Was There Still Hope for Humanity?

"He's just awakened the Mechanic Sequence!!!"

After the girl said that, everyone present looked at Chen Ye with shock or envy.

"The Mechanic Sequence? Seriously?"

"Man... I'm jealous!"

"That's the fourth Sequence Transcendent in our group. We've really got more and more of them now."

Four Sequence Transcendents?

That meant there was one more.

Who was it?

That barefoot young man from earlier?

The girl jerked her head toward the motorized tricycle not far from Chen Ye, her chin held high.

She seemed quite pleased with herself for discovering a Sequence Transcendent.

"Captain!"

"You all remember this tricycle, right? What did it look like last night? And what does it look like now?"

"Only a Transcendent of the Mechanic Sequence could pull off something like this."

"So? Having a Mechanic Sequence in our group is pretty great, isn't it?"

After speaking, the girl gave Chen Ye a couple of hard pats on the shoulder.

Everyone's gaze moved between Chen Ye and the motorized tricycle.

Quite a few people gave him looks of amazement.

The women's eyes sparkled, while the men's were filled with jealousy and envy.

This was one of the legendary Sequence Transcendents.

The survivors had long heard about Sequence Transcendents, and they had even witnessed their abilities firsthand in Apricot Blossom Town.

If they could gain a Sequence Transcendent's protection...

The mere thought made many people's eyes light up.

The Mechanic Sequence?

It must be some kind of Transcendent related to machinery!

With my upgrade system, I suppose I do seem like one.

"Congratulations on awakening as a Sequence Transcendent. A whole new world awaits you!"

The barefoot man with the distinctive air stood and offered Chen Ye his hand, a bright, sunny smile on his face.

From that moment on, Chen Ye felt as though the door to the world of Sequence Transcendents had opened halfway for him.

A wisp of steam curled up from the teacup.

This was the first time Chen Ye had drunk tea since the apocalypse began.

He had never liked tea before, but tasting it now, he found its fragrance refreshing to the core.

Chen Ye had been invited into the tent.

Only Chen Ye, Chu Che, and Nana were inside.

"Let me introduce myself. Chu Che, Guide Sequence."

"Nana, Sword Immortal Sequence."

"Chen Ye, uh... Mechanic Sequence."

Since they've decided I'm a Mechanic Sequence, I might as well be a proper Transcendent of the Mechanic Sequence.

"There's one more. You should have seen him-that big guy. He's a Titan Sequence, and he's resting right now!"

"You only just awakened the Mechanic Sequence, right?"

"As a newly awakened Sequence Transcendent, you must have plenty of questions."

"I was just like you when I first became a Sequence Transcendent. Completely lost!"

"If there's anything you want to know, you can ask me!"

Chen Ye thought for a moment, then asked, "What's the Mechanic Sequence?"

Chu Che gave Chen Ye a surprised look.

Normally, every newly awakened Sequence Transcendent received some basic information from their genes.

Yet why did the man before him seem to know nothing at all?

Still, Chu Che suppressed his doubts. He lifted his cup and took a sip of tea before saying, "As far as I know, those of the Mechanic Sequence have a talent for all machinery that ordinary people find hard to comprehend."

"They have an innate intuition for how machines work and the principles behind them."

"The Mechanic Sequence is considered a support sequence."

"In peacetime, the Mechanic Sequence would be one of the most desirable sequences. Unfortunately..."

"..."

Thanks to Chu Che's explanation, Chen Ye gained a better understanding of these so-called Sequence Transcendents.

Listening to Chu Che, Chen Ye truly grasped just how vast and complex the sequences were.

There were over a hundred types of Sequence Transcendents.

Even Chu Che knew about only a handful of them.

A great many sequences remained unknown.

After all, the apocalypse had only begun a few months ago.

Every Sequence Transcendent had their own unique abilities.

The sequences were also divided into many broad categories.

Combat sequences, support sequences, supernatural sequences...

Even individual countries had their own unique sequences.

Xia Country had the Sword Immortal Sequence, the Celestial Master Sequence, and others.

The island nation had the Ninja Sequence, the Shikigami Sequence...

Nana, the girl beside him, belonged to the Sword Immortal Sequence unique to Xia Country and possessed an innate talent for swords.

"Actually, supernatural outbreaks had already begun in 2025. They weren't particularly serious at first, so governments around the world could still barely hold things together."

"People had already started awakening as Sequence Transcendents back then."

Chu Che calmly shared what he knew.

Much of it was information Chen Ye had never heard before, so he listened especially closely.

"Supernatural entities can't be killed. Only Sequence Transcendents can deal with them."

"But you've seen it yourself."

"Against supernatural entities, Sequence Transcendents can only make some difference. For low-level sequences, killing one is extremely difficult, if not outright impossible!"

"That woman in white with the scissors in Apricot Blossom Town wasn't even particularly powerful among supernatural entities."

"But even with Iron Lion and Nana fighting together, all they could do was stay alive."

"Iron Lion lost an arm just to survive!"

"Human Sequence Transcendents are still far too weak against supernatural entities."

"And those entities keep growing stronger!"

"Humanity's future... looks very bleak."

Chu Che spoke clearly and methodically, at a slow pace.

But the more Chen Ye heard, the heavier his heart grew.

The supernatural entities that already existed had brought human society crashing down and turned megacities into forbidden zones for humanity.

And these entities were still evolving, growing even stronger.

Was there still hope for humanity?

Human cities had become nests for supernatural entities, places humans could no longer enter.

At the same time, Chu Che answered a question that had long puzzled Chen Ye.

The convoy had remained relatively safe all this time.

It was all thanks to Chu Che's sequence.

Chu Che belonged to the Guide Sequence.

This sequence had no offensive power whatsoever, but its Transcendents possessed a special ability.

He could sense the presence of supernatural entities within a certain range.

Then he could find a safe route through them.

That was why the convoy had never been attacked by supernatural entities on the road.

At the same time, supernatural entities were drawn to people. The more people the convoy had, the more entities it attracted.

Their only way to survive was to keep moving and evade the entities pursuing them.

That was also why the convoy was always on the road.

Their migration through the apocalypse had no destination. Staying alive was their only goal.

"Chen Ye, you're now the fourth Sequence Transcendent in our convoy."

"With you joining us, our convoy will be even safer."

"Welcome aboard!"

Chu Che smiled at Chen Ye.

Nana, the young Sword Immortal, also watched Chen Ye with her bright eyes.

Chen Ye shrugged. What else could he do but join?

Did I have any other choice?

Chen Ye reached out and shook Chu Che's hand.

"By the way, Captain Chu, does our group have any gasoline?"

"We do, but what are you offering in exchange, my friend?"

"In our convoy, you have to gather whatever supplies you need yourself, or trade with other people."

Trade?

Wait, I'm already a Sequence Transcendent, and I still have to trade for it?

Don't Sequence Transcendents get any perks at all?

Didn't you just welcome me aboard?

"Why don't we hold a trading session within the convoy?"

"We just left Apricot Blossom Town. Everyone must have plenty of supplies on hand. We could trade for whatever we're missing!"

Chu Che winked at Chen Ye. "As long as you can afford the price, you can trade for anything you want."

Hearing this, Chen Ye's mind began to race.

An internal trading session?

Maybe I could trade for the supplies I need to upgrade my tricycle.

At that thought, Chen Ye couldn't help looking forward to it.