It was already early November, and the weather had turned cool.
Riding his Motor Tricycle, Chen Ye could feel a chill in the breeze brushing his face.
The next time he went scavenging for supplies, he had better pick up some warm clothing.
Otherwise, he might freeze to death once winter arrived.
His Motor Tricycle needed modifications, too.
He needed to find suitable parts to add a roof over the cargo bed, turning it into an enclosed space.
The front needed a roof as well.
Chen Ye never wanted to go through the misery of getting caught in the rain a few days ago again.
Adding all that up, he would need quite a few slaughter points.
Besides, his current Motor Tricycle was still somewhat underpowered. It might be better if he could convert it to three-wheel or four-wheel drive.
Fortunately, Chen Ye had prepared plenty of crossbow bolts this time.
Once he reached Longevity Village and went on a killing spree, he should be able to earn a good amount of slaughter value.
Although Chen Ye's Motor Tricycle was less comfortable than the SUV and the bus,
he was still far better off than many of the others.
The new survivors who had joined last night had only one car and two motorcycles between them.
The rest had practically no means of transportation.
They did not even have a bicycle.
Fortunately, the convoy did not move very fast during its daily travels.
Even those on foot could keep up.
Iron Lion's bus was full of people again.
Back in Apricot Blossom Town, nearly half the people on the bus had been lost.
With the newcomers from last night, the bus was now packed to capacity.
Chen Ye had to admit that the big guy was quite softhearted.
Chu Che and Nana's SUV, on the other hand, had taken in no newcomers.
They still had three people in their vehicle.
Quite a few people had their eyes on Chen Ye's Motor Tricycle, though.
But given Chen Ye's earlier attitude, many were wary of him, so they had not caused him much trouble.
The first day's journey ended just like that.
It was not until evening that Chu Che led the convoy to a safe shelter.
At some point, a blood moon had quietly risen into the sky, staining the world a faint blood-red.
Dinner was plain rice porridge and pickled vegetables again.
Compared with yesterday, though, tonight's porridge was much thinner. It was watery enough to see one's reflection in it.
Quite a few people voiced their dissatisfaction.
Chu Che answered with just one sentence: "Anyone who's unhappy is free to leave at any time."
Chen Ye once again used his poor cooking skills to make his own dinner.
Even though it did not taste particularly good, plenty of people still drooled over Chen Ye's meal.
The hefty chunks of cured meat and generous portions of rice left many mouths watering.
Not far away, a pair of venomous eyes kept glancing in his direction.
Whenever Chen Ye looked over, all he saw were faces wearing innocent expressions.
Chen Ye frowned. Apart from that grandmother and grandson, he should not have offended anyone else.
Who hated me this much?
There was absolutely no way he was imagining it.
He slept in the cargo bed again that night.
The cargo bed was lined with clothing, making it quite comfortable to sleep in.
He lit a cigarette and blew smoke rings, the nicotine easing the day's fatigue.
It had been days since he had last bathed.
He seemed to have forgotten how good it felt to have hot water wash over his body.
Finding somewhere to bathe would be a real luxury.
Before the apocalypse, Chen Ye had taken a shower practically every day.
Now, Chen Ye felt as though certain parts of his body had developed a patina.
Before Chen Ye could fall asleep, Uncle Abao arrived.
"Mr. Chen, Captain Chu would like you to come to a meeting!"
Chen Ye followed Uncle Abao to the largest tent in the convoy.
Several people were already seated inside.
There was Captain Chu Che, Nana, the Young Sword Immortal, and Iron Lion, the two-meter-tall giant.
Iron Lion's severed arm had now completely regrown.
Was this the innate ability of the titan sequence?
What incredible regenerative power!
"Chen Ye, you're here! Come, sit!"
With a guileless smile, Iron Lion patted the spot beside him, motioning for Chen Ye to sit down.
Perhaps it was because everyone else had been fleeing in Apricot Blossom Town while Chen Ye had dared to fire that bolt that the big guy thought so highly of him.
After a few brief pleasantries, the meeting quickly began.
"Among the survivors who just joined us, the one named Xu Jiaojiao is quite troublesome. As far as I know, she was a militant feminist blogger before the apocalypse."
"Xu Jiaojiao has already rallied over a dozen people in camp. She seems to be planning something."
Chu Che spoke after pouring Chen Ye a cup of tea.
Captain Chu spoke slowly and calmly, as though discussing something entirely unrelated to him.
The gentle expression on his face barely changed.
Nana said irritably, "I can't believe these people still won't settle down, even after the apocalypse."
"This is the apocalypse. The world is nothing like it used to be."
"Iron Lion, Chen Ye, what do you think about this?"
Iron Lion scratched his head and chuckled sheepishly. "Whatever you think we should do, we'll do. I'll listen to you. Heh..."
Nana rolled her pretty eyes and turned to Chen Ye.
Chen Ye chuckled. "They're just a bunch of clowns. It's before the apocalypse now. Without the transcendent sequence, these people probably wouldn't survive a single day!"
"Surely that isn't what you wanted to discuss, Captain Chu?"
Chen Ye drained the tea Captain Chu had given him in one gulp.
Under the current circumstances, getting even a sip of tea was no easy matter.
So whenever he visited the captain, Chen Ye always figured he should drink as much as he could.
The other two probably thought the same way.
Their teacups were empty as well.
Captain Chu Che pretended not to notice.
Even he did not have much tea left these days.
"Indeed, that isn't what I wanted to discuss. By my estimate, we'll reach Longevity Village tomorrow morning!"
"I called you here to discuss our plans for tomorrow morning."
Hearing that they were about to reach a supply point, their expressions grew a little more serious.
The towns and villages from before the apocalypse had all become forbidden zones for humans, harboring endless dangers.
One careless move could cost them their lives.
Apricot Blossom Town had been a prime example.
The entire convoy had lost half its people there.
Chu Che took out a radio and began fiddling with it in front of everyone.
Chen Ye was a little bewildered.
Wait, weren't you going to talk about Longevity Village? Why did you suddenly pull out a radio?
What kind of bizarre turn was this?
Noticing Chen Ye's curious gaze,
Nana, the young swordswoman beside him, explained, "This is the Eavesdropping Radio, number 01257. It's a Wonder."
"You can think of it as... um... an apocalyptic magic treasure!"
"Wonders often have incredible abilities. The captain's Eavesdropping Radio is really amazing."
As she explained, the young swordswoman gazed enviously at the radio.
"Number?"
Chen Ye asked curiously as he watched Chu Che fiddle with the radio.
"Yes, the number is also its ranking. The top hundred Wonders all have incredible abilities."
"The captain's ranks outside the top thousand, but even so, it's an extraordinary treasure. You'll see in a moment."
Before you continue