yang Yang might as well have told her to steal it from the U.S. herself. Even if she could sneak there, her Cube Space couldn't hold something that massive. Maybe after a few years, before migration, she could try again. The thought was a feeble consolation.
This was why people said women's moods flipped faster than turning a page. Seconds ago, she had been buzzing with excitement. Now her face was like thunder, clouds gathering in her expression.
Yang Yang couldn't have known that, in those few seconds, Jing Shu had already imagined herself living in and modifying the RV in the apocalypse, only to plummet into disappointment as reality crushed her dream, the vivid fantasy collapsing like a pricked balloon.
"To be honest, we're on a covert mission. We have to rely entirely on ourselves," Yang Yang said, his voice flat and matter of fact. "We go alone, return alone. If we fail, China will act like Yang Yang never existed. If we succeed, no one will throw us a victory party.
No matter the chaos we cause, even if we're exposed and die abroad, the higher ups won't intervene and can't intervene. That RV will be part of our escape and survival plan. When the mission is over, we'll ship it back to China.
My offer is to get the RV to China's border. Beyond that, you'll need to retrieve it yourself. And we don't have diesel or gasoline. In the U.S., we'll have to scavenge for daily necessities too. Delivering it to China's border is the best I can do." He laid out the terms, stark and unadorned.
Jing Shu's eyes lit up like stars reignited, her face glowing with a fresh wave of excitement. Yang Yang thought he saw pure delight sparkle in her expression, the sudden shift dizzying.
Inside, Jing Shu's mind was already spinning at lightning speed, connecting possibilities. If the RV was stuck in the U.S., she couldn't get it. But if she focused on retrieving it once it was inside China, that was something she could work with. Even if her Cube Space couldn't fit it, she would find a legitimate way to own it. A vehicle that big had to have paperwork, and that meant she needed an official channel. The logistics began to map themselves out in her head.
"Wait a second," Jing Shu said, a new thought striking her, sharp as a pinprick. Her sharp instincts told her something more was at play. "You said you would ship it through customs. Are you planning to bring back something else from the U.S.? There's no way you would go to all that trouble, just for a few missions or a single RV. There must be other cargo, right?" She watched his face closely.
Exactly. Who would authorize shipping a single RV halfway across the globe on a massive freighter? Clearly, the RV would be just one item in a much larger shipment, a needle in a haystack of strategic cargo.
Yang Yang raised an eyebrow, a faint smile touching his lips. "You're sharp. Yes, we're bringing something back. You will see. For now, just tell me if you want the RV. I can get it here for you, but there's a catch. The mission has no fixed timeline. It could take months, years, or we might never return. If we don't make it back, your payment is gone." He delivered the final condition, the risk hanging in the air between them.
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Sorry guys, but there won't be a chapter update for 24th September (tomorrow). I just checked and realized I accidentally skipped that date when I set the timer for publishing