Chen Ye had his doubts.
The apocalypse had only begun a few months ago, yet this device in front of him already bore a serial number over a thousand.
Who was ranking these items?
And Nana, this girl who looked no older than seventeen or eighteen—how did she know so much?
Before he could think further, Chu Che looked up, a little nervous. “Ready!”
Zzzzz…
“Welcome to the Fairness Convoy channel. The time is 8:35 p.m. on November 5, 2030.”
Fairness Convoy?
This was the first time Chen Ye had heard the official name of their group.
“According to reports from our station’s correspondent, ten kilometers ahead lies Longevity Village!”
“Longevity Village is a relatively obscure settlement within our country. As there are seventeen villages nationwide sharing this name, it holds no particular fame.”
“The village earned its name because a local elder lived to the ripe age of 127 before passing away.”
“…”
After a burst of static, the Artifact known as the Eavesdropping Radio began to detail the situation in Longevity Village.
The information seemed factual enough.
This Longevity Village really was obscure. With so few people to rely on, the convoy would never dare use a nationally famous village as a resupply point.
It sounded as though a real radio presenter were introducing Longevity Village to everyone there.
Chen Ye listened quietly, feeling a little surprised.
Cities had fallen, turning into Forbidden Zones for Humanity. Forget radio stations; even mobile phones had zero signal now.
No wonder this radio was classified as an Artifact.
But why was it called the “Eavesdropping Radio”?
“According to our correspondent’s inquiries, Longevity Village had a population of 357 villagers across 112 households, covering an area of approximately 2,000 mu.”
“Three months ago, an Anomaly outbreak occurred. Everyone died. There were no survivors in Longevity Village!”
Everyone fell silent at the radio’s cold voice.
No one spoke.
In this new world, such tragedies were all too common. In supercities like Shanghu, with populations in the tens of millions, the survival rate was likely less than one percent.
Chen Ye now understood why Captain Chu had brought out the radio. Artifact 01257 apparently had the ability to gather information.
Sure enough, the radio’s next words made everyone prick up their ears.
“Zzzzz… Longevity Village currently possesses relatively intact supplies. Notably, there is a small supermarket under the big willow tree in the village center with sufficient stock. This should be a priority target for collection.”
“There are also significant grain reserves in the cellar of the village chief’s house, which can be a secondary target.”
“Each household also retains a portion of grain reserves.”
“There is a well at the village entrance. The water is uncontaminated and safe to drink.”
“The village currently… zzzzz…”
The radio seemed to encounter some interference, and static crackled from the speaker.
But it quickly stabilized.
“There are over one hundred Anomalies in the village. Given the convoy’s current strength, Longevity Village has a danger rating of SSS.”
“…”
The information gave everyone a rough idea of Longevity Village.
Without the Eavesdropping Radio’s information, rushing into the village might have cost them a great deal of time. In a village full of Anomalies, wasted time meant wasted lives.
However, throughout the broadcast, Chu Che’s expression remained puzzling to Chen Ye. The Captain stared intently at the radio, his demeanor tense, as if the device might transform into an Anomaly at any second.
Only when the broadcast ended did Captain Chu finally let out a long sigh of relief.
He turned to Chen Ye. “Chen Ye, for this operation, will you act with us or alone?”
Chen Ye answered without hesitation. “I’ll go with you.”
He was still only a pseudo-Sequence Beyonder, and a support class at that. Going solo would be suicide. The luck he’d had in Apricot Blossom Town wouldn’t strike twice.
“In that case,” Chu Che proposed, “for the supplies we gather, I’ll take thirty percent, Nana thirty percent, and Iron Lion and Chen Ye will take twenty percent each. Is that acceptable?”
The shares reflected their roles. Chu Che was irreplaceable: without him, the convoy would not have survived, let alone found places to resupply. Chen Ye now learned that Nana was a swordswoman at Sequence 2 of the Sword Immortal Sequence, the Edge-Honing stage. She was at least as strong in combat as Iron Lion. As for Chen Ye, his supposed Mechanic Sequence abilities also filled an essential role in the convoy. This story is hosted at g.com.
Chen Ye naturally had no objections.
They began formulating a plan based on the intelligence. Upon reaching the village, Chu Che would stay back; his job as a Pathfinder was done. The strike team would be Chen Ye, Nana, and Iron Lion. They would hit the supermarket under the willow tree first, then the village chief’s cellar.
Just as the plan was finalized, a familiar voice suddenly drifted from the Eavesdropping Radio.
“Oh, that damn girl Nana. She looks pretty, but she’s like a little monkey all day. Neither a boy nor a girl. Before the apocalypse, no one would have wanted her!”
“And Iron Lion. How does that big lug’s brain even work? Everyone says the price of the Titan Sequence is reduced intelligence, but how can anyone be that stupid? What a piece of work!”
“That newcomer has a temper, and he’s rather gloomy too. Who knows what goes on in his head all day?”
“That guy definitely wasn’t a good person before the apocalypse!”
“I even saw him hit an old woman and a child. Good grief, what sort of people have I got in my convoy?”
“And that female celebrity Zhou Lan. She looked pretty on TV, but in real life, she’s just average!”
“…”
Now Chen Ye understood why Captain Chu had looked so nervous when he brought out the radio.
The Eavesdropping Radio did more than gather information by listening in on its targets.
It spied on its owner.
Who knew when Captain Chu had said those things? The radio had overheard them and played them back just when everyone was relaxed and the group was all together.
Silence filled the tent.
Chu Che had covered the radio with a piece of clothing as soon as it began, but that had done absolutely no good.
Looking at his three companions, the normally composed captain wore an embarrassed expression for the first time.
Chen Ye: “…”
Wait, Captain Chu thinks I’m irritable and gloomy? And that I’m not a good person?
Nana’s face darkened. “Well done, Captain. Neither a boy nor a girl? Were you talking about me?”
Iron Lion looked aggrieved. “Captain, the Titan Sequence may not make us clever, but we’re not stupid either! And we’re certainly not freaks. Doesn’t your conscience bother you when you say that?”
Chu Che’s mouth twitched. He was about to explain when he saw the hot-tempered young swordswoman drawing her longsword.