“What? Sis, you gave the gasoline to that guy?”
Zhou Xiaoxiao stared at his sister in disbelief, his voice rising in panic. “Sis, have you lost your mind? That’s a whole jerrycan of gasoline!”
“We only have two cans total. What are we going to use if we give one to him? No way! Sis, I’m going to get it back.”
Xiaoxiao was beside himself. Before the apocalypse, a can of gasoline might not have been worth much, but now it meant survival. Without fuel, their car would be useless, and the siblings would be in trouble. They were both ordinary people. Even with the car, they had to search for gasoline whenever they scavenged for supplies, and collecting those two cans had nearly cost them their lives. Now one had been given away for nothing.
“Xiaoxiao, don’t go. He’s a Sequence Beyonder! We can’t afford to provoke him!” Zhou Lan was beginning to regret her decision, but this was the apocalypse. Her celebrity status no longer meant anything.
But Xiaoxiao lifted his chin. “Sis, so what if he’s a Sequence Beyonder? He’s only a Mechanic Sequence, not a combat type like Captain Chu. We don’t need to be afraid of him. Besides, with Captain Chu here, what can he do?”
Leaving Zhou Lan standing there in regret, the handsome youth marched straight toward Chen Ye.
Chen Ye noticed the commotion. The famous Zhou Lan and her younger sibling already drew attention, and Xiaoxiao had raised his voice, perhaps to put pressure on Chen Ye. Chen Ye could hear every word without even trying.
Chen Ye lit a cigarette, glancing sideways at the approaching boy with a playful smirk.
Xiaoxiao stopped in front of him, trying hard to keep his gaze steady. “Mr… Mr. Chen… about that can of gasoline my sister gave you…”
Chen Ye blew a cloud of smoke into the boy’s face. Xiaoxiao frowned and fanned it away.
Chen Ye raised his chin without saying a word.
Head lowered, Xiaoxiao took the can of gasoline off Chen Ye’s motorized tricycle.
Everyone looked over. Some watched Chen Ye with amusement at his expense; others looked at the Zhou siblings as though they were idiots. Who would dare offend a Sequence Beyonder in a world like this? They could end up dead without even knowing why. Plenty of people could not get close enough to curry favor with one.
Chen Ye did not mind the gasoline being taken back. It wasn’t as though Zhou Lan was the only one who had any.
He walked over to Chu Che. The barefoot Pathfinder smiled gently.
“One can of gasoline,” Chu Che offered. “I’ll give you a discount. Eighteen catties of rice.”
“Terrible deal. You guys are way too greedy,” Chen Ye scoffed.
“Hehe… Zhou Lan backed out, but I’m still willing to trade. I’m helping you here, and you call me greedy?”
Chen Ye shook his head. “I want to trade for the gasoline with information.”
“Worthless info won’t get you fuel.”
“It certainly is. It’s a way to deal with Anomalies.”
Chu Che’s expression instantly turned serious. “Is that true?”
“Of course. Black Dog Blood can’t kill Anomalies, but it does have some effect on them.”
Chu Che’s eyes widened in shock. Then he murmured, “Right, why didn’t I think of that? Even if it can’t kill them, any effect at all is impressive.”
“That information is worth a can of gasoline,” Chu Che said.
“I also want your solar charging panel,” Chen Ye replied.
“That depends on how effective your Black Dog Blood method is against Anomalies.”
Watching Chen Ye secure gasoline from the captain with just a few words, the Zhou siblings exchanged glances of apprehension and doubt.
Chen Ye went to find Nana next. The strongest fighter in the convoy was not the injured Titan Sequence Beyonder, but this girl of the Sword Immortal Sequence. Without her, that big lug would probably have died already.
Chen Ye shrugged. “What can I do? It’s not like they’re the only ones with gasoline.”
“Hmph, I don’t believe you. Not one of you men is any good. Who knows what you’re plotting?” The young swordswoman looked thoroughly unconvinced.
“Alright, alright. I actually came to trade for a knife…”
Chen Ye repeated the information about the Black Dog Blood. Nana reacted with the same shock as Chu Che.
Chen Ye traded the information for an outdoor Heavy Machete. Blade and handle together measured over forty centimeters. It had a wooden handle, a black blade and a thick spine, and felt heavy in his hand. Its leather sheath could hang from his waist for easy access. According to Nana, it was a Japanese brand that had cost over three thousand yuan before the apocalypse, and over five thousand on the resale market. She had looked pained when he picked it out.
Chen Ye had no intention of keeping the Black Dog Blood information to himself. Humanity was badly outmatched in the war against the Anomalies; more than ninety percent of the population had been lost in just a few months. Any information that might help fight them was valuable, and he did not mind spreading it.
He did not go to the bus to trade. He wanted the two-kilowatt-hour portable power station, but the big Titan Sequence Beyonder had not woken up, and no one else could authorize the exchange.
The Zhou siblings were stunned. They had no idea what Chen Ye had said to Chu Che or Nana; they had only seen him trade a few words for a can of gasoline and an outdoor Heavy Machete. Zhou Xiaoxiao recognized the machete. He had wanted it for a long time, but Nana’s price was too high and he could never gather enough supplies. How had Chen Ye obtained it so easily? He could not understand.
Meanwhile, Chen Ye also obtained two small bags of Black Dog Blood. Two survivors in the convoy owned black dogs. It would have been difficult for Chen Ye to get the animals, but Chu Che had traded their owners some chocolate and sausages for them.
Chen Ye returned to his tricycle. A few pieces of women’s clothing had been traded from his stall in his absence.
“Attention, attention! The convoy leaves in fifteen minutes! We leave in fifteen minutes!” The announcement came from the loudspeaker on Chu Che’s modified off-road vehicle.
Survivors still trading began to look anxious. Chen Ye took his time pulling a bundle of crossbow bolts from the cargo bed. Most were crude things he had made himself, but they were better than nothing; he had long since used up the bolts that came with his Hand Crossbow. Now that he had a Heavy Machete, he made a few adjustments to them. This unfamiliar Japanese brand was certainly handy.
Finally, he dropped the adjusted bolts into a bag of Black Dog Blood, tied it shut and stowed it in a corner of the cargo bed.
Soon the convoy began to move. Chu Che’s modified off-road vehicle led, followed by Nana’s vehicle and then the bus. Chen Ye still had not seen the third Sequence Beyonder at the trading stop. He followed the bus, effectively becoming the convoy’s fourth most important figure. Zhou Lan’s car came behind him.