The man in the suit was drenched in cold sweat, gripping a short blade with both hands as he faced off against the knife-wielding Su Yue from five meters away.
The Day Specter sequence he had awakened offered almost no direct combat power. He was barely holding her off through bluffing and her fear of the unknown.
He had hoped his teammates would finish their fights quickly and come help him, but in the blink of an eye, Shui Qin was dead, Fatty was dead, and Xiaokui was at death's door.
When he saw the opposing captain look his way, he finally cracked.
"Run!"
Su Yue breathed a sigh of relief. She had helped, hadn't she? She had only kept him wary through bluffing; there was no way she could beat him. Apparently, acting vicious did have its uses.
"Stop right there!" Wen Kele chased after the barefoot man in the suit with a bizarre laugh.
Hao Ren came running back after the big black bull had chased him around in a circle. As he passed the suited man, he grinned viciously.
"Get over here... you!"
Hao Ren grabbed the barefoot man by his lapels and flung him onto the bull's horns in one explosive shot-put motion.
A chilling crack of breaking vertebrae rang out. The barefoot man's body bent backward like a shrimp, a jet of blood spurted from his mouth, and his eyes instantly rolled back.
The battle had changed in an instant. Su Nian had killed two and driven one back, Cola had poisoned another into collapse, and their own bull had gored one to death. In a flash, the balance had tipped.
Hao Ren was still running. Cola grabbed the bull's tail and streamed behind it like a kite, staring at its backside with a sinister cackle.
She threw a punch straight into its "eye," releasing her paralytic toxin instantly.
The big black bull reared in pain. As its forelegs came down, its hind legs sprang up, kicking Wen Kele in the stomach. She flew through the air in an arc, spraying Wangzai milk along with blood.
"Hold him off for a bit."
Su Nian had just helped Gong Qing drive back the young bull rider. After leaving those instructions, he powered off with both legs, stepped onto the refrigerated truck's modified bumper, and leaped up to catch Wen Kele just before she plunged into the gray fog.
Wen Keyi opened her eyes. The searing pain sent tears rolling down her cheeks. Her tear-streaked face looked like a puppy whose tail had been stepped on, and even her whimpers were plaintive and delicate.
Although she had not taken control of the body, her soul was awake, and she could see everything happening outside.
Nearly falling out into the fog had terrified her. Between the pain and the fright, she felt utterly unsafe. Her arms instinctively wrapped around Su Nian's neck, and she breathed in that faint trace of security.
"Wooo... woo..." Dry, hoarse sobbing drifted out of the gray fog.
A wave of grief suddenly washed over Su Nian. He remembered the sorrowful, worried look in his late grandfather's eyes, and his own eyes instantly reddened... then he snapped to his senses with a jolt.
"Everyone, retreat!" Holding Wen Keyi, Su Nian jumped down from the refrigerated truck and roared at the top of his lungs.
Any specter capable of affecting him in an instant was no ordinary specter.
But why was Wen Keyi unaffected? They had been in the same place.
Su Nian ran toward the Raptor...
Just then, an off-road vehicle shot out from behind the refrigerated truck, hurtling toward Su Nian like an arrow loosed from a bow. The hunched old man had a pipe clenched between his teeth and an icy expression.
He had found an opening to drive away. Since Su Nian was "on the way," he might as well take a shot. Hitting him would count as revenge, and missing would cost him nothing.
Su Nian hesitated, bent his knees slightly, and pushed off the ground, launching himself into the air. The off-road vehicle passed beneath him. After landing, he gave the departing vehicle a cold look.
He had intended to throw his blade, but if it failed to kill the old man, he would lose a blade for nothing.
Blood Eye could only restrain someone for an instant, and it only restrained the person. It could do nothing to a moving vehicle.
The dry, hoarse sobbing grew louder and louder, as though a giant loudspeaker hung over their heads, its volume being turned up: 5... 10... 15... 20...
As the eerie sobbing spread, many people began to cry.
"Blackie, we're leaving!" the young bull rider shouted. The big black bull stopped chasing Gong Qing and ran toward the young man instead.
"It's the Grave-Crying Specter! Block your ears and don't think about anything sad!" Gong Qing shouted as he ran toward his vehicle.
This was cursed luck. Lately, nothing but bad luck had followed them, with B-rank and A-rank specters popping up everywhere.
"Trying to leave? Gong Qing, restrain him!" Su Nian set Wen Keyi down. "Go on ahead."
"Wait, earplugs!" Wen Keyi pulled a pair of earplugs from her pocket.
"Thanks!" Su Nian took the earplugs and charged like a beast pouncing on its prey, putting them in as he ran.
Pale-faced, Gong Qing stretched out a hand and put on an act... he was actually out of mental energy.
The young bull rider's expression changed drastically. He mobilized his mental energy to defend himself, his eyes locked on Su Nian.
Su Nian was the one he feared most. He had already experienced that terrifying strength. Even among the veteran survivors who had arrived a year ago, Su Nian would surely rank near the top.
A single punch earlier had sent his blood churning, even after he had eaten a cherry tomato that temporarily boosted his constitution. With his original constitution, that head-on clash would probably have left his arm unusable for some time.
"Brother, the Grave-Crying Specter is an A-rank specter! Let's each escape on our own. This isn't worth it!"
"I want beef!"
Su Nian's eyes were bloodshot. What a joke. A Sequence Eight worth 500 Survival Points-how could he let him get away? The old man's escape had already infuriated him.
In fact, now that he was on guard, this so-called A-rank specter did not feel as terrifying as Basket-Carrying Granny... mainly because Hao Ren still dared to go get a megaphone and shout.
He had not simply fled, which meant this specter was nothing to fear.
"You can have the bull! I don't want it anymore." Thinking Su Nian really wanted beef, the young man decisively abandoned the big black bull and took off running.
The big black bull: "..."
With an earplug in each ear, Gong Qing carried his backpack and shouted at the top of his lungs through a large megaphone.
"Everyone, cover your ears! Everyone in the Guard Team vehicles, supply trucks, fuel trucks, and medical vehicles, except the drivers, get out and take over the other convoy's vehicles! Any survivors capable of doing it can join in! No infighting! Kill anyone who resists! Everyone else, leave immediately!"
"People in the other convoy, follow us closely if you don't want to die! Cooperate with us! Anyone who disobeys will be killed!"
Engines roared to life.
Zhang Ping drove out in front. He knew Hao Ren's intended route; that had already been arranged.
Gong Qing and Hao Ren exchanged a glance, then clutched their chests and staggered into their respective vehicles.
"Uncle Li, drive yourself out!" Su Yue called before following Wen Keyi into her vehicle.
She had little combat ability. All she could do was help treat their injuries after the battle.
Hao Ren glanced toward Su Nian, climbed into his Raptor, and pressed the ignition button several times. He had only two words to say.
"Just brilliant!"
"Bro, I'll drive this one, you take that one!" Tang Zhou smashed a vehicle's window with an axe.
"Don't kill me! Take the car." The man climbed out, trembling.
The Guard Team's approach was to solve problems through violence. With a specter nearby, there was no time for threats like, "Open the door right now."
Smashing a window was simple and direct, and the force of it added another layer of intimidation on top of their awakened status.
"Take this one! It's empty."
Xiao Shengge pointed at a vehicle. Her bodyguards were all skilled fighters. They could not handle awakened people, but dealing with a bunch of terrified ordinary people was easy.
The window shattered under a blow from a pair of brass knuckles.
The vehicle was theirs! A faint smile curved Xiao Shengge's lips. She even felt as though she were the protagonist.
She had started with plenty of supplies, used clever schemes to recruit followers, and secured a vehicle on her second day with the convoy.
"Brother, are you sure you want us both to go down?" The young bull rider turned his head, his expression dark, and reached into his pocket... seeing that, Su Nian hesitated again.
The guy would throw out a venomous snake one moment and scatter a handful of bugs the next. Su Nian really wanted to ask whether he was from Miao territory-he seemed to raise everything.
Then Su Nian hurriedly turned and ran without looking back, fleeing so fast that the young bull rider froze.
A rank, musky stench reached him a moment later.
He turned his head. A dense cloud of yellow spectral fog had abruptly billowed up on the road ahead.
Within the fog stood a yellowish-brown beast far larger than an ordinary weasel. Its fur was filthy and matted, its sharp claws shone bluish-black, and a pair of dark golden eyes stared fixedly at him.
As a drop of sticky, foul-smelling yellow liquid dripped from its muzzle, a shrill voice rang out.
"Young man, would you say I look like a human or a god?"
Before you continue