"What a shame! It's pretty much ruined." Hao Ren held the Ghost Bus License Plate.
"Let me have that," Su Nian said.
On the highway, a vehicle's importance went without saying. If it broke down once, they repaired it; if it broke down twice, they repaired it again.
But they couldn't keep repairing it forever. The vehicle needed some protection.
If the butcher's knife could be upgraded into an Apocalyptic Wraith Artifact, the Ghost Bus License Plate could too.
An Apocalyptic Wraith Artifact was beyond other people's reach, but it was no big deal for him.
He had originally considered upgrading the Door God, but it had burned up before he had the chance.
"Even if you install it, it'll only last another three hours at most. Here, take it."
Hao Ren handed the Ghost Bus License Plate to Su Nian, then looked at the Sin-Cleaving Butcher's Knife at his waist.
A meaningful smile hung on his face, with a faint hint of scrutiny in his eyes.
His ability seems a little like a Craftsman's... but even a Craftsman can't modify Wraith Artifacts. Maybe some unusual Miracle Sequence beyond a Craftsman could.
He's physically stronger than me, too. Two Sequences? But I've never heard of that. Isn't a person only supposed to awaken one Sequence?
Hao Ren became absorbed in thought, until a voice brimming with swagger rang out nearby.
"I can repair cars and weld. I can cook, pitch tents, and do some first aid. Fractures, burns, external wounds-none of those are a problem. I also know Tai Chi, Qinna, and Bajiquan."
Not only Hao Ren but Su Nian also turned to look.
At the interview area stood a long-haired girl with her face smeared black with soot, wearing a filthy hoodie.
Seeing Zhang Ping remain silent, Tang Zhou thought she hadn't made the cut.
"Hang on, let me think... I can roast corn, too. Does that count? Awakened people have eaten it and said it was delicious."
Su Nian: "..."
What the hell? Her corn was roasted as hard as bullets. When had I ever said it was delicious?
He had eaten it yesterday, and he still hadn't felt any urge to use the toilet.
"Uh... you passed!" In his notebook, Zhang Ping wrote Tang Zhou's name after a crossed-out name under the fuel truck.
"Nice!" Tang Zhou pumped her fist.
Next, Tang Chen stepped forward and said solemnly,
"I can do everything she can, and I'm better at it."
He sounded relaxed throughout, as though stating something perfectly ordinary, yet positively radiated swagger.
Zhang Ping: "..."
Behind Tang Chen, Su Yue stood with her heavily pregnant belly, her disappointment plain on her face. She had only come to try because she was out of options, but she hadn't expected to lose even the chance to interview.
Still, unless Zhang Ping had something wrong with his head, he wouldn't recruit a pregnant woman like her. She had really come hoping for a stroke of luck. What if Zhang Ping took pity on her... and simply hired her?
She wanted to stand on her own two feet, but she genuinely had no idea how. Courage was useless in the face of reality.
If the convoy hadn't maintained order... if it had been any other convoy, she might have already followed Fang Cheng to the grave.
"Everyone behind them can stop lining up," Zhang Ping said.
"This is rigged! You didn't even test them. You just believed whatever they said!" A man who had been confident in his chances instantly lost his composure.
The previous applicants had all undergone a simple test.
Zhang Ping ignored him completely. What more did he need to say? Anyone who dared list that many skills in one breath certainly knew a thing or two.
Some people might bluff their way through recruitment, but absolutely no one would dare bluff to that extent.
The man clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, his expression dark, but ultimately didn't dare say anything more.
He had thought it was in the bag, only for two unexpected rivals to swoop in.
The people behind him looked unhappy too, but none dared speak up, afraid he would make things difficult for them later. It was easier to avoid the king of hell than the petty demons under him.
Sequence Transcendents were beyond their reach. Zhang Ping was the most powerful person they could deal with.
"To think there are people with skills like that. Isn't putting them on the fuel truck a waste?" Su Nian looked at Hao Ren.
Aside from the driver and the person responsible for dismantling and installing equipment, the other two people on the fuel truck were nothing more than bait for wraiths.
He had a fairly good impression of Su Chen.
"It is!" Hao Ren nodded and considered it for a moment.
"Hold on. Put those two in the Guard Team and recruit another two for the fuel truck."
Sending those two to their deaths on the fuel truck really would be a waste. The strength of a Transcendent Sequence actually had some connection to the person's own abilities.
People with a wide range of skills were very likely to awaken something related to those skills.
The convoy required recruits to have skills partly because it didn't want to feed useless people, but also for this reason.
"Yes, captain." Zhang Ping nodded, then looked at Tang Chen and Tang Zhou. "You're free to do as you like for now. I'll come find you later."
He still needed to ask the captain and the other awakened if they had any special arrangements. Only if they didn't could he proceed as he saw fit.
His predecessor had angered Captain Hao Ren by "taking everything into his own hands and sidelining" the awakened, and had ultimately been dealt with.
The grim expression on the fist-clenching man's face instantly eased, and a smile appeared once more.
Zhang Ping continued the interviews. When he looked up at Su Yue, he didn't ask a single question.
"You won't do! Go back."
Su Yue's face fell, and she turned to leave.
The half tank of fuel left in her vehicle would last four or five hours at most that night, and she didn't have many supplies left either... even setting aside whether she could trade for gasoline, she wouldn't be able to get much.
As for Uncle Li, she was a pregnant widow who had lost her husband. She could hardly go and burden him.
"How does it look?" Su Nian asked Tang Chen as he crawled out from beneath the vehicle.
The system had listed a whole bunch of parts that needed replacing the previous night, but he didn't understand any of it. He still needed a professional to take a look.
If he had the chance to change vehicles, he would simply replace the whole thing.
If not, repairing it would do. He was still very fond of this Raptor.
"I've memorized all the materials we need to replace. If we come across the Auto Parts Market or a repair shop, we can try looking for them."
Tang Chen spoke.
Su Nian nodded. "Thanks for the effort."
"Just doing my part." Tang Chen smiled faintly.
"Darling, I found you..." A voice rang out inside Su Nian's mind.
A burst of excruciating pain followed, and two loops of white threads emerged on his shadow.
Su Nian drew his knife and severed the white threads.
[Sin-Cleaving Power: 26 → 27 points]
The Blood Eye opened between Su Nian's brows, radiating a bloody glow. A deathly black figure, darker than the night itself, stood at the edge of the Gray Fog.
That instant of agony left Su Nian's forehead covered in cold sweat.
Beside him, Tang Chen narrowed his eyes in alarm and confusion. He could guess the reason-a wraith had come knocking.
Hao Ren, Wen Keyi, and Gong Qing all noticed the disturbance and hurried over.
"The Shadow-Seam Wraith followed us here. Where is she?" Hao Ren asked.
Su Nian pointed in one direction.
"Heehee, I really like all your skins... could you give them all to me?"
The chilling giggle pierced the Gray Fog and echoed through the air.
The survivors immediately grew restless, staring fearfully at the Gray Fog on either side.
"A wraith!"
"Are you sure wraiths won't come out?"
"They won't. During the day... the highway is absolutely safe."
The speaker's face betrayed his lack of confidence, and even his voice trembled slightly. They had never heard a wraith's voice during the day before... he was terrified that a rope might suddenly slip around his neck, or his heart might be ripped out.
In any case, none of the ways wraiths killed people offered a comfortable death. There was no way he could remain unafraid.
Before you continue