The Raptor rolled past the supply truck.
"One of you, get out and drive." With that, the Raptor continued toward the medical vehicle. Hao Ren honked, and the medical vehicle pulled out of the convoy and stopped by the roadside... its rear doors opened.
"Let's get your wounds treated first," Hao Ren said.
Su Nian nodded, and the two of them climbed aboard.
The medical vehicle was a converted RV, tightly packed with medicines and medical equipment, with a single bed on either side of the central aisle.
"Weren't your bones broken?" Hao Ren asked with a smile, curiosity written all over his face.
Even at Sequence Nine, Su Nian's constitution surpassed his, and his injuries could heal on their own. Su Nian had only revealed part of Blood Eye's abilities.
Su Nian had withheld information, but that was fine. Everyone had secrets. As long as he had principles... it didn't matter.
The stronger Su Nian was, the better it was for the convoy.
It was definitely a Miracle Sequence.
"My recovery ability is pretty strong," Su Nian said calmly. His secrets would inevitably be discovered little by little. There was no way to hide them.
In the apocalypse, injuries were unavoidable. He couldn't simply refuse treatment and struggle to survive in pain while waiting to heal naturally.
When his vehicle broke down, it needed repairs too.
Consumable wondrous items would also give him away when he repaired them.
As long as he was strong enough, he wouldn't have to fear anyone's suspicions.
After his wounds were treated, Hao Ren returned to his own vehicle.
Su Nian drove back into the convoy. He was in no hurry to deal with the killing rule attached to him.
If he got rid of it, how would the Shadow-Seam Wraith find him... and how would he send her down to see her husband?
A wraith with such a manageable killing rule was a rare find. It would be a shame to let her escape.
[Survival Points: 7,550]
A bumper harvest... the Shadow-Seam Wraith would only give me more than this, never less.
Su Nian gripped the Sin-Cleaving Butcher's Knife. Without it, things wouldn't have gone nearly so smoothly.
This was a divine weapon for countering wraiths.
Over more than a hundred years, who knew how many pigs, cattle, and chickens it had slaughtered? According to his grandfather, he had even used it to kill a few tigers and deer.
It had been steeped in so much pure yang blood. Combined with the system's mighty power, that was what gave it such potency.
[Ding. Spend 3,200 Survival Points to upgrade the butcher's knife?]
Whoa! That expensive?
"Upgrade!"
After some thought, Su Nian still chose to upgrade it. Logically, survival with a convoy should prioritize escaping danger-a vehicle-and having enough water and food along the way.
Weapons and personal strength came second.
But he relied on Survival Points. Unlike other survivors, weapons and personal strength were his top priorities. They were the foundation that allowed him to earn Survival Points. His vehicle, supplies, clothes, and shoes came after that.
He needed to plan his path carefully... and build a positive cycle.
He didn't have enough Survival Points to advance to Sequence Seven right now, so there was no point hoarding them. Only with a sufficiently powerful weapon and strong constitution could he earn more Survival Points.
[Ding. Upgrade complete!]
The Sin-Cleaving Butcher's Knife had grown to fifty centimeters long. Its blade was entirely golden, like flowing liquid gold, with a blood-red glow clinging to its edge.
[Sin-Cleaving Butcher's Knife] [Type: Apocalyptic Wraith Artifact] [Rank: 101] [Abilities] [Golden Warding Field: The evil-breaking attribute is permanently fixed. A golden field forms within three feet of the wielder, briefly blocking attacks from wraith rules (limited to three uses per day, up to three seconds each).] [Sin-Cleaving · Divine Spear Kill: Each slash absorbs a trace of wraith energy to strengthen the Sin-Cleaving Butcher Knife, stacking indefinitely. The more stacks accumulated, the greater its power. The wielder can ultimately unleash a sin-cleaving slash, releasing all stored "sin-cleaving power" to perform the ultimate strike, Divine Spear Kill.] "Divine Spear Kill details: Consumes all stored 'sin-cleaving power' (requires at least 30 stacks). The blade instantly extends to a hundred meters, becoming a golden spear strike." [Containment requirement: Find a living Mutated Bull and fearlessly withstand its full-force charge without dodging or evading to fulfill the containment requirement (rank has no bearing on containment requirements).] [Note: If you are Su Nian, you can use it without containment.]
Su Nian nodded in satisfaction. Its rank had risen by twenty-eight places, and its abilities had improved significantly.
"Sin-cleaving power," a Divine Spear Kill that instantly extends the blade a hundred meters-wasn't that a dirty trick?
The difference in our strength comes down to the reach of our weapons.
The 3,200 Survival Points had been worth it.
"System, how many Survival Points would it take to repair the damage to my vehicle?"
[Host, repairing the vehicle's damage requires only 1,700 Survival Points.]
"System, not to complain, but that's too expensive. Make it cheaper."
First, he wasn't a sucker. Second, he was poor.
"Assessed damage list: Shattered windows on both sides, damaged door structures, damaged hood, damaged headlight covers, front bumper, protective panels, fenders, wheel arches, and undercarriage. The fuel hose is cracked. It isn't leaking yet, but a few more jolts could cause a fuel leak and fire..."
"Wait! Forget it. I'll find a chance to change vehicles instead. Survival Points need to be spent where they count."
He hadn't expected it to end up like this after just one day of driving.
[Host, creating matter from nothing is highly costly. If you prepare metal and the corresponding materials and parts, this system will charge only a rule-reconstruction fee.]
So, as long as he had the right materials, it would only charge an assembly fee... "System, calculate how much gold I'd need to coat the entire vehicle. Make it one millimeter thick."
Since the system could do the work for a labor fee, there was no need for him to apply the gold coating himself.
[A solid gold shell one millimeter thick would require approximately 38.6 kg.]
"System, fix the crack in the fuel hose first."
An urgent problem like that still needed to be handled right away.
[Ding. Spend 10 Survival Points to reinforce the fuel hose?]
"Reinforce!"
Early the next morning, the convoy stopped.
Zhang Ping climbed out with a small megaphone. "The convoy's fuel truck needs two workers. Anyone interested can come have a look. Applicants with relevant skills will get priority."
The crowd immediately stirred. Convoy workers didn't have to go out searching for supplies. They only had to stay at their posts, and they received supplies every day. They didn't even have to travel on foot.
Quite a few people were eager to try.
"You need skills too? Does running really fast count as a skill?" a tall young man asked.
The young man wore shorts, his calves packed with powerful muscles.
"That doesn't count as a skill. Don't bother going," an old man said casually as he ran toward the line.
"You sneaky old bastard. At your age, anyone would get picked before you." The young man overtook him in just a few strides.
Some of the others had no intention of going.
"It's a good job, but the death rate is too high. If searching for supplies has a fifty-percent death rate, the fuel truck's is at least eighty percent."
"Exactly! It's fine during the day, but look at last night. Even knowing that wraiths are most active at night, the awakened still had to risk refueling."
At the interview spot, Zhang Ping looked up. Seeing a woman, he asked casually.
"What's your special talent?"
"Zhang Ping, my tongue is especially long. I can even curl it into a flower..." The woman made a point of showing him her tongue.
Zhang Ping: "..."
She was trying to get him to bend the rules for her.
"You're rejected. Next," Zhang Ping said flatly.
What a joke. This was a golden ticket of a job, and she thought a mere nimble tongue could tempt him into making a mistake.
"Zhang Ping, just give it a try. It's really flexible," the woman pleaded anxiously.
"Move aside. It's my turn."
The middle-aged man behind her spoke up and shoved her aside.
He hated people who tried to get in through the back door more than anything. Wasn't that just cheating?
Before you continue