Survival Points were like money before the apocalypse: what looked like a small amount really wasn't enough to get by.
[Survival Points: 1,750] [Ding! Spend 200 Survival Points to upgrade spirit (8 → 9)?]
"Upgrade!"
[Spirit: 9]
[Ding! Spend 200 Survival Points to upgrade physique (9 → 10)?]
[Ding! Spend 200 Survival Points to upgrade spirit (9 → 10)?]
[Ding! Spend 200 Survival Points to upgrade physique (10 → 11)?]
[Ding! Spend 200 Survival Points to upgrade spirit (10 → 11)?] [Survival Points: 750]
Su Nian planned to keep the remaining 750 Survival Points in reserve. He didn't have to worry about food for now.
But the lifesaving Red Candle and Paper Effigy Door Guardian Talisman would both need restoring at critical moments.
He also had to consider gasoline for the car. Who knew how many days they would be traveling?
He didn't want to go back to riding a tricycle.
He clenched his fists. His physique had surpassed human limits. If he had to describe how it felt... he felt as though he could kill a cow with one punch.
[Ding! Congratulations on surviving another day. You have earned 100 Survival Points.] [Survival Points: 850]
Early the next morning, the sun climbed above the horizon.
The convoy had stopped along a county road, with gray haze stretching along both sides.
Su Nian had wondered before about what made the roads special. It felt less like the gray fog surrounded the roads and more like the roads tore through the fog by virtue of their peculiar existence.
The roads definitely held secrets... but not every road was special. Those inside cities weren't.
Su Nian opened his car door and got out. A man in a khaki leather jacket ran over and dropped to his knees with a thud, terror written across his face.
"Su Nian, please spare me! I only followed Jiang Hu to put food on the table. I never meant to offend you. I'll be your dog. Please let me go!"
The man in the leather jacket banged his forehead against the ground three times.
He had thought it through carefully. He had to stay with the convoy anyway. Rather than wait for Su Nian to come settle the score, he might as well present himself and show some sincerity.
Surely Su Nian wouldn't kill him in front of so many people.
Su Nian drew the Sin-Cleaving Butcher's Knife from his waist.
The man's pupils contracted. He turned to flee, but how could he possibly outrun Su Nian?
[You have earned 100 Survival Points.]
Ignoring the terrified looks of the survivors behind him, Su Nian flung the man's corpse into the fog.
This man had been the loudest of them all yesterday. This was the apocalypse. Mistakes had consequences. There was no laying down your butcher's knife and becoming a saint on the spot.
Anyone who chose to do evil had to be prepared for that evil to come back and bite them.
Not a drop of blood clung to the Sin-Cleaving Butcher's Knife. Su Nian sheathed it and walked toward Hao Ren's car.
An umbrella had already been set up nearby, with a table and four chairs beneath it.
Hao Ren supported quite a few people. Everyone had their own duties and knew what to do and when.
Gong Qing also got out of his car, wearing flip-flops, and greeted Su Nian.
"Morning."
"Morning," Su Nian replied.
"Sometimes you seem like a real saint, kid, and other times you're downright sinister. You kill people so smoothly," Hao Ren said irritably.
"It's mostly because the knife is sharp. That's what makes it look so smooth."
Only then did Hao Ren notice the Sin-Cleaving Butcher's Knife at Su Nian's waist. He hadn't noticed it yesterday.
"Holy shit!"
Startled, Hao Ren hurried over.
"A specter artifact!"
"Did you find it in Happiness County yesterday?" Envy shone in Hao Ren's eyes.
Hao Ren knew nothing about the system. It never occurred to him that this was the butcher's knife after an upgrade.
The only possibility was that Su Nian had found it in the city.
Su Nian nodded.
"Holy shit. Insane. Absolutely insane... have a seat." Hao Ren pointed at a chair.
The three of them walked over and sat down.
"No wonder you could deal with the Substitute Death Specter's killing rule. That dagger has an evil-cleansing property, right?"
Su Nian nodded.
"You've sucked up the entire convoy's luck." Hao Ren poured Su Nian a cup of iced black tea.
"Your eyes can see the specters' physical forms and rule imprints. An evil-cleansing specter artifact like this is a good match for you."
Just then, the door of the third car opened, and the convoy's third awakened member stepped out.
The young woman wore a plain pale green dress with a silk shawl draped over it. Her long hair was braided over one shoulder, with a small purple flower adorning the end.
Her sweet, clear oval face, lively almond-shaped eyes, and cherry-pink lips gave her an air of gentle innocence.
[Wen Keyi] [Physique: 11 (A combined value representing health, damage resistance, stamina, self-healing, carrying capacity, and bodily strength. Reaching zero results directly in unconsciousness/death. Can recover naturally through eating and rest. The limit for a normal human is 9.)] [Spirit: 14 (Used to resist mental contamination, resist illusions, and process thoughts. An excessively low value causes self-doubt. Reaching 1 results in complete insanity. The limit for a normal human is 9.)] [Talent: Nether Blossom Fateweaving (Sequence 8)]
"Flower Attendant (Sequence 9): Accelerates the growth of ordinary vegetation, vines, and flowers. Uses plants to sense nearby activity. Secretes toxins from flowers and leaves that cause mild paralysis."
"Vine Weaver (Sequence 8): Cultivates mutated and aberrant plants. Vines gain binding and cutting abilities. Releases bewildering pollen to disrupt the senses and create shallow illusions. Can draw on vegetation to slightly heal wounds to the skin and flesh. Can plant seeds to mark targets; the seeds remain hidden on the targets as they move."
"Captain, Gong Qing... who is this?" Wen Keyi spoke in a soft, gentle voice.
"Hey!" Gong Qing feigned displeasure. "Didn't I tell you? Just call me Old Gong. Gong Qing sounds so distant."
Wen Keyi smiled. "Old Qing."
Gong Qing: "..."
"If Kele had been the one to wake up, you'd be getting a beating today." Hao Ren smiled at Gong Qing, then turned to Wen Keyi.
"He's our convoy's new Sequence Transcendent."
"Hello, I'm Wen Keyi."
"Su Nian."
"Do you think I'd say that if it were Kele?" Gong Qing rubbed his balding crown and gave Hao Ren a contemptuous look.
"Oh, and a quick heads-up. If Wen Keyi's personality changes completely, don't be surprised or panic. It just means her other soul has come out," Hao Ren told Su Nian.
"This goes back a little over two months. We encountered an A-rank specter, the Two-Faced Monkey Specter. Wen Keyi fell victim to its killing rule, and her soul was split into good and evil halves. Two souls in one body."
"It kills by making the two souls continuously wear each other down until the body finally dies."
"But unexpectedly, the evil half wasn't evil enough. It didn't try to devour the good half. The two reached a balance, so the killing rule couldn't progress. It created a bizarre equilibrium."
"At first, we tried to find a way to remove the evil soul, but Wen Keyi refused. The evil soul stayed in her body. Since her personality is rather lively and unpredictable..."
"We named her Wen Kele. She bubbles away like soda. You'll understand once you've met her."
Su Nian opened his Blood Eye and, sure enough, saw black energy deep within Wen Keyi's brow.
It wasn't a killing rule attached to her flesh, but one attached to her soul.
It was practically unsolvable.
"I'd rather learn a bit about the specter ranks."
Su Nian took a sip of iced black tea.
He knew specters varied in strength, but he still needed to learn the specific ranks.
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