By the time they left the large tent, Captain Chu had two black eyes.
Nana shoved Chen Ye and Iron Lion aside and strode angrily out of the tent.
Chen Ye threw Captain Chu a look that clearly said serves you right and followed her out.
The convoy soon mobilized.
Chu Che’s modified off-road vehicle led, followed by Nana’s. Chen Ye’s motorized tricycle came next, with Iron Lion’s bus behind him and the other survivors farther back.
They moved a little faster today, apparently hoping to reach Longevity Village sooner. The convoy soon stretched out like a long snake.
The survivors with no transport walked at the very back. Some carried backpacks; others followed with nothing at all.
Chen Ye kept feeling that someone was watching him with hatred. Whenever he looked back, however, he found nothing.
After a few times, Chen Ye stopped caring.
He lit an HTS cigarette, breathed in the mellow tobacco scent and slowly exhaled.
The Eavesdropping Radio’s replay of Captain Chu’s complaints had mentioned that reduced intelligence was the price of the Titan Sequence.
If that was the case… did every Sequence demand a price?
What price did Nana pay for the Sword Immortal Sequence?
And what price did Captain Chu pay? Was his price simply having a foul mouth that got him into trouble? If so, it seemed quite plausible.
The Eavesdropping Radio was useful too. Its detailed information about Longevity Village would save them effort and make scavenging much safer. But it had also humiliated Captain Chu in front of everyone.
Clearly, the radio had side effects. Did every Artifact have them?
Chen Ye sorted through what he had learned and made a mental note of it. Everything he knew about Sequence Beyonders had come from the past two days; every detail mattered. Steering with one hand, he discarded the finished HTS and lit another. He was a heavy smoker and still had plenty of cigarettes from Apricot Blossom Town, so he saw no reason to ration them.
He glanced down at the dashboard. The fuel gauge was hovering near empty.
Just then, a wave of exclamations rippled through the group.
“A village! There’s a village ahead!” You are reading on g.com, the official source.
“Heavens, it’s a village. After so many days, we finally found one.”
The commotion sounded familiar. It had been much the same when they found Apricot Blossom Town.
Captain Chu’s vehicle suddenly accelerated. Nana followed suit.
Chen Ye twisted the throttle, but the tricycle only puttered slowly onward.
Damn. He really was out of gas.
The bus accelerated past him. Chen Ye could even see Iron Lion grinning inside. The other two cars quickly followed.
After days of travel, everyone had completely run out of supplies. Chen Ye ended up arriving at the village entrance behind everyone else.
The sight of the village sent a chill through Chen Ye.
All the survivors, young and old, men and women alike, stood at the entrance. They looked frightened, yet eager to try their luck.
It was midday, and the sun was bright, yet the village looked gloomy, as though the sunlight could not reach it.
It felt like the village existed in a different dimension entirely.
Chen Ye’s expression turned grave. Why did this place feel even more terrifying than Apricot Blossom Town?
“Sis, something feels… something feels…”
Zhou Xiaoxiao stared at the village, feeling a chill well up inside him. Looking down, he saw goosebumps covering the backs of his hands.
“This village… Xiaoxiao, perhaps we shouldn’t go in.” Zhou Lan felt the same unease. The sight of it alone made her uncomfortable.
“Sis, we’re out of supplies. We shared one pack of instant noodles this morning, and we’re almost out of gasoline. Longevity Village is our only chance. If we don’t scavenge…”
He didn’t need to finish. Zhou Lan knew he was right. Without fuel, they were dead. Even though this village didn’t look like it had a gas station, they had to look.
Zhou Lan glanced unconsciously at Chen Ye. He was a Sequence Beyonder, after all. If he looked after the two of them, they might have a better chance of getting out safely. But they had already offended him badly. Find the original chapter at g.com.
“The current time is 11:00 AM!”
Captain Chu wore sunglasses and held a loudspeaker as he addressed them.
“You must exit Longevity Village before 4:00 PM. We will not wait for anyone!”
Some looked frightened; others hesitated. A few worked their jaws, staring fiercely toward the village.
From where he stood, Chen Ye could clearly see a huge willow in the center of the village. It was unnaturally large, its branches trailing in a tangle like a woman’s hair.
Suddenly, Chen Ye’s eyes narrowed.
At the entrance of the village, a figure had appeared out of nowhere.
A hunchback stood there, stooped over a cane and struggling to turn their face toward the survivors. Their bent back seemed to make it difficult to see the group.
The hunchback grinned at them.
It was an eerie, frightening grin.
“That’s… a person!”
“There’s someone at the village entrance!”
“Good heavens, could there still be someone alive in there?”
The survivors stirred. How could someone be alive in a place where no one should have survived—and an old person at that?
There was something deeply unsettling about the sight.
Chen Ye turned to Nana beside him.
The young Sword Immortal’s face was grim. “The Eavesdropping Radio said this village has no living people.”