At first light, a message appeared before Chen Ye. [Upgrade complete!]
His tricycle shimmered with a faint, dull light, and when the glow faded, the vehicle before him was unrecognizable.
It no longer looked like a bicycle, but a motorized tricycle.
The front half was the abandoned motorcycle Chen Ye had dragged over the previous night—handlebars, cushioned seat, and a bulbous fuel tank. If you ignored everything behind the rider, it looked like a standard motorbike.
The cargo bed had changed too, its side rails a little higher. With the tailgate lowered and some padding added, he could use it as a bed instead of sleeping on the ground.
The loading capacity had increased again.
It was still far from the full design he had envisioned, but this was an impressive result with what he had.
Of course, there were compromises.
The front tire came from the motorcycle, while the rear pair were still bicycle tires—a compromise to save points. There was no canopy over the rider, leaving him exposed to wind and rain. Even the chassis had not been reinforced.
It was still rear-wheel drive, which might spell trouble on rough terrain.
But for a cost of only 900 Slaughter Points, it was a bargain.
He tried pedaling it. Even with the Power-Assist System, it was much harder than before. Without gasoline, it would be less useful than the old tricycle.
But Chen Ye’s mindset had shifted.
If he faced another situation like yesterday’s flight from Apricot Blossom Town, a slow vehicle would get him left behind. And being left behind meant death.
The engine might lack power and speed, but it would still be much faster than pedaling a bicycle. He would put up with the trouble of finding fuel.
Chen Ye looked toward the head of the convoy.
Two off-road vehicles, a sedan, and a bus stood there. They must have gasoline. Perhaps he could trade some of his supplies for it.
As the camp stirred, Chen Ye’s motorized tricycle quickly drew attention.
Many gazes were envious. Others were openly mocking.
“His pedal tricycle was fine. Now he has made it into this odd contraption, he is just making life harder. He will need gasoline too!”
“Yeah, his old bike was better. Maybe we should ask him where he dumped it? If we could grab it…”
“Heh, are you blind? Can’t you see this thing is modified from his old trike?”
“What do you mean?”
“He turned a bicycle into this overnight. Alone. How… how is that possible?”
“Hiss…”
As realization spread, the atmosphere shifted. Everyone turned to stare at Chen Ye.
They were right.
How could an ordinary man modify a tricycle like this in one night? It should have taken several people a few days. Yet he had done it alone overnight.
Was he… an Anomaly?
They looked at him with hatred, wariness, and fear, but no one approached. Some had seen him shoot Qiangzi outside the supermarket the day before.
Seeing their reactions, Chen Ye’s heart sank. This wasn’t good.
The commotion attracted attention from the front of the convoy.
“What’s going on over here?”
A clear voice rang out.
A long-legged girl with a high ponytail approached. She wore Air Jordans, hot pants, and a cropped cartoon-print T-shirt, with a long sword at her waist.
Chen Ye recognized her. During the escape from Apricot Blossom Town, she was the one he had seen leaping across rooftops, moving with the agility of a wuxia master.
A Sequence Beyonder.
The survivors did not quite know who she was, yet for some reason they looked at her with fear.
The girl looked left and right, her gaze sweeping over the crowd before landing on Chen Ye. Finally, her eyes settled on the motorized tricycle.
A strange glint flashed in her eyes.
Chen Ye’s hand drifted to his Hand Crossbow. He knew he was likely no match for a superhuman, but he wouldn’t go down without a fight.
“Is this motorcycle yours?” she asked in a pleasant voice.
“Impressive. Yesterday it was a pedal-trike, today it’s a motorbike. Really impressive.”
She turned to him, her eyes sparkling.
“Have you awakened a Sequence?”
Her words caused an uproar.
Chen Ye paused, stunned.
Sequence Beyonder? Me?
The survivors erupted into whispers. Before yesterday, Sequences were just rumors. Now, after seeing the giant and the sword-girl, everyone knew they were real. But to hear that the guy with the tricycle might be one of them?
Impossible.
Their disdain gave way to envy and jealousy.
“Hmm, the Mechanic Sequence? Otherwise, how could you have done all this?”
She didn’t wait for a confirmation. “Never mind. Come with me.”
She gestured for him to follow her toward the lead vehicles.
Chen Ye understood. She had mistaken his system for his Sequence ability.
He didn’t correct her. He simply followed, leaving the drooling crowd of survivors behind.
The class divide in this convoy was stark.
One group was the people with cars at the head of the convoy. Chen Ye guessed there were at least two Sequence Beyonders among them. They numbered a few dozen and had lost nearly half their people in Apricot Blossom Town. Their clothing and spirits were much better than the other group’s. He had even heard there was a celebrity among them.
At the bottom were the stragglers on bicycles and foot. As yesterday proved, they were expendable.
As the girl led Chen Ye into the inner circle, everyone looked up in surprise.
A barefoot young man watched Chen Ye. There was something so distinctive about him that Chen Ye could not help noticing.
“Nana… who is this?”