Asura Sequence

Shen Ye was figuring out how to ration his food when cries erupted beside an old van nearby.

"No, no, no! I want instant noodles! I want them now!"

A boy who looked to be in his teens lay rolling around on the ground, throwing a tantrum. Beside him, a woman in her sixties crouched and coaxed him. "Be good, sweetheart. Grandma will get you something to eat in a little while. I can't conjure up instant noodles for you this time..."

The boy scrambled to his feet and immediately stopped crying. A sly smile appeared on his face as he pointed toward Shen Ye.

"There are instant noodles in that bag. I saw him take some out just now."

Old Mrs. Zhao followed her grandson's finger and spotted the instant noodles in the bag at once.

Her eyes lit up. She immediately plastered on a smile and approached him. "Young man, those instant noodles, that bread, and that jam... could you spare us some? My grandson hasn't eaten in two days. Look how skinny he's gotten..."

Shen Ye glanced up at her, then at the boy, who was as round as a ball, and flatly refused. "No."

He knew this old woman. Her surname was Zhao, and she was notorious throughout the team for her shamelessness. Just yesterday, she had conned Qin Shuwen out of two packs of compressed biscuits.

"Oh, honestly, how can a young man like you be so inconsiderate?" Seeing that he remained unmoved, Old Mrs. Zhao raised her voice. "You can't finish all that food yourself. What's wrong with giving a child one pack? Everyone's struggling these days. We need to help each other!"

Here we go again.

Old Mrs. Zhao kept recycling the same tricks. Shen Ye couldn't be bothered with her and lowered his head to continue organizing his backpack.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" Completely ignored, Old Mrs. Zhao grew agitated. "Are you deaf? How can you be so heartless?"

The moment she finished speaking, the boy beside her lunged forward, snatched two packs of instant noodles from Shen Ye's backpack, and turned to run.

Old Mrs. Zhao made no move to stop him. Instead, the corners of her mouth lifted in a smug smile.

Shen Ye's gaze instantly turned cold.

Almost instinctively, he reached out and grabbed the chubby boy by the back of his collar, preventing him from escaping.

"Give them back!"

His voice was icy, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Frightened by his intensity, the chubby boy cried out through his tears, "No! They're mine!"

Shen Ye wasted no words. He reached out with his other hand and snatched the instant noodles back.

At that, the chubby boy opened his mouth and tried to bite the hand holding him.

Shen Ye immediately let go and dodged the bite. Once free, the boy ran straight toward his grandmother.

"Grandma, save me!"

Now thoroughly enraged, Shen Ye kicked the chubby boy in the back without holding back his strength.

Thud!

The next instant, the chubby boy went flying and slammed into the roadside railing. Before he could even scream, he spat blood and passed out.

"My grandson!" Terrified, Old Mrs. Zhao shrieked and threw herself over the boy. "You... what did you do to my grandson? Wake up!"

"Help! Is there a doctor here? Please save my precious grandson..."

Drawn by the commotion, onlookers gathered in twos and threes, murmuring among themselves.

But no matter how loudly Old Mrs. Zhao wailed, not one person stepped forward to help.

Not even those who had worked in healthcare before the apocalypse.

The apocalypse had only begun a few days ago, yet Old Mrs. Zhao's family had already built up quite a record of reprehensible deeds within the team.

People had been disgusted by them time and again, but morality and the lingering habits of the old order had kept them from voicing their anger. Now that this had happened, quite a few were secretly cheering.

"Mom, what happened? What's wrong with Xiaobao?"

Before long, a man and a woman pushed through the crowd, the woman asking first.

"It was him! Him!" Old Mrs. Zhao pointed at Shen Ye, her eyes blazing with fury. "My precious grandson only wanted a pack of his instant noodles, and he attacked him so viciously! He... he's a murderer!"

The old woman's son, Liu Bing, immediately roared at Shen Ye, "I'll fucking kill you, you little bastard!"

Before he could get close, two people rushed out of the crowd and grabbed him.

"What's going on here?" Steward Huang squeezed through the crowd. His expression darkened at the sight before him. "What happened?"

Old Mrs. Zhao dropped onto the ground, slapping her thighs as she bawled. "That damned monster! My grandson was just starving and wanted something to eat, and he beat him! Look what he's done to my grandson..."

"Look, he's coughing up blood! Oh, heavens! Is there no justice left in this world?"

"Who gave you permission to attack him?" Steward Huang's expression turned grim.

"The Rock Carriage Team has rules. Members aren't allowed to fight one another. Do you have no respect for Captain Song?"

Shen Ye said nothing and merely stared at him coldly.

Just then, a square-faced, middle-aged man climbed out of the driver's seat of a delivery truck.

He was powerfully built, with dark skin and thick muscles bulging across his shoulders. He looked exceptionally strong.

He was Song Lei, captain of the Rock Carriage Team.

Before the apocalypse, Song Lei had been a military veteran. Unable to find work, he had eventually become a delivery driver.

When the apocalypse arrived, he had immediately awakened supernatural powers, gaining the ability to transform into a werewolf and fight the Eldritch. Perhaps driven by an ingrained sense of responsibility,

he had soon formed the Rock Carriage Team and taken in survivors along the way.

Shen Ye had chosen to join precisely because he considered Song Lei reliable.

"Captain!" The moment Steward Huang saw him, his expression shifted into one of fawning deference.

"Captain Song, you're just in time. This is a tricky situation. We need you to handle it."

Steward Huang was still somewhat intimidated by Shen Ye, who stood a full six feet tall. Hearing that he had sent the chubby boy flying with one kick only made him more afraid.

If they really came to blows, he would certainly come off worse.

Song Lei approached, glanced at the unconscious chubby boy on the ground, then looked at the expressionless Shen Ye.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Well..." Steward Huang was about to speak, but Song Lei raised a hand to stop him.

"I wasn't asking you." Song Lei looked at a thin man crouching nearby. "You tell me. What happened just now?"

The thin man froze, clearly not expecting Song Lei to single him out. He glanced at Old Mrs. Zhao's tearful face, then at Shen Ye's expressionless one, and ultimately gave an honest account. "Um... the old lady's grandson stole the young man's instant noodles. When the young man took them back, he kicked the child, and then the child fell to the ground."

After hearing him out, Song Lei nodded.

He turned to Old Mrs. Zhao. "Your grandson stole his things first?"

"He... he's just a child!" Old Mrs. Zhao argued. "Children don't know any better. Why should a grown man hold it against a child?"

Song Lei said nothing, but snorted inwardly. Children don't know any better? How many times has something like this happened since your family joined the team?

Now you've crossed someone who won't take your crap, and you expect me to help you? Pah!

After cursing them inwardly, he turned his gaze to Shen Ye. His voice was quiet, but everyone heard him clearly. "I know food is important to you, but you used too much force. Don't let it happen again."

With that, he turned and left.

Steward Huang froze for a moment and opened his mouth. In the end, he said nothing and followed Song Lei away.

Liu Bing's family watched Song Lei's retreating figure, their eyes filled with fear. Angry as they were, they dared not speak.

They were nasty, but they weren't stupid.

Captain Song might usually seem honest and easygoing, but he saw everything clearly.

Even setting that aside, Song Lei had the final say within the team.

Several people had defied Captain Song before. All had been expelled from the team, and none had survived to see the next day.

The onlookers gradually dispersed as well.

Old Mrs. Zhao remained rooted to the spot, her face alternating between flushed and pale.

She looked down at her unconscious grandson in her arms, then raised her head to glare at Shen Ye, her eyes brimming with venom.

Shen Ye didn't look at her.

"If anything happens to my son, I won't let you get away with it." Leaving that threat behind, Liu Bing picked up his son and hurried off to seek help from others.

Shen Ye sat back down in the corner and tore open a pack of instant noodles. He put away the seasoning packets first, then began crunching on the dry noodle block.

He had never considered preparing the noodles with hot water.

The reason was simple. After the apocalypse began, all tap water had been contaminated by the Eldritch. Everyone who drank it turned purple all over and eventually died in excruciating pain.

After a few bites, he suddenly froze.

A line of information appeared out of nowhere in his mind:

[Killing Points: +2]

Shen Ye's pupils abruptly contracted.

That boy... died?

He realized it immediately.

He lowered his head and looked at his hands.

So killing people really does earn Killing Points.

Indeed, besides Song Lei, Shen Ye was also a Sequence Awakened.

On his first night fleeing, a streak of red light had crossed the night sky and entered his body. Then his subconscious had told him that he had awakened a sequence called "Asura."

First, his physical capabilities had improved considerably. By his calculations, his strength and endurance were now five times those of an ordinary person.

Besides that, he had two skills: Asura Treasury and Blood Refinement.

Asura Treasury: there really was a treasury inside his mind, but its interior was shrouded in black mist.

Three objects floated clearly at the center of the mist: a blood-red crystal, a pair of eerie scarlet eyes, and a mask resembling a vicious ghost.

To take these things out, he had to sacrifice Killing Points to give them physical form.

Moreover, as he sacrificed more Killing Points, the mist would gradually dissipate, revealing the other treasures hidden deeper inside one by one.

Blood Refinement: consumed Killing Points to refine a designated item, granting it greater power.

Both skills depended on Killing Points. As long as he had enough Killing Points, he could quickly grow stronger and survive in this man-eating apocalypse.

At first, Shen Ye had only guessed how to obtain Killing Points. But he had spent the past few days fleeing and learning about this world, leaving him no time to study his abilities.

He hadn't expected today's minor clash to bring him a pleasant surprise.

After thinking it over carefully, however, he also discovered a serious drawback to this sequence.

In its early stages, compared to other sequences, it was essentially a blank slate. Aside from having a stronger physique than an ordinary person, he could hardly even be considered a true Sequence Awakened.

In other words, he needed to build himself up first. Only after obtaining the first item from the Asura Treasury might he reach this sequence's first qualitative breakthrough.

With a goal in mind, the corners of Shen Ye's mouth lifted slightly. He slowly raised his head and looked into the distance, where Old Mrs. Zhao's family carried her grandson's corpse around, begging people for help.

His gaze gradually grew unfathomable.