"That young guy looks pretty skilled, but against the captain's Giant Sequence, he's probably done for. Captain Zhao has already killed several Sequence 9s, let alone an ordinary person like him."
"That kid's going to die horribly. He actually dared to kill the captain's newest lackey. Tsk, tsk."
"Ah, wouldn't it have been better to just hand over the supplies? Now he's pissed off the captain. His life's as good as over."
Shen Ye ignored the jeers. Once he calmed down, he decided to change his approach.
This time, he didn't dare meet his opponent head-on and instead began circling him.
Taking advantage of the giant's slow turns, he stayed off to one side, behind him.
The bald man threw several punches in succession, but every one missed. Each time he pulled back his fist, another wound inexplicably appeared on his body.
Though the wounds did little damage, his movements grew increasingly impatient, and his attacks lost all structure.
"You damn fly!"
The bald man roared and slammed both fists into the ground.
The ground shook, sending fragments of stone flying.
The tremor made Shen Ye stumble.
In that instant, the bald man seized his chance.
A sweeping blow struck Shen Ye squarely in the right shoulder.
The overwhelming force sent Shen Ye flying another five or six meters, and he crashed heavily to the ground.
Ghost Head slipped from his grasp and skidded two meters away, revealing its true form.
"It's over."
Inside the vehicle, Lin Wanqiu's face went deathly pale. If Shen Ye lost, she could easily imagine what would happen to her.
Just thinking of the bald man's brutish face made her sick.
Beside her, however, An Ning stared intently at Shen Ye. She noticed that his eyes were still open. Perhaps the situation wasn't hopeless yet.
Though the blow had badly injured him, Shen Ye didn't feel much pain under the effects of Inspiration.
Looking smug, the bald man thought the fight was over. He strode toward Shen Ye, who lay on the ground, and raised his foot to stomp him to death.
At the very instant he raised his foot-
Shen Ye rolled over as though nothing had happened and grabbed the straight-bladed saber, Ghost Head, from the ground with his left hand.
From below, he thrust the blade through the opening beneath the giant's raised leg, driving it toward his abdomen.
The bald man still believed the attack couldn't pierce his defenses.
Shrrk!
This time, half the black blade sank straight into him.
The bald man's eyes widened in disbelief.
But just as he was about to knock Shen Ye away with another punch-
A faint dark-red gleam flashed across the blade.
The "Instant Death" effect activated.
Countless black lines spread from the wound, enveloping the giant's enormous body.
The vicious gleam in the bald man's eyes vanished in an instant, as though he had sensed something utterly terrifying.
His three-meter-tall body crashed to the ground in a cloud of dust, then continued shrinking until his corpse returned to its original form.
The fight had begun quickly and ended just as quickly. Less than two minutes had passed from start to finish.
But the outcome caught quite a few people by surprise.
[Killing Points: +85]
Shen Ye pulled out Ghost Head and knelt on one knee, bracing himself on its hilt as he gulped down air. As the effects of "Inspiration" faded, the piercing pain returned, nearly making him pass out.
He clenched his teeth, the cold sweat seeping from his forehead soaking his short hair.
Song Shiya activated Light of Holy Healing again, enveloping his badly bruised right ribs in white light.
"Bear with it. Your ribs might be cracked."
Seeing his pained expression, she gritted her teeth and poured in more sequence power.
"Shen Ye!"
"Shen Ye! Are you okay?"
An Ning and Lin Wanqiu got out of the vehicle too and immediately gathered around him, their eyes full of concern.
Looking at the giant's corpse on the ground, An Ning couldn't help murmuring, "That... that was incredible. You actually killed a Giant Sequence 9."
Shen Ye didn't answer.
He lowered his head to glance at Ghost Head. His right hand was still trembling around the hilt.
If the "Instant Death" effect hadn't activated at that critical moment, he would have been the corpse lying on the ground.
This encounter had been far more dangerous than his earlier trip to Snake Village.
At the same time, he had truly witnessed the power of combat-oriented Sequence Awakened, as well as the gap between himself and a true Sequence Awakened. After the bald man's death, a deathly silence fell over the dozen or so vehicles surrounding the Dawn Convoy.
No one knew who honked first.
Then the vehicle doors opened one after another.
Some people poked their heads out of the windows, while others got out altogether.
Meanwhile, some who feared being made to answer for their actions immediately drove away.
Their expressions were complicated, but the looks they gave Shen Ye all held the same fear.
Just then, a man who drove a bus was the first to approach.
He was in his forties, with a thin face and a plaid shirt.
He held both hands up in front of his chest to show that he posed no threat and meant no harm.
"Brother... no, Captain."
His voice was dry and trembled slightly.
"My name is He Yumin. I'm the driver of that bus."
He pointed at the bald man's corpse on the ground and explained:
"This man's name was Zhao Biao. Before the apocalypse, he was a construction contractor, and he often bullied the workers under him."
"After the apocalypse came, he awakened his sequence and became even worse. He robbed, killed, raped, and looted all along the way. Quite a few people and Sequence Awakened died at his hands."
"Many people in the convoy were forced to join him..."
Shen Ye looked at him and asked coldly, "Why are you telling me all this?"
He Yumin glanced at the coldly gleaming blade in his hand, still stained with Zhao Biao's blood. Instinctive fear made him swallow.
After a moment's hesitation, he continued, "We're just ordinary people. We haven't done anything bad on the way here. Zhao Biao did all those things himself."
"Even when he tried to rob you just now, that was his and his lackeys' idea. It had nothing to do with us. I swear to heaven."
At his words, the others nearby chimed in. "That's right. We haven't done anything bad."
"We're innocent."
Shen Ye looked utterly indifferent. "In that case, he's dead, and you're free. Why haven't you left?"
Hearing this, He Yumin dropped to his knees before him with a thud.
"Zhao Biao is dead. Without a Sequence Awakened to protect us, where can we go? Please, could you let us join your convoy?"
Seeing this, many of the people around him also knelt, their eyes filled with desperate hope.
Those who had been close to Zhao Biao or had done things they couldn't afford to let come to light had already quietly gotten into their vehicles and driven away.
Looking at those who remained, Shen Ye instinctively wanted to refuse.
But Song Shiya, standing beside him, spoke before he could.
"How many of you are there?"
He Yumin looked around, then answered shakily, "Apart from those who just ran off, there are a little over fifty of us left."
Shen Ye frowned and looked at Song Shiya in confusion.
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