It was already early November, and the weather was turning cool.
As Chen Ye rode his motorized tricycle, he felt a chill in the breeze against his face.
On his next supply run, he had better find some warm clothing. Otherwise, he might freeze to death when winter came.
His tricycle needed work too. He would have to find suitable parts to roof over the cargo bed and enclose it, and put a roof over the front as well.
The misery of being soaked by rain a few days ago was an experience Chen Ye never wanted to repeat.
All that would cost a considerable number of Slaughter Points. The tricycle was still underpowered too. Perhaps three-wheel or four-wheel drive would be better.
Fortunately, this time Chen Ye had prepared enough crossbow bolts. Once they reached Longevity Village and the killing started, he should be able to harvest quite a few Slaughter Points.
His tricycle was less comfortable than an off-road vehicle or the bus, but he was still much better off than many others.
The survivors who had joined the previous night had only one car and two motorcycles between them. Most had no transport at all, not even bicycles. Fortunately, the convoy normally moved slowly enough for people on foot to keep up.
Iron Lion’s bus was full again. Nearly half its passengers had been lost in Apricot Blossom Town, but the newcomers had filled it back up. The big man certainly was soft-hearted.
Chu Che and Nana had taken no newcomers into their off-road vehicles. Each still carried three people.
Plenty of people had their eyes on Chen Ye’s tricycle, but his earlier behavior had made them wary enough that they caused him little trouble.
That brought the first day’s journey to an end.
Only in the evening did Chu Che lead the convoy to a safe place to shelter. At some point, the Blood Moon had risen, tinting the world a faint red.
Dinner was porridge and pickles again, but the porridge was much thinner than the previous night’s. It was almost clear enough to see a reflection in. Several people protested.
Chu Che responded with a single, calm sentence: “Anyone dissatisfied is free to leave at any time.” Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
Chen Ye made himself dinner with his meager cooking skills. It might not have tasted very good, but the large pieces of cured meat and generous portion of rice still made plenty of people drool.
Not far away, a pair of venomous eyes watched him. Whenever Chen Ye looked over, he saw only faces feigning indifference.
Chen Ye frowned. Apart from the grandmother and grandson, he should not have offended anyone. Who hated him so much? He was certain he was not imagining it.
He would sleep in the cargo bed again that night. Clothes lined the bed, making it comfortable to lie in.
Lighting a cigarette, he blew a smoke ring into the night air, letting the nicotine soothe his fatigue.
He had not bathed for days and had almost forgotten how good hot water felt against his skin. Finding somewhere to bathe would be a real pleasure. Before the apocalypse, he had showered almost every day. Now some parts of his body felt as though they had developed a patina of grime.
Before he could fall asleep, Uncle Abao arrived.
“Mr. Chen, Captain Chu invites you to a meeting.”
Chen Ye followed Uncle Abao to the largest tent in the camp.
Inside, Captain Chu Che, the young sword immortal Nana, and the two-meter-tall giant Iron Lion were waiting.
Iron Lion’s severed arm had completely regenerated.
Is this the innate ability of the Titan Sequence? Chen Ye marveled. Such powerful regeneration.
“Chen Ye, you’re here! Come, sit!” Iron Lion patted the place beside him, inviting him over.
Perhaps because Chen Ye had fired that crossbow bolt when everyone else was fleeing in Apricot Blossom Town, the big guy had a very favorable impression of him.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the meeting began.
“Among the new survivors, there’s one named Xu Jiaojiao who is quite troublesome,” Chu Che said as he poured Chen Ye a cup of tea. “From what I know, she was an online ‘gender war’ blogger before the apocalypse. She has already connected with over a dozen people in the camp and seems to be planning something.”
Chu Che spoke unhurriedly, as though the matter had nothing to do with him. His gentle expression barely changed.
“Iron Lion, Chen Ye, what do you think?”
Iron Lion scratched his head and chuckled. “Whatever you guys decide is fine. I’ll listen to you, hehe…”
Nana rolled her eyes and looked at Chen Ye.
Chen Ye grinned. “Just a bunch of clowns. This is the apocalypse. Without Sequence Beyonders, those people probably wouldn’t last a day. But surely that isn’t why you called us here, Captain Chu?”
Chen Ye drained the tea Chu Che had poured him. Tea was hard to come by now, so whenever he visited the captain, he tried to drink as much as he could. The other two probably felt the same; both their cups were empty too. Chu Che pretended not to notice. Even he had little tea left.
“Indeed,” Chu Che said. “According to my estimate, we will reach Longevity Village tomorrow morning. I called you here to discuss the plan.”
Hearing they were approaching a resupply point, everyone’s expressions turned serious.
Pre-apocalypse settlements were now Forbidden Zones, filled with endless dangers. A single misstep could mean death, just like in Apricot Blossom Town where the convoy lost half its people.
Chu Che took out a radio and began fiddling with it in front of them.
Chen Ye was baffled. Weren’t they supposed to be discussing Longevity Village? Why had Chu Che suddenly brought out a radio? What was this about?
Noticing his curiosity, Nana explained, “This is the Eavesdropping Radio, Artifact number 01257. Think of it as… well, a magical treasure of the apocalypse!”
“Artifacts often have extraordinary abilities. The captain’s Eavesdropping Radio is amazing,” she said, looking at it enviously.
“Numbered?” Chen Ye asked.
“Yes. The number is also its ranking. The top hundred Artifacts have incredible powers. The captain’s ranks outside the top thousand, but it’s still a remarkable treasure. You’ll see in a moment.”