Chapter 44
Suzy blinked for a moment before realizing he had simply stated his name.
"Thomas Kim?" she repeated.
He gave a small nod.
"I’m Suzy," she said.
"Mm."
And that was the extent of their introductions.
The black SUV rolled steadily down the long, sun-drenched highway.
Even in silence, Thomas’s presence was overwhelming. He didn’t need to speak—his sheer physicality filled the confined space of the car.
They were strangers. Suzy didn’t know what to say to a man like him, so she lowered her head and scrolled through her phone.
Adam had already learned that she’d arrived in M Country and had messaged to check on her.
She replied briefly, assuring him everything was fine, and added that she would treat him to dinner once she returned home. She still hadn’t properly thanked him for advancing the payment for the medicines.
Two hours later, they arrived at her hotel.
She slept peacefully through the night.
***
Early the next morning, Suzy headed straight to a shooting range. She would be staying in M Country for a week—plenty of time to check out the supplies and... try them out, too.
For the next two days, she trained intensively. There was no point in buying weapons if she didn’t know how to use them.
Fortunately, she had decent aptitude.
Within two days, she grasped the mechanics of handling firearms—loading, aiming, and recoil control. Her accuracy still needed work, but at least she was no longer fumbling.
On the third day, she met her overseas supplier.
They had already discussed the list in advance. This time, she only needed to inspect and take delivery.
Every type of firearm legally available on the market—she purchased two of each, focusing primarily on handguns and rifles.
As for ammunition, she bought one hundred thousand rounds.
In M Country, money truly could buy almost anything.
It was a large transaction, and the supplier left smiling broadly.
Throughout the entire process, Thomas remained at her side. His imposing build and cold demeanor discouraged any foolish ideas. The supplier behaved impeccably.
On the drive back, Thomas finally spoke. "You can’t bring these back to your country."
"I don’t plan to," Suzy replied calmly.
Surprisingly, he didn’t ask further.
***
The SUV stopped at a villa Suzy had rented in advance. They unloaded the crates one by one. The firearms themselves weren’t too troublesome—but the ammunition was heavy.
After moving several boxes, Suzy was already breathing hard. Thomas, on the other hand, seemed tireless.
If she could, she would have simply stored everything directly into her space, but with Thomas present, she couldn’t be too obvious.
After considerable effort, they finally carried everything inside.
"You can wait outside," she said. "I’ll come find you in a bit."
He nodded and walked out.
Suzy parted the curtain slightly and saw him leaning against the SUV, smoking quietly.
Only then did she relax.
The loading and unloading may have seemed unnecessary—but it had to be done.
She then quickly stored all the firearms and ammunition in her space. Before finishing, she loaded a handgun with a magazine and kept it on standby—just in case.
Weapons—secured. Check.
Next came energy supplies.
With Thomas around, she couldn’t openly transfer shipments into her space, so she rented a warehouse as cover.
The upside of having him there? No one dared attempt a double-cross.
The suppliers could see immediately that Thomas was not someone to mess with.
They completed their transactions cleanly.
Suzy had the goods unloaded into the warehouse, confirmed everything, paid the remaining balance, and then retrieved the supplies—while Thomas waited outside.
Day after day, she repeated the process.
By the end of it, she had secured enough energy resources to ensure that she and Leonard could survive comfortably through the apocalypse.
As for coal and firewood needed for extreme cold, those could be purchased domestically. Leonard was already stockpiling them.
On the sixth day, Suzy finished acquiring everything she had planned to purchase abroad.
Money flowed out like water.
On the seventh morning, she returned to the shooting range to refine her marksmanship further.
The only regret was this—there had been almost no real interaction between her and Thomas Kim.
His favorability hadn’t increased at all, which meant she still couldn’t bind him.
Thomas was a competent and quiet bodyguard. He never initiated conversation and rarely said more than necessary.
With him around, Suzy truly hadn’t encountered any danger.
But silence didn’t help her system progress at all.
***
By the time they left the shooting range, it was already noon. They went to a nearby restaurant for lunch.
Suzy stared at her food for a moment and made up her mind. She couldn’t just sit here passively. Even if she and Thomas never crossed paths again after this trip, she at least needed to secure the binding reward.
"You’ve been living in M Country the whole time?" she asked, trying to sound casual.
Thomas glanced at her, mildly surprised that she had initiated conversation—especially something personal.
"Not the whole time," he replied evenly. "Only in recent years."
His tone was flat. So flat that Suzy hesitated, unsure whether she should continue.
She had the distinct feeling he didn’t particularly want to talk.
It was mildly frustrating.
Still, she pushed forward.
"Then... do you know any places nearby where you can find hidden gems?"
"Hidden gems?" He lifted his eyes slightly. "What do you mean?"
An idea flashed through her mind. "Are there any antique markets around here?"
She had already combed through C City’s antique street. Anything she could reasonably purchase, she had bought.
Now that she was in M Country, she refused to believe there were no overlooked treasures.
After all, decades ago, many artifacts had been taken overseas. Some must have ended up scattered among private sellers.
Thomas thought about it for a moment. "I can take you to Chinatown."
Chinatown might offer an opportunity.
Suzy’s eyes lit up. "That would be great. Thank you!"
***
After lunch, they drove straight to Chinatown.
The moment she stepped into the district, she almost felt as if she had actually traveled to China.
Bright shop signs. Chinese characters. The scent of roasted duck and herbal medicine in the air.
She wasn’t certain there would be anything useful—but since she was here, she had to look.
Her treasure-hunting function had been off cooldown for days. She simply hadn’t activated it yet.
Now, she did.
The small mental map unfolded in her mind with practiced ease. She was already skilled at reading it.
"This way," she told Thomas.
They followed the faint red indicators through the busy street and stopped at a small roadside stall.
The table was covered with old trinkets—coins, jade pendants, porcelain shards, brass ornaments.
An elderly woman sat behind it. When she saw them pause, she waved eagerly.
"Come take a look! All genuine pieces!"
Suzy’s gaze swept across the stall.
And there it was––a faint flicker of flowing light.
A copper coin.
The engraved characters were worn and barely legible.
She pointed at it. "How much for this one?"
The old woman quoted a rather high price.
Suzy haggled patiently, back and forth, until she finally secured the coin at a reasonable amount.
Without wasting time, she tugged Thomas toward the next flashing point on her map.
Most of the red markers clustered around similar street vendors.
One stall was run by a young African man.
Suzy scanned the items casually... And then her breath caught.
In the corner of his display lay a sandalwood bead bracelet. The flowing light around it was almost blinding; brighter than anything she had seen recently.
It was almost on par with the bracelet her uncle had once given her.
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
This was big. Definitely big.
If she absorbed this, her space might upgrade again.
Her cheeks flushed with excitement as she stepped forward quickly.
She had to get it. No matter what.
But just as she reached the stall, someone else stepped right in front of her.
An Asian woman approached first.
She gave the table a brief glance, then pointed directly at the sandalwood bracelet.
"I’ll take that one."