You don't have bad breath, do you?

The blood moon hung high in the sky, its crimson light bathing the earth in an eerie glow.

The convoy drove along the road beneath the blood moon, looking rather like a ghostly procession.

No one in the convoy spoke. The only sound came from the engines.

But when a sudden screech of brakes rang out from the front, the entire convoy slowly came to a halt.

Captain Hui's voice carried from the front to the back.

"Let's camp here for the night!"

At his words, the quiet convoy instantly grew noisy as survivors began setting up camp in small groups.

An Xi climbed out of the pickup's driver's seat, glanced at Chu Sheng asleep in the passenger seat, and curled her lips. "Mental attacks are such a pain."

After getting out, An Xi walked over to Captain Hui and asked, "Brother Hui, can you work out when those two will wake up?"

Captain Hui neither counted on his fingers nor used his ability. He simply replied, "I already worked it out."

"That Anomalies's mental attack wasn't all that serious, and it didn't have any side effects. It just made them feel like they hadn't slept for days."

As he spoke, he glanced at the quiet pickup and the SUV behind it.

"Let them sleep. They'll be fine when they wake up tomorrow morning."

"Got it." An Xi nodded. "Then let's wait until they wake up to divide the supplies."

"Mm."

"You should get some rest early, too. We've shaken off that Anomalies, and there aren't any others within five kilometers. We should be fine." Captain Hui rubbed his chin. "But stay alert while you're resting. There probably won't be any trouble, but no one can guarantee an Anomalies won't ambush us."

"Okay!" An Xi nodded. After sharing a simple meal with her companions, she also told A Xin, "Keep an eye out tonight. If anything seems wrong, drive away immediately."

A Xin paused at that, then nodded.

"I know, Xixi."

Satisfied that she understood, An Xi returned to the pickup's driver's seat. She glanced at the still-sleeping Chu Sheng without saying anything, then looked through the windshield at the blood moon hanging high above and the world bathed in crimson light. She sighed quietly.

"Looks like tonight isn't going to be very comfortable..."

Before, An Xi would have slept in her own vehicle and left the driving to A Xin, but now she could only stay in Chu Sheng's pickup.

This was the best arrangement.

Although the captain had said they should be fine tonight, who knew whether anything would actually happen?

If something did happen, Chu Sheng would be in danger.

They couldn't afford to lose a single Sequence Adept in the convoy.

Losing any one of them wouldn't simply mean having one fewer Sequence Adept. It would lower everyone else's chances of survival.

That was also why Chu Sheng had deliberately waited for Zhu Qing during the day.

Had it been an ordinary survivor, Chu Sheng wouldn't have saved them even if he could. But Sequence Adepts were different. Even if it was a little dangerous, he still had to try.

The convoy now had five Sequence Adepts. Captain Hui needed no introduction: he was their guide and could also divine fortune and misfortune.

An Xi needed no introduction either. White Tiger was a powerful offensive sequence, while Zhu Qing was an invaluable tank.

Although Old Man Li didn't seem particularly useful, the plants he cultivated had all sorts of marvelous effects. Who knew? He might produce a Peashooter someday.

As for Chu Sheng, with his Heavenly Craftsman sequence, he would be a strategic asset anywhere.

The ability to fuse supernatural materials and craft sacrificial items himself was enough on its own.

"Sleeping like a dead pig..." An Xi poked the deeply unconscious Chu Sheng.

Chu Sheng was vaguely aware of someone touching him. Instinctively, he made a drawing motion at his waist and slashed viciously at whoever was touching him.

An Xi: "..."

Good thing I put his Butcher Knife in the back seat...

If I hadn't taken it away, with how unguarded I was just now, I'd have lost my hand.

"You're this alert even in your sleep? Isn't that a little ridiculous?!"

An Xi poked Chu Sheng again, and he swung his imaginary knife. She kept poking, and he kept swinging...

Smiling, An Xi poked Chu Sheng's cheek with a finger, clearly enjoying herself.

This time, however, the corpse-like Chu Sheng barely reacted. An Xi soon lost interest in him and instead rested her head on the steering wheel, closing her eyes to doze.

The night passed without incident.

The crimson moonlight hadn't completely faded when the first sunlight appeared and Chu Sheng opened his eyes.

He felt thoroughly refreshed after sleeping. He hadn't slept this comfortably since the apocalypse began.

He glanced at the world caught between night and day.

Chu Sheng turned to look at An Xi, who was asleep with her head on the steering wheel.

Seeing the clear drool squeezed from the corner of her mouth by her sleeping position, Chu Sheng gave her a disgusted shove. So unhygienic!

She even drooled all over my pickup. What if she has bad breath?

"Wake up!"

"Hm? Mmph... ahh... mm~..."

An Xi made a string of indescribable noises. Having only just woken up, she was still groggy and mumbled, "What is it?!"

Chu Sheng: "..."

Damn it, why does this unhygienic woman seem kind of cute...?

He shook his head to drive those improper thoughts away, then asked, "You don't have bad breath, do you?"

"Huh?" An Xi gradually emerged from her sleepy haze. His question left her stunned. Instinctively, she glanced at the spot where she'd been sleeping. Seeing the wet marks, she immediately understood.

Her face flushed bright red, her fists clenched, and her whole body trembled.

Chu Sheng frowned at the sight. Why is she getting embarrassed?

I haven't even started judging her yet. Besides, I only saw her drooling. By people's moral standards these days, that shouldn't be embarrassing.

Chu Sheng felt around his waist, instinctively seeking a little reassurance.

But he didn't find the Butcher Knife. Just as he turned to see whether it had fallen onto the floor while he slept, An Xi punched him.

"Drop dead, you animal!"

Thump!

Her fierce punch struck Chu Sheng in the shoulder, knocking him against the door.

Then An Xi stormed out of the pickup.

"Turning it around on me, huh? I haven't even asked you to wash my steering wheel yet," Chu Sheng muttered.

He looked at the drool on the steering wheel and wiped it off with his sleeve in disgust. Then he sniffed it. Only after detecting no strange smell did he relax.

He found the Butcher Knife among the large bags in the back seat, tucked it back into his waistband, and got out.

Looking at the various dried goods in the truck bed and Zhu Qing's large bag, Chu Sheng felt quite satisfied.

With him joining them, their shares had been readjusted.

Old Man Li got 10%, Captain Hui 20%, Chu Sheng 20%, An Xi 25%, and Zhu Qing 25%.