Since the outbreak began, humanity had never defeated the Anomalies. They could not be killed.
Only Sequence Beyonders possessed the power to contend with them.
What Chen Ye had just seen troubled him. The muscular giant had been strong, yet before the White-Dress Scissor Lady he was as helpless as a child.
Chen Ye pedaled hard toward the town entrance.
The sun hung low in the west. Shadows from the buildings covered four-fifths of the street. From the corner of his eye, Chen Ye saw countless black figures in the shade, watching the fleeing survivors with hatred.
Everyone was racing against time.
Suddenly, a black shadow flashed across the rooftops to his side.
Chen Ye spared a single glance. It was a young girl carrying a sword on her back. Like a legendary blademaster from the old wuxia tales, she tapped her toes lightly against the billboards lining the street, moving against the flow of the retreat like a gust of wind. Her destination was the supermarket, the epicenter of the slaughter.
Another Sequence Beyonder?
How many of these superhumans are hidden within this convoy?
He had no time to think about it. He reached the town entrance and rode through the gateway.
But the moment he cleared the gate, a wall of people surged forward.
“Brother! What happened inside?”
“Husband! Are you back? Has anyone seen my husband?”
“Little brother! Where are you?”
A crowd had gathered at the entrance, most of them women. There were few elderly people or children. Their limited stamina made it harder to escape Anomalies. Adult women were only somewhat weaker than adult men and stood a better chance of surviving.
Several people swarmed Chen Ye, desperate for answers. He ignored them completely, his grip tightening on his Hand Crossbow as he forced his tricycle through the throng.
Ahead, the door of the lead modified off-road vehicle opened. A man stepped out.
The man wore a hooded sweatshirt and loose trousers gathered at the ankles, but no shoes. His expression was solemn and cold.
He bent down, scooped up some dirt, and put it into his mouth to taste it, like a chef sampling a new dish.
Suddenly, his expression contorted. “Go! Leave now! If we don’t move, it will be too late!”
As soon as the command left his lips, the faces of his entourage drained of color. They didn’t ask questions. They scrambled back into their vehicles, stumbling in their haste, as if a great horror were breathing down their necks.
“What about Nana and Iron Lion?” someone asked.
“Don’t worry about them, they’ll catch up! Drive! Cut the chatter!”
The sudden, frantic mobilization of the lead vehicles sent a ripple of panic through the other survivors.
Are they… leaving?
Realization dawned. It was already past five in the afternoon. Twilight was imminent. They were too close to the town. Once true darkness fell, the Anomalies inside would spill out, and everyone here would be slaughtered. This story is hosted at novelping(.)com.
“No! You can’t go! My husband isn’t out yet!”
“I beg you, please! My brother is still inside! You can’t abandon us!”
Some people panicked and tried to stop the convoy.
“If you want to die, stay here! Get the hell out of the way!”
The modified off-road vehicle ignored them and sped away.
Chen Ye’s face darkened. He prepared to pedal his tricycle to follow the vanguard.
Suddenly, a hand clamped onto his handlebars.
A middle-aged woman blocked his path. “Young man, you cannot leave! Take us with you! We are old. If you leave us behind, we won’t survive!”
Chen Ye frowned, a flash of disgust cutting through his eyes.
He hated her behavior. Before the apocalypse, retirees like her had pensions that could exceed his wages and plenty of energy for dancing in public squares or rushing to supermarkets for eggs. Now she was using her age to demand a ride.
“Piss off,” Chen Ye growled.
“Young man, don’t you know to respect the elderly and care for the young…”
Bang!
Chen Ye didn’t let her finish. He lashed out with a vicious kick, sending the presumptuous woman tumbling into a roadside ditch.
He pushed hard on the pedals and followed the convoy out.
Curses and wails faded behind him.
Perhaps the apocalypse had come too quickly. Like Jiajia, many people had yet to adjust to its rules.
The off-road vehicles, usually so slow, now sped ahead. People without vehicles soon fell behind.
Fortunately, Chen Ye’s tricycle was modified. Even with the cargo bed laden with supplies, the Power-Assist System allowed him to barely maintain the pace.
Just then, a bus swayed violently out of the town entrance.
He recognized the bus from the convoy. It had been packed before, but now many seats were empty.
A survivor tried to stop it and was knocked flying. Chen Ye did not know whether the person lived or died.
The bus drove as if its tail was on fire, the driver flooring the accelerator to catch the lead vehicles.
Chen Ye stood up on the pedals, cycling furiously.
He passed several bicycles and followed well behind the motorcycles. More than ever, he wanted to upgrade his tricycle to an electric one. Or perhaps he should switch to a car. Even with the trouble of fuel and charging, it would be much better than this.
The tricycle sped on. Recent infrastructure work had left the roads in decent condition, and even rough patches caused it little trouble. This story is hosted at g.com.
Chen Ye did not know why the people ahead were fleeing so frantically. But if he failed to keep up, he would very likely die tonight.
Only today had he learned of the convoy’s two Sequence Beyonders. Perhaps they were why the group had stayed safe until now.
“Huff… Huff…”
Sweat soaked his hair and clothes. His lungs felt scorched, spasming as he struggled for breath.
Without the Power-Assist System, he would probably have fallen behind already.
Even so, the convoy ahead was becoming nothing more than faint pinpricks of red taillights in the gathering gloom.
Heavy breathing came from nearby behind him: a few cyclists were still following. He could not see a single survivor on foot.
He lost track of how much time had passed.
Finally, Chen Ye saw the lights ahead come to a stop.
A spark of hope ignited in his chest.
Thirty minutes later, Chen Ye finally caught up with the main group.
People had climbed out of their vehicles and begun pitching tents.
He saw the two-meter-tall giant being carried to an open patch nearby. His left arm had been severed at the shoulder, and blood stained the grass.
Standing beside the maimed giant were the sword-carrying girl and the barefoot man.
Chen Ye’s arrival drew their gazes. They looked back at him, eyes flickering with mild surprise that the first straggler to arrive was a man on a tricycle.
Chen Ye parked and collapsed onto the ground, gasping, his chest heaving. About five minutes passed before his breathing steadied a little. He felt as though his whole body had come apart.
He struggled upright and sat against a tire, then took out a Huazi Cigarette and lit it.
The flame lit the outline of his face.
“Foo…”
He exhaled a long plume of gray smoke. As the nicotine hit his system, stripping away a layer of his fatigue, Chen Ye finally felt a semblance of relief.
He summoned the system interface.
[Slaughter Points: over 1,200]
Thinking back to the wretched desperation of his escape, Chen Ye had only one thought in his mind.
He had to make this tricycle electric.