The terrified scream was like a drop of cold water falling into boiling oil.
The quiet night erupted into noise: women screamed, children cried, and men cursed. Some people hurried to pack their things and flee.
In the blink of an eye, Chen Ye saw a streak of sword light shoot toward the scream. A huge man rushed in the same direction—Iron Lion.
Nana and Iron Lion, the convoy’s combat Sequence Beyonders, had already mobilized.
The camp was in chaos. The terror the Anomalies had left in the survivors’ minds was a nightmare. Nearby, Zhou Lan and her brother stared toward the disturbance, looking frightened.
Chen Ye took up his Hand Crossbow, loaded a bolt coated with Black Dog Blood and readied himself.
Beneath the Blood Moon, vague shapes lurked among the trees nearby, like ghostly figures hiding in the dark. Looking closer, Chen Ye made out dozens of them. His scalp prickled. If they were all Anomalies, none of the camp’s survivors would make it out alive.
Wasn’t Chu Che able to sense the presence of Anomalies? How had he let them come so close to the camp?
Just then, a dark figure stepped out of the shadows beneath the trees.
“Please… please help us!” came a low, weak voice.
A flashlight beam fell on the figure in front. The person raised a hand against the glare. Their clothes were torn in several places, and they wore only one shoe.
It was a human.
Everyone quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
No wonder Chu Che had not detected them beforehand. As a Sequence 1 Danger Sensor of the Pathfinder Sequence, he could sense most Anomalies, but his perception of people was much less clear. At least these were human. Find the original chapter at g.com.
A second person appeared, then a third, until dozens stood before them. They wore ragged clothes and looked haggard. All of them were survivors.
“Who are you?” Chu Che appeared at the front of the crowd, his expression vigilant.
“Sir… we escaped from Lucheng,” the lead survivor stammered. “Lucheng… is gone!”
At those words, sobs rose from the figures behind the speaker.
Chen Ye froze for a moment, then his heart sank. Lucheng was no international metropolis like Shanghu, but it was a well-known second-tier city, famous for tourism and food. He had once wanted to take his girlfriend there for a few days. Now it was gone. He should have expected it: if even Shanghu had become one of the world’s most dangerous Forbidden Zones for Humanity, Lucheng could hardly escape. Still, hearing it from someone who had been there was a shock.
“Lucheng is gone too?” someone whispered.
“It’s over. Humanity has no hope left.”
“Is there really nothing we can do against the Anomalies?”
“My… my parents are in Lucheng…” Someone broke down sobbing.
The camp, which had only just calmed down, fell into turmoil again.
The story soon became clear. The newcomers had escaped from Lucheng, which, they said, was full of Anomalies and had become another Forbidden Zone for Humanity. They had all been hiding in an underground parking garage until they could no longer stand it and fled. There had originally been over two hundred of them; now only a few dozen remained.
Chen Ye sidled up to Chu Che. “Old Chu, will these people attract Anomalies?”
Chu Che glanced at Chen Ye, wondering when he had acquired the nickname Old Chu. He ignored the question, crouched down and tossed a handful of dirt into his mouth, as though tasting a rare delicacy. Find the original chapter at novelping . com.
After ten seconds, he opened his eyes and nodded at Nana.
Chen Ye understood: Chu Che must have used his ability and found that nothing was following these people.
The abilities of Sequence Beyonders really were remarkable. Chu Che could sense Anomalies just by eating dirt, and Iron Lion could regrow a severed arm. The system had said it would tell Chen Ye how to awaken a Sequence once he had three thousand Slaughter Points. Three thousand points! When would he ever save up enough?
As captain, Chu Che had to speak up. “You can join, but you’ll have to follow the rules!”
“We’ll follow any rules, as long as we can stay alive!” the leader said hastily. The person was so filthy that, although one could make out whether they were a man or a woman, their features were impossible to distinguish. Among the newcomers, a few women with attractive figures tucked their hair behind their ears.
“There’s only one rule for living in this convoy: fairness! Since you’re new, I can provide one day’s food for free. After that, you’ll have to find ways to feed yourselves.”
The newcomers looked at one another, but no one said anything. Chu Che turned and left without looking back.
The convoy had once numbered about two hundred, but half had been lost in Apricot Blossom Town. With these newcomers, its population was back above a hundred. Chen Ye gave the grimy figures a long look, then returned to his vehicle.
The camp grew busy. Chu Che picked a few middle-aged women to help with the cooking; as captain, he had that much authority. The food was simple: thin porridge and some pickled vegetables. Soon the smell of porridge drifted through the camp.
Chen Ye lay in his cargo bed, pulled his clothes tighter around him and began to doze. They would soon reach Longevity Village. Most former human settlements had become Forbidden Zones for Humanity. Cities that had once been prosperous were especially dangerous; remote villages and small towns were comparatively safer. Even so, he could not afford to be careless.
For now, he needed to rest so he could earn more Slaughter Points while scavenging. Ideally, he would collect all three thousand in one trip and obtain the system’s method for awakening a Sequence.
As Chen Ye lay there drowsily thinking, an unfamiliar woman’s voice suddenly called out loudly.
“It’s unfair! Why are only women doing the work? Why aren’t the men doing anything? You’re discriminating against women!”